Chapter 3: Their Encounter

After returning to his room, Lin Feng remained sullen and gloomy. He couldn't stop thinking about Ling Shixuan; were it not for the pressure from his father outside, he would have gone out to look for the girl from the Ling family again. As he fantasized about all the unspeakable things he would do once he claimed Ling Shixuan, he was completely unaware that the jade pendant on his chest was pulsing faintly with light.

“What’s going on? Where am I? Haven’t I already died?” Suddenly, a voice sounded beside Lin Feng, startling him.

“Ah! Who’s talking? Who’s speaking? Come out, come out…” Lin Feng panicked, scanning the room. After confirming he was alone, he nervously asked, “Who are you? Where are you? Answer me!”

“You can hear me? Who are you? Where is this place? Answer me!” The voice sounded surprised, questioning Lin Feng.

Lin Feng was clearly terrified by the voice. He anxiously searched the empty room, hoping to find the source, but no matter how hard he looked, he found no one else alive there.

He continued, trembling, “Who are you? Who exactly are you? Where are you? Tell me!”

“I’m inside the jade pendant on your chest, idiot! Hurry and answer me: where is this place? What country? What year?” The voice pressed him relentlessly.

“This… This is Waterstar Planet, it’s Yanjing time, year 2010! You don’t know? Then who are you?” Lin Feng honestly replied to the strange voice.

“Waterstar Planet, Yanjing time 2010! So it’s no longer the Federation? Waterstar Planet… Could there really be other planes of existence? Didn’t I already die? How am I still alive in this form…?” The voice muttered to itself after hearing Lin Feng’s response.

Lin Feng grew increasingly frightened as the voice rambled on. He finally couldn’t bear it and interrupted, “Brother, I’ll call you brother! You still haven’t answered my question. Who are you? You’re not a ghost, are you?”

“Me? Damn, I don’t even know how to explain. Just understand that I’m not from your planet. I died, and now only a fragment of my soul remains in your jade pendant! And stop calling me ‘brother.’ My name is Mo Tian,” the mysterious Mo Tian answered.

“Oh my god! There really is a ghost… But Mo Tian, why can’t I see you, yet I can hear you? And how did you end up in my jade pendant? I’ve worn it since I was a child, and it’s never reacted before; why is it suddenly acting up now?” Lin Feng curiously picked up the pendant, examining it closely. After finding nothing unusual, he asked.

“Why? How should I know why? I’m just as clueless as you!” Mo Tian replied irritably.

Hearing that Mo Tian knew nothing, Lin Feng’s curiosity was unquenched, and he protested, “What, you don’t know? I thought you were a ghost, omnipotent, able to answer anything! Isn’t that how it goes on TV?”

“TV? What’s TV?” Mo Tian asked, puzzled by the unfamiliar word.

“You must be from ancient times, not knowing what a television is?” Lin Feng was astonished at the question.

“So much nonsense! If I knew, I wouldn’t have asked. I’ll find out myself!” Mo Tian snapped, and with that, a green light flashed from the pendant and darted into Lin Feng’s mind.

Lin Feng saw the glimmer slip into his forehead and, terrified by the unknown, he shouted at the pendant, “Brother, what are you doing?”

“Nothing. Didn’t I say I’ll find out for myself? I’m borrowing your memories to get a better understanding,” Mo Tian replied calmly.

“Damn it! How can you peek at my memories? Come out! I’ll report you; I’ll call the police!” Lin Feng angrily slapped his own forehead.

“Heh, report me? Call the police? I’m already dead; none of that matters to me,” Mo Tian continued, indifferent, his tone tinged with contempt.

“You… you bastard!” Lin Feng was so frustrated it took him a while to utter a few words.

After that, the room fell silent. In Lin Feng’s mind, Mo Tian perused his memories, murmuring softly, “Waterstar Planet, Yanjing, Zhanhai City, airplane, computer, mobile phone, Lin Group, Ling Group, Ling Shixuan…”

“Brother—no, I’ll call you Uncle Mo Tian—please, give me some privacy, won’t you?” Lin Feng pleaded, exasperated.

“What’s the hurry? I’ve barely started. Wait a bit, I’m not finished yet!” Mo Tian replied in his usual indifferent tone.

Lin Feng was utterly helpless against Mo Tian’s bandit-like behavior. In the end, he could only let him do as he pleased—what else could he do?

After a long while, just as Lin Feng was about to lose patience, the green glimmer finally flew from his forehead back into the jade pendant. Seeing the fleeting light, Lin Feng, tears streaming down his face, said, “Uncle Mo, you’ve finally finished. Are you satisfied?”

“It’s all right. I basically know everything you know about this planet, and even things I didn’t want to know. You really are a piece of work—back in my era, you’d have died countless times!” Mo Tian said, thoroughly unimpressed after reviewing Lin Feng’s memories. He realized his first encounter with someone from another plane had been with such a scoundrel.

“Boohoo… I don’t want to live anymore. I’d rather just die,” Lin Feng wailed, clutching his pillow and rolling around on the bed.

“Hmph! A grown man crying about life and death, unable to take responsibility, afraid of gossip after doing something. How shameless—you were dumped, and no wonder no one wants you!” Mo Tian continued to berate him.

Lin Feng ignored Mo Tian and kept flailing, throwing a tantrum on the bed.

“Stop playing dead. Don’t you want to win over Ling Shixuan?” Mo Tian suddenly changed the subject, watching Lin Feng’s antics.

“What? You can help me win Shixuan? Can you really help me win her?” Lin Feng dropped his pillow, hurriedly clutching his pendant and asked anxiously.

“Hmph! Is that all you care about—just a woman?” Mo Tian said with disdain.

“What’s wrong with caring about a woman? Don’t you know the culture of our Huaxia country? There’s even the saying ‘loving beauty over the throne.’ Clearly you’ve never been in a relationship,” Lin Feng retorted, equally disdainful.

Mo Tian was stung by the jab, clearly hit where it hurt, and retorted irritably, “Bastard! Who says I’ve never dated? Back in my place, I was a heartthrob—countless girls chased after me.” Still, his voice faltered at the end. Truth be told, in the Federation, he had devoted so much time to research that, at thirty, he’d never been in a relationship.

“Are you sure you truly like this girl, Shixuan? Do you really want her as your wife?” Mo Tian pressed.

“Wait, Uncle Mo, come on now. I just want to win her over; I never really thought about marrying her. If I can just trick her into bed, what an achievement that would be!” Lin Feng shamelessly declared.

“Hah, knew it’d be like this. You really live up to your reputation! Fine, I, Mo Tian, keep my promises. I’ll help you win Ling Shixuan, but you must follow my instructions. Deal?” Mo Tian tempted him.

“Huh? You want me to follow your orders? You’re not going to make me do anything illegal, are you?” Lin Feng asked cautiously.

Mo Tian was surprised by Lin Feng’s answer—he hadn’t expected such cunning, which meant Lin Feng wasn’t beyond redemption. He continued to lure him, “Heh, you’re actually pretty careful for a playboy. Don’t worry, I won’t sell you out. Not only can I help you win Ling Shixuan, I can make other women come after you too—but you must obey me completely!”