The Rich and Powerful Occupy the Magpie Nest 1.1

Pleasing Start-Over Chapter 2: Arc 1, Part 1

Author: 橘子

This arc is fully edited as of March 2020

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Qiao Chen took a shower in the bathroom while the staff in the bedroom began the preparations for his soul’s shifting. After transmigrating, he would fall into a coma just like General Aunan. He figured it’d be better to clean up beforehand since he didn’t know when he’d wake up.

Three sets of clothes were prepared for Qiao Chen to choose from: pajamas, a hospital gown, or lounge-wear. Qiao Chen didn’t usually wear pajamas. How could he choose the hospital gown without feeling as though he’s jinxing himself? He was a doctor for goodness sake. Qiao Chen didn’t mess around anymore. He quickly chose the lounge-wear, and then walked out the bathroom.

Numerous new equipments were arranged on the Imperial General’s bedside. Qiao Chen looked around as he lay on the bed next to the Imperial General. He was able to see the Emperor lying about half meter away just by turning his head. The scientist were busily working as he observed everything around him

Qiao Chen allowed the scientists to attach various instruments around his head and along his arms. Officer Mulder Foley explained the functions and taught him how to use the system they linked to his brain. With the system, he should have no problems no matter what world he jumped to. He couldn’t help but feel somewhat nervous even though he was repeatedly told that everything should go off without a hitch. The key word was should, not would. 

Everyone exited the room after completing all the necessary preparations. Officer Foley walked to Qiao Chen’s bedside reassuring him, “You don’t need to worry. The system and all of our equipment have been thoroughly developed. You’ll soon transmigrate to a different dimension, alright? Use your judgement and live how you please. However, no matter what you do, do not forget to retrieve the High General’s soul.”

Qiao Chen smiled. He was probably the first person in the entire universe who could do something like quantum shifting.

Qiao Chen gradually fell into a state of lethargy. No matter how sleepy he felt, he still maintained a sliver of lucidity. He felt a sudden burst of dizziness amass in his mind. It was like sitting on the back of a bus for a long ride. The motion sickness kicked in full force and probably wouldn’t end until he finished crossing. It caused him to feel dizzy and his chest constricted. Qiao Chen felt extremely nauseous. The urge to vomit grew worse and worse until it suddenly stopped.

Qiao Chen slowly opened his eyes. Initially, his sight was very blurry. His sight gradually cleared. The first thing Qiao Chen saw was an entirely unfamiliar room.

Qiao Chen sat up. The dizziness jumbled around his mind, because it still hadn’t faded. After looking around the room, he inferred that he must have crossed over successfully. He just didn’t know whose body he jumped into.

Qiao Chen was just about to get out of the bed when a sudden flurry of images appeared before his eyes. They appeared like they were on a movie screen- flashing one after the other. He had to lie back down again. Qiao Chen closed his eyes to concentrate on the images. The system in his brain read the data about this world and his new identity out to him.

The identity of his body was Qi Beichen. He and another man, named Qi Yuxuan, were switched at birth. These two families’ situations and circumstances were worlds apart, so they were raised in completely opposite ends of the spectrum.

During their twenties, Qi Yuxuan needed a blood transfusion after a severe accident. It was only then did Qi Beichen’s biological father find out that Qi Yuxuan did not share his blood. After an investigation, it turned out that the boys were switched at birth. They found Qi Beichen and brought him back into the household.

Years before, Qi Yuxuan’s birth parents died from an unexpected mishap. In the same vein, Qi Beichen’s birth mother was in poor health. She also died during Qi Beichen’s youth.  Mr. Qi later remarried another woman, making the current Mrs. Qi completely unrelated to Qi Beichen.

Mr. and Mrs. Qi raised Qi Yuxuan for so many years now that they developed a deep familial affection for him. Ever since he was young, they were very proud of him. Therefore, even though Qi Beichen returned, they chose not to abandon Qi Yuxuan. Unfortunately, that meant that they also didn’t regard Qi Beichen as their own beloved child like they did with Qi Yuxuan.

Qi Beichen’s tragedy began immediately following his return to the Qi household. After Qi Beichen’s emergence, Qi Yuxuan felt threatened by his existence. He wanted to control and monopolize all of the Qi family’s estate and properties. He didn’t even want a single chance to threaten his hold on his dreams, so he planned a devious trap for Qi Beichen.

