The Sickly Double Doesn't Want to Be Spoiled - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Assistant Song did not reply to the message.

The next day, when Meng Yuan woke up, the chat interface was empty; there wasn’t a single message.

He even thought that the original owner might have turned on some setting to block messages. He spent a long time tinkering with the WeChat interface before finally confirming that it wasn’t a failure to receive them; it was simply that, from beginning to end, not a single person had looked for the original owner.

“How pitiful.”

“Yeah, truly pitiful…”

On the other side of the wall, the nurses were gossiping in secret.

“To be fair, he is a young master of the Meng family; they could at least send someone, even just to put on an act.”

“Speaking of which, it seems Assistant Song from Lingjiang came yesterday. Could the news of the marriage alliance be true?”

“Ah, no way? This is Lingjiang we’re talking about. If it were true, the Meng family would be laughing in secret; how could they possibly throw the young master here all alone?”

“Who knows.”

Meng Yuan slowly climbed down from the bed. His head was still dizzy, so his movements were exceptionally careful.

Thinking about the nurses’ words, he rubbed his face sheepishly. How did he manage to end up doing so poorly in every world?

No, Meng Yuan even felt this “young master” was doing worse than he had.

At least he had many friends; although everyone was so poor they didn’t know where their next meal was coming from, they would share strawberries with him.

Those were incredibly expensive strawberries!

Meng Yuan had never been willing to spend the money to buy them for himself.

However, this time everyone called him “young master.” Since he was a young master, he shouldn’t be too poor, right?

He should be able to achieve “strawberry freedom” in a room with a window!

Meng Yuan felt so happy it didn’t seem real.

He walked into the bathroom with light steps to wash up and brush his teeth. When he leaned over to spit out the foam, some streaks of blood came out in the sink.

Meng Yuan was startled. He remembered that this body seemed to have leukemia, but was “cured.”

According to the doctor’s words, if there wasn’t a bone marrow transplant, he probably only had a few years left.

In the novel, this character seemed to live for two years.

Two years.

Meng Yuan repeated the number silently in his heart.

It seemed to be enough.

He was originally already dead; these two years were essentially gained out of thin air.

Meng Yuan knew that any good thing had a time limit, especially a “rich life experience card” obtained for free.

The blood streaks in the sink were washed away. Meng Yuan washed his face and looked into the mirror.

The youth in the mirror had a clean face. Fitting the identity of a young master, his skin was clean and tender, without a single trace of being battered by wind or rain.

Perhaps because of the illness, his complexion was exceptionally pale, and his lips were dry and bloodless.

As Meng Yuan looked, he became a bit dazed.

Even though the facial features were the same, there was a world of difference compared to his past self.

When he was a child, he was praised everywhere for being delicate and handsome. Later, his family fell into debt, and he had to drop out of school early to work everywhere to pay it off.

He did any kind of work and earned any kind of money. After working on construction sites for several years, being scorched by the sun in summer and suffering the bitter cold in winter, his face no longer showed its original appearance.

Only now did Meng Yuan know that if he had grown up normally, he would look like this.

After finishing washing up and coming out, there was an extra person in the ward.

Assistant Song had changed into a different suit, still looking efficient, holding a manila envelope in his hand.

There was a sofa right behind him, but he did not sit, merely standing quietly to the side.

Meng Yuan quickly hurried to his steps: “Assistant Song, good morning.”

“Good morning,” Song Zhen nodded. “Young Master Meng.”

He opened the manila envelope and took out a folder: “This is the newly drafted contract. Please take a look to see if there are any areas that need modification. If there are no issues, you can sign.”

The ward had a dedicated guest area. Song Zhen led Meng Yuan to sit on the sofa and laid the folder open before him.

Meng Yuan flipped through it casually. This version was almost identical to the torn version he saw last night; the responsibilities and obligations of both parties after the contract marriage were also drafted in great detail.

Meng Yuan flipped directly to the last page and pointed to the blank space: “Do I just sign here?”

