Yongcheng First People’s Hospital, Yanxia.
"Life really is like a play!"
Chen Muye looked at the medical report in his hand, unable to help but sigh. Others, just turned eighteen, have bright futures ahead; he, just turned twenty, has late-stage lung cancer.
When he first learned the news, he stared blankly for exactly 66.6 seconds.
The doctor’s final piece of advice was: eat whatever you want, do whatever you want. This meant the doctor could do nothing for his illness; otherwise, he would have been told to start scraping together money for treatment.
Walking out of the hospital, Chen Muye’s heart was filled with despair. The doctor said he had, at most, three months to live.
He sat on a bench near the hospital plaza and pulled a cigarette from his pocket to light it. He was already terminal, so a stick or two wouldn't make a difference. Chen Muye rested his arms on the back of the bench and blew smoke rings with an air of nonchalance.
"So you say I only have three months to live? Fine, then I’ll die in two months just to prove you wrong!"
My life is determined by me, not by Heaven. The only one who can take me away is myself.
After finishing the pack of cigarettes, Chen Muye still couldn't understand why this was happening. He didn’t belong in this world. In his past life, he was a coder on Earth who had died from overwork at a major tech firm. When he transmigrated to this world, he thought Heaven was giving him a second chance. He never expected that Heaven simply felt his first death had been too easy and wanted him to find a new way to kick the bucket here.
They say transmigrators have "cheat codes," but he was a transmigrator who was about to "die" as soon as he arrived. Isn't this the classic "drop-in-and-die" scenario?
Chen Muye pondered for a long time. He hadn't done anything heinous. Why would Heaven treat him like this? Was it just for killing Lu Ban twenty times in a row with Lanling Wang in ranked matches? Was it for dating five girlfriends simultaneously without being caught? Or for blowing up the dog's bowl when it wasn't looking during the Spring Festival?
Or perhaps...
"Sigh, if Heaven had not created me, Chen Muye, the way of the scoundrel would have been as dark as an eternal night. Once I, Chen Muye, am gone, this world shall lose its luster."
He checked his bank balance on his phone; it wasn't even enough for a visit to a high-end club. With no other choice, he headed for the restroom. Ten minutes later, Chen Muye walked out and lit another cigarette, but his sullen mood remained entirely unrelieved.
Just then, with a hum, a pale blue screen of light flickered before his eyes.
【Name: Chen Muye】
【Lifespan: 67 days】
【Aptitude: 8 (Average person is 10; includes comprehension, learning ability, memory, etc. Will not be displayed hereafter)】
【Physique: 3 (Average person is 10; includes strength, speed, stamina, coordination, agility, etc. Will not be displayed hereafter)】
【Mental Strength: 7 (Average person is 10; includes perception, focus, willpower, attention, etc. Will not be displayed hereafter)】
【Allocatable Attribute Points: 0 (Can be allocated to Aptitude, Physique, or Mental Strength. Will not be displayed hereafter)】
Chen Muye’s eyes went wide.
"Holy crap!"
"System Daddy, you finally showed up!"
"Waaaah, I knew you wouldn't let me just kick the bucket like this."
His gloomy mood vanished in an instant. Chen Muye began to grope around, trying to figure out how to use the system.
Half an hour later.
He still hadn't figured it out. He was speechless. As it stood, the only function of this system was to let him know how many days he had left to live. Was it here just to give him a countdown for extra stress? Isn't that just purely insane?
He sat back on the bench and pulled out another pack of cigarettes, chain-smoking one after another.
So be it, life. He had already died once, anyway. Living for sixty-odd more days was essentially a profit.
Without realizing it, evening arrived and the sun began to set. In the distance, elderly women had started square dancing. Nearby, a few grey-haired old men were practicing Taiji.
In this moment, Chen Muye’s eyes were full of envy. He envied those grey-haired men for being able to practice Taiji, while he only had 67 days left. If he could do it all over again, he’d choose Li Bai.
