Cui Leilei considered himself a person with a clear distinction between love and hate.
Therefore, when he saw the photographs sent from an unfamiliar number,
In the first photograph, a handsome man had a delicate looking young man pinned against a wall with his left hand while his right hand gently gripped the other’s chin. The two were gazing into each other’s eyes with unmistakable tenderness. No matter how one looked at it, the scene resembled the classic wall slam trope straight out of a romance novel.
The background was the private rooftop garden of a hotel’s presidential suite. The setting itself provided a naturally luxurious and elegant filter for the ambiguous atmosphere between the two men, so the photographs did not even need any professional editing. It was practically the real life version of an overbearing CEO romance.
The remaining photographs depicted more or less the same scene. Even just looking at them was enough to make an onlooker believe they were a couple deeply in love. In particular, the final photograph showed the two of them kissing so passionately that they seemed completely unwilling to part.
After silently looking through the photographs, Cui Leilei immediately followed the instructions attached to them.
【Big brother, if you have the guts, come to Heyue Hotel, Room 1708.】
He brought his bodyguards and headed straight there.
Once he arrived at his destination, Cui Leilei swiped the key card without hesitation and opened the door. Moving through the room with the familiarity of someone who had been there countless times, he headed directly toward the bedroom.
As expected, he found two people on the bed, embracing one another as they engaged in intimate activity.
If one of them hadn’t been his newly acquired boyfriend, he might even have whistled at the scene.
But since it was his boyfriend, the situation was rather awkward.
Quite frankly, it was worth calling the police.
Cui Leilei glanced at his ex boyfriend, Bai Chuan, who was still burying himself in the activity with complete concentration. Then he turned his gaze toward the third party, who appeared to have finally sensed something amiss and looked up.
The young man seemed surprisingly alert now that he had come back to his senses. He looked directly at Cui Leilei and revealed a smug smile.
This third party was someone Cui Leilei knew as well.
Qin Qing, a rising star in the entertainment industry, was known for his beautiful appearance and sweet voice. He had been one of the most popular contestants on the talent show Super Idol, which had become a massive hit the previous summer.
And Bai Chuan had been one of the mentors on that very show.
Bai Chuan was the male god of Yancheng Film Academy. During his freshman year, he had participated in a talent competition and debuted as the center of his group. After entering the industry as an idol, Bai Chuan had successfully transitioned into acting. His portrayal of the male lead in the fantasy novel adaptation Matchmaker Under the Moon had earned him the annual Most Popular Male Actor award from Riyue APP.
Among idols, he could be considered someone who had successfully made the transition into acting.
Therefore, Bai Chuan’s career had flourished and him beginning to display his masculine charm seemed like a perfectly natural development.
As Cui Leilei mentally ran through Bai Chuan’s career history, he heard Qin Qing’s increasingly coquettish moans.
He let out a quiet, mocking laugh.
Using that laughter to suppress the faint trace of pain in his eyes, Cui Leilei slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, as though he wanted to purge every sweet memory of his relationship with Bai Chuan from his mind.
Then his thin lips parted and he spoke slowly, his voice solemn and deliberate.
“At least we should give this breakup some sense of ceremony. Bai Chuan, we’re breaking up.”
Bai Chuan suddenly heard a familiar yet unfamiliar voice coming from behind him. His body stiffened in an instant.
He instinctively turned to look at Cui Leilei and blurted out, “Leilei, you… weren’t you busy writing your thesis?”
Cui Leilei’s expression remained completely emotionless.
“Old Li, call the police.”
The moment Qin Qing heard the words call the police, his expression turned frightened as well. He grabbed Bai Chuan’s hand tightly, looking like a startled little rabbit. His eyes reddened and he spoke in a soft, trembling voice.
“No… Teacher Bai, who… who is this? You can’t call the police. Otherwise, your career will be ruined!”
Although Qin Qing spoke in a seemingly concerned manner, he could not suppress the jealousy churning inside him. His gaze remained fixed on Cui Leilei, dark and resentful.
He had spent a considerable amount of effort investigating before finally discovering the identity of Bai Chuan’s boyfriend, whom Bai Chuan had protected so carefully.
and just as he had expected, the other man was extraordinarily handsome.
He was the kind of person who could genuinely be described as possessing breathtaking beauty, someone whose appearance could rival that of a legendary beauty.
He didn’t even need clothing to enhance his charm.
