Chapter 1: The Transmigration

Sunlight filtered through the gauze curtains, soft and gentle, casting an irregular patch of brightness on the bed. The intermittent crackling of a vintage radio drifted in from outside the door, muffled as if behind a thin veil, making it hard to discern clearly.

The young man lying on the bed slowly opened his eyes, his gaze unfocused as he stared at the mosquito net above. Sunlight slid over his excessively delicate features, scattering tiny flecks of light across his long, thick black lashes, making his cool, refined face resemble a piece of fine jade.

However...

This illusion of tranquil peace did not last long. Suddenly, the sound of a child hiccupping through tears reached his ears, mixed with the malicious, loud insults of another boy.

"Xiao Baobao, you're just a beggar, pah! How dare you secretly pick up the candy wrapper I threw away?"

"Lick it, pah! Aren't you craving candy? My spit has the taste of candy too, haha, why aren't you licking it?"

"Hahaha, get down on your knees and lick it..."

Smack!—a sound of something being struck, though it was unclear where. "Xiao Baobao, did you hear me? Get down on your knees and lick it like a dog, or I won't let your dad serve you dinner tonight!"

"Wah—I won't lick it, I won't... Brother..." The other child's trembling, tearful voice broke into sobs. "Brother... Baobao hurts, wah..."

The young man on the bed suddenly snapped to attention. He shot up from the bed and rushed toward the closed wooden door, stumbling halfway. He shook his head vigorously, pinched the corner of his eye with one hand, and pulled the door open with the other.

With a creak, the wooden door swung open, revealing the entire living room. A boy of about seven or eight stood in the center, viciously yanking the collar of a child who looked no older than two, trying to press the younger one's face onto a colorful candy wrapper on the floor. The wrapper was stained with a disgusting glob of spit.

Seeing the young man emerge, the older boy wore an expression of disdain and didn't pause his actions for a moment. The younger one's eyes were red from crying, appearing disproportionately large on his overly thin little face. As soon as he saw the young man approaching, his crying intensified. His small nose and half of his face flushed crimson, and his tiny hands reached out toward the young man. Tears streamed from his watery eyes, slipping into his mouth.

"Daddy... Wuwu... Daddy... Daddy..."

Xiao Wang felt a surge of rage shoot through his head. In two or three strides, he walked over, snatched the child from the bully's grasp, and cradled him in his arms. The little one trembled with sobs, curling into a small ball against Xiao Wang's chest. His hiccupping, tearful voice buried itself in Xiao Wang's shirt, his tiny hands clutching Xiao Wang's clothes tightly as his small shoulders shook with each sob.

"Daddy... Wuwu... Daddy..."

"He stole my stuff," the older bully declared, clearly showing no fear or remorse as he lifted his chin and looked at Xiao Wang with contempt.

"Picking up a candy wrapper you threw on the ground is called stealing? Do you even know what the word 'steal' means?!" Xiao Wang's anger flared, his icy gaze fixed directly on the bully's face. The boy froze for a moment, then, as if offended, began shouting furiously.

"I say it's stealing, so it's stealing! Xiao Baobao is a thief! Xiao Naiwang, how dare you talk back to me like that? I'll make my dad divorce you!"

"Divorce?" Xiao Wang sneered, one hand supporting the baby's bottom in his arms, the other grabbing the brat's collar. He tossed him onto the nearby sofa and gave his backside three hard smacks.

"I'd be more than happy to divorce. But before that, some lessons still need to be taught. What did you just want Baobao to do? Lick the spit you left on the candy wrapper? Believe me, I'll press your face right onto that wrapper."

"Xiao Naiwang, how dare you hit me?!" The brat was stunned for a moment before kicking wildly, fists and feet pounding fiercely at Xiao Wang as he wailed at the top of his lungs, "Waa—Xiao Naiwang hit me! My stepdad beat me! Dad... Auntie... Waa—"

Caught off guard by two hard kicks, Xiao Wang's expression turned even colder. He smacked the brat's bottom twice more with a sharp "thwack, thwack," then grabbed his collar and tossed him onto another sofa. "Go ahead, call your dad if you dare."

With that, he carried the baby, who had fallen silent in fright at some point, back to the small room they had just left.

As soon as the door closed, a cacophony of kicking and pounding erupted from outside, accompanied by the brat's furious, spit-flying curses. "Xiao Naiwang, how dare you hit my butt! I'll make my dad whip you! I'll kick you out, shameless, black-hearted, greedy for my dad's property..."

It was clear many of these words had been taught by adults. Xiao Wang scoffed, locked the door, and carried the baby to the bed, completely ignoring the noisy commotion. He patted the baby's trembling back gently, soothing him. "Don't be afraid..."

"Daddy..."

The baby's eyes were red from crying, his long, thick black lashes clumped together with tears. His dark pupils were misty behind the wetness, and his pale, slightly yellowish face showed clear signs of malnutrition. The pitiful sight tugged at Xiao Wang's heart, and he couldn't help but pat the baby's back softly, comforting him. "Be good, Baobao, don't cry. He won't bully you anymore..."

"Daddy... I... I and big brother..."

The baby hiccupped through his sobs, his small hands clutching tightly to Xiao Wang's clothes, his eyes filled with fear and confusion. Before, when his older brother hit or scolded him, Daddy would always say Baobao had done something wrong and needed to correct it, to listen to his brother. This time... why wasn't Daddy saying that anymore?

But as he thought about it, his little mind couldn't quite grasp it, and he didn't know how to express it. He only felt that this Daddy was so good, and he really liked the Daddy holding him now. He wanted to be even more obedient, even more well-behaved...

"Daddy, Daddy, don't be mad at Baobao. Baobao won't cry, will be obedient..."

Seeing the little one rest his head on his shoulder, sniffling softly and trying hard not to cry, Xiao Wang felt his heart melt. At the same time, he couldn't help but feel a bit helpless. He had been single for over twenty years, hadn't even shed his virgin status, and now he had suddenly become a father, being called "Daddy" over and over...

But what could he say? He had transmigrated into this child's father's body—what else could he be but "Daddy"? Sigh...

"Be good, Baobao. Dad... Daddy won't be angry."

Xiao Wang awkwardly uttered the word "Dad" as he gently patted the little one in his arms, pacing back and forth in the bedroom while frantically trying to sort through the utterly chaotic—or rather, downright disastrous—situation he found himself in.

Based on the memories he had inherited from the original body and the events that had just unfolded, he had no choice but to accept the reality: he had transmigrated. Worse yet, he had transmigrated into the very BL novel he had mercilessly criticized just yesterday—a story featuring a scumbag top and a pitiful bottom. And the most horrifying part? The original body he now inhabited was none other than the character he despised the most in the entire book—

The bottom's utterly despicable father!

This despicable father's name was almost identical to his own, just one character off: Xiao Naiwang. Yet his behavior was so appalling that no matter how hard Xiao Wang tried to wrap his head around it, he couldn't comprehend it. Yesterday, he had been so furious that he wished he could leap into the book and give Xiao Naiwang a thorough beating—front, back, and sideways—just to knock some sense into him.

But that didn't mean he wanted to become Xiao Naiwang himself!!

He remembered the beginning of the book: Xiao Naiwang, along with the story's pitiful bottom—his two-year-old son, Xiao Zile—married Zhou Yiguo, the father of the eight-year-old scumbag top, Zhou Chuanjing, forming a blended family. What followed were years of Xiao Naiwang slaving away without complaint, while his son, Xiao Zile, endured endless abuse.

To be honest, what disgusted and infuriated Xiao Wang the most wasn't the bottom's endless suffering—after all, pitiful bottoms in such stories were par for the course. What he couldn't wrap his head around was Xiao Naiwang's behavior!

As Xiao Zile's father, Xiao Naiwang prioritized Zhou Yiguo and Zhou Chuanjing in everything, relegating his own young son to a subordinate, almost slave-like position within the family.

Xiao Zile's treatment couldn't even compare to a single toe of the Zhou father and son.

Every day, Xiao Naiwang cooked for the family. The young scumbag top—Zhou Chuanjing in his childhood—was fed milk and eggs until he was sick of them, while Xiao Zile was often left hungry due to malicious pranks. Xiao Naiwang knew all about it but did nothing to remedy the situation, instead focusing on what to cook for the scumbag father and son for dinner.

The young scumbag top had mountains of new clothes since childhood, while Xiao Zile's clothes were so worn they were patched up. Xiao Naiwang even lectured his own son to be content and not compare himself to others.

The young scumbag top had so many snacks he couldn't finish them all, while Xiao Zile didn't even have a bowl of sweet water to drink. Once, driven by hunger, Xiao Zile secretly picked up a candy wrapper the young scumbag top had thrown away, only to be discovered and kicked hard in the chest, sent flying and crying until he could barely breathe. Xiao Naiwang's first reaction was to scold his son for being greedy.

The young scumbag top deliberately tampered with Xiao Zile's college entrance exam preferences, causing him to fail. Yet Xiao Naiwang still advised his son not to be petty.

...

Even as the two grew up, and Xiao Zile endured Zhou Chuanjing's repeated infidelity, domestic violence, humiliation, and physical and emotional abuse, Xiao Naiwang remained blissfully unaware, living happily with Zhou Yiguo. In fact, near the end of the book, at the 99% mark, he even joined forces with Zhou Chuanjing to persuade Xiao Zile—who had finally mustered the courage to break up—to return for a "happy ending"!

It was as if he held a deep-seated grudge against his own son!

Yet by degrading himself and his own flesh and blood, what did Xiao Naiwang gain? Not long after marrying Zhou Yiguo, the man dove into the business world. In the unstable early days, it was Xiao Naiwang's salary that supported the family. Later, when Zhou Yiguo's enterprise grew strong and prosperous, Xiao Naiwang essentially replaced the housekeeper, staying home to handle all the chores, only to be mocked daily by the entire Zhou family for living off Zhou Yiguo.

But in truth, after over twenty years of hardship, Xiao Naiwang had gained nothing but a pile of housework. All his past wages had been spent on Zhou Yiguo and Zhou Chuanjing. The company shares and every asset in the household were handed over to the spoiled heir Zhou Chuanjing, with not a single cent connected to Xiao Naiwang or his own son, Xiao Zile.

Though, it seemed those assets were also willingly relinquished by Xiao Naiwang to prove his sincerity?

As for Zhou Yiguo and Zhou Chuanjing, they naturally put on a show of reluctant refusal before happily accepting everything.

Just recalling it made Xiao Wang feel a surge of rage rising from his chest to the crown of his head. But now...

Holding the small bundle in his arms, a chill seeped into Xiao Wang's eyes. This place—he absolutely refused to stay any longer. Let those two scumbag father and son live on their own.

The baby in his arms gradually stopped crying, but the clamor outside continued unabated. Sorting through the memories of the original host, Xiao Naiwang, Xiao Wang realized that at this point, the original host and Zhou Yiguo had been married for just over half a month. Due to the troublemaking of the young scumbag Zhou Chuanjing, they had even been sleeping separately and had yet to share a bed!

Hah...

Xiao Wang let out a long sigh, feeling a wave of relief. At least he hadn't slept with the scumbag—sparing himself that disgust.

But his relief was short-lived. The noise outside suddenly ceased, replaced by the sound of running footsteps fading into the distance, accompanied by the brat Zhou Chuanjing's wails, "Waaah... Dad, Auntie, Xiao Naiwang hit me! He hit me so hard, it hurts, waaah—!"

As soon as Zhou Chuanjing's cries subsided, a sharp, venomous young woman's voice rang out, alternating between comforting the brat and hurling filthy insults. After a while, a steady, righteous male voice cut her off, "Xiao Rou, watch your language."

"Brother!" the young woman's voice protested with clear resentment, "You're always taking Xiao Naiwang's side. What's so great about him besides his face? He acts all meek and gentle, pretending to care about Xiao Jing, but look—in just a moment, he's beaten Xiao Jing up like this! He's nothing but a vicious, petty person inside!"

"Don't speak of him that way. He's your sister-in-law!" the man scolded again before turning to comfort Zhou Chuanjing, "Alright, Xiao Jing, stop crying. A real man doesn't cry over a little pain, understand?"

Listening from behind the door, Xiao Wang nearly laughed out loud. This Zhou Yiguo was truly a master of deception—outwardly always defending Xiao Naiwang, even scolding his own sister and making his son suffer for Xiao Naiwang's sake, while in reality, he was tacitly endorsing their words, already convicting Xiao Naiwang in his heart!

Pitiful Xiao Naiwang had been kept in the dark all along, convinced that Zhou Yiguo cared for him deeply and treated him well, which only made him strive even harder to please the entire family, willing to give his heart and soul. To prove his sincerity, he even neglected his own son, pushing him aside completely.

What a damn sickness!

As Xiao Wang stewed over this, the footsteps and cries arrived outside his door, followed by a knock.

"Xiao Wang, how are you feeling now? Has the fever gone down?"

Xiao Wang really didn't want to respond, but now he was Xiao Naiwang. It was impossible to avoid these scoundrels. After a moment's thought, he walked to the door, slid open the latch, and pushed the wooden door open.

Hmm, the man before him was quite good-looking—thick eyebrows, a high nose, and an air of steady refinement. What a pity he was a hypocrite hiding behind a gentleman's facade.

Xiao Wang refused to believe that Zhou Yiguo was completely unaware of everything Xiao Naiwang had done for this family, while Xiao Baobao couldn't even eat his fill, wore clothes patched upon patches, owned not a single toy, and was bullied and insulted by Zhou Chuanjing every day.

Come on, the man wasn't blind or deaf.

It was simply because, deep down, he didn't care how his own son behaved. After all, it was someone else's biological son being bullied and mistreated, so he turned a blind eye.

"Xiao Wang, are you feeling better now?"

The tall, refined-looking man wore an expression of concern, while beside him stood a rather delicate-looking young woman whose face was filled with disdain and anger, as if she were looking at him not with her eyes but through her nostrils.

Xiao Wang recognized the woman as Zhou Yiguo's younger sister, Zhou Yurou, but he paid her no mind. Instead, he fixed his gaze coldly on Zhou Yiguo, a faint, icy smile curling at the corner of his lips.

"Zhou Yiguo, let's get a divorce."