Accidentally Turned a Tragic Romance Plotline into a Sweet and Pampering One [Transmigration] CHAPTER 5
Chapter 5
Hearing this, Lin Zheng immediately and firmly declared, “No way!”
Besides, “Give me your body”—what kind of awful line was that?!
“You intend to go back on your word?” Gu Lin teased.
Lin Zheng stammered, “N-not really.”
“Then that’s settled.”
Thinking quickly, Lin Zheng said to Gu Lin, “I’m mainly thinking of you. This illness of mine won’t be cured in less than eight to ten years! So I think you shouldn’t waste your time on me.”
“Is that so? Then we’ll just be together for eight to ten years, won’t we?” Gu Lin said matter-of-factly.
Lin Zheng asked seriously, “Are you serious?”
According to the plot, Gu Lin should dump him after meeting the male lead.
Gu Lin smiled.
Lin Zheng: “…” Heh, men.
Gu Lin couldn’t help but laugh, gently flicking his forehead. His tone was soft, “Don’t try to measure feelings by time; the past and future can never outweigh the present.”
Lin Zheng was momentarily dazed.
Wait a minute.
Did his eyes deceive him, or did he mishear? Was this gentle Gu Lin real?
“Alright, that’s settled then,” Gu Lin straightened up, seeming in a good mood. “From today on, you, with your emotional amnesia, belong to me, body and soul.”
“Ah, no, wait, wait…”
The assistant knocked and spoke to Gu Lin.
Gu Lin checked the time and said to Lin Zheng, “I have a meeting now. If you want to go home, my car is downstairs.”
As Gu Lin was about to leave, Lin Zheng stopped him again. “Wait, about what we just talked about…”
Gu Lin turned, the corners of his mouth curving into a smile that held a chillingly unsettling quality. “Be a good boy and keep your promises. See you tonight.”
Lin Zheng: “…”
His words were cut short.
On the way home, Lin Zheng couldn’t quite understand.
He’d come to break up, but not only did he fail, he’d also gotten himself involved again!
He propped his chin in his hand.
This shouldn’t be happening. Gu Lin clearly didn’t like him. Was Gu Lin out of his mind? Or…
Lin Zheng suddenly had a bold guess.
—Had the plot changed? Was Gu Lin starting to become interested in him?
But Lin Zheng had another question.
He’d overheard part of the conversation between Gu Lin and his assistant; it seemed to be about market expansion.
This was exactly as described in the original novel. It was a crucial point in Gu Lin’s career. Even though Lin Zheng had disrupted the plot today, Gu Lin’s career path hadn’t been delayed for a single second.
If he wasn’t wrong, no matter how many things happened, minor details might change—like Gu Lin’s attitude towards him—but major plot points related to the main character wouldn’t change.
Gu Lin would fall for the male lead after meeting him; that’s a crucial plot point, and it wouldn’t change. To be with the male lead, Gu Lin had to dump him.
Lin Zheng looked at the calendar. Two months. In two months, Gu Lin would meet the male lead and fall for him.
That is, if his hypothesis was correct, no matter what feelings Gu Lin had for him now, they would definitely break up in two months…
A cunning glint appeared in Lin Zheng’s eyes.
Actually, staying with Gu Lin for two months wasn’t so bad.
Although he had “developed” emotional amnesia, Gu Lin didn’t. Gu Lin might not love him yet, but he seemed interested. What if that interest grew into love?
Then, perfectly timing it, just before Gu Lin met the male lead in two months, he would dump Gu Lin, who would be madly in love with him, wouldn’t that be even more satisfying?
Lin Zheng curled his lips into a smile.
He should have thought of this earlier. This was much better than simply breaking up.
After all, this was more in line with his style.
That’s what he’d do.
To deal with a potential渣男 (zhā nán – scumbag man), you have to be even more of a scumbag than him!
“Thank you, have a good day.” Lin Zheng thanked the driver after getting out of the car.
Perhaps due to a change in mindset, he even found the not-so-blue sky quite pleasant.
Lin Zheng returned home and checked the time; it was already past six. Remembering he hadn’t eaten, he opened the refrigerator, but besides the juice he’d bought earlier, it was empty.
Lin Zheng was a bit picky about food. There was a supermarket downstairs with instant noodles, but he didn’t like them. He ended up ordering takeout.
After nearly half an hour, there was a knock.
Lin Zheng responded. Starving, he rushed to the door in slippers, hand outstretched. Before he could say “thank you,” he saw that it wasn’t a delivery man but a man in a suit.
The man bowed slightly.
Who was this?
Ten minutes later, a formally dressed Lin Zheng sat in a private car, bewilderedly recalling what had just happened at his door.
The man identified himself as the Zhao family’s butler. He said that the Zhao family patriarch had returned, and everyone in the Zhao family had to go greet him.
Simply put, it was a family dinner.
Although Lin Zheng wasn’t favored by the Zhao family, he was nominally a Zhao family member, so he had to attend.
The car stopped in front of an elegant restaurant.
Lin Zheng got out of the car and followed the butler inside.
The restaurant’s interior matched the exterior—seemingly understated, but actually very refined, carefully chosen to please the patriarch.
Speaking of the Zhao family patriarch, he wasn’t an ordinary person. The Zhao family’s prominent position in City A was entirely due to the patriarch’s hard work fifty years ago. Without him, there would be no Zhao family, and that still held true today.
Although he seemed to have gradually withdrawn, he was still the true power behind the group, and his sons still had to watch their steps around him.
Lin Zheng was led into a stylish private room. Most of the seats at the large table were already occupied. Seeing him, the people inside exchanged surprised glances, and the lively chatter gradually subsided into murmurs.
“Why is he here?”
“Isn’t this a family gathering?”
“These are all Zhao family members, but their surnames are different. How dare he come?”
Ignoring the murmurs, Lin Zheng nonchalantly put his hands in his pockets and scoffed.
At Lin Zheng’s scoff, the others fell silent, seeming astonished by his arrogant attitude.
They knew Lin Zheng as a marginal figure in the Zhao family, someone who tried to keep a low profile. Like a turtle withdrawing into its shell, he wouldn’t dare to openly scoff at them.
Amidst the astonishment and murmurs, Lin Zheng confidently took his seat.
Seeing her adopted son, Wu Songli looked at her husband and asked in a low voice, suppressing her anger, “Why did you invite him?”
Zhao Jiayuan glanced at his wife and said with displeasure, “Even if he’s adopted, he’s still a member of the Zhao family. If he’s absent, how will the patriarch feel?”
Wu Songli pushed her husband’s arm away. “Unbelievable, they don’t even share the same surname.”
Zhao Jiayuan said, “Unbelievable or not, he’s here. The patriarch is the main character today.”
Although they spoke softly, Lin Zheng overheard.
Sometimes, Lin Zheng found this couple rather ridiculous. Were people toys? Because their biological son was sickly and friendless, and wanted a younger brother, they adopted a child to keep him company. Once their son was better and no longer needed a playmate, they discarded him like a toy, ignoring him, and even wanting to get rid of him.
Speaking of name changes, the original owner had been asked to change his name after being adopted. Wu Songli simply felt the character “争” (zhēng – to contend) in his name was inauspicious, as if it would rob her son of everything. Later, Zhao Jiayuan consulted a fortune teller who said the name “Lin Zheng” was auspicious for their son, so the name was kept.
Whether or not the name actually benefited her son, Lin Zheng didn’t know. He only knew that the original owner, due to not having his name changed, was treated as an outsider, unaccepted, and suffered quite a bit.
But starting now, that would no longer continue.
“The patriarch will arrive in five minutes.”
“What? Where’s Zhao Mingying? Why isn’t he here yet? That child, we told him his grandfather hates tardiness.”
“I’ll call him.”
“Hurry! If he misses this opportunity, who knows when he’ll see the patriarch again.”
Lin Zheng shook his head.
The patriarch was now elderly, and no one in the Zhao family didn’t want to grab a larger share before his complete retirement.
When the patriarch arrived on time, the atmosphere in the private room immediately became serious.
Lin Zheng stood up and sat down again. For the next ten minutes, he watched a fascinating “performance” while eating.
However, the patriarch’s expression remained unchanged throughout.
Lin Zheng enjoyed the show and found it quite amusing.
As he watched, Lin Zheng’s phone vibrated. He picked it up; the contact name was “[My Beloved].”
Lin Zheng: “…”
This was the original owner’s contact name, not his.
Answering a phone call during dinner was impolite. Lin Zheng was about to put his phone away when he accidentally pressed the answer button. A second later, Gu Lin’s voice came from the other end.
Since he’d answered, he couldn’t hang up.
“Where are you? I’ll pick you up for dinner,” Gu Lin said.
Seeing the lively atmosphere in the room, Lin Zheng thought that he was still a marginal figure, so no one would notice him, and he was far from the patriarch, so he answered the phone confidently.
“Ah, I’m eating.”
“…” Gu Lin was silent for two seconds. “Alright, give me the address, and I’ll come join you.”
“No, I’m at a family gathering.” After saying this, Lin Zheng suddenly realized that the private room was quiet. Looking up, he found everyone, including the patriarch, looking at him in astonishment.
Lin Zheng: “…!” Damn it, did he speak too loudly? He’d already been quiet!
“Whose call was that?” The question came from the patriarch himself.
Everyone looked incredulous. The patriarch had never acknowledged this outsider, let alone spoken to him directly.
In contrast to the panic he’d felt a moment ago, Lin Zheng’s tone was calm. “Excuse me, it’s work-related.”
After Lin Zheng finished, the patriarch said nothing, his attitude cold. A second later, he took his napkin, wiped his mouth, and stood up. “Alright, that’s all for today. Go and rest.”
After the patriarch left, the others glared at Lin Zheng, mentally killing him countless times, seemingly saying, “It’s all your fault for making the patriarch leave. We still had so much ‘talent’ to show!”
Lin Zheng felt strangely gleeful.
After the patriarch left, Lin Zheng also left. Only when he reached outside the restaurant did he realize he hadn’t hung up.
He put the phone to his ear, about to say he was going to hang up, when a car stopped in front of him.
The window slowly rolled down, revealing Gu Lin’s perfect profile.
Gu Lin turned to him. “Get in. I’ll take you to eat.”
Lin Zheng wondered how Gu Lin knew where he was when Gu Lin said, “Don’t be so conspiratorial. I just heard the restaurant’s name on the phone.”
He also knew that Lin Zheng had left without finishing his meal.
Since he hadn’t eaten enough, Lin Zheng didn’t refuse, opening the car door and getting in.
On the way, Gu Lin asked, “The Zhao family isn’t very good to you? Why did you decide to attend the family gathering?”
Gu Lin’s question reminded Lin Zheng of the patriarch’s departure.
While the patriarch had always been cold towards him, he had been the one with the fewest objections. He hadn’t treated him differently because he was an outsider.
Thinking about this, Lin Zheng suddenly felt a little regretful about answering Gu Lin’s call. He sighed, “There’s a bit of a reason for that.”
At a red light, Gu Lin suddenly said, “Lin Zheng, I don’t care what you’re thinking, but remember to prioritize what we need to do.”
“Huh? What we need to do?” Lin Zheng didn’t understand, looking at Gu Lin. “What is it?”
Gu Lin looked back at him calmly. “Of course, curing your emotional amnesia.”
“…” Yes, Lin Zheng almost forgot about this troublesome matter.
He shouldn’t worry about the patriarch right now; he should focus on this dangerous man in front of him.
It didn’t matter. Only two months. No matter what Gu Lin did to “cure” him, he just had to deal with it.
In two months, he would say goodbye to Gu Lin.
“Oh,” he said. “I understand.”
“But,” although he would face whatever came, he still wanted to probe Gu Lin’s intentions, “How do we cure it?”
“Since you’ve forgotten your feelings for me, we’ll naturally act like a newly dating couple, step by step.”
Lin Zheng immediately felt relieved.
That was fine. What did newly dating couples do first?
Gu Lin’s fingers tapped lightly on the steering wheel. He said seriously, “For example, the first step is a kiss.”