At that moment, Cui Leilei was wearing nothing more than an ordinary down jacket yet it accentuated his slender, well proportioned figure to perfection. The simple outfit also added a touch of youthful innocence to his appearance.
His figure was excellent but his face was even more striking.
In particular, his phoenix shaped eyes seemed like the final, masterful stroke in a painting, bringing his entire appearance to life and making him seem even more vivid and radiant.
Combined with the calm composure that came from knowing his own standing, Cui Leilei carried an unmistakably sharp and cold aura from head to toe.
The oppressive presence surrounding him made it difficult for anyone to look directly at him.
As Qin Qing continued studying him, he suddenly felt his eyelids twitch violently.
An ominous premonition immediately surged through his heart.
At the same time, every trace of lust had vanished from Bai Chuan’s body.
His face turned deathly pale in an instant.
He hurriedly got up and reached for Cui Leilei’s hand rushing to push the blame away from himself.
“Leilei, listen to me! It was all Qin Qing’s fault. He was the one who seduced me. I really only-”
Cui Leilei’s expression instantly darkened.
He had actually accepted the advances of a man who lacked even the slightest sense of responsibility!
The anger inside him ignited with a crackling fury.
Without the slightest change in his expression, Cui Leilei kicked Bai Chuan, who was attempting to touch him and repeated his earlier instruction to call the police.
“Just touching you makes my hands dirty!”
Bai Chuan had never imagined that he would actually be kicked to the ground.
He stared in disbelief at Cui Leilei, who had kicked him and then decisively turned to leave.
His voice rose involuntarily, filled with furious indignation.
“Cui Leilei! I’ve already lowered myself and begged you to calm down! What more do you want? Do you even know how many fans love this body of mine? If you hadn’t refused to debut, would I have needed to fake a couple pairing with Qin Qing?”
Hearing the forceful words coming from behind him, Cui Leilei was so furious that he actually laughed.
He didn’t even bother turning his head. He simply continued walking away.
Seeing this, Old Li, who had been called out earlier, immediately and decisively called the police.
His voice was deep and serious.
“Hello, is this the department responsible for cracking down on prostitution and illegal activities? Yes, we’ve caught them red handed at the scene. That’s right. Our hotel is a law abiding establishment and we absolutely cannot allow one rotten apple to ruin our reputation. On top of that, these people stole the room card belonging to one of our VIP guests! Please come over as quickly as possible.”
Otherwise, we’re going to want to beat this scumbag to death ourselves.
The moment Bai Chuan heard this, he felt as though he had fallen into an icy abyss.
He stared at Old Li in utter disbelief, then roared furiously.
“You’re talking complete nonsense! That card was clearly given to me by Leilei!”
Bai Chuan worked in the entertainment industry and frequently flew from one place to another across the country. Therefore, when he had pursued Cui Leilei, the latter had given him a hotel room card.
Heyue Hotel was a five star hotel chain with branches in nearly all the major prosperous cities across the country. Using its facilities was also convenient for maintaining the image of a wealthy young master.
Upon hearing this, Old Li gave Bai Chuan a disdainful look.
Then he turned his head toward Qin Qing and asked him in a surprisingly amiable tone.
“Little green tea, are you surprised? Are you excited? Turns out this fancy place where he was showing off was obtained through theft!”
The unrestrained mockery in his voice caused Bai Chuan’s expression to become even more unpleasant.
As for Qin Qing, he slowly lifted his head and looked toward the group of heavily built bodyguards inside the room. They stood there with imposing, aggressive auras and his eyes turned completely red.
He… he…
He had only wanted to take advantage of the commotion caused by Bai Chuan’s boyfriend to obtain a little more access to resources. He had merely wanted to use Bai Chuan, who was rumored to have powerful connections and substantial backing, to secure a few opportunities for himself.
But he had never imagined that Bai Chuan would actually be a kept man living off someone else.
The person with the powerful background was actually Cui Leilei, his boyfriend!
Qin Qing hurriedly put on his clothes, gritted his teeth and forced himself to calm down.
Then, he turned toward Bai Chuan with an expression of desperate admiration and spoke anxiously.
“Teacher Bai, what… what are we going to do? If they really call the police, both of us will be ruined!”
Seeing Qin Qing’s frightened and helpless appearance, along with the complete trust in his eyes, Bai Chuan felt as though he had suddenly regained the dignity he had lost in front of Cui Leilei.
