An Yubei, a wage slave earning three thousand a month, died suddenly after working overtime all night.
Shocking! The little heart he regularly nourished with iced Americanos had actually failed.
Damn it, he should have gone with sauce-aroma lattes. Domestic products were the way to go.
He was only twenty-two, had never even had a girlfriend, and had been single since birth.
Pitiful, tragic, lamentable!
So what had all his hard work been for?
Had it merely been to lie underground sooner?
He had only wanted to earn a little extra overtime pay, but instead, he had kicked the bucket for good.
Life really did have more surprises in store, full of unknowns.
If there was a next life, An Yubei didn't want to struggle anymore.
Whether he lay flat or worked hard, he would still live out a lifetime. Why not make himself happier?
Feeling soon returned to his weightless body, and his heavy eyelids opened under the glare of bright light.
A stranger's voice sounded beside him.
"President Ji, he's awake."
An Yubei: "...?"
Could someone actually be resuscitated after heart failure?
Surely he hadn't ended up in some ghost story!
Opening his eyes, An Yubei stared blankly at the two strangers before him.
One was tall, handsome, and as cold as someone straight out of a television drama. He stood beside the bed, watching him with chilly eyes.
His stern, distant face seemed wrapped in a chill, and his chiseled features radiated authority. One look told An Yubei he wasn't someone to mess with.
With the man staring at him, a chill ran down An Yubei's back. He wished he could leave with the doctor.
The person behind the man, who looked like an assistant, spoke. "President Ji, we've investigated everything. Young Master An staged this car accident himself to frame you and drive a wedge between father and son."
An Yubei: "...?"
Who were they talking about?
The man addressed as President Ji cast a cold glance at An Yubei, a mocking smile on his lips. "An Yubei, do you have an explanation?"
An Yubei: "...?"
Even the name matched, but what were they doing? Acting?
"Since you're so determined to cause trouble, I'll send you to herd sheep on the grasslands. You'll never be allowed to set foot in the capital again."
An Yubei: "...?"
Was he an emperor? He was even pulling out the old exile routine.
Wait, why did this plot sound so familiar?
A staged car accident, and herding sheep?
Then realization dawned on An Yubei. He had transmigrated into a novel.
He had entered a novel about feuding wealthy families, becoming the cannon-fodder supporting male character readers hated so much their teeth itched.
A stepping stone on the male lead's road to success, an insignificant cannon-fodder tool.
The original owner had lost both parents as a child and been placed in an orphanage.
Later, his good looks caught Ji Dongsheng's eye, so Ji Dongsheng brought him and Ji Shang together and arranged their engagement.
But instead of being grateful, the original owner had started eyeing the Ji family's fortune at the urging of his good-for-nothing friends.
Because Ji Shang didn't like him, the original owner's love turned to hatred. He constantly sought to oppose Ji Shang, hoping to draw his attention.
And so the original owner grew increasingly extreme, even wanting the entire fortune for himself.
The Ji family had a son named Ji Shang, the heir to its fortune, and An Yubei set his sights on him in his bid to seize that fortune.
He staged a car accident himself to frame Ji Shang and drive a wedge between father and son.
In the end, the original owner met a bad end too, sent off by Ji Shang to herd sheep on the grasslands.
[Oh my god, I have such a handsome husband, and I actually lost my mind and opposed him? Wouldn't living off him and waiting to die be great?]
[My husband has the looks, the body, and the ability. What more family fortune could I want? Wouldn't it be great to just settle down as his fiancée?]
[Sigh, what a shame. It's too late now. I'm off to herd sheep.]
[Actually, herding sheep isn't so bad. At least it'd be peaceful, with food and clothing taken care of and no worries. Not bad at all!]
[Boo-hoo, what do I do? I still want to be my husband's fiancée.]
Ji Shang frowned, looking at An Yubei in puzzlement as though he no longer recognized him. Then he turned his gaze to his assistant, Zhao Ze.
Zhao Ze showed nothing unusual. So he was the only one who could hear An Yubei's thoughts.
Ji Shang's brows knitted tightly. Although he didn't believe in gods or Buddhas, this bizarre situation still startled him.
He had been quite fond of An Yubei before. An Yubei had been sweet and sensible, always trailing after him, calling him "hubby" this and "hubby" that.
But after spending too long hanging around those good-for-nothing friends, he had changed.
Not only had An Yubei stopped being close to him, he had grown increasingly distant, until things had reached their current state.
