Chapter 1: Who Wants to Go Back to Be a Cannon Fodder Plot Device?
It was evening. The “Big Brother Barbecue” at the entrance of the Panlong District was already bustling with customers, the air inside thick with the rich, savory aroma of roasting meat.
In the nearly full shop, Lan Yu sat quietly, occupying a single table. The person he was waiting for hadn’t arrived yet, and he showed no intention of ordering first.
He tapped his finger against his phone screen. The worn, scuffed display lit up—it was already half an hour past the agreed time.
The door to the barbecue shop swung open again. Lan Yu looked toward the entrance, and as a familiar silhouette came into view, he immediately stood up.
The middle-aged man who entered unzipped his heavy coat first. As the fabric pulled slightly, he turned his head and met Lan Yu’s eyes, only then realizing Lan Yu was already standing right beside him.
“Sorry, I’m late. Surprise overtime today.” Zhou Hesheng let go of his jacket, watching as Lan Yu neatly folded it and placed it inside the plastic storage bag provided by the restaurant.
“Over here, Brother Zhou.” Lan Yu placed the bag on the empty seat next to him. He waited for Zhou Hesheng to sit before sitting down himself. As he poured tea into Zhou Hesheng’s cup, he said, “Order whatever you want. It’s my treat today.”
Zhou Hesheng scanned the QR code on the corner of the table. While scrolling through the menu, he remarked, “You haven’t been working that long; how much could you have possibly saved? I appreciate the thought, but let’s wait until you’re a bit better off.”
“I’m doing okay right now. One meal isn’t a problem,” Lan Yu insisted. This was meant to be a thank-you dinner for Zhou Hesheng. He couldn’t afford anything extravagant, but even if it was just barbecue, Lan Yu wanted to express his gratitude.
“Didn’t you just pay rent? and you’re still ‘doing okay’?” Zhou Hesheng teased.
Lan Yu shook his head. “It’s fine. I have enough.”
Zhou Hesheng didn’t press the issue further. “Is the apartment all set up?”
“Mhm.” Lan Yu nodded.
Zhou Hesheng laughed. “I thought after living here so long you’d at least have accumulated some stuff, but you managed to fit everything into a single bag. I was actually thinking about taking half a day off to help you pack.”
Lan Yu rubbed the rim of his teacup, his fingers tracing the edge unconsciously. “Brother Zhou, you took me in for so long. You’ve already helped me so much; I can’t trouble you any further.”
Zhou Hesheng looked at the young man, his mind drifting back to their first meeting.
Zhou Hesheng had driven a friend to the train station. On his way in, his attention was briefly caught by a young man shivering by the roadside, dressed far too thinly for the weather. When he came out an hour later, he saw the same person walking slowly along the road, lips turning purple from the cold. The area was surrounded by highways and overpasses—clearly, the kid was lost. In a moment of kindness, Zhou Hesheng pulled over, intending to just give him a lift. He ended up bringing Lan Yu all the way home.
“What would you have done without me, huh?” Zhou Hesheng remarked casually, mostly teasing.
Zhou Hesheng was thirteen years older than Lan Yu. He owned a car and a house in the city and was unmarried. When he heard Lan Yu had run away from home, he didn’t ask for the reason—after all, every family has its own issues. Thinking he might as well see the good deed through, he let Lan Yu stay at his place temporarily.
Lan Yu felt a bit sheepish, but his gratitude was genuine. “Thank you, Brother Zhou.”
Looking back now, Lan Yu wondered where he got the audacity.
He had chosen a city at random, used his only money to buy a ticket, and carried nothing but a plastic bag of instant noodles.
He still remembered the confusion of walking out of the station penniless, dressed in thin clothes, looking up at a strange city blanketed in white snow.
If his great benefactor Zhou hadn’t suddenly decided to be kind, just imagining the outcome made shivers run down Lan Yu’s spine.
“You didn’t need to be in such a rush to move out. Weren’t you living comfortably?” Zhou Hesheng asked.
Lan Yu just shook his head. “I can’t rely on you forever. You’ve helped me a lot. When I have money in the future, I’ll pay you back for the rent.”
