Chapter 1: New Body

Chapter 1: New Body

The office lights hummed softly.

Shen Yu sat alone at his desk long after everyone else had gone home, the glow of his computer screen reflecting faintly in his tired eyes. The clock on the wall ticked forward with quiet cruelty, each second pressing down on his already aching shoulders.

His back hurt, His eyes burned, His stomach twisted painfully with hunger He hadn’t eaten all day. Stacks of documents lay scattered across his desk, some stamped, some half-read, others still waiting for his signature. The smell of cold coffee clung stubbornly to the air, mixing with the faint scent of ink and paper “Just… one more,” Shen Yu muttered hoarsely, rubbing his temple “After this, I’ll go eat.”

He imagined it clearly hot fried dumplings, soft steamed buns, maybe even a skewer or two from the small shop near his apartment. The thought alone made his mouth water but his fingers trembled as he picked up his pen, The letters on the page blurred, His chest tightened“…I’m so tired,” he whispered.

The pen slipped from his grasp and clattered softly onto the desk.

A sharp pain bloomed in his chest, stealing the air from his lungs, His vision darkened at the edges, the humming of the lights stretching into a distant echo. He tried to breathe, But he Couldn’t “I’ll eat tomorrow…” he thought weakly “I promise…”

Then his vision went black.

When Shen Yu regained consciousness, his body reacted before his mind did, Habit took over years of deadlines and overwork sharpening his instincts into something automatic.

Assess, Orient, Survive.

He inhaled carefully

Something was wrong

“I’m not sleeping,” he said flatly

Not shouted, Stated.

His voice echoed softly in the quiet room, which immediately told him two things.

First this was not a dream.

Second the acoustics were far too good for his apartment, He sat there for a moment, hands pressed against the bed, letting the facts line up, The bed beneath him was not this soft. Not memory-soft, Not luxury-hotel-soft, This was unreasonable softness. The fabric slid silently beneath his palms instead of bunching like cotton sheets. Cool, Smooth, Silk “…Yeah,” Shen Yu muttered, “My bed does not feel like this. My bed actively tries to ruin my spine.”He glanced down robes pale fabric pooling neatly around his legs.

“…And I definitely don’t sleep in curtains.”

Only then did he lift his head.

Sunlight filtered through wooden lattice windows, casting precise patterns across a polished wooden floor, Too clean, Too careful. Near the window, a carved pedestal held a porcelain vase filled with pale plum blossoms, a few petals scattered below as if someone had placed them with artistic intent, Artistic?

Shen Yu exhaled slowly “…Either I’m dead, or enter the wrong house” he said, “or someone spent an absurd amount of money to set design on my apartment” He stood up and walked across the room with calm, measured steps no sign of panic, just a quiet certainty.

Then he saw the bronze mirror.

He stopped, Phoenix-shaped eyes met his, Long black hair flowed past his shoulders, catching the light, Pale skin, Sharp cheekbones, Delicate lips. His gaze lowered slowly, The body reflected there was tall, but not taller than he remembered being, slender and well-proportioned, neither frail nor muscular.The shoulders were narrow but straight, the frame elegant rather than weak, carrying a quiet balance that looked intentional.

The robe pale cream with faint silver embroidery fell smoothly along his form, draping cleanly over a narrow waist and long legs, as if tailored precisely for this body alone. He shifted slightly. The reflection followed with unfamiliar grace.

“…Wait so,” he muttered under his breath, squinting at the fabric“Not a curtain… okay, but definitely a robe. But still… whose idea was this?”

“…Huh,” Shen Yu murmured He leaned closer to the bronze mirror then closer again.

“…Wow,” he said quietly “If this is cosplay, the budget is obscene is this a goddess?”

Shen Yu “…"

But I’m a man?” he whispered, the words trembling between disbelief and instinct.

Without thinking, his hand lifted to his chest, pressing lightly, testing, confirming“…No chest… a man,” he murmured again, exhaling slowly. He relaxed slightly, though the shock lingered, a quiet shudder beneath his calm as his mind tried to catch up with the truth before him.

After a pause He tilted his head, studying the reflection like reviewing a proposal that somehow passed three approvals without revisions “What a beautiful man,” he muttered, “Elegant lines, balanced proportions, zero wasted effort.

Whoever did the makeup on this deserves a raise”A pause“ wait did I always have long hair but the body?”

His gaze flicked downward-shoulders, posture, the way the robe hung effortlessly from a tall, straight, naturally composed frame “Yeah… this isn’t what I remember,” Shen Yu said flatly his own body had never moved like this. Never stood this easily, Never looked like it belonged in silk without years of complaining joints.

“So unless I somehow missed an extreme wellness program and suddenly grow my hair,” he concluded dryly, “this is not my body” Shen Yu stared a moment longer, Then he exhaled through his nose.

“…Yeah,” he said quietly “This is definitely not my face and body” Because, as he remembered, his own body had been… average height, Nothing dramatic.

