GTAS Arc. 2 Ch. 4

When Ji Yichen woke up, the sky outside the window was already bright, and the soft, large bed was empty, with Ji Linchen nowhere to be seen. 

He sat up, his beautiful phoenix eyes still red and swollen. He rubbed his eyes, slowly clearing the grogginess from his mind. 

Last night, after he had fallen asleep, the system had transmitted the memories of the original host to him. The heart-wrenching pain once again overwhelmed Ji Yichen’s heart. 

It could only be said that the relationship between the original host and the scumbag, Ji Yanzhi, was truly a twist of fate. From their innocent childhood promise to the escalating conflicts between their families that led to a complete estrangement, when the original host saw Ji Yanzhi again, he was afraid of further worsening the already tense relationship between their families. Instead of revealing his identity, he bribed the people at the slave market to pose as a slave and get close to Ji Yanzhi, just to express his unwavering affection. 

However, after arriving at the Ji family, the original host realized that things were not as he had imagined. Reality was cruel. He discovered that Ji Yanzhi kept many slaves besides him, and every night, he would summon someone to his room to vent his desires. 

There was a time when it was finally the original host’s turn. He had made up his mind to go, to confront Ji Yanzhi face-to-face, to reveal his identity. If Ji Yanzhi could remember who he was and was willing to stop this behavior, to fulfill their childhood promise, then the original host would let go of his resentment and stay with Ji Yanzhi forever. But things didn’t go as planned. That day, due to his weak constitution and the inhumane treatment he had endured at the slave market and the Ji household, the original host fell seriously ill. 

As a result, Ji Yanzhi didn’t summon him that night. He missed his chance, and another slave was sent in his place. The original host grew increasingly anxious and angry, and his illness worsened. 

During this time, a boy who had been bought alongside the original host had already been defiled by Ji Yanzhi. But Ji Yanzhi, being the kind of person who only took interest in the first taste, quickly lost interest afterward. He was truly a beast in human skin! 

This boy took great care of the original host, even stealing medicine and warm buns for him. The boy’s meticulous care filled the original host with gratitude. When the original host had just recovered from his illness, the boy said something to him. 

“Let’s run away.” 

These words planted a seed in the original host’s heart. After so many days of hardship, his love for Ji Yanzhi had nearly dissipated. By then, the original host was already disheartened and wanted to leave the Ji family. 

When the original host and the boy agreed to escape together through the back door at midnight, the original host waited for a long time. Finally, the boy arrived, but he brought Ji Yanzhi with him. 

The original host was captured by Ji Yanzhi himself and brought back. What followed was what Ji Yichen saw when he first woke up. 

The boy who had taken such good care of the original host used this opportunity to climb back into Ji Yanzhi’s bed… 

The original host’s memories ended here. Ji Yichen sat on the edge of the bed, lost in thought, and pressed his hand against his chest, pressing down hard… 

“The original host’s heart must have died…” 

Seeing the man he had loved for decades and the person he was so grateful for betray him together, the entanglement of love and hate was like a spider’s web tightening around him, eventually wrapping his heart so tightly that it was completely consumed by resentment and despair, leaving not even a trace behind… 

Ji Yichen felt that the heart beating strongly in his chest now was no longer the original host’s, but his own. From this moment on, the original host’s endless hatred would be channeled through Ji Yichen to exact revenge on the scumbag… 

As for Ji Yanzhi, the protagonist, the system only told Ji Yichen that Ji Yanzhi would eventually become the king of this country, quell the turmoil, and unify the continent. 

Ji Yichen curled his lips. The position of king, with all its promiscuity, really suited Ji Yanzhi. 

For now, he needed to get out of this room. If he didn’t make himself more visible in front of Ji Yanzhi, Ji Yanzhi would probably forget about him, this insignificant slave. Just as Ji Yichen got out of bed, he noticed a neatly folded set of clothes on the chair at the foot of the bed, along with a note with dragons flying and phoenixes dancing [1]. He reached out and picked it up. 

“Change and come find me.” 

Ji Yichen raised an eyebrow after reading it. What the hell? The new clothes were for him, but Ji Linchen expected him to go find him? Did he think Ji Yichen was some kind of radar? The Ji family estate was huge—where was he supposed to go? This was ridiculous! What a lunatic! 

He cursed Ji Linchen’s ancestors in his mind while quickly changing into the new clothes. 

Meanwhile, in the study, Ji Linchen, who was handling military documents, suddenly sneezed loudly. 

“Achoo!” 

Lin Huai, who was standing by the window enjoying the view, asked without turning his head, “Did you catch a cold last night, Young Master Ji? It’s autumn now; you should keep warm.” 

