Eat mine! Not his!

"Is there any way to help me gain control of this body faster?"

When he had beaten up Jiang Zhengming earlier, he had noticed that this body was not only weak, but also strangely sluggish.

How was he supposed to protect himself in danger? He couldn't afford to throw punches half a beat too late. Both protagonists in this book were vicious.

"There sure is, host! A Soul-Stabilizing Pill can quickly bring your soul into sync with your body~"

Jiang Ze nodded in satisfaction, but before he could enjoy it for long, another major problem occurred to him.

"This pill isn't ridiculously expensive and excluded from the beginner's gift package exchange rules, is it?"

He remembered being told he could exchange for anything worth up to 100 points for free. Judging by its name, this pill couldn't be cheap.

"You're so smart, host! That's right~"

Jiang Ze: "..." His fists clenched.

Seeming to notice his mood souring, the system hastily added another line.

"Since lots of hosts really need Soul-Stabilizing Pills at the start, we offer a special discount. It's only a thousand points~"

Jiang Ze, who currently had only 20 points, said, "You might as well have kept your mouth shut."

"What are you afraid of, host? You're living under the same roof as your target now. Earning points will be a piece of cake!"

Jiang Ze wasn't buying any of it. Before bed, he applied the ointment Meng Zhiyuan had given him, covering every bruise on his body.

"Since I've ended up in your body, don't worry. I'll get revenge for you, and I'll live a good life."

Jiang Ze murmured to himself. He knew no one would answer, but he couldn't help saying it anyway. The original owner really had suffered too much. In the end, he had only been a kid who had just reached adulthood and longed for love.

Perhaps it was his imagination, but after saying that, Jiang Ze felt his body relax. Only then did he happily lie down and drift off to sleep.

Early the next morning, Jiang Ze vaguely heard voices outside his door. He opened his eyes to a somewhat unfamiliar ceiling and finally remembered that he had transmigrated into a book.

"Haah~ I'm so sleepy. I don't remember going to bed that late last night."

Jiang Ze yawned as he washed up. When he went downstairs, he saw Uncle Feng clearing the dishes from the table.

"Young Master Jiang, there's still a hot breakfast in the kitchen. Come down and eat."

Uncle Feng watched the young man come lazily down the stairs, smiling kindly as he spoke.

"Okay, Uncle Feng. Is Meng Zhiyuan not here?"

Jiang Ze glanced around and discovered that the only people left in the villa were himself, Uncle Feng, and the woman who did the cooking.

"The young master left for the office at eight. You were sleeping so soundly that he didn't disturb you."

Jiang Ze checked the time. It was almost ten. He knew Uncle Feng was only being tactful. With Meng Zhiyuan's aloof personality, why would he care whether Jiang Ze was awake?

He scratched his head sheepishly, then sat down to eat breakfast.

"Hey, Sys, this life is pretty nice. Maybe I could just coast along~"

After eating and drinking his fill, Jiang Ze sprawled comfortably on the sofa.

Free food and lodging, no one telling him what to do, and the freedom to do whatever he wanted. As long as he stayed away from those two bastards and focused on latching onto the villain, wouldn't life be wonderful?

"Ding! Warning, warning! Dangerous thoughts detected in the host!!!"

The piercing mechanical voice in his head made Jiang Ze jolt.

"Sys, what the hell is wrong with you?"

"Host, did I forget to tell you? Even after you transmigrate here, if you don't intervene in the plot, it will still follow its original course~"

Jiang Ze shot to his feet at those words.

Uncle Feng, who was working nearby, gave him a puzzled look, so he discreetly sat back down.

"What do you mean? By following its original course, do you mean the villain will still be framed by those two bastards and die horribly?" Then I really would lose my powerful backer.

"That's not all~ Don't forget, host, this body doesn't meet a very good end either~"

Jiang Ze's temples throbbed, and a bad feeling crept over him.

"Explain yourself properly! Didn't I already change the original owner's fate when I came here? Why would the plot still affect me?!"

