《The Path Of a Cannon Fodder》 1 Prologue "Damn it all!!!!" Bai AnLing frustratedly shoved his wheelchair away from the wooden desktop in his bedroom, while slamming down his phone on top of it. On the screen, you could still read the latest message his girlfriend, or now more accurately, his ex-girlfriend wrote to him. {Jia Song: listen, I think we should break up. I wanted to believe you are able of feeling love towards me, but now I feel that I was fooling myself, you don''t know what love is. I wish you a great life, and that someday, you''ll be able to love someone.} "How can she say that I don''t know what love is?!" As he was fuming over what could possibly be the issue and what he possibly did wrong, Bai AnLing grabbed his smartphone wanting to send a reply to Jia Song''s text, but in the end, he didn''t know what to write and gave up. Bai AnLing put his phone down back at the desk and sighed. He looked at his unmoving legs, feeling regret. "Is it because we couldn''t have sex?-" One year ago, Bai AnLing had an unfortunate accident leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. Being a difficult person to get along with, and also with no living relatives, he had almost no one to visit him in the hospital as he was recovering from his injuries. Only Jia Song, a 20 years old and a bit tomboyish medical student, would visit him and talk with him from time to time, ignoring his bad attitude altogether. She sometimes came on her free days as well, trying to cheer the 22 years old man up by telling him jokes or complaining about random things. Thanks to her Bai AnLing''s mood and condition improved greatly, so after he was released from the hospital they started dating. "-or maybe it is because of my current weak appearance?" Ever since the accident, Bai AnLing''s body has lost a considerable amount of muscle. If before the accident he had the body of an athlete, now he had the body of a stay at home geek. He became skinny with a white skin from the lack of sunlight and a tender and round face. His big black eyes that were framed by black eyeglasses also added to the weak image he presented. "If not for that stupid accident, I''d still be handsome and strong. Songsong would never have dumped me if I still looked like that..." Bai AnLing once again sighed in regret when a deep and raspy voice was heard behind his back, making him freeze in fear. "I think you are perfect just the way you are right now." With his instincts kicking in Bai AnLing tried to quickly turn his wheelchair and escape to the door, running away from the voice. The results of his hurried actions though, were only making himself go off balance and fall together with his wheelchair. *Thump* During his fall Bai AnLing shut his eyes closed, so he was clueless as to how he got to the position he was in when he opened them again. He was laying on the floor with a masked man towering on top of him and caging him between his arms, a crazy look in his eyes. "Who are you? How did you get in my apartment?" Instead of answering, the masked man started caressing his face in a gentle yet lustful way, horrifying Bai AnLing down to his soul. "Don''t touch me! Let me go!" He tried to push the man''s hands away from himself and crawl away, but to no avail, he wasn''t strong enough. The man caught Bai AnLing''s hands with his own before tying them up with a rope to a leg of the wooden desktop, making sure he wasn''t able to move anymore. "You are as pretty as always my love..." The lust in the man''s voice was very obvious, scaring Bai AnLing so much, he started crying. "Please let me go! I''ll do anything! I swear! Just let me go..." Big streams of tears were running down his face as he was begging for mercy, but the man did not respond to his pleads at all. Instead, he started unbuttoning Bai AnLing''s shirt with growing eagerness. *knock*knock* Suddenly, a knock was heard on the door, and the deep and husky voice of a man was heard behind it. "Bai AnLing? It''s Dai ZhiHao, are you ok? I heard a loud thud coming from your apartment. Did you fall from the wheelchair?" Dai ZhiHao was his neighbor from the apartment right underneath his. Since their age gap was only one year apart and they had some similar interests, they became good friends soon after Bai AnLing moved in the building. "Zhi! He-!" Before Bai AnLing managed to call for help, his mouth was blocked with the stalker''s hand. "Shus! Keep quiet so he''ll go away." The masked man whispered in his ear, making Bai AnLing shiver with disgust. "An? Are you there? I''m coming in." It seems that Dai ZhiHao felt something was wrong, so he unlocked the door with the key Bai AnLing gave him in case he ever gets locked out of his apartment or fall from his wheelchair. Hearing the lock turning, the masked man looked at Bai AnLing with fury in his eyes. "Honey... Why does this man have a key to your house and calls you by your first name?!" The man''s figure was shaking in rage as the door finally opened, revealing the scene inside. "What the-?" In the entrance stood a dumbfounded yet handsome young man, with short brown hair and sharp golden eyes. He was wearing a police uniform, which fitted his well built body and tanned skin perfectly. ''He must have just returned from his rounds....'' Bai AnLing thought to himself. Dai ZhiHao was a police officer in the local police station, his dream was to become a police detective and solve crimes. Dai ZhiHao always joked that he did this job in order to protect Bai AnLing from any harm, so watching the scene that unfolded in front of his eyes at that moment made Dai ZhiHao feel anger. ''How dare this man attack Bai AnLing under my watch?!'' Enraged at this thought, Dai ZhiHao swiftly pulled his gun out of it''s case and pointed it at the masked man, stating his authority as a police officer to the assailant. "Freeze! Police! Step away from Bai AnLing and show me your hands!" Hearing Dai ZhiHao''s demands and seeing his gun, made the masked man rage grow to a new level, bordering insanity. Instead of surrendering quietly as he was told to do, the man began laughing crazily. "If I can''t have him, no one can!!!!" A knife suddenly appeared in the masked man''s hand. Understanding the man''s intentions immediately, Dai ZhiHao tensed. "You don''t have to do this, just let me go! Please!" Bai AnLing begged the man after seeing the sharp blade in his hand, to let him go, but the man was in his madness and couldn''t hear his words. Sending one last crazy and obsessed look at Bai AnLing''s half-exposed body, the man''s knife swiftly cut Bai AnLing''s throat. "AN!!! NOOO!!!!" Seeing Bai AnLing throat cut in front of his eyes, Dai ZhiHao pulled the trigger of his gun and shot the masked vermin in his shoulder. The masked man screamed in agony as he fell off Bai AnLing''s body, holding his injury. All of this happened in just a few seconds, leaving Bai AnLing''s fading consciousness in a blur. All he felt was his body growing cold and an overwhelming tiredness, urging him to close his eyes and fall asleep. ''So this is how I''m going to die....'' Bai AnLing could hear rushed footsteps approaching him as Dai ZhiHao desperately tried to stop the bleeding in his neck with his hands, only removing one hand to use his police radio and call for backup. Bai AnLing''s eyes closed as he gave-in to his tiredness and slipped into the darkness. "-------?-------?!-----!!!!" He could vaguely hear Dai ZhiHao say something, but he couldn''t understand what it was. Something wet fell on to his face, making him even more confused. ''What is this?...'' ''.... I can''t think clearly..'' As he realized this was his end Bai AnLing was filled with sadness, having many regrets about the life he was leaving behind. ''I still have to many thing I hadn''t done..... Why must I die now?...'' Bai AnLing used to be a pro kick-boxer said to be a promising star with a bright future, but the accident took away this future from him. Luckily, Bai AnLing was also a genius with a high IQ, so after the accident he decided to major in criminology. He was about to finish his degree next week and even got a job offer to work for the FBI after he completed his studies, joining the behavioral analysis unit as he inspired to do. His death took that dream away from him as well. ''I guess I won''t be able to fulfill any dream of mine in this life...'' A synthetic sound was suddenly buzzing around in his head, making Bai AnLing''s head hurt. ''Must I die with such a headache?...'' The buzzing sound grew louder, like a radio out of tune, before disappearing completely and being replaced with a synthetic voice. [How about you sign a contract with me instead of dying?] If not for his very hazy mind, Bai AnLing would have never even considered answering the voice, but he was too tired now to care for the details. ''Who is this? The devil?'' Bai AnLing heard stories about how the devil make deals with people in exchange with their souls when he was a kid, this situation reminded him of these stories. [It doesn''t matter for now. Right now you have to decide if you want to sign the contract or not before you die. You need to hurry up.] ''I must be losing it...'' [You are not ''losing it''.I have heard your wish to not die without accomplishing anything in this life, so I am suggesting a way out by transferring to other worlds to complete missions.] ''Why should I trust you?'' [I can keep you alive, for starters. Besides, what do you have to lose?] ''I see... That sounds reasonable.'' [You still need to give the verbal permission or you will die. You will be die in 3....2....-] ''I''ll sign.'' [...1. Good... You will now be transported to the first world.] [....] [.... Transfer complete.] [Enjoy your new life Bai AnLing.] 2 Chapter 1- 1.1 A powerful headache woke Bai AnLing up, making him clutch his head and whimper in pain. "Arghhh! WTF?! My head?" With pain clouding his mind and the room being in darkness, he blindly searched for his glasses on the drawer next to his bed. When he was unable find them, he tried reaching for his wheelchair, to no avail. ''Maybe I forgot to lock the wheels last night and it wheeled away...'' Bai AnLing thought to himself as he once again tried to blindly reach for his wheelchair. He needed to get to the wheelchair in order to open the light, since the switch was all across the room, on the other end of it. As he was reaching his hand, he reached too far away and lost his balance, falling off the bed. "Argh!" He once again groaned in pain as his knees hit the ground, right before he quieted, realizing what had just happened. "How-" Ever since the accident he no longer had any control or feeling in the area below his waist, being able to feel pain in his knees was an impossible thing to happen. "-How am I feeling this pain?" As he reached with his hand to touch the pained area, a voice was suddenly heard in his mind, making him flinch in fear. [Good morning host. How are you feeling?] Although it sounded somewhat mechanic, the voice was cheerful and friendly, not feeling very threatening to Bai AnLing yet confusing him very much. "Who is this?!" Bai AnLing searched the room with his eyes that were still trying to adapt to the darkness to no avail, he couldn''t see anything at all. [The process of transportation might sometimes come with temporary confusion or headaches, please try to think back and remember what is happening.] The voice spoke again, trying to instruct Bai AnLing. Deciding to believe in his instincts that told him he can trust the voice and follow his instructions, Bai AnLing took slightly deeper breaths in order to relax. Memories started to flow in his mind as soon as he relaxed, gushing in until he was able to recall everything that had happened prior to him waking up in the dark room just now. "I died?" Bai AnLing mind couldn''t process such a reality. His body suddenly felt as if it was 50 degrees Celsius in the room and he started to hyperventilate, making him grow dizzy and hot. [Host? Host! You are having a panic attack! Please calm down and take bigger breaths!] Bai AnLing was too dizzy to comprehend the words that the voice was saying, feeling as if they were only some static voice. His dizziness was so bad that even though his eyes already got adapted to the darkness, his brain couldn''t make anything of the images it was receiving. The darkness surrounding him suddenly felt as if it was closing in on him, making his feel scared and powerless. He was about to pass-out from the lack of oxygen reaching his brain, when the voice suddenly commanded. [CALM DOWN!] The metallic voice was exchanged with a more feminine one that was full of authority, reminding Bai AnLing of his late mother and all those times she reprimanded him for making a mistake in his studies. His fear made him obey the order immediately, taking slightly deeper breaths and calming down gradually. After calming down enough, Bai AnLing still questioned his sanity. "Am I losing my mind just like my dad did?" He questioned himself out loud while thinking that he probably looks crazy anyway, so why should he keep appearances? [You are not losing your mind.] The voice turned back to it''s metallic version. "Why are you using this voice again?" Bai AnLing questioned out of curiosity alone, as he did prefer this voice over the voice that was used to calm him down. [The other voice was just used in order to calm you down. I am a system, not a human.] "Oh... I see...." Bai AnLing decided to give up. Even if he is losing his mind, believing he died and is hearing voices, it''s still probably better than to face the reality of his current life. If dying was a dream after all, he was probably already raped by that stalker. ''Maybe this is like a coping mechanism created by my brain, trying to help me through the harsh and incomprehensible reality of being raped? If so, I rather play along then wake up to it.'' Bai AnLing got to this decision as he thought about the options rationally. ''For now I''ll let this be my new reality and live my life in it to the fullest. That way, whether in the end I''ll find out that this situation is just in my mind or if I find out it is real after all, I''ll have no regrets. For now it will be ''que sera sera'' as they say.'' 3 Chapter 2- 1.2 [Aham.] Seeing Bai AnLing was lost in his thoughts, the system did a synthetic impression of coughing its throat. The attempt went successfully as Bai AnLing''s attention was again focused on listening to it. Seeing this, the system once again spoke but in a gentler way or even slightly embarrassed way, you could say. [...Host, can you please stand up now? It''s hard for me to see you sit on the floor like this and you also might catch a cold...] For the past half-hour or so, since Bai AnLing woke up and fell of the bed, he has been sitting on the cold, dirty tiled floor. Afraid its host will catch a cold the system spoke up, asking Bai AnLing to act reasonably. ''Stand up?'' Rather then seeing the logic in the system''s words, Bai an Ling was flabbergasted at them, not knowing what to make of them. "What do you mean by telling me to stand up?" Bai AnLing couldn''t help questioning the system''s motives in saying such things; Was it trying to add salt to the wound, finding his disability amusing? [To use your legs and stand up of course...?] The system answered his question, wondering what is so confusing about standing up and leaving Bai AnLing speechless. By all accounts, Bai AnLing was handicapped, unable to walk on his own two legs. [What are you spacing out over? You are in a different body now so you are no longer handicapped, why won''t you be able to stand up then?] Bai AnLing froze at those words. "A different body?" [Yes.] By now, his eyes grew accustomed to the darkness, so he was able to see much better then before. He slowly shifted his eyes to his feet, watching with intensity as he tried moving his toenails. One toe, then another, till in the end, he was moving all of them. ''Even if this is just in my mind, even if it''s not real, this is the best thing that ever happened to me....'' As he thought that and without him realizing, tears started running down Bai AnLing''s cheeks. [You are crying, why?] Emotions were still a bit new to the system as it was a new one that was created just recently, seeing its host cry