33 33.
The nurses are gone.
The doctor did his last check up.
His assistant dutifully delivered an overnight bag and meals sent by the chef.
His security team reported their work to him.
Chen Kai finally had time to absorb the happenings from earlier till now.
It was surreal. He may be a retired Transmigrator, living in fantasy worlds and reenacting roles many people reads about but he doesn't know how wide the universe is. Each star he traveled to has a different concept of life and how it began, and the concept of death and the after life are either dismissed or explained in a simple phrase.
Eternal sleep.
As a soul traveler, he knew basic knowledge of the afterlife. Before he came to this star, he believed that his duties were completed and he will be granted indefinite rest. Reincarnation wasn't in his thoughts, nor rebirth in his original body. Now that he was given this life, he began to think deeper into things.
Those in charge gave the past Chen Kai the option to reincarnate and even allowed him to pass on a few words.
Now. Another anomaly appeared. Vance.
How did he come to this star? Is it a coincidence he found the body of the child Chen Kai cared for? Isn't there a whole organization who deals with souls after the death of their bodies?
Chen Kai sighed heavily and rubbed his shoulders tiredly. His brain was aching. Once again his world views were broken. He should be used to this but the probability of that is less than 5%.
Looking at the kid in the large hospital bed, he waved his hand in that direction and removed the sleep spell that was casted. 'XiaoYan' will get a more natural sleep and wake on his own.
He moved to take a quick shower and dressed in a pair of casual sweatpants and t-shirt. After eating and setting aside some for XiaoYan, he climbed into the bed reserved for parents and placed his focus on what really happened to the kid.
Reading the injury report from the school and the accompanying comments given to the police who came to investigate, Chen Kai's thoughts were right.
This matter stopped at the school. The police surprisingly got busy and marked the injury case as 'roughhousing between children/mistaken injury'. They turned a blind eye to the complaints XiaoYan put to the teachers and blew past the fact that two names were consistent in those reports.
Chen Kai had a bitter smile on his face.
This was common in any society, no matter the world or dimension. The weak have no voice, the strong will speak.
Based on the memories of the old soul, XiaoYan's life was pitiful. If it wasn't for his intervention three years ago, the child would have cut his lifeline before its true end. Chen Kai helped him with his schoolwork, made sure he had warm meals, and gave him pocket money. He spoke and cared for XiaoYan as a big brother doting on his little brother. His attention gave XiaoYan a bit more confidence.
But.
That didn't stop the bullying.
His home life was revealed by gossiping teachers that were overheard by students. On top of that, the reason for his one character name.
Turning to the sleeping child, a wave of sadness washed over Chen Kai. He didn't need to say it out loud nor think of it. He knows.
He knows the real XiaoYan has left.
"Don't worry. Big Brother will deal with those brats. You're Chen Kai's little brother," he said softly. Opening the chatbox to his personal AI, Argon, he gave the little dragon his orders then proceeded to create an idle account.
The best way to deal with these types of people is to hurt their pockets. Without the few million coming in, do they dare be arrogant and let their bear children run rampant?
Argon revealed the information he gathered on the two families that were involved.
The Han and Zhang families.
One is a family who owns a few shops in middle and high tier districts and the other is a Real Estate development company. Both earn 10-15 Million yuan annually, providing that their clients are happy and paying on time. The backgrounds are not powerful as most, they both were getting out of the title 'Upstarts'. The lavish living reflected on their children.
Those two sons are the bullies of XiaoYan. Every mishap is covered up by the parents with the connections they fostered over the years. This time they paid XiaoYan's aunt a bit of compensation. She's an experienced adult. It won't take two brain cells to figure out the underlying meaning when approached.
Reading through the more thorough information Argon retrieved, wild laughter left Chen Kai's lips.
"Ah~ Fate works in mysterious ways."
Zhang Jun's company rents two floors in his Fanrong Building. The previous owner of the building was hands-off, leaving the running to a manager. The manager and Zhang Jun are buddies. The very loyal buddy has the habit of turning a blind eye to whatever Zhang Jun does and has given the guy extensions on the lease negotiation for the past two times, even placing discounts on the price.
The floors in the Fanrong building are on a 2 to 4 year lease due to how fast the economy is in Nanjing. One can be successful today and fail tomorrow.
It so happens, that Zhang Jun's buddy gave him another extension on time for the lease. That time was running out. Xiao Wei hasn't made any moves yet, as per Chen Kai's instructions he was to help establish the company and get to know the other companies in the building.
"Alright. Just this once I'll do some heavy lifting." Sending word to Xiao Wei about checking the company and getting things rolling in the building, Chen Kai moved to the more detailed information on the Han family.
