Chapter 193 - Stamp-Collecting Prince President Xie
Translated by Eve
Edited by Serefina
1. Stamp-Collecting Prince President Xie
【Ding, transfer to new world in progress….】
【……】
【444：Yiyiyiyiyi! Why isn’t there a memory transfer in this world? Wait a second, Host dada! Isn’t this your world?! Σ( °△°|||)︴】
Xie He opened his eyes and found himself standing in the white corridor of a hospital. There were nurses and staff members walking in various directions. It was as if he had never left this world.
The previous worlds felt like a dream that had happened in a blink of an eye. The corner of Xie He’s lips raised slightly, causing a faint smile to appear on his lips.
【Xie He：Yes, it is. What’s wrong, Baby? Smile.JPG】
【444：How is this possible, ah?! Why did we come back to your original world?! (⊙﹏⊙)b Did the main system malfunction? Was there something wrong with the input?! 】
【Xie He：Baby, did you get any mission notifications?】
【444：Give me a second…ah, there actually is one!】
【444：The mission for this world is to…be a capture target. The reward for causing the other party’s capture to fail is…a hundred thousand experience points! Σ( °△°|||)︴】Oh my gosh! 444 really thought that the main system must have malfunctioned. This was too abnormal! Not only did Host dada return to his original world, he had even become a capture target this time, and the reward was so high too!
【Xie He：I’m only worth a hundred thousand experience points? That’s way too little. I’m not happy. 🙂 】
【444：……】I feel like something’s not quite right here….orz
Xie He was about to leave the hospital when he seemed to suddenly think of something. He turned around and stepped back into the room. Lin Ziming had already died. Xie He stood over the bed for a while, a look of deep sorrow in his eyes. He sighed. “He left just like that. He died so irresponsibly.”
【444：……】If he hadn’t known that Host dada had a Favourability Value of 0 for Lin Ziming, he’d think that Host dada really loved him, ne…. But how would he forget after just ten or so worlds how Lin Ziming had been angered to death?! orz
【Xie He：Hosts these days love to put on such a pitiful act. They all have that tragic past of being unloved by their parents. Except for pretending to be an idiot in love, they don’t bother trying out any other roles. When they die, they only care about making themselves look sad and beautiful. They don’t care about how I feel at all. This is my world, ah…. If I don’t bury them, other people will think I’m a coldhearted freak. They come to my world, make a mess of it, leave a mountain of issues and then I have to clean up after them. I’m really tired of this, hehe.】
【444：……】
Xie He pulled out his phone and called his assistant, Fang Nan. He said, “Lin Ziming died. Come help with his funeral arrangements. After all, he dated me for a while. Give his greedy parents two million as a break-up gift.”
【444：……】
【Xie He：Baby, what’s wrong? Smile.JPG】
【444：Host dada…I want to ask you…why aren’t you surprised at all? You’ve become a capture target again! Someone’s going to come to capture you, ah! _(:зゝ∠)_】
【Xie He：Oh, you still feel conflicted over that? Haven’t I been a capture target this entire time? What’s there to be shocked about? 】
【444：(⊙o⊙) Oh?】But Host dada clearly hadn’t been a capture target for a really long time, ah? Was the ‘this entire time’ referring to before he was bound to a system? Mn, that must be the case….No wonder Host dada was so calm!
444 felt like he understood the situation now. He thought that no matter what was happening, Host dada would always be able to make him feel at ease! He didn’t have to think about anything. He just had to butter up Host dada. O(∩_∩)O~
【444：Mn, in any case, no one can capture you anyway. This hundred thousand experience points is in the bag, lalalala! O(∩_∩)O~】They were basically handing the money over for free~
【Xie He：Hehe.】
【444：？】
【Xie He：Baby, when you got the mission notification, was there anything about a time limit or a punishment if I should fail?】
【444：Nope! Maybe there’s no time limit or punishment? Wah, that’s really great~】
【Xie He：Oh….】
【444：What’s wrong, Host dada?╰(*°▽°*)╯】
&#k3010;Xie He&#kUU1J;Nothing. I like that you’re so naive and adorable. &#k1U642; &#k3011;
【444：……】He always felt like Host dada was secretly implying that he was an idiot. QAQ
Xie He left the hospital room again without giving Lin Ziming another glance. He went to the parking lot and found his own car. Xie He sat in the driver’s seat and placed his hands on top of the steering wheel. A familiar yet strange feeling washed over him. He was really back&#k2026;.
His eyes darkened slightly and his lips curled up into an imperceptible, mocking arc.
The main system always liked to exploit loopholes to play little tricks on him. It never gave him comprehensive information. It seemed like a very simple mission, but the notification had kept the most important details of this mission from him—the time limit and the punishment for failure. When these crucial details were hidden, the mission seemed relaxing and pleasant. It was meant to lower his guard.
