The Great Unification of the World had gradually prompted people from different countries to adjust their mindsets. In order to live harmoniously together on this Earth, they had to seek common ground while setting aside their differences. In the face of a common enemy and shared interests, conflicts between ethnic groups or regions were no longer major issues. As a result, the traditional cultures and customs of various countries and regions had also changed considerably.
However, it was quite difficult for the Four Great Ancient Civilizations, with their long histories, to change. They were reluctant to let go of the cultural heritage accumulated over thousands of years. Yet, if humanity wanted to continue progressing, it had to keep pace with the changing times, or risk being buried beneath the flood of history. Therefore, even though the Chinese had always worked hard to preserve their traditional customs and had tried every possible means to pass them down to future generations…
A thousand years had passed. With the rapid advancement of technology, some treasures that took too much time and effort to produce, or simply could not keep up with the times, had gradually been lost. These included time-consuming traditional handicrafts, Chinese medicine, whose effects were slow to appear, and even culinary arts that emphasized the perfect combination of color, aroma, and taste.
The Xu family, led by Xu Hesheng, might have held far less status and power in the United Government than the Yue family, but in China’s Northern Region, they were still considered one of the old families with relatively deep roots.
Traditional Chinese decorations and household items could still be found everywhere in the Xu family home. This brought Xu Rui, who had crossed over into this world, a little comfort. At least he was still in an environment that felt somewhat familiar.
However, the Xu family’s beautiful-looking decorations had not been painstakingly carved by hand. After examining them closely, Xu Rui concluded that they had probably been made using molds and mass-produced. He guessed that crafts requiring years of practice and experience to master had either been lost or were close to disappearing.
After Earth’s unification, this world had become the “New World.” Everything was about rapid recovery and rapid construction, and speed was the priority in every undertaking. It was somewhat like China just after the Reform and Opening-Up period!
“Master.”
The robot Xiao Sisi walked up to Xu Rui and spoke respectfully. “Breakfast will be served in ten minutes. Last night, you set a reminder to have breakfast with everyone today.”
“Mm, I know.”
Xu Rui took off his protective glasses and stretched both arms above his head.
He had just been searching the internet and browsing through all the available information about Yue Lingtian. Since his mufu had taken a liking to Yue Lingtian and arranged for him to attend the matchmaking event, he had to do his homework beforehand.
In his previous life, Zhou Jun and his wife had treated him extremely well. But no matter how kind they were, they were not his biological parents. His father had died young, and his mother had abandoned him. When Xu Rui was barely a month old, he had already been left in someone else’s care. That experience had made him extremely sensitive from childhood.
After waking up in Xu Rui’s body, Tan Xiaole had immediately felt Li Wenzhe’s unconditional love for him. During the month or so he spent recuperating, amid fear and pain, Tan Xiaole had gradually accepted the fact that he had crossed a thousand years into the future and become Xu Rui.
Throughout that process, Li Wenzhe had stayed by his side, sharing his fear and pain, even though he had no idea what was really happening. The love he gave made Xu Rui feel warm and gradually helped him settle down.
Li Wenzhe’s love for Xu Rui was obvious. Although the soul inside this body had changed, Li Wenzhe knew nothing about it. Perhaps he had his suspicions. After all, he had lived with his biological son for twenty years. But since Li Wenzhe never asked, Xu Rui simply assumed that he didn’t know.
Xu Rui was a newcomer with none of his predecessor’s memories. In this future world, everything was strange to him, and he appeared curious and bewildered about practically everything. Li Wenzhe had noticed his unusual behavior, but fortunately, Xu Rui had also suffered a head injury. So Li Wenzhe, heartbroken by his son’s condition, assumed that the blow to his head had caused temporary amnesia. This made it convenient for Xu Rui to explore this world.
Although Xu Rui’s soul had changed, his body still retained its instincts. There were many new things he knew nothing about, but as long as he reached out and touched them, he could operate them with ease. That was why Li Wenzhe, the doctors, and even the people who came to visit were convinced that Xu Rui was merely suffering from temporary amnesia.
For example, right now, Xu Rui could operate a microcomputer with great skill. He could even read and type the written language, which had long since been standardized and integrated. These were instincts retained by his body. They made things convenient for Xu Rui and also helped him conceal his enormous secret. If possible, he naturally hoped that this secret would never be discovered.
Xu Rui could tell that Li Wenzhe very much hoped Yue Lingtian would take a liking to him and marry him into the Yue family. At the same time, he could also see his mufu’s worries.
In the end, the competition was simply too fierce.
Xu Rui’s appearance and family background were not particularly outstanding among the many candidates. Although his current appearance was countless times better than it had been in his previous life, people in this world all seemed exceptionally handsome and beautiful. There were also many people of mixed ancestry. In contrast, very few had purely Chinese features like him.
But perhaps his distinctly Chinese appearance might give him an unexpected advantage? The deeper the roots of a prestigious family, the more importance it placed on such things. Xu Rui hoped the Yue family was the same. That would increase his chances.
Aside from appearance, another important requirement for Yue Lingtian’s partner was that he had to possess inner refinement and a certain degree of talent. It was rather like choosing a Miss World: beauty and intelligence were equally important.
One could cram for knowledge and manners before a matchmaking event and put on a convincing act, but talent was something that could not be faked. Everything from childhood onward was recorded in one’s electronic file. There was no way to falsify it. Besides, the Yue family held tremendous prestige in the military. Who would dare forge information in the matchmaking applications submitted to them? Did they have a death wish?
In this world, where powerful physical abilities and overall strength were highly valued, Xu Rui’s qualifications really weren’t very impressive. He had already been eliminated from consideration for the Fenoman Military Academy because he failed the physical examination.
