After Transmigrating into an ABO World with My Rival - Chapter 2

Under Fu Tingyue’s comforting touch, Chen Yanzhi’s emotions remained shattered for a long while before finally steadying. He clung to Fu Tingyue’s leg, refusing to let go, terrified that this was all just a beautiful dream and that Fu Tingyue would vanish the moment he woke up.

Chen Yanzhi looked up with watery eyes and asked, “Is it really you, Fu Tingyue? The same Fu Tingyue I know?”

Seeing the anxiety in his eyes and the paleness of his face, Fu Tingyue leaned down. He hooked his hands under Chen Yanzhi’s arms and lifted him up effortlessly. He gently and meticulously wiped the tears from Chen Yanzhi’s face before saying solemnly, “Chen Yanzhi, I am Fu Tingyue. The one you know.”

Chen Yanzhi couldn’t help but complain, “Then why didn’t you come looking for me?”

If Fu Tingyue hadn’t found him soon, he really would have starved to death.

Fu Tingyue sighed. “I did, but the world is just too big.”

He had started searching for Chen Yanzhi from the very first day he arrived. Fortunately, they were in the same city; otherwise, it would have been even harder. If it weren’t for the fact that the Fu family was powerful and wealthy, Fu Tingyue felt he might never have crossed paths with Chen Yanzhi again in this lifetime.

Looking at Chen Yanzhi’s gaunt face, a pang of heartache rose in Fu Tingyue’s chest. “Zhizhi, come with me, okay? I won’t let you suffer anymore.”

Chen Yanzhi swatted his hand away and grumbled with a frown, “Don’t call me that. It’s so cheesy.”

Looking at the row of luxury cars behind Fu Tingyue and his impeccable suit, Chen Yanzhi asked curiously, “Is your family very rich?”

Fu Tingyue replied, “Quite.”

“How is that fair!” Chen Yanzhi’s voice unintentionally rose. Noticing the bodyguards glancing at him out of the corners of their eyes, he quickly lowered his voice and leaned into Fu Tingyue’s ear. “We both came here together. Why did you get to be a rich person while I ended up as an orphan?”

Hearing this, Fu Tingyue’s brow furrowed slightly. No wonder Chen Yanzhi was working here; he was completely alone in this world.

He pulled Chen Yanzhi into his arms and patted his back, his voice full of self-reproach. “I’m sorry. I should have found you sooner.”

“What are you doing? Two grown men hugging is unseemly,” Chen Yanzhi said, pushing Fu Tingyue away and fastidiously brushing off his clothes.

Fu Tingyue laughed. “In this world, men can have children too.”

“Oh, that has nothing to do with me,” Chen Yanzhi said dismissively. His large eyes darted around playfully. “Your family is powerful, right?”

Fu Tingyue knew Chen Yanzhi was currently a Beta because he lacked any scent of pheromones. Fortunately, this meant Chen Yanzhi wouldn’t have to suffer the torments of heat cycles.

Seeing that look on his face—the one he got whenever he was about to cause trouble—Fu Tingyue smiled and replied, “You could say that.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Yanzhi grabbed Fu Tingyue’s wrist and marched aggressively toward the milk tea shop. “Then help me get some revenge! That damn manager docked five hundred yuan from my pay. He’s been exploiting my labor!”

Fu Tingyue thought for a moment he had misheard out of pure joy. He froze. “How much?”

Chen Yanzhi waved five slender fingers indignantly. “Five hundred! A whole five hundred! My monthly salary is only three thousand, and he docked five hundred of it!”

Three hundred had been taken for leaving early and being late previously, plus another two hundred today. A full five hundred yuan was gone.

Fu Tingyue stared at the back of Chen Yanzhi’s head, unable to imagine how much hardship he had endured. To the old Chen Yanzhi, he wouldn’t even look at five hundred yuan if it were lying on the ground. He had been pampered since childhood, with the best of everything. Fu Tingyue had been the same, so seeing Chen Yanzhi this upset over five hundred yuan made his heart ache.

He really should have found him sooner. Chen Yanzhi had truly suffered here; there were even calluses on his palms. His hands used to be so white and tender, feeling soft to the touch. Fu Tingyue felt as if the calluses on Chen Yanzhi’s hand were scraping against his heart, making it hard to breathe.

Chen Yanzhi was solely focused on settling the score and didn’t notice Fu Tingyue’s pained expression.

Because of the tall, fierce-looking bodyguards, the surrounding customers instinctively made way. Chen Yanzhi dragged the tall Fu Tingyue into the cramped milk tea shop without any resistance.

Seeing the manager’s stunned expression, Chen Yanzhi crossed his arms and lifted his chin warningly. “Old man, pay me what you owe. I quit!”

He had a backer now. Let’s see if this old guy dares to dock his pay again.