Ji Linchen’s ears turned red beneath his hair. Indeed, he hadn’t covered himself with a blanket last night because that little guy kept stealing the blanket! Ji Linchen had no choice but to hug the little guy over the blanket to keep warm… 

But in front of others, how could he, a general, admit to such an embarrassing thing? Ji Linchen coughed lightly to cover up, stood up from his chair, and walked over to Lin Huai with long strides, asking in a deep voice, 

“Don’t worry about such trivial matters for me. What are you looking at…” 

As he spoke, Ji Linchen followed Lin Huai’s gaze outside and saw the little guy who had stolen his blanket last night, now dressed in the exquisite suit he had prepared for him, walking along the open corridor outside. The little guy was looking around as if searching for something. 

Lin Huai, of course, knew that Ji Linchen had already noticed. He raised his head and said loudly, “It seems the Ji family is still too big. The little lion has gotten lost…” 

At that moment, Ji Yichen had no idea he was being watched. He was following the original host’s memories, slowly making his way toward the flower garden. Just as he was about to enter, someone called out to him from behind. 

“Yu Heng?!” 

Ji Yichen frowned at the sound. Tsk, only two people in the Ji family knew this name and could move freely around the estate: Ji Yanzhi and the other slave boy who had betrayed the original host, Xiao Wu. 

According to this boy, he had four older brothers, and his family couldn’t afford to raise so many children, so they sold him, the least useful one, to the slave market for some money to support the family. 

Being able to move freely around the Ji household was a privilege Ji Yanzhi granted to his “pets.” The day after being summoned, they were allowed to roam the estate freely, a so-called act of mercy from Ji Yanzhi. No one in the Ji family dared to defy Ji Yanzhi’s orders except for Ji Linchen, as Ji Yanzhi was likely to become the next head of the family… 

After all, Ji Linchen was a general who might die on the battlefield at any moment. 

Ji Yichen stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Xiao Wu, who was approaching from the path. He replied coldly, “You called me. What do you want?” 

Seeing Ji Yichen’s cold and distant demeanor, Xiao Wu immediately teared up, his large eyes glistening with tears. He stammered nervously, “Yu Heng, it really wasn’t me who went to find Second Young Master Ji last night! It was the steward! The steward already knew about our plan to escape! He was the one who told Second Young Master Ji!” 

Watching Xiao Wu’s acting skills, which rivaled those of an award-winning actor, Ji Yichen sneered inwardly. What a performance! If Xiao Wu wanted to play, he would play along… 

Ji Yichen pretended to be shocked and replied, “You… you’re telling the truth?! I… I thought you…” 

Seeing that Ji Yichen had fallen for his act, Xiao Wu quickly walked over and, under the guise of seeking forgiveness, tightly grabbed Ji Yichen’s arm. 

Although it seemed like Xiao Wu was pleading for forgiveness, his hands trembling with emotion, Ji Yichen knew better. Xiao Wu was afraid he would enter the garden and was using all his strength to hold him back. This meant that Ji Yanzhi was definitely inside. 

“Yu Heng, don’t blame me. You’ve never served Second Young Master Ji before. You don’t know how… how violent he gets. If you don’t obey, he’ll torment you to death, just like last night…” 

Ji Yichen couldn’t help but roll his eyes inwardly at Xiao Wu’s coy demeanor. Wow! He had seen shameless people before, but never someone as shameless as this! 

So what if that bastard Ji Yanzhi had his way with him once? Was it really something to boast about everywhere? What a lunatic! 

Just as Xiao Wu was gleefully showing off, Ji Yichen suddenly broke free from his grip. Before Xiao Wu could react, Ji Yichen’s hand shot out and slapped him across the face. 

Slap! The sound echoed loudly in the open space. 

Xiao Wu’s fair, delicate cheek immediately turned red, and the imprint of a hand appeared. Xiao Wu covered his face, staring at Ji Yichen in disbelief. He never expected Ji Yichen to dare slap him! 

“You… you dare hit me?!” 

Seeing the fury in Xiao Wu’s eyes, Ji Yichen snorted coldly and flexed his wrist. A single slap was far from enough to vent the original host’s hatred. Just as the fury in Xiao Wu’s eyes turned to fear, Ji Yichen raised his hand again, aiming another slap at Xiao Wu’s face. 

But just as his hand was about to connect, Ji Yichen caught a glimpse of a figure passing by the garden entrance and immediately stopped his motion. 

Xiao Wu also noticed. He stretched his neck, pressing his face against Ji Yichen’s outstretched hand, and then, behind the figure’s back, he slapped himself hard and fell to the ground, crying pitifully as he crawled toward the figure. 

“Second Young Master Ji, save me!” 

Ji Yichen looked up and saw Ji Yanzhi’s cold face, his eyes filled with sharpness. It was clear that Ji Yanzhi had already decided Ji Yichen was the one who had bullied Xiao Wu… 

Tsk, a scheming b*tch and a promiscuous man—what a perfect match!

[1] 龙飞凤舞 (lóng fēi fèng wǔ): Literally means “dragons flying and phoenixes dancing.” It describes elegant and graceful handwriting.