Chapter 220: The Secret in the Diary
“Change his name? Isn’t Shen Shuyu a nice name?” Yue Cheng said. “He told me back then that it was the ‘Yu’ from ‘Great wisdom appears like folly.’ He was so well-behaved. Why is his rebellious phase now more troublesome than both of ours combined?”
Shen Yisi let out a sigh, appearing quite troubled. “I don’t know. And he’s about to differentiate soon. I called Mom and Dad; they said if he wants to change it, let him.”
Yue Cheng gave an “Oh.” “Fine then. What does he want to change it to?”
“Shen Shuyu,” Shen Yisi said.
“Huh?” Yue Cheng was confused. “What?”
Shen Yisi explained character by character, “Shen Shuyu. Changing the ‘Yu’ (Foolish) to the ‘Yu’ of a swimming fish.”
Shen Shuyu, who had been silently following them, came to a sudden halt. But the voices of Shen Yisi and Yue Cheng continued to amplify in his ears, louder and louder.
The ‘Yu’ (Foolish) of ‘Great wisdom appears like folly’.
The ‘Yu’ (Fish) of a swimming fish.
Shen Shuyu felt his brain turn dull and painful, forcing him to crouch on the ground, clutching his head in agony. He felt as if a thick fog was swirling before his eyes. He was trapped in the mist; no matter how he ran or searched, the fog wouldn’t disperse. Instead, it seemed to be gathering even closer.
What was behind the fog?
Shen Shuyu felt as though something was waiting for him behind that mist, yet he was currently unable to do anything.
No, it wasn’t that he was unable to do anything.
It was that he had no way to do it.
Shen Shuyu opened his eyes. The room was pitch black, with only the faint light from outside the window allowing him to barely make out his surroundings.
Shen Shuyu sat up. He reached up and wiped his face; it was drenched in sweat.
He took a deep breath, pulled back the quilt, and got out of bed. Dragging his heavy body, he felt his way downstairs in the dark.
It was three in the morning. The house was silent; everyone was asleep.
Shen Shuyu took a bottle of mineral water from the refrigerator. He twisted off the cap and gulped down the entire bottle before he finally felt a bit better.
He tossed the empty bottle into the trash can, took another bottle of water, and headed back upstairs.
Once back in his bedroom, his sleepiness was gone. He simply turned on the desk lamp, grabbed a piece of paper and a pen, and wrote the words “Five Years” on the paper.
The Luck System was five years. His name change was also five years.
Shen Shuyu stared at the words he had written. Could there be some connection between the two?
Or rather, was the person the Luck System targeted five years ago the original host?
But that didn’t seem right. If it had been the original host, then the moment he transmigrated, Xiao 1 would have detected the traces left behind by Luck.
Shen Shuyu let out a long breath. His brain, which had finally calmed down, began to spiral again. He felt that the memories from five years ago were vital, but as Xiao 1 said, they might need certain triggers.
This dream was likely triggered by hearing Yue Cheng talk about the past.
Shen Shuyu put down his pen. He looked up. On his desk was a photo of the original host and the Shen family, while another frame held the new family portrait they had taken before Shen Xili went to the military.
Shen Shuyu reached out and picked up both frames. He looked down at the original host in the photo and then at himself. They had the same face, yet they felt completely different.
He set down his own family portrait and looked meticulously at the original host’s family photo. Looking at the original host’s face, he suddenly remembered some details he hadn’t paid attention to before.
Feng Xing had once mentioned in passing that ever since “he” ran into Chi Yanxun, his entire personality had changed drastically. Feng Xing had drifted away because of that change, and it was only after Shen Shuyu transmigrated that the two of them became close again.
At the time, he thought it was because the plot had begun, but now it seemed that might not be the case.
Shen Shuyu’s thoughts were in chaos, and he couldn’t find a solution. He was about to put the frame back when his hand slipped, and the frame hit the desk with a faint clack.
He picked the frame back up to stand it on the desk, but he noticed a slight gap in the back of the frame.
He pressed it with his finger, but the gap wouldn’t close.
Shen Shuyu blinked. He brought the frame closer. Had it broken?
That shouldn’t be possible, right? It was such a small drop.
