TIPS – Chapter 1

It was a bright and clear April day in Jiangcheng’s Lihua Town. The small garden of the Song household was silent, not a single sound to be heard.

Miss Song Jinmei, the eldest daughter of the Song family, pulled out twenty taels of silver from her sleeve and openly stuffed them into the hands of a young servant boy, Midou.

“You little brat, did you get the job done or not?” she asked impatiently. He had promised to handle it yesterday, but she knew better than to trust him completely.

Midou clutched the silver tightly, his hands sweating. If not for his useless older brother desperately needing money for treatment, he would have never betrayed his master. Guilt-ridden, he wiped away a cold sweat and stammered, “I… I did it, Miss. But… what exactly did you give the young master to drink? Will he… die?”

“Tch! It was just water from the Pregnancy River. He won’t die,” Song Jinmei scoffed, muttering a few curses under her breath about how Song Jingwei was a worthless bastard who didn’t deserve to inherit their father Song Man’s fortune. “Hmph! That little wretch dares to dream of inheriting my father’s wealth?”

She sneered and shot a sharp glance at Midou. “Now that you’ve taken the silver, get lost! I never want to see you again.” A slave who would betray his master was better off far away from the Song estate.

In the entire Song household, Song Jinmei was the fiercest. She had a temper, frequently beating and scolding servants just to vent her anger. Midou had long been afraid of her. Clutching the silver, he scrambled out of the Song estate as fast as he could, knowing he had committed a great betrayal. He would never dare return.

Song Jingwei slowly woke up, tasting a faintly metallic tang in his mouth. The taste was oddly familiar, yet he couldn’t quite place it. His deeply ingrained sense of caution quickly alerted him that something was off.

His body had been ravaged by stomach cancer, leaving him unable to eat properly for a long time. Yet now, not only was there a strange taste in his mouth, but the constant pain he endured every day… was gone.

His body felt light, healthy, and even… energized.

No. Something wasn’t right.

A hazy voice broke through his thoughts. It was a girl speaking in a disgusted tone.

“Where did you find this man? He’s dressed so cleanly. Didn’t I tell you to just grab a random beggar?”

The man carrying him—Ding Jia—set him down, revealing a youthful and delicate face. He responded, “You were rushing us. As soon as we stepped outside, we saw him. He’s a mute—so isn’t he perfect?”

The eldest daughter clearly wanted to ruin someone’s life, but even Ding Jia and the others had some conscience. They didn’t have the heart to grab a truly filthy beggar for the task.

Song Jinmei’s face twisted in displeasure. Not only was this man too clean, but his appearance was far too refined. “Go out and find me another one! Make sure he’s a real beggar—the filthier, the uglier, the better!”

She was determined to humiliate Song Jingwei as much as possible. The dirtier the person, the better.

“Miss… this…” The guards hesitated. They felt sorry for Song Jingwei—after all, he had always treated them well. It didn’t feel right to go through with this.

Seeing their reluctance, Song Jinmei was about to lose her temper when she suddenly heard movement from the bed.

She was torn between two choices—one, she didn’t want to let Song Jingwei off so easily. But on the other hand, if she dragged this on any longer, something might go wrong.

She gritted her teeth and made her decision.

She gritted her teeth and said, “Forget it, wake him up quickly, give him the medicine, and make sure nothing goes wrong! I want Song Jingwei to carry this man’s bastard child and never be able to rise again!” A disgraceful son of the Song family who had fallen into depravity with a man—her father would surely never entrust him with anything important.

The servants acted swiftly, waking the man on the ground and forcefully making him take the medicine.

“Put him on the bed.” Song Jinmei watched with satisfaction, convinced that after tonight, Song Jingwei would never be able to hold his head high again.

“Miss, please step outside for a moment,” the servants said as they began undressing the two men.

As an unmarried young lady, Song Jinmei naturally couldn’t stand there watching two men engage in such an act. “Ugh! Disgusting!” She spat in disgust and ordered, “Make sure everything goes smoothly, then report back to me.”

“Yes, Miss, don’t worry,” the servants responded, their hands continuing their work on the man they had randomly brought back.

The man was about twenty-three or twenty-four years old, dressed relatively cleanly, though his robe was visibly faded from washing, with faintly discernible stitches in places—clearly not a wealthy person. However, at his age, he might already have a wife at home.

As the servants lamented Song Jingwei’s fate, the man in their grasp gradually regained consciousness.

In fact, Shen Junxi had already been awake when they force-fed him the drug, vaguely aware that something terrible was happening. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to resist—he simply couldn’t. Although he had studied for over ten years and done some farm work, he still carried the refined aura of a scholar and was no match for the two burly men restraining him.

Fortunately, they only drugged him, stripped him, and threw him onto someone’s bed before leaving him alone.

On the bed, Song Jingwei was already suffering under the effects of the drug. Suddenly feeling another warm body beside him, he didn’t know who it was, but his body’s overwhelming need left him no time for rational thought. Instinct drove him to reach out and pull the person into his embrace.

Shen Junxi, as a twenty-four-year-old grown man, naturally wouldn’t submit without resistance after realizing Song Jingwei’s intentions. However, his body was growing hotter and his mind hazier, his heartbeat accelerating as a fire burned in his lower abdomen. The other person’s bare skin was pressed flush against his, making it impossible to push him away.

“…” Shen Junxi opened his mouth but made no sound, his mind clouded by the drug’s effects. For a moment, he even forgot that he couldn’t speak. He could only apologize silently in his heart: Forgive me. You and I are both innocent in this, yet I must take advantage of you…

His slender figure pressed down as he lowered his head to kiss Song Jingwei. Their clothes were stripped away amidst their heated entanglement, tossed carelessly onto the foot of the canopy bed.

The soft and gentle lips kissing him made Song Jingwei feel comfortable, gradually forgetting to take the initiative. When he finally felt a sharp pain below, he realized what was happening—he had been entered by another man.

His body tensed from the pain, a thin sheen of sweat forming on his forehead as he endured the strange, unbearable sensation.

Shen Junxi wasn’t feeling much better either, tightly held by the unfamiliar tightness, unable to move forward or retreat. Fortunately, the drug took effect, and after a moment of pain, Song Jingwei instinctively wrapped his legs around Shen Junxi’s waist, urging him forward without a word.

It was a nearly fatal movement for Shen Junxi, making the inexperienced man completely flustered. If he had been a rough brute, Song Jingwei would have suffered greatly. However, Shen Junxi was an exceedingly gentle person. No matter how hard it was to endure, he would never treat him harshly. He held Song Jingwei as if he were a delicate dewdrop on a leaf, handling him with utmost care and tenderness.

Both of them were muddled, like young colts crossing a river, relying solely on instinct to explore and fumble their way through. One was a cold and indifferent man who had abstained for years, the other a lonely bachelor forced into a life of hardship. By a twist of fate, spanning across millennia, they shared this moment of intimacy.

After several rounds of passionate lovemaking, Song Jingwei, exhausted and unwell, fell into a deep sleep.

In the darkness, Shen Junxi slowly sat up and lit the oil lamp, moving toward the bedