After leaving the previous world, Xu Zifan lingered in the void for a very long time—perhaps decades, or even centuries—until all his attachment to that world faded away before entering the next. Humans aren't machines, nor are they cold-blooded animals; he lived each life earnestly, so this was necessary to detach himself from the previous world. As for what to do with the tasks in each plane while he rested, that wasn't his concern. The plane messengers were a group, not just him; there were many messengers to complete the tasks.
When Xu Zifan opened his eyes, he was sitting in a restaurant, feeling a wetness on his face. A beautiful woman opposite him had just put down her glass, turned around angrily, and left, while the other guests in the restaurant stared at him. Xu Zifan frowned, picked up a napkin from the table, and slowly and deliberately wiped the water from his face. Had they broken up after being splashed like that?
Xu Zifan glanced down and saw a check torn in two lying on the table. He wasn't one to be treated like a fool, so he quickly assessed the situation and beckoned a waiter to settle the bill. He searched his memory for a moment, then went straight to where the original owner had parked, took out his car keys, and got into a flashy yellow supercar.
Upon boarding the vehicle, he immediately absorbed the memories, learning about the situation in this world. The original owner of this body, Xu Zifan, was the heir to the largest real estate company in the country. However, his parents passed away eight years prior when he was only fifteen and still in school. The company was then managed by his uncle, who was only five years older than him. His uncle was studying abroad at the time, and upon returning, he swiftly took control of the company, defeating all competitors who coveted a piece of the Xu family's pie. His reputation soared, and he was praised as a rising star, a promising young talent.
The reason he came to this world was because the girlfriend who had just splashed water on him had been reborn, and even went to his uncle's bed right before their breakup, effectively cuckolding the original owner! This reborn woman has a superstar system; as long as she completes tasks on her path to stardom, she can become more beautiful. A woman who becomes more and more beautiful and sensible firmly grasps her uncle's heart. She is also particularly vengeful, believing that the original owner hurt her too much by dumping her in the previous life. Therefore, in this life, she uses every means to suppress the original owner, sow discord between the uncle and nephew, and ultimately strip the original owner of everything, successfully becoming the president's wife of the Xu Group.
The original owner of this body was spoiled by his parents and had never experienced any hardship, growing up like he was in a greenhouse. After his parents passed away, his uncle returned to run the company, giving him a large allowance every month. He was happy to enjoy it and wasn't in a hurry to join the company after graduation. Instead, he loved to play around and was a well-known playboy rich kid in the industry. Although he played around but didn't get involved in gambling, prostitution, or drugs, his reputation wasn't good. He also liked to say whatever he wanted on Weibo, criticizing everyone. Everyone knew he was a rich kid, and the reborn woman managed to turn him into a pariah through several maneuvers.
The original owner felt utterly wronged. He had dumped that woman, but he hadn't cheated on her or wronged her. He simply didn't like her anymore and wanted to break up, even giving her a house and 30 million as a breakup fee. How had he hurt her? He never talked about real feelings. When they got together, they agreed to part amicably, and that woman agreed. But after the breakup, she hated him and, after being reborn, desperately sought revenge, turning him into a penniless wretch. Wasn't that insane?!
The original owner was incredibly frustrated, but he knew his own limitations. Even if he were reborn, he couldn't defeat that woman and his uncle. So, he summoned a dimensional messenger, hoping Xu Zifan would help him turn the tables. The reborn woman wanted to climb to the top of the entertainment industry and become increasingly beautiful, right? Then let her suffer in vain and be punished by the system. His uncle disregarded family ties for an outsider, right? Then take back what's rightfully his and break ties with him. The original owner didn't care about the heights of his career, he just wanted those two to suffer as much as possible.
When Xu Zifan arrived, Xia Shuangshuang, the reborn woman, had just been reborn and had already decided to take revenge on him, making him suffer the most humiliating cuckoldry before their breakup. So, in this life, she didn't ask for a breakup fee; instead, she publicly humiliated Xu Zifan by splashing water on him. Xu Zifan frequently appeared on Weibo; everyone knew him. That incident at the restaurant was sure to make headlines, and she could use it to generate buzz and make outsiders misunderstand that their breakup was all Xu Zifan's fault. Otherwise, why would she dare to splash water on him, or be so angry? Pictures are always the best source of stories for netizens to create.
