Love is like a beam of light, and it’s a green light, damn it.
The company had just been established, and its excellent profits were closely related to his daily hard work from dawn till dusk. To make the company earn more money, he could only invest himself more diligently.
At one in the morning, after Qu Zhaojia returned home from overtime, he saw two pairs of shoes at the door, and his face instantly turned green.
Listening to the moans from inside the door, he didn't know whether it would be better to rush in with a knife and kill the two of them, or to rush in and snap naked photos.
In the end, he did nothing. He sat on the sofa, looking world-weary, and smoked a cigarette, waiting for the dog and bitch to finish and come out dressed.
His girlfriend had no strong reaction to Qu Zhaojia's sudden appearance, looking completely nonchalant.
"I've wanted to break up with you for a long time. You only know how to give me money, but you never have time to spend with me. He's different; he's willing to spend a lot of time doing things I like with me."
Qu Zhaojia: "..."
Excuse me, when you two are doing things you like, whose money are you spending? Isn't it his, the big fool's, money!
Qu Zhaojia had already forgotten what happened next. When he woke up, a strange system appeared before him.
This was something he had never encountered before: the Anti-Scumbag System?
Qu Zhaojia carefully learned about the system. It was roughly similar to a game he used to play; there would be generous rewards after completing tasks.
"The Anti-Scumbag System has detected a host. System binding in progress..."
"Anti-Scumbag System binding successful."
Qu Zhaojia had transmigrated. As a man who had just been cheated on, he was forcibly bound by an 'Anti-Scumbag System' before he could even recover.
"Are you guys really short on people? This is so unreasonable!" Qu Zhaojia was indignant. He hadn't even had time to beat up that dog and bitch before he was bound by this damn system.
It was truly overbearing and unreasonable. The system ignored Qu Zhaojia's questioning; the main system naturally had its reasons for doing so.
"I am System 406. I will be your contact from now on. I hope the host can cooperate well to complete the tasks."
"What if I don't cooperate well?" Qu Zhaojia wondered if he still had a chance to return to his own world.
406 coldly uttered two words, "Obliterate."
"What if I complete them? Are there any benefits?"
Qu Zhaojia submitted. This was a life-or-death question; he could only obediently listen to the system's words and prioritize saving his own life.
406: "Yes, after the task is perfectly completed, you can choose to return to your original world, or go to a new world and start over."
That's more like it. Qu Zhaojia wanted to ask about the standard for perfect completion, but the system packed him up and transmigrated him.
...
Suppressing the urge to curse, Qu Zhaojia tried his best to calmly receive the original body's memories.
After receiving the memories, he still cursed the dirty word he had held in his heart, "CNM!"
The civilization of this world was similar to his real world, but there were still some differences from his world.
The original Qu Zhaojia, 24 years old, had just graduated from university and married his girlfriend, Guan Xiaoxiao. During the wedding procession, the bride's parents suddenly demanded that Qu Zhaojia buy a house in full and put it in the names of the bride's parents.
Qu Zhaojia disagreed, and the girlfriend's side blocked him from entering. So, Qu Zhaojia broke off the engagement in front of everyone during the wedding procession.
And Lin Yichan, who was Qu Zhaojia's university classmate and attending the wedding, was right there. He knew Lin Yichan had secretly liked him for a long time, and to him, she was the best candidate for a backup. So, after a heartfelt confession, he took Lin Yichan to a hotel and had the wedding.
Later, Qu Zhaojia also came to his senses. Although his life with Lin Yichan was very affluent, there was a huge disparity in their social status. No matter what, he always felt like he was marrying above his station.
Although Lin Yichan never once criticized him and carefully protected his dignity as a man behind his back.
But Qu Zhaojia still couldn't stand it, so he eventually ran back to Guan Xiaoxiao, crying and saying he was wrong.
It must be said that Guan Xiaoxiao was also of the same ilk as Qu Zhaojia. Since he was her first love, she forgave him, and after discussing it, they immediately hit it off, planning to get property from Lin Yichan and then have Qu Zhaojia divorce her.
Qu Zhaojia had a wolf's ambition, putting on a show of deep affection, but his heart was truly wicked.
He didn't like her, yet he still strung her along.
During this time, Lin Yichan repeatedly discovered Qu Zhaojia and Guan Xiaoxiao's lingering ties and tried to break up with Qu Zhaojia, but he always cajoled her with sweet words.