An unprecedented desire to protect the young man surged within him.
Bai Chuan immediately bent down and carefully wiped away Qin Qing’s tears. His expression was filled with certainty as he spoke.
“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything.”
As he spoke, Bai Chuan cast a sidelong glance at the bodyguards blocking the doorway. His blood boiled and the malicious suspicions he had entertained countless times in the past came spilling out.
“Cui Leilei is nothing more than someone hiding behind another person’s power! Isn’t he also being kept by Xu Congcong?”
Xu Congcong was the young master of the Xu family, a powerful business dynasty in the entertainment industry.
Riyue APP, the video streaming platform with the largest market share in the country, was owned by the Xu family.
He had ruined everything by offending him.
With that thought in mind, Bai Chuan tremblingly picked up his phone and called Xu Congcong’s little lover, hoping the man would help him by putting in a good word for him.
Who could have expected that the moment the other party heard the reason for his call, his voice would shoot up in alarm?
“Bai Chuan, have you lost your mind? Do you even know what kind of damn luck you’ve stumbled into? Cui Leilei is the second young master of the Cui family! Have you heard of Heyue Group? The chairman is his father! The chairwoman of Tianyi Clothing is his mother! Both of his parents are among the top ten richest people in the country. They’re a renowned family with assets exceeding two hundred billion each!”
Bai Chuan felt as though he had been struck by lightning.
His pupils contracted sharply and he stared blankly at Old Li.
Qin Qing, who was standing close by, heard every single word of the conversation. His entire body went rigid and he was utterly dumbfounded.
Looking at the two men who had been rendered as motionless as wooden chickens, Old Li smiled with an almost kind, grandfatherly expression.
“Surprised? You two should be grateful that our young master has such a good temper. Once you’re taken in, make sure you explain everything properly. Confess honestly, cooperate with the investigation and try to get lenient treatment under the law. Then we can consider this matter settled. Otherwise, there won’t be any place for either of you in the entertainment industry.”
An eerie silence descended upon the room.
The next second, Qin Qing hurriedly pointed an accusing finger.
“He was the one who seduced me first! It started back when we were at the training camp. He used the opportunity to teach me dancing to take liberties with me!”
Bai Chuan’s face turned livid. He immediately raised his hand and moved to slap Qin Qing across the face.
“You shameless bitch! What the hell are you talking about?”
Watching the two men turn on each other like dogs fighting over scraps, Old Li and the others merely exchanged cold, indifferent smiles.
……
Three hours later, Cui Leilei held a photocopy of the statements taken during the investigation. His expression remained blank as he pulled out a tissue and wiped his nose.
“I… I guess I’m just a little too focused on looks but how come every boyfriend I’ve had, from childhood until now, has turned out to be such a scumbag?!”
Two lifetimes.
And he still hadn’t experienced a single romance with a perfect ending!
What terrible luck!
As he silently cursed his misfortune, Cui Leilei’s peripheral vision caught sight of the photograph on his phone’s lock screen. It showed a family of four, smiling happily together.
He struggled to force a smile onto his face, consoling himself with the thought that every gain came with a loss.
After all, in this lifetime, he had been born into a good family from the very beginning. It was rare for him to have been blessed with such a fortunate birth.
His parents loved him dearly and his older brother doted on him. They had always protected him and held him close, treating him like the most precious treasure in their hands.
Nothing like the melodramatic mess of his previous life, where he had been forced to endure his parents’ divorce, the constant provocations of an illegitimate child and one troublesome situation after another.
As he reflected on how fortunate he was, Cui Leilei looked down at the accusations written in black and white. A trace of confusion lingered in his eyes as he cautiously turned toward his friend, asking in a self reflective tone.
“Xu Congcong, do you think I’m too demanding? That damn scumbag even had the nerve to say I was too difficult to deal with, that he had to coax me and that he’d eventually lose patience with it but I only agreed to date him three months ago! And most of that time was during the New Year holiday. I was busy eating, drinking, having fun and collecting my lucky money. I barely paid any attention to him at all. What was there for him to coax me about? If anything, I was the one who gave him a hotel room card and bought him New Year gifts.”
His friend Xu Congcong had rushed over after hearing the news.
Upon hearing this, he let out a long, heavy sigh. He reached over and patted Cui Leilei on the head, trying to comfort him.
