novelraw Chapter 201
Chapter 201
Chapter 201: Possibly the Most Heart-Wrenching Chapter （6K）
◈◈◈
Qin Chuan was certain that he was the one in ten thousand.
He was an Earthling, and also a transmigrator.
He was only twenty-two when he transmigrated, having just graduated from university with a promising job lined up at a private company.
His family was poor, and when he got accepted into a prestigious university, they couldn’t afford his tuition and living expenses. Qin Chuan caught a lucky break when he was awarded a sponsored student spot by a private company.
A ‘sponsored student’ meant that the company would cover all of his university expenses, including tuition, living costs, and even a decent bonus at the end of the year.
Qin Chuan signed a five-year contract, agreeing to work for the company for at least five years after graduation in return for their support.
His specialized skills were in high demand, so the company offered him excellent terms. The contract promised a monthly salary of over ten thousand yuan, which Qin Chuan had long dreamed of.
He vowed that after graduating, he would repay the company, his parents, and society. That year, he graduated.
That same year, he transmigrated.
◈◈◈
It was a desolate and despair-filled land.
The world was ruled by a brutal race known as the ‘Demon Race.’
It was a paradise for demons and a hell for humans.
Humans were treated like livestock, slaughtered at will. They were the demons’ servants, their prime source of food, and cheap toys that would break after a little play.
Due to the demons’ mismanagement and indiscriminate killing, a foul-smelling blood mist permeated the land. Plagues and diseases spread rampantly, and the genocide led to the collapse of the entire food chain… The world was slowly heading towards destruction.
Yet, even in this world that was already branded with a ‘Bad End,’ a group of rebels clung to survival.
They were remnants of the previous kingdom: knights, princesses, believers of the Goddess of Fate, and even a Saint.
Amidst their prayers, a miracle occurred.
The Goddess of Fate altered their destiny.
Qin Chuan was summoned to this world. His arrival set the wheels of fate in motion once more.
With the ability to infinitely resurrect and relive any point in time, Qin Chuan explored countless possibilities in this world, ultimately finding the single correct path, despite its improbability.
The Demon Race’s reign was overthrown, and all the races of Zela Continent united as never before.
During the bloody battles, countless heroic spirits appeared, and miracles unfolded one after another.
Finally, peace returned to the world.
The demons retreated to their lairs, the elves emerged from the forests, and the dwarves once again forged alliances with humans.
Everything was flourishing, and fate was back on track.
However…
Not all stories have happy endings.
During the summer that Qin Chuan disappeared, executives from the private company came knocking.
Qin Chuan’s parents were distraught. Still reeling from their son’s disappearance, they were now faced with a hefty bill.
Over four years of university, the company had sponsored Qin Chuan’s tuition and living expenses, totaling over 120,000 yuan.
‘Sponsorship’ was different from ‘donation.’ It wasn’t charity. The contract Qin Chuan had signed clearly stated that if he unilaterally breached the agreement, he would be liable for three times the sponsorship amount.
A son’s debt is a father’s burden.
Now, with Qin Chuan missing, this enormous debt naturally fell on his parents’ shoulders.
The family, already devastated by their son’s loss, was crushed by this final blow.
That winter.
A rare light snow fell on the river in Chongqing.
For the southern region, even a light snowfall was enough to bring joy to the citizens.
Amidst the falling snowflakes, amidst the joyous New Year’s Day celebrations.
Two cold bodies slowly surfaced on the river…
A man and a woman.
They looked relatively young, but their hair was streaked with white.
After returning to Earth, the first place Qin Chuan went was to his parents’ graves.
◈◈◈
“When you return, send my regards to your uncle and aunt.”
“Thank them for bringing you into this world.”
“Into Earth, and into Zela Continent.”
“You are our fortune, our hero. When you go back… live well.”
“Farewell, hero.”
The Saint’s blessings and prayers faded in his ears.
Qin Chuan embarked on his journey home. After completing his mission, he returned to Earth from Zela Continent.
His family was here, his parents were here. He belonged here. Even if it meant abandoning all the glory, he yearned to return.
He opened his eyes, and everything turned to dust.
Qin Chuan knelt at his parents’ graves for three days and three nights before being taken in by an elderly woman passing by.
Qin Chuan, who had been missing for two years, reappeared. His relatives avoided him like the plague. He wandered the streets during the day, lost in his thoughts, slept under bridges at night, and ate leftover scraps from restaurants, sometimes being chased away with sticks by the owners.
