SGSHE78

Jing Heguang lived out the full hundred-year lifespan in the beastman world.

The legendary Beast God caused both Jing Heguang and his partner, the maltese tiger AXing, to depart from the world on the very same day. It was a kind gesture, really — sparing them the worry of who might be left behind alone.

As his memories returned, Jing Heguang took a deep breath and tucked all his emotions deep within his heart.

Perhaps…he was lucky?

To be able to accompany and love his partner across one world after another.

Little Yellow Peach finally popped up.

[Ding! Congratulations to the Host for perfectly transforming in another world, you have earned 5,000 points.]

Jing Heguang asked, “Little Yellow Peach, where did you go in the last world? No matter how much I called you, there was no response.”

Back when he had lost his memories, Jing Heguang had complained about Little Yellow Peach’s poor service.

But now that his memories had returned, Jing Heguang, who had bullied Little Yellow Peach many times, realized that Little Yellow Peach was a good Yellow Peach…no, a good system.

Hearing his concern, Little Yellow Peach nearly shed tears of relief.

The host had been a massive powerhouse, lording over everyone for a hundred years and living the high life.

It, on the other hand, had suffered. It was dragged off for training for a whole century! A full hundred years of being surrounded by classes!

But it couldn’t complain about its misery.

Swallowing its grievances, Little Yellow Peach replied, [Host, I went away for training.]

Jing Heguang had feared something bad had happened to Little Yellow Peach, knowing it was just training put his mind at ease.

Reassured, he asked, “You were the one who helped me with my beast form, right?”

The original owner had never managed to manifest a beast form before dying, yet Jing Heguang had been so powerful, it seemed the Beast God had shown him a bit too much favoritism.

[Yes, to ensure the mission is successfully completed, the system also takes measures to guarantee the host’s safety.]

“Little Yellow Peach, you’re the best!” Jing Heguang praised Little Yellow Peach at just the right moment.

Little Yellow Peach knew exactly how to play along.

[The memory potion, which helps a designated person recover their memories, is a special perk in the system store. I can unlock it for you once you’ve completed nine challenge missions.]

Jing Heguang felt a bit sheepish, was he being too obvious about prioritizing his lover over his friends?

Before he could even ask, Little Yellow Peach already knew what he was thinking.

Still, Little Yellow Peach was just relieved not to have been branded a ‘black-hearted Peach’ like in the previous world.

Little Yellow Peach got to work diligently: [Host, shall we start the lucky draw now?]

“Go ahead.”

Memories spanning multiple lifetimes and the emotions attached to them made Jing Heguang feel as though his lover’s presence lingered in the very air around him.

But that feeling was ultimately an illusion, nothing compared to actually being by his lover’s side!

[Ding! Congratulations, Host! You’ve won a small shiba inu plushie!]

Jing Heguang: Was I…suppose to play with the doll of myself?

[Ding! Congratulations, Host! You’ve won a small maltese tiger plushie!]

This prize was a genuine, delightful surprise for Jing Heguang!

“I absolutely love the prizes I got this time! Little Yellow Peach, you really are the most thoughtful system. Do you guys have a service rating system? I want to give you a score that goes way beyond perfect!”

Jing Heguang cradled the two small plushies, nestling them against each other in his arms.

He stroked the little tiger’s head and planted a soft kiss on it. Then, he placed the rose he’d won in the previous world into the little tiger’s paw.

[Ding! Host has received ‘Better Luck Next Time’ x3.]

[Beginning to wipe host’s memories…]

Just as Jing Heguang’s memories were being erased, the little tiger’s ears twitched ever so slightly.……

[Congratulations to the host for obtaining the newbie perk: The ‘2-Cubed Abs (8-Pack) Essential for a Real Man’. Note: The host need only put in a token amount of exercise to acquire them, and the abs will adjust flexibly to complement your physique.]

Jing Heguang looked at the perks he had missed out on, ‘The Seven-Round Stud’ and ‘Iron-Strong Waist’ and regretfully rubbed his abdomen.

He consoled himself: some people are naturally limited to six-pack abs, but he was getting an eight-pack for free, definitely a win!

Plus, now that the aura that makes admirers gain weight was gone, he could finally experience the bittersweet pangs of romance. It was a total win!

[The lucky draw is complete. Go forth and enjoy life, Host! If you have any questions, just call out to your thoughtful ‘Little Yellow Peach’ in your mind~]

***

After a dizzying sensation, Jing Heguang found himself inside a moving vehicle.

As Jing Heguang opened his eyes, the young man sitting opposite him tensed up.

His assistant, Xiao Chen, asked in a low voice, “Brother Jing, would you like some water?”

Xiao Chen meant actual water. His boss was difficult to please, so he kept over a dozen different varieties on hand.