After all, humans always gave it their all for survival…. But what if they were actually the prey and they didn’t know that they were being led into a trap?
Even a normal host would be punished for failing, let alone him.
Xie He drove home. He lived in a villa located in the most expensive district. It was simple and elegant in design but you could tell it was a lavish home from the details. After all, he had the money and he liked to enjoy himself. He had never been one to wrong himself.
【444：Host dada, is this your home~ I’m so curious.】
【Xie He：Yes. Do you like it, Baby? Smile.JPG】
【444：I like it. It’s awesome. (≧▽≦)】
【Xie He：Come, I’ll let you admire my treasures. 🙂 】
Xie He went to the second floor and opened the door to his study. His study was huge, a full two hundred square meters. The most eye-catching thing in the room was the bookcase that spanned an entire wall.
Xie He walked over to his desk and sat down. He pulled open a drawer and took out a stack of photos. The photos were all of Lin Ziming. There were solo shots of him, as well as some with Xie He in them. The young man in the photo hadn’t become ill yet. His smile was as radiant as the sun. Xie He stroked the photos and spread them out onto the desk….
“I took these with Lin Ziming before he died. When he had just approached me, he had been very docile and cute. I really liked him.” There was a nostalgic look in Xie He’s eyes. He carefully picked through the photos and chose three that he thought were the best, placing them in front of him.
【444：Host dada….QAQ】So this was Host dada’s treasure, ah….So did Host dada actually like Lin Ziming? But he hadn’t said it out loud because of his stubborn nature? 444 thought that he could see Host dada’s true feelings, ne. He couldn’t quite believe it….Yingyingying, it was so sad. But Lin Ziming had already died and wouldn’t come back, ah! According to 234, he had sent 78 complaints to the main system back to back using the most malicious words possible, cursing the system for letting him encounter such a freakish capture target…. The fact that the person Host dada liked was this kind of person made 444’s heart ache. /(ㄒoㄒ)/~~
At this moment, Xie He pulled out a black marker and wrote something on the back of each photo: 100.
【444：Host dada, what are you doing? QAQ】
Xie He smiled. He stood up and went to the middle section of the bookcase, opening up the lowest shelf. Inside was a safe protected by a biometric fingerprint lock. Xie He opened up the safe. There were thirteen albums neatly fitted inside. He pulled out the album numbered ‘13’ and sat back down at his desk. He caressed the album, looking reminiscent. “These were all my lovers….”
As he said that, he flipped the album open and inserted the three photos of Lin Ziming labelled ‘100’ at the back of the album. He then wrote down ‘docile’, ‘cute’, ‘Favourability Value 3 stars’ in the notes column before throwing the rest of the photos in the trash.
【444：……………………】
Xie He spoke, his low, elegant voice echoing through the room as his slender fingers slowly flipped through the album. “Baby, all of these are my special treasures. Except for you, no one’s ever seen these before. Don’t you feel honoured?”
【444：…Very honoured.】Was this some kind of unusual collecting hobby? Shaking.JPG
“It’s only been a few days since I last saw them, but it feels like it’s been several lifetimes. I really miss them.” Xie He looked a bit melancholic. He flipped through the album while explaining each picture to 444.
“This is Host number 99. His appearance really fit my tastes. He was also a university student. He was youthful and lively. He was really energetic in bed. Mn. He died in a car accident.”
“This was Host number 88. Isn’t he handsome? He was a big celebrity, but he was quite careless. He didn’t even notice that I had installed a surveillance camera in his room. He acted like a lofty, unreachable flower on a cliff, but would pick at his feet when alone….Ai, if it wasn’t for that, I’d have loved him a bit more….”
“Oh, this one had quite the personality. Host number 86. He had probably seen too many angsty storylines. He was the son of a small business owner. His father’s business encountered some difficulties and so he ‘fearlessly’ came all the way to me, wanting to sell himself to me. I had thought that he was a very diligent actor, so I had agreed. But he wanted something more. Tut tut. Let me think…I think he jumped to his death. He had said that if I didn’t love him, he’d let me watch him die.”
“And there’s also this one….”
Xie He didn’t talk about all of them. He chatted with 444 about the ones he was interested in. Each album encompassed a year. Very quickly, they finished looking through twelve of them. 444 was already on the verge of falling apart…. In the end, he just laughed hollowly, feeling like he’d already become numb to it.
Xie He simply thumbed through the album before putting it back. He locked the safe up again, a gentle smile in his eyes. “These are all precious things they’ve left me. I think it’s quite interesting that there’s so many people who love me so desperately. Life is truly filled with endless delights.”
【444：O(∩_∩)O~】He thinks that his host shouldn’t be given the President tag but the Villain tag. The more of a coldhearted freak someone is, the less they want other people to know that they are indeed, a coldhearted freak….
