Lu Ning drifted in a daze, catching a somewhat familiar scent. It was the smell of hospital disinfectant. He wondered to himself if he had fainted again and been sent to the hospital. But when he opened his eyes, something felt off.

The lighting was dim, yet the stark white walls seemed glaring. The heavy scent of disinfectant irritated his nose. The chaotic footsteps around him suggested a flurry of activity.

Before long, he caught sight of a white coat from the corner of his eye. “Name.”

Lu Ning strained to turn his head and saw a doctor in his forties or fifties, lips pressed together with a hint of impatience. Behind him stood several nurses, all bustling about. A young nurse glanced at him, inexplicably blushed, and turned away to remove the IV drip from the patient in the next bed. The doctor noticed his gaze and paused, his expression softening slightly. “What’s your name?”

“…Lu Ning,” he replied, but he couldn’t help wondering why none of these people seemed to recognize him.

Lu Ning was thirty-seven years old, a film and television star. While not exactly a household name, his face was widely recognized across the mainland, though not always fondly. At seventeen, he had drifted to Beijing, working as a singer in an ordinary bar beneath the imperial city. He muddled through nearly a decade like that, assuming his life would never amount to much. Then, out of the blue, a regular at the bar, who turned out to be a TV drama screenwriter, invited him to play a role in a series. It wasn’t the heroic, upright lead, but a cunning, despicable villain, rotten to the core.

Lu Ning took the role on a whim. The pay wasn’t great, but it was still income. To his surprise, the drama became an overnight sensation, sweeping the nation with inexplicably high ratings. And just like that, Lu Ning found himself thrust into the spotlight, riding the wave of the show’s success into a career as an actor universally despised by the public.

From that year on, Lu Ning, who had struggled for so long in the music industry without success, suddenly flourished in the acting world. Even though he was always cast as the villain, he didn’t mind. Especially as his paychecks grew steadily larger, he cared even less. In just ten years, he became the go-to actor for antagonist roles, winning best supporting actor awards both domestically and internationally. He even snagged an unexpected best actor award because the protagonist of that particular film was a villain himself. Lu Ning portrayed him with such depth that audiences loathed him to the bone.

In the industry, they called him “Teacher Lu”, but ordinary people rarely greeted him with warmth. Children would point at him and call him the bad guy. Still, he bought a villa and luxury cars, living a comfortable life. The only downside was his health, which had suffered from his earlier hardships, landing him in the hospital from time to time. Other than that, life was good.

What puzzled Lu Ning was that the doctor in front of him didn’t seem to recognize him.

And what kind of remote, rural hospital was this? The decor, the furnishings, and the uniforms of the doctors and nurses were all so outdated, as if frozen in time from decades ago…

The doctor, upon hearing him give his name, swiftly filled out the form with rapid strokes of the pen. “You don’t have any major issues. Once you finish this IV drip, you can go home…” His hurried tone made it clear that the hospital’s busy environment left little time to spare for the patient before him. “Oh, and make sure to rest well lately. Where do you live? After filling out the form and paying the fee, have your family come pick you up.”

Lu Ning was about to respond when his eyes suddenly widened in shock. He had caught sight of the electronic calendar hanging on the wall not far outside the door.

His ward happened to be diagonally across from the inquiry desk. It was not an ideal location, which explained the noise. At the inquiry desk, there was an outdated and rather tacky-looking electronic calendar with large, bold numbers displaying the date clearly in bright red: April 1, 2004.

…This April Fool’s joke was anything but funny!

Lu Ning froze in disbelief, the doctor’s words fading into an indistinct buzz in his ears.

2004! How could it be 2004? How had he gone back ten years?

He threw off the covers and sat up abruptly, only to freeze once again.

…These weren’t his hands…

These hands were pale, slender, and perfectly shaped, with distinct knuckles. It was flawless just to look at. They weren’t the hands he remembered, calloused from years of playing the guitar. Even after his life had improved and he’d taken care of them, his hands had never regained their former state, let alone been this beautiful.

A wave of fear washed over Lu Ning. He stumbled out of bed and rushed into the ward’s bathroom.

In those days, hospital bathrooms only had small mirrors, but it was enough for him to see his reflection clearly.

The face staring back at him in the mirror struck Lu Ning like a thunderbolt.

He recognized this face and knew it well. Compared to his original self, this face was indescribably more handsome!

“…How could this be…”

Outside, the doctor and nurses, puzzled by his sudden behavior, followed him in and found Lu Ning standing dumbfounded in front of the mirror.

