Water Recovery System Volume 1 Prologue

Arc 1 – Prologue

"Sobsobsob, that b.a.s.t.a.r.d, how could he be so heartless?"

Their current client[1] was a man with exquisite features, his shimmering bright and cute as he cried. The tip of his nose was red, making him both pitiful and attractive.

Shen Jiayan[2] offered the man a few , his eyes dark and dim. "What happened? Come, tell me the whole story, slowly."

The client rubbed furiously at his face before giving Shen Jiayan a grateful look. Then he shared his tale between his sniffles and sobs. His name was Shen Qiyu[3], the youngest son of the Shen family. Because he'd been spoiled since childhood, he was used to having things his way. Originally, Shen Qiyu had no need to inherit the family property or manage its company. He could rely on the company dividends to support himself for the rest of his life. Of course, that was only before he met the "man who would change his life"–Gu Jing.[4]

Shen Qiyu's father had found Gu Jing to be his son's bodyguard. He knew his youngest son loved stirring up trouble, so he used his connections with old friends to get him a personal guard. Shen Qiyu was a straight man, but Gu Jing was not. However, the young master was exactly Gu Jing's type, an arrogant kitten who liked to bare its fangs and claws. Moreover, he was clueless when it came to romance. Gu Jing only needed minimal effort to bend[5] Shen Qiyu.

Gu Jing might be a wicked, sly, and wanton man, but he was also responsible. After hooking up with Shen Qiyu, he become docile and obedient, doting on the young master's every whim. But the good times didn't last. Shen Qiyu and Gu Jing had hardly become a couple before Shen Qiyu's father found out. Once he realized his son had bent and was the bottom in the relationship, he was filled with nothing but rage. He knew his son's personality and simply cut off the boy's financial a.s.sistance. No one was allowed to give him any money.

Thus, Shen Qiyu and Gu Jing's livelihood relied on Gu Jing to make a living through hard labor. Shen Qiyu was quite in love at first, but he was a wasteful, extravagant fellow. Hardly a month had pa.s.sed before he ran back to the Shen house and agreed to his father's demands to cut off all relations with Gu Jing. His father humiliated Gu Jing before writing a check and ordering him to leave. The story should have ended here, but Shen Qiyu ran into Gu Jing again three years later.

This time was different. The new Gu Jing wasn't someone to be ordered about by Shen Qiyu's father, but a source of respect for the entire Shen family. It was true that Shen Qiyu was a man who couldn't suffer hardships or defy his father, but his feelings for Gu Jing were genuine. After all, the man was his first love. They'd only been broken up by force by his father, so the three years' of absence had only deepened his feelings towards the man. Once he learned of Gu Jing's new status and position, Gu Qiyu's father didn't stop him from pursuing the man, either.

Thrilled, Shen Qiyu went to find Gu Jing, but discovered with shock that he had long gained a true lover who "didn't care about his birth or status" by his side: Xu Chenle.

Naturally, Shen Qiyu refused to accept this and wanted to continue his relationship with Gu Jing. But the man not only refused him, but even slapped a 10,000,000 dollar check in his face. This was ten times the money that Shen Qiyu's father had given him in the past. Unresigned, Shen Qiyu found all sorts of ways to scheme against Xu Chenle. Of course, Gu Jing couldn't sit by and watch his lover being bullied. Add that to his old grudges, and he simply bankrupted the entire Shen family. Because of that, Shen Qiyu's father was forced into jail.

Shen Qiyu was left with no choice but to beg Gu Jing for help. But he only lorded over the man and asked, "When has anyone recovered water that's already been tossed out?"

Once he got to this point in the narrative, Shen Qiyu broke into gasping sobs. His white, jade-like face flushed red as he cried, "I, I just can't accept it. I've lived in luxury all my life, but for his sake I ate a month's worth of mantou and pickled vegetables. E-even if I couldn't take it and went home in the end, I still tried my best for him in the end, didn't I?"

"B-but what about that Xu Chenle? When he met A'Jing, A'Jing was already so impressive. Of course he could spout a whole pile of pretty words at him! If I could go back in time, I'd tell A'Jing that I don't care about his birth or status, too!"