His classic lines included 'We're just friends,' 'The past is past, aren't I your husband now,' and 'It's unsafe for a girl to be out so late, you wouldn't be so petty, would you?'
Later, he even orchestrated a car accident that killed Lin Yichan's parents, and while Lin Yichan was overcome with grief, he tricked her into signing various agreements, thus swindling all of the Lin family's assets.
Lin Yichan, now without any use, was kicked aside. Qu Zhaojia turned around and went back to live a happy and joyful life with Guan Xiaoxiao.
However, Guan Xiaoxiao remained resentful of the years Lin Yichan and Qu Zhaojia spent together. After Lin Yichan lost everything, Guan Xiaoxiao even hired people to kidnap her and sell her into the mountains. Lin Yichan tried to escape on the way and was ultimately hit and killed by a large truck that couldn't swerve in time.
It was only upon her death that Lin Yichan realized what kind of man the one she had deeply loved truly was. She then realized that one wrong decision she made had brought utter disaster upon her family.
"Lin Yichan's resentment value is too high, affecting the stability of this small world. What you need to do is eliminate her resentment value, or control it within a non-impactful range," said 406.
"Can I commit suicide?" Qu Zhaojia gritted his teeth. What he hated most in this life were cheaters, followed by those who were irresponsible, abandoned others, and played with people's feelings.
If he committed suicide, the source of everything would be gone, and wouldn't he also be considered as having completed the task?
"Of course not." 406's voice paused. This host was a ruthless character.
"You need to marry her and give her a lifetime of happiness for the task to be considered complete. If there's nothing else, don't contact me. I'm leaving."
Qu Zhaojia was still bewildered when he returned to reality.
Firecrackers crackled, and in a blink of an eye, he was standing at Guan Xiaoxiao's doorstep, ready to pick up the bride.
The groomsmen thought Qu Zhaojia was just too happy, as he had been in a daze the whole way, and they all teased him.
Downstairs in the bride's community, a group of people blocked the way, demanding red envelopes.
Fortunately, they were well-prepared, having brought over a thousand small red envelopes for blocking the door. Seeing that all of them had been handed out and the crowd showed no signs of dispersing, they had no choice but to bite the bullet and hand out the red envelopes meant for the next segment, which finally made the crowd disperse.
Finally, they arrived at the door. The groomsmen started cheering and knocking, but after a long time, no one came to open it.
This was customary, so the wedding party didn't take it seriously.
After another ten-odd minutes of knocking, just as everyone was getting a bit impatient, they heard someone inside slowly say, “You want me to open the door? You can, but give me 500,000 in betrothal gifts and buy another 100-square-meter wedding house in the city, otherwise, don't even think about marrying my daughter!”
The voice wasn't loud but clearly reached everyone's ears. No one had mentioned this before they set off. Was this a joke?
The groomsmen exchanged glances, then all turned to Qu Zhaojia, waiting to see his reaction.
Although he knew what would happen next, he still had to say what needed to be said.
Qu Zhaojia bit the bullet and stepped forward to follow the script.
“Mom, stop joking. Today is Guan Xiaoxiao and my big day, just let me in!” Qu Zhaojia quickly got into character.
“Who's joking with you? If you don't promise to buy me a 100-square-meter house as a wedding home today, I won't let you marry my daughter!” Luo Lifang stood behind the door with her hands on her hips. She had long been displeased with Qu Zhaojia.
A poor boy, with no house and no car, offered only 200,000 in betrothal gifts and thought he could marry her daughter.
If her daughter hadn't begged her, saying Qu Zhaojia was a potential stock, she would have given up long ago.
Qu Zhaojia also knew from the original body's memories that Luo Lifang's sudden change of heart was because her next-door neighbor had bragged to her that her daughter's boyfriend had promised her 500,000 in betrothal gifts, a 150-square-meter wedding house, and a Porsche.
Even this 200,000 betrothal gift was something their family had scraped together.
A 100-square-meter house?
The recently graduated Qu Zhaojia couldn't even afford a down payment now.
“My mother-in-law is testing me, don't worry,” Qu Zhaojia knocked on the door again, “Mom, please open the door first, then we can talk!”
Given that they had been at a standstill for over ten minutes, and after being persuaded by the people inside, Luo Lifang finally opened the door.
