DASFAM_CH 01

Ding-dong.

The elevator doors closed, briefly cutting off the antiseptic smell that permeated the hospital corridor.

Bai Xu stood silently in the far corner, staring at the familiar yet unfamiliar face of 'himself' in the wall mirror—

Fair, clean cheeks with a delicate, well-behaved softness, fine brows and eyes, lips slightly pale.

His slightly long fringe fell smoothly down, yet still couldn't fully conceal the thick gauze on the left side of his forehead; beneath it, the wound that had only been stitched a few days ago was still aching faintly.

"……"

"Bai Xu, what are you standing there spacing out for?"

Someone called his name.

Bai Xu didn't turn around. Through the reflection in the elevator mirror, his gaze drifted toward the middle-aged couple beside him.

Both of them were staring at him too, their brows and eyes carrying an identical sharp acidity— they really did look like a married couple.

The man in front drew a deep breath, his words heavy with undisguised contempt and warning, "I'm telling you, this marriage is already set in stone. Once we get into that ward, you'd better behave yourself."

"If you dare offend anyone, I'll make sure you regret it!"

The middle-aged woman beside him immediately echoed her husband, "Does he even have that kind of nerve?"

"Bai Xu, all these years— your food, your clothes, everything— hasn't the Bai family provided it all? Now that the old master is gone, we can't keep supporting a freeloader. If you had any sense, you'd repay us in this matter. Do you understand?"

"……"

Bai Xu said nothing. His downcast eyes flickered with a brief, fleeting coldness.

Understand?

Having transmigrated into the book not long ago, he naturally understood.

Three days ago, Bai Xu had accidentally transmigrated into a novel called 'The Abyss'.

The book told the story of a wealthy young master who, caught in a power struggle, suffered a catastrophic car accident that left his family ruined, his body disabled, and himself cast into the abyss, only to methodically scheme his way back through revenge.

Simply put, it was a face-slapping power fantasy— a little formulaic, but undeniably classic.

As for the original host of this body, he shared the same name: also Bai Xu. In the novel, he was cannon fodder of the highest order, appearing in no more than a handful of lines.

Piecing together the fragments of memory that lingered in his mind, Bai Xu learned that the original host had actually been an orphan.

At the age of ten, he had been brought into the Bai household by the then-patriarch, Old Master Bai, under the guise of 'charitable adoption'. In truth, it was because the old man had taken a fortune-teller's words to heart—

The fortune-teller had declared that the original host's 'fate was too strong, capable of warding off calamity,' and could sustain the Bai family's fortune. And so, even the name given to him upon his arrival had been chosen with that in mind— a single character, Xu, meaning 'continuation'.

Thinking about it, Bai Xu found it laughable: what kind of feudal nonsense was this? Utterly absurd.

Because the original host had been timid by nature and clueless about social norms, he had caused no shortage of embarrassment after entering the Bai household, becoming someone nobody could stand. He held the title of young master in name only, with no real authority, and behind closed doors, even the servants bullied him.

A month ago, Old Master Bai passed away from illness. Bai Rendao, who had finally taken control of the family's affairs, turned around and arranged a marriage alliance for the original host in order to secure business interests.

Upon learning of this, the original host, in a rare moment, erupted into an argument with the Bai family. In the ensuing struggle, someone maliciously kicked him down; his forehead struck the corner of a table, and he lost consciousness, which was how the present Bai Xu had, by some twist of fate, come to inhabit the body.

—Ding-dong.

The elevator arrived directly at the top floor of the hospital.

That sharp, acrid smell of antiseptic flooded back in, sending a wave of dizziness washing over Bai Xu.

Bai Rendao shot his wife Qian Shuling a look, then turned to issue a command at Bai Xu in the corner, "Let's go. You have no room to refuse today."

The couple stepped out of the elevator first.

Bai Xu suppressed that disorienting dizziness, then feigned compliance and followed behind them.

The intensive care unit on the top floor was reserved exclusively for individual patients— which was to say, it charged the most expensive medical fees and drew on the finest resources to care for the extraordinarily wealthy.

At the door of the ward at the end of the corridor, bodyguards verified Bai Rendao's identity several times over before letting them through, "Old Madam, Mr. Shang, the Bai family has arrived."