Xu Zifan took out his phone and searched his name on Weibo. Sure enough, someone had posted some photos online. The photos weren't very clear, but you could still see that Xia Shuangshuang was very angry, and he was covered in water and looked a bit disheveled. The captions from netizens seemed shocked: "[Unbelievable! Xu Zifan actually got splashed with water by Xia Shuangshuang!]"
Xu Zifan continued scrolling and saw another Weibo post. It had no pictures, but clearly described what happened: "Xu Zifan gave Xia Shuangshuang a breakup fee, and Xia Shuangshuang angrily tore up the check and threw a glass of ice water at Xu Zifan, saying she had misjudged him, and stormed off! Did Xu Zifan cheat on her?"
Xu Zifan scrolled through Weibo with his left hand, tapping lightly on the steering wheel with his right. After thinking for a moment, he posted a Weibo message: "[No cheating, no arguments, I simply don't want to be in a relationship anymore. We agreed to part amicably and not pursue real feelings. A house and a 30 million yuan check were rejected, and I was inexplicably splashed with water. Does anyone know what Xia Shuangshuang means by this?]"
The fact that the person in question responded so quickly instantly attracted widespread attention from netizens, and Xia Shuangshuang's fans rushed to his Weibo to call him a scumbag.
[How dare you ask what I mean? You want to break up if you don't want to be in a relationship? What do you take Shuangshuang for?]
[Who told you we wouldn't talk about real feelings? Shuangshuang was clearly sincere towards you, and you trampled on her like this. You scum!]
[Showing off wealth is disgusting! Don't insult Shuangshuang with your house and money. Do you think she's one of those little internet celebrities you used to know? All she cares about is money?]
Throwing ice water at you would be too lenient; you should be splashed with heat.
[Soup! Shuangshuang is just too soft-hearted. You must have cheated on her and hurt her feelings. Why are you jumping out to defend yourself right away?]
[How exactly did you bully Shuangshuang? You dated for six months before realizing you were incompatible? Even great people have said that dating without the intention of marriage is just playing around, and you're playing around and you still think you're right?]
Xu Zifan didn't reply to them. What could they do no matter how harshly they cursed? Xia Shuangshuang was only a second-tier celebrity. Although she had a lot of fans, compared to the vast majority of netizens, it was actually just a small number. It was impossible for everyone to speak up for Xia Shuangshuang, especially since the original owner also had fans. He scrolled through the pages and saw that the fans were refuting him.
[Xia Shuangshuang's fans are really shameless. Zifan has dated at least eight or ten girlfriends, right? When has he ever cheated? Does he need to lie to clear his name? He's not a celebrity, why should he care about you losers? It's clearly Xia Shuangshuang who's upset about the breakup fee being too low, and she even threw water in Zifan's face. What a drama queen!]
[Drama Queen +1. How many times has Xia Shuangshuang used Zifan to generate buzz in the past six months? How many times has she trended on social media? She even took a picture to show off that she moved into Zifan's house, acting like she was trying to become Mrs. Xu. She's pretty good at throwing herself at him, and she even used the breakup to create a media frenzy.]
[While it's not good that Xia Shuangshuang is throwing herself at someone, Zifan is definitely telling the truth. Would he really have genuine feelings for someone? Are you kidding me? It's simple: I'm after your looks, you're after my money. Talking about feelings is too expensive!]
[Haha, the comment above is awesome! Talking about relationships is all about money. Zifan, don't give her a breakup fee. Let's see how she comes back to you. I don't believe she's that carefree.]
These were all individual fans of the two individuals, and their comments were quite extreme, wanting to utterly belittle the other. They quickly started arguing, engaging in a heated online battle on Xu Zifan's Weibo. Other bystanders also expressed their opinions, but mostly remained neutral, observing and waiting to know what would happen next and the truth behind the breakup—essentially waiting for Xia Shuangshuang's side to say something.