【444：…Yi, wait a second! Σ( ° △°|||)︴How did you know that they were hosts? And you’ve known this since more than a decade ago?! 】Oh my god, he just realized this….Host dada had collected thirteen whole albums, ah! How did he know? Those hosts would never have exposed their true identities. If they had, they would have suffered very serious punishments! Furthermore, the main system used the soul-transfer method. Their bodies belonged to original inhabitants of each world. They also had the original inhabitants’ memories. How did Host dada know that they were hosts?
Xie He smiled. He tapped the desk gently with his fingers as he explained things to 444 in his mind.
【Xie He：That’s easy. Anyone who came to obtain my love using any and all means possible only to die in the end is a host that had come to capture me. This is because their goal is to make me love them and they can’t stay in this world with me. Furthermore, not everyone is a skilled actor….Every time one of them dies, I put our photos into the albums.】
【Xie He：There’s more than a hundred people who have liked me and pursued me. But there are exactly a hundred people within this number who either died or disappeared. It fits the accomplishment the main system had given me in the beginning: ‘reject 100 hosts.’ This means that there were no errors in my judgement. Smile.JPG】
【444：…】He should praise Host dada for being so amazing, but why did he suddenly feel a bit upset? He couldn’t smile…. _(:зゝ∠)_
【Xie He：Also, Baby, something you said wasn’t entirely correct. I didn’t know that they were all hosts from the start. But after it happened time and time again, I had started to wonder if there was something off about this world. Why did I exist? Although I’m a charming, extraordinary Mr. Perfect, it shouldn’t have been enough to make so many people love me to the point of dying because of me? If they loved me, why did they leave me like that? There’s always a reason for illogical phenomena like this.】
【Xie He：If this was a game and the objective is to win my love, then obviously, it’s up to me to decide who deserves to win the prize. It’s really such a pity that there hasn’t been anyone that I’ve felt to be worthy of the reward. In any case, it’s up to me to decide whether my life is a tragedy or a comedy. 🙂 】
【444：Host dada. QAQ】
【444：You shouldn’t love them! I support you! They don’t love you at all! 】Lin Ziming was so despicable, ah. He cursed Host dada like that after going back. Wuwuwuwu. Luckily Host dada hadn’t really fallen in love. Otherwise, it’d be so sad if he had been tricked into loving someone unworthy of his love, only to be left here all alone….yingyingying….
【Xie He：It’s fine, ah. Although they don’t love me, they made my life fun and I had a good time physically. I got to see marvellous, varied performances too. I was really pleased. And I’ve always been willing to play along with them.】
【Xie He：Besides, it’s every man for himself. If they didn’t do this, they’d be punished. I understand how they feel. 🙂 】
【444：……】
Xie He left the study and went to wash up. He then changed and lied on his bed. He let out a content noise. “Home still feels the best. Goodnight, Baby.”
【444：Goodnight, Host dada!】
…………………………
The next morning, Xie He was woken up by his ringtone. The call came from Fang Nan, his assistant. The other had called Xie He relentlessly before finally managing to wake Xie He up. Xie He answered the call. A frantic tone came through the other end. “President Xie, what’s wrong?! Are you okay?! Are you still alive?!”
Xie He: “….”
Xie He coughed quietly. “I’m fine. I’m doing great.”
Fang Nan was worried. “You have a meeting to preside over today. Did you forget?” Boss’s memory had always been exceptional. He had never messed up like this before. Xie He’s absence worried Fang Nan deeply. That’s why he had called so persistently.
Xie He thought about it for a while before finally remembering that there was such a thing today. He had transmigrated through twelve worlds so he hadn’t fully adjusted to coming back here yet. He had forgotten about this meeting a long time ago.
Xie He said, “Oh, I slept in today. Cancel it. We’ll hold it another day.”
Before Fang Nan could come up with what to say, Xie He hung up.
Fang Nan: “….”
【444：Host dada, you don’t plan on going to work? (⊙﹏⊙)b】
【Xie He：Baby, the company won’t go bankrupt just because I take a day off. Is it bad to give myself a day off, considering how rare it is for me to be home?】
【444：……】
Xie He took a few days off. Every day, he would cook exquisite meals for himself. He would then go for a walk. Although his world was a very ordinary world and was a lower plane world according to the main system, it was the dearest world to his heart.
He relaxed for several days before finally deciding to return to work.
444 was really nervous the whole time. He suspected everyone.
【444：Host dada, why hasn’t the capturing host appeared yet?】He felt really flustered….
【Xie He：Don’t worry. He’ll appear sooner or later. I just have to wait. Smile.JPG】
【444：But how will you be able to tell who he is? Is he already around you? We don’t know, ah. After all, you can only tell that he’s a host after he’s died. The enemy knows who you are but you don’t know who they are! _(:зゝ∠)_】
【Xie He：Baby, it’s really easy to tell. Let me give you a little demonstration. 🙂 】
Xie He went to his office and called in his assistant Fang Nan. Fang Nan was a young, lively fellow. He had worked for Xie He for many years. He was very capable and reliable. Xie He really appreciated him.
