In his previous life, Xu Rui had been Tan Xiaole. He was a posthumous child. While he was still in his mother’s womb, his father, Tan Zhimeng, had sacrificed his life during a Class One mission.
Before the grief of losing her husband had even healed, Tan Xiaole, the only hope she had left, was diagnosed with congenital heart disease shortly after birth. Struck by these two devastating blows, his mother became frightened and confused about her future life and ultimately chose to abandon him.
One day, after Tan Xiaole had reached one month old, his mother brought him to visit the home of Zhou Jun, the captain of the unit where Tan Zhimeng had served. She then made an excuse to leave, asking Zhou Jun’s wife to look after the baby for a while. She said she would return that evening to take him home.
In the end, she never came back.
Naturally, Zhou Jun and his wife adopted Tan Xiaole. In memory of Tan Zhimeng, Zhou Jun did not have Tan Xiaole take his surname.
His mother’s departure taught Tan Xiaole at a very young age that happiness was not something guaranteed in life. However, the Zhou couple treated him extremely well, showering him with even more attention and affection than they gave their biological son, Zhou Sheng. This, in turn, taught Tan Xiaole to be content with what he had and to appreciate the kindness others showed him.
Zhou Jun’s son, Zhou Sheng, was three years older than Tan Xiaole. He was naturally lively and energetic, and was quite a mischievous little troublemaker in the neighborhood.
Ever since a younger brother, barely bigger than a kitten, had suddenly appeared in the family, Zhou Sheng felt that his parents no longer loved him as much as before.
Because of this, little Zhou Sheng had thrown tantrums and felt jealous. When his mother wasn’t paying attention, he would even poke and pinch his frail little brother.
No matter how many times Zhou Jun punished his little bottom with a stick, he refused to change.
This continued until Zhou Sheng turned four and gradually began to understand things.
When he saw his skinny little brother being carried into the hospital for emergency treatment again and again because of his heart disease, and when he saw him lying in a hospital bed with tiny tubes inserted into his body, needing an oxygen mask just to breathe, Zhou Sheng began to change.
From then on, at such a young age, Zhou Sheng took his frail little brother under the protection of his still-underdeveloped wings.
After that, Tan Xiaole slowly grew up under Aunt Zhou’s loving care and Zhou Sheng’s protection.
Although Zhou Jun only returned home on leave once a year, staying for barely ten days before rushing back to his unit, this did nothing to diminish Tan Xiaole’s admiration and affection for him.
The family still got along harmoniously and happily.
After listening to Uncle Zhou describe his father and his comrades-in-arms, Tan Xiaole had even developed an admiration for soldiers. It was just that, given his physical condition, simply staying alive was already an achievement.
The qigong routine Xu Rui had been practicing these past few days had been taught to him by a retired military doctor from the military district.
When Western medicine could do nothing more for him, Zhou Jun had no choice but to carry him to this old Chinese medicine doctor, hoping to find a way to prolong his life.
The old doctor pitied him for having lost his father at such a young age, being abandoned by his mother, and suffering from a serious chronic illness. That was why he had passed down this qigong technique, which was normally only taught within his own family. Combined with his own exclusive acupuncture techniques, it had actually managed to ease Tan Xiaole’s condition.
After switching to traditional Chinese medicine treatment, Aunt Zhou took Tan Xiaole to the old doctor’s home every other day for regular visits and gradual recuperation.
Following the breathing techniques taught by the old military doctor, he would circulate that stream of qi through his meridians. After completing a cycle, his body would feel particularly comfortable, and the oppressive sensation in his chest would ease considerably.
At first, he barely had enough qi to work with. He could only slowly accumulate it, little by little, through sheer perseverance and patience.
Although his progress was slow, the results became increasingly noticeable as time went by.
Through his frequent interactions with the old Chinese medicine doctor, Tan Xiaole, who had suffered from illness and pain since childhood, gradually became something of a doctor himself under the old man’s guidance.
Having personally experienced illness and suffering, he understood the pain patients endured. Tan Xiaole therefore made up his mind to become a doctor when he grew up.
At the very least, he would be able to save himself when his illness flared up. And as for Uncle Zhou and Aunt Zhou, they were gradually getting older too. If he could master a useful skill, he would be able to take good care of them in the future.
One sincerely sought knowledge and studied diligently; the other devoted himself to teaching and patiently answering questions.
By the time Tan Xiaole turned eighteen, he had already achieved a certain level of proficiency. He could even independently examine patients under the old doctor’s supervision.
As long as the qi remained, the person remained alive. Once the qi was gone, so was the person.
Doctors had once diagnosed Tan Xiaole with a life expectancy of less than sixteen years if he did not undergo a heart transplant.
Yet thanks to this qigong technique, he had managed to live well until the age of twenty.
If the surgery hadn’t failed, perhaps he could have relied on this technique to live for several more years.