“Qu Zhaojia, you know how much Guan Xiaoxiao is sacrificing to marry you. I'm not testing you now; I want you to show your sincerity right away.” Luo Lifang looked at Qu Zhaojia, who was wearing a rented suit, and felt a surge of anger. Her words became much more biting and sarcastic.
“If you truly love Guan Xiaoxiao, your family can definitely afford this house.” Luo Lifang knew that Qu Zhaojia's hometown still had a residence. “You can sell your ancestral home and buy a house in the city, and the name on the title should be Guan Xiaoxiao's!”
“If I sell the house, where will my parents live?”
“I don't care where they live. At their age, they should go out and work to help their son marry.” Luo Lifang rolled her eyes. “They can find jobs sweeping streets or washing dishes; not only will they get food and lodging, but they can also support your small family. Two birds with one stone!”
A stir went through the crowd. No one expected such a scene during the wedding pickup. The groomsmen were also extremely awkward, not knowing what to do, and could only stand by and watch.
“No, Mom, you must be joking with me, didn't we agree on this before?” Qu Zhaojia was anxious, but Luo Lifang still maintained her attitude of 'if you don't take out money to buy a house, I'm not done with you'.
“Don't call me Mom. Show your sincerity first!” Luo Lifang had been thoroughly shown off to by her neighbor that morning, so hearing Qu Zhaojia call her that now only made her feel unlucky.
“Guan Xiaoxiao, the wedding car is waiting downstairs. Can we talk about this later? We'll definitely have a house in the future.”
Qu Zhaojia's face was flushed with anxiety, while Guan Xiaoxiao turned her head away, refusing to look at him.
Qu Zhaojia was the student council president during university, and their relationship received much attention and blessings. Back then, their feelings were quite good.
But only after entering society did he realize that love alone doesn't fill one's stomach.
An outsider like him needed to put in more effort than others to establish himself locally.
A few days ago, Guan Xiaoxiao attended her high school reunion. Unlike her university classmates, many of whom were from other places and rarely kept in touch after graduation,
her high school classmates were all genuine locals. Some had studied abroad, some traveled the world, some opened their own studios, and some took over their parents' businesses. Everyone was full of vigor and ambition.
Even those who used to be inconspicuous and less successful than her had become refined and beautiful after a few years.
Even after dressing up meticulously, she could only barely manage to not look shabby.
Agreeing to the proposal was a momentary impulse, but after days of Luo Lifang's incessant nagging, she began to question whether marrying like this was too cheap for Qu Zhaojia.
Especially when she saw the girl next door, who was inferior to her in every way, arrive with her boyfriend in a Porsche, carrying Cordyceps sinensis...
Guan Xiaoxiao regretted it. In fact, with her own conditions, if she wanted to find someone, she might not necessarily be worse off than others.
“Later? If he's not willing to bleed a little now, once he marries you and you become a haggard old woman, he'll just do whatever he wants.” Luo Lifang was worried her daughter would be sweet-talked, so she spoke mercilessly, and the atmosphere became tense at that moment.
The surroundings had quieted down. Everyone had not expected the bride's family to be so firm.
“What about you? What are you thinking?” Qu Zhaojia's expression turned serious.
Guan Xiaoxiao felt her mother was right. Qu Zhaojia still had a house in his hometown. If he sold that house, wouldn't it be enough for a down payment?
He just didn't like her enough, otherwise, why would he put her in such a difficult position?
Upon hearing Qu Zhaojia's questioning, Guan Xiaoxiao's temper flared up. “I'm not getting married!”
The mother-in-law was being difficult, the bride backed out on the spot, and the groom himself turned and left after hearing that statement.
The groomsmen had just been indignant because of the bride's family's demands, but they didn't expect Qu Zhaojia to actually call off the wedding, which made them feel a bit uneasy.
According to the original development, Lin Yichan would privately offer to lend money to the original body, and then the original body, unable to bear it, would ask Lin Yichan if she was willing to be with him.
Lin Yichan had always liked Qu Zhaojia, but it was unrequited love, so she carefully kept her feelings hidden.
Now Qu Zhaojia said that he and Guan Xiaoxiao hadn't registered their marriage anyway, and with such a conflict happening, their relationship was completely over.
When he asked her if she was willing to be with him, she hesitated for a long time, but ultimately followed her heart's desire. She liked Qu Zhaojia, and this was the craziest thing she had ever done in her life.
It would also be the most regrettable thing she had ever done in her life.