Xu Zifan isn't in the entertainment industry, but everyone knows him; he's more popular than some celebrities. While he's both famous and controversial, opinions differ mainly on his ostentatious displays of wealth and his penchant for criticizing others. As for his attitude towards relationships, it's true, as his fans say, that he never cheats. He dates when he wants to and breaks up when he wants to. To paraphrase something he once said when criticizing someone: "What haven't I seen? Why cheat? That's so low!" So, people don't immediately suspect him of cheating.
Xia Shuangshuang, a second-tier actress, is young and beautiful. She's filmed numerous commercials in the past six months, has one TV series currently airing, and has another TV series and a movie awaiting release. She frequently trends on social media, making a lot of public appearances and gaining recognition. Her acting skills are also quite good, and she has a positive public image. People are wondering if she had a reason for throwing water on Xu Zifan. If Xu Zifan really bullied Xia Shuangshuang, the public would definitely side with Xia Shuangshuang and condemn Xu Zifan, seeing him as a scumbag who takes advantage of his rich background to manipulate female celebrities. However, if, as Xu Zifan claims, it was agreed from the beginning that there would be no real feelings involved, then Xia Shuangshuang's refusal of a breakup fee and her subsequent act of throwing water on him is indeed quite inexplicable, and the public would side with Xu Zifan and despise Xia Shuangshuang.
Xu Zifan was well aware of this consistent style, which is why he preemptively posted this Weibo message. It might not have a huge effect, but at least it allowed him to immediately state his position, emphasizing that he wasn't talking about real feelings, to prevent Xia Shuangshuang from using these photos to create hype, labeling him a scumbag, and gaining sympathy. Sometimes, gaining sympathy can indeed attract a large number of fans and casual followers. Xia Shuangshuang's superstar system relies on fan count and work evaluations to determine tasks; how could he let her have her way?
Xu Zifan called the housekeeper's son and instructed him, "Li Ping, keep an eye on the online public opinion. If Xia Shuangshuang tries to smear me, let me know. Oh, and tell Aunt Zhang to prepare dinner. I'm going home now."
"Yes, young master." Li Ping is 27 years old and works as a driver for the Xu family. However, the original owner usually prefers to drive his sports car himself and rarely needs him. So, he lets the original owner do his own things and only needs to be available whenever needed. Li Ping opened an online store, which is doing very well. It's like developing a side business. He truly lives up to his promise of being available whenever needed, but he doesn't have a deep emotional connection with the original owner.
It's fair to say that aside from the butler, Uncle Li, and the cook, Aunt Zhang, the rest of the Xu family had little emotional connection with the original owner. These two had watched him grow up and naturally held a degree of respect and affection for him. Unfortunately, according to the original story, they would have been dismissed and driven out of the city by the reborn woman. The power of influence from behind the pillow is immense; the original owner's uncle, Xu Hao, as the largest real estate developer in the country, could easily have dealt with a spoiled brat like the original owner.
As Xu Zifan drove, he analyzed in his mind that this situation was actually quite common in this world. Not in reality, but in novels and screenplays, because it was so melodramatic, so face-slapping, and so satisfying. Wasn't this just the cuckoldry trope in novels? The female lead's boyfriend or husband was a scumbag, so she married his father, uncle, brother, cousin, or other relatives—basically, she had to be with her ex-boyfriend's blood relatives, preferably elders, and be especially pampered. That way, when she appeared in front of her ex-boyfriend, she could say with a half-smile, "Sweetie, call me Auntie," "Call me Stepmother," or "Call me Sister-in-law," which felt incredibly satisfying.
But it feels strange in real life, mainly because Xu Zifan doesn't see the original owner as a jerk. There are many kinds of relationships in this world. Most people get together because of feelings, but some people don't believe in love and don't like marriage; they just need a companion. If someone deceives another, then of course he's a jerk. But if he clearly states from the beginning that he won't talk about real feelings and that they'll part ways amicably, it's like both parties have reached an agreement to be a couple for a period of time in this way. So, as long as there's no cheating when they break up, he's not a jerk at all.
