On the hospital bed in the intensive care unit, Ye Chen took a full half-hour to confirm one thing: he, the mighty Beiming Immortal Emperor of the Celestial Realm, had been reincarnated—into the body of a worthless live-in son-in-law who happened to share the same name.
After merging with the memories of the original owner of this body, Ye Chen couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh.
The original Ye Chen came from an ordinary family. During college, he was infatuated with the class beauty, Zhang Qianting, and acted like a hopeless simp. He confessed countless times, was rejected just as many, and finally, a year ago, he got what he wanted—he married Zhang Qianting.
That's right, married—as in becoming a son-in-law who married into the Zhang family.
A year ago, Zhang Qianting was diagnosed with leukemia. Ye Chen volunteered to donate his bone marrow to her. As fate would have it, his marrow was a perfect match. In order to survive, Zhang Qianting agreed to marry him and registered their marriage.
The transplant was a success. After a year of recovery, Zhang Qianting regained her health—and Ye Chen's nightmare began.
Three days ago, Zhang Qianting demanded a divorce. Ye Chen couldn't take the blow and overdosed on sleeping pills, ending up in the hospital.
Half an hour ago, Ye Chen had already died—otherwise, the Immortal Emperor Beiming wouldn't have taken over this body.
"Brother, rest in peace. From now on, I'll live your life to the fullest and make your name echo across the Earth," Ye Chen murmured with a faint smile.
The soul of an Immortal Emperor still lingered. Though this body was weak, he was confident he could forge it into an unparalleled Dao body. Then he would return to the Celestial Realm and wipe out everyone who had caused his tribulation to fail.
Ye Chen narrowed his eyes. "I see you clearly now. It won't be long before you regret the decision you made today."
With that, he pressed his fingerprint onto the divorce papers and flung them toward Zhang Qianting.
"Phew! Finally free from this useless piece of trash. I'm so happy!" Zhang Qianting let out a long breath of relief, hugging the divorce papers tightly. Her face was lit with joy and excitement.
"Get the hell out," Ye Chen snapped. If it weren't for his current frail condition and the fact he had no cultivation base, he would've slapped the ugly smugness right off her face.
"Why should I get out? Who do you think you are?" Zhang Qianting sneered. "I'll let you in on something—Shaojie and I are getting married on the 15th of next month. Does that break your heart? Feel crushed? If so, please don't die on our wedding day. Don't you dare bring bad luck to us."
Then, right in front of Ye Chen, she linked arms with Liu Shaojie and said coyly, "Shaojie, I was too embarrassed to even hold a wedding while I was married to that loser. But when we tie the knot next month, you have to give me an unforgettable ceremony, okay?"
"Don't worry, babe," Liu Shaojie replied, grinning. "I'll book the No.1 Mansion for you and throw the most extravagant, most luxurious, and most talked-about wedding Jiangzhou has ever seen."
"You said it! You have to keep your word!"
"Of course. At most, it'll cost a hundred million. That's nothing to the Liu family."
"Mwah! That'll make me so, so happy!"
"You'll be even happier on our wedding night."
"Stop it, you're so bad~!"
"…"
The two shamelessly flirted and flaunted their love in front of Ye Chen, as if deliberately trying to enrage him, before finally strutting out of the room under his cold, resentful gaze.
"Pah! Shameless adulterers," Ye Chen spat after they left.
"I'll make your wedding the laughingstock of all Jiangzhou."
There were still more than twenty days left until the 15th of next month. That was more than enough time for Ye Chen to grow strong—strong enough to upgrade his "freeloader" status to a high-end one.
Thanks to the original Ye Chen's memories, he knew the ins and outs of Jiangzhou's elite families. One of them, the Qin family, was dominated by women. Almost all the members of the younger generation were girls. They had one male heir, but he was infamous and completely useless. To ensure the continuation of their bloodline, the Qin family was desperate for a capable live-in son-in-law.