The manager looked at the imposing Alpha behind Chen Yanzhi and asked tentatively, “And you are…?”

He had spent decades scuffling in the Imperial City and could tell at a glance who could be provoked and who couldn’t. The man in front of him was definitely the latter.

The Alpha narrowed his eyes and spoke coldly, “Fu Tingyue.”

Chen Yanzhi acted like a human repeat button. “Yeah, his name is Fu Tingyue.”

Fu Tingyue added, “The eldest son of the Fu family.”

Chen Yanzhi nodded, lifting his chin with pride. “That’s right! He’s the Young Master of the Fu family. One word from him can make the Imperial City tremble. Can you afford to offend him?”

Chen Yanzhi played the role of the “fox borrowing the tiger’s prestige” to perfection. Even though he had no idea just how much weight the Fu family name carried, if Fu Tingyue said it, it had to be useful.

Fu Tingyue looked at Chen Yanzhi’s arrogant little expression and couldn’t help but smile. How can he be this cute no matter where he is?

Seeing the manager dazed, Chen Yanzhi said impatiently, “I’m telling you, if you don’t pay me my full salary right now, I’ll have them tear this shop down!”

After dropping the threat, he whispered to Fu Tingyue, “Can we afford the demolition?”

Fu Tingyue replied, “We can.”

Chen Yanzhi straightened his back even more, his face full of triumph.

The manager naturally knew the status of the Fu family. Hearing that the man was the Fu family’s eldest son, he immediately started bowing and scraping. He had the girl working the summer job calculate Chen Yanzhi’s pay.

Not only did he not dock any money, but he also gave an extra five hundred yuan, claiming it was a bonus for hard work.

After taking the money, Chen Yanzhi didn’t forget to warn the manager, “If you ever dock an employee’s pay without a good reason again, I’ll have him smash your shop.”

Normally, docking a few dozen yuan for being late or leaving early was standard, but the manager always took one or two hundred, pocketing the difference.

Fu Tingyue, who was being pointed at, covered his mouth to hide a smile and gave a hum of agreement as a threat.

The manager bowed repeatedly. “Yes, yes, Young Master Fu is right. I will never maliciously dock wages again.”

Chen Yanzhi said crossly, “I’m the one talking to you!”

The manager quickly corrected himself, “My apologies! I’m just too nervous. Young Master Chen is right. Please come back and visit whenever you have the chance.”

“The smell of this place makes me want to vomit. Who would come back?”

Chen Yanzhi prepared to drag Fu Tingyue away, but suddenly remembered something. He pulled out his phone with its shattered screen and found the contact info for his two former colleagues. He transferred fifteen hundred yuan to each of them, leaving himself with only five hundred.

Chen Yanzhi said to the girl, “With this fifteen hundred, you should have enough for your tuition now.”

The girl shook her head, deeply moved. “No! I can manage. You worked hard for this money.”

“Don’t worry, this guy is loaded.” Chen Yanzhi smiled and patted Fu Tingyue’s chest. “He’s taking care of me from now on. Take the money; let me know if it’s not enough.”

Then he turned to the other young man. “Your mother’s medical fees are due, and your payday is still a few days away. Take this and go pay them.”

The young man’s eyes instantly welled up with tears. “Thank you…”

Chen Yanzhi usually seemed difficult to approach, but he was actually very observant and thoughtful. They had never mentioned their struggles to him directly, but he had overheard them complaining to their families on the phone and took it to heart.

With only five hundred yuan of his salary left, Chen Yanzhi didn’t feel sad at all. He pulled Fu Tingyue to the staff room, changed into his own clothes, and left happily. Before walking out, he made sure to tell the manager not to bully the employees, only leaving once the manager repeatedly promised to comply.

After stepping into Fu Tingyue’s luxury car, Chen Yanzhi felt a brief moment of displacement, but he quickly made himself at home, casually resting his legs across Fu Tingyue’s lap.

“I still need to go to my basement to pack a few things,” he said lazily.

Fu Tingyue looked at him in shock. “You live in a basement?”

He couldn’t fathom how much hardship this pampered young master had endured in just one month.

“Yeah, I had no money and couldn’t afford a decent place.” Chen Yanzhi pulled his legs back and spoke with a grimace. “You have no idea how damp it is there. And the rats—I was too scared to catch them. They’d gnaw on the wardrobe every night, making these ‘crunch-crunch’ sounds. When I first arrived, I thought the place was haunted.”

Chen Yanzhi lowered his voice playfully, trying to spook Fu Tingyue, but he didn’t see fear in the other man’s eyes. Instead, he saw deep heartache.

He waved his hand awkwardly and lightened his tone. “I’m not scared anymore. I’m actually quite adaptable. I even dare to step on cockroaches now. Do you know how big the roaches in that basement are?”