“Yes,” Song Zhen said. Seeing Meng Yuan pick up the pen and prepare to sign his name directly, he couldn’t help but say: “Are you not going to look at it a bit more carefully?”

This contract had at least twenty-some pages and over a hundred additional items. For Meng Yuan to sign after such a casual flip-through, he really wasn’t afraid of being cheated.

Meng Yuan looked up and gave Song Zhen a somewhat surprised glance.

“It’s fine, if I sign it, I sign it.” He smiled. “Thank you for reminding me.”

Song Zhen: “…”

He hadn’t really intended to “remind” him of anything.

The assistant looked at the boy before him, whose smile was so pure it was almost a bit silly, and couldn’t help but feel somewhat confused.

The Meng family was not a peaceful place; there were many people and many schemes. Children there grew up fighting for favor from a young age. Could someone like Meng Yuan really live to adulthood?

However, everyone knows how to disguise themselves. Perhaps Meng Yuan was using this pure disguise to escape conflict; that was also a possibility.

In short, this wasn’t something for an assistant of another family to worry about.

Seeing that Meng Yuan had finished signing, Song Zhen opened an ink pad and handed it to him: “Just press a thumbprint here.”

Meng Yuan obediently followed the instructions.

The matter was settled in a matter of minutes; even Song Zhen felt it went incredibly smoothly.

He left Meng Yuan’s copy behind and took the other back, saying to Meng Yuan: “Then, if Young Master Meng has nothing else, I will leave first. The doctor says you still need to rest for a few days before being discharged. I will come to pick you up in three days.”

“Okay,” Meng Yuan nodded. “Thank you for your hard work.”

“It’s part of my job,” Song Zhen said. “By the way, according to our boss, you will certainly have to move in after marriage. We will find a house for you. Do you have any requirements for the place where you will live?”

Meng Yuan didn’t expect that he could actually make requests.

He instinctively waved his hand, habitually not wanting to trouble others: “No, no, you can just arrange it however you like.”

Assistant Song smiled: “It’s no problem. You can raise any needs you have.”

“Re… Really?” Meng Yuan was a bit tempted.

“Of course.”

Song Zhen was already prepared to give away several luxury villas.

It was just a few properties; to Lu Cong, this was just a negligible trifle, not even enough to bother him. Song Zhen could handle it with full authority.

“I want the place I live in… to have a slightly larger window,” Meng Yuan said cautiously.

A window?

Song Zhen paused.

Meng Yuan watched the other’s expression carefully. Seeing that he didn’t speak, and thinking it was because the other person looked down on his greed, he quickly added:

“Just a little bit larger is fine, so that sunlight can peek in.”

Song Zhen pondered for a moment and understood in his heart.

So, he had a requirement for the lighting.

After all, he was a young master of the Meng family; people of this social class all had their own special quirks regarding residences.

Song Zhen had seen many strange people who firmly believed in Feng Shui. Compared to them, Meng Yuan’s request could almost be described as easy.

“Alright,” Song Zhen said. “I will arrange it for you. Please rest well; I will come to pick you up in three days.”

…

Three days later.

Accompanied by Assistant Song, Meng Yuan sat in a business car the likes of which he had never touched in his life. Under the scorching sun, they drove into a quiet villa district.

Mottled shadows of trees fell. Meng Yuan looked at the lakes and maple forests flashing past the car window, seeing the lake surface seemingly endless, holding the entire sky in the water.

He felt a strong sense of unreality.

Was he really moving into a place like this?

All along, his relationship with this kind of building was like that of an ant to a nest.

Covered in dust and grime, he would carry bags of cement, lay brick after brick, and use steel bars to build the skeleton of a castle only to receive a meager salary and eat a bowl of plain noodles on the street.

Moving into such a place was something he didn’t even dare to dream about.

The car drove into the underground garage, and Assistant Song led him into a house filled with sunlight.

It was evening now. They didn’t turn on the lights; the sunset glow shone through the windows, filling the house like a crystal.