He carefully considered Xia Shuangshuang and Xu Hao's personalities. He had never believed in love at first sight or that kind of inexplicable, life-or-death romance. From his perspective, Xia Shuangshuang and Xu Hao's revenge on the original owner wasn't simply a matter of love gone to their heads. As the original owner's uncle, Xu Hao...
Jealousy or being easily swayed? Driving her nephew to the point of annihilation is too ruthless. Xu Zifan is more inclined to believe that Xu Hao originally wanted to monopolize the Xu family and drive the original owner out of the picture.
However, the Xu family business was previously jointly owned by Xu Hao and the original owner's father, with Xu Hao holding 10% of the shares and the original owner's father holding 51%. Over the years, Xu Hao has been the de facto controller of the Xu family business, but his position has always been illegitimate, essentially managing the company for his nephew. Having been president for so long, how could he bear to relinquish the company? But directly seizing company shares, regardless of the reason, would ruin his reputation and make Xu Zifan the victim. Therefore, he has remained inactive, only giving the original owner a large allowance, indirectly encouraging him to indulge in pleasure.
Xu Zifan believed that Xia Shuangshuang's appearance gave Xu Hao a reason to act. Xu Hao, capable of managing such a large company, wouldn't be driven by lust. But what if the original owner constantly opposed him because of his ex-girlfriend, Xia Shuangshuang? With a little guidance, hints, and provocation, and by allowing Xia Shuangshuang to relentlessly suppress the original owner, he would definitely rebel in anger. However, given the original owner's spoiled nature, rebellion would only make things worse. Xu Hao could easily exploit this weakness, playing the role of a distressed elder to kick this incorrigible nephew out of the house.
As for the company shares, wouldn't it be easy to take them from a clueless kid? There are plenty of ways. Luring him into gambling and incurring debts is a good method. And since the original owner's girlfriend is now his aunt, his sudden bad behavior has a plausible explanation. The sale of shares and Xu Hao's abandonment of him are both foreshadowed and have a reasonable ending. As for marrying Xia Shuangshuang, with the system's support, she's becoming increasingly beautiful and is no longer a nobody in the entertainment industry, but rather an international superstar. For a CEO who doesn't need an arranged marriage, isn't she a pretty good marriage prospect?
Xu Zifan preferred to believe that Xu Hao was targeting the original owner for this reason rather than that he had simply lost his mind because he fell in love with Xia Shuangshuang. When Xia Shuangshuang was with the original owner, she received some good opportunities and was essentially promoted by him for half a year. After their breakup in the previous life, Xia Shuangshuang received a breakup fee from the original owner and lived a decent life, but it was nothing compared to when she was with him. She was only a second-tier actress, and it would be very difficult for her to rise to the top. Seeing the original owner with a new girlfriend during her difficult time, dining and shopping with her, and watching her new girlfriend show off her relationship, she was bound to feel resentful. Sometimes, hating someone is just a matter of a momentary feeling of imbalance.
Xu Zifan had dealt with systems before, and almost got bound to one. He knew how alluring a system could be, and how much confidence it could instill. Especially for those reborn with a system, there was often a misconception that they were the protagonist of the world, omnipotent. That sense of superiority that arose from within was unmatched by anyone else; even Xia Shuangshuang, who had just been reborn and whose life hadn't changed at all, felt an overwhelming sense of superiority.
He believed that Xia Shuangshuang's frantic revenge against Xu Zifan after her rebirth stemmed from this sense of superiority. She might not have been unaware that she had no reason to hate Xu Zifan, but as the protagonist, she had a sense of superiority, so hating whomever she wanted was entirely up to her. Especially since she possessed a cheat-like advantage, would climb to the top of the entertainment industry, have a great career, and become increasingly beautiful, attracting good men, Xu Zifan, a spoiled rich second-generation, was inevitably seen as a good-for-nothing. Naturally, she felt that suppressing or bullying those inferior to her was acceptable; she simply disliked them and wanted to bully them to her heart's content. Having been reborn, she could do whatever she pleased, so she didn't even need a reason to take revenge on Xu Zifan—simply because she wanted to.