Jing Heguang felt a sharp pain in his head, he shook his head and closed his eyes again.

Xiao Chen breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that his boss was in a good mood today, he hadn’t yelled at him at all!

As for Jing Heguang, the reason he had closed his eyes again was that he was currently reviewing the original owner’s memories.

***

The person he had transmigrated into was also named Jing Heguang, born into an ordinary family where both parents were teachers.

The original owner had been handsome since childhood. Back in kindergarten, other kids would insist on sharing their spicy snack strips with him, and by elementary school, he was already receiving love letters. By the time he reached middle and high school, among a crowd of boys who were just beginning to discover romance, his handsome looks gave him an even more distinct advantage.

Consequently, the original owner was always well aware of his greatest asset: his good looks.

Yet, alongside that advantage, his weaknesses were equally apparent. The original owner was quick-witted but lacked patience for academics, resulting in poor grades.

Furthermore, he felt his family’s financial situation was inadequate. His parents earned only a fixed salary, leaving him with insufficient spending money.

Therefore, while still in high school, he decided on his future path: he would become a celebrity, a career he believed offered the easiest way to make money.

Breaking into the entertainment industry required a strategy, so he applied to acting programs and took the specialized arts entrance exams.

However, he failed to get into his dream school the first year because his acting was abysmal, he possessed absolutely no talent for it.

The following year, he changed tactics and decided to study singing instead.

Blessed with a naturally pleasant voice and having put in genuine effort during his gap year, he successfully gained admission to his target university to study popular music.

Once at the music conservatory, however, he realized just how many good-looking people there were. While many lacked his striking physical features, they possessed a certain charisma or poise that he didn’t have.

He knuckled down and studied seriously for two years. By the end of that period, his singing skills had improved significantly, enough, at least, to pass muster with the average industry insider.

During his junior year, the original owner covered an obscure song and unexpectedly turned it into a hit. He enjoyed a brief surge of popularity and was signed by an agency as a professional artist.

However, that stint with the agency was merely a splash in the pan, it vanished as quickly as it appeared, and the person who ultimately benefited the most was the song’s original creator.

The original owner’s fame quickly faded. Anxious yet helpless, he struggled on until his senior year.

Up to this point, his behavior hadn’t been particularly despicable, at worst, he simply lacked filial piety toward his parents.

It was his later actions that truly disgusted Jing Heguang.

During his senior year, the original owner heard about a talented junior in the composition department named Luan Xing’an. Hoping to try his luck, he decided to approach him and ask for a song.

When he first made contact, Luan Xing’an’s grandmother had just passed away.

At the time, Luan Xing’an was overweight and deeply insecure. Large dark-rimmed glasses obscured most of his face, and he had few friends.

Wanting to get his hands on a song, the original owner offered some superficial flattery and even gave him a birthday cake.

Having never received a birthday gift before, Luan Xing’an came to regard the original owner as a close friend and handed over his best composition for the other man to release.

It was indeed an excellent song. Although the original owner couldn’t compose music himself, he had listened to and learned enough to recognize immediately that the track had the potential to become a hit.

He felt that his previous failure had been due to the song belonging to someone else.

So, after obtaining Luan Xing’an’s song, he recalled that the junior wrote music on paper and rarely used a smartphone. A thought struck him, and he searched online for the copyright status, only to discover that Luan Xing’an had indeed never registered it.

He registered the copyright in his own name, claimed the song as his original work at the agency, and it was released shortly thereafter.

The company also recognized the song’s potential. With their promotional push, the original owner was instantly transformed into a young singer-songwriter with a hit track to his name.

It was only after Luan Xing’an specifically listened to the version the original owner had sung online that he discovered the truth: the credits for lyrics and composition didn’t list him at all, they bore the original owner’s name instead!

Luan Xing’an, bewildered, called the original owner to ask about it. The original owner, however, completely absolved himself of blame, shifting all responsibility onto the company. He claimed he had been duped into signing an unfair contract with exorbitant penalty clauses.

The original owner had a cunning plan: Luan Xing’an was good-natured, a bit naive, and had no one looking out for him, making him the perfect target. He was the ideal, inexhaustible source of creative material’.

Although the original owner lacked acting talent, he was a natural at deception, he had a real knack for it.

After his initial rise to fame, he treated Luan Xing’an even better. When Luan Xing’an was suddenly ostracized by his roommates, the original owner rented the apartment right next door for him.

Once they became neighbors, the original owner took care of everything, even cooking meals for him, which deeply touched Luan Xing’an.

Luan Xing’an had been rescued from a trash heap as an infant by his grandmother, a solitary elderly woman. Having grown up scavenging for recyclables, he suffered from a deep sense of inferiority.

He attended local schools from elementary through high school, everyone knew he was a ‘trash picker’, so they shunned him, looking down on him and leaving him out of their social circles.

