In a cramped bedroom with peeling wallpaper, a pair of eyes opened slowly.
The ceiling was cracked in the corner. There was a brown water stain above the window, shaped oddly like a flying goose. A worn school uniform hung from a bent hanger by the door. The heater coughed twice and gave up.
Gu Xi blinked at the unfamiliar ceiling.
Then he sat up, quietly.
His body was unfamiliar—too light, too weak. The bones felt thinner. His chest barely rose with each breath. It took less than five seconds of breathing to confirm: this wasn't the body he had before.
So he had really died, huh.
Not much of a surprise. He'd worked overtime twenty-seven days in a row, eating nothing but instant noodles and drinking enough energy drinks to kill a horse.
"死了白死,活着受罪 (Dead or alive, it's all suffering anyway)," he muttered, lips dry.
He slowly got out of bed. The air was cold against his ankles. He shuffled toward the mirror hanging on the back of the door and paused.
A teenage boy looked back at him.
Short. Thin. Ghostly pale. His black hair was limp and greasy. His skin had the dullness of someone who ate mostly starch and drank little water. His eyes had an emptiness that didn't come from apathy—but from years of being forgotten.
One word: unremarkable.
This boy wouldn't stand out in a crowd of two.
"So this is me now."
Gu Xi turned his head side to side, examining his reflection. His jaw was soft, nose average, and eyes... not terrible, but the kind people forgot five minutes later.
This wasn't a normal world either.
No, he'd figured that out already—just from the clothing in the room, the family photos on the wall, and the old phone on the desk with its pink Hello Kitty case.
From the scattered memories in his head, this was modern China, yes… but not his China.
Here, everything was flipped.
In this world, the women were the strong ones. The tall ones. The dominant ones. They played basketball, joined the army, became CEOs, and carried men bridal-style in wedding photos. And the men?
The men wore lip gloss and silk pajamas. They stayed at home, memorized skincare routines, and took pride in being "pure and untouched" before marriage. Their value was their looks. Their virtue. Their innocence.
A man without beauty in this world… was like a monk without incense.
Gu Xi opened the door of his room and stepped into the hallway.
His feet moved slowly, quietly, out of habit. In his last life, walking too loudly after midnight in a rented apartment meant complaints from neighbors. That muscle memory hadn't died with him.
The apartment was modest but well-kept. Real wood flooring, jade-green wallpaper, and a living room neatly arranged with low pink sofas and framed posters of popular actresses on the wall.
Actresses.
Not actors.
There wasn't a single picture of a handsome man in sight. Even the fashion magazines scattered across the coffee table had all-female covers—tall women in suits, lounging with confidence, gazes sharp and commanding.
In the kitchen, a note was pinned to the fridge:
"Steamed millet and black beans are in the rice cooker. Don't be lazy. Wipe the stove this time."
It was signed with a single character: [琳].
Gu Lin. His older sister.
Biological daughter of the household. Cold as frost. Liked sword-fighting and horror movies. Hated clingy people. Treated Gu Xi like a broom that occasionally spoke.
Gu Xi read the note and smiled.
It wasn't warm.
Just amused.
A broom, huh? At least they'd written something. He peeled open the rice cooker lid. Inside was millet porridge—warm, slightly nutty, and clearly intended to be eaten without flavor.
The taste of responsibility.
He ladled a bowl and sat down by the window.
Outside, a tall woman jogged past in a tank top and shorts, sweat glistening on her abs. A man chased behind her with an umbrella, calling out:
("Wife, slow down! It's hot—don't get heatstroke!")
Gu Xi paused mid-bite.
This world was really upside down.
After finishing the porridge, he washed the bowl, wiped the sink, and dried his hands carefully with the lavender-scented towel by the wall. A gentle chime suddenly echoed in his mind.
[Ding—]
"Male God System" Binding Complete.
Host: Gu Xi
Gender: Male
Age: 17
—STATS—
Strength: 25
Wisdom: 38
Charm: 30
Physique: 28
Vitality: 32
—MINOR SKILLS—
Cooking: 60 (Proficient)
Singing: 60 (Proficient)
Linguistics: 40 (Capable)
Current Evaluation: "Mediocre flower growing in the shade."
First Task: "Smile Sincerely."
Reward: +1 Charm / +1 Skin Glow / Unlock Basic Confidence Panel
Gu Xi narrowed his eyes.
He wasn't surprised. This felt inevitable. After all, transmigrators always got something. Golden fingers, cultivation manuals, cheat codes… it was tradition at this point.
The only surprise was how blunt the system was.
"Mediocre flower growing in the shade," huh?
He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and stood.
Then, with no one around, he looked out the window at the sun just beginning to rise—and smiled.
It wasn't pretty. It wasn't charming.
But it was sincere.
[Task Complete]
+1 Charm
+1 Skin Glow
Basic Confidence Panel Unlocked
The world didn't change.
But the air around him felt a little lighter.
He walked past the mirror in the hallway and paused.
His skin looked… less gray? There was a subtle sheen now, like someone had wiped off a layer of dust. His lips, once cracked, had regained a hint of healthy pink.
It wasn't much.
But it was a start.
Gu Xi stood in the hallway of the home that wasn't his, in a world that didn't want him, with a face that didn't deserve a second glance.
And smiled again.
"Fine," he whispered. "Let's see how far a broom can fly."