But it was precisely because the surgery had failed that Tan Xiaole had been given a chance to be reborn in Xu Rui’s body.
Xu Rui’s body was exceptionally healthy.
Tan Xiaole placed a hand over the position of his heart, feeling its steady, regular beating, and was very satisfied.
Being able to let his heart beat freely, to cry and laugh loudly without restraint—how precious this was to Tan Xiaole!
Although, the moment he woke up, he had been told that his medical examination results were less than ideal, and that in this world, he wasn’t even considered a strong man.
But so what?
A person’s physical strength could be improved through exercise, no matter how strong they wanted to become. But once health was lost, no amount of effort could necessarily bring it back.
How wonderful it was to possess a healthy body!
Moreover, after transmigrating into this world, Xu Rui discovered another tremendous benefit of his qigong technique.
Back then, Xu Rui had fought with his half-brother, Xu Yi, and suffered serious injuries. (Xu Yi had intended to beat him until he was barely alive.)
As soon as Tan Xiaole regained consciousness, he instinctively began practicing the breathing technique he had become accustomed to.
When that stream of warmth passed through his injured areas, the pain seemed to lessen.
This discovery filled him with immense delight.
Although he couldn’t control the warm current and make it linger longer in the injured areas, he could simply practice a few more rounds!
Because Xu Rui’s injuries had been so severe and the family was in a state of disorder, coupled with Xu Hesheng’s guilt toward him, his father had issued an order that no one except Li Wenzhe was allowed to disturb him.
As a result, Xu Rui could practice his qigong and heal his injuries whenever he wanted, right there in his own room.
After discovering the benefits of this technique, Xu Rui devoted almost all his time to practicing it.
Not only did his injuries heal remarkably quickly, but he also discovered that his eyesight and hearing were becoming increasingly sharp, while his movements were growing more agile.
As a newcomer to this world, Xu Rui naturally had no memories of the original owner’s life. Fortunately, the memories stored in this body’s muscle memory remained.
Although Tan Xiaole had no idea how to operate the robot named Xiao Sisi, the moment his hand touched it, his fingers would automatically and skillfully operate its various functions.
While recuperating, Xu Rui used the robot to learn about the Xu family’s structure, its various members, and the society of 3013 by browsing the internet.
At the same time, by deliberately asking Li Wenzhe certain questions, Xu Rui also pieced together the entire sequence of events.
Xu Rui was utterly speechless.
The whole thing was practically a melodramatic soap opera!
His mufu, Li Wenzhe, was exceptionally handsome. Although his health was somewhat frail, he had no shortage of admirers.
His family background was also quite respectable. Otherwise, Xu Hesheng would never have pursued Li Wenzhe despite already having someone he loved.
Among his many admirers, Li Wenzhe eventually followed his family’s arrangements and married Xu Hesheng.
Firstly, at the time, Xu Hesheng had pursued him more persistently and passionately than anyone else.
Secondly, Xu Hesheng was practically a perfect man. He was handsome and romantic, and he was also the future head of the Xu family.
More importantly, despite having such excellent qualities, he had never been involved in any scandals.
Unfortunately, the very thing that had attracted Li Wenzhe to Xu Hesheng back then had now become a complete joke!
At the critical moment when his beloved son, Xu Rui, was about to have his future decided, Xu Hesheng had actually brought his twenty-one-year-old illegitimate son, Xu Yi, back into the Xu family.
He had even publicly announced that Xu Yi would replace Xu Rui as the next head of the Xu family!
What a joke!
What an absolute joke!
While Li Wenzhe was still reeling from shock and heartbreak, Xu Rui, who had grown up pampered and privileged and had always taken it for granted that he would inherit the Xu family, couldn’t accept this reality.
Provoked by others, he challenged Xu Yi to a one-on-one fight.
And so, Xu Rui fell.
Tan Xiaole took his place.
The body had changed owners.
After Xu Rui was seriously injured, Li Wenzhe finally woke up to reality.
Although he appeared somewhat delicate and weak, his temperament was actually quite strong-willed.
Previously, it was because he had trusted Xu Hesheng too much that he had been so caught off guard and panic-stricken when Xu Yi appeared.
But now, with his son beaten so severely that his life was hanging in the balance and his future completely uncertain, Li Wenzhe finally stood up for himself.
For the sake of his son’s safety and happiness, Li Wenzhe gritted his teeth and treated Meng Ming, who had already entered the Xu household together with Xu Yi, as though he were invisible.
He could no longer afford to worry about such things.
He needed to make full use of his own connections and those of the Li family to arrange a good future for Xu Rui.
As for General Yue Lingtian, both his personal qualities and family background were so outstanding that he had practically secured a place among the top twenty on the United Nations’ list of the world’s most eligible bachelors.
He was one of the most outstanding men in the China Northern Region.
