Translator: dapotaturs
Release Date: 04/07/2024
Other translated works in Dapotaturs's profile:
(1) After Leaving the Sports Circle. I Became a Cooking God (Completed BL)
(2) Traveling through the Sixties with the Male God ( Completed BL)
(3) Dreaming Back to the 90s to Help My Dad Chase Away Rivals (BL)
(4) The Green Tea's Target is Always Wrong 【Quick Transmigration】(Completed BL)
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"Jiang ge, I've tried my best this month. But there are still a few clients who find the room layout unsatisfactory and the prices too high. I just can't seem to negotiate with them."
Xiao Pingtou shook his cheap suit, revealing a smile uglier than tears.
"I know the pressure from above for meeting targets is tight. Jiang ge, please help me out. I still have two young ones to support at home."
The man stood with his back to him, leaning against the lamppost, smoking in silence. The cigarette was a cheap 'Hongtashan', casually flicked to the ground, scattering like charred snowflakes.
After a few seconds of holding his breath, Xiao Pingtou took out a wad of crumpled bills and tried to stuff them into the old coat the man had worn for over a decade.
"Get away."
Two nearby salesmen looked panicked, pleading, "Jiang ge—"
"Give me another two months," the man extinguished the cigarette on the lamppost, his voice low and hoarse, "I'll use the sales performance from my last deal to cover for you. But there won't be a next time."
Xiao Pingtou nodded repeatedly as if awakening from a dream, still holding the stack of old bills, unsure whether to take them or leave them. The people around quickly gestured, "What are you waiting for? Jiang ge is helping us out. Let's hurry up and treat him to dinner!"
Before Jiang Wang could respond, the screeching sound of brakes tearing apart erupted nearby.
Instinctively, he pushed aside the subordinate next to him, and the next moment, a sweet taste filled his throat as his body soared into the air, directly hit by an out-of-control truck.
"Jiang Wang!!!"
"Jiang ge!!!"
The world was spinning and shaking. He lost his balance, falling amidst the reflections of skyscrapers and dilapidated houses.
With a splash, he fell into the lake, everything plunged into darkness.
Jiang Wang gazed at the hazy, gloomy sky, his pupils gradually unfocused. The police didn't even need to inform anyone of his death. It was for the best.
It's just a pity about this coat.
The lake water, carrying the scent of decay, flooded into his lungs, making him want to vomit. After about ten seconds, Jiang Wang decided to flip himself over. He was average at swimming but agile in his body. Closing his eyes, enduring the taste of blood in his throat, he swam upwards, thinking he'd probably be late for his afternoon appointments.
The chaotic noise echoed like a train passing through a tunnel, with fragmented light swirling above the water's surface. Jiang Wang opened his eyes and looked up, reaching out to brush away the water plants before kicking forcefully.
He emerged from the water, soaking wet, surrounded by silence.
Something wasn't right. This wasn't the provincial capital.
Jiang Wang took a deep breath and swam to the shore. His collar was soaked with blood from the impact, his chin grazed, his palm scratched, and his shoes and socks filled with water.
The park lake had turned into a small river, and the city stretched flat to the horizon, with a group of birds flying across the clear sky at that moment. Jiang Wang hadn't seen a flock of birds in years. He propped himself up and walked toward the embankment, sensing that something was amiss everywhere.
Two hundred meters away was an intersection, with a newly built newsstand on the side, the smell of paint hitting his nose. He stumbled over, ignoring the curious glances of passersby, and picked up a local newspaper, searching among the numerous flipped-open cell phone and health product advertisements for the date.
"Damn."
It was June 10th, 2006. He was back in City A.
The outdated car models and old streets resembled scenes from a nostalgic period film. A stray dog took advantage of his daze to lift its leg and urinate beside his trousers. Jiang Wang turned silently and walked back to the river, plunging in.
When he resurfaced, it was still 2006, but there were a few curious children on the bank. Jiang Wang's face grimaced as he soaked in the water.
"Mom—"
"Come back for dinner! Don't stare at the lunatic!"