“Stone, don’t be angry. Don’t be angry. There’s no point in letting a piece of trash like that ruin your health. Just look at that face of yours. Even if you were pretending to be poor, wouldn’t your admirers still be falling over themselves to pursue you? If this one doesn’t work out, we’ll just find another. There’s no reason to take it to heart.”
Cui Leilei didn’t miss the faint trace of sympathy in Xu Congcong’s eyes.
He rubbed his forehead and nodded aggrievedly.
“You have a point. Let’s go to the snack street at Yancheng University and have a proper meal.”
As soon as Cui Leilei finished speaking, he closed his eyes, clearly unwilling to look at the statements any longer or dwell on the word difficult.
Xu Congcong suppressed the anger burning in the depths of his eyes and quietly gestured for the driver to start the car.
The snack street in Yancheng University’s college district was practically one of the city’s attractions. It brought together specialty snacks from all over the country, along with a wide variety of trendy foods that had become popular online.
At that moment, the sun was sinking in the west and its fading rays spread across the entire street. University students and office workers from the surrounding area were coming out in search of food and the aromas of countless dishes drifted through the streets, filling the air with the lively warmth of ordinary human life.
“Master, eight skewers of grilled squid! Give me extra chili!”
“Coming right up! Please wait a moment!”
“Boss, are the roasted sweet potatoes ready yet?”
“…………”
Cui Leilei breathed in the enticing aromas floating along the street. He had decided to indulge in a spree of buying and eating to vent the anger he had accumulated from stepping into such a pile of dog shit.
With his target already in mind, he headed straight toward a shabby shop with a battered sign swaying in the breeze.
In an exceptionally familiar tone, he called out, “Boss Chen! The usual! And make it extra spicy! Extra, extra spicy!”
The moment Boss Chen heard him, his face lit up with enthusiasm.
“Stone! Hurry up and take a seat. I’ll bring it over right away. Super spicy, just the way you like it!”
Hearing that, Xu Congcong felt his heart burn along with the chili.
He watched as Cui Leilei expertly placed his order and sat down, then lowered his voice in concern.
“Stone, your brother doesn’t let you eat junk food. What are we supposed to do if something happens? You’re allergic to peanuts, remember?”
Cui Leilei turned a sharp, knife like glare in his direction.
Xu Congcong met his eyes, then thought about what had happened to his friend that day.
He could only silently console himself.
Just this once.
Cui Leilei finally heard the incessant buzzing of Xu the Monk beside his ears come to an end.
Once his friend had stopped lecturing him, Cui Leilei picked up a piece of sizzling iron plate tofu covered in extra chili and took a bite. He intended to use the intense spiciness spreading through his mouth to suppress the anger that had nowhere to go.
The heat instantly swept across his taste buds and surged straight into his brain.
Cui Leilei shuddered violently.
All he could do was stick out his tongue and puff helplessly, his speech becoming completely unclear.
“Hot!”
Xu Congcong glanced at his friend, who looked no different from a goofy husky and reservedly rolled his eyes.
He picked up a tissue and began wiping down the food tray.
“If I’m really being too difficult, then I’ll immediately withdraw all his resources and blacklist him from the industry.”
Surrounded by the delicious fragrance of food, Cui Leilei felt his mood finally improve. In fact, he even spoke with considerable magnanimity.
“If it weren’t for the fact that Heaven has a virtue of preserving life, I would immediately kill, cough, cough, cough, cough, cough!”
Cui Leilei’s face had turned bright red after choking on the chili.
Xu Congcong hurriedly grabbed a bottle of beer and patted him on the back.
“Ancestor!”
“No… peanut sauce…” Cui Leilei felt the suffocating sensation of his throat suddenly being squeezed shut. He immediately raised his hand and grabbed Xu Congcong’s wrist with all his strength.
“One twenty! Quickly! Before my… before my brother finds out, hurry up and save me!”
The moment Xu Congcong heard him say this, Cui Leilei’s eyes rolled back.
Xu Congcong let out a terrified scream.
In an instant, the entire place descended into chaos.
……
The familiar crisis of a peanut allergy had struck once again.
But this time, as Cui Leilei drifted in and out of consciousness, he sensed that something was different.
His head felt as though someone were repeatedly striking it open with a hammer, stuffing one bizarre image after another inside.
The images connected together, forming a story that looked remarkably similar to the melodramatic novel he had accidentally read in his previous life, The Movie Emperor Is Slapping Faces Again!