It was true that Qi Yuxuan was the sole orchestrator of all the mishaps and misfortunes that befell Qi Beichen. To cause Mr. and Mrs. Qi to lose patience with Qi Beichen, Qi Yixuan deliberately introduced Qi Beichen to some of the rich young masters who led debauched lifestyles. He manipulated Qi Beichen and repeatedly entrapped him into cycles of misbehavior and impropriety.  All of this scheming and planning successfully caused his parents loathe Qi Beichen.

Qi Yuxuan then arranged a fake kidnapping wherein he and Beichen were kidnapped for a ransom. In the end, Mr. and Mrs. Qi chose to save Yuxuan and left Qi Beichen with the kidnappers who ultimately murdered him.

As Qiao Chen watched the images of Beichen’s tragic death, tears welled up in his eyes. He touched his face and it was drenched in tears. Qiao Chen felt confused. As a veteran doctor, he had been long accustomed to life and death. He had also seen numerous instances of human tragedy. It was almost like an occupational hazard. He had to become numb to such cold, sad, and almost routine tragedies. However, this grief he felt didn’t feel like he was a third party witnessing others’ tragedy. Qi Beichen’s feelings of resentment and anguish felt too real- too close. It was almost as if Qiao Chen himself was the one who had been abandoned and killed.

However, Qiao Chen didn’t dwell too much on it. He figured that his was one of the system’s functions. It directly inserted such feelings into his conscious, so that he could better connect to the identity and integrate into the world.

Qiao Chen walked into the bathroom and saw Qi Beichen’s appearance in the mirror. He was speechless…A lion’s mane completely covered his head. It seemed as though Qiao Chen shifted into Qi Beichen’s body the day after he was picked up. Since Qi Beichen worked at a hair salon that catered to alternative lifestyles, it wasn’t surprising that he had a Shamate hairstyle.

He fussed with his hair back and forth as he tried to not to shove all his hair to the front and block his vision of this horrendous yellow hair. Qiao Chen studied his face carefully. To be honest, this face looked pretty good. There was a resemblance to his original face in the past life. These two lives both looked similar… What a coincidence. They both had the same character for Chen in their names too. It seemed as though both men had some sort of connection or fate.

Qiao Chen faced the reflection in the mirror and promised in his heart. Since I am occupying your body, I will never allow you to repeat all those atrocities you faced again. I know that hatred festers within your heart. You fought with all your might for a lifetime and still couldn’t beat Qi Yuxuan. Let me help avenge you.

After Qiao Chen’s soul occupied this body, Qi Beichen’s consciousness should have completely disappeared. A body cannot house two souls at the same time. However, Qiao Chen was able to distinctly feel a foreign sense of loathing as it crept within the depths of his heart.

Qiao Chen went to a posh hair salon to first dye this bright, blinding lion head back to black. Then, he asked for a short cut with refreshing and sharp feel. After the haircut, the barber was satisfied as he admired the results of his work.

He faced Qiao Chen and said, “The moment you came in, I thought that you escaped from the zoo. It was such a waste of such a handsome face. You look so much better now, right?”

Qiao Chen gently brushed his hair around. The hairstylist had a good technique.  It was true when people said that you get what you pay for. The results of the cut were better than in those cheap salons you could find on any random corner.

“It’s very good. Thanks a lot.” Qiao Chen complimented. Then took out one month’s worth of Qi Beichen’s income to pay for the haircut.*  Making money would be a breeze with his brain containing that cheat-like-system. The stock market was the best place for fast money. The system could control the stock market while he stayed at home. Qiao Chen didn’t intend to use any of the Qi family’s money. He promised Qi Beichen revenge. That family should have nothing to do with it.

(T/N: Just letting yuo know, I did that math and it about an $800 USD haircut with new color.)

Qiao Chen bought two sets of clothes. Those cheap and gaudy t-shirts and ripped jeans were all tossed into the trash. Qi Beichen’s bank account didn’t have much. In fact, Qi Beichen only began working these past few years, so that meant that there wasn’t any money saved up. Majority of what Qi Beichen had left went to the hair cut and clothes.

Even though Qiao Chen wanted to leave the Qi household as quickly as he could, he still had to stay for a while. He still needed a place to stay before earned enough money to invest with.

-Back at the Qi family villa-

It just so happened that the normally scarce family members of the Qi household were all present for dinner. Mr. and Mrs. Qi had just seen that Shamate lion head on Qi Beichen’s head yesterday. However, not even one day passed, yet he transformed into this gentle and elegant looking person before them. They were stunned.

Mr. and Mrs. Qi looked at each other and smiled. They warmly invited Qiao Chen, “Beichen? Quickly come join us for a meal.”