A woman in a floral dress shooed her child back, and the sky gradually darkened. The man silently swam back to the shore, wringing out his clothes before walking deeper into the streets.
Jiang Wang was familiar with this place. Secluded, remote—it was a small city on the fifth or sixth line of high-speed rail, and it was the ghostly place he hastily left when he was barely in his teens. The only thing he needed to confirm was...
If it's 2006 now, then does the me from 20 years ago still exist?
The town wasn't large; it only took ten minutes to reach familiar places. Inside the mahjong parlor, people laughed loudly, and the shuffling of cards sounded like a lottery draw. At the open-air stalls, a light bulb hung, illuminating the sale of braised chicken and duck. Vendors grabbed a handful of noodles after taking money and tossed them into the pot to fry, sweat dripping down their necks. Everything was exactly like childhood memories.
The man usually kept his emotions hidden, and now, he remained silent, walking deeper into the narrow streets as if retracing memories. Sometimes, the company organized movie nights, and he knew some things. People from different timelines couldn't see each other, or else it would trigger antimatter and cause annihilation.
He was just about to completely forget some things.
A woman carried a bag of onions and pork while chatting with neighbors, shaking her hand enthusiastically and sighing. "It's a busy life." Jiang Wang walked past them and turned into the shantytown, suddenly hearing a child's cry.
His breath tightened.
First, there were the sounds of rolling bottles, followed by the crack of a whip slicing through the air. "Please stop, dad— I'm begging you, dad!!!" The child nearly screamed in anguish, the sound tearing through the night like an abused kitten's cry.
At that moment, Jiang Wang's blood ran cold. The thought of just taking a glance and walking away was replaced with a surge of impulse. No, that's my past self, I can't— The drunkard overturned the table, the crash of shattered glass filling the room, as he cursed loudly and prepared to kick again. The next moment, the plastic printed curtain was yanked open violently, and a young boy, clutching his arm and almost falling to the ground, stumbled out. He took a shaky step forward, his face streaked with tears and his eyes red with crying. Then, he widened his eyes and saw Jiang Wang standing in the corner.
The drunken man cursed loudly as he opened the door, ready to catch him. The child, panicked and scared, didn't know where to hide. With a deep breath, Jiang Wang scooped up the child and ran towards a distance.
To hell with the laws of time and the destruction of the world. He'd figure it out later. The child, squeezed in his armpit, spoke with a wavering voice, "Wh-wh-who are youuuu——!!"
Jiang Wang's arm strength was astonishing, and his explosive power was strong. The physique he developed during his five years in the army allowed him to run eight hundred meters under load without a single pant.
He completely forgot that the drunkard couldn't chase far at all. It was as if he had to exhaust his last breath before daring to stop.
At first, the child whimpered and flailed his legs wildly, but soon he became as silent as a rabbit caught by the scruff of its neck.
The two stood in a completely unfamiliar corner.
After being set down, the boy dared not scream or run. He even covered his mouth instinctively, scrutinizing the stranger in the dim light.
A scar at the corner of his eye, a broken eyebrow, and blood on his clothes, dressed like a gangster from a Hong Kong movie.
— Definitely not a good person.
Jiang Wang leaned against the wall, still adjusting his breath, completely unaware that he had been categorized as an illegal.
The child remained silent.
Jiang Wang glanced at him, reached into his pocket, and pulled out four bills and a few coins from his waterproof wallet. Twenty years later, paper money was no longer in use, but he kept it for the convenience of tipping property security and showing houses to clients.
The child became even more nervous when he saw Jiang Wang counting money, shrinking his neck like an ostrich.
Oh no, he's probably going to sell me off.
"Are you hungry?" The child took a deep breath for several seconds, trembling as he looked up at him. Standing at six foot three, Jiang Wang looked terrifying against the light.
"Uncle... Uncle, my name is Peng Xingwang."
Damn, don't mention that ghostly name. Jiang Wang's aura grew even heavier, furrowing his brows. "I'm asking you what you want to eat." The child, Peng Xingwang, was already trembling. With effort, he said, "Uncle, I can collect bottles and do arithmetic. Please don't sell me to a coal mine." Jiang Wang gritted his teeth and grabbed the kid by the collar, walking forward. "Tonight, you'll stay with me at the guesthouse."
