At the moment when interstellar readers were collectively shocked, the opening plot of “Reborn” began to unfold vividly.
[[Pei Yan was dead.
But it was only after his death that Pei Yan realized his life was nothing more than a complete and ridiculous joke in the eyes of others.
As his soul gradually dissipated, Pei Yan took one final look at the world.
But, in the next moment, the solemn stillness of the cemetery at dawn was broken by the sound of approaching footsteps.
A bouquet of pure white freesias was quietly placed down.
There was actually someone who still remembered him?
Pei Yan tried to see who it was, and in the last moment that he finally did, he completely vanished from this world.
How could it be Pei Shen?
He was clearly the one most qualified in this lifetime to look down on and disdain a failure like him.
If he had known earlier that he wasn’t even part of the Pei family, he wouldn’t have fought with Pei Shen over everything that was never his to begin with…
As the last thought slipped through his mind, Pei Yan finally closed his eyes in extreme calmness.]]
When Lu Wei read this opening segment of the new book, he almost subconsciously straightened up in his seat, his brain spinning rapidly to comprehend the story’s beginning.
To be honest, when he first saw the title of the new book, “Reborn”, his reaction was not the same excitement shared by most fans. As a seasoned reader, Lu Wei felt a twinge of disappointment.
From the very first book by Fish Soup Noodles, whether it was a novel or a fairytale, short or long, each story had brought readers something entirely new.
Unheard-of creative elements, distinct and vivid characters, and tightly-woven, twisting plots…Fish Soup Noodles had penned countless wonderful new universes.
But seeing the title “Reborn”, Lu Wei couldn’t help but think of the ongoing bestseller “Rebirth of the Interstellar Soldier King”.
The book had ignited a craze for tough-guy rebirth-themed novels.
On the Huanyu platform alone, countless new works with similar themes had sprung up in this short time and flooded the market.
However, in the eyes of Lu Wei, an old bookworm who has always had very strict evaluation standards, most of these works were nothing more than imitations.
Skimming through just a few pages, he could see traces of Fish Soup Noodles’ Lin Mu. The reasons for rebirth were often unoriginal; betrayal by friends or family, followed by an unwilling death and eventual revenge upon rebirth.
At best, works like “Interstellar Justice” stood out because the author added their unique creativity to break through the crowd. As the saying went: “Imitate me and thrive; resemble me and perish.”
But what Lu Wei didn’t expect was that Fish Soup Noodles’ new book would also “repeat itself”!
After all, the title “Reborn” clearly indicated another rebirth story.
Could it be that after seeing Lin Mu’s story dominate the market, the author decided to write something similar again to capitalize on its popularity…?
Feeling rather disappointed, Lu Wei opened the book, only to find the opening completely different from his assumption of “self-repetition”!
The protagonist Pei Yan, who died at the beginning of the story, died with a relieved and self-deprecating attitude.
It seemed like he had no lingering attachment to the world.
And why would he consider his entire life to be a complete joke?
And who was the visitor who brought the flowers in the end?
If Pei Yan hadn’t misread, was the visitor really his younger brother?
“But that can’t be… the blood relationship is fake…”
Combining this with the first highlighted explanation on the book’s page, Lu Wei eagerly read on.
[[“So you’ve decided to apply for the Department of Economics and Business Management in the next Star Exam?”
A stern and familiar voice came from beside him.
“Xiao Yan? Xiao Yan, why aren’t you saying anything…”
A gentle, feminine voice softly expressed concern for the silent Pei Yan.
The faint fragrance of freesias filled the air.
It was his favorite flower.
Back then, the entire villa was filled with freesias that were regularly replaced, simply because his parents knew how much he loved them.
No, something wasn’t right…
Pei Yan abruptly opened his eyes and found himself face-to-face with his parents.
Then he glanced down at the application form in his hands. He had somehow returned to before the Star Exam?!
“I don’t want to choose Economics and Business Management anymore…”
Pei Yan reflexively withdrew the form he was about to hand over to his parents.