Following Qi Beichen’s characteristic and mannerisms from the previous life, Qiao Chen lowered his head and silently joined the table.

Qi Yuxuan looked at Qiao Chen from head to toe two times. He smiled and said, “Did you go shopping for new clothes? I was actually planning on taking you the day after tomorrow, you know?”

Qi Yuxuan wasn’t lying. He did take Qi Beichen shopping in the previous life. However, the main objective was to introduce him to Shu Wenjie. Then the two worked together to buy Qi Beichen piles of tacky, stodgy clothes from nouveau riche boutiques.

After that trip, Qi Yuxuan told Mr. and Mrs. Qi that Qi Beichen himself selected those ugly clothes. He lied and said that Qi Beichen didn’t want to listen, so he had no choice but to relent and let Qi Beichen buy them all.He convinced his parents very well. The result was that they believed Qi Beichen was a stubborn and hardheaded child who ignored any and all of their dear Qi Yuxuan’s advice. 

Given the choice between the son they raised for all his life and a son they barely knew for a few days, of course Mr. and Mrs. Qi believed Qi Yuxuan over Qi Beichen. Adding to the first impressions they had with Qi Beichen’s Shamate style, convincing them that Qi Beichen had any good sense in tastes was an uphill battle.

Unfortunately for Qi Beichen, this was only the first step of Qi Yuxuan’s plans to discredit Qi Beichen in front of his father. For Mr. Qi to completely reject Qi Beichen, Qi Yuxuan had help from his best accomplice, Shu Wenjie.

Qi Yuxin came down from upstairs. She saw Qiao Chen and stared blankly. Then, she sneered with disdain and turned to Mrs. Qi. “Mom! You gave him clothes to buy new clothes, didn’t you? I want to go shopping too!” she whined in a spoiled tone.

Mrs. Qi looked helplessly at her darling little daughter. “You have closets filled with clothes and you want to buy more? Your brother Beichen just returned to the house so he just bought a few sets of new clothes.”

“Those clothes are so old-fashioned and besides, the season just changed. I don’t have any of the new styles anymore.” Qi Yuxin continued to complain to Mrs. Qi.

“Just let her go shopping for those new clothes. We aren’t hurting for money.” Mr. Qi voiced in support of his baby girl.

“Thank you daddy.”  Qi Yuxin joyfully thanked her father. Then she swept another disdainful look at Qiao Chen before she began to eat.

Qi Yuxin was Qi Beichen’s half sister. Since childhood, she adored Qi Yuxuan. She, in fact, was probably the happiest person who found out that Qi Yuxuan wasn’t related to the Qi family. She finally had the opportunity to realize her fantasy to marry Qi Yuxuan.

As for her half brother Qi Beichen… she was extremely disgusted that this random stranger suddenly intruded upon their happy family’s life. In fact, in the previous life, she was also one of Qi Yuxuan’s best accomplices when he dealt with Qi Beichen.

“Beichen. From now on, this is your home too. You don’t need to hold back. Just ask me if there’s anything you need or want to play with.” Qi Yuxuan said. Then he passed Qiao Chen a pair of chopsticks, appearing very gentle and considerate.

“That’s right.” Mr. Qi nodded and continued, “After all, both of you are basically brothers. You can rely on each other. Beichen, follow Yuxuan for a bit and learn from him. We are a prestigious family. You need to correct that timid nature of yours.”

“En.” Qi Beichen answered with a whisper.

“What brothers, hmm? There’s no relation at all.” Qi Yuxin looked at Qi Yuxuan somewhat bashfully. Then afraid that he misunderstood the meaning she quickly said, “I think that brother Yuxuan is looks more like a family member even if he isn’t blood related like a certain skeleton. Look, daddy is so tall and formidable how can that stick compare?”

Receiving his darling little daughter’s praise, Mr. Qi laughed loudly.

“Oh you.” Mrs. Qi gently slapped her daughters arm. Her eyes showed that she wasn’t really reprimanding her. Then she passed Qi Beichen lots of food and told him, “Beichen, eat some more.”

Since he was young, Qi Beichen would frequently go to bed starving. There was no nutrition to supplement any growth, unlike Qi Yuxuan who grew tall and sturdy. Even then, he wasn’t all skin and bones like Qi Yuxin claimed.

Look. With this kind of family, there’s nothing here that deserves to be remembered or thought of. So when I help you with your revenge, don’t feel like my methods are too fierce. Qiao Chen thought inwardly to Qi Beichen’s long gone soul.

 

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