"Shaoyang, there's something I need to tell you in advance."

"Hmm, go ahead."

"In our hometown, when a girl gets married, the boy must prepare at least 500,000 yuan as a dowry."

"500,000 yuan? Is the dowry in your place so expensive?"

"500,000 yuan is okay. The high ones here go for over a million."

"But now, my monthly salary is only 8,000 yuan. After subtracting food expenses and rent, I can only save 5,000 yuan a month at most. When will I be able to marry you? Or you can ask your mother if she could lower the amount. I promise you that I will be good to you after we get married."

"My mother said that the dowry is the guarantee of marriage. If the man cannot afford it, it just means that he lacks capability."

"Sweetheart, can you wait a few more years for me? I'll marry you once I've saved enough money."

"Alright, let's stop talking about this. One of my friends is having a birthday party tonight, so you don't have to wait for me."

"Which friend?"

"It's eleven o'clock already, darling, aren't you coming back?"

...

"Shaoyang, are you angry?"

"No."

"You are angry. I called you at noon and you didn't pick up."

"I'm busy."

"Shao Yang, do you have to be this way? I just spent the night at a friend's place."

"I really am busy."

"Suit yourself then. I don't want to explain anymore. Explaining is just making excuses. If you don’t believe me, it doesn’t matter how much I say."

"Baby, I really was in a meeting at noon. I'm not mad at you."

"Really?"

"Mm."

"The National Day holiday is coming up, where are we going this year?"

"There are crowds everywhere during the National Day holiday. How about we don’t go anywhere this year and save some money."

"Money, money, money, all you think about is money. Is money that important?"

"Baby, I earn money to marry you."

"Okay, I forgive you."

"

Red packet

"

"I have to work late tonight, baby, don't wait up for me. Go to bed early."

"Love you."

...

"

Image

"

"Why?"

"Who sent you this picture?"

"Didn't you say last time that it was your friend's birthday? How come you ended up in a bar?"

"I... My friend and I just hung out in the bar for a while."

"Then who's the guy next to you?"

"He's a friend of my friend."

"A friend of a friend? Do you think I'm blind? You're leaning against him."

"Shao Yang, do you have to be so petty? You're working overtime every day. What’s wrong with me going out to have fun with my friends? You can't accompany me all the time. Besides, nothing happened between him and me. We just sat together."

"What else did you want to happen?!"

"If that's what you think, I don't know what to say. But you weren't like this before. Do you not love me anymore?"

"When I'm working hard to make money and want to marry you, you're fooling around with other men in the bar. If you were in my shoes, how would you feel?"

"I have told you many times, nothing happened between him and me. If you don’t believe me, ask Du Li Li; she was there that night."

"Shao Yang, please come home earlier today. I will explain it to you clearly."

...

"Shaoyang, I've successfully passed the interview; tomorrow, I'll be a trainee at Donghuang Entertainment."

"Really? Congratulations!"

"But I have to go to the Donghuang Entertainment training base for three months, so I won't be able to be with you during this period."

"You're going for three months?"

"Mhm."

"Alright then, I’ll see you off when you leave."

"That's not necessary. You don’t even have a car. I’ve already packed my luggage, and I'll set off tonight."

"That's quite sudden, isn’t it?"

"That’s the company’s requirement; I have no choice. Also, Shaoyang, I've taken the bank card you kept in the drawer. I’ll need money when I get there."

"But...that's the betrothal gift money I saved."

"Haha, just consider it as an advance."

...

"Shaoyang, you've seen everything, haven’t you?"

"Shaoyang, we are all adults, can’t you be a bit more practical?"

"Shao Yang, speak up!"

"How long have you been with him?"

"Not long..."

"Do you know that to see you, I have worked for ten consecutive days just to get two days off? I wanted to surprise you, but I didn't expect…"

"Song Li, have you ever really loved me from the beginning? Have you ever thought about marrying me?"

"If you had been able to provide a dowry of half a million six months ago, I might have married you. But, your monthly salary is only eight thousand yuan. Do you think I could be happy marrying you?"

"I didn't realize you were this type of person."

"Shao Yang, now that you've seen it, I won't hide it anymore. He is the planning department manager of our company. He helped me get signed with Eastern Emperor Entertainment. Shao Yang, let's end it here. When I find the time, I'll come back to pack my things."

"Are you breaking up with me?"

"There's no future between us."

"You're ending a five-year relationship just like that?"

"That's it. I'm off to training."

…

"So, you're Song Li's ex-boyfriend?"

"Who are you?"

"I'm her current boyfriend. Adding you on WeChat is to make one thing clear: stop pestering her. She has been making rapid progress recently, and the company will soon let her participate in a talent show. You and her are not meant to be.

However, as a man, I really feel sorry for you. I heard that you two were together for five years. I initially thought you must have been intimate already, but to my surprise, she was a virgin. This is the first time I've encountered such a situation during my years working at the company."

"Son of a bitch!"

"You are free to curse. Apart from throwing some verbal abuses, people like you can't do anything else. But if you keep bothering Song Li, don't blame me for being rude."

"Bastard, screw you!"

...

Exiting the WeChat conversation screen, Shao Yang's head was still heavy.

The rented room was incredibly messy.

Clothes casually piled on the bed, the trash bin knocked over, over a dozen 500ml beer cans scattered messily on the floor, and the air reeked of alcohol.

At the moment Shao Yang put down his phone, the original owner's memories flooded into his brain.

Shao Yang, twenty-four years old, born in an eighteenth-tier small city, family of four - parents and a younger sister. Graduated from Music and Computer Science at the Magic Capital's Music Academy, currently working at an advertising company.

Just yesterday, his girlfriend of five years, Song Li, broke up with him. Shortly after, her new boyfriend somehow added Shao Yang on WeChat, and thoroughly embarrassed him.

The original owner was distraught, planning to commit suicide while drunk, but unexpectedly, he got blackout drunk and died.

And so,

Another Shao Yang from a parallel universe found himself here.

Both men were named Shao Yang, and their backgrounds were quite similar, yet their paths in life diverged significantly.

The current Shao Yang, in this parallel universe, was discovered by talent scouts before graduation. He stood out among the many trainees in a boy band talent show, and after his debut, with the promotion of his company and his own hard work, he rapidly ascended to domestic second-tier stardom, even jumping to the first-tier at the pinnacle of his career.

However, at age thirty-two, he was diagnosed with stomach cancer and, in the end…

His two sets of memories slowly fused together in his mind, leaving Shao Yang somewhat bewildered. He struggled to stand up, pushed the window open, and a cool breeze drifted into the room, gradually calming his thoughts.

"What is this? Time travel? Or rebirth?"

"Strictly speaking, this should be considered time travel. After all, although the two worlds have more than ninety-five percent similarity, there are many differences."

"Huh, I guess I escaped death."

For someone who was tortured by illness in a hospital bed just yesterday, having a healthy body is more of a joy than receiving a million, ten million, or even a billion.

Shao Yang picked up his phone and looked again at the chat history, smiling wryly and shaking his head: "You're truly a hopeless, pitiful puppy-love."

"But since I've taken over your body now, as an act of gratitude, I'll help you vent this grievance."

Shao Yang took a deep breath and stepped into the compact bathroom.

Looking at his somewhat haggard face in the mirror, Shao Yang murmured to himself, "The conditions aren't too bad. I should look alright after a bit of grooming. The quickest way to climb high is through the entertainment industry…It’ll just mean walking the same path again. No, the music, movies, and varieties here seem to be quite different from the world I was used to. That means I can…”

Shao Yang's spirits lifted instantly, his eyes radiating an extraordinary glint.

…