“Then where do you want to go?”
Luan Yi looked at her “son” who suddenly changed his mind in confusion.
Not long ago, he had insisted the family pull strings to get him into this program, even though his grades didn’t qualify.
You know, Jianchuan had never liked this kind of thing, and this was the first time he made an exception for the sake of his son.
“I want to choose the Department of Performing Arts.”
Pei Yan looked at his parents and made a decision completely different from his previous life.
“Are you sure?”
His father, Pei Jianchuan, looked at him seriously, his expression both stern and doubtful.
“Yes, I’m sure.”
To Pei Jianchuan’s surprise, this son of his, who was usually impulsive and shortsighted, now seemed unfathomable for the first time.
The young man before him spoke with a calm yet firm tone, his gaze unwaveringly steady.
“Alright. This is your decision. Don’t regret it.”
Pei Jianchuan finally gave his approval.
Even the maid standing nearby cast a surprised glance at the young master.
“Jianchuan, why doesn’t Xiao Yan want to go anymore?”
Luan Yi looked at her son with concern, wondering if she should have a heart-to-heart talk with him.
“Don’t interfere for now. If he can give up a path that doesn’t suit him, it might actually be a good thing.”
Pei Jianchuan rubbed his temples as he responded to his wife.
In fact, both he and Luan Yi deeply loved their son. It was precisely because they indulged him that they understood his personality and talents were unsuited for a career in business.
However, stepping in to stop him would undoubtedly hurt the child’s feelings.
This child was so unlike him or Luan Yi.
**
Of course, he wouldn’t regret it.
Back in his room upstairs, Pei Yan held the application form in his hands and gazed into the garden outside the window.
Because in just a few months, the real young master of the Pei family would return.
The events of the previous life were still vivid in his memory, as if they just happened.
The extreme disappointment and shock in the eyes of his adoptive parents who had once cherished him, his father’s instant aging as he left in silence, his mother’s tears as she clung to his hands and questioned him.
The mockery, ridicule, and harm from those with malice intentions around him.
And that person who always remained behind the scenes, coldly watching everything from above…
Pei Yanq clenched the materials in his hand.]]
“These parents seem to love Pei Yan deeply. Then why were they so disappointed and shocked in his previous life?”
At first, Lu Wei thought it might have been because the parents were cold-hearted, indifferent, or even abusive.
After all, when Pei Yan died, his parents didn’t even visit him. From any perspective, this was extremely unreasonable and cruel.
However, as the narrative quickly unfolded, Lu Wei found himself drawn into this story with a strange setting and intense contradictions.
[[In the previous life, Pei Yan had always longed to inherit his father Pei Jianchuan’s business empire and enter the company as soon as possible to share his father’s worries and prove himself.
But in reality, Pei Yan’s personality and talents were completely unsuited for this.
He had pleaded with his father to switch him to a business program, and after the Star Exam, he entered a department that did not suit his abilities. Later, he was parachuted into a position in the company, which led to disastrous consequences.
Despite all that followed, perhaps part of everything was due to the Pei family bringing back their second “adopted son”, which left Pei Yan overly sensitive and suspicious.
Because Pei Shen, brought home under the guise of being an adopted child, was, in every way, far more like Pei Jianchuan and Luan Yi’s son than Pei Yan.
Whether it was business talent, temperament, or even his strikingly handsome and sharp features…
As a result, the anxious and insecure Pei Yan quickly made one wrong step after another under someone’s calculated manipulations.
He schemed endlessly to make his father hand over the Lingchuan Group to him and to drive out Pei Shen, the “adopted son” he saw as a threat to the family’s inheritance.
But instead, these actions turned him into a sharp blade in others’ hands, aimed at his parents and Lingchuan Group.
When his father finally told him in extreme disappointment that he was the adopted son and not Pei Shen, Pei Yan could barely face the shame and regret that consumed him at that time.