The Fenoman Military Academy was a genuine merit-based institution in China’s Region. It existed to train outstanding military personnel capable of going into battle, repelling alien invasions, and protecting Earth’s security. No matter how prominent your background was or how powerful your connections were, you could not get in if you failed the assessment.
Yet Xu Rui discovered that quite a few outstanding students from the Fenoman Military Academy had also signed up for Yue Lingtian’s matchmaking event.
Xu Rui was dumbfounded. What was wrong with this world?
Although Yue Lingtian was an idol worshiped by soldiers and a shining star among military commanders, he was still a man! Not a soft, fragrant young woman! Xu Rui, whose thinking was still stuck in the twenty-first century, found it a little hard to accept.
But perhaps those people’s families wanted them to marry into the Yue family? After all, not every man was willing to take the submissive role.
Analyzing the situation rationally from the perspective and mindset of a twenty-first-century man, Xu Rui eventually came to a rather conspiratorial conclusion.
Although this world was seriously messed up, wouldn’t any man with a little ability prefer to conquer someone rather than be conquered? Being conquered was the humiliating part, wasn’t it? Xu Rui wasn’t gay. He found the idea of either role difficult to accept. But if he had the chance to choose between the two, he would naturally choose to be the one on top. He was a man, after all!
After using a few flimsy and far-fetched arguments to encourage himself, Xu Rui felt a little more confident. But the comparisons of family backgrounds that followed dealt another blow to his confidence.
To be honest, the Xu family might be pretty good, but there were plenty of families even stronger than them!
Xu Rui stared at Yue Lingtian’s image on the screen. The man was a heaven-blessed favorite who made countless men willing to bend their backs and offer themselves to him. Xu Rui suddenly felt that Li Wenzhe’s worries were far from groundless.
Putting aside the Yue family’s illustrious background, Yue Lingtian’s own qualifications were outstanding.
Xu Rui looked at the photograph of Yue Lingtian still displayed on the screen. He had a handsome face and a strong, healthy physique, and he was also a military genius. Just look at that glorious record of achievements, which took page after page to display. He was practically so perfect that it was difficult to look directly at him.
No wonder so many men admired him and wanted to marry him. With his outstanding appearance, high position and power in the United Government, and such powerful backing, who wouldn’t want to marry him?
The only thing that wasn’t quite so perfect was probably Yue Lingtian’s cold personality. Calling him taciturn and unsmiling was already putting it mildly. The media could neither use disrespectful words to describe this highly respected young general nor dare to do so. Besides, a soldier who constantly faced enemies on the battlefield couldn’t exactly be expected to be gentle and mild, could he? Everyone could understand that, even though it was true that his comrades and subordinates often felt tremendous pressure around him.
This heaven-blessed favorite could be as cold and ruthless as he liked, yet the number of people who admired him and wanted to marry him was still as countless as fish crossing a river. Even though everyone knew that Yue Lingtian would spend no more than fifteen days on Earth each year during his leave, applications to participate in the matchmaking event hosted by the Yue family still poured in like snowflakes.
In short, Yue Lingtian was the twenty-first-century equivalent of a tall, rich, and handsome man—and he also came from a powerful military family. In China’s Region, he was one of the Top Ten Most Eligible Bachelors.
With such excellent qualifications, how could a man like him have never freely dated and found himself a boyfriend? Xu Rui was very suspicious.
Li Wenzhe, however, explained that circumstances had simply made it impossible. After graduating from military academy, Yue Lingtian had immediately applied to serve on the front lines. That was a world of men. Moreover, the area around Earth had been far from peaceful in recent years. There had been no major wars, but small-scale conflicts had continued without interruption. Soldiers stationed there, constantly on guard and ready to attack or defend, hardly had the time or inclination for romance.
Later, as Yue Lingtian became increasingly famous and his military rank continued to rise, more and more men began pursuing him. They no longer cared even if he was stationed in outer space. This only made Yue Lingtian more cautious.
The Yue family’s most outstanding son was approaching thirty, yet his marriage was still unsettled. Old Master Yue Xiao and his husband were extremely anxious. However, Yue Lingtian spent very little time on Earth each year, and his personal safety could not even be guaranteed while he was stationed on the front lines.
Considering that their son and future son-in-law would have to live apart for long periods after marriage, Yue Xiao discussed the matter with his partner. They decided to take advantage of Yue Lingtian’s current return to Earth and hold a matchmaking event for him.
No matter how deep a romance was, distance and time could turn it all into nothing. Besides, even Old Master Yue couldn’t be certain whether the person selected would genuinely admire his son or would only be after the Yue family’s status and connections. He certainly didn’t want Yue Lingtian guarding Earth’s safety on a distant planet for the sake of his country and its people, only to have trouble brewing back home.
The Yue family had begun preparations more than a month in advance because there were simply too many applications. They needed time to screen the candidates.
After considering everything, Xu Rui couldn’t help sighing.
Although the chances of Yue Lingtian taking a liking to him were low, Xu Rui still had to give it his best shot, if only for his mufu’s sake.
If Li Wenzhe divorced Xu Hesheng, he probably wouldn’t return to the Li family either. If Xu Rui married into the Yue family, Yue Lingtian would be away for long periods. That would give him an excuse to ask Li Wenzhe to move in with him. Then Xu Rui and his mufu could look after each other.
But if he unfortunately became a pawn for Xu Hesheng and Xu Yi, then none of that would be possible.
“Master, it’s time.”
Xiao Sisi reminded Xu Rui again, bringing him out of his thoughts.
“Mm, I know.”
Xu Rui took a deep breath, examined his appearance in the mirror one last time, then put on his habitual smile and opened the door.