suddenly was very confusing for it and it couldn''t understand why moving his toenails will make Bai AnLing cry. "I''m just happy. I never thought I''ll be able to walk again..." Bai AnLing wiped his tears and once again looked at his new legs, determined to do the most basic thing that he wasn''t able to do for over a year now; standing up. First he propped one leg, putting some weight on it, and when it didn''t give in he pushed himself off the floor with his hands till he was standingup on both his legs. "I''m-I''m standing up!" Bai AnLing exclaimed in excitement. Unlike what he expected to happen, his legs weren''t weak at all but instead filled with power and stability for the first time in so long. Bai AnLing did not know whether to laugh or cry, the intensity of the feelings he was experiencing at that moment was overwhelming. [Ummm.....Host?] Not wanting to ruin the moment for its host but feeling that it should soon get to the point, the system once again tried catching its host''s attention. [In case you are wondering what you look like now, there is a mirror just ahead of you, on the wall.] After finally earning Bai AnLing''s attention, the system suggested what it thought would be the next logical thing for its host to do; he must be curious about his new appearance after all. "Oh, thank you for letting me know.... By the way... What''s your name?" Suddenly realizing he don''t know the system''s name, Bai AnLing inquired. Calling it ''voice'' or ''system'' was too general in his taste. [....I don''t have a name, only a serial number that I think will be too long for you to remember.... Would you like to name me? If not, ''system'' is also fine by me.] ''No name huh? Well I guess it is a machine in a way...'' Was what Bai AnLing thought as he heard the system''s words. "Ok.... I''ll name you after my favorite boxer then, Vine. Is that ok with you?" [Vine... That''s more then ok with me. Thank you host!] The system''s voice was cheerful as it celebrated getting a new name from its host, the name Vine was just to its taste. "Then that''s settled." Bai AnLing nodded his head in confirmation, clapping his hands once as a sign to the end of the discussion, a cheerful smile on his face as well. 4 Chapter 3- 1.3 [So host, as I said before there is a mirror on the wall a bit to your left.] Bai AnLing swiped his gaze across the room, searching for the said mirror. "To my left? Let''s see... Oh, here it is." Approaching the mirror Bai AnLing faced the image of a handsome yet unfamiliar young man. Reaching his hand to touched his face, the figure in the mirror did the same, confirming his suspicions. "This is me?" [Yes host, this is you.] "Not bad...Not bad at all..." Tracing the lines of the face with his fingers, the skin was white, clear and extremely smooth to the touch, having no blemish or dark spots on it. His hair that was now short, wavy and hazelnut in color was very soft as well, satisfying Bai AnLing very much. In order to see better Bai AnLing went and opened the greenish window curtains that were stopping the daylight from entering the small room, before returning to look at the mirror. The phoenix sharp black eyes that had an intelligent shine to them, outlined by long black eyelashes that flattered like butterflies; the just-plump-enough lips that had a serious line to them, showing the maturity and toughness of their owner; the slightly pink cheeks that helped softening the entire look so it won''t look too aggressive. Everything helped in creating a face that was very beautiful yet still being handsome and without being too feminine or too masculine. The body of Bai AnLing''s host was also in great shape with clearly defined muscles even though his stature was slightly small and lean, though it being lean didn''t bother Bai AnLing at all. He actually preferred lean bodies anyway, since they are usually more flexible and are easier to keep in shape. Almost everything in this body satisfied Bai AnLing''s standards to the max so far, just that the stature seemed a bit shorter then he used to be in his past life. "Hey Vine, how tall am I?" He decided to ask Vine since he didn''t have a way of accurately measuring his height, but was still curious about it. [Around 1.70 meters tall.] "So I am shorter then I used to be..." Bai AnLing turned his body to face the room this time, looking around it now that there''s light. It was small and resembled more of a storage room then a bedroom, having some boxes just lying around it and some paintings that were leaning against the wall. "What''s going on? Why am I sleeping in a storage room?" [.....I will give you the world''s plot and missions, and then you will understand.] Maybe it was just his imagination, but Bai AnLing felt that Vine was dodging his question. Figuring he will find out why later anyway, Bai AnLing just shrugged his shoulders and let it go for the time being. Instead, he focused on the answer he did get from Vine, inquiring more about it. "Missions?" Bai AnLing could vaguely remember that before transmigrating Vine mentioned something about having to complete missions, but couldn''t remember it explaining this to him. [Yes host, in each world you will have to complete missions-] Vine began his explanation and Bai AnLing listened carefully, not wanting to miss any important detail he might need to know later. (AN: when I say ''each world'' it doesn''t mean I''ll write a lot of worlds. Let''s just see how the story goes.) [-For every mission you complete successfully you will receive one point, and for every mission you fail you will lose one point. If you have more failed missions then successful ones in a world, you will automatically be pulled out of that world at the end of all missions. On the other hand, if you succeed in achieving all of the missions or the most of them, you will get the option to choose if you want to stay until you die or leave immediately.-] Bai AnLing perked his ears, hearing that. ''So if I succeed in most missions and like the world I''m in, I can choose to stay till I die, like a paid vacation from work? That''s nice'' He thought to himself. Bai AnLing wouldn''t mind some vacation if he can have some. [-Also, if the number of total points you have after finishing a world is under 0, your soul will stop reincarnating and disappear.] ''My soul will disappear?...Isn''t that too harsh a punishment?'' Bai AnLing felt that it was too much for his soul to disappear, but it was too late to be sorry now, as he already signed the contract with Vine. (AN: you should ALWAYS read the fine letters. ALWAYS.) "What are the points used for?" Since he no longer could regret or change the consequences for failure, might as well know what are the rewards for success. [Once you collect enough points, you can choose to return to your original world to any point in time you want.] Hearing this, Bai AnLing was intrigued. "So I can choose to return to the time before my accident, and avoid it all together?" [Exactly.] This reply was exactly what Bai AnLing was hoping to hear, getting another chance to live his old life but without all of the pain. "That''s great then. I could fix my relationship with Jia Song, since I won''t be disabled anymore and finish my criminology degree, becoming an FBI agent that can work on the field and catch scums like the stalker that killed me!" His eyes sparkled as he spoke of the possibilities he had for his future, igniting Vine''s curiosity. [What about your kickboxing career?] Bai AnLing only waved his hand in dismissal. "Forget about that. After I was murdered, I think trying to catch criminals is probably more my vibe." [...] Vine wondered in its virtual heart if life was just a big joke to his host. What''s the point of gaining back his old life only to want to go work in a dangerous line of work, one that might kill him? "Why are you quiet all of a sudden?" [I was just questioning some career decisions....] Hearing his words, Bai AnLing stopped to think for a second before replying Vine. "I see... You should really consider your life choices in a careful and serious way." [.....] ''What is this, the road not taken?'' Vine wondered whether