Still That Same Room, Used to Living There

It was night. The lights were sparse, and the misty darkness, illuminated by a crescent moon, mingled with the city lights to form a hazy glow.

A faint night breeze rustled the willow branches in the park, making a soft swishing sound like a natural symphony.

Beneath a tree, through the dim light, a lovey-dovey dog-man and dog-woman could be seen carrying out an unspeakable matter of national importance: the preliminary warm-up for the continuation of the human race.

It hurt. It really hurt, like someone had stabbed his heart hundreds of times with a knife, then given it a full three-hundred-and-sixty-degree, no-dead-angle twist like drilling wood for fire.

That kind of pain was hard to comprehend. Perhaps only like-minded friends could understand that feeling—that unwilling roar of rage!

"Sigh."

That sudden sigh seemed to perfectly blend every emotion of fury, sorrow, envy, jealousy, and hatred. It truly was a work of divine craftsmanship, something rarely heard in this mortal world!

A lonely figure carried a convenience-store bag, walking as if abandoned by the world. There seemed to be no end in sight as he was gradually swallowed by the dim streetlights.

Just seeing that silhouette made one's eyes sting, because it was too lonely, too bleak, too weathered.

One look was enough to tell that this figure had been through many stories, making people unable to resist sympathizing with him and wanting to offer a few comforting words.

But if you got close to him, you definitely would not think so!

"Dog-man and dog-woman! You shameless bastards! Morals are collapsing! If this were ancient times, I'd have you stuffed into pig cages and drowned in minutes!"

"Qixi Festival? I'll never celebrate that damned holiday!"

"Hmph! Cowherd and Weaver Girl? I don't believe they only met once a year without either of them sneaking around behind the other's back!"

Under the dim lights stood a fairly handsome black-haired, black-eyed teenager, around sixteen or seventeen. He held up his middle finger and viciously shoved it at the two flickering stars overhead.

After his silent protest, he left in grief and indignation, covering his face. A crystalline tear could be seen spilling from the corner of his eye.

That was right. Today was Qixi Festival. Some people were destined to be happy, while others were destined to be sad. Ye Chen happened to be one of the latter.

"I'm back! Mom, I put the soy sauce on the table!"

After saying that, without waiting for a response, Ye Chen went straight back to his room. He needed to vent his emotions. He had only gone out for a few minutes to buy soy sauce, but the damage he had suffered was utterly heartbreaking.

Unable to wait any longer, Ye Chen turned on his computer, planning to play some games and get through this damned Qixi Festival.

At sixteen or seventeen, he was still half a child. Like most people his age, Ye Chen was somewhat rebellious and immature. He liked staying indoors and had only a vague understanding of social conventions and human relationships.

All he had was the wanton roar of venting online. Reality and the virtual world were like two parallel worlds, completely polarized.

In the virtual world, he watched the changing tides and acted arrogantly. But in reality, he was painfully introverted. Other than arguing with his parents, he did not even dare speak too loudly in front of strangers.

Forget about having a girlfriend. At the mention of talking to girls, he would blush and stammer for half a day without managing a single sentence.

But online, he could explain exactly how humanity had evolved. As long as there was something to talk about, he could spin it clearly and thoroughly, even making you feel that he was right.

At his age, maturity was difficult. He was immersed in his own world.

Over the smallest matter, he might yell at his parents, fully convinced that he was in the right. Because parents would never abandon you, you could recklessly squander your life, simply because someone stood behind you silently cleaning up your messes.

But he did not understand. Perhaps only after experiencing pain would he learn how to stand back up and face things.

Before he could even log into the game, a QQ group message flashed up.

The group had an equally flamboyant name: Singles' Nobility.

"Damn it, I almost got blinded by all those lovey-dovey dog-men and dog-women on the street today. How the hell am I supposed to live like this?"

"What do you mean, how? I'm single through my own ability. Why can't I live my life?"

"Exactly. Do we members of Singles' Nobility need girlfriends?"

"+1. As a member of Singles' Nobility, I'm proud. I'm soaring."