"Oh. You have two bear children and the eldest is so unruly. What should I do? What should I do?~"
Chen Kai's fingers danced across the keyboards as he put everything in place. He couldn't wait to see their reactions the next day.
~~~~~~~
The night moved slowly for many but for few, it was too fast. Chen Kai was able to get some sleep after everything was perfect and had a short conversation with Su Lian.
He fell asleep with his phone in his hand with the interface showing his chat with Su Lian and his laptop still brightly lit.
There was a little animated dragon swimming across the screen, closing unused windows and monitoring its master through the web camera.
The laptop shifted and its master is no longer seen.
The AI focused on this interloper. When the person came into view, it greeted them perfunctorily. Chen Kai updated its personal database to recognize those close to him.
Argon recognized the young man in its scope instantly.
{Hello, Second Young Master Yan. How may I help you tonight?}
The little boy looked around to find the person who spoke but found no one. He looked at the sleeping Chen Kai and frowned in confusion. He woke up a few minutes ago and finally got the strength to leave the bed. His memories are now sorted. What's left is to assimilate with the body of a twelve-year-old again.
{The device you're holding, second young master. I am Argon, Artificial Intelligence. I was designed to help the current master. Due to the upgrades my master has given to me, I can help him better. You can speak to me from any device.}
"Oh, then you're close to a spiritual beast, as time goes by you will gain sentience," 'XiaoYan' stated.
{That comparison is 70% correct.}
XiaoYan looked at Chen Kai with a complicated expression. It was hard to believe what happened. He was alive once more and his brother was here. He wanted to wake his brother but stopped. "Brother Emperor always works so hard for others. It's best to let him sleep," he said softly.
{Young Master Kai left a handwritten note for you on the table.}
"How did you know?" XiaoYan was curious about this AI. He gingerly lifted the sleek device and moved towards the only table in the room. As Argon said, Chen Kai's bold handwriting was seen on the sticky note on a thermos.
{Master gave me permission to enter the surveillance cameras around the hospital. His image was captured from the outside.}
"That's pretty interesting."
{Master is very thorough.}
XiaoYan grinned at those words.
Placing the laptop on the table, he quietly sat on the chair and read the note.
' The blue container has fresh ginger slices and two servings of honey. Drink the tea first then eat the meal in the thermos in descending order. You may be tired after. Take a shower and go back to bed.
- Sleep well, Vincent/Kai'
XiaoYan chuckled and looked over his shoulder at Chen Kai. "Very thorough."
Thanks to the memories of the child, 'XiaoYan' moved around efficiently. From using the kettle to taking the shower, the seemingly useless modern things to most were quite novel to him. When he was eating, he asked Argon to provide him with recent information about this world and a breakdown of its history to better acclimate himself. There were a few similarities from his home world but there was a huge gap in difference. There was no language barrier. Academically he will be fine but social etiquette will take some time. He was no longer a prince of an empire, he was common folk now.
Argon's companionship helped him in many ways. His confusion was no more and his body was close to being wholly his. Talking also helped him come to terms with things he questioned in the past. Gaining these answers brought clarity to his mind.
Sitting on the bed with the laptop being charged beside him, XiaoYan was reading the file Argon retrieved about this child he's now living as.
"No last name only one given name. No parents. Relatives are non-existent. Excellent academically. A good kid if brother cared for him." He lapsed into silence.
"That's why you were so picky."
'XiaoYan' wandered into this present plane as Prince Vance met the original soul. The child was weak, his astral body was constantly fading but he was resolute in his final words. The caretaker who came to escort him to Samsara gave him a chance to choose a righteous soul to carry out his fate line.
This was a gift given from above.
It turned out he was one of the few who had a tied fate that must go on. Since he fell into a dire mishap and his soul was weak, a soul must be chosen to continue his fate.
The child found Vance and asked him for help because of his strong soul power and high karma.
Vance wanted to refuse but the child explained why he was picky. He wanted someone to be by his brother's side. They were both alone in that world and it would have hurt Chen Kai if he was to go away completely.
Vance thought of how he left his brother abruptly and couldn't help but sympathize. He wanted to find a way back to his brother even if it was just to see if he was happy. The caretaker told him a few vague words 'Fate has a way of blessing us.' Before he can retort, the child placed a purple pearl in his hands and gave him a message to give to his brother.
"Reuniting with brother is my fate's blessing?" 'XiaoYan' said to himself. Once again he looked at the familiar stranger, then at his small hands. He was no longer Prince Vance of the Maison Empire. He is now XiaoYan of China.