his host was abusing him on purpose, or if he was just being oblivious. He decided to not overthink it in the end since the truth will come out eventually, right now he needs to move on and do his job. [How about I''ll give you the world''s plot now?] Deciding it was time to get to the main event, Vine opened with his suggestion. "Ok." Bai AnLing answered positively also slightly wanting to get started and fulfill a goal for the first time in his life and as soon as he agreed, a thick book with a brown leather cover suddenly appeared in thin air landing in his lap. "This is the plot? Why a book? Isn''t it usually supposed to appear it the host''s mind like magic?" Even though he never read those himself, Bai AnLing heard from Jia Song enough about system stories, her favorite kind of novels, to know that this is the most common way of receiving plot information from systems. Vine thought for a second before replying. [I can also transfer it directly to your head, but it will be very painful for you and can also harm the balanced state of the soul. This way, reading it like a book, is less dangerous and you can always ask me questions if you don''t understand anything or want to know something.] "Oh, I see... Thank you." Hearing Vine''s explanation, Bai AnLing took the book and went to sit on the bed. Before opening the book Bai AnLing Traced the leather cover with his fingers, it was cold yet soft to the touch and in an excellent quality. [The first page is filled with details, background story and the like on the body that is currently hosting you, while the rest of the book is filled by the basic plot of the world.] Vine explained to his host in a detailed way on the way the book is formed, in order to assist Bai AnLing in the most efficient way he could. "Oh, thank you for explaining that Vine." Bai AnLing complimented Vine, which he accepted happily. [No problem host!] Looking again at the book in his lap it was really thick, and checking the page number on the last page of the book, it was a little over 200 pages long. Finally opening the book itself and looking at its content Bai AnLing scowled, apparently this body needs reading glasses. Bai AnLing searched around the room but after 20 minutes of no luck gave up; he found no reading glasses or evidence of owning such things in the belongings found in this room, raising some questions in his mind. In the end, Bai AnLing settled for reading with a looking glass he found on a shelf in the room. The story itself though was no better then the upsetting way of reading it, the more he read the grimmer Bai AnLing''s expression became, until he was fully grimacing as he finished reading it two hours later. "What the fuck is wrong with the people of this world?!" Bai AnLing cursed and slammed the book shut, throwing it on the floor while clearly being in a foul mood. "How can someone be treated so badly?!" The person that was being treated badly in Bai AnLing''s opinion was the same person he was currently residing in his body, Lin Li, a 17 years old boy and a cannon fodder in this story. 5 Chapter 4- 1.4 This is the information Bai AnLing received on his hosting body that was written in the first page, mixed with the information he received from reading the actual story: {Lin Li was the only son of Lin MeiXiu and Lin Feng. His parents met when Shun MeiXiu was being robbed in the street one night, and Lin Feng, that practiced Krav Maga in his childhood, defended her and stopped the robber from running. After the fact Shun MeiXiu thanked her savior and asked him if there is anything she can do to repay him, and all Lin Feng asked for was her number. This was the start of their young love. After dating for two years, Lin Feng finally asked Shun MeiXiu to marry him and she agreed on the condition of getting her father''s approval, since it was very important to her. Persuading Shun RongTian, Shun MeiXiu''s father, into approving their marriage however, was much more difficult a task to complete then they thought it would. Shun RongTian was very protective of Shun MeiXiu as she was his only daughter and her mother, his wife, died after giving birth to her. Not only that, the Shun family was also a very successful family known for their big art galleries and their connections with successful artists of all kinds, making Shun RongTian suspicious of Lin Feng''s motives to get married with his daughter. After many efforts and a prenup signed by Lin Feng saying that the money of the Shun family will never reach his hands, the couple finally succeeded in getting Shun RongTian''s approval for the marriage. After finally marrying, the couple moved to a small villa they bought near the beach and a year later had their first child, named Lin Li. Everything seemed perfect until Lin Li reached the age of 6 years old. Lin MeiXiu and Lin Feng, who hadn''t been able to do anything on their own since Lin Li was born, finally had the opportunity to have a vacation without him. Now that Lin Li was old enough they could leave him with Shun RongTian, his grandfather, to watch over him until they come back. Shun RongTian wasn''t opposed to this idea either. Even though his opinion towards the Lin''s couple marriage was disapproving, Shun RongTian still loved his grandson very much and wanted to spend some time with him. Shun RongTian and Lin Li happily sent the couple on their vacation. Lin Li hugged his parents and asked them for some presents while Shun RongTian just smiled at his daughter warmly, telling her to be careful and have fun. None one of them realizing that this was last time they will be seeing each other. On their way to their vacation, the Lin couple''s plane was caught in an unexpected storm. The plane crashed, killing everyone on it, including Lin Feng and Lin MeiXiu. After their deaths the mourning Shun RongTian took Lin Li''s parents place, raising him as his own. Their time together was very precious to Lin Li as he grew up, since he was too young when his parents died and he couldn''t remember them. To him, Shun RongTian was like his real parent in every aspect, but unfortunately their time together wasn''t long either. Shun RongTian died of a heart attack at the age of 73 when Lin Li was only 14 years old. In his will, Shun RongTian left Lin Li all of the family''s properties and business but until Lin Li turns 18, he will be taken care of by Shui Chen, his grandfather''s estranged niece and his only living relative. The will also stated that after he turns 19, Lin Li can choose if he wants to continue living with Shui Chen and his family, or use the money he inherited to live comfortably on his own. Shui Chen is married to Shui AngTan and have a son named Shui Hong, who is the same age as Lin Li. After the adoption, Lin Li''s life only deteriorated. Unknown to him at the time, Lin Li was only taken in by the Shui family thanks to of the fortune of the family he inherited. At the first few years, while using his money secretly to live more comfortably, the Shui''s pretended to care for Lin Li, making him feel as if he was part of the family. However, after some time had passed, things started to change for Lin Li. All the Shui family did was to use Lin Li''s money, paying the boy himself less and less attention, until they were ignoring his existence altogether. Shui Chen had a son who was the same age as Lin Li, Shui Hong.Shui Hong had a passion for art aspiring to become an artist himself, and so, the Shui parents did everything they could to let him fulfill his dreams. They always got him the best teachers and sent him to the best art schools, funding everything using Lin Li''s money like they were already used to do by then. Unlike the support Shui Hong got from them, Lin Li who learned art from his late grandfather and wanted to be an artist as well, wasn''t even able to but decent colors and brushes. He tried showing his artworks to the family, asking them to help him study art as well, but Lin Li only got laughed upon by the Shui parents. They told him that he had no talent for arts and should quit while he''s ahead, while telling him that he is going out of line asking for help to fund his art