Bai Xu hung back at the rear, quietly taking in everything inside the ward.

The spacious room was divided into two areas by a pane of clear glass.

In the outer sitting area, an elderly woman sat upright on a sofa with her eyes closed, turning a fine string of peachwood prayer beads between her fingers, her lips moving faintly as though murmuring something.

Standing beside her was a middle-aged man in a well-tailored suit, who was now leaning forward and speaking respectfully to the old woman, "Mother, the Bai family is here."

A single glance, and Bai Xu had already guessed who they were.

Old Madam Shang, and her eldest son, Shang Yun.

Bai Rendao and Qian Shuling shed their cutting manner from the elevator entirely, stepping forward to greet them with something close to flattery.

Bai Xu paid no attention to that deliberate, fawning exchange. His gaze passed through the clear glass and settled on the young man lying unconscious in the hospital bed.

A face of near-perfect proportion, a high, straight nose bridge— even with his complexion drained to a sickly pallor, none of it touched his looks in the slightest.

"……"

A flicker of interest passed through Bai Xu's otherwise calm eyes, then vanished quickly into the depths of his gaze.

The man lying in that hospital bed before him was his intended in the arranged marriage—

The third young master of the Shang family, Shang Yanxiao.

The Shang family stood among the foremost great houses in the capital, and across the whole of China, and its current patriarch, Old Master Shang, was a legendary figure in business circles.

It was said that Shang Yanxiao was the grandson Old Master Shang valued most, and the one who most resembled him in temperament and ability.

While still in high school, Shang Yanxiao had already dared to carve out a formidable reputation in the stock market; barely out of university, he had already closed a merger deal worth over ten billion on behalf of the Shang family— news that had stunned the entire industry at the time.

Striking in appearance, exceptional in ability, the very picture of a man favored by heaven.

A month and a half ago, Shang Yanxiao had accompanied his parents to Australia to support his younger brother's F1 race. On the return journey, all four of them were caught in a sudden car accident.

Shang Yanxiao's parents died at the scene. Shang Yanxiao and his brother were left in critical condition. The Shang family mobilized their finest medical team and fought to save them for days on end, yet the outlook remained grim—

Shang Yanxiao, the elder brother, had fallen into a vegetative state and had yet to wake. His younger brother, Shang Queyan, was a racing driver— and had been forced to undergo an amputation.

When word reached the capital, it naturally became front-page news across the major financial journals. Countless people sighed in private:

"One crash and the whole family's gone, the Shang family's third branch is finished!"

"Now the question of who inherits the Shang family is anyone's guess again."

Bai Xu ran briefly through the information he had gathered since transmigrating, then heard a voice from behind him ask, "Does the Bai family truly have no objections to this arrangement? And this child, does he have none either?"

Bai Xu turned around and met the gaze of Old Madam Shang, who had asked the question.

Since the accident, Shang Yanxiao had shown no signs of waking, and the hospital had assessed him as being at risk of remaining in a vegetative state.

Perhaps it was the shock of losing both her son and daughter-in-law at once, or perhaps it was simply the desperate hope that her grandson might wake safely.

Old Madam Shang, who had long kept a vegetarian diet and devoted herself to Buddhism, had taken the words of a so-called 'enlightened master' to heart and, left with no better option, resorted to this measure—

Hoping that a marriage might bring a turn of fortune, she had sought out the Bai family.

Faced with Old Madam Shang's question, the only two middle-aged men in the ward exchanged a brief, veiled glance— and Bai Xu, who caught it, understood perfectly well—

What marriage alliance? What fortune-turning ceremony?

It was nothing more than scheming individuals who had deliberately staged the whole thing with a hired 'master', deceiving the anxious old woman into believing it, so that each of them could pursue their own hidden interests.

Bai Rendao was using him as a bargaining chip, to be handed over to the Shang family in exchange for business gains.

And Shang Yun, as Shang Yanxiao's second uncle on his father's side, was equally eager for his nephew to never wake— clearing the way for himself and his own son.

This marriage, arranged without any need for the consent of the person it concerned, was more like a silent humiliation, and for Shang Yun, merely a means to placate his mother and make himself appear indispensable.