“…”
Pei Yan was recalling his previous life, and now, looking at the family photo frame on the desk, tears were already rolling down his eyes.
He swore that in this life, he would never be like that again.]]
“Ah, the protagonist this time… has such a personality?”
When Lu Wei finished reading this recollection of the past life, he immediately felt a complex and overwhelming sense of emotion.
This was the first time that Fish Soup Noodles had written a protagonist with such flaws, even glaring mistakes and character deficiencies.
After all, the chain of events in the previous life was undoubtedly caused by Pei Yan’s stupidity, arrogance, and jealousy, leading him to be manipulated and eventually carrying out a series of ridiculous and tragic actions.
But on deeper thought, it wasn’t entirely Pei Yan’s fault.
Pei Jianchuan and Luan Yi, in their fear of hurting their eldest son by revealing he wasn’t their biological child, concealed the truth and instead labeled their real son as the adopted one. Their well-intentioned but misguided actions had only made the situation worse.
From Pei Yan’s perspective, he was an imperfect individual who had messed everything up, while his parents had brought home a “perfect” adopted son. His fear and suspicion were understandable.
And this so-called “adopted son”, who was in fact Pei Jianchuan and Luan Yi’s biological child, what kind of person was he?
What sort of overwhelming pressure and jealousy did he evoke in Pei Yan?
If anyone were in Pei Yan’s position, they’d likely harbor deeply complicated feelings toward this person.
How did these two, nearly rivals in existence, become a couple!?
The more Lu Wei thought about it, the more he felt that this CP dynamic had an indescribable wonder.
Fortunately, Fish Soup Noodles released three chapters in a row this time!
No need to worry about the sad feeling of being hung in the air in the middle of the plot and wanting to destroy everything in the next second like in “Contract Marriage” or “Eternal Night Rose”, where the author dropped just an opening and left readers desperately clinging to unresolved plotlines.
Lu Wei glanced at the reading progress bar and nodded happily, there was still a long way to go. Feeling secure and satisfied, he happily continued reading.
Such a long progress bar was simply too wonderful.
[[During this period, Pei Yan’s transformation quickly caught everyone’s attention.
Because when Pei Yan restrained his shallow and impetuous mentality, the temperament that came with his already beautiful and delicate features began to shine.
Although Pei Yan didn’t resemble his adoptive father Pei Jianchuan’s sharp dominance or his adoptive mother Luan Yi’s noble elegance, he possessed a different kind of beauty.
The noble aloofness cultivated by a pampered upbringing, combined with his habitual composure when facing strangers, made his occasional smiles exceptionally captivating.
In fact, this was precisely why in the previous life, Pei Shen, who was being brought to the Pei family for the first time, had been momentarily stunned when he saw Pei Yan looking down at him from the staircase.
Pei Shen had been extremely guarded and distrustful of these so-called biological parents who had suddenly reclaimed him.
As he was led through the door by his slightly uneasy and apologetic mother Luan Yi, Pei Shen was like a little beast covered with thorns.
Until Luan Yi, with an uneasy look on her face, introduced the boy on the staircase to Pei Shen: “That young man on the stairs will be your brother from now on. Pei Shen, can you call him ‘Big Brother’?”
At that time, before Luan Yi turned around to look at him, Pei Yan deliberately gave a condescending and harsh sneer to Pei Shen who was standing next to their mother.
However, that sneer seemed to have been misunderstood by the young Pei Shen, who had not yet grown into the cold and sharp persona of his future self.
For quite some time after that, Pei Shen followed Pei Yan like a little tail.
He didn’t trust anyone else in the Pei family, but he was willing to listen to everything his “big brother” said.
At that time, Pei Yan’s feelings toward Pei Shen’s closeness were incredibly complicated. He wanted to respond, but he subconsciously felt repulsion and rejection.
As a result, Pei Shen’s affection and trust were quickly worn away by Pei Yan’s deliberate coldness and indifference.]]
