Trapped in the Same Day for a Thousand Years: You Sure Can Brag!

Welcome to Trapped in the Same Day for a Thousand Years, produced exclusively by Feilu Novel Network, written by Sang Ze and narrated by Wang Xiaomo and Lao He. In a luxuriously decorated room with dim lighting, Wu Chen lay on a wide, comfortable massage bed, talking on the phone. A young female massage therapist sat on his lower back, working the tension from his shoulders.

She had a striking figure. Rather than the skinny legs common among newcomers, she had dramatic curves, broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and wide hips—the look of a woman who worked out.

Everything that should have been full was full, and everything that should have been slim was slim.

"Why do you sound so worked up?"

Wu Chen smiled into the phone. The therapist was massaging him, but her breathing had grown uneven.

"Did you hear something?"

"Jealous?"

Wu Chen was teasing Li Ruobing on purpose, partly to test her reaction. That was why he had not asked the therapist to stop while he took the call.

In her office, Li Ruobing suddenly calmed down. She did not even know why she had gotten so worked up. The moment she heard a woman's voice on Wu Chen's end asking if something felt good, she had sprung to her feet. Apparently, she cared—and that surprised even her.

"Hmph!"

Li Ruobing gave a cold laugh and sat back down. "You really have time to spare, finding a woman at a time like this. It's still morning. Are you that worked up?" "What can I say? I'm young!"

Wu Chen laughed. He did not explain that things were not as Li Ruobing imagined. He had only come for a massage. There was no way he would tell her he had spent hours exercising before bed last night and woken up aching all over.

Until recently, his life had had no future. Trapped in July 7, he had been reset again and again. Any gains from exercise would have vanished with each reset, leaving him with the body of an ordinary college student.

And yesterday, Wu Chen had pushed himself far too hard. When he woke up, he had genuinely hurt all over.

That was part of starting to work out. He had known it would happen, and soreness was no obstacle to building muscle. But he had no intention of telling Li Ruobing. It would make him sound like an idiot.

The massage was not the embarrassing part. The reason for it was: he had worked out so hard he had nearly wrecked himself.

"When can you come to the office?"

"When will you be finished?"

Li Ruobing asked coldly.

"It's only been a little over an hour."

"Another hour or so."

Wu Chen answered casually.

"You sure can brag."

Li Ruobing hung up.

Wu Chen froze. What did I brag about?

After a moment, he understood. Li Ruobing thought he was with a woman and had asked when he would finish and come to the office. He had told her he had only been at it for a little over an hour.

And that he needed another hour.

Wu Chen laughed and set his phone aside. He had left it in his coat pocket, with the coat in the cabinet.

When it rang, the therapist had brought it to him. That was why it had taken him over ten seconds to answer.

"Sir, is this all right?"

Seeing that Wu Chen had finished his call, the therapist asked again.

"Ah, use a little more pressure."

Wu Chen answered.

Before long, it was eleven in the morning.

The door suddenly opened. Dressed in a suit, Li Ruotai stepped into the room and tilted his head at Wu Chen. "Brother-in-law, let's get something to eat."

"It's almost noon."

The massage parlor Wu Chen had chosen was none other than Li Ruotai's Crown Entertainment Club.

For a massage, it made sense to go to professionals. Li Ruotai's establishment might not have been the cleanest sort of place, but its massage therapists had received extensive training.

They really knew how to massage. So Wu Chen had driven over, told Li Ruotai he had a stiff neck, and asked for someone skilled with strong hands.

That was why the therapist working on him had the build of a fitness enthusiast. She was not the prettiest woman at Li Ruotai's establishment—some of the women who had had cosmetic surgery were prettier—but her technique was excellent. More importantly, she was strong. She worked out herself, and some customers liked her figure. But that was beside the point. "I'll skip lunch."

Wu Chen picked up his phone and checked the time. "All right, that's enough for today. I have things to do."

At that, the therapist got up and began putting away the massage oil and her other supplies.

Li Ruotai glanced at her. He knew his staff, but he still asked, "Brother-in-law, how was the massage?"

"She's skilled. She worked hard the whole time."

Wu Chen sat up and smiled. "Thank you."

"Thank you, sir," the therapist said quickly. Of course she had to be polite when the boss's brother-in-law praised her.

"All right, you can go." Li Ruotai tilted his head toward the door.

The therapist packed up her things and headed out with her bag. As she passed him, Li Ruotai leaned over and said quietly, "It's ten thousand yuan, as agreed. I'll give it to you this afternoon. Take some time off and enjoy yourself."

"Thank you, boss."

The therapist bowed happily to Li Ruotai and left with a delighted smile.

She had known that giving the boss's brother-in-law a massage would earn her a reward.

Money and time off—even if the work had been tiring.

She had spent over two hours straight loosening the muscles throughout Wu Chen's body.