As soon as he arrived, he had avoided being dragged outside and beaten by Meng Zimu, and had even beaten up Jiang Zhengming. Logically, that certain-death ending should have changed already.

"Ahem. You've only changed a small part of the plot, host. The real fortune of this little world still rests with the protagonist bottom and the protagonist top. Even if you escaped this time, your ultimate fate hasn't changed. Other deadly events will still happen."

The system finally behaved itself and explained seriously to Jiang Ze.

Jiang Ze understood. His ending had been set in stone: he had to die, no matter how many times he escaped.

"From the sound of it, there must be a way to change that, right?"

"Yes~ Once you gain more fortune of your own, host, your predetermined fate will change!"

Jiang Ze frowned at its words. That amounted to stealing someone else's fortune. Although he didn't know exactly what this fortune was, he assumed it was something like luck.

He couldn't stand those two bastards, but he still felt that doing something like that was unethical.

"Don't worry, host. Fortune in this world constantly changes according to the characters themselves. Your arrival has actually already changed this little world's rules, so there's no stealing involved~"

"Oh... so how much fortune you get depends on your own ability."

"That's right, host. Don't worry. If anything happens, your trusty Sys will take responsibility!"

Jiang Ze doubted that claim, but he couldn't afford to worry about so much right now. Besides, he already disliked those two bastards.

"How do I increase my own fortune?"

Nothing would happen to Meng Zhiyuan in the immediate future. His priority now was sorting out his own situation.

"You can interfere with or disrupt upcoming plot events involving the protagonist top and bottom. That will change who receives the fortune."

Jiang Ze more or less understood. Put simply, he had to sabotage the protagonists' plans, either ruining or taking the opportunities that came their way.

"Where is Shen Yun now? Are any important plot events about to happen?"

Now that Jiang Ze understood how serious this was, he didn't dare keep lounging around. His life was at stake.

"I found him! Shen Yun is currently at the entrance to the Meng Group, about to bring Meng Zimu lunch. Then he'll run into Meng Zhiyuan, who will help him out, successfully giving him his second meeting with the powerful villain~"

Hearing that this plot event was so important and even involved his powerful backer, Jiang Ze couldn't sit still any longer.

The villain liked White Lotus types like Shen Yun. Who knew whether he would fall in love with him at first sight this time? Jiang Ze had to get there immediately.

"Mrs. Wang, could you pack me a lunch? I'll take it to Uncle Zhiyuan."

Jiang Ze smiled sweetly at the cook. Mrs. Wang liked well-behaved kids like him, and upon hearing that he was taking lunch to her employer, she took extra care to pack a meal full of Meng Zhiyuan's favorites.

"Sys, has Shen Yun met Meng Zhiyuan yet?"

Sitting in a taxi, Jiang Ze was growing anxious.

"Five more minutes, host. They're about to meet!"

The Meng Group office building.

Dressed in a white couture suit, Shen Yun stood in the lobby looking bright and energetic.

He had come to the Meng Group to see Meng Zimu today. He knew that in five minutes, he would encounter Meng Zhiyuan, the man he had chosen to give up in his previous life.

Yes, no one knew that Shen Yun had been reborn. In his previous life, he and Meng Zimu had framed Meng Zhiyuan and caused his death, believing they could become the true rulers of B City.

But who could have known that even after his death, Meng Zhiyuan would still have a backup plan? Eighty percent of the Meng family's assets had been secretly transferred away, with some even donated directly to disaster-stricken areas.

The Meng family's shareholders had all turned against them as well. With Meng Zhiyuan's downfall, the Meng Group had fallen apart overnight.

He and Meng Zimu had become disgraced outcasts, despised by everyone.

Only in this life did he realize that the one with real ability and cunning had always been Meng Zhiyuan, the true head of the Meng family.

Meng Zimu was nothing more than a pathetic clown who envied his second uncle and resented being kept down.