After settling down at Zhou Hesheng’s place, Lan Yu had immediately found a job as a waiter. Now, three or four months later, he had finally saved a small amount, found a rental, and moved out without delay.
“You really keep things distinct. But at least I didn’t help an ingrate; that gives me peace of mind.”
Although it wasn’t exactly a compliment, hearing it made Lan Yu’s tense expression relax considerably. “Thank you, Brother Zhou.”
Zhou Hesheng held his teacup near his lips, watching the young man. Suddenly, he asked, “You’re leaving in such a hurry… is it because you saw I found a girlfriend?”
Lan Yu looked down, his fingers nervously rubbing the mouth of his cup. He didn’t confirm or deny it.
“So it is that. You… ah, forget it. You’ve moved out now, just remember to keep in touch,” Zhou Hesheng said helplessly.
“I will, Brother Zhou.” Lan Yu nodded seriously.
Zhou Hesheng didn’t dislike Lan Yu. Living together for three or four months, Lan Yu was so quiet he practically lacked presence. He rarely left his room unless necessary, but whenever asked to do something, he never refused. He was incredibly obedient.
“Although from your perspective, I let you stay for free, you always cleaned the house and cooked. You were quite professional about it, actually. I feel like I came out ahead.”
Hearing Zhou Hesheng’s words, Lan Yu finally looked up, meeting his eyes tentatively. “Did I do a good job?”
“Of course. Since I bought that house, it’s never been this tidy. You’re amazing—how do you clean everything so thoroughly while still letting me find exactly what I need?” Zhou Hesheng immediately added a few more compliments noticing Lan Yu’s reaction.
Lan Yu blinked. “Actually, Brother Zhou, your lifestyle is quite structured. Once I figured out the pattern, it was easy to manage.”
“You cooked according to my tastes too, didn’t you? The food kept getting better, even though I never told you what I liked or disliked.” Zhou Hesheng thought about it and found it quite fascinating.
Lan Yu wasn’t smiling, but because of Zhou Hesheng’s praise, his expression was soft. “You aren’t a picky eater, but if you went for the same dish multiple times in a row, it meant you liked it. If you ate something infrequently, or only took a few bites at the very end, it meant you didn’t like it much.”
“I didn’t even know I had those habits. You’re pretty sharp.” Zhou Hesheng was surprised.
Praised, Lan Yu’s eyes shimmered slightly, and the corners of his mouth ticked up.
“It’s a pity you aren’t living with me anymore. I rented places for years and had several roommates, but none were as excellent as you.” Zhou Hesheng felt genuinely regretful.
“You have a girlfriend; it would be inconvenient with me there.” Lan Yu glanced to the side.
“No, no, we haven’t reached that stage yet.” Zhou Hesheng initially thought it wasn’t a big deal, but Lan Yu’s attitude made him feel a bit embarrassed. He picked up the teapot, brushing off Lan Yu’s attempt to take it, and poured water for both of them.
“If it works out, I’ll treat you to another meal then,” Lan Yu said.
Zhou Hesheng laughed out loud. “If it works out for me, why would you treat me?”
By the time the food arrived, Zhou Hesheng had given plenty of advice. He felt protective of the obedient Lan Yu, who showed not a hint of impatience from start to finish. Lan Yu listened so earnestly he looked like he was about to take notes. Eventually, Zhou Hesheng laughed at Lan Yu’s serious expression.
“You didn’t move that far away, so I won’t nag you anymore.” Zhou Hesheng waved his hand.
“I really appreciate you, Brother Zhou,” Lan Yu said again.
“Alright, alright. You’re good in every way except for saying that too often. Why so many thank-yous? By that logic, I should be thanking you—I didn’t have to do laundry or sweep the floor, and when I came home drunk, someone even fed me sober-up medicine.” Zhou Hesheng interrupted him.
“It was what I should have done,” Lan Yu said. Living in someone else’s house and eating their food, he would have felt terrible doing nothing. He could only do what was within his power.
“If you really want to calculate it that clearly, then you exchanged labor for accommodation. It was an equivalent exchange, so all those thank-yous are redundant,” Zhou Hesheng lectured.