The doctor said impatiently, “Hurry up! Many patients are waiting to be treated after the earthquake!”

“Earthquake?” Lu Ning turned his head stiffly.

“Yes, quickly give me your address, or at least a phone number!”

Lu Ning struggled to speak, “I… I don’t remember…”

“Don’t remember?” The doctor raised an eyebrow.

Lu Ning’s voice was hoarse, “I can’t recall.”

The doctor glanced at him, then scribbled something on his clipboard. “It might be amnesia caused by a concussion. Go back to your bed now.”

Lu Ning obediently lay back down, his mind in complete turmoil.

Just then, a young nurse suddenly exclaimed, “Ah! Dr. Zhang, there’s a patient in another ward who looks just like him!”

Lu Ning felt as if he’d been struck by lightning again, staring at her in disbelief.

The doctor immediately asked, “Which room and bed number?”

“Room 502, Bed 3. He’s fine, and his sister is handling his discharge procedures.”

Dr. Zhang flipped through his notes. “Lu Yuan?” He lifted his eyes to look at Lu Ning. “Seems like you might be related. Go call his family.”

Lu Yuan! Lu Yuan! Lu Yuan!

Lu Ning felt his fingertips trembling slightly. In that fleeting moment, he had thought he had been reborn as Lu Yuan. If his memory served him right, Lu Yuan had debuted in 2004. Hearing that name now, he wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved or conflicted.

There was no mistaking it. This face was Lu Yuan’s. Lu Ning had no desire to take over someone else’s life, especially not that of Lu Yuan.

Long ago, his decision to drift north had strained his relationship with his family. Though his parents had passed away early, he still had an older brother, seven years his senior. They had been close as children, but after Lu Ning left home at seventeen to pursue his own path, his brother began to see him as a rebellious delinquent. In his brother’s eyes, singing in bars was no proper career, and he never missed a chance to express his disdain. Over time, their contact dwindled. Even after Lu Ning gained fame, his brother’s attitude remained cold. The only exception was his brother’s daughter, Lu Yiyi, who had always been fond of him.

Lu Yuan was Yiyi’s idol.

Through his niece’s enthusiastic chatter, Lu Ning had formed a clear impression of the handsome young man who would later sweep across Asia. Yet, despite both being in the entertainment industry for a decade, their paths had never crossed. They moved in entirely different circles.

Lost in thought, Lu Ning suddenly noticed a figure appear at the doorway.

For a moment, he felt as if he were looking into a mirror.

The tall, slender youth approached with calm, almost elegant steps. His dark hair fell slightly over his forehead and cheeks, framing a strikingly handsome face. Though he wore a faint smile, it carried little warmth. Instead, it exudes an air of detachment.

It was 2004, and Lu Yuan was only seventeen.

Suddenly, Lu Ning froze as memories of what had happened before he arrived here flooded back. The earthquake. Yes, there had been an earthquake!

Before waking up here, he had been in his empty villa. Yiyi had come to visit and was, as usual, playing games on his computer. If her father found out, she’d surely get another scolding.

The game she was obsessed with was a massive online role-playing game, one her father strictly forbade. That was why she had installed it on Lu Ning’s computer. A notable feature of the game was its character customization system. Players could meticulously adjust their avatar’s facial features, body shape, and even physique until they were satisfied with the result.

Lu Ning vividly remembered an afternoon, months earlier, when Yiyi had sat in front of his computer, carefully tweaking a game character while referencing a front-facing photo of Lu Yuan. From then on, his niece had proudly played as an avatar that looked almost identical to the young Lu Yuan.

At the time, Lu Ning hadn’t thought the resemblance was that striking. But now, in reality, those digital data had transformed into a living, breathing body, one that mirrored Lu Yuan to an uncanny degree.

…When the earthquake struck, Yiyi hadn’t shut down the computer. She had been in the living room, talking on the phone with her father, while Lu Ning himself had been sitting right in front of the screen.

And so, Lu Ning finally pieced together the unbelievable truth: he had been reborn into a body born of fantastical circumstances.

“Lu Ning?” Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow, his clear voice cutting through the silence as he studied the youth on the hospital bed, the one who looked so much like him, they could have been twins.

Dr. Zhang adjusted his glasses. “Well, he’s not seriously injured, but the earthquake might have caused a concussion, leading to memory loss. It’s still unclear whether it’s short-term or long-term trauma. Everything is chaotic after the quake, and the equipment here isn’t sufficient. If you want a thorough check-up, I suggest taking him to a major hospital in the provincial capital. Here, sign this registration form.”