While thinking, he opened the back of the frame to see what was wrong. As soon as he opened the backing, a tiny key, no bigger than a finger joint, fell out.
Shen Shuyu froze. He set the frame aside and picked up the small key.
Was this… placed here by the original host?
But such a tiny key—what kind of lock could it possibly fit?
After thinking for a long time, he called out for the System.
The System dutifully came online.
[System: Master, it’s so late. Why aren’t you sleeping yet?]
Shen Shuyu said, [I found a key, likely left by the original host. Search now and see what kind of lock matches this key.]
The System gave an “Ah.” Though confused, it dutifully went to work.
The System was very familiar with the Shen residence. Within a few minutes, the search ended.
[System: Master, there is no lock matching this key here.]
Shen Shuyu asked again, [What about the house next to the Academy?]
The System’s indicator light flickered twice as it immediately went to check. Because of the distance, the System was a bit slower this time, but it yielded results.
[System: Master! There truly is one! Right on top of the bedroom wardrobe, there is a box. Inside that box is a diary that seems to match this key.]
A diary?
The original host’s diary?
Shen Shuyu tightened his grip on the key. He asked, [Are you sure it’s there?]
[System: Yes. Believe in me, Master~ I am your most reliable support!]
Shen Shuyu stood up. [Then let’s go see right now what the original host wrote.]
The System, however, said, [Master, it’s snowing heavily outside. It’s dangerous and very late. We can go tomorrow morning.]
Hearing the System’s words, Shen Shuyu walked to the window. Sure enough, it had started snowing again at some point. He steadied his mind. [Fine.]
It was almost dawn anyway.
Shen Shuyu lay on the bed, still unable to sleep. He held out until the first light of dawn, when the snow had lightened significantly.
He briskly dressed and got up.
The System had stayed with him the whole time. Seeing him in such a rush, it couldn’t help asking:
[System: Master, have you discovered something?]
Shen Shuyu said, [I don’t know how to explain it to you, but I feel the original host’s diary is very important.]
During that sleepless night, a very absurd and bold idea had suddenly occurred to him.
He went downstairs. The house servants had just woken up and were surprised to see him.
Shen Shuyu said hurriedly, “No need to prepare breakfast for me. Tell my parents I’m going out and will be back in the evening.”
With that, he rushed out of the house.
The taxis outside were already running. It was very early and there were few pedestrians. He arrived at the residential area gate a few minutes earlier than usual.
He hurried upstairs, flipped on the lights, and rushed into the bedroom. Following the System’s directions, he indeed found that a board on the very top of the wardrobe was loose.
What was it that the original host had hidden so deeply?
Shen Shuyu used both hands to bring the box down. It wasn’t large, but it had some weight to it.
He placed it on the floor. There was another lock on the outside of the box. Shen Shuyu asked, [Can you find where the key for the outside is?]
The System searched for a moment. [Master, I can’t find it. It might have been lost.]
Shen Shuyu thought for a bit, then carried the box into the kitchen and used the most primitive method—hacking the outer lock open.
Fortunately, the lock was quite old. Shen Shuyu used a bit of force, and the lock broke.
He opened the box. The first thing that met his eyes was an Interstellar Identity Card.
Shen Shuyu picked up the ID card and flipped it over to see the full details.
Name: Shen Shuyu (沈書愚)
And the photo beside it looked like a Shen Shuyu around ten years old.
Shen Shuyu felt his head beginning to ache with that dull pain again. This time it was even more aggressive. He shook his head, suppressing the discomfort.
He stared intently at the photo on the ID. For some reason, he felt that the person in the photo was him.
Not the original host, Shen Shuyu (Fish), but Shen Shuyu—himself.
Shen Shuyu took a deep breath. Enduring the pain, he set the ID card aside and pulled out the diary that had been pressed at the very bottom.
The diary indeed had a lock, but it was rusted. He didn’t know if the key would still work.
He pulled the tiny key he had found earlier from his pocket. Carefully, he rotated the key in the lock. With a soft click, the lock opened.
Shen Shuyu set the lock aside and impatiently flipped to the first page of the diary.
But the moment he saw the first line written by the original host, his eyes widened in shock.
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