Lan Yu shook his head. “That’s different. If it weren’t for Brother Zhou…”
“Here we go again.” Zhou Hesheng waved his hand impatiently.
Although Zhou Hesheng didn’t mind, Lan Yu truly couldn’t help but care.
Three or four months ago, Lan Yu had suddenly transmigrated, completely helpless.
Worse, a book had appeared in his mind—a story about someone named Yi Lingxi.
It took him a while to digest the contents. Roughly speaking, the protagonist, Yi Lingxi, looked similar to the head of a wealthy family. A young rival clan head chose him to conspire with, sending him into the wealthy family as a fake illegitimate son. The intelligent and unique protagonist, Yi Lingxi, attracted countless powerful figures, was adored by many, and maneuvered between various tycoons.
There was a character in the book who shared Lan Yu’s name. That “Lan Yu” was Yi Lingxi’s weakness.
Lan Yu’s home was close to the orphanage where Yi Lingxi lived, and they were the same age. Through various coincidences, the two ended up together. As the only friend who grew up with him and helped him, Yi Lingxi was incredibly partial to Lan Yu.
Even after becoming a child of the Yi family, Yi Lingxi never forgot his friend.
The original host, Lan Yu, was petty and greedy. Upon seeing Yi Lingxi “return to his roots” and become successful, he became jealous. He tried to cling to power through Yi Lingxi and did many stupid things. The original host’s stupidity only served to highlight the cleverness of Yi Lingxi, becoming a catalyst for many powerful figures to fall for the protagonist.
In the original novel, as the “unpresentable best friend” uniquely favored by Yi Lingxi, the original host was privately “educated” several times by the tycoons obsessed with Yi Lingxi.
When Lan Yu had searched his pockets and found an ID card with the name “Lan Yu” glaring back at him…
And when he saw the contact name “Cheng Lingxi” in the active chat on his phone… his mind went blank.
“Cheng” was the surname of the orphanage director. Yi Lingxi was called Cheng Lingxi before being “found” by the wealthy family.
Even though it was unbelievable, reality forced him to believe it.
Lan Yu clearly remembered dying—dying of illness at seventeen. But now, he could run and jump, he was healthy, he was in an unknown city, he had an ID card saying he was nineteen, and the phone belonging to “Lan Yu” unlocked with his face.
It was terrifying.
Strange parents, a strange family, a strange best friend. and a strange “story” in his head that would happen in the future: being threatened, used as bait, drugged, kidnapped, beaten, having his hands broken, being trampled into the mud, and finally going down the wrong path to his own destruction.
It was all terrifying.
Looking at the ongoing conversation on the phone, the words “Running away from home” suddenly caught Lan Yu’s eye.
The original host was in the middle of running away due to a conflict with his family…
He could not let the story continue as written. He absolutely could not accept it.
He would commit to the bit and keep running!
Lan Yu fled in a heat of panic. It was only on the train that he calmed down and began to panic even more. Finally, standing on a roadside piled with snow, frozen until his limbs were stiff, he had completely shut down.
That was when Zhou Hesheng’s help fell from the sky. He was the first familiar and close person Lan Yu had encountered after transmigrating to this world.
After stabilizing at Zhou Hesheng’s home, Lan Yu looked up a lot of information. He hadn’t read novels in his past life, but he finally understood his situation was called “transmigration,” and he thoroughly understood his identity in the book. Although he was retroactive fearful of his reckless behavior, now that he had weathered the storm, Lan Yu didn’t regret it.
“Do you miss your parents?” Zhou Hesheng asked.
“No.” He didn’t know if the original host wanted parents he had never met—parents who would choose to remain silent after benefiting from the original host’s suffering in the future—but he certainly didn’t.
“Do you have any good friends?” Zhou Hesheng asked again.
“No.” Friends who would cause him to fall into misery were just human-shaped disasters, no matter how good they treated him.
“Do you plan to stay here forever? You aren’t going back?” Zhou Hesheng asked as he separated a portion of the meat he had piled on his small plate and gave it to Lan Yu.
“Absolutely not going back.”
Who wants to go back just to be a cannon fodder plot device?!
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