This villa had three floors. The area of just Meng Yuan’s room was almost as large as a whole flat. It had a 270-degree panoramic window, with sunlight pouring in from all directions.

Meng Yuan couldn’t help but reach out his hand. The sunlight passed through the gaps between his fingers, forming golden beams of light.

“Are you satisfied?” Song Zhen stood behind him.

Meng Yuan returned to his senses and nodded, overwhelmed by the favor: “Satisfied, this is too good.”

“As long as you are satisfied. However, there is one point I should explain to you beforehand: you are not the first ‘person’ to use this house,” Song Zhen said. “But you can rest assured, the entire house has been thoroughly disinfected and cleaned. Everything from the furniture and decorations to the bedsheets and quilt covers has been newly replaced.”

“Has someone lived here before?” Meng Yuan asked instinctively. “It’s fine, I don’t mind.”

Assistant Song’s expression became a bit strange: “Uh, it wasn’t a person.”

“?”

Meng Yuan’s brain stalled for a second.

Not a person? If it wasn’t a person, what could it be?

A house isn’t used for people to live in—could it be used for ghosts?

Instantly, Meng Yuan’s spine felt a bit cold.

He looked around. In such a bright house and warm environment, even though there were only he and Assistant Song in the vast space, it didn’t feel eerie at all. Clearly, the Feng Shui was very good; how could it be haunted?

But thinking about it, it made sense. If such a good house weren’t haunted, how could it be his turn to live here?

Meng Yuan gritted his teeth.

Forget it, even if it’s haunted, he’s living here!

Anyway, he only had two years left before he became a ghost himself; he would just treat it as adapting in advance.

“It’s okay,” Meng Yuan forced himself to be calm. “I’ll go ask for a few talismans to stick up.”

“Talismans?” For the first time, a look of surprise appeared on Song Zhen’s face. Feeling slightly awkward, he tried to discourage him: “Young Master Meng, I suggest talismans won’t be necessary. A Feng Shui master has checked it; the magnetic field here is very good.”

“But didn’t you say it was haunted?”

“When did I…” Song Zhen was also dazed. He froze for two seconds before reacting, laughing in spite of himself: “I meant that cats lived here before. Many, many cats.”

A few years ago, during a typhoon, heavy rain fell for several days straight. People suffered, and the stray cats on the streets were drowned in large numbers.

While Lu Cong donated money for disaster relief, he also rescued all the cats that hadn’t quite died.

Considering the large number and that cats like to bask in the sun, he used this vacant villa with excellent lighting to temporarily house the cats.

It wasn’t until they were healed one by one and adopted out that this villa became empty again, remaining unoccupied since then.

The news media that reported on this event back then were by no means few. Even if Meng Yuan lived in a vacuum, he should have heard something.

Song Zhen was a bit surprised: “You didn’t know?”

Meng Yuan was unable to speak for a moment.

Of course he didn’t know.

His worldview was overturned once again.

In the past, he also liked to help some stray cats and dogs, but the most he could do was leave some food and water for them.

It turned out that the way rich people helped animals was to casually bring out such a large villa for stray kittens to live in…

“Young Master Meng?”

Seeing that Meng Yuan remained silent, Song Zhen thought he was unwilling to live in a house where stray kittens had lived.

“My apologies, Young Master Meng,” Song Zhen immediately proposed a solution: “I will help you change to another set immediately.”

“No,” Meng Yuan waved his hand. “No need, no need. This place is very good.”

He pinched his fingers awkwardly: “I was just thinking… Mr. Lu is truly kind-hearted.”

Kind-hearted?

Song Zhen almost laughed out loud.

Did Lu Cong have anything to do with the words “kind-hearted”?

This young master surely didn’t think people like Lu Cong did charity just because they were kind, right?

A good reputation that could be bought with a little money was the lowest cost thing for them; of course, they were happy to do it.

This logic was something a child who grew up in the Meng family couldn’t possibly fail to understand.