Fortunately, Qin Chuan was physically strong and didn’t freeze to death in the winter, despite his thin clothing.
Finally, his aunt couldn’t bear it anymore.
Qin Chuan temporarily stayed at his aunt’s house. She gave him an old phone her cousin had discarded, allowing him to reconnect with the internet.
After accessing the internet, Qin Chuan’s modern mindset gradually returned.
The rich online world slowly mended his shattered spirit. He watched anime and movies he hadn’t seen in decades, rekindling his will to live.
To live well, in place of his parents.
If ‘souls’ existed in this world, his parents wouldn’t want to see their son in such despair.
Qin Chuan was the hero of Zela Continent, and he wanted to be the hero of his parents as well.
Working to repay the debt, striving to live…
As his life gradually improved, Qin Chuan began to have hope for the future.
‘You can’t even handle basic documents?’
‘Heard you were missing for two years? Did you live in a cave or something?’
‘Are you a savage? Look at how you hold the mouse, hahaha, I’m dying!’
His colleagues mocked him.
‘Useless, good-for-nothing, seeing you just pisses me off, get out!’
‘Chuan’er, your uncle doesn’t hate you… Don’t take it to heart, eat, eat.’
‘Damn it, say another word and I’ll beat you to death! If you give him another bite, I’ll kick you both out!’
Even his aunt’s family, the only ones who took him in, seemed to resent him.
“Dad, Mom, take me with you…”
It was too heavy, the burden of his story was too much to bear.
Qin Chuan knelt before his parents’ graves, clutching his chest, trying to breathe deeply. But hot tears still streamed down his face.
Beneath his chest, the Heart of Stone, the Fate Magic Stone embedded in his chest, a symbol of his heroism in Zela Continent, emitted a strong light.
◈◈◈
‘Record of Experiences from Azure Continent—’
This book seemed to be Qin Chuan’s only solace these days.
He didn’t enjoy games, didn’t like socializing. Reading novels in his spare time was his only way to satisfy his inner world.
He stumbled upon this ‘Record of Experiences’ online.
It was said to have a well-developed world, a logical plot, and the author even used AI to generate detailed images, making it feel like a real world.
“How real could it be?”
“It’s all fake anyway.”
Qin Chuan opened the book with this thought.
However, he was soon captivated by the plot and the details.
The setting was flawless, everything was logical: the races, magic, power structures… even the food chain was impeccable.
Qin Chuan was amazed by the author’s imagination and couldn’t help but wonder if the world depicted in the book truly existed.
After all, he himself was a transmigrator.
As a transmigrator, and one who had transmigrated to a magical world, Qin Chuan knew how difficult it was to incorporate these elements into a story and build such a vast world.
Unless the author had actually been there.
Although the world described in the book was different from the one he had transmigrated to, Qin Chuan was deeply drawn in.
He read it meticulously, noting down any differences from his own world, marking them, and savoring them.
When other readers online argued with him, he would retort, writing more when he was in a good mood, and cursing them out when he wasn’t.
It was online, after all.
He wouldn’t fight back in reality because he still needed the protection of society’s laws.
But online, he wouldn’t hold back.
【Are you a transmigrator? 】
This was the first question Qin Chuan asked the silent, aloof author.
The author’s avatar was a cartoon silver dragon, while Qin Chuan’s was a plain black one.
That night, Qin Chuan stared at their private message box for a long time, somewhat regretting asking the question, but unable to resist the fantasy that this person might be a real transmigrator. With such a cute avatar, could the author be a soft-spoken girl?
The author’s reply was short, perfectly matching their aloof image.
Just one word: Yes.
It was already after the New Year when Qin Chuan saw this message.
He was working as a waiter in a restaurant, and the New Year period was the busiest time, leaving him no time to read novels.
The restaurant owner was stingy, hiring only Qin Chuan to handle all the tasks: prepping ingredients, serving dishes, pouring tea, and washing dishes.
Qin Chuan spent his days endlessly chopping vegetables, forcing smiles, facing mountains of dirty dishes, and dealing with impatient customers.
But even this was better than sitting in an office, struggling with computers he didn’t understand.
At least he knew how to wash dishes, how to smile, and had exceptional knife skills.
At least he wouldn’t be scolded by his colleagues and boss for holding them back.
“You damn…”
“Why did you bump into my son while serving? His arm is burned!”
