Chapter 1

When Zhou Jing woke up, his head throbbed painfully—it was as if he had been struck with a heavy blow.

His mouth was parched, and his throat felt like it was on fire.

“Water…” A weak gasp escaped his lips.

It was so faint that even Zhou Jing, the person who said this, could barely hear it.

The instinct for survival drove Zhou Jing to open his eyes. His vision was initially blurry. After blinking several times, he gradually adjusted to the light around him.

The first thing Zhou Jing saw was a handsome face.

Despite being thin, with a dark and unsightly complexion, deep black circles under his eyes, and several bruises, the beauty of those elongated eyes was undeniable.

Even though they were now dull and lifeless, Zhou Jing instinctively thought that if those eyes were filled with light, they would be dazzling— so captivating that one glimpse could make someone yearn for eternity.

Zhou Jing couldn’t help but smile wryly. What was this? After living for more than thirty years, he had seen all kinds of people—plump and slim, with plastic surgeries or natural.

He could have had anyone he wanted in less than a day, but he had never been interested in any of them and had remained single for decades. And now, after dying, he had seen a man who instantly stirred something in him.

Was this not the heavens playing tricks on him?

As he was lost in these thoughts, something cold was suddenly pressed against his lips.

The cool liquid flowed into his mouth and down his throat.

The burning sensation in his throat was instantly soothed, and Zhou Jing felt somewhat better.

But it was this very bowl of water—this sensation jolted Zhou Jing’s confused mind back to clarity.

He died right?

He clearly remembered that there was a major financing deal abroad that required his personal involvement.

For this matter, he had been running between domestic and international locations nearly non-stop for almost a month.

Finally, the foreign side had softened and showed their willingness to cooperate with his company. He had swiftly taken the preliminary contract and led his team overnight to the meeting place.

However, the flight he was on had somehow deviated from its course, crossing the Pacific Ocean and flying into the so-called Bermuda Triangle.

The Bermuda Triangle over the sea had always been filled with various strange theories, which Zhou Jing had always treated as fictional stories.

He never expected to actually encounter this strange situation this time.

At that moment, he felt a powerful suction, pulling the plane with an unstoppable force, continuously spiraling into a vortex.

Inside the vortex was a blinding light that prevented Zhou Jing from opening his eyes.

The rapid spinning made him dizzy, and he couldn’t stop gagging. In such a situation, everyone knew the plane was doomed, and they would all die.

Yet, when Zhou Jing opened his eyes, he saw a dream lover from his fantasies.

His dream lover was dressed in strange attire, resembling ancient clothing, but it did not match any recorded historical dynasty from China. It looked more like attire from an imaginary realm.

At this realization, Zhou Jing’s heart suddenly skipped a few beats.

He slightly shifted his gaze, and what he saw was the attire of impoverished ancient people that he had only seen on television.

The room was a thatched hut with bare walls, wind seeping through every crack, and the occasional drip of water falling to the ground. The household’s pots and pans were used to catch water, so when there was no container available, the water dripped continuously, forming small pools on the floor that eventually merged into a flowing stream.

“This… where is this…” He managed to utter these words with almost all his strength, but it was still only a fragmented whisper.

The man who resembled Zhou Jing’s dream lover bent down—his ear close to Zhou Jing’s lips.

He was listening intently but failed to understand Zhou Jing clearly. He frowned in confusion.

At that moment, there was a sudden commotion in the room, and another man, similarly dressed in tattered clothes with patches upon patches, walked in. He first set down a basket and a sickle, then slowly turned around.

His complexion was as pale as Zhou Jing’s dream lover, and he appeared so thin that his large eyes looked like they were bulging.

His gaze was as lifeless—he was like a walking corpse as if all hope had been ground out of him.

“He’s awake?” He asked indifferently, without a name or a title. ^[1]He did not use any form of address, such as the other person’s name or title ex. Brother-in-law, when he asked the question.

“Hmm.” Zhou Jing’s dream lover stood up.

“Mm.” Zhou Jing’s dream lover stood up. “You just came back from digging wild vegetables on the mountain, and you must be exhausted. I’ll make lunch.”

With that, neither of them paid any attention to Zhou Jing. He lay on the bed like a high-level paraplegic, completely still. You could call him a critically ill patient, but neither of the boys even glanced his way, and sometimes they couldn’t hide their disdain.

Although Zhou Jing couldn’t move, his mind remained clear. In such a situation, it was impossible for him to be in the underworld.

There’s only one possible explanation: he had traveled to another world.

As for the concept of traveling to another world, Zhou Jing was somewhat familiar with it. He had seen it in movies, dramas, and various news reports.

There were generally two types of time travel: one was physical transmigration, and the other was that it was his soul who had traveled to another world.

However, he was unsure which type he had experienced. If it were physical travel, it would be easier to handle; he could simply fabricate a tragic and pitiable backstory and deceive these two people he met.

But if it were the latter, the original owner of this body must have had a close relationship with the two outside. The identity of the person who arrived later didn’t matter; any relationship could be explained. But what if the man sitting by his bed, who resembled the man of his dreams, was a blood relative? That would mean he could see but never touch him in this lifetime.

It was simply a torture.

While he was lost in such thoughts, the man had prepared some wild vegetable soup—he scooped a spoonful from the bowl but didn’t eat it himself, he served it first to Zhou Jing.

Zhou Jing thought that although this man appeared cold and unfeeling, he had a warm heart.

