Chapter 10 – He Yanxin Returns, but the Distance Shows

Only now did she remember the blankets and pillows on the bed.

Since Aunt Ge often came into the room to help Madam Song look after the children, she more or less knew what items were in the house.

Fortunately, the set she brought out was the dark gray cotton one. With the darkness of night, it probably wouldn’t be noticeable.

Come to think of it, it was kind of interesting. Madam Song’s mother-in-law had passed away early, and the things Aunt Ge did were basically what a mother-in-law would do.

Madam Song was both unfortunate and lucky. Unfortunate because her family had died tragically, leaving her alone. But lucky that she ended up in Anshan Village, married a decent man, and met someone like Aunt Ge who treated her so kindly.

Ten minutes later, He Yanxin entered the courtyard, carrying a large burlap sack filled to the brim.

As soon as Aunt Ge saw him enter through the main gate from her window, she headed out. Song Yeqing hesitated for a moment, then followed.

“What happened to that man?” Aunt Ge asked.

“He was driven out of the village,” He Yanxin replied quietly.

Since no real harm had been done and it was the middle of the night, it wasn’t appropriate to take the matter to the authorities—especially when everyone was struggling to get enough to eat.

Once Aunt Ge heard the outcome, she was relieved and said no more. She lifted her foot, ready to go home.

“D-Dama, wait a moment.” For some reason, He Yanxin stumbled a bit when calling her “Dama.”

Aunt Ge, who originally planned to exchange a quick greeting and leave, immediately understood. He was about to share some of the hard-earned food he’d brought back from outside again.

“Shh.” Aunt Ge glanced toward her own house, gesturing to keep their voices down.

“Yanxin, this time I really can’t accept it. You’ve been charging me less each time for everything. I used to put on a stern face and take it, but now things are getting worse. You should keep it for your wife—just look at how skinny she’s gotten.”

She walked up to He Yanxin and whispered gently. Song Yeqing, standing not far behind, heard everything.

When Aunt Ge mentioned her, He Yanxin—who had been fiddling with the burlap sack with his head down since coming out—glanced at her, then quickly looked away again.

“You’ve got two sons at home, Dama. No matter what, you won’t go hungry. You two should live your lives well. Don’t keep worrying about me.”

Having said that, Aunt Ge patted He Yanxin’s arm reassuringly.

“It’s alright. I have plenty.”

Not knowing what else to say, He Yanxin simply said that and stopped talking. He then took a portion of grain from the sack, along with about two jin of meat, to give to Aunt Ge.

Song Yeqing said nothing, because… something about the current He Yanxin felt off.

There was just this sense of—unnatural distance and stiffness.

From her memories, He Yanxin had been very close to Aunt Ge.

After his father died, Aunt Ge often looked after him and his mother. When his mother passed away, it was the Wu family who helped with the arrangements so he didn’t end up scrambling in panic. Not to mention, she even helped him marry Madam Song.

To He Yanxin, Aunt Ge was practically family.

If not for the fact that her younger son and his wife constantly disapproved of her helping the neighbors, always making sarcastic and indirect comments, the food would’ve just been given directly.

After all, even a clay statue has some temper. The food given to Aunt Ge would end up being eaten by that couple, too.

Why would he feed people who insulted him? Dream on! So the money Aunt Ge handed over was basically their “meal charge.”

Not giving her a chance to refuse, He Yanxin took the nearly twenty jin of grain and the meat, shoved them into her arms, and quickly shut the door behind her.

Once he bolted the door, he let out a big sigh of relief. Then he turned and saw Song Yeqing still in the courtyard—and immediately tensed up again.

This guy…

Song Yeqing looked thoughtful.

“You should go in and sleep.”

Seeing her still standing there, He Yanxin tried to keep his tone steady.

“Mm.”

Forget it. Whatever demon or ghost he is, I’ll deal with it tomorrow. Judging by the way he’s acting, he clearly has no plans to return to the room tonight.