He held up his thumb and index finger to demonstrate. “This big. Scary, right?”

He figured Fu Tingyue had probably never seen a rat or a cockroach in his life, which made him the braver one.

“It’s scary,” Fu Tingyue said, catching his hand and knitting his brows. “Weren’t you terrified, living in a place like that all alone?”

Chen Yanzhi pulled his hand back, acting indifferent. “I was at first, but I got used to it. Now I just tell myself it stays pretty cool in the summer.”

He didn’t want to see Fu Tingyue looking at him with such pity. Even though life had been hard, it wasn’t Fu Tingyue’s fault.

The world was vast, and he never expected to cross paths with his old rival so quickly. If Fu Tingyue hadn’t been lucky enough to transmigrate into the body of a wealthy heir, they might never have met again.

This was already the greatest stroke of luck. It had only been a month; while he had suffered, he could just chalk it up to a unique “life experience.” He had only lived a hand-to-mouth existence for a month, while some people lived that way their entire lives.

Fu Tingyue hadn’t expected Chen Yanzhi to comfort him. The old Chen Yanzhi would have definitely poked fun at him, boasted about not being afraid, and teased Fu Tingyue for being a coward.

“You’ll never have to live in a place like that again,” Fu Tingyue promised. “I’ll buy you a villa and hire plenty of people to take care of you.”

Chen Yanzhi’s eyes lit up. “Are you really that rich?”

Seeing his lively expression, the heavy weight in Fu Tingyue’s chest eased slightly. “Mhm. Certainly enough to support you.”

Chen Yanzhi leaned back against the headrest, resting his head on his hands. He smiled. “Don’t brag. I’ve only been ‘frugal’ for a month because I had to be. If you’re really that loaded, I can be quite the big spender.”

Fu Tingyue replied, “If you spend it, I’ll just earn more. I won’t let you suffer.”

Chen Yanzhi didn’t look at him. He turned his head to watch the city scenery blur past the window and suddenly said, “Help me sign up for the adult college entrance exams later. I want to go to school. This body has no education or degree, and finding a job is too hard.”

He still preferred to rely on himself. While being supported by Fu Tingyue sounded nice, he knew Fu Tingyue couldn’t stay single forever just for a friend. If Fu Tingyue’s future spouse turned out to be difficult, it wouldn’t be right for him to keep spending Fu Tingyue’s money.

The car drove into a prosperous district, a world away from where Chen Yanzhi had been staying. Although the Imperial City didn’t have many dilapidated areas, his old neighborhood looked like a slum compared to this.

On his phone, Chen Yanzhi sent a scathing message to his mean landlord. After telling him where the keys were, he transferred two hundred yuan to pay for a professional cleaning service.

After all that, he was left with only three hundred yuan.

Chen Yanzhi looked at his balance of 320 yuan and bumped his shoulder against Fu Tingyue’s. “Add me on WeChat.”

Fu Tingyue quickly brought up his QR code. Once they were connected, Chen Yanzhi transferred 150 yuan to him.

Fu Tingyue was confused. “What’s this for?”

Chen Yanzhi smiled. “It’s my first bucket of gold. I want to share the joy with you. I earned that one milk tea at a time.”

He used to think his first major earnings would be in the millions; he never expected it to be three hundred yuan. But the experience wasn’t bad, especially since it led him back to Fu Tingyue.

Fu Tingyue didn’t refuse. He accepted the transfer and then handed Chen Yanzhi a bank card. “This is my first bucket of gold. I want to share it with you, too.”

Chen Yanzhi’s eyes sparkled as he took the card. “Wow, talk about a high return on investment. What’s the balance?”

Fu Tingyue couldn’t resist ruffling Chen Yanzhi’s hair. “Three million. I’ll transfer more once you’ve spent it.”

“The gap between people…” Chen Yanzhi started to self-deprecate but then stopped. “No, it’s just the gap between our starting identities.”

Fu Tingyue nodded in agreement. “True. If our roles were reversed, I definitely wouldn’t have been as capable as you.”

Chen Yanzhi couldn’t help but feel a swell of pride. “I was pretty impressive, wasn’t I?”

If his parents knew what kind of life he had lived this past month, they would be both proud and heartbroken. But they couldn’t go back.

Chen Yanzhi lowered his head, his mood suddenly dipping. He wanted to ask if they could ever return home, but with a driver and bodyguards in the car, he couldn’t speak freely. People would think he was insane and ship him off to a hospital—a fear he’d nearly faced before.

Sensing his shift in mood, Fu Tingyue reached out and took his hand in a silent gesture of comfort.

For the first time, Chen Yanzhi let him. He even squeezed back, drawing warmth from Fu Tingyue’s palm.

From now on, he and Fu Tingyue would have only each other to rely on.

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