After she left, Li Ruotai leaned against the doorframe with his hands in his pockets. "Brother-in-law, is something urgent?"

"If it isn't, let's eat first. It won't take long."

"Your sister wants to see me. What do you think?"

Wu Chen looked up with a smile.

Wu Chen had not actually said whether it was urgent, but Li Ruotai immediately wore a knowing look. "When my sister calls for you, brother-in-law, it doesn't matter whether it's urgent. You'd better get moving."

Li Ruotai left first. Wu Chen showered before getting dressed; he was covered in massage oil, so he had to wash it off.

By the time Wu Chen drove to the seventh building in the CB complex, it was nearly noon.

Although it was lunchtime, Li Ruobing was still in her office waiting for him.

"Did you sign the contract?" Wu Chen asked as soon as he entered. He smiled at Li Ruobing, who was behind her desk looking at her computer, then walked toward the sofa.

Li Ruobing turned her head and watched him expressionlessly. Her gaze followed him until he sat on the sofa facing her and crossed his legs.

"Is there something on my face? Say something. What's wrong?"

"Did it not go well?"

Wu Chen smiled when Li Ruobing kept staring at him without speaking.

"You..." Li Ruobing narrowed her eyes. After a pause, she went on.

"Couldn't you have found yourself a mistress?"

"Why go to that kind of place? 'Sir, does that feel good?'"

"Doesn't it disgust you? Aren't you afraid of catching something?"

She was still hung up on it. From the woman's "Sir, does that feel good?"

Li Ruobing had concluded that the woman was not Wu Chen's lover, but an employee at that kind of establishment.

Wu Chen burst out laughing before he could control his expression.

"You're taking an awful lot of interest in my business. You've got it all wrong."

Wu Chen smiled as he spoke.

"I'm worried you'll catch something and die young! We still have to keep up this act. Jealous? As if I'd be jealous of you."

Li Ruobing looked as though she had decided it was not worth bothering with Wu Chen anymore and abruptly changed the subject.

"Do you know Lei Cheng?" "We're friends."

Wu Chen answered in two words.

"When did you meet?"

Li Ruobing asked again.

"Don't you think you're asking too much?"

Wu Chen answered her question with one of his own.

He smiled. "You should know that people in my line of work have secrets they can't share."

Li Ruobing shut her mouth, her expression blank. She had known he would not tell her. Asking had been pointless.

"Come apologize."

Wu Chen got straight to the point. He beckoned Li Ruobing over and pointed to the carpet in front of him. He wanted her to kneel there and apologize.

Wu Chen did not intend to humiliate her. How could holding someone to a wager count as humiliation?

But he knew that if he wanted to win over a woman like Li Ruobing, he first had to get her to lower her guard and set aside her forceful manner with him. That meant getting her to bow her head to him. It would be difficult. Forcing her would be harder still, and threatening her might only make her resist more fiercely.

A wager was different.

Li Ruobing was fiercely competitive, but her drive to win rested on keeping her word. Otherwise, winning and losing would mean nothing.

Behind her desk, Li Ruobing watched Wu Chen. She would have been lying if she said she had no regrets. She deeply regretted adding that extra condition to their wager.

She could accept anything else. Kneeling was the one thing she could barely stomach. She had only agreed because she had never thought she would lose.

"Fifty million yuan." "No."

Li Ruobing's offer came without warning. Wu Chen's refusal came even faster, almost the instant she finished speaking.

Someone else might not have understood what she meant, but Wu Chen had known as soon as she opened her mouth.

Their original agreement had been that Li Ruobing would pay Wu Chen twenty million yuan if he found an endorser. Under their wager, if he failed, he would instead pay her twenty million.

If he succeeded, Li Ruobing would pay him the twenty million yuan as commission. She would also have to promise not to be jealous if he saw other women.

None of that was the problem. The added condition—kneeling to apologize—was.

By offering fifty million, Li Ruobing meant she would pay Wu Chen an extra thirty million yuan in exchange for not having to kneel. She was willing to pay that much to avoid it.

People said a man's knees were worth their weight in gold. Li Ruobing's were worth a fortune. "There's no room to negotiate."

Li Ruobing spoke again. "If you want to go back on your word, fine. I can't force you."

Wu Chen shrugged.

"I'm not going back on my word. I'm negotiating. The choice is yours."

Li Ruobing answered at once. "There's nothing to negotiate."

Wu Chen smiled. "Ms. Li, if I'd lost, would you have let me change the terms?"

"You've always kept your word. If you lose your wager with Ding Ruilong, you'll accept the result, won't you?"

Li Ruobing felt awful. The thought of kneeling to a man like Wu Chen made her head ache.

She had actually thought quite highly of him before—extremely highly, in fact. His abilities and methods had far exceeded her expectations.