"You've got a point. I started my own business when I was one, before I'd even gone to middle school. I built everything from nothing, and now my company has assets worth hundreds of billions. It was officially listed on the United States stock exchange years ago. My company employs at least eight hundred to a thousand people, brings in nearly ten billion a year, and its net profit is several Japan-sized islands. My house is a multilayered top-tier luxury villa spanning over a thousand square meters, complete with a golf course of more than five thousand square meters and a private swimming pool.

"I have at least several hundred Ferraris, Porsches, Lamborghinis, and Maseratis sitting in my garage. The dust on them is over a meter thick. I also own several private Boeing fighter jets and a carrier battle group.

"I'm one hundred and eighty centimeters tall, handsome, suave, and distinguished. But am I proud? Have I gone looking for a girlfriend? In this life, I'll carry Singles' Nobility through to the end!"

"Well said! Look at Old Yang, everyone. What awareness! Actually, I've been hiding something from you all too. It seems I have no choice but to say it now.

"My real identity is Max Desimaya Himalaya Zemalia Jemson. Whenever I visit one of my corporations for inspection, I take a subway built for hundreds of billions and drink soy milk made from natural soybeans, harmlessly hand-planted by tens of millions of farmers and processed through hundreds of steps.

"The Pacific Ocean is my swimming pool. Whenever I'm unhappy, I take a rocket. Who still flies on planes? Aircraft carriers are obsolete junk from my family. These days, I go diving in nuclear submarines.

"Alibaba, Tencent, and Huawei are all subsidiaries of subsidiaries under my guidance. Also, half the territory of the United Kingdom, Germany, and France is used to house my servants. My servants alone are counted in the hundreds of millions, and my daily expenses could already buy New York.

"But am I proud? Have I become inflated? Let me tell you all, I'm not showing off my wealth. I just want to tell you that I'm actually very low-key. Usually, I don't even tell ordinary people!"

"Sorry, everyone. I'm vacationing on the moon right now."

"The moon? I heard it isn't all that great. Everyone, I discovered an Earth-like planet at the edge of the Milky Way. I'm planning to develop it and let you all have it to play with!"

"Holy shit, you're all big shots. I can't compare. I once had an argument with my girlfriend, got carried away, and did some indescribably naughty things, so I spent six years in prison. I was released today. After reading your conversation, I lit a cigarette and took a hard drag. Then I couldn't help calling the warden, asking him to save me breakfast tomorrow—same as always, mildly spicy, less scallion. I'll stay in my old cell too, since I'm used to it and don't want to change. Tomorrow, he'll send someone to pick me up. So, everyone, get ready. During those six years, I've been thoroughly trained. I used to like being on top, but now I like being on the bottom. I especially love rich men. I wonder which of you is more impressive!"

The entire group fell silent in an instant.

"Fuck me, little brother bows in defeat. What this gentleman has suffered is beyond anything I can aspire to. Looks like Qixi Festival didn't just hurt me—it hurt you all. It hurt everyone."

"Big brother, I bow before you. My bragging can't compare to yours. Farewell."

"Esteemed master, may I ask how many years you have cultivated? Your bragging is so refined. Just a few words are enough to reveal this brother's profound literary foundation. Without decades of accumulation, one could never express oneself like this. We ordinary mortals cannot compare!"

"You flatter me, you flatter me."

"Too kind, too kind!"

Who knew what this group had been through? It was only because Qixi Festival had brought up the topic of being single. They were just bragging a little and venting their inner gloom. So what?

When it came to bragging, who had they ever feared?

""

Watching his terrible friends chat away, Ye Chen's mouth twitched. Then, with utter disdain, he typed out a line.

"Remember, never try to defeat an idiot, because he'll drag your IQ down to his level, then use his abundant experience to defeat you, leaving you speechless and even making you question your life.

"This sentence is for every idiot present!"

After typing that, Ye Chen sneered, carrying himself with the lofty air of brushing off his sleeves after settling a matter, hiding both his identity and fame.

A special declaration: the timeline of this book is complete nonsense. Also, please read the synopsis more carefully!

The Bomb-Bomb Fruit is too overpowered, so I'll balance it out a little!

Also, this differs greatly from Farmer's previous book, One Piece: Song of World-Weariness, so don't get them mixed up. Unless something goes wrong, the protagonist is going to become a Marine. Old readers, keep reading and you'll understand!