Li Wenzhe didn’t believe Xu Yi would spare Xu Rui. The injuries Xu Yi had inflicted on his son were proof enough.
If Xu Rui could marry into the Yue family, he would be completely safe.
No matter how powerful Xu Yi became, would he really dare lay a hand on a general’s husband?
Originally, Li Wenzhe had worried that Xu Rui might be unable to overcome the psychological barrier.
After all, any man who had grown up believing he would marry a wife would find it difficult to accept suddenly being classified as suitable for carrying children and having to marry into another family instead.
Unexpectedly, Xu Rui had agreed.
He was even completely unconcerned about the prospect of living apart from his husband for long periods after marriage.
Only then did Li Wenzhe finally feel relieved.
Lost in his memories, Xu Rui’s emotions fluctuated violently.
The past belonging to Tan Xiaole seemed to have happened only yesterday, while the reality belonging to Xu Rui left him feeling so helpless.
After all, he was still young and sometimes couldn’t fully control his emotions.
Unconsciously, he had entered his qigong practice again. The turbulent emotions surging through him nearly caused his qi to become disrupted.
The fright left him drenched in cold sweat.
Since he was already here, he might as well make the best of it!
Xu Rui did his utmost to calm his chaotic thoughts and settle both his mind and body.
After regulating his breathing, Xu Rui exhaled. He then concentrated once more and guided his qi through his meridians for seven complete cycles before slowly completing the exercise and opening his eyes.
The robot, Xiao Sisi, was already standing beside him, holding an improved version of nutritional water and a warm towel.
Nutritional water was essentially similar to the health drinks used in the twenty-first century to replenish energy, such as Pocari Sweat.
The only difference was that nutritional water had a rather strange taste, almost as though it contained some kind of medicinal liquid.
At first, Xu Rui had managed to force himself to drink it. But drinking it every single day was genuinely torturous.
Not drinking it wasn’t an option either. Everyone in this world drank it to strengthen their physical constitutions.
Xu Rui’s physical fitness was already average. If he stopped drinking it, the gap between him and everyone else would only grow wider.
To make it taste better, Xu Rui had no choice but to add some homemade honey-lemon mixture to the nutritional water.
Although the taste was still a little strange, it went down much more easily. It was somewhat similar to the Kang Gai C drink he had enjoyed in his previous life.
He had already wiped away his sweat, but his body still felt sticky and uncomfortable.
After drinking the entire cup of nutritional water in one go, Xu Rui went into the bathroom to take a shower.
People on Earth in this era seemed to know how to enjoy life.
Household robots, various showerheads in the bathroom equipped with massage and relaxation functions, massage pools, and all kinds of widely used high-tech electronic products provided enormous convenience in people’s daily lives.
At the same time, however, people on Earth seemed to have forgotten the pleasures of satisfying their appetites and the old saying that food was the first necessity of the people.
They no longer pursued delicious food or culinary enjoyment. They cared only about the nutritional content of what they ate.
For example, they ate unappetizing nutritional meals almost every day and drank nutritional water with its strange medicinal taste daily.
As Xu Rui enjoyed the soothing sensation of water cascading down onto the acupoints in his shoulders, he analyzed and compared the differences between life a thousand years ago and life now.
If he could choose the era in which to be reborn, Xu Rui would undoubtedly choose 2013 without the slightest hesitation.
Now that was what life was supposed to be like!
Besides, he could have taken full advantage of his knowledge of the future!
But transmigrating into the future…
Sigh. He was practically an illiterate!
After wrapping a bath towel around his waist, Xu Rui wiped the steam off the mirror with his palm.
A face with a healthy, rosy complexion and exquisitely delicate features immediately appeared in the mirror. It bore a seven-tenths resemblance to Li Wenzhe.
The first time Xu Rui had seen this face in the mirror, he had been utterly startled.
After all, who wouldn’t be shocked to discover that the face they had known for twenty years had been replaced by an entirely different one?
At the same time, however, his eyes had been filled with undisguised admiration.
Such a beautiful, refined face!
Such a tall, slender figure, with the supple grace of youth!
Touching the long, ink-black eyebrows reflected in the mirror, Xu Rui spoke softly but firmly.
“Xu Rui, I don’t know whether you’ve taken my place and are now living well in 2013. But I’ve taken over your life from this point onward.
“Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of our mufu. I absolutely won’t allow anyone to bully or hurt him.
“Of course, I won’t give anyone the opportunity to hurt me either.”
“If Yue Lingtian can protect me and Daddy until I’ve grown strong enough to stand on my own, then what’s so difficult about being a military spouse?”
Xu Rui’s beautiful phoenix-shaped eyes slowly narrowed before the corners of his naturally red lips curved into a smile.
His gaze was resolute, carrying the innate confidence and optimism of Tan Xiaole’s soul within him.
A dazzling, irresistibly captivating radiance bloomed across his face.