A large hand reached out from a brightly lit corner, grabbing Qin Chuan’s short black hair.
Qin Chuan froze.
“Your son was running around the restaurant and bumped into me…”
He tried to explain, but was met with another punch.
The fist landed on Qin Chuan’s stomach. He winced, his black eyes glinting with an unreadable light under the incandescent bulbs.
Another unreasonable customer…
Yes, another.
“I saw you bump into him with your tray! Hot water spilled all over my son! Apologize and pay up!!”
“There are security cameras in the store, you can check the footage…”
“Check your mother! Didn’t you hear me? I said pay up!!”
The customer reeked of alcohol. Their table had three men and two women, who had consumed two cases of beer, a bottle of baijiu, and the women even had an expensive bottle of wine.
◈◈◈
They were considered rare ‘big spenders.’
“Where are you looking? You unfilial bastard! Your father is talking to you, look at me!”
The man grabbed Qin Chuan’s chin, forcing him to make eye contact.
Qin Chuan’s eyelid twitched: “My father is long gone.”
“Haha, who cares!”
“Bang!”
With that, the man raised a beer bottle and smashed it on Qin Chuan’s forehead.
Beer mixed with sweat trickled down his temples, dripping onto the floor.
Qin Chuan blinked.
Perhaps his long-suppressed anger finally surfaced, or perhaps the alcohol fumes from the customer made him dizzy.
Or maybe he no longer cared about the protection of this world’s laws, or if the rules of this world crumbled.
A strange red glint flashed in his black eyes.
The Magic Stone buried in his chest glowed through his thick clothes.
“Decay—”
“Ahhh, Mommy, it hurts!”
The little boy who had been running around the restaurant, the red mark on his arm that barely qualified as a burn, suddenly swelled up like a water balloon. His tender skin bulged, burst, and oozed pus.
The boy burst into tears, not knowing what was happening, only feeling the pain, burrowing into his mother’s arms.
The woman comforted her child while the man, seeing this, became even more convinced that Qin Chuan had burned his son.
“You bitch…”
Before he could finish his insult, the man saw the young man in front of him, his lips moving again.
“Blaze—”
“Fire! Fire!!”
An explosion from the kitchen, the sound of a gas canister bursting. Flames engulfed the entire restaurant.
That night, a restaurant in a small town in Chongqing caught fire.
The news quickly spread online, the video of the fire being analyzed frame by frame.
Some people found it strange, the flames seemed to appear out of thin air, instantly consuming the scene.
Others thought it was just a common gas leak accident.
◈◈◈
Qin Chuan was unemployed again.
He walked along the bustling streets, the towering buildings casting long shadows, his vision filled with windows.
Warm lights shone from each window. The night was cold, and Qin Chuan didn’t know where to go next.
Perhaps out of habit, he opened the ‘Record of Experiences’ novel as he walked.
After finishing the latest chapter, Qin Chuan noticed that the author had replied to him at some point.
He envied the life of the protagonist in the book.
Happiness.
Although this word never appeared in the story and was unrelated to the plot, Qin Chuan could sense the author’s underlying emotion.
If the author was truly a transmigrator, then they must be living a happy life now.
A stable, ever-progressing happiness.
They smiled, wore bright clothes, and stood in the sunlight.
While Qin Chuan, dressed in clothes reeking of dead fish, hid in the shadows, his body filled with decay and disgust.
【Hehe. 】
【You’re living a good life then. 】
【I want to transmigrate, I don’t want to stay on Earth. 】
These were the three messages Qin Chuan sent back.
He stood by the riverbank. Upstream, there was a lake.
That lake was located in the town where Qin Chuan grew up, and where his parents had drowned.
Qin Chuan stood by the river, the wind blowing on him all night, but he couldn’t calm down.
He didn’t reply to the author’s messages anymore.
Looking at the author’s inquiries and warnings against doing anything foolish, Qin Chuan forced a smile.
He wasn’t seeking survival, comfort, or a lifeline.
His relationship with this transmigrator was simply that he enjoyed their work, nothing more.
They weren’t even considered online friends.
Putting his phone back in his pocket, Qin Chuan made a new plan for his future…
◈◈◈
“Want some cake?”
“No.”
“How about bread?”
“No.”
“Cookies? You love these sweet Oreo cookies.”
“No.”
“Fine, more for the dog then.”
Dawn broke, another bright morning. Xia Li took stock of his pantry.