The eldest daughter, Qin Luoxue, was stunningly beautiful—coveted by countless heirs of noble families in Jiangzhou. If Ye Chen could marry Qin Luoxue on the same day as Zhang Qianting and Liu Shaojie's wedding, who in Jiangzhou's upper class would even bother attending theirs?
It would be the perfect slap in the face for those two shameless cheaters.
"Qin Luoxue it is," Ye Chen decided with a firm heart. He was determined to secure this bowl of high-end soft rice.
So what if I'm a broke loser? You, Zhang Qianting, don't want me—but Jiangzhou's number one beauty, Qin Luoxue, does.
So what if I'm a broke loser? Liu Shaojie may be rich, but all he's marrying is a divorced woman. Meanwhile, this divorced pauper is about to marry a wealthy and powerful goddess.
Let that piss the two of you off to death
At that moment, a young nurse walked into the hospital room. When she saw Ye Chen awake, a look of genuine surprise instantly spread across her face.
"Huh? Ye Chen, you're actually awake? That's a miracle!"
The nurse's name was Lin Keke. She had been Ye Chen's classmate in medical school—and also his childhood neighbor. Back when they were toddlers still wearing split pants, the two had even studied the differences between themselves out of sheer curiosity.
After graduating from university, Lin Keke became a nurse at Jiangzhou's First Hospital. When she heard Ye Chen had been admitted, she specifically requested to be assigned to his room to take care of him.
"It's you, Keke," Ye Chen said, smiling awkwardly. After all, attempting suicide wasn't exactly a proud moment.
"If it wasn't me, who did you think it was—Zhang Qianting?" Lin Keke rolled her eyes at him. As she checked his vitals, she asked, "I just saw Zhang Qianting leave with a man, holding a divorce agreement. Did you sign it?"
"She had already forged my signature. I just pressed my fingerprint on it," Ye Chen replied truthfully.
"She's heartless. You saved her life, and the moment she recovered, she couldn't wait to cut ties with you—completely ungrateful for what you did." Lin Keke said, visibly angry. "You were such an idiot. Back in college, there were plenty of girls in our class who liked you, but you had to obsess over Zhang Qianting. Regret it now, don't you?"
By the time she finished speaking, she had also completed his check-up.
"People have to go through things to grow, don't they?" Ye Chen smiled. He couldn't exactly say he'd been blind.
"Excuses. Let's be real—you were blind." Lin Keke glared at him, clearly frustrated. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she said, "Right, come with me quickly. You need to see your dad one last time. He might not make it."
"What happened to my dad?" Ye Chen's brow furrowed.
"It's because of you. Your dad already had a heart condition. When he found out about your suicide attempt, he collapsed on the spot from the shock and has been in a coma for three days—just like you. But while you woke up, he… might never wake again."
Ye Chen's expression changed instantly. He got out of bed without hesitation, grabbed Lin Keke's hand, and ran out of the room.
"Yaohua, wake up! Please wake up!"
In another ICU room, Ye Chen saw his mother, Yang Shuqing, sobbing uncontrollably as she shook his father, Ye Yaohua. Then she turned to the group of doctors nearby, crying, "Doctors, I'm begging you, please save my husband! I'll kneel if I have to!"
She dropped to her knees in front of the doctors in their white coats.
"Mrs. Yang, please, there's no need for this," said an elderly doctor. "We've done all we can. Your husband's heart has stopped. Once his brain cells completely shut down, we'll be able to issue a death certificate. For now, it's best to pay the outstanding medical bills and prepare for his final arrangements."
"Bullshit!"
Ye Chen stepped forward and pulled his mother up from the floor. Staring down the doctors, he said coldly, "You call yourselves doctors? My father is still savable, yet you're telling us to give up and prepare for his funeral. Do you even realize how irresponsible and heartless that is?"
"You bunch of quacks have no right to call yourselves experts. What a joke. Bring me a set of silver needles—if you can't save him, then I will!"
His words made several of the doctors explode with rage on the spot.