And the face well, His old face had been sharp enough to get him noticed in meetings, but not exactly palace-ready. Slight creases at the corners of his eyes from late nights and stress.

A mouth that smiled often but tiredly, usually around food or a clever remark, Cheeks that occasionally flushed when he forgot to breathe between work and lunch. Nothing like the pale, perfect, sharp-cheekboned now staring back at him this was a face sculpted for admiration, not exhaustion.

His old body had weight to it, Not unhealthy, but tired. The kind of tired that sank into the bones after decades of deadlines, skipped meals, nights spent telling himself just one more hour… and dreams of dumplings, buns, skewers anything edible he could grab between tasks“…Yeah,” Shen Yu muttered dryly, glancing at the mirror, “…so this isn’t my body, Not even close.

” And this one?

Light, Balanced, Delicate in a way that hadn’t been earned through suffering, but simply existed .

Shen Yu extended his delicate fingers, gently curling and uncurling them one by one. He observed the fluid motion, noting how effortlessly they Moved, without any hesitation or resistance. "No discomfort in the joints, no stiffness," he murmured quietly to himself, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "What a fine young man."

He glanced around the room again “So is this some kind of prank?” Lowering his voice, he added, “Hidden camera? Reality show? ‘A Middle-Aged Workaholic Gets Thrown Into Historical Drama’?” Nothing answered.

The incense continued curling upward, entirely uninterested in his crisis “Rude,” Shen Yu muttered. He turned slowly, cataloguing details without thinking. Low table, Porcelain aligned with almost obsessive precision. Incense placed for atmosphere. Plum blossoms positioned for emotional impact“…Someone definitely storyboarded this,” he concluded. “Which means either I’m hallucinating impressively, or I’ve crossed into a genre I did not consent to.”

He sat back down on the bed, silk whispering beneath him, and pressed his forehead briefly to the fabric “No cameras,” he said quietly, “No crew, No exit sign.

“Fine.”

He straightened, his posture settling, Don't panicked now focused nothing good will happen if panicked “Alright, Shen Yu,” he told himself calmly “Let’s be adults about this, Observe, Don’t scream, Don’t faint, Don’t embarrass yourself in front of potential noble figure.”

His gaze slid back to the mirror.

Shen Yu’s stomach chose that moment to betray him, A quiet, unmistakable growl broke the stillness, He froze“…Oh,” he said softly “You’re awake too.” His gaze drifted to the low table porcelain cups, a teapot, the faint scent of herbs in the air. His focus sharpened immediately, faster than panic ever had “Alright” he murmured.

“Let’s establish priorities.”

New body?, Historical palace?

And I don't have any Idea how did I end up here but “…Did I eat before I got here?”

Shen Yu paused for a moment then, He searched his last memory automatically late-night work, cold coffee, documents, hunger clawing at his stomach “…Nope,” Shen Yu sighed“Of course not.” and he paused when he remembered passing out cause his so tired and hungry, He rubbed his abdomen lightly “So did I died? cause of overwork and hunger then? and then woke up in a Historical palace, yet still hungry.

“Consistency, I respect that.” His gaze drifted back to the teapot “Judging by the setup imperial-grade porcelain, fresh incense, seasonal flowers…” He nodded slowly, almost thoughtfully. “It looks exactly like the historical settings I’ve seen in dramas before. The elegance, the careful attention to detail…” Shen Yu paused, then added with milD interest, “but I’m more interested about the kitchen.

I always notice how impressive those are.”

They’re always so grand, Just by looking at them, you can tell how powerful and well-run the place is.

Shen Yu muttered to himself, as if recalling something from a distant memory.

The thought lingered for a moment, then faded as his attention returned to the present. He paused and released a quiet breath. Shen Yu thought, while glancing around the room, that this room looked like it belonged to a noble or perhaps someone of even higher rank.

Shen Yu muttered to himself, leaning back against the silk-covered bed.

“Forget how I got here,” Shen Yu thought quietly. If I really died back then… fine.. like I want that to happen.

Working himself to the bone, collapsing from tiredness and hunger it wasn’t exactly a proud way to die, but it was something he had brought upon himself.

If this was some kind of pity, then maybe God had decided to give him a second chance, a new body, with no pain, and looking around, a life that didn’t look poor at all.

Not bad at all, actually.

This new body… sure, it’s ridiculously elegant, God didn't hold back to that, and I thank him to that but I have no idea who this person was, and what happened to the owner of this body.

I’ll deal with all that later.

For now, first things first find food cause I'm so hungry.

Then figure out everything else.

Shen Yu was still running through possible options in his head, where is the kitchen, should I go outside and ask someone, just anything edible when a sudden knock at the door made Shen Yu freeze mid-thought. Shen Yu stiffened, his expression instantly settling as footsteps paused outside.

A gentle, respectful voice came from beyond the closed door.

“Your Majesty,” it said softly, with a hint of worry, “this servant seeks an audience.”

To be continued.......

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