passion. Hearing their insults left a huge scar on Lin Li''s heart causing over the years the drift between him and the family to grew wider and wider, as Lin Li was filled with bitterness. When Lin Li was about to reach the age of 18 years old, the Shui family grew scared. They have abused and used Lin Li''s money for all those years, and now, in a year''s time, it was about to be taken away from them. The idea of parting with the money and returning back to their old lives was unbelievable for them, they will do anything to keep this life style. That''s when Shui Hong came up with an idea. Just as Lin Li turns 18, able to live on his own legally, Shui Chen and Shui AngTan, Shui Chen''s wife, will trick him to sign a contract while telling him that it''s a contract giving him permission to leave their family early and live on his own. Since it was clear that Lin Li wanted to leave their family Shui Hong was sure he''ll agree to sign the contract without even looking at it, and he was right. Glad to finally be free Lin Li really signed the contract without thinking twice, only to find out that the couple had tricked him. The contract was actually a waiver, saying Lin Li is willingly giving all of his inheritance to the Shui family and also allowing them to kick him out of their house. Thrown to the street, with nothing but the clothes to his body and a few of his artworks, Lin Li was struggling to get by. He worked multiple jobs and even tried selling his art, to no success. A year later on his 19th birthday, Lin Li died from overwork and starvation. During the last year of Lin Li''s life, the only thing that gave them some light was creating his art. Although he didn''t manage to sell almost any of it during his life and his budget was limited at best so he couldn''t create a lot of works, after Lin Li''s death his artworks suddenly became recognized. His art was discovered by a famous art critic called Xu Yuan. Xu Yuan called his artworks beautiful, and said that the artist was a genius. With Xu Yuan''s reputation as a critic who can recognize true art from a mile apart and his usually harsh judgment of others art, once he praised Lin Li''s artworks they became sought after, the cheapest one sold for a couple million of dollars. Since the artist of the works was unknown, the Shui couple who recognized the art style and understood the works belonged to the deceased Lin Li, jumped on the opportunity and said that the artist was actually Shui Hong, their son. Thanks to Lin Li''s artworks, Shui Hong became a famous and successful artist, his name even going down the history books and ''his'' art being studied in art schools for generations.} 6 Chapter 5- 1.5 Bai AnLing was furious and kicked the plot book that was laying on the dirty floor with his shoe, causing the book to fly and hit one of the walls in the room with a loud bang. The reason Bai AnLing was so mad was that this whole story about Lin Li''s life and death was actually only the start of the novel. "This plot is so messed up! Not only does Lin Li lose everything given to him by his grandpa, the things he created himself are taken away from him and claimed to belong to another person! Why is it that after he suffered all of this, even his death is only used to start the story progress?!" Just as Bai AnLing said the story actually begins in Lin Li death, giving Shui Hong his fame and fortune, only described in a few sentences. The main plot is about how after ''he'' succeeded and got famous Shui Hong meet He Ju, a famous gallery owner who fell in love with ''his'' artworks. It speaks mainly about how it was love at first sight for the both of them and about how after dating for a some time and overcoming many struggles in their relationship together, they finally get married in the end of the book and even have two kids of their own. His death was the last thing mentioned about Lin Li in this story, which infuriated Bai AnLing to no end. He once again walked to the book, stomping on it until the brown leather cover was turning white from dust and covered in shoe prints. Seeing it''s host was getting out of control and was abusing the cover of the special plot information book, Vine decided to try and calm Bai AnLing down. [Host, please calm down. Your missions are to prevent Lin Li''s death, get revenge against the Shui family and to become a famous artist. You will surely get your chance to release your anger later on.] Hearing the logic in Vine''s words, Bai AnLing took a few breaths to calm down and in the meantime looked around him once again. After a minute or so, Bai AnLing was once again calm and able to think clearly. "I see, these are good missions.... By the way Vine, I still don''t understand why I''m in this shabby room. Isn''t Lin Li supposed to still be rich and live with the Shui family at this point of the story?" [.....] Not hearing an answer Bai AnLing thought that maybe Vine was having some technical issues at the moment and repeated his question, only to encounter the same silence as before. "Why are you quiet all of a sudden?" He questioned Vine, his head slightly tilting to the side in suspicion. [.....] Vine kept quiet, making Bai AnLing wary of its behavior. "Vine?" He once again inquired, his phoenix eyes narrowing. ''Vine, you shouldn''t dare to try and hide anything from me or lie to me, or else....'' His expression showed such warning on it in a very clear way, making Vine feel very uncomfortable, like a lamb waiting to be sacrificed. Bai AnLing narrowed his eyes even farther as he continued to question Vine, his image becoming one of a dangerous yet somewhat seductive young man. This image however, made Vine even more uncomfortable, as it felt virtual shivers running down it''s spine. "Vine, are you possibly hiding something very important from me?" After another short silence Vine hesitatingly spoke, carefully and cautiously monitoring Bai AnLing''s expressions for any change. Although it knew that it had no body for Bai AnLing to harm, its host at the moment was very scary in Vine''s eyes. [Remember how the information said you were in the 17 years old body of Lin Li?] "Yes...?" By now, Bai AnLing already realized something was very wrong and he probably won''t like whatever it was. [So....That information was prepared before you came to this world....] "Are you telling me there is a mistake?" [...] Vine once again kept his quiet, as he was hesitant to talk. "Stop stalling already! What is it?!" Bai AnLing crossed his hands in annoyance. Whatever the mistake was, it will later on cause him a lot of headaches, that much he understood. Realizing there was no escaping its fate Vine got prepared to be yelled at, speaking in a small voice. [Well....The thing is that you were accidentally Transmigrated to the 18 years old body of Lin Li instead, right after he lost everything....] Bai AnLing could feel his eye twitching as he heard those words. "So you are saying that I was accidentally transmigrated to the time after Lin Li was schemed out of all of his money and properties, so I can''t prevent that from happening anymore?..." Although his tone sounded light, when combined with the dangerous shine in his eyes, it was obvious Bai AnLing did not find this situation entertaining at all. Another shiver ran down Vine''s back as it answered. [I''m afraid so... But because it was our mistake, you will not be panelized for failing to get Lin Li''s fortune back...] Bai AnLing''s mouth twitched before twisting to a forced smile, he was so mad his hands trembled. He tried clenching his fists a few times in order to calm himself down, but didn''t manage to succeed. "...I...won''t....be...panelized...?!" His voice cracked as he spoke and he couldn''t master the power to stand anymore, so he went to sit down on the small bed in the room. [Yes host, you won''t be penalized.] ".....And that''s all?...." After sitting on the bed he finally managed to stable his voice and talk properly. He spoke in the light hearted tone he used before again, making Vine cringe. [What else could there be? It''s a big gesture of apology....] The naive system never knew what it was getting into by