"Old Madam, our family naturally has no objections, and Xiao Xu is willing to accept this arrangement."

Qian Shuling was quick to speak up.

She moved to Bai Xu's side with an air of performance, her smile hollow, "Our Xiao Xu has always been blessed since childhood. My late father-in-law even had a fortune-teller read the fates of everyone in our family—"

"That old gentleman said Xiao Xu had an auspicious fate, that he would go through life free of misfortune and disaster, and that a fine match would come to him within the next two years or so."

"Is that so?"

A faint brightness entered Old Madam Shang's eyes.

Before this, she had hesitated over whether to go through with it, but had ultimately decided to try—

Her reasons for choosing Bai Xu were twofold: the guidance of the 'enlightened master', and a feeling that a boy would be more suitable than a girl, since if the method turned out to be ineffective, it would at least not weigh too heavily on the child's future.

"Old Madam, would I dare deceive you over something this important?"

As she spoke, Qian Shuling gave Bai Xu a light pat on the back— outwardly a prompt, inwardly a threat, "Why are you being so tight-lipped, child? Didn't you say at home that you'd long admired the third young master?"

"……"

Hearing words that had never once been spoken, Bai Xu curved his lips into a faint, meaningful smile, "Yes, I have no objections."

Bai Rendao and Qian Shuling exchanged a glance, the tension in them easing slightly, taking it to mean that Bai Xu had quietly yielded.

But the very next moment, the two of them heard Bai Xu add of his own accord, "However, I have one condition."

The words were directed at Old Madam Shang, his tone steady, as though he had planned this long in advance.

Bai Rendao's brow furrowed slightly, and he moved instinctively to cut him off, only to be preempted by Old Madam Shang, who said first, "Go ahead, child."

Bai Xu asked, "Although the third young master and I have had no prior dealings, this marriage is still considered a union between him and me?"

Old Madam Shang gave a nod.

"In that case, since my future fiancé is temporarily indisposed and there are certain matters he is unable to weigh in on for the time being—"

Bai Xu glanced briefly at the calculating Bai couple, then shifted his gaze to Shang Yanxiao lying in the hospital bed, "Whatever bride price and dowry you all settle on, just transfer it directly to my account."

"......."

A single bolt-from-the-blue statement caught everyone present completely off guard.

Bai Rendao's expression shifted at once. He stared at Bai Xu in disbelief, "What nonsense are you spouting!"

Had this good-for-nothing actually knocked his head so hard it broke his brain?

Who in their right mind went around asking the Shang family for money so openly? If word of this got out, where would the Bai family's dignity be?

Qian Shuling, unwilling to see a single coin leave their hands, rushed to add, "Exactly, Xiao Xu, this arrangement is different, you can't just..."

"How is it different?"

Bai Xu had long anticipated the couple's reaction and put on an expression of perfect innocence.

"Since I've agreed to this marriage, I'm treating the third young master as any ordinary person. What's wrong with following the normal procedure?"

"……"

The words stopped Qian Shuling cold. She didn't dare say another thing.

She shot an awkward glance at Old Madam Shang— how could she possibly say, in front of the old woman, that her precious grandson wasn't a 'normal person'?

A flash of mockery crossed Bai Xu's eyes, "You're allowed to secretly use me as a bargaining chip for business interests, to sell me off and pocket the money with your rotten hearts, but I'm not allowed to bring it up openly?"

Bai Rendao's face went iron-grey. He had never expected that the always-manageable Bai Xu would turn on him in public like this, leaving him with no way to save face.

Qian Shuling held up a strained smile, "Where did you hear such nonsense? We genuinely want what's best for you, plenty of people would give anything for the chance to marry into the Shang family."

"Oh? There are windfalls that generous in this world?"

Bai Xu nodded with an air of contemplation, then delivered a question that landed like a hammer blow, "Then why didn't you send your own son?"

—Crack!

The words struck like an invisible slap across the faces of Bai Rendao and Qian Shuling, and not a single word of rebuttal came out of either of them.

Old Madam Shang heard the words 'business interests' and watched the Bai couple's reaction. She understood at once that something was off, and turned a silent, appraising gaze on her eldest son beside her.

