Ji Mian took the soup that Mu Yuman handed him. The chicken soup was savory and fragrant, and the chicken was well-prepared—both tender and smooth.
After taking a sip, the warm soup slid into his stomach, and he realized he was hungrier than he had thought.
It couldn't be… he had eaten something during lunch.
The system said: 【Look at the clock on the wall.】
Ji Mian raised his head and followed the system's instruction to look at the clock hanging on the wall. The date showed "August 20," and the time had just passed ten o'clock at night.
【You have been unconscious for an entire day; it is now the second night.】
Ji Mian nodded and took another small sip of the hot soup.
【Today is the original character's sixteenth birthday,】 the system continued.
【Is that so?】
【You have no memories, so this body is technically your new life. Thus, the original character's birthday can also be considered your birthday.】 The system paused, 【Happy birthday.】
【Thank you,】 Ji Mian replied.
However, he didn’t quite understand the specific significance of a birthday. Was it any different from other days?
【By the way, in the original plot, 'Ji Mian' confessed to Mu Yuman when he turned eighteen. You’d better follow this timeline to avoid disrupting the plot.】
Ji Mian nodded.
After a while, the system reminded him: 【On your birthday, you can make a wish.】
Ji Mian asked, 【Can wishes made on your birthday come true?】
【I don't know, but humans generally do this.】
Ji Mian thought for a moment and realized he didn’t really have anything he wanted. So he made a wish: 【I hope for world peace.】
System: 【……】
Forget it, let him be.
……
Ji Mian stayed with Mu Yuman to recover for several days.
After four days, he felt too guilty and decided to tell Mu Yuman he wanted to leave on the fifth morning.
“Do you want to go home?” Mu Yuman asked softly.
“Home?”
Ji Mian thought for a moment and said, “Not really. I want to follow Brother Duan.”
“Why don’t you go back?”
“I don’t know where to go back to.”
Mu Yuman fell silent and did not ask further.
Many boys at this age tend to be rebellious, although she felt that a child like Ji Mian should go home. He was obedient and seemed well-mannered, and she couldn’t understand how such a child ended up in a place like this.
She stood up and said, “Come with me.”
Ji Mian didn’t ask what she was going to do and obediently followed her.
He followed Mu Yuman out of the house and onto the street. After walking for about five minutes, they arrived in front of a shop selling handmade sculptures. Ji Mian remembered this was where Sun Qi had parked yesterday.
However, today the gray Volkswagen was gone, probably because Duan Zhuang had gone out to run errands again.
“These two buildings belong to my brother. Most of the apartments are rented out,” Mu Yuman said, then explained, “My brother is Duan Zhuang. Many people call him ‘Big Brother,’ but he’s just strong and can fight a bit.”
“Don’t be fooled by his looks; he’s actually not a bad person.”
Ji Mian nodded in response, looking up at the two buildings Mu Yuman was pointing to. The buildings were not tall, with only three stories including the storefront on the first floor. The one on the left was slightly smaller.
Ji Mian had no concept of what owning two small buildings meant. He felt a bit envious, envious that Duan Zhuang had so many places to live.
“The building on the left was left to Duan Zhuang by his grandfather, while the one on the right is what he earned by working when he was younger. He did manual labor, so the harder he worked, the more he earned. A few years ago, the housing prices were nearly half of what they are now, and this area was relatively underdeveloped. After working hard for five or six years, he returned and bought it,” Mu Yuman said with a light sigh. “Although Duan Zhuang hasn’t studied much, he’s very smart—smarter than most people I’ve met.”
In this neighborhood, while the rent prices weren’t high, having two small buildings was quite a feat, especially since they could be renovated or rebuilt at any time. After Duan Zhuang worked hard for a few years, it was equivalent to earning enough money for a lifetime.
However, Duan Zhuang was not at the age where he could live solely on rent income. He only rented out one building; the one he bought himself had two small rooms on each floor and a one-bedroom apartment. Altogether, he could earn a pure income of about ten thousand each month.
As for the one left by his grandfather, Duan Zhuang lived there himself. The first floor was a wood carving shop—something his grandfather left for him. Duan Zhuang learned about sixty to seventy percent of his grandfather’s craft and occasionally enjoyed carving things himself, so he decided to keep the shop open. Although it didn’t bring much profit, he liked spending time in the store.
Duan Zhuang lived on the second floor. He didn’t like dealing with the trivial relationships with neighbors, so the third floor had never been rented out.
Mu Yuman led Ji Mian to the third floor, unlocked the door—Duan Zhuang had given her a spare key for this building—and walked inside. Turning back to Ji Mian, who was still standing outside, she said, “Come in and take a look.”
Ji Mian didn’t understand why she wanted him to see Duan Zhuang’s place, but he replied with an “Oh” and stepped inside.
The apartment had two bedrooms and two living rooms. The furniture was somewhat simple, but it was tidy. There were no signs of anyone living there; it was very clean.
Mu Yuman looked at him and said, “If you think it’s good, you can stay here.”
Ji Mian froze in place. He hadn’t expected that Mu Yuman brought him here with this intention.
He pressed his lips together, feeling naturally touched. But…
He didn’t say whether it was good or bad, but instead asked, “Sister Yuman, does Brother Duan agree to let me stay here?”
Mu Yuman smiled, “It’s no problem. I’ll just tell him, and he’ll listen to me.”
“…” Ji Mian fell silent for a moment, shook his head, and took a step back outside the door, refusing to get any closer to the apartment.
Mu Yuman asked curiously, “What’s wrong?”
“I think I should talk to Brother Duan myself. If he’s willing to let me stay, I’ll accept any place he gives me to sleep.”
Mu Yuman was slightly stunned, “You don’t have to…”
“I don’t want to stay here for free and trouble you to arrange everything.”
“…”
Mu Yuman was speechless, her heart swelling with emotions.
…What a good child.
Thinking about Ji Mian’s injuries, she felt even more resentful toward Duan Zhuang.
Why didn’t he stop Sun Qi when he was hitting him?
After a while, she said, “Duan Zhuang should be back soon. You can wait on the second floor.”
“If he doesn’t want you to stay, don’t be stubborn. I still have some influence in this area.”
Ji Mian smiled, “I understand. Thank you, Sister Yuman.”
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