He checked his phone—good grief, 9% battery. It wouldn't even give him a chance to play a single match. Sighing, Chen Muye opened his browser and searched: *If you had cancer and 67 days to live, what would you do?*
Netizen: "Everything else is fine, just format your phone first."
Netizen: "Delete the 300GB of 'study materials' on your computer."
Netizen: "Cancer, it’s not just because of your beauty..."
Netizen: "Cancer is only one word, I'll only say it once, you know I can only express it with actions..."
Damn it! Why are they singing?
Chen Muye felt the netizens were unreliable, so he simply closed the browser and silently formatted his phone's storage. He would wait until the very last day to delete the 500GB of "study materials" on his home computer.
He sat on the bench, dazed for a while. One of the old men finished his Taiji and sat down next to him. The man looked at the pile of cigarette butts on the ground and laughed, "Young man, you're smoking a bit too much. What's the matter? Did your girlfriend run off with someone?"
Usually, Chen Muye would have retorted, but he wasn't in the mood. "Grandpa, I'm dying."
The old man paused, assuming Chen Muye had suffered some setback and lost his will to live. "Don't be so pessimistic, young man. Look at me, I'm 98 this year. Every day is a happy one, my body is in great shape. Just live well and don't give up."
Chen Muye felt a pang of sorrow. It wasn't that he wanted to give up; it was that Heaven wouldn't let him live. If it weren't for this cancer, he could have lived a carefree life for another twenty or thirty years. Wouldn't the models at the clubs be begging at his feet every night? Instead of living like this, with nothing to look forward to.
Chen Muye looked at the old man and asked, "Grandpa, what's your secret to health and longevity?"
The old man spread his hands. "Smoking, drinking, eating fatty meat, sleeping late, rising early, no exercise, and making friends with many members of the opposite sex!"
He finished by grinning at Chen Muye with a mouth full of white dentures.
Chen Muye rolled his eyes. "Grandpa, do you think you're funny? I wish you a long life of a hundred years."
The smile on the old man’s face vanished instantly. "Young man, I was just joking. One should be optimistic and upbeat; life's hardships will always pass. Come, practice some Taiji with me to clear your mind."
Without waiting for an answer, he pulled Chen Muye up to teach him. Chen Muye didn't know why, but as if possessed, he started following the old man’s movements. Perhaps he felt that since his days were numbered, it didn't matter what he did. Since he was broke, couldn't go to clubs, and couldn't play cards with models, he might as well practice Taiji with an old man.
Under the old man's patient guidance, it took Chen Muye nearly an hour to finish the full set of Taiji movements. By the end, he was drenched in sweat and sat on the ground, gasping for air. Even so, the movements looked slow and easy, but doing them for real was actually quite exhausting.
The old man looked at him and asked with a smile, "How about it, young man? Feeling a lot better, right?"
Chen Muye nodded. While practicing, he had truly forgotten that he only had 67 days left. But now that he had stopped, the thought returned, bringing a fresh wave of melancholy.
*Hum!*
The system screen flickered again.
【Name: Chen Muye】
【Lifespan: 69 days】
【Aptitude: 8】
【Physique: 3】
【Mental Strength: 7】
【Allocatable Attribute Points: 0.1】
【Cultivation Manual: Taiji Guiding Technique (First Realm: Beginner 5%)】
Chen Muye’s eyes grew wider and wider, his gaze locked on the "Lifespan" column. If he remembered correctly, the panel had shown 67 days before. One hour of Taiji added two days to his lifespan!
Holy cow!!!
I’m sorry, System, I admit I was a bit loud just now. *Sumimasen! Sumimasen!* Let’s get reacquainted—hello, I am your host, Chen Muye.
Not talking? That’s fine. High-end systems usually only have the most minimalist functions. I know.
Hahaha!
Chen Muye laughed up at the sky. "If Heaven had not created me, Chen Muye, my life would be determined by me, not by Heaven!"
After the excitement passed, Chen Muye calmed down. Looking at the system panel, he thought of a terrifying possibility: if one hour of Taiji added two days of lifespan, did that mean he could achieve immortality as long as he kept practicing?