Gaining a new life depends on one's fate and he felt thankful to those above.
"Crap, I have to go through puberty again."
He didn't know when he fell asleep but when he woke, his body felt refreshed. The aches were gone and his mind was clear. As per routine, he checked his body for unseen danger or foreign energy.
There was only his brother's spiritual energy.
Sitting up, his sleepy haze-filled eyes cleared, allowing him to view his room better. Low voices reached his ears, he followed the sounds and saw his brother and another man speaking while the latter helped him with his cuff links.
"Everything... the company..."
"Hmmm... you've got the sizes and style..... later on..."
Pieces of their conversation were heard but they didn't make any sense to him. He didn't pay attention to it, he was too focused on Chen Kai.
There was no crown, no throne. No special guards at his side nor the family sword. There was nothing to tell an outsider that the man who stood majestically in the room was one of the fiercest emperors of the Maison Empire. All that was needed was to be in his presence. His voice and his bearing were the markings of a king.
Simply sitting a few steps away from the man, XiaoYan felt that familiar aura. This was his brother, no matter the world or body, he knows brother.
"Shall I retrain you?"
XiaoYan flinched when he heard Chen Kai's stern voice. He rushed from the bed and stood before him when he turned around.
Amused black eyes gazed down at him, XiaoYan grinned and threw his body against his brother's. Chen Kai's laughter filled the room as he hugged the little brat in his arms.
"Good morning, big brother." There was a sob lodged in his throat when he spoke, it took a lot of willpower to keep the tears at bay. He didn't want to be seen as a weak child so he buried his face in Chen Kai's chest and stayed there for a while.
"So Troublesome." Chen Kai gestured for Xiao Wei to leave the room. In a few minutes, he had to leave for the company and deal with the custody issues.
When the door was shut, XiaoYan stepped back and looked at Chen Kai solemnly. "Did we win?" he asked softly.
"Yes. A third of our army was in ties with the enemy kingdom, Jakob was the leader."
13:36
"Enis. How did she... "
Chen Kai didn't want to answer; he felt guilty about this too. Enis was Vance's chosen fiance, a baron's daughter who loved the favored prince.
"She followed you."
The answer was like a whisper but XiaoYan heard it. He clenched his fists, trying to chase away the heartache. He didn't expect his love to do that. Upon his death, he wished her a good life from the bottom of his heart.
Taking a deep breath, he asked one last question. "Did you die happy?"
A sad smile was on Chen Kai's face. He thought of his last moments and his feelings. He wasn't truly happy, only contented.
"I was content with the life I lived."
XiaoYan nodded his head and went to the sofa. Raising his arms, he saw the bruises were gone, and the scratch marks were barely visible. "When can I leave? Where do you live on this land?" he asked.
"You will be discharged after lunch. I have some errands to run but the attendant I assigned to you will bring you to me. A few things are prepared for you including a tablet. Later we will do a little shopping and expose you to this world. It is different but it's home."
"I think it's fun. I saw so many interesting places through the report Argon gave me. Would we visit those places?" XiaoYan's bright smile eased Chen Kai's worries.
"I plan to. Now that you're here it's a firm plan."
XiaoYan gave him a firm nod and stretched forth his hand to seal the promise. Chen Kai shook his hand once then moved into a quick pinky promise.
The two stayed in companionable silence and looked at the waking surroundings through the window. It was another sunny day filled with unexpected gains or losses. For the brothers, it was a start to their new life. Chen Kai no longer felt alone in the world, and XiaoYan has reunited with his brother.
"The child..."
".... What did he say?"
"He said thank you for being his family and he has no regrets."
~~~~~~~
It took a while but Chen Kai left the hospital on time. When he left the room, Xiao Wei saw the slight redness around his friend's eyes and didn't comment on it.
Chen Kai was driven to the company in Urus S. After confirming XiaoYan's care, he idly went through his phone and opened the unread messages on WeChat. A friend and group invite was waiting for him to accept. Checking the name and the message attached, he accepted it with no specific thoughts in mind. He ignored it and went into the group chat with the girls.
Knowing that they will be curious about last night, he explain to them in full details about XiaoYan's situation. They were all giddy about having a little brother to spoil. His lips twitched in high amusement, thinking of his reckless 19-year-old brother being pampered in a 12-year-old body.
So much future black material to collect.
Thinking of collection .....
'System. Sign In.'
Before the system could give him his inheritance, a WeChat message popped up, followed by the rising number of messages in the new group chat he entered.
Mu Zui: Classmate Chen, thank heavens you accepted. I thought it was the wrong number Tang Yue gave me. It's a bit rude to have people waiting but if you're
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