Yawning, Song Yeqing decided to sleep with the children. As for where He Yanxin slept? Who cared.

After she left, He Yanxin finally felt relieved and picked up the burlap sack, heading toward the kitchen.

That’s right—he had decided to sleep in the kitchen tonight. The weather was still cold, but at least he could light a fire there to stay warm.

When he was covered in soot and crouched down trying to start a fire with a flint, Song Yeqing suddenly appeared at the kitchen door.

“Wh-what’s wrong?”

Startled by her presence, He Yanxin took a step back, unsure whether from fear or something else.

Without a word, Song Yeqing shoved a quilt and a mattress into his hands and left.

She hadn’t intended to, but after returning to her room, she remembered it was late autumn and nearly freezing at night. After some thought, she brought out the old bedding from the house to give to him—she couldn’t just let someone freeze.

He Yanxin: …

What’s with this wife? Isn’t she a little too weird? Not even curious why her husband isn’t coming back to the room? How big-hearted can she be?

Still, since he had bedding now, he decided to go to the west wing and tidy up the bed the original owner had used as a child. He really couldn’t sleep in the kitchen.

Yes—He Yanxin’s soul had also changed.

He remembered how that day, after a friend’s recommendation, he went on a joyride along a mountain road seventy kilometers outside the city.

Lingwu Mountain—truly lived up to its name. The environment was excellent, the air especially fresh and invigorating.

He’d heard the mountain was privately owned and off-limits, which made him curious. So he got out of his car near a sign at the base of the mountain to take a look.

When he was about to leave, he discovered his car had broken down. With no other option, he got out and started walking around, trying to find signal to make a call.

That’s when a black shadow suddenly attacked him. Even with ten years of Taekwondo training, he didn’t stand a chance.

At first, he thought it was a wild animal from the mountain. But once he got a clear look, it shattered everything he’d believed about the world for the past twenty-one years.

Blood-red eyes filled with seething resentment, as if the hatred within would burst forth at any second. The stench that hit him was so foul it bypassed his nose and shot straight into his brain, making it hard to breathe.

This was definitely no known creature!

He remembered the air growing thinner, his body weaker.

Just before he lost consciousness, he vaguely saw a girl jump out of a car and charge toward the black mist, holding a wooden sword and some strange glowing objects.

Thank you for saving me… too bad…

He could still recall the bone-deep chill he felt as death approached. He was sure he’d died.

Yet two days ago, he woke up—in a completely different body, and in ancient times no less.

After waking, he’d been dazed for a long time, because the memories were so long and overwhelming.

The first half was full of hardships, joys, and even moments of happiness. But the second half carried excruciating despair and a numb, unending loneliness.

This world’s He Yanxin not only had the same name and age, but even looked quite similar.

Except, his modern self had fairer skin and looked younger. Both were 182 cm tall.

The chest and six-pack abs were still there—just significantly shrunk.

The original owner had a scholarly temperament from being educated, but years of farm work had given him just the right amount of muscle. The combination made him both contradictory and attractive.

As for himself, although he jogged and worked out often, practiced Taekwondo, and had a healthy figure, he was still a student who sat in an office frequently—so his vibe was much less aggressive.

At first, He Yanxin had panicked.

In the modern world, he was just a regular rich second-generation kid. As the youngest son, he didn’t carry much responsibility.

He chose a major he loved—computer science—and at 18, partnered with some friends to start a game company.

He hired a few top talents from his university, and together they developed some small games to keep the company running, then poured their energy into a long-term project.

He loved gaming and was passionate about the industry, so he put in a lot of effort—and the company began to flourish.

By the time he died, their most important project was already in its final stages.

But he would never get to see the result.

Mini Theater:

Song Yeqing: Computer? (pulls one from the space)

He Yanxin: I want it! I want it!

Song Yeqing: No internet.

He Yanxin: …

(End of Chapter)