saying these words, regretting them later for a long time. "You are saying....that for getting transported to the time after Lin Li lost everything, sequentially, causing him to lose his life only a year later....I get the ''amazing'' gift of exemption from penalty?" As he spoke, Bai AnLing''s tone became more and more bitter, until it turned cynical at the end of it. Vine was confused, what did it possibly say that was wrong? [Yes host, that is correct....] "So right now, I''m in the body of someone that''s going to die in one year of overwork and starvation, I have no means or money to prevent it and when I die one year later, I just won''t be penalized?!?!" Finally, he snapped. If Vine had a body, at that moment it would have been beaten to a pulp. Instead, Bai AnLing let all of his anger on the poor system, lashing on it for more than an hour while using some strong words that should not be repeated out loud. The verbal abuse only stopped after Vine had apologize incessantly and promised to make it up to Bai AnLing. In order to compensate his host, Vine told Bai AnLing that it''ll give him some skills that will not only help to prevent his death in a year''s time but will also help to complete his missions more easily. ''The supervisors will not like hearing about this... It will probably be taken off my paycheck...'' The poor system thought to itself. "You said you will give me skills right? What are they?" [Yes host, the skills that I''ll give you will be installed in your brain to freely use in this world. After you move to a new world though, they will be automatically removed.] "I see. That''s fine by me." Vine sighed in relief, hearing their host was finally calm and accepted it''s conditions. [I am allowed to give you two skills. First, the skill to express in your art whatever you want exactly as you picture it in your mind, and second, the skill to persuade people to do as you wish them to do. The second skill only works as long as your wish is not totally against the person it was used on''s beliefs or the laws. Both skills are active skills, as you need to consciously use them. They will not activate on their own.] Hearing it''s words till the end, Bai AnLing became lost in his thoughts and considering his options for the future. "These aren''t so bad... You did a good job Vine." [Thank you host. I''m glad you are satisfied.] If it had a body, Vine would have slumped on the floor on that moment, due to relief. It also made a note to itself to not ever again anger it''s host, since Bai AnLing was extremely scary when he was angry. 7 Chapter 6- 1.6 [Host, if you don''t mind me asking, how are you planing to avoid your death and get your revenge?] Vine asked with curiosity. Bai AnLing seemed once again to be in thoughts before he sat on the bed in the room, deciding to explain his plan to his cute yet stupid system. "Before I explain, I need you to answer a few questions, ok?" [Of course host! What do you want to know?] Vine didn''t see anything wrong with answering a few questions, and agreed immediately to its host''s demands. Bai AnLing nodded his head in satisfaction at his obedient system''s reply. "I need everything you know about Xu Yuan, the art critic that discovered Lin Li''s artworks." [That''s easy to find out..... Let''s see....] Even though static, Bai AnLing was sure he heard sounds like that of rifling through papers coming from his system. ''Isn''t a system supposed to be digital and not analogue?...'' Bai AnLing wondered. [Oh! Here it is!] "So can you give me some details about him?" [Of course! Would you also like to see a picture?] ''A picture?'' Bai AnLing tilted his head to the side in wonder. "Why do you have a picture of Xu Yuan? Are you gay?" [I am not gay! I just have the information on everyone in this world!] "Are you sure? I am not judging you if you are, I just won''t dress in front of you." [I really am not gay! I don''t even have a body and I''m genderless, so how can I be gay?] "Like I said, I am not judging you, everyone got their own preferences..." The poor system tried to justify itself but it seemed like no matter what Vine said, its host didn''t believe it. Vine internally cried about the host''s cruelty towards it, first he yells at him for over an hour, and then Bai AnLing decides that it''s gay. Feeling like he had enough fun after teasing it for a few minutes and also noticing Vine was starting to get frustrated with him, Bai AnLing got back to the point. "Hahaha, I''m sorry, I was just messing with you, that''s all. Ok?" [...] [... As long as you understand....] "I do. May I please see that picture you were talking about now?" [...Fine.] Bai AnLing could easily imagine the sulking expression on Vine''s face and smiled to himself, finding just how cute his system was very amusing. [If you walk to the mirror, I can project on it the picture of Xu Yuan through your brain.] Doing as Vine instructed, Bai AnLing got up from the bed and went to stand in front of the mirror. At first, all he saw was Lin Li being reflected on the surface of the mirror, but after a second the image wavered and got replaced by the image of a handsome yet domineering young man. His short dark blue hair was styled in a manner that was both professional and fashionable, showing his passion for his job and also his self-respect. Not only his hair was styled without a fault, the suit he was wearing was also perfectly sitting on his, what you could easily tell, very well built body. The suit was blue in color and matched his slightly tanned skin tone to the max. The best thing about his looks though, were his eyes. They were golden in color and had a shine to them, warning you to not mess with their owner since he can see everything. Bai AnLing really liked the wisdom and sincerity he saw in those eyes as well as their unique color. "Vine... Are you sure that this is Xu Yuan, the art critic, and not someone else?" [I made one mistake! One!] Clearly Vine was still upset because of their last argument and felt a need to protect its damaged pride, which entertained Bai AnLing even farther as he struggled to hide his grin from it. "So you are sure this time?" [Yes, I am sure that this is Xu Yuan! Geez!] "Ok, ok. It''s just that he looks more like a model then an art critic, so I had to make sure." He chuckled at his system''s cute reactions, feeling he was quite lucky to have Vine after all. If it had a body, Bai AnLing would have petted Vine on its head in an attempt to pacify it. [Well, his nickname is ''The male God of art'' after all....] "hehehe. It sure is a fitting nickname for him." Bai AnLing once again checked the image in the mirror. As he looked into the pair of golden eyes, it was like his soul felt a tug on it, drawing him to the person who owns them. They somehow seemed very familiar but he couldn''t remember from where or to whom they belonged. "His eyes sure are beautiful though..." In a haze, Bai AnLing reached his hand and tried to touch the image projected on the mirror but the moment it touched the cold surface, the image returned to being Lin Li''s reflection. His mind snapped out of its trance at the switch, leaving Bai AnLing confused about what had just happened. [Host? Is everything ok? You look kinda out of it...] Even though it was still mad, seeing its host looking very confused all of a sudden worried Vine. ''Is he losing his mind?...'' It had to consider this possibility, looking at Bai AnLing''s family records. "Yeah... I''m fine..." Bai AnLing shook his head as if trying to shake his haze off, before slowly gaining back his focus. [If anything''s wrong, please do tell me. Ok host?] Vine asked Bai AnLing worriedly. A host going crazy won''t look good on his resume after all. "I''m fine, just give me the details on Xu Yuan. I need them for my plans." [...Ok.] Still worried about its host''s mental stability, Vine decided to cooperate with Bai AnLing and see what happens next. 8 Chapter 7- 1.7 A sheet of paper with 4 lines written on it appeared in Bai AnLing''s hands and looking at the information they contained he stupidly blinked his eyes. Name: Xu Yuan. Age: 25. Sex: male. Work: Art critic. "Why did