Chapter One: Happiness Arrives So Suddenly

Chapter One: Happiness Came Too Suddenly

He had drunk too much, and Zhang Yue felt muddled and disoriented. He vaguely sensed that he had done something wild with a woman of breathtaking beauty. It was certainly not the power of love; what happened was merely a natural, uncontrollable physiological reaction.

Perhaps it was just a lonely man’s dream, born of solitude endured too long.

It was a dream not easily forgotten. Even in the throes of a splitting headache upon waking the next morning, he still savored the memory of that dream.

This one was complete, not fragmented and broken as usual. As he lingered in recollection, he turned his head by chance and discovered, to his shock, a woman lying beside him—the very same stunning beauty from last night, now slowly waking, her eyes hazy with sleep.

"Ah!" The beauty stared at Zhang Yue, astonishment flashing across her face. Instantly, she became fully awake, let out a sharp cry, and reflexively sat up. In that moment, the quilt slid down...

"Ah!" she cried again, grabbing the quilt to cover herself as a flush spread across her cheeks. She glanced at Zhang Le, steadied herself, and said in a startled voice, "Zhang Le! We..."

The name Zhang Le made Zhang Yue freeze, and then a surge of memories flooded his mind.

Zhang Yue? Zhang Le? Was this a past life, or had he crossed into another world?

For a long moment, Zhang Yue, regaining his composure, simply stared at the beauty before him, not knowing what to say. His mind was a tangled mess, his heart in chaos! He could not make sense of what had happened.

Stay calm! Steady yourself! Zhang Yue had once been a stunt double on film sets, and for his remarkable skill, he was discovered by Yuan Baye, the nation’s foremost martial arts director, who recruited him into his famous troupe and promoted him to action choreographer. In his joy, he had called friends together for a raucous celebration, drinking himself into oblivion. Yet when he awoke, he found himself in another world, inhabiting another body.

This could not be a case of awakening memories from a past life, for Zhang Yue’s consciousness was in full control. It appeared he had transmigrated into a new existence. The man he now possessed was called Zhang Le. As their memories merged, Zhang Yue could only describe Zhang Le with two words: a true prodigy.

Zhang Le was brilliant, yet his family was ordinary, and luck had not favored him. Two years after graduating from the directing program, he had only made small commercials. His greatest achievement was directing the music video for one of the songs on the album of the beauty now before him—and he had even played the male lead in it. After the shoot, they had celebrated, perhaps gotten a little too drunk in their joy.

"Yang..." Zhang Yue, now forced to confront the present circumstance, hesitated, unsure how to address her.

To call her Miss Yang? After what had happened, that seemed far too distant, as if pretending nothing had occurred.

To call her by her full name, Yang Xiner? They were hardly close; aside from that music video, they’d had no other contact, so using her name was scarcely warmer than calling her Miss Yang.

To call her Xiner? That would be far too familiar, far too soon...

For a brief moment, neither of them knew what to say, and silence hung heavy between them. Suddenly, a ringtone broke the tension.

"It—it’s probably mine," Yang Xiner said, glancing in the direction of the sound. She wanted to get up and fetch her phone, but then hesitated, looking at Zhang Le. Understanding, Zhang Yue turned away, granting her privacy.

He did not know how much time passed; it felt eternal. When Yang Xiner was fully dressed, she lingered at the bedside, then said, "I—I’m leaving."

"Okay," Zhang Yue replied, managing to force out a single word. There was a trace of reluctance and regret, but his mind was still in turmoil, his heart unsettled.

Yang Xiner cast him a complicated look, then left. Watching her go, Zhang Yue sensed something was wrong. Suddenly, realization struck. He lifted the quilt; a wave of shock swept over him.

The bloodstains on the sheet burned into his eyes.

He got up, walked into the bathroom, and turned on the shower. As the water poured down, his agitated mind gradually calmed. The lingering image of her in his thoughts told him he had to do something.

Gazing at his own reflection in the mirror, he spoke at length: "You are Zhang Le now! You must take responsibility for her! No—you must take responsibility for yourself! You must win her heart, you must marry her, you must make her happy! Work hard!"

Hard work—yes, that was what he needed! Yang Xiner had debuted at eighteen. In just four years, she had become a leading actress in film and television, beloved by millions. She was now venturing into music, her future limitless.

And what about himself? He was little more than an obscure director who had shot a single music video and a few commercials, an actor who had only played minor roles.

The difference between them was immense. Yet Zhang Yue—now Zhang Le—felt no sense of inferiority.

In his previous life, he had been a national martial arts champion several times over, the current heir of the Wudang Jinchan school, a true master with the pride of a martial artist.

Now, as Zhang Le, he possessed prodigious talent, a photographic memory since childhood, and outstanding academic achievements. He was no bookish recluse, either—music, painting, literature, he seemed to excel at them all, and he was fluent in English, French, Portuguese, Japanese, and Korean.

With the memories of two lives, both literary and martial, Zhang Le was confident he could catch up to Yang Xiner. Perhaps it was the fusion of their memories that had made his soul stronger and expanded his mind; everything he’d ever seen or read—films, television, novels, comics—remained vividly clear.

This was an invincible cheat, a boundless wellspring of self-confidence! To be as famous as she was, even more famous! Then, to have her by his side...

None of that was a problem. The real question: how to win her heart? How to marry her? To pursue her, to wed her!

This was not mere responsibility for a night spent together! Perhaps it was love. Her lingering image haunted his mind, growing ever clearer. Her every smile and gesture bewitched his soul.

In the days that followed, Zhang Le familiarized himself with this world and with his new life. Of course, as someone who had trained in martial arts all his life, he maintained those habits. Thirty years had been a short life, but at twenty-three, his new body was in excellent shape, and martial training proved no obstacle. After all, Shang Yunxiang had started at twenty and still became a grandmaster, founding the Shang style of Xingyi.

More importantly, Zhang Le already had a solid martial foundation. After Yang Xiner left that day, she seemed to have forgotten the incident; she neither mentioned it nor contacted him. Zhang Le, meanwhile, often saw her in his mind, but he didn’t know how to approach her and remained silent in his indecision.

In this silence, a month passed. Suddenly, Yang Xiner arrived for a visit, catching Zhang Le off guard—though delight was his overwhelming emotion. Yet her first words stunned him.

"I’m pregnant."

"Mine?" Zhang Le blurted, reflexively, a note of joy in his voice.

Smack! Yang Xiner’s eyes turned red with tears. Clearly, she had not expected that response. She slapped Zhang Le across the face and stormed out.

Zhang Le, recovering, hurried after her and managed to say, "It’s just—happiness came so suddenly, I didn’t know how to react! What I said wasn’t doubt, it was surprise and joy!"