"Just wh-which part of this is fair? You tell me!"

"Sobsob, that b.a.s.t.a.r.d even bankrupted my family. My dad had to go to jail and I lost everything…"

Shen Jiayan patted his head comfortingly, his movements a little stiff. But Shen Qiyu felt much better after that. Shen Jiayan then asked in a soft voice, "Then what do you want me to help you with?"

"I wish that the Shen family won't go bankrupt and that dad doesn't have to go to prison," Shen Qiyu said, before his face fell. "I know I've done a lot of wrong things, but I really do like him. When I went to find him again, it wasn't because of his status, really!"

Shen Jiayan only nodded as he looked at Shen Qiyu's limpid eyes. "I believe you."

"Thank you!" Shen Qiyu's tears gave way to smiles. He wrung his pale, slender fingers as he asked, "May I ask the price I have to pay?"

"Sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, or luck. Choosing one of them will be fine," Shen Jiayan said with a hooded gaze as he tapped the table.

Shen Qiyu didn't hesitate for long and said quickly, "Then let it be smell!"

"Alright." Shen Jiayan waved a hand in front of Shen Qiyu's face before withdrawing a ball of soft green light. "It's done. I'll fulfill your wish for you, so let me send you off now."

Despite losing a bit of something on his side, Shen Qiyu didn't feel uncomfortable anywhere. His steps were much lighter than when he first arrived as well. After Shen Jiayan sent him off, a pure black cat materialized by his side and padded over elegantly. "Your Excellency Host, will you enter the world now, or skim through its plot first?"

"I've already learned most of the plot. Where's the story at now if we go in this instant?"

"Due to the regulations, we can only enter the world after the protagonist gong has met the upright shou. But this is Your Excellency Host's first time carrying out a mission, so you have the privilege of choosing when to appear."

"The privilege of a first-timer?" Shen Jiayan said as he stroked the cat beneath its chin."But I a.s.sume the rewards are different depending on the time of entry?"

The black cat didn't expect its host to catch on so quickly. "That's right. If you choose to enter when they first met, then it'll be easy mode, but you'll lose 1,000 points from the final reward. If you enter when they're already deeply in love, then it'll be hard mode and you'll get 10,000 extra points."

"Then let's pick normal difficulty–when they have good feelings for each other, but neither side's confessed yet."

"Alright. Mission goals confirmed: prevent the Shen family from bankruptcy and let Gu Jing love Your Excellency Host in the role of Shen Qiyu. Difficulty level confirmed: Normal. Reward points for completion confirmed: 5,000 points. Cheat skill confirmed: enhanced smell. Shall I commence the transfer?"

"Transfer."

༺ Chapter Glossary ༻

[1] client (雇主) – guzhu, the literal definition is "employer/master/hirer," but as they're employing the MC's services to fix their worlds, I went with "client."

[2] Shen Jiayan (沈嘉言) － Shen when used as a surname. Written identical to 沈 (Chen), which means "to sink, deep/profound." Jia is "praise, commend, good/fine," and Yan is "speech, word."  Our novel's main character, a transmigrator bound to the Water Recovery System.

[3] Shen Qiyu (沈祁玉) – Shen and Qi are both surnames, Yu means "jade." Arc 1's slag character.

[4] Gu Jing (顾璟) Gu is a surname that means "turn around and look at, customer," Jing is "l.u.s.ter of jade." Arc 1's male lead.

[5] bend (掰弯) – baiwan, to turn a straight person gay.

[6] Xu Chenle (许宸乐) – Xu is a surname that means "promise, praise/approve," Chen  means "great mansion, imperial palace, throne/emperor," Le means "joy." Arc 1's shou (uke/bottom).

Translator's Notes: I've been needing a little distraction form PGC lately, so I'm translating Arc 1 of this short(ish) story on the side because it seems fun. Whatever comes next can be decreed by fate. You can check out the Table of Contents page for links to the Chinese raws and NUF's spoiler thread. Have fun. ?