Fang Nan thought that there was something off about his boss taking these few days off, but he couldn’t say what it was. He asked respectfully, “What did you need me to do?”
Xie He sized him up meaningfully and then suddenly said, “I like you.”
Fang Nan was taken aback before a look of utter fear emerged on his face. He quickly took several steps back, leaving more than ten metres between himself and Xie He. He nearly burst into tears! He hugged himself and shook his head incessantly, “No, no, no, don’t like me. Please do not like me! I already have a girlfriend! We’re going to get married soon! We already have a kid!”
Only Heaven knew just how frightening Boss’ “God of Death constitution” was! All of his exes had died unnatural deaths! On average, Boss would be questioned by the police once every few months. If it wasn’t because he had a dedicated gold-ranked team of lawyers and PR team, with Xie He’s identity, status, and his messy love life, he would be even more well-known to the tabloids than any major celebrity! But despite this, some people who knew the facts actually thought that Xie He was actually some kind of sick pervert and that he purposely killed his exes! Or that maybe there was some God of Death halo around him!
It was too scary!
Although Fang Nan believed that Xie He was innocent—he knew that his boss wasn’t that kind of person and that Xie He had not killed those people—he still wanted to live! He had already helped Boss arrange many funerals. The most recent one was only a few days ago!
Xie He took in Fang Nan’s quaking appearance and sighed sadly. “I was just joking. I wanted to ask you what time the reception was tonight.”
Fang Nan looked at Xie He cautiously, still feeling uneasy, afraid that Xie He really did have some kind of unspeakable intention towards him. No matter what, he would not submit! But it really did look like Xie He was just joking….It was fine, it was fine. Fang Nan’s expression turned back to normal and he laughed. “Eight o’clock.”
Xie He nodded. “Got it. You can leave.”
【Xie He：See, Baby? He’s definitely not the capturing host. At least, not right now. Smile.JPG】
【444：o(╯□╰)o】
【Xie He：But if one day, he were to start seducing me and trying to get into my bed, then he might be one. You can never expect when someone familiar, or someone unfamiliar— whether it be someone you like or hate—will suddenly be taken over by a host.】
【444：…Scared.JPG】
【Xie He：It’s okay. You get used to it. 🙂 】
【444：……】
…………………………
Xie He leisurely completed some work before going home to change. He was going to attend a charity gala.
Balls like this were normal occurrences for Xie He. There were many people here trying to get a sugar daddy/mommy here. With Xie He’s background and appearance, he was a famous eligible bachelor in this world. However, no one came to try to seduce him. Everyone knew that another one of President Xie’s boyfriends had died a few days ago. He was most definitely not in a good mood.
Actually, Xie He was in a fabulous mood. It felt really good to come home. Therefore, he magnanimously donated a large sum of money and chatted with his old friends without restraint. They talked about which of the newest commercial developments seemed to have good prospects, which companies were most worthy of being invested in, as well as which celebrities they could have fun with.
Midway through their chat, it started to get noisy around the entrance. It seemed like someone important had come. They turned to take a look. President Yu was surprised. “I didn’t think Mr. Lu would come. When did he come back to the country? No one heard news of this.”
President Zhao said, “Mr. Lu came back? So he was still alive, ah. It’s been so many years…I remember that all news regarding him stopped appearing after that plane crash. I thought he had died.”
Someone else said, “He didn’t die, he didn’t die. I heard that he had been recuperating abroad. He didn’t come back after that.”
Everyone chatted enthusiastically. Lu Ting was the topic of everyone’s discussion right now. But suddenly, President Yu made an awkward smile. He turned to tell Xie He, “President Xie, sorry….” After so much time, they’ve all forgotten that Mr. Lu had been one of President Xie’s boyfriends, ah!
He was the only ex-boyfriend still alive!
Xie He took a sip of wine. He gave a faint smile. “It’s fine. You guys continue. I’ll go say hello.”
After saying that, he passed them and left.
President Yu, President Zhao, and the rest of the crowd: “….”
【Xie He：Baby, I told you that you didn’t have to worry. He’d appear on his own. Smile.JPG】
【444：What??? Appear??? [email protected][email protected]】
Eve: ML has appeared~ Also I’m crying at Fang Nan’s panic and XH’s cursed love life. Also feel a bit bad. It must suck to realize that basically none of the people who came after him actually loved him. Or cared about his feelings. Aka what XH did to the past MLs of the last twelve worlds. No wonder he’s so jaded.
sere: back to the original world!! Wowow get ready to meet ML. 🙂