I just get a piece of paper with information I already knew?" He was trying to figure out whether Vine was making fun of him or it was just stupid, failing to understand what Bai AnLing meant when he used the word information. [This is the information I currently have on Xu Yuan since he is only an NPC like character, meant to bring Shui Hong, the protagonist, the fame he needs to conquer He Ju, the female lead.] "So you are saying I have nothing but luck to go on?" Bai AnLing tiredly rubbed the bridge of his nose as he if was having a huge headache, this day was not going well so far. The emotional roller-coaster Bai AnLing has been through in just these past few hours was taking its toll on his mentality, tiring him to no end. Seeing the desperation and fatigue in its host''s eyes, Vine felt shame for not being more useful to him as his system. [Host, it is possible for me to go survey Xu Yuan for a few days, to collect information. Will that be helpful?] Bai AnLing lifted his head and his phoenix brown eyes suddenly returned to their lively state, as if nothing was burdening them a second ago. The quick change alarmed Vine, as it was unable to understand that its host had tricked it. "That will be very helpful!" Bai AnLing revealed a happy smile full of white teeth, his mood turning for the better. The handsome man smiling happily at him looked very warm, making Vine forget about his suspicions towards him. "By the way-" Bai AnLing suddenly looked like he remembered something and wore a face full of contemplation. "-whatever had happened to the small villa next to the sea, the one that belonged to the Lin couple? It wasn''t owned by the Shun family after all, so it probably wasn''t included in Shun RongTian''s will, right?" [The Lin''s villa? I don''t think it was in the Shun RongTian''s will....] Finally catching up with Bai AnLing''s line of thought, Vine realized in amazement how smart its host was. [Now that I think about it, the villa is probably still owned by Lin Li!] Since the villa wasn''t owned by Shun RongTian to be given to Lin Li in his will, the Shui family probably didn''t even knew it existed so they couldn''t have taken it away from him. "Just as I thought! This is perfect!" Bai AnLing was very satisfied with this development, if he can go live in the sea-side villa a lot of problems will be solved for him. He''ll no longer have to pay rent since the house was owned by Lin Li''s deceased parents, making his life much easier. "Vine, can you go check the state of the house for me?" He decided to have Vine check that information immediately, in order to give himself a possibly more comfortable life. ''If I can even move there today....'' Bai AnLing thought to himself as he sent another aggrieved look at the dirty bed in the room, one that even a bug won''t agree to sleep in. Seeing its host''s expression, Vine immediately felt guilt and complied. [Of course host! I''ll be back in 10 minutes.] A sound resembling a computer''s power off was heard as Vine left to do his research, leaving its host alone in the room. ''I might need to renovate it now that I think about it but hopefully it''s in a good shape though, just in need of a good cleanse...'' Bai AnLing knew he shouldn''t expect anything from the villa, after all, it''s been around 12 years since anyone probably been there and it must be in a bad shape. However, in comparison to the storage room he was currently residing in and paying rent for, a free villa next to the sea seemed much better. [Host I''m back and with some good news.] After 10 minutes had passed, a buzzing sound was heard and then Vine''s voice as well. "Good news? Well what are they?" Good news were exactly what Bai AnLing needed to hear after such a long day and he couldn''t help getting excited. Seeing its host showing enthusiasm cheered Vine and made him excited as well to share his news. [The villa is not only in your ownership, but it is in a very good shape. Apparently Shun RongTian couldn''t let go of this house that used to belong to your parents, so he had assigned people to take care of it after their deaths. The maintenance is still being paid for by the accountant of the deceased Shun RongTian, using your parents money that you never inherited and is being hidden from the Shui family since it''s not relevant for them to know about it.] Bai AnLing jumped to his feet in joy and clapped his hands, smiling in satisfaction at the news. "Well done Vine! These are wonderful news!" [Thank you host! I''m glad to hear you''re happy.] Bai AnLing began running around the room, stuffing things to the empty garbage bags he found on a shelf. In less than an hour, the room was empty except for a small pile of black garbage bags laying in the middle of the room and the packed boxes that were already there when he woke up. He also carefully warped in the bed sheets the artworks Lin Li created before Bai AnLing transferred to his body, since he wanted to keep them safe during the trip. "Vine, was the rent of this place paid for this month already?" He didn''t want to get in unnecessary trouble if we didn''t have to, so after Vine confirmed that the rent was paid, Bai AnLing left a letter to the landowner saying he is leaving the apartment. [Host, may I ask how you are planning to move all of those things to the villa? You don''t own a car.] Thanks to Vine, Bai AnLing finally stopped in his tracks and remembered his biggest issue at the moment, having absolutely no money whatsoever. Realizing his mistake, Bai AnLing''s face was covered in black lines as he wanted to drop to his knees and curse this wretched world to hell. ''I forgot I''m in the poor and penniless body of Lin Li.....'' During his lifetime Bai AnLing stopped worrying about money once he turned 15 and could earn enough of it as a kickboxer, and before that as well since he had his late grandmother''s savings. Getting his job at the FBI was also a given for him since he wasn''t only a genius but was also very a hardworking person, excelling at his studies. This is why being penniless all of a sudden was a hard thing for Bai AnLing to process and eventually, getting to the decision that it couldn''t stay this way was the obvious outcome. ''I will fix this situation no matter what!'' Bai AnLing strengthened his determination for the days to come. 9 Chapter 8- 1.8 "Vine, right now I see one option to get out of my predicament and I want you to tell me what you think about it, ok?" After weighing his options for some time Bai AnLing finally spoke, deciding to hear Vine''s opinion on how to proceed. [Of course host! I would love helping you out!] Vine was glad that its host thought of its opinion as important enough to have asked, consulting with it, so it happily replied. Nodding his head in satisfaction, Bai AnLing revealed his thoughts to his system. "I was thinking that maybe I can call the bank, using one of the gifts you gave me, to convince them to give me Lin Li''s parents unclaimed money. They both should have some money left behind as they were both successful in their fields, don''t you think?" Lin Li''s mother, Lin MeiXiu, was a successful artist known for her impressionistic art that moved many people''s heart. Her artworks were featured in art galleries around the world and praised by many. His father, Lin Feng, was a small-time businessman with his own company which imported alcoholic drinks from around the world. Before his death Lin Feng''s company was beginning to prosper, as he made some good deals with a first class restaurant belonging to a famous chef. (AN: though I mentioned the chef, he might or might not appear later in the story. I feel like not everyone have to do something with art in the story world, it''s not realistic.) Thinking about these facts, Lin Li''s parents probably had some money left for Bai AnLing to live comfortably for a while, if he manage to get his hands on it. ''Host has a point...The Lin parents really should have some money for Lin Li to claim....'' Vine thought deeply, seeing the logic in Bai AnLing''s words. [I think you are probably right host about the unclaimed money and your plan sounds very logical, too bad