In college, Luan Xing’an worked hard at part-time jobs to support himself and his grandmother, leaving no time for clubs or making friends.

It was only after his grandmother passed away that Luan Xing’an finally had some free time. By then, he was easily earning enough to support himself, and the original owner had become his only friend.

The original owner continued to treat him well in various ways, and the unsophisticated Luan Xing’an forgave him for the time he had ‘accidentally’ stolen his song, going so far as to try his best to be good to the original owner in return.

Just when the original owner felt he had successfully won Luan Xing’an over, believing Luan Xing’an was treating him well out of genuine affection, he resorted to a new set of manipulative tactics.

He began to weep, claiming the company was forcing him to keep producing music. He put on a sanctimonious act, suggesting he might as well return that earlier song to Luan Xing’an, even though doing so would mean admitting liability for tens of millions in damages, a cost he claimed he was willing to shoulder.

Luan Xing’an counted the zeros in that figure, tens of millions, and was terrified. Instead of accepting the return, he comforted the original owner, insisting it was fine to treat the song as a gift.

The original owner wept again, lamenting that he was doomed if he didn’t achieve further success. With a twenty-year management contract hanging over his head, he felt his future was ruined.

Through this calculated display of misery and subtle hints, the naive Luan Xing’an was tricked into writing songs for the original owner, his only friend.

Jing Heguang felt a throbbing headache coming on as he saw this.

What kind of scumbag was the original owner? How could he bring himself to bully such a sweet, innocent, and pitiful junior?

But as he look further, Jing Heguang was absolutely livid.

After the original owner shot to fame and swindled Luan Xing’an out of numerous songs, he became a mentor on a hit talent show and met a young scion from a wealthy, powerful family.

This wealthy young man disliked Luan Xing’an, claiming Luan reminded him of someone who had bullied him in childhood.

Coincidentally, Luan Xing’an was beginning to want to release his own work. Seizing the opportunity, the original owner set a trap: he framed Luan Xing’an for plagiarism and bullied him, all to amuse his wealthy young boyfriend.

Luan Xing’an already struggled with low self-esteem, even the success of the songs hadn’t done much to boost his confidence.

After all, those songs were ‘technically’ the original owner’s. Furthermore, the original owner possessed a beautiful singing voice, striking good looks, and a tall, imposing physique. Being falsely accused of plagiarism destroyed the last patch of soil in Luan Xing’an’s heart where his self-confidence had taken root, combined with the vicious online trolls hired to attack him, the situation drove Luan Xing’an to a mental breakdown.

In his final moments, Luan Xing’an thought of the original owner, only to be mocked for his stupidity. The original owner weaponized Luan Xing’an’s deepest insecurities against his fragile psyche, ultimately driving him to the desperate act of jumping from a building.

To make matters worse, the vile original owner and his wealthy young boyfriend even went out of their way to witness the scene of Luan Xing’an’s suicide.

Jing Heguang opened his eyes, his peach blossom eyes, with their naturally upturned corners, were now filled with murderous intent toward the original owner.

It made his blood boil!

How could such scum exist?!

Not only did they use someone up and cast them aside, but they also drove them to total ruin and death.

Seeing his boss open his eyes with such a murderous look, Xiao Chen was on the verge of tears.

Just then, the car arrived at the entrance of the Green Channel, the studio behind the smash hit variety show ‘Voice of Heaven’. Xiao Chen spoke up tremulously, “b, b-Brother…we’re here.”

Xiao Chen prayed silently: Please, Boss, just get out of the car! At least in public, you should still maintain a friendly persona.

Jing Heguang took a deep breath, consoling himself with the thought that, in the end, neither the original owner nor that wealthy young ‘young master’ met a happy fate.

After Luan Xing’an died, it was revealed that the wealthy young master wasn’t the family’s biological son at all, and that he had effectively driven the true biological son, Luan Xing’an, to his death.

Furthermore, the baby swap had been a deliberate act by the fake young master’s biological mother. Over the years, she had re-established contact with her son, and both of them had been fully aware of the truth.

Consequently, once Luan Xing’an’s biological parents discovered the facts, they took decisive action to destroy both the original owner and his boyfriend.

The original owner was conclusively exposed as a plagiarist and subjected to the same relentless online harassment Luan Xing’an had endured. After falling into total disgrace, he was ultimately forced to suicide. As for that young boyfriend, the original owner had seen him rummaging through roadside trash cans for food just before dying.

Jing Heguang smoothed the area over his heart, forcibly suppressing a surge of anger, and nodded under the fearful gaze of his assistant, Xiao Chen.

The timing coincided with the period when the original owner had just begun participating in the variety show where he would meet that young boyfriend from a wealthy family.

Jing Heguang was determined to make things turn out differently.