Chapter 1

Please choose which of the following two people is more unfortunate:

The first one, at the age of twenty-five, has both parents alive and a relatively harmonious family. His family's financial situation is average to below average, with his parents living in the countryside, and he hasn't bought a house yet.

After graduating from a regular university's computer science department, he worked as a programmer for two years, saved some money, and then, along with a few like-minded partners, created an independent game.

The game was well-received upon release. Although it didn't become a blockbuster like "Taigu" or "Gui Gu," it was still a minor hit, and the income from it was enough to match what he would earn from working normally for ten to twenty years.

Because the new game needed a lot of improvements, everyone worked overtime to fix bugs and maintain various aspects of the game.

Exhausted, he rested his head on the table.

He had already planned how to spend the money from the game's dividends: buy a house in his hometown, buy a car, and then, following his parents' advice, start dating, either a girl from a similar or slightly less well-off family, and start a family.

However, before he received the first round of dividends, he planned to rest for a short while but never woke up again…

The second one, at the age of twenty-three, lost his parents in an accident last year. His family's financial situation was at least middle-class, with a fully paid-for 100-square-meter apartment in a first-tier city, about four to five kilometers from the city center, a 120,000 RMB car, and a cake shop with an annual income of over 120,000 RMB.

However, his parents' marriage was not harmonious, and they often argued, even coming close to divorce several times. It wasn't until he was in his early twenties that things gradually calmed down.

Although his parents had calmed down, the experiences at home made him less interested in love.

With an incomplete family and little hope for love, his hobbies became the greatest driving force in his life.

However, fate is unpredictable. He loved music and majored in vocal performance at a second-tier university, but just after graduation, he overused his voice and could no longer pursue a career in singing.

Reluctantly, he turned to music composition but failed to create outstanding works, and his compositions were repeatedly rejected by entertainment companies.

Still not giving up, he ran the cake shop left by his parents and used his free time to compose music.

Finally, after another rejection and sensing the company's polite suggestion that he lacked talent and should consider a different career, he couldn't hold back his emotions. He bought alcohol to drown his sorrows and never woke up…

For many people, this is just a hypothetical question.

For Wang Xuan, it is not.

…

Hangzhou City, West Lake Scenic Area.

As a famous 5A-level scenic spot in China, it sees a peak in visitors during the tourist season in April.

At 8 PM, there were fewer visitors than during the day, but it was still bustling with activity.

Wang Xuan walked alone through the crowd.

He had hoped that the bustling atmosphere of the scenic area would help clear his mind and make his thoughts more coherent.

However, his thoughts not only failed to become more coherent but also added a sense of loneliness…

Two hours ago, after he regained consciousness, he found that he had the lives of two people in his mind.

The memories were equally clear, with no distinction between them.

He wasn't sure if he, from the Blue Star, had dreamed of the life of the unfortunate programmer on Earth, or if he, from Earth, had crossed over and taken over this body with its tumultuous experiences.

If he had to choose, he was more inclined to believe that the life on Earth was the main one.

At least that part of his life had a slightly more harmonious family.

Theoretically, with two tragic memories, he should be doubly sad.

However, in reality, he wasn't as heartbroken as he imagined. The memories weren't as deeply etched as they would be if he had only one of them.

Perhaps this is what they mean by "too many lice, no longer itchy."

When most things are manageable, the absence of something specific is particularly regrettable.

With too many absences, the regret is lessened.

At this moment, Wang Xuan was filled with a complex mix of emotions.

This feeling…

It was a bit bewildering…

It wasn't entirely open-minded…

It wasn't entirely numb…

It wasn't particularly optimistic…

It was just that he suddenly felt that many things he had pursued in the past were meaningless.

However, he didn't have a lot of negative feelings about life. He believed there were many beautiful things waiting for him to discover.

"Anyway, I am now a completely new self…"

Shaking his head slightly, Wang Xuan summarized his current situation.

He was on the eastern shore of West Lake, an area with convenient transportation and complete facilities. At night, a colorful fountain would be activated, making it very picturesque.

As the fountain was about to start, many visitors gathered in this direction.

Many of them took out their phones, ready to capture the beautiful moment.

Familiar with such fountain shows from both of his lives, Wang Xuan didn't find them particularly interesting. He scanned the surroundings, looking for a quieter spot.

Seeing that the shore about a hundred meters to his left was relatively empty, he walked over.

As he approached his destination, his gaze focused, and he paused.

The quiet spot he had chosen was now occupied by someone else.

It was a girl in a film-style ancient costume, prioritizing aesthetics over comfort. She was tall and slender, and her figure was not immediately apparent in her pink silk dress. Her delicate features, enhanced by light makeup, were as beautiful as those of a celebrity, making her one of the most beautiful people Wang Xuan had ever seen in real life.

She stood there quietly, exuding a unique scholarly and serene beauty that calmed Wang Xuan's somewhat chaotic thoughts.

Seeming to sense Wang Xuan's gaze, the girl turned her head and looked at him.

Their eyes met in the air.

After a moment, they both looked away without any special expression.

Wang Xuan stopped about three meters away from her.

Within a ten-meter radius, there were only the two of them. Each lost in their own thoughts, they were aware of each other's presence but did not communicate.

At the same time, about fifty meters southwest, on the street, a neatly dressed woman in her thirties, holding a microphone and looking like a journalist, and a young man in a suit carrying a camera, were walking toward them.

As they walked, the woman was talking to the young man with the camera.

"Xiao Lin, the theme of this episode of 'Eternal National Style' is poetry.

We mainly interview passersby to understand their knowledge and appreciation of poetry culture.

We need to find some representative and distinctive interview subjects…

Finding such subjects will make the material more interesting, and the higher-ups will be more satisfied, which will be beneficial for our development…

Please help me look for distinctive passersby as well…

The sooner we finish, the sooner we can wrap up and rest."

"Sure, He Jie, I'll try my best to look out for them."

The young man with the camera nodded in response, his gaze scanning the surroundings.

His eyes lit up as they landed on the girl in the ancient costume to the northeast, and he called out to the woman: "He Jie, what do you think of that girl in the ancient costume?"

The woman followed the young man's gaze and her face lit up as well. She nodded slightly:

"Very good, she looks like an excellent interview subject.

Not only is her costume distinctive, but girls who love ancient costumes generally have a good cultural background, making the interview process more interesting…"

After a brief exchange, they walked toward the girl in the ancient costume.

During their approach, they also noticed Wang Xuan standing next to the girl.

Although Wang Xuan was handsome and had a somewhat melancholic aura, which was quite attractive, being handsome and having an aura doesn't necessarily mean having talent. Since they weren't doing a show interviewing beautiful people, and Wang Xuan's appearance wasn't particularly distinctive or scholarly, they automatically categorized him as a regular interview subject and didn't pay much attention to him.

However, there were only the two of them nearby.

After interviewing the girl in the ancient costume, they could also interview this handsome boy on the way.