Ji Shang had felt regret too. The adorable An Yubei had suddenly disappeared.
Still, the An Yubei before him really wasn't as annoying as before.
He was even a little cute, making Ji Shang want to give him a rub.
How nice. The adorable An Yubei was back.
Ji Shang put those thoughts aside and changed his tune. "Actually, if you're truly sorry, I could let you stay."
Stars instantly lit up An Yubei's eyes. "Brother Shang, do you mean it? I really don't have to leave?"
An Yubei excitedly knelt at the edge of the bed and reached out to grab Ji Shang's wrist.
But he soon frowned in dejection again. [Forget it, forget it. Staying won't end well either. The Ji family is about to go bankrupt, and the Zhou family will soon take its place. I'd be better off herding sheep on the grasslands.]
[After all, the Zhou family really screwed the Ji family over. They sold them a problematic plot of land, then bought up shares like crazy after the Ji family fell on hard times, ultimately pushing them out altogether.]
[It's too complicated. He should just go herd sheep like a good boy!]
An Yubei's eyes grew conflicted again. [It's just such a shame about my talented, capable husband. Should I tell hubby that the Zhou family has bought off Zhang Zhen, the project director?]
[All the data Zhang Zhen provided was fake. Without that feasibility report, my husband wouldn't have fallen for it.]
While An Yubei was agonizing over it, Ji Shang gave him no chance to speak and went straight out with his assistant, Zhao Ze.
The first thing he did outside was have Zhao Ze investigate Zhang Zhen's bank transactions and expenditures.
Ji Shang didn't know whether what An Yubei had said was true, but there was no harm in checking. If someone really had betrayed him, at least he wouldn't be played for a fool.
Although Zhao Ze didn't know what had gotten into President Ji, they were due to sign the contract with the Zhou Group in two hours. Why weren't they leaving yet?
Still, President Ji seemed to be treating An Yubei differently.
Just now, he had noticed a trace of indulgence in the icy President Ji's eyes.
After giving his instructions, Ji Shang returned to the hospital room. An Yubei sat on pins and needles, unsure how to bring it up.
No one would believe something so out of the blue. What would he do if Ji Shang didn't believe him?
While he was wrestling with it, his stomach let out a rumble. Perhaps because he had gone hungry for too long, it sounded like muffled thunder, a little too loud in the quiet hospital room.
An Yubei rubbed his stomach and lowered his head shyly.
[How embarrassing!]
[I really want crispy sweet-and-sour pork, sweet-and-sour pork tenderloin, lotus pond stir-fry, and steamed fish.]
Ji Shang asked, "Would you like some crispy sweet-and-sour pork?"
An Yubei's eyes instantly widened. He looked up at Ji Shang and nodded vigorously.
[Wow, what kind of heavenly husband is this? He even knows what he wants to eat. He's too wonderful!]
[Love you, my wonderful husband.]
Ji Shang secretly pressed his lips together in a smile, finding An Yubei even cuter. "Would you also like sweet-and-sour pork tenderloin, lotus pond stir-fry, and steamed fish?"
An Yubei was on the verge of tears. [This is fucking family right here. My husband is handsome and caring, so wonderful it's off the charts.]
Ji Shang said, "I'll ask the doctor whether you can eat those."
An Yubei pursed his lips, looking as pitiful as a homeless stray dog. "Brother Shang, I'm hungry."
His meaning was simple. He didn't care whether the doctor agreed. His stomach was protesting.
An Yubei looked so pitiful that Ji Shang couldn't resist rubbing the top of his head. "Mm, I know."
An Yubei blinked. [Oh my god, how is he some unattainable flower on a lofty peak? He's clearly so gentle!]
[Brother Shang is so nice!]
Ji Shang withdrew his hand and went outside the hospital room to ask the doctor about An Yubei's condition.
Soon, Zhao Ze returned as well, bringing Ji Shang some explosive news.
"President Ji, over the past month, fifty million was deposited into Zhang Zhen's wife's overseas account in three separate transfers."
"I also found that before our group decided to buy the land, Zhou Kewei from the Zhou Group met privately with Zhang Zhen. They spoke behind closed doors for a long time."
Hearing Zhao Ze's report, Ji Shang frowned so deeply his brows could have crushed a fly.
So everything An Yubei had said was true.
Without An Yubei, the Ji family would have been in terrible trouble.