The male protagonist was named Shen Qian.
He was the biological heir who had been mistakenly switched at birth, the true young master of the family.
Shen Qian was an academic prodigy. Despite growing up in poverty, he had relied on his own efforts to work part time while pursuing his education. He had even been burdened with repaying the debts his parents had left behind before their deaths.
By the time the Cui family found him, Shen Qian was only twenty one years old yet he had already become a prospective doctoral student.
However, despite having such an outstanding biological son, the Cui couple considered him too provincial and unsophisticated. They disliked his quiet, taciturn personality and after listening to the provocations of their adopted son, Cui Leilei, they began to worry that Shen Qian was too intelligent and would covet the family fortune, eventually competing with their eldest son for power.
As a result, no matter how the Cui couple looked at Shen Qian, they found something to dislike.
In the end, they even used their blood relationship to pressure him into a marriage alliance. They wanted him to marry a disabled business tycoon who was notorious for his brutality, using Shen Qian’s marriage to obtain commercial resources for the family.
Meanwhile, the Cui family’s eldest son, Cui Baocheng, had a strong preference for the younger brother he had personally raised. He had no affection whatsoever for Shen Qian, his biological younger brother and was more than happy to see Shen Qian enter the marriage alliance.
Thus, Shen Qian was forced to embark on a path of resistance.
He entered a talent competition, debuted in the entertainment industry and began earning money for himself.
But after Cui Leilei learned about this, he relied on his close friend Xu Congcong, the son of a powerful entertainment industry magnate and wantonly suppressed Shen Qian.
Yet Shen Qian repeatedly turned defeat into victory.
Every time he found himself cornered, he managed to fight his way back, defeating his opponents and achieving a complete reversal. Along the way, he also attracted the affection of numerous elite admirers.
In the end, he gained both love and a successful career.
As for Cui Leilei and every member of the Cui family, they were all dealt with.
The Cui couple were sent to a psychiatric hospital.
The eldest son of the Cui family was reduced to carrying bricks at a construction site.
And Cui Leilei, the fake young master and the chief culprit behind everything, ended up wandering the streets, where he eventually starved to death.
Simply put, Cui Leilei’s entire purpose in the novel was to serve as a contrast to the true heir, Shen Qian, paving the way for the latter’s journey through life.
From the perspective of a reader, it was actually a rather satisfying story.
But if one truly lived inside that novel’s world and happened to be the vicious and foolish cannon fodder character destined to be crushed, then the situation became considerably harder to swallow.
Having reached this conclusion, Cui Leilei suddenly opened his eyes.
His entire face was filled with terror.
“Fuck!”
As he spoke, Cui Leilei reached up and viciously pinched his own cheek.
The sharp pain made him suck in a breath.
“Fuck! It really was a nightmare!”
The other people inside the hospital room stared silently at Cui Leilei.
They had just witnessed him carry out a series of quick, precise and ruthlessly efficient acts of self harm.
For a moment, none of them knew what to say.
An intensely awkward atmosphere filled the room.
Cui Leilei rubbed his cheek.
It took several seconds before he finally became completely conscious of his surroundings. He lifted his eyes and swept his gaze across everyone in the room.
Then his attention settled on his bald headed father, who was sitting right beside him.
His voice caught in his throat as he spoke.
“Dad.”
“It’s too late to call for your dad now.”
Cui’s father finally came back to his senses. His expression was filled with both helplessness and heartache. He raised his hand and patted Cui Leilei’s shoulder, speaking in a gentle voice.
“Let the doctor examine you properly first. Do you even know that you’ve been unconscious for two whole days? Your mother had something come up at her company, so she went back first. Your brother rushed back on a private plane the moment he finished dealing with an emergency overseas. Now hurry up and behave yourself. Let the doctors examine you properly. Don’t cause any trouble, or he really will hit you.”
Hearing the deep concern carried in his father’s words, Cui Leilei couldn’t help recalling the fate that had befallen the Cui family in the novel.
A wave of lingering fear washed over him.
He raised his hand and grabbed his father’s hand tightly.
“Dad.”
If he had been able to be born into this world with memories of his previous life, then… then perhaps transmigrating into a novel could also be real.
LiewMeow: Hello! I’m Liew! This is my 1st work here, please be supportive and I hope everyone enjoys it 😊