He looked meticulous in his actions, using a wooden spoon to cool the soup, and testing its temperature before feeding it to Zhou Jing.

It was neither too cold nor too hot, the temperature was just right. However, the taste was incredibly unappetizing. Besides lacking salt, there was an odd taste—it was too bitter.

Zhou Jing, who was used to delicacies like mountain treasures, abalone, and shark fin, almost spat it out after just one sip.

Fortunately, Zhou Jing knew his current situation—he was dependent on his dream lover, and his body needed nourishment. Given the poverty of this family, this was likely the only food they could afford. If he wanted to get better, he had to eat it. So, he reluctantly swallowed a few more bites.

No matter how bad it tasted, the warm food in his stomach made him feel better, though he was still unable to speak.

“What are you doing here?” Suddenly, the young man who was working in the yard shouted.

Then a sharp female voice scolded them: “Who do you think you are? Do you think you have the right to interfere when I come to my son’s house? You’re just a worthless, money-losing burden. No wonder you can’t get married. Even before you leave the house, you’re running over to the man’s house. You’re just like your brother, both of you are good-for-nothings!”

“You… you…” The young man’s face turned from green to purple in anger.

The old woman didn’t care at all; she glared at him with contempt, showing the whites of her eyes, and with a forceful kick, knocked the obviously strained grass door off its hinges.

The door wobbled a few times before finally falling down.

The old woman didn’t feel any remorse. Instead, she muttered a few curses under her breath. As she entered the house, she saw the wild vegetable soup that had been prepared. It was a thin broth with no oil or salt, clearly, it looked unappetizing. However, her eyes lit up with greed.

“Wow, you have quite a lot of wild vegetables, huh?” She noticed that besides what was in the pot, there were still some uncooked ones in the basket on the ground. “Don’t eat these, pack them all up, I will take them back later.”

The young man in the yard rushed in, shouting, “Why should I? I dug these up for my brother!”

The old woman sneered coldly. “You dug them up? For your brother? Well then, they’re just right for me! Let me ask you, who is your brother? Isn’t he the unlucky husband of the jinx? I’m the jinx’s biological mother. Isn’t it only right that I get these things? I actually think it’s not enough!”

The young man was so furious that he couldn’t speak. But he still guarded the basket full of wild vegetables he had painstakingly collected.

No matter what, he doesn’t want to let the cruel old woman take them.

The old woman was not one to back down, and she began to shove and push the half-grown boy—her mouth full of insults.

Zhou Jing couldn’t help but be shocked by this scene.

He was dumbfounded as he was staring at the chaotic scene before him.

He was a businessman, and quite successful at that, with considerable skills.

His keen insight allowed him to read people’s true thoughts from just a few words. From the candid conversation he had overheard, he could deduce the relationships of the original owner of this body to the people around him.

The old woman was likely the mother of this body, while the one who was stopping the vegetables from being taken was probably his dream lover’s little brother. As for the relationship between this body and the dream lover, they should be considered husband and wife. The term “husband” used by the man likely refers to a different way of saying “partner.”

However, he couldn’t understand why.

In this place, it was considered normal for two men to marry each other, and why everyone seemed to accept it so readily.

Zhou Jing racked his brain trying to figure it out but couldn’t make sense of it. Fortunately, he decided to stop thinking about it. Regardless, his dream lover had become his wife!

The young man seemed reluctant to fully confront the old woman and ultimately was pushed aside, stumbling and falling to the ground.

Zhou Jing was at a loss for words. What was this? A mother? More likely a stepmother!

Otherwise, how could a biological mother, whose son was on the brink of death (in fact, already dead), lying motionless in bed, be so heartless as to fight over the “precious” wild vegetables with her son and daughter-in-law? This woman couldn’t be a true mother!

The old woman’s attire was shabby, with many patches, but her face was rosy, her voice loud, and her movements nimble. It was clear she was someone who usually had enough to eat and stay warm. Yet now she was fighting over the life-saving food for her son and daughter-in-law!

“Xiao Di, give it to him,” said the man sitting by the bed in a low voice. ^[2]Xiao Di means little brother

The young man wilted like a frostbitten eggplant, and the old woman strutted out with an air of triumph, having taken all the wild vegetables from the pot, leaving only a pot of water behind.

“Hmph, it should have been like this from the beginning. Remember to get the tribute food ready early tomorrow, and don’t make me come and remind you personally!” The old woman said smugly.

Once the old woman left, the young man’s eyes reddened. “Brother! She’s bullying us! This is too much! Their family isn’t lacking in food and drink. If she wants wild vegetables, she can go to the mountains and dig them up herself. Why does she have to take yours?”

The man responded in a neutral tone, “It’s always been like this. It’s nothing new.”

The young man then turned his angry gaze toward Zhou Jing. His gaze felt like he wished he could devour him. But for some reason, despite his intense hatred, he did not yell or curse at Zhou Jing; he just glared at him.

Zhou Jing wished he could explain himself, but his throat was burning with pain, leaving him unable to speak.

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T/N: Helllooo~ I’m notlucia, I’ve been translating BG novels, but I’ve always enjoyed reading BL novels, especially this genre. There are many great BL novels I’ve read that haven’t been translated yet, so I decided to do it myself. I hope you enjoy my translation! If you notice any errors, please feel free to correct me kindly; any purely hateful comments will just go straight to the trash bin, haha. Happy reading!

Schedule of Updates: 1 chapter every Monday and Wednesday

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