Hu Qi

"Brother, how did you get in here?"

"It's a long story..."

"I was running a night stall selling pancakes. A customer thought they tasted awful, punched me twice, then paid me tens of thousands in compensation..."

"Brother, could you tell me where that was? Once I'm discharged, I want to start a business too."

In an orthopedic ward at Second City Hospital in Qirong City, the faint scent of disinfectant permeated the air.

Hu Qi vaguely heard people talking beside him.

He tried to open his eyes, only to feel as though his head were splitting apart, like he had pulled several all-nighters in a row.

Not only that, all manner of unfamiliar memories kept flashing through his mind like a revolving lantern, as though he were watching a film from a first-person perspective.

Fortunately, as time passed, the pain gradually eased.

A few minutes later, the discomfort vanished completely.

Only then did Hu Qi laboriously open his heavy eyelids.

The first thing that met his eyes was a somewhat mottled yellow-white ceiling.

Several rays of sunlight slanted in through the nearby window, casting scattered patches of light and shadow across the ceiling.

Looking down, he found himself lying in a hospital bed, dressed in blue-and-white striped patient's clothes.

At the sight, he reflexively tried to sit up, only to discover that both his legs were wrapped in thick grayish-white plaster casts and suspended high in the air.

The bursts of searing pain made Hu Qi suck in a sharp breath.

However, he made no sound. He merely put on a bewildered expression as if he had just woken up, quietly sweeping his gaze around the room.

In the bed beside his, two fellow patients were chatting idly.

Clearly, the conversation he had heard earlier had come from the two of them.

Besides that, a television hung on the wall ahead of him, broadcasting the news at a low volume.

"According to reports, this excavation has progressed very smoothly, and items resembling those from the technological age have also been discovered. This gives us reason to wonder whether other civilizations unknown to us once existed on Planet Earth..."

On the television screen, an archaeological site cordoned off by barriers could be seen clearly.

Someone dressed in white archaeological attire appeared before the camera, holding a dirt-covered, rust-speckled bronze object in their hands.

Its intricate patterns could vaguely be seen.

But... no matter how he looked at it, that thing resembled a router.

Seeing this, Hu Qi fell into deep thought.

Whether it was the two men's conversation earlier or the words shown on the television, neither was any language he recognized. Yet somehow, he could understand their meaning.

Hu Qi turned his face to the side and watched droplets fall continuously from the IV bottle, his emotions tangled beyond measure.

"I only used a cheat while playing a game. Was there really any need to make such a huge fuss?"

Outwardly, he remained fairly composed, but inside, towering waves were already crashing through his heart.

There was no other reason. Based on what he had seen, heard, and remembered, he had confirmed one fact—he had transmigrated, and had possessed the body of a young man with the exact same name.

Hu Qi was no stranger to such situations.

In his previous life, he had read quite a few novels and watched plenty of films and television dramas about them.

Other people were either struck by lightning or hit by a mud-hauling truck.

Why was it that when it came to him, simply using a cheat in a game had sent him through time?

Transmigrating was one thing. Even if he wasn't some rich second-generation heir—

Shouldn't he at least have all four limbs intact?

But what the hell was this supposed to be?

Hu Qi recalled the original owner's memories.

At the time, the attending physician had told him that the injuries to his legs were severe. Even if they healed, there might still be lasting complications.

Thinking that he might limp when walking after leaving the hospital, Hu Qi fell silent.

At the same time, however, he felt even more lost and afraid of the future.

Moving rashly to a new city for work would already take some getting used to, let alone arriving directly in an unfamiliar world.

That meant he would be completely separated from the family and friends of his previous life, with almost no possibility of ever returning.

So where was he supposed to go from here?

For a moment, he was utterly at a loss.

Fortunately, perhaps because he had taken over this body, he had directly acquired this world's language and writing.

Otherwise, if he had physically crossed over, things would probably have been even harder.

Just as Hu Qi's thoughts were running wild, his eyes began to feel uncomfortable, as if an insect had flown into them. A flash of red light streaked through his vision.

He blinked involuntarily, tears welling up in his eyes. Yet that red flash had vanished, as though it had been nothing more than an illusion.

While he was still full of doubt, the ward door beside him was pushed open and someone walked in.

The person came straight to Hu Qi's bedside.

"Brother Qi, I brought you food. It's all your favorite dishes today, so make sure you eat plenty."

As he spoke, he placed the plastic bag in his hand on the nearby table.

"Thanks!"

Hu Qi had noticed the young man the moment he entered. Following the original owner's usual manner of speaking, he offered his thanks.

At the same time, he covertly sized up the cousin standing before him.

The boy wore black-rimmed glasses and was tall and skinny, with a few pimples on his face.

He was Li Yi, the son of Hu Qi's aunt.

Well, the original owner had been an orphan. Now, his aunt's family were his only relatives.

"We're family. Why are you being so polite with me?"

Li Yi smiled and pushed up his black-rimmed glasses.

He crouched beside the bed and raised its backrest, allowing Hu Qi to sit up.

Then he took the simple tray table hanging at the foot of the bed and set it up in front of Hu Qi's chest.

After that, he opened the lunch boxes and arranged them one by one on the table.

"My mom said not to overthink things. Eat more. Only when your body gets enough nutrition will you recover faster."

Hu Qi lowered his head to look.

The meal was very generous: braised fish chunks, garlic shrimp, stir-fried spinach, along with a serving of rice and a bag of pure milk.

The faint aroma of the food stirred Hu Qi's appetite, and his stomach began to growl.

Hu Qi immediately stopped hesitating. Heaven and earth could wait—eating came first. He would fill his stomach before worrying about anything else, then take things one step at a time.

As he ate, he acted as he normally would, occasionally chatting with his cousin while sorting through the original owner's memories in his mind.

The original owner shared Hu Qi's name and had once been a healthy young man as well.

Unfortunately, while heading home from work one day, someone had thrown a sack over his head and struck him with a club.

Not only had the little money he carried been completely taken, but those people had specifically gone after his legs with vicious force, leaving him in his present state.

During this period, his aunt's family had taken great care of the original owner.

Since they could not leave their shop, they generally had Li Yi bring Hu Qi lunch at noon.

Hu Qi swallowed the last shrimp, took another sip of pure milk, and let out a satisfied burp.

He looked at Li Yi, who was sitting nearby waiting for him to finish eating and idly scrolling through videos. His gaze landed on the other boy's phone as he asked,

"A new phone? Did your college entrance exam scores come out?"

"I checked them yesterday. I made it past the first-tier cutoff, so...

I pestered my dad forever before he bought it for me.

It still feels like a dream. This setup is awesome for gaming..."

The moment he started talking about it, Li Yi became like a floodgate that had been opened.

But halfway through, he smacked his forehead.

"If you hadn't mentioned it, I almost forgot. This is for you."

As he spoke, he pulled out another brand-new phone from his pocket.

Judging by the gray ampersand-shaped logo printed on the back cover, it appeared to be the same model as the one in his own hand.

"My mom said you lost your phone, and it's inconvenient for you to be alone in the hospital.

Take it so it'll be easier to contact people. All the numbers are saved already, including mine. Call anytime if you need anything."

"How could I possibly accept this... uh... thanks!"

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