Shang Yun's throat moved in a nervous swallow. He lowered his voice to excuse himself, "Mother, it isn't what you're thinking, I had absolutely nothing to do with this."

Old Madam Shang's grip on her prayer beads tightened. She returned her gaze forward.

"Yes, this matter will reach other people's ears sooner or later. The two of them will have this connection in name, our Shang family cannot afford to wrong you."

"Child, let's do it this way: if you're willing to go through with this marriage, every cent that's owed to you will be paid in full."

The Shang family was large and prosperous; they were not short of money.

As for what sort of relationship Bai Xu had with the Bai family, she had neither the energy nor the inclination to concern herself with it.

Though Old Madam Shang had been driven by desperation to grasp at any remedy, her eye for people remained sharp. Compared to Bai Xu, who spoke his mind plainly and had an honest quality she found agreeable, the Bai couple were clearly the ones with something to hide.

She suspected that Bai Xu's days in the Bai household had not been easy, and that he was seizing this opportunity to escape.

Old Madam Shang turned her prayer beads slowly and looked at Bai Rendao, "Mr. Bai, Mrs. Qian, the proper customs of a marriage cannot be skipped. As the elders, we owe it to the children to give them some security. Don't you agree?"

Qian Shuling had expected this to be pure profit, and the realization that money would now have to be spent upfront left her seething with resentment. She bit down on her back teeth to keep from showing it, and still couldn't bring herself to say a single word of agreement.

Shang Yun, knowing his mother's temperament, cleared his throat pointedly, "Mr. Bai, what do you think?"

Bai Rendao thought of the connection with the Shang family that had taken such effort to establish. How could he dare say a word against it? Knowing full well he had been outmaneuvered by Bai Xu, he had no choice but to swallow his fury and accept.

"Yes, the bride pri—"

He paused, then amended it with some difficulty, "The money. The Bai family will have it ready."

Old Madam Shang gave a small nod and looked back at Bai Xu, "Six months."

She had no intention of binding him there against his will, and named a timeframe she had already settled on beforehand, "If Yanxiao's condition still hasn't improved by then, whether you stay or go is your choice."

"Understood."

Seeing the matter provisionally settled, Shang Yun stepped in to smooth things over, "Mother, I've reserved a private room at a hotel near the hospital, shall both families go and have a meal? We can also discuss the details of the children's arrangement."

Old Madam Shang did not refuse, and the Bai couple raised no objections either. Only Bai Xu had no desire whatsoever to be part of that sort of gathering.

He glanced back over at the hospital bed, his fair, clean features lending him an effortlessly well-behaved air, "Old Madam, I'm not hungry just yet. May I stay here and sit with the third young master for a while?"

Old Madam Shang looked at her grandson lying unconscious on the bed, and thought of what the fortune-teller had said about letting the two of them spend time alone together. After a brief consideration, she agreed.

"Very well."

Bai Xu's face didn't look like that of a child with ill intentions.

Besides, the private hospital ward was equipped with surveillance cameras throughout, and there were dedicated bodyguards stationed at the door, her grandson's safety was assured.

...

The ward door closed, and the sound of footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

Bai Xu, hearing this, shut his eyes and let out a long, heavy breath: good, everything so far had unfolded within his expectations.

It had to be said: the original host had no foothold in the capital, and as a transmigrator newly arrived in unfamiliar territory, what he needed in the short term was a stable place to stay and a certain amount of money in hand.

Compared to the Bai family, who had long since grown to despise him, the Shang family was clearly the better option.

Although Bai Xu put no stock in the notion of a fortune-turning marriage, this kind of false relationship bound together by mutual interest was still within his acceptable range for the time being.

After all, he had already transmigrated into a novel, what was there left that couldn't be done? And besides—

Bai Xu stepped closer to the hospital bed and studied Shang Yanxiao's features with considerable interest, muttering to himself, "Good-looking but unconscious, rich family but no control over me..."

"Where else could I find such a perfect, practically null and void, transparent marriage? Practically free money."

Bai Xu was quite satisfied with how he had opened this particular game. With a privately mischievous streak that no one else was privy to, he addressed the unaware Shang Yanxiao lying in the bed with a teasing lilt:

"Pleased to meet you. Hello there, fi~an~cé."

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