Lu Yuan didn’t take the pen. Instead, he scrutinized Lu Ning up and down.

“Ah Yuan!” A clear voice called out, and soon a young woman entered the ward. She let out a surprised “Huh?” upon seeing Lu Ning, her eyes widening involuntarily.

The woman appeared to be only around twenty years old, still carrying a student-like aura with her straight, unstyled long hair. Compared to the strikingly handsome Lu Yuan, this delicate-looking woman bore no resemblance to him at all.

“What, he’s not your family member?” the doctor questioned. It was understandable. Lu Ning, on the hospital bed, looked so much like Lu Yuan that anyone with eyes would assume they were twins. “Even if you don’t get along, surviving the earthquake is something to be grateful for. There’s no need to be so calculational…”

“Sorry about that,” the young woman quickly took the pen and swiftly signed her name—Gu Yi. Lu Ning caught a glimpse of it.

Huh, don’t ask how he could see it so clearly from that distance. With normal eyesight, he shouldn’t have been able to make it out…

Lu Yuan was Yiyi’s idol. Lu Ning didn’t actually know much about him. Things like his family were completely unknown. In the conversations Yiyi had with him, she only ever talked about Lu Yuan himself, so Lu Ning had no idea who this Gu Yi was.

Still, he had absolutely no connection to Lu Yuan. The fact that she signed the form just because he looked like Lu Yuan made him think that even if she were Lu Yuan’s “sister”, she probably wasn’t a blood relative.

Having lived to that age before, and being “Teacher Lu” in the industry, Lu Ning could guess a lot just by observing.

So, Lu Ning obediently followed Gu Yi and Lu Yuan into the car. Throughout the journey, Gu Yi kept glancing at him as if she wanted to say something but hesitated. Her personality clearly wasn’t the outgoing type. She wavered multiple times but still ended up awkwardly unsure of what to say. The journey was quite long. A relatively strong earthquake had struck near the city. Gu Yi and Lu Yuan lived in C City and had only been visiting as tourists. Before long, Gu Yi fell asleep from exhaustion.

As for Lu Yuan, he made Lu Ning’s already chaotic heart even more unsettled. Lu Yuan kept giving him sidelong glances, a cold smirk playing on his lips.

Lu Ning felt that Lu Yuan definitely knew there was something off about his identity. But why wasn’t he exposing him?

What troubled Lu Ning even more now was figuring out what excuse to come up with later.

He also wanted to know whether the Lu Ning in the capital was still there.

After five or six hours on the road, as dusk began to fall, they finally arrived in C City. Lu Yuan’s family situation didn’t seem particularly well-off, but it wasn’t too bad either. At least they had an apartment of over a hundred square meters in C City.

“The house is a bit messy…” Gu Yi’s face flushed slightly, her tone even more unnatural.

Lu Yuan looked directly at her. “Sis, why don’t you go start dinner?”

Gu Yi was clearly much more at ease with Lu Yuan than with Lu Ning. She glared at him and said, “Talk properly with Lu—Lu Ning. Don’t throw any tantrums, understand?”

Lu Yuan nodded, appearing very obedient, which finally satisfied Gu Yi. She changed her shoes again and, before leaving, said to Lu Ning, “Lu Ning, what do you like to eat? I’ll go buy some groceries.”

Lu Ning sensed the goodwill she was extending. Since Lu Yuan was still watching him intently, he quickly replied, “I’m not picky.”

Gu Yi breathed a sigh of relief. Lu Ning guessed that her cooking skills might not be all that great, hence her relieved expression at his response.

As soon as Gu Yi closed the door and left, Lu Ning was suddenly flung into the air. A sharp pain shot through his arm. He didn’t even know what was happening, but he instinctively raised his arm to block the blow. Even so, the impact was so intense that he expected his arm to fracture under the force. Yet it didn’t!

Wait a minute! That wasn’t the important part! The real issue was, how could Lu Yuan possibly possess such immense strength?

In the next instant, Lu Ning could hardly believe his eyes. Was the person in front of him still the Lu Yuan he knew?

Lu Yuan was handsome, with a tall and straight figure. His smile was especially bright and outstanding, elegant like an orchid or a jade tree. But the Lu Yuan before him now had blood-red eyes and sharp teeth bared at the corners of his lips. Lu Ning’s mind went blank in disbelief—

Holy crap! I thought this was a rebirth scenario. Having this inexplicable game character’s body was one thing, but now the person I thought I knew has turned into, uh, a vampire?