Xu Zifan analyzed Xia Shuangshuang's personality based on his memories. He guessed that Xia Shuangshuang's revenge on the original owner was probably for this kind of non-existent reason, definitely not because she was hurt by loving him. Although Xu Zifan had heard screenwriters mention this type of novel when he was looking for scripts before, he had never heard of a story where someone who had been cuckolded had a comeback. Maybe it wasn't dramatic enough, so they didn't tell him about it. So he didn't have any references now and could only take it one step at a time. He could at least find out Xia Shuangshuang's career path. One of his tasks was to make sure she didn't have a smooth career in the entertainment industry and couldn't use the system to become more and more beautiful. This wouldn't be easy and required careful attention. And he needed to find a good reason to do this, otherwise it would be quite strange for a playboy to suddenly become diligent.
Xu Zifan arrived home, drove his car into the garage, and entered the villa, temporarily putting aside these matters. The butler, Uncle Li, and Li Ping were waiting at the door. Uncle Li reached out to take his coat, smiling, and said, "Young Master is back? Aunt Zhang has already prepared your favorite dishes. Would you like to eat first or take a bath?"
"I'm going to take a shower first. Uncle Li, please tell Aunt Zhang to serve the dishes later."
"Yes, young master, I'll go and tell them right away."
Li Ping, holding a tablet, reported, "Young Master, Xia Shuangshuang hasn't responded yet, but your breakup with Xia Shuangshuang is trending on social media, and many people are discussing it. Is there anything we should do?"
As Xu Zifan walked inside, he glanced at the page on his tablet, waved his hand, and said, "Don't worry about it, let them talk. Tell me when Xia Shuangshuang responds."
"Young Master, given how Xia Shuangshuang has treated you, shouldn't we speak to her company about it?"
"No rush, let's take a look first."
"Yes, young master." Li Ping didn't say much. After asking about the situation, he stopped and watched Xu Zifan go upstairs.
Xu Zifan quickly took off his clothes and went to the bathroom to shower after entering the room. The water from that glass had soaked his face, hair, and collar, making him feel particularly uncomfortable. A refreshing shower finally made him feel better. He looked at himself in the mirror; his face in this life was quite handsome, he was 1.85 meters tall, and his build was average, though he lacked muscles—still not bad. He came out wrapped in a bathrobe and went to the walk-in closet to find some loungewear to change into. As soon as he entered, he saw the colorful clothes in the closet, all clearly designer brands, but they were particularly flashy—the type the original owner especially liked.
Xu Zifan chuckled, finding it rather amusing. He didn't intend to change his persona, so he grabbed a light pink t-shirt and shorts and changed. And to be honest, at 23 years old, with that face, he actually looked quite good in the outfit.
"Handsome." Xu Zifan fiddled with his hair and went downstairs. "Uncle Li, let's eat. I didn't eat anything in the restaurant earlier, I'm hungry."
"Okay, okay, I'll go ask Aunt Zhang to serve the dishes." Uncle Li hurried to the kitchen.
Xu Zifan sat down at the dining table, placed the tablet and stand in front of him, and found a TV series starring Xia Shuangshuang to watch. Knowing your enemy is half the battle; he needed to see how good Xia Shuangshuang's acting was before making any moves.
The meal was quickly set on the table—six dishes and a soup, all of which were the original owner's favorites. Xu Zifan also quite liked two of the dishes, and since he was hungry, he ate while watching TV. Li Ping, who was sitting next to him, glanced at him strangely when he saw the TV series he was watching. Wasn't he just dumped after their breakup? Why is he watching a TV series starring Xia Shuangshuang now? What exactly does the young master mean by this?
Xu Zifan appeared casual, but he was actually watching very intently. Xia Shuangshuang did have acting skills, but only at an average level. This meant that the Superstar System, besides making her more beautiful, could also improve her acting. He just didn't know how it worked. If he disassembled her system, would this task be completed?