A blurry, indistinct world.
Sunlight streamed in through the window, and six-year-old Li Chen lay dozing off on the table.
Just then, a gentle voice came from behind.
"Xiao Chen, come and eat."
Li Chen quickly got up, a smile on his face, and ran out.
Two familiar figures were already waiting at the dining table.
Li Chen pulled up a chair a little taller than himself and sat down. Looking at the four dishes and soup on the table—braised pork, pork rib soup... his mouth watered. He quickly asked, "Dad, Mom, can I eat this?"
There seemed to be a few seconds of silence.
A woman's voice then rang out.
"Of course you can... Mom won't take it from you, eat as much as you want, grow up healthy and chubby."
"When I grow up, I'll be able to protect my mom."
Li Chen nodded vigorously, grinning foolishly.
At this moment, a pair of large hands patted his head twice, and his father, who hadn't spoken until now, said, "Xiao Chen, Dad and Mom are going on a long trip tomorrow. You stay home and avoid contact with that little brat, Su Zhe."
"Why?" Li Chen tilted his head. "He's my only friend."
After a few seconds of silence, Dad said, "Xiao Chen, what you see in front of you isn't necessarily real. You're in..." Before he could finish, Mom interrupted him.
"You, you, how old is Xiaochen? What's the point of telling him all this?"
"He is our child." Suddenly, the mother paused for a second. "No... he..."
Li Chen didn't listen to their conversation; he was only focused on eating. He hadn't had such a delicious meal in a long time, mainly because it was made by his parents.
As he lowered his head to eat, the two figures beside him seemed to be moving away, but Li Chen didn't seem to notice at all. He only felt that his stomach was very hungry.
Suddenly, he looked up and realized that his parents had already left.
Li Chen's expression turned somewhat indifferent, and he murmured, "Have they already left?"
When will we meet again?
"Um... Dad, I can't quite remember Mom's face..."
Chuanhai Academy
Inside the dean's office, three figures were arguing, their tone extremely harsh, and the surrounding void seemed about to shatter at any moment.
Two of them were Li Chen's father and mother, who had just come out of Li Chen's house.
The father said seriously, "Gu Xingyun, we have raised him for six years as you requested. Don't go back on your word."
Gu Xingyun was very young. He smiled at the two people in front of him and said, "Don't worry, I won't go back on my word. You've done a very good job these past six years... very good."
At this moment, the mother, who had been silent until now, spoke up.
"Gu Xingyun, although we raised him for six years, there's always been a subtle distance between us. Perhaps he's noticed it, or perhaps he hasn't... But why did you bring a child to us six years ago?" The mother's expression was very grave. "The Great Wilderness is still spreading, and the border crossings are in dire straits. Where did this child come from?"
Gu Xingyun remained silent, his gaze falling on the chess pieces on the table, where a crack was clearly visible spreading across the black general's piece.
"Where did he come from...? From the outside world..."
"He... he was never human..."
The seventh year of the absurd calendar.
Knock knock~
The door was pounded on.
Xiao Li Chen woke up with a start and quickly ran to open the door. There stood a silver-haired man carrying two red boxes. He knelt down apologetically, gently pulled Li Chen into his arms, and whispered, "I'm sorry, we did our best."
"Your parents died on the battlefield; we only brought back their ashes."
At that moment, it was as if a thunderbolt had struck Li Chen's mind. His eyes widened in disbelief as he trembled as he caught the two red boxes, asking softly, "Big brother, you're not lying to Xiao Chen, are you...? Daddy, Mommy really..."
The silver-haired man felt a pang of pity and quickly left.
Xiao Li Chen was left standing there, stunned.
He held the two red boxes for a long time without moving. Many neighbors seemed to have heard the noise and came out to look at the poor child.
It's a year of famine, and a border pass is being built.
Death is always a possibility, it's just that Li Chen was incredibly unlucky to have lost both his parents.
But he didn't shed a single tear; he just stared silently at the red box, as if he were mesmerized.
After a long silence, he slowly retreated back into the room.
"Why can't I feel sadness..."
Why can't I shed a single tear?
Why do I feel a sense of ease I've never felt before?
"Why..."
At night, Xiao Li Chen sat on the edge of the bed, gazing at the red moon outside the window, mesmerized.
Suddenly, a detached yet subtly emotional voice rang in my ears.
"Yes, I've always been here."
"Li Chen, remember, remember."
"Don't let Forbidden consume you... Don't you want freedom?"
"Didn't you want to break free of the cage?"
Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through Xiao Li Chen's mind, and he curled up on the bed, rolling around repeatedly.
"Who are you!!"
"Who are you?!"
This voice had been in his mind for a very, very long time.
The sound didn't continue; there was a long silence.
My name is Li Chen.
At that moment, Xiao Li Chen suddenly fainted.
A gentle breeze swept in through the window and softly covered him with the blanket.
In the time to come.
The Trajectory of time was completely altered.
He did not become Sequence User, Su Zhe became a renowned Devourer at the Imperial Capital Academy, Su Xian became a Grand Mage in the country, even shining brightly in the Academy Tournament.
But at this moment, Xiao Li Chen is working hard for others. He does everything, even sweeping the streets and washing dishes. He will do anything that can earn money.
"So tired, so tired." Xiao Li Chen complained a couple of times as he looked at the road that was still a few kilometers away, but he still picked up the broom and continued sweeping.
Just then, a sound came from the roadside.
Before he knew it, Su Zhe had driven up to him.
"Chen-ge, stop sweeping."
"I'll take you out to eat!"
"I'll take you to my company for a job interview; you're guaranteed a good position."
Just as Li Chen was about to shake his head in refusal, he was firmly held to the car window by a suction force.
Su Zhe smiled slightly, pulled Li Chen inside and seated him in the passenger seat, skillfully fastening the seatbelt.
"Chen-ge, let's go."
"Don't sweep here anymore. If you run out of money, I'll support you."
At that moment, two sounds came from behind the car.
"Su Zhe, drive faster! Is this your excuse?"
"Hand over a cleaning job?"
"I thought you were picking up some important person."