Before he arrived, she had even wondered why she cared that he had gone off to have fun with a woman. She had begun to suspect she might like this mysterious man she had met only two days ago.

Mystery drew people in. His formidable abilities also matched what Li Ruobing wanted in a partner.

But after what had happened that morning, Li Ruobing no longer thought quite so highly of him.

To her, it was not a question of morality or law. How capable could a man be if he could not control his desires and was willing to risk catching a disease from a woman at that sort of establishment?

Would it kill him to find a mistress instead?

There was no denying that the morning's phone call had sharply lowered Wu Chen in Li Ruobing's estimation. That was one reason she now felt so miserable.

"Seventy million?"

Li Ruobing raised her offer. "Don't make it sound as if I'm forcing you."

Wu Chen smiled faintly. "Maybe we should forget it. If you really don't want to, I won't insist. We're partners now. There's no need to make things ugly."

Those words made it even harder for Li Ruobing to let the matter drop. She would still owe Wu Chen, and he would think she did not keep her word.

She could not allow that.

"Then name your terms. I really don't want to kneel. Ask for something else."

Li Ruobing tried again. "Forget it."

This time, Wu Chen gave her only two words and said nothing more.

Li Ruobing stared at him for a long while. Wu Chen remained silent and met her gaze, his hands resting on the table.

Bracing herself against the edge of her desk, Li Ruobing slowly stood.

"I, Li Ruobing, never break my word."

She looked at Wu Chen and spoke firmly. She kept her promises, though she was willing to be flexible. Since Wu Chen would not agree to different terms, she could only honor the wager.

"Please."

Wu Chen gestured to the spot in front of him.

Li Ruobing came out from behind her desk. At its side, she steadied herself with one hand, turned sideways, and slipped off her high heels one by one, dropping them to the floor. She was going to kneel and apologize.

Kneeling in high heels was difficult, so she had taken them off.

She moved slowly.

Wu Chen understood. Even someone who always kept her word might struggle with something like this.

With her heels on the floor, Li Ruobing was about to walk toward Wu Chen in her stockings when her phone rang. It was on her desk. She looked back, took two steps toward it, picked it up, checked the screen, and answered.

"Sis, has brother-in-law reached your office?"

It was Li Ruotai.

"He's here."

"What is it?"

"Do you need him?"

Li Ruobing asked.

"Someone's investigating brother-in-law. They've called in a lot of favors. I only just heard about it."

Li Ruotai spoke quickly.

"Hm?"

"Who?"

Li Ruobing frowned.

"The Su Family of Golden Estate Group. I've already sent people to investigate them in return, but I don't know yet whose idea it was."

Li Ruotai continued, "Will you tell brother-in-law, or should I call him?"

"I'll tell him. Wait a second."

Li Ruobing paused as though something had occurred to her. "What did you say at the beginning?"

Someone was looking into your brother-in-law?

Didn't you just say he'd gone to your company?

What about it?

Sis, weren't you the one who sent him there?

Li Ruotai asked.

How did you know?

Li Ruobing immediately asked back, "Wasn't he with you this morning?"

Yeah, he was. He had a stiff neck, so he came over for a massage. I arranged it. He was there for over two hours.

What's wrong?

Li Ruodai sensed something off in her older sister's tone and grew much more careful with her words.

No, nothing.

Li Ruobing sounded a little dazed.

Sis, are you okay?

Li Ruota had no idea what was going on, and his tone grew even more cautious.

I'm fine. I'll hang up.

Li Ruobing hung up. She stood beside her desk, gripping her phone with her back to Wu Chen. Her expression was a complicated mix of annoyance at being toyed with and relief.

It was complicated. Wu Chen was still the same unfathomable, almost supernaturally capable Wu Chen. He hadn't done something she would have seen as a desire-driven act beneath him.

You were messing with me?

Li Ruobing turned to face Wu Chen.

Messing with you? What do you mean?

Wu Chen played dumb.

One look at Wu Chen's expression told Li Ruobing he had done it on purpose.

You really have nothing better to do.

Li Ruobing said.

She set her phone on the desk, strode over to Wu Chen, and dropped to her knees. With her knees together and her body facing him, she said, "I was wrong. I'm sorry."

Even on her knees, Li Ruobing kept her back straight and her chin raised as she looked at Wu Chen. Her voice rang with conviction. Somehow, she managed to kneel with the heroic bearing of a condemned hero denouncing the court before his execution.

The moment she finished apologizing, Li Ruobing stood up without a pause.

As she walked back, she couldn't help muttering, "How can anyone be as bored as you?"

While putting on her shoes by the desk, she said over her shoulder, "Want to go eat together?"

Oh, right. A Tai just called and said someone was looking into you, Jinfu Group, and the Su Family. Do you know who it is?

She spoke to Wu Chen in a perfectly normal tone, as though she hadn't just knelt before him and apologized.

That concludes this episode. Please keep listening!