the old Lin Li never realized such option exists....] Both Bai AnLing and Vine felt bad for the original Lin Li, who died without ever realizing he could live any differently then he did, but Vine also felt proud of its host for thinking of such a plan. ''I will surely get your revenge for you lil'' Li, just you wait!'' Bai AnLing thought to himself as he tightened his hand into a first. *** Bai AnLing hung up the phone, a big smile on his face. "It''s done. Both the money and the villa are securely mine now." For the last hour or so Bai AnLing was on the phone with the bank, trying to convince them to give him the Lin couple''s money. Usually you have to go through a lot of procedures and sign a lot of documents before such things can be done, but using Vine''s gift of the persuasion skill, he was able to do it on the phone in only one hour. The effectiveness of the skill impressed Bai AnLing quite a lot, his frustrations dissolving almost completely. Vine was a lot more reliable then he thought. [That''s great host, that means you can get a taxi to the villa!] Vine was impressed with its host cleverness, using the skill it gave him to its best ability with no difficulty at all. "Forget a taxi, let''s go buy a car! I''m rich now!" Bai AnLing never had much money in his life, only enough to live comfortably, but not anymore. Apparently the Lin parents were a lot more successful then he thought they were, he was suddenly gaining a small fortune. [Host I''m afraid Lin Li never had his driver license made, the Shui family never paid for him to learn to drive.] *Tch* hearing those words, Bai AnLing clicked his tongue. "Those Shui people really have no shame, it''s not even their money but Lin Li''s! They had no reason to stop him from learning to drive! Shameless!" Having his fantasy of driving his own car crashed, Bai AnLing was very dissatisfied. In his heart he took a note of how the Shui parents shamelessly took that opportunity away from him, swearing to get them back for it later on. [Host, I took the liberty of calling you a cab. You should take Lin Li''s things and go down.] The system informed, taking liberties in caring for its host. ''I need to keep an eye on host so I can help him in the parts he is crippled in...'' Vine found its host to be unstable emotionally sometimes. Although it knew Bai AnLing was very smart and capable, it felt that he was not completely mature emotionally. A high IQ low EQ situation in a way. Finally remembering the point of getting a transportation vehicle in the first place, Bai AnLing calmed down. "Oh thank you Vine, that was thoughtful of you." He thanked it as he collected the small pile of garbage bags from the floor and the carefully warped artworks as well, before going down 2 flights of stairs to the already awaiting cab. The taxi driver helped Bai AnLing load everything into the car when one of the artworks warped in cloth slipped from its cover, falling on the asphalt sidewalk. "Huh!" Rushing to pick up the falling object, the drivers eyes opened wide as he exhaled in astonishment. He slowly picked up the artwork with excitement in his eyes. "What is this? So beautiful!" 10 Notice Sorry, content is lost, You are reading Novel on Novelhall.COM, we will fix it as soon as possible, thank you 10 Chapter 9- 1.9 Exploring around the villa, one room especially caught Bai AnLing''s eyes, the garage. It was a big room with an entrance from the kitchen area and a big electric gate on the other side of it. Inside, on one wall were tools hanged on a magnetic tape above a long, yet not so wide, metallic table, with lots of drawers. On the side of the table was a big wooden cabinet with boxes, small and big, covering its shelves. ''Seems like someone here had a hobbie of fixing things themselves'' Bai AnLing smirked at this thought as it once again reminded him of Dai ZhiHao, who had a bad habit of trying to fix things himself, even though he was terrible at it and always needed to call him for help in the end. Each time that happened, Bai AnLing would joke about how without him, Zhi would gave been kicked out of his house already, for destruction of property. ''I really hope he is doing alright without me...'' Even after being paralyzed from the waist down, Dai ZhiHao would still come to him requesting his help to fix the stuff he destroyed. Being a cop, he didn''t have a large salary, so he couldn''t afford hiring professionals to do the work. Bai AnLing, on his end, really enjoyed the way that Zhi treated him just the same as he did before the accident, not treating him like something fragile that needs to be protected. Continuing on scanning the room you could see on the other side of the garage was a more creative area, with oil colors and acrylic paint stocking up the shelves of another smaller cabinet. This cabinet was also next to a table, a wooden one this time, and next to it was also a drawing stand leaning on the wall. ''I guess this is where Lin Li''s mother created most of her works.'' Once again the characters hobbies were clear to see, but the thing that intrigued Bai AnLing the most was the two cars covered with a thick and heavy fabric standing in the middle of the room. Pulling on the fabric on one of the cars, a small light blue car with two doors was revealed. It had 5 light beige leather seats, looking almost new. The other car was revealed to be a family car with 4 doors that could easily fit 8 people inside it and had comfy fabric seats. It on the other hand showed some wear and even had colour splashes on the back seats. ''These two cars really show the evolution a family makes, haha.'' Bai AnLing circled the cars with fondness in his eyes, especially when looking at the smaller car, remembering how difficult it was for him to adapt to driving in a handicapped car which was quite big and slow. [Host I''m afraid Lin Li never had his driver license made, since the Shui family never paid for him to learn to drive.] Seeing the fondness in its host''s eyes, Vine couldn''t feel but sorry for its host for breaking the news. *Tch* hearing those words, Bai AnLing clicked his tongue. "Those Shui people really have no shame, it''s not even their money but Lin Li''s! They had no reason to stop him from learning to drive! Shameless!" Having his fantasy of driving a normal car crashed, Bai AnLing was very dissatisfied. In his heart he took note of how the Shui parents shamelessly took that opportunity away from him, swearing to get them back for it later on. Vine watched from the side how its host reacted to the news. It found its host to be unstable emotionally sometimes. Although it knew Bai AnLing was very smart and capable, it felt that he was not completely mature emotionally. A high IQ low EQ situation in a way. "Hey vine?" After a few minutes of Bai AnLing cursing the Shui name he finally calmed down and now seemed to be contemplating on something. Seemingly not being able to solve the problem in his mind on his own, Bai AnLing turned to Vine in search of advice. [Yes host?] Glad to be a source of support to its host and also being puzzled about what was bothering him, Vine answered with curiosity in its voice. "Even though you say that I''m going to take revenge, I don''t really know how to do that... I''m usually a really laid back person and I don''t really tend to hold a grudge..." Even though Bai AnLing was really mad at times, he never really taken revenge on anyone before, not even on the person that caused that accident, crippling him. Facing this completely new world, all he wanted was to live his life comfortably, doing what he wants to do. [Host...] Vine could understand what it''s host was talking about. This wasn''t even his revenge to take in the first place, so it was probably hard for Bai AnLing to think of this revenge as his own to accomplish. Also, being the mild mannered person he is, taking revenge never really was his thing, and now it was a wall for him to pass. [I wish I was able to help you think of a plan but I am not allowed to...] Although it really wanted to help its host, it had its own rules and missions to follow integrated into it''s core, not leaving room for debate.