Song Zhen took it as polite talk, so he also gave a polite smile.

“That is natural. The boss is the chairman of the city’s Charity Association, and Lingjiang Group has always been committed to supporting the development of national charitable causes, hoping to contribute a modest amount of strength.”

He spoke a few lines of official jargon and then said to Meng Yuan: “Since you don’t mind it, please settle in here first. The walk-in closet has daily clothes and several sets of formal wear prepared for you. You can slowly add other things according to your personal preference.”

Meng Yuan’s life had never been arranged so properly.

He only wanted a room with a window, but he ended up living in a palace.

Even if the right to use the palace only lasted for two years, to Meng Yuan, it already felt like a dream.

“It’s really very good, no need to add anything more,” Meng Yuan said seriously.

Assistant Song smiled: “Then please rest well. I will return to the company first. You can contact me directly for any follow-up matters.”

“Okay, thank you.”

After seeing off Assistant Song.

Meng Yuan returned to the room and re-examined the place where he would live for the next two years.

He delicately felt the walls, felt the table, felt the ornaments, carefully tensing his fingers as if afraid of breaking something.

Then he walked to the window. Facing the sunset-filled sky, he slowly pressed his cheek against the glass.

The glass, scorched by the sun all day, was hot; after being neutralized by the air conditioning in the room, it became pleasantly warm.

Meng Yuan was unwilling to close his eyes. His fingers lightly traced the clean glass, and the blood in his chest was burning hot.

He had only ever lived in a semi-basement, where every breath of air he took was the turbid smell of the sewers.

At that time, his dream was to have a small house of his own.

If only he could also have a small house…

It didn’t need to be this big, as long as it had a clean and bright window.

If only he could live a few more years…

Meng Yuan was suddenly startled awake.

He slapped his own face hard.

What are you thinking? Too greedy, too greedy. He had only just received a little benefit and had already begun to fantasize about more.

His restless heart cooled down little by little. Meng Yuan kept firmly in mind that these two years of life were already a luxury.

Living these two years well would be good enough.

He warned himself not to be greedy for more.

The phone rang. Meng Yuan took it out to look; it was a bank transfer.

He clicked in without much defense and was immediately frightened by the astronomical figure. The phone hit the floor with a thud.

The villa was quiet, and the sound made Meng Yuan’s ears ache.

He picked up the phone with heartache, and only after repeatedly confirming it wasn’t broken did he breathe a sigh of relief.

This was the latest top-tier model; Meng Yuan had only seen their site foreman use one.

He clicked the text message again and began to count the zeros after the balance: “1, 2, 3…”

The more he counted, the more his hands shook: “6, 7, 8…”

So many zeros.

Meng Yuan had never seen so many zeros in his life.

Even when he was working as a janitor in a gay bar, he hadn’t seen this many zeros!

He was so dizzy he couldn’t stand and tumbled onto the sofa in a daze.

He simply lay down.

It wasn’t until five minutes later that he recovered a bit. He crawled up stubbornly and opened the phone again.

Wait, it seems too much money was given.

According to the contract, the other party would first pay him half of the amount, and wait until the contract ended normally in two years to pay the remaining half.

Meng Yuan looked carefully at the phone and confirmed that the other party had directly transferred everything.

Meng Yuan was an honest person.

He was an honest person with incredibly bad luck, who had never received a single windfall since he was a child.

And because he was unwilling to spend 2 dollars to buy a lottery ticket, he had never won a prize.

Without thinking, he opened WeChat.

[Meng Yuan: Assistant Song, you transferred too much money to me! Quick, give me a card number, I’ll return half to you!]

[/Serious Old Man.jpg]

He gripped the phone nervously, waiting for Assistant Song’s reply.

Such a large amount of money must be a huge mistake.

He didn’t even dare to think about how much suffering Assistant Song would have to endure if Lu Cong found out.

Although Meng Yuan had never been a white-collar worker, he had worked many jobs.

He knew all leaders were the same killing without drawing blood!