He casually found a barbecue stall and ordered two cans of beer and a plate of fried noodles. After some thought, he also ordered a bowl of egg drop soup for the child. Peng Xingwang hadn't eaten anything decent in three days. He held the hot porridge and couldn't care less about running away, drinking it with a rumbling stomach and even slurping loudly.
Jiang Wang drank the two cans of beer with a stern face, his mood as sour and damp as his clothes. Across the table, the child was dressed in oversized old clothes, with a pink cartoon pig printed on them. It was obvious they were hand-me-downs from a neighbor who couldn't bear to see her daughter wear them anymore.
Peng Xingwang smelled the aroma of cumin lamb skewers and couldn't help but salivate. He wanted to eat but didn't dare to touch them, only daring to sneak a peek.
Jiang Wang's eyes were sharp, and seeing this scene made him even more annoyed. "If you're hungry, just eat."
"I'm not hungry," the child shook his head. "I'm already full."
Jiang Wang pushed the plate towards him with a stern face. "Eat or not?"
Peng Xingwang, holding back tears, nibbled on the lamb skewers, feeling intimidated.
Jiang Wang, known as the " '89 Sniper Soul-Chasing Hand" in the army, dared to kill wild wolves during off-road training before retiring. After retirement, he could sell more than a dozen houses with a straight face. He had never shown kindness to anyone. Seeing the sniveling kid from twenty years ago made him extremely irritated.
Peng Xingwang finished the skewers and used a small spoon to scoop up the remaining porridge. Seeing the large portion of fried noodles left on the opposite side, he looked disappointed but obediently followed the strange man, not daring to resist. His mother had left long ago, and his father was probably asleep like a log. Even if he was sold, hardly anyone would know.
"Uncle."
"Don't call me uncle."
Peng Xingwang nodded dejectedly and whispered, "Thank you, uncle."
"...Call me big brother."
Jiang Wang's true identity was completely confirmed by the child. As it was getting late, the clothing shops on the street had already closed. Jiang Wang led him back, stopping at a pharmacy along the way to buy some alcohol swabs and cotton swabs.
The receptionist at the guesthouse found Jiang Wang's ID card intriguingly new, thinking he might be someone from the city. This was Peng Xingwang's first time in such a place, and the thought of going back to the coal mine tomorrow made him feel somewhat despondent, with a conflicted expression on his face.
Jiang Wang didn't wait for the receptionist to see the registration date on his ID card. He urged with a cold face, "Are you going to check us in or not?"
"Yes, yes, of course," the receptionist hurriedly responded, instructing them to register their names and phone numbers before handing over the keys and leading them upstairs to their room. Just before closing the door, Jiang Wang glanced at him and said, "Give me a cigarette."
The receptionist cautiously handed him two cigarettes. "Lighter," Jiang Wang demanded. The receptionist felt aggrieved, but knowing it was best not to provoke someone with such a mysterious background, reluctantly handed over the newly bought lighter.
Jiang Wang went to the bathroom to quickly wash his hair and face, then soaked his dirty clothes in water and left them to dry on the balcony. He put on a pair of boxer shorts, lit a cigarette, calmly applied medicine, and bandaged his scratched hand. The child watched quietly for a while before handing the cotton swabs to the man who had just returned from a brawl.
Still got some brains. Jiang Wang inwardly praised himself, gesturing for Peng Xingwang to lift his clothes. "I'll help you with the medicine."
The child turned his head and lifted his clothes, revealing green and purple scars all over.
They had been whipped with a wooden board with nails on it before, and several of the cuts had become infected.
Jiang Wang's eyes grew colder, silently treating the wounds.
The child suddenly burst into tears.
Jiang Wang paused. "Did I hurt you?"
"Uncle...big brother," Peng Xingwang sobbed, tears streaming down his face. "You're a good person, you won't sell me, will you?"
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