Chapter 1

In the capital city in February, just after the New Year, it was the sixteenth day since Xu Rui had been kicked out of his home, and the seventh year since he had traveled through time.

Snowflakes were flying outside the window, while the room was warm like spring.

Xu Rui, holding a cloth, wiped the moisture off the window, watching people outside struggling through the heavy snow for their livelihood. As he watched, he suddenly felt a bit happy, a guilty kind of joy that always came over him when it was snowing or raining heavily and he didn't have to go out.

"No, no, this isn't right," Xu Rui quickly patted his cheeks and started practicing martial arts on the yoga mat in the room.

His first exposure to martial arts came from his poor health as a child, often catching colds and fevers. His grandfather, who loved martial arts, would take him to climb mountains and practice boxing every morning.

He still remembered being dragged out of bed at five in the morning, holding his grandfather's small stool and radio, and climbing the mountain with sleepy eyes. At the top, the old and the young would practice boxing while listening to the morning news, occasionally shouting like Tarzan. After the practice, they would go back for breakfast and school.

Later, as he grew up, he missed those times, and he never thought fate would give him a chance to relive them.

When he returned to his childhood, he was momentarily panicked, but soon he began to plan, like "drinking and taking medicine" to become a stock market god!

However, a single news report on TV made him realize the difference between rebirth and time travel, a memory that still lingered.

The anchor at the time had a calm expression: "In tonight's match, the Chinese team defeated the French team 2-0, advancing to the World Cup round of 16 with three wins in the group stage."

This news was like a bucket of cold water, chilling Xu Rui to the bone. Fortunately, his family was very wealthy, and failing to influence the financial market didn't make him too regretful.

After breaking a sweat, he took a shower, drank some water, and was about to start his vocal exercises. What used to be Tarzan-like shouts had now turned into vocal practice. Martial arts was a habit, and vocal practice had become a hobby.

But before he could make a sound, he held back. Now that he had been kicked out of his home and was renting an apartment, he had laid out the yoga mat and practiced boxing to avoid disturbing the neighbors downstairs. He didn't want to be complained about just a few days after moving in.

"Never mind, I'll go back to sleep." Xu Rui climbed back into bed, but just as he was about to lie down, his phone rang.

Seeing the word "Dog" on the caller ID, Xu Rui looked out at the white expanse outside, and a smile crept onto his lips. Leaning against the headboard, he answered the call, "Hello?"

This "Hello" changed several tones. On the other end of the line, a young man, holding a pancake in his left hand and a phone in his right, rushed into the company lobby. The name tag around his neck read "Li Chuanping."

Li Chuanping clearly understood Xu Rui's schadenfreude. Shaking the snow off his head, he gritted his teeth and said, "I should edit this and post it online so everyone can condemn you!"

"Sure, I'll even block and unfriend you," Xu Rui said lazily.

"I'll seriously consider it," Li Chuanping retorted, "In my next life, I'll choose a good father."

Xu Rui said slowly, "I'm recording this, and I'll forward it to your dad."

"Go ahead, I do the same at home," Li Chuanping sighed, "But my dad is good in one way; he treats me like a brother. Your dad is different, too strict, and doesn't allow any questioning of his authority."

Realizing his words might be inappropriate, Li Chuanping added, "I think your parents might be playing good cop, bad cop. Your dad kicks you out and stops giving you pocket money to teach you a lesson, while your mom secretly gives you money to rent an apartment. It's all planned. Don't really be mad at your dad."

Xu Rui started to doze off, "I get it. What do you want so early? I'm trying to get some more sleep."

"You're ruthless!" Hearing that Xu Rui wanted to sleep more, Li Chuanping wished he could throw a snowball through the phone and into his bed.

Looking around, Li Chuanping went to a corner and whispered, "Our company is planning a new variety show. In short, it's about ordinary people dating, with celebrities commenting. I'll explain more later. Anyway, the production team is looking for ordinary guests, and we can recommend internally. The boss said if the recommended person is suitable, the recommender will get a big red envelope. You get what I mean, right?"

Xu Rui immediately understood what Li Chuanping was up to. While Li Chuanping found it novel, Xu Rui was very familiar with such celebrity observation dating shows. He said, "I don't get it, and I don't want to."

Li Chuanping ignored him and continued, "I've only been here for half a year, just finished my internship. I didn't have any ideas, but when I bought a pancake and the snow fell on my neck, I had a sudden inspiration. I remembered there's a dog around me who fits perfectly..."

Xu Rui interrupted, "Who's the dog?"

Li Chuanping thought for a moment and said firmly, "If you come on the show, I'll be the dog!"

Xu Rui laughed, "Li Chuanping, you're willing to give up your dignity for a red envelope, but... I refuse, don't even think about it!"

Seeing that being nice didn't work, Li Chuanping turned tough, "I'm not asking, I'm telling you. I'll submit your information to the boss, and you'll get a call from the production team."

"I won't answer."

"Then I'll hang myself at your place."

"Do you prefer a rope or a white silk? I'll prepare it."

"I'm not joking. I haven't clocked in yet, I'm about to be late. I have to go." Li Chuanping looked at the time and was about to end the call.

"Whatever." Xu Rui thought about it. After all, internal recommendations were a piece of cake, and there were surely many people who wanted to be on the show. Li Chuanping, a junior employee, was unlikely to get a piece of the cake. Let him try.

Hearing Xu Rui agree, Li Chuanping was delighted. He hurried upstairs, reached his desk, and felt the pancake. It wasn't completely cold but close. Normally, he would have cursed Xu Rui, but now he didn't have time to eat. He took out the application form and filled it out carefully.

Soon, the boss arrived. He waited a bit, until the boss took off his coat, poured a cup of coffee, and settled into work mode. Then he slipped over, knocked, and entered the office.

"Yang, I have a good candidate for the variety show," Li Chuanping said, handing over Xu Rui's application form.

Yang Hui, the producer and director of the show, was very particular about selecting candidates. She already had many names on her list but wanted to pick the best.

In her eyes, Li Chuanping was a capable and clever young man. His enthusiasm indicated he was confident in his recommendation.

"Let me see." Yang Hui curiously took the form and asked, "What's your relationship with him?"

Li Chuanping said firmly, "Grave companion, the kind who will be buried next to each other!"