Since heaven had given him another chance, he would make sure to hold on to Meng Zhiyuan. That man had loved him desperately in his previous life. This time, Shen Yun was determined to win him.

Smiling, Shen Yun looked at the troubled receptionist before him. Inside, he felt disdain, but outwardly, he remained gentle.

"I arranged to meet Meng Zimu. I'm his friend. Can't I go in and see him?"

The receptionist was a fairly young intern. His words put her in a difficult position. He clearly wasn't someone she could afford to offend, but she couldn't break company rules either.

"I'm sorry, sir. No one may enter without an appointment. Alternatively, you can ask Manager Meng to come down and meet you."

Looking at the young woman before him, Shen Yun remembered how she had stopped him from seeing Meng Zimu in his previous life too, when he hadn't been dressed nearly as well. Her attitude hadn't been this pleasant then.

Resentment stirred in him, and his tone grew impatient.

"Isn't Meng Zimu a manager here? I also know your CEO, Meng Zhiyuan. Do you realize what could happen if you keep stopping me like this?"

As the Meng family's eldest young master, Meng Zimu had originally been slated by his father for a senior executive position, but Meng Zhiyuan had blocked the arrangement.

Citing his lack of experience and need for training, he had only allowed Meng Zimu to become a manager.

Meng Zimu had held a grudge over it ever since.

Jiang Ze rushed over just in time to witness this scene. Seeing Shen Yun dressed to the nines, he couldn't help feeling puzzled.

"Sys, I remember Shen Yun coming straight from school and wearing ordinary clothes in this scene. Why is he dressed like he's here for a matchmaking date now?"

The system couldn't answer either. They both felt something was off, but couldn't figure out what. After all, the book hadn't devoted much attention to little details.

Jiang Ze watched from a short distance away without rashly approaching.

Shen Yun checked the time, knowing that Meng Zhiyuan should be arriving now. Sure enough, a tall, straight-backed figure was walking toward them.

He immediately adjusted his expression, and his tone softened as well.

"Miss, I only want to bring Zimu his lunch. Could you make an exception?"

The receptionist had no idea how his demeanor had changed so quickly, and for a moment, she didn't know what to say.

But the man before her didn't care about her reaction. His eyes were fixed on someone behind her, his face filled with grievance.

"Second Uncle, what a coincidence. I came to bring Zimu lunch, but he happens to be busy. Could you let me go in and see him?"

A hint of shyness appeared on Shen Yun's handsome face. His voice was so soft and gentle that he was difficult to refuse.

Meng Zhiyuan had noticed the commotion here as soon as he came downstairs. Just as he was about to ask what was happening, he saw the young man Jiang Ze had said would bring about his death.

His expression remained unchanged, but he already felt a little displeased.

"Get back to work."

Ignoring Shen Yun, Meng Zhiyuan spoke to the receptionist first before turning to look at him.

Seeing him dressed as though he were attending a banquet, his expression grew colder still.

"If you need anything, call Meng Zimu directly. Unauthorized visitors are not permitted inside the Meng Group."

Shen Yun's expression stiffened at his words. He couldn't understand why things were unfolding differently from his previous life. Wasn't Meng Zhiyuan supposed to fall in love with him at first sight and escort him upstairs?

Besides, his main reason for coming this time was Meng Zhiyuan. He hadn't told Meng Zimu at all, and didn't even know whether Meng Zimu had come to work today.

"Second Uncle, Zimu might be busy. He didn't answer the message I sent earlier. I happen to have two lunches here. Why don't you try one? I made them myself."

Shen Yun stared unblinkingly at Meng Zhiyuan. He refused to believe that the man who had loved him so much in his previous life could remain unmoved by his overtures.

"Wait! Uncle Zhiyuan!"

Meng Zhiyuan frowned and was just about to refuse when he heard a familiar voice, accompanied by a rather noisy stream of thoughts.

[Holy crap, boss, don't take it! I brought a lunch made with love too, and mine tastes better! Eat mine, eat mine! Don't eat his!]