He was running low on snacks for breakfast and late-night munchies. He’d have to go shopping after Stinky Dragon got off work.
Speaking of which, why wasn’t the dragon eating anything today?
Wasn’t she the type to open her mouth and accept anything offered?
Could it be PMS?
Thinking this, Xia Li opened the uneaten bread and cookies and tossed them into Wuqi’s bowl.
Wuqi stood at the door, watching his bowl gradually fill up, his eyes conveying a sense of helplessness.
『???』
『Hey, guys…』
『I’m a cat, not a dog!!』
“Hold on, stay there.”
Completely ignoring the protesting cow cat, Xia Li suddenly remembered something before closing the door.
He wrapped his arm around Lucia’s slender waist, pressing her against the door.
With the arrival of spring, the weather had warmed up. Lucia’s clothing had thinned out, and now she only needed a sweater to go out. If it rained and got a little chilly, she’d add a thin jacket at most.
These light clothes meant that Xia Li could feel her soft flesh with a single touch.
It felt good.
Delicate, soft skin, with a hint of sexy boniness…
Holding her was comfortable, and it made his heart flutter.
“Meow.”
『Don’t look, not suitable for kittens. 』
Wuqi meowed softly, extending a paw to cover Mianhua’s eyes.
“Meow?”
However, there was nothing ‘unsuitable for kittens’ happening.
Xia Li was simply holding Lucia against the doorframe, looking her up and down.
Lucia leaned against the metal door, sipping her milk, ignoring Xia Li’s actions.
“Hmm… you’ve gotten taller.”
Xia Li concluded after his assessment.
“Huh?” The Evil Dragon looked up in confusion.
Xia Li pressed the doorknob, the old door creaking open with a groan.
“Your shoulders used to be just above the doorknob, now it’s almost at your waist,” Xia Li measured about ten centimeters with his thumb and forefinger, “You’ve grown quite a bit.”
Lucia stepped out, still holding her milk carton, unconcerned by Xia Li’s words.
She didn’t really feel any different.
Whether she was taller or had a growth spurt didn’t matter to her.
But Xia Li seemed to be paying close attention…
Especially when he was estimating her bust size, the Brave Hero’s gaze was unwavering, yet pretending to be casual.
He must have wanted to measure it with his hands, right?
But he was too scared of being bitten, so he chickened out.
“Maybe it’s because my magic has recovered a bit…”
Lucia raised her arm, the sweater sleeve sliding down her slender wrist, revealing a sliver of skin.
A row of fine, silvery dragon scales shimmered faintly in the sunlight.
When the weather got warmer, Lucia would switch to short sleeves.
She hadn’t figured out how to deal with these scales yet…
Maybe it would be better to use them secretly?
But Xia Li cared so much about magic that Lucia felt reluctant to use them.
“Dragons adjust their bodies based on the surrounding magic. You said I was like a dehydrated sponge before, and now that I’ve gathered some magic, my body naturally ‘develops’ a little.”
Lucia pulled down her sleeve, covering her dragon features.
Xia Li locked the door, nodding in agreement.
“Yes, it’s better for the sponge to be more inflated, I like inflation… Hey, why are you stepping on me?”
His foot was stepped on by a small, frosted leather shoe.
The Stinky Dragon snorted, ignoring Xia Li and heading downstairs.
Getting into the car, Lucia scooted to the back, expertly fastened her seatbelt, stretched out her legs, and adjusted the backrest to recline.
She lay there stiffly, like a plank.
The sunlight streaming in through the window was warm, bathing her face in its glow.
Lucia closed her eyes, basking in the sun, recharging for her upcoming workday.
Despite her growth spurt, Lucia’s sitting posture remained unchanged. She always liked to sit all the way back, leaving her feet dangling.
Even when sitting on the toilet, Lucia liked to curl her toes, leaving her legs suspended in the air.
Every time Xia Li accidentally opened the door and saw her short legs dangling like that, he wanted to ask if it made it easier to exert herself.
… But it was quite cute.
Xia Li found everything about Lucia pleasing to the eye. He liked her, liked her a lot.
“Sit properly, or you’ll be launched when I hit the gas.”
Xia Li said, glancing at the dragon’s peculiar posture.
As soon as he finished speaking, he slammed on the gas pedal. Caught off guard, Lucia’s head slammed against the headrest, her bun hairstyle coming undone.
Clutching her head, the Evil Dragon glared at Xia Li.
Her delicate face puffed up like a balloon.