"Why are you late today?" Chen Xudong asked, bouncing on the spot, about a meter in front of Li Chengyi.
"Got up a bit late, had a nightmare last night, didn't sleep well," Li Chengyi exhaled as he replied.
"You've been having nightmares every day lately. Not good... the other day you were out of breath after just a few laps. Are you feeling weak?" Chen Xudong twirled his finger and grinned lewdly.
"Heh, weak? Can you be weaker than you? You, a fitness coach, always flirting with your own students, and you still have the nerve to say that to me?" Li Chengyi thought about the memories of his friend and responded more naturally.
"Flirting? Do you know what business capability is? Do you know what emotional value is? When you buy my lessons, not only will you get a great physique, but you'll also get the kind of care and love you've been missing!" Chen Xudong shamelessly responded while cracking his knuckles.
"Your skin is so thick it's unbearable to look at. Where's Lin Sang?" Li Chengyi asked.
Based on the previous owner's memories, the three of them had been working out together for almost ten years without much change.
"Over there, chatting with some people," Chen Xudong pointed in the distance. "She told us to run first, she'll catch up soon."
Under a tree's shade, a young girl in a light green fitted sports outfit was chatting with a few people of similar age.
Her high ponytail, glossy black hair, fair skin, and occasional smiles made her appear very lively and extroverted.
"Alright." Li Chengyi withdrew his gaze, "Shall we run?"
"Yeah," Chen Xudong nodded.
The two began jogging side by side along the park's red track at a leisurely pace.
"You mentioned you were sending out resumes. How's the job hunt going?" Chen Xudong casually asked.
"Tough," Li Chengyi smiled, enjoying the conversation as it helped him bring the fuzzy memories to the surface.
"Tough? Your sister is around, isn't she? Why not ask her for help? She'll definitely have connections to help you get a job," Chen Xudong said nonchalantly.
"I don't want to ask her," Li Chengyi shook his head faintly. "You know the relationship I have with her."
"Come on, no matter how bad the relationship is, she's still your sister. Put your pride aside, bow your head, and you'll get more chances than anyone else. What's the problem with that?" Chen Xudong responded, dismissing it.
"Maybe later. I think I can manage on my own," Li Chengyi smiled, "I don't have big ambitions. You know me, I don't crave wealth or fame. I'm fine living a simple life."
"Naive," Chen Xudong scoffed, "I think your sister's been pressuring you. In today's world, there are still people who don't want to climb higher? If someone hears you saying that, they'll laugh you out of the room."
"I'm not someone who likes to compete. It's just my personality," Li Chengyi said, and as he spoke, his memories from both lives began to merge.
Many of the emotions, feelings, and perspectives from both lives began to subtly intertwine with that statement.
"So what about Lin Sang? You've always had a thing for her, right?" Chen Xudong lowered his voice.
"Did I? I was just joking before." Li Chengyi shook his head. The interest was from the previous life, not from him.
They had been together for at least ten years. Lin Sang wasn't exceptionally beautiful, but she was full of energy and very youthful, especially with her great figure.
When they were younger, Li Chengyi and Chen Xudong had some teenage crushes, but as they grew older, they focused more on graduation and finding a job.
His feelings for Lin Sang had gradually faded.
"If it doesn't work out, you can always help me out. My fitness center is looking for a receptionist," Chen Xudong joked with a grin.
"Alright, you said it. Don't forget to leave me a spot," Li Chengyi laughed along with him.
Among the three, the previous owner's personality was always gentle and kind, never competing with others, always avoiding conflicts.
So jokes like this, Chen Xudong knew Li Chengyi wouldn't get upset.
"Hey, Xiaoyi Dongzi, help me out!" Lin Sang waved to the two of them from a distance.
Lin Sang had quite a distinctive face—sharp eyebrows, big eyes, a high nose, and a small mouth. On their own, her features weren't bad, but combined, they gave off a slightly awkward feel. Even when she smiled, it felt somewhat cold.
If it weren't for her outstanding figure, her face might have looked more suited on a man.
"What's up?" Chen Xudong asked as he walked over with Li Chengyi.
"Help me move these drinks to the car," Lin Sang pointed at the two boxes of dark-colored drinks on the ground.
Behind her, a few young men and women were standing, clearly well-dressed. Their clothing, material, and details were finely crafted, looking far from cheap.
"Whose drinks?" Chen Xudong asked.
"Why ask so much? Just move them," Lin Sang replied irritably.
When the three of them were together, the other two men would always protect her and help her, so this wasn't the first time.
"This doesn't seem right. It's our stuff," one of the men wearing a baseball cap hesitated.
"What's wrong? It's just a small favor," Lin Sang smiled and replied. "They come here every day to exercise, moving a box of water is nothing, it's like helping them with their exercise."
"Thanks, Lin Sang, and you two brothers," the man in the baseball cap said politely.
Li Chengyi hadn't moved yet, but Chen Xudong was already lifting the boxes.
Seeing that he didn't move, Chen Xudong sneakily tapped his arm.
Is this from being pua'd?
Li Chengyi silently glanced at Lin Sang, who was chatting with the others. He could clearly see the subtle eagerness in her expression, trying to fit into that group.
He didn't say anything, but although he frowned, he didn't want to act in a way that would break from the previous owner's nature.
Sighing, he followed Chen Xudong and helped move the fifty bottles of drinks to a black SUV parked not far away.
The car was parked at the park entrance.
Lin Sang didn't join them for exercise but got into the car with the others, waving goodbye to them as she left.
The man in the baseball cap also waved goodbye in a friendly manner.
"Thanks, we'll exercise together next time," he said.
The other people didn't even look at them.
The man in the baseball cap was the nicest among them.
The car drove away, kicking up a trail of fine dust.
Chen Xudong stood at the park entrance, sighed deeply.
"Looks like Miss Lin has found her target," he muttered.
"What about you?" Li Chengyi asked.
"I... I'll inherit the family business," Chen Xudong said. "In this job market, what else can we do? As for you, you should just swallow your pride and ask your sister for help."
"You don't understand," Li Chengyi shook his head.
"Don't understand? The way things are, it's better to bow to your own family than to bow to outsiders," Chen Xudong cursed.
Li Chengyi didn't reply, falling into silence.
They finished their run.
After half an hour, Li Chengyi had talked a lot with Chen Xudong.
He also gained a deeper and more detailed understanding of his previous life's memories.
Returning home, his parents and sister weren't there.
Li Chengyi remembered what his sister, Li Chengjiu, had said yesterday—she was bringing an important guest home.
After a brief hesitation, he changed his clothes, checked the alarm on his phone, and prepared to go out.
He had to go to the school now. The alarm note read: "Mentor: Chen Shan."
Li Chengyi's memories quickly recalled a mentor he had in college, someone who had once valued him as an excellent student.
He had once been a promising student under this mentor, but unfortunately... after the mentor recommended him to a better university for further studies, he had faced his limits in intelligence during a training session at a stronger platform.
His understanding, thinking speed, and reaction time couldn't keep up with the meeting's pace, and he was among the bottom at the training session.
Adding to the conflict with his sister, Li Chengjiu, both incidents left the previous owner feeling bleak about his future in his chosen field, with no hope in sight.
Since then, Li Chengyi had been crushed, and he eventually graduated as an ordinary undergraduate without attempting a graduate exam.
Looking at the reminder on his phone, Li Chengyi steadied himself. From yesterday to today, he finally had some time to truly understand the situation of this world.
In this information age, the best way to get familiar was through the device in his hand.
Turning off the reminder, he opened the phone's browser, quickly searched: "World Map."
A large list of various results popped up, including:
"Latest World Map"
"Global Satellite Map HD Download"
"Super Large World Map HD"
"Global Map HD Paid"
A row of cluttered advertisements mixed with images of women.
A bit confused, he randomly picked the simplest, least decorative link and clicked on it.
The screen went white.
In the center, three words slowly appeared: "Wenxin Tower."
At the bottom right corner, the system used was displayed: "Yiguo Linglong Satellite Positioning System."
Yiguo? Li Chengyi's mind jolted.
Quickly, the screen faded from white to a large pale blue planet.
The planet had landmasses and oceans, but what startled him was the massive label at the planet's center.
—Earth-Moon.
Not Earth!
It was Earth-Moon!?
Memories related to this rapidly surged in his mind.
Then, as if the network refreshed, a smaller planet appeared on one side of the massive Earth-Moon planet—a small, gray-white planet—White Star.
The two planets were oddly close together, the distance between them resembling the Earth and the Moon from his previous life.
But White Star was clearly much larger than the Moon.
Buzz.
At that moment, a news pop-up appeared on his phone.
"Theresa Osley, Minister of White Star's Ministry of Security, has arrived in the capital of Hiltistan, Ogga, for a 15-day global security conference."
"A small-scale building collapse incident in the primitive city has prompted the Ministry of Housing and Construction to announce plans to repair and replace buildings in danger zones to ensure citizens' normal living conditions."
"Suizhou city begins a new round of water and electricity planning, with city leaders personally visiting and offering aid to struggling families, providing corresponding relief funds..."
What do you think is happening in this world? Earth or Earth-Moon?What do you think of the strange planets and the news? Comment below with your thoughts!