“Mr. Lu, you have an appointment with Mr. Song to play basketball at 3 p.m.”
Lu Yuan opened his eyes, hearing an unfamiliar female voice before he could fully process his surroundings. He lifted his eyelids to see a professionally dressed woman continuing to recite his schedule. She must be his secretary. But his secretary was a man, an exceptionally talented junior that Ning Guiqu had strongly recommended.
Lu Yuan surveyed the office, both familiar and not quite so. He remembered falling asleep at home, holding Ning Guiqu in his arms.
Rubbing his brow, Lu Yuan chose to dismiss the woman for now.
He was completely uncertain of his current situation. The desk held various documents and office supplies, much like his own, but notably absent was the framed photo of him and Ning Guiqu, their formal wedding portrait.
They had been married for three years now.
Lu Yuan thought about his current situation. He spotted a phone on the desk and successfully unlocked it with his fingerprint. The apps were familiar, as were the contacts. His WeChat was recognizable too, including a project proposal from Song Huai. This was undoubtedly his phone.
Except…Lu Yuan’s brow furrowed deeply.
Ning Guiqu was missing.
There were no contacts labeled “Ning Guiqu,” “Genius Xiao Qu,” “Wifey,” “Rabbit,” “Idiot,” or any variation thereof. Even the photo gallery lacked a single picture of Ning Guiqu.
Lu Yuan opened the front-facing camera. The face in the lens was his own. He was indeed Lu Yuan, yet somehow not quite this Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan leaned back in his chair, deep in thought.
“Actually, we’re characters in a novel called ‘My Childhood Friend is an Idiot.’ I didn’t transmigrate. I became self-aware and learned about the future plot. At the end of the story, I go to prison. I’m not lying about this.”
“In the book, I work at Song Huai’s company in the future. I cause trouble there and always stir up minor incidents. At first, Song Huai didn’t notice. Then, I started targeting Xu Zhi, who also didn’t notice. Finally, I flirted with Song Huai deliberately to let Xu Zhi see us, causing them to fight. After that, Song Huai saw through me and kicked me out. I was alone at home and brooding darkly until I finally stabbed him. Lu Yuan, you really are just a background character. I’m not lying about this, either. You only appear twice in the book. You were mentioned in passing through others.”
“In the book, we are indeed roommates, but I fell in love with Song Huai in high school. It was love at first sight, my heart racing when I saw him. So, in college, I obsessively watched him secretly. Even though we were roommates, we barely interacted. I never noticed you at all—hey, don’t get jealous! You wanted to hear this!”
Lu Yuan recalled Ning Guiqu’s previous claims about becoming aware of being a cannon fodder character. Though his wife hadn’t mentioned it in years, those words remained fresh in his memory.
He had chosen to believe it then, solely because Ning Guiqu wouldn’t lie to him. It was a purely subjective belief. But now, Lu Yuan believed it objectively, too. He had transmigrated into the novel “My Childhood Friend is an Idiot” as the plot device character Lu Yuan.
No, that wasn’t right. This world was the novel. How could he call it transmigration? This should be a parallel timeline where Ning Guiqu hadn’t yet awakened to his cannon fodder status.
Just then, Lu Yuan’s phone on the table displayed a notification:
“Comet spotted over Linhai City at 3 a.m. Experts predict another comet will appear in three days.”
Lu Yuan’s eyes widened slightly.
He remembered this happening in his world, too, also at 3 a.m. Lu Yuan only remembered because Ning Guiqu had muttered something about it while playing with his phone. Neither of them had much interest in astronomy.
Now, it seemed the comet had caused him to inhabit the body of this timeline’s Lu Yuan—the one where Ning Guiqu hadn’t awakened. This Lu Yuan’s soul couldn’t have simply vanished; he had likely ended up in his body.
In three days, they would probably switch back. If so, he would spend three days in this world.
After figuring this out, Lu Yuan immediately called Song Huai. Song Huai answered in his usual manner, “Want to play ball?”
Lu Yuan ignored this and got straight to the point. “Do you have an employee named Ning Guiqu at your company?”
Song Huai responded, confused, “Have you lost your memory? Haven’t you met him before? Wasn’t he your college roommate?”
Lu Yuan’s eyes darkened as he gripped his phone tighter. So even according to Ning Guiqu’s account, despite being focused on Song Huai, how could he have spent four years living together and never noticed him at all?
Had the book’s Lu Yuan also failed to notice Ning Guiqu? How could he have let Ning Guiqu fall for Song Huai, to the point of stabbing for love? The more Lu Yuan dwelled on it, the more jealous he became. If Ning Guiqu were here now, he would have bullied him into a rag rabbit long ago.
Suppressing these thoughts, Lu Yuan continued to ask, “Is he at the company now?”
“Hold on, let me check.”
Moments later, Song Huai’s voice returned, “No, he’s not. He didn’t have much work today, so he took the day off.”
Lu Yuan: “Where does he live?”
Song Huai sounded suspicious, “…Why do you ask?”
Lu Yuan vaguely answered, “I have business with him. Don’t worry, I won’t do anything illegal.”
With Lu Yuan’s assurance, Song Huai provided Ning Guiqu’s home address.
It was an unfamiliar neighborhood. Lu Yuan navigated to Ning Guiqu’s residence. Apartment 1202.
When Lu Yuan arrived, he resisted the urge to press the code lock and pressed the doorbell. After a few rings, the door opened. Inside stood Ning Guiqu in his pajamas, yawning.
“Who is it?”
Before Ning Guiqu could make out who it was, the person had already walked in.
Rubbing his eyes, Ning Guiqu took a while to react. It wasn’t until the man casually opened his refrigerator that Ning Guiqu finally recognized him. “Lu Yuan?”
Lu Yuan closed the fridge door and glanced at Ning Guiqu. “I’m surprised you even remember me.” His tone was slightly sarcastic.
Ning Guiqu: “…..”
Wait. An unfamiliar roommate comes to his home, opens his fridge, and then speaks sarcastically? He was doing well just to remember Lu Yuan’s name!
Lu Yuan surveyed the apartment like a lion sizing up its territory, finally settling on the sofa. He added another sarcastic comment, “Living alone seems to suit you well.”
Ning Guiqu: “…..”
Ning Guiqu was confused. “Lu Yuan, aren’t you being a bit too familiar?”
Seeing Ning Guiqu’s wary expression, Lu Yuan found it quite novel. He’d never seen Ning Guiqu like this before. Though he didn’t know why the comet had brought him here, now that he had arrived, the most important thing was to make Ning Guiqu give up on Song Huai. Stabbing someone for love was out of the question. And while he was at it, he might as well marry him.
Even in a parallel universe, Ning Guiqu could only be with Lu Yuan.
Ning Guiqu watched as Lu Yuan’s dark eyes grew increasingly predatory. Sensing danger, he sat on another small sofa, hugging a cushion. He frowned, “What exactly do you want? We’re not close, are we?”
Not close.
His own wife was telling him they weren’t close!
Lu Yuan barely restrained himself from exuding cold fury. He leaned back on the sofa and got straight to the point. “Are you in love with Song Huai?”
Ning Guiqu, like a wary rabbit, refused to answer. “How is that any of your business?”
Lu Yuan understood Ning Guiqu. He knew that even a parallel universe version capable of stabbing for love was still fundamentally Ning Guiqu. So he stated bluntly, “He’s taken. He’s getting married. Do you want to be the other man?”
Sure enough, Ning Guiqu’s face instantly reddened. He glared at Lu Yuan. “How could that be? You’re the one who wants to be the other man!”
Lu Yuan calmly countered, “And if I did?”
Ning Guiqu’s face and neck flushed. “I don’t want to be! Stop slandering me!”
Lu Yuan chuckled softly.
“Song Huai and Xu Zhi are my friends. You know that, right?”
Ning Guiqu clutched his cushion tighter, eyeing Lu Yuan warily as he threatened him in his own home.
“I know. What are you getting at?”
Lu Yuan spoke ominously, “If you want to interfere in my friends’ relationship, then you have to marry me.”
??
????
Ning Guiqu’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Are you insane?”
Unfazed by the insult, Lu Yuan reasoned, “It’s the most appropriate solution. By marrying me, I can keep an eye on you. If you’re in love with someone who’s taken, can you really guarantee you won’t do anything inappropriate?”
Ning Guiqu’s gaze wavered.
Lu Yuan’s heart sank further, though it couldn’t possibly get any colder. So why didn’t his Ning Guiqu do anything inappropriate when he fell for him? He barely even seemed jealous, while Lu Yuan was always the jealous one.
Lu Yuan was thoroughly dejected.
Ning Guiqu, who felt guilty, mumbled, “I won’t do anything anyway. Just leave my house. For old times’ sake as roommates, I’ll pretend you never came today or said those strange things.”
Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow, looking determined to stay. “Those weren’t strange things. Ning Guiqu, if I find out you’re trying to be the other man, you’re marrying me.”
Ning Guiqu exploded, “I won’t be the other man!”
Lu Yuan: “If you won’t, why not agree to my proposal? Feeling guilty?”
Unable to withstand this provocation, Ning Guiqu impulsively agreed.
The next day, Ning Guiqu went to work at the company.
As it happened, Xu Zhi also came. Seeing Xu Zhi gave Ning Guiqu a headache. At home, everything seemed normal, and he knew he shouldn’t harbor feelings for someone off-limits. Yet, whenever he saw them, he couldn’t control his affection or his urge to target Xu Zhi.
This really shouldn’t be happening!
Ning Guiqu desperately tried to construct mental barriers, but as Xu Zhi passed by, he still extended his guilty foot. Xu Zhi dodged it, giving him a strange look.
Ning Guiqu’s face turned crimson. He remained silent. If he didn’t explain, maybe it would be as if nothing happened.
[Ding]
Ning Guiqu’s phone chimed.
He checked it, and his heart sank. Lu Yuan, whom he hadn’t contacted in years, had suddenly sent him a photo. The image showed his outstretched foot, with Xu Zhi narrowly avoiding it.
The caption read: [Evidence. You tried to trip him. Targeting the legitimate partner?]
Ning Guiqu quickly defended himself: [I didn’t! I was just stretching my legs. How did you take this? Are you stalking me?]
Lu Yuan didn’t respond.
Feeling uneasy, Ning Guiqu scanned the office, trying to spot a hidden Lu Yuan. But he found nothing.
For work-related matters, Ning Guiqu visited Song Huai’s office. He couldn’t help but gaze at Song Huai’s face, lost in a daze. Just then, his phone rang.
He apologized to Song Huai and hurried out to answer.
It was Lu Yuan again. His first words were: “You looked at him so lovingly. Isn’t that proof you like him?”
Ning Guiqu’s breath caught.
He hid in a corner and lowered his voice. “Where exactly are you spying on me from? Did you install some high-tech surveillance on my phone?”
Lu Yuan, who was sitting in the surveillance room of Song Huai’s company, was far from pleased. Even if this was a parallel universe Ning Guiqu, he was still Ning Guiqu. Watching his own wife look at someone else with such adoration was unbearable.
Lu Yuan spoke softly, “Let’s meet. Tonight, at your place. We need to talk.”
Ning Guiqu: ???
Why his home? Wouldn’t a coffee shop do?? This Lu Yuan was being far too familiar!
Throughout the day, Lu Yuan sent him numerous photos of his little tricks.
Ning Guiqu stared at these photos, filled with regret. True regret. However, in those moments, he couldn’t help but want to act that way, to target Xu Zhi a bit, to steal a few more glances at Song Huai.
On the subway, Ning Guiqu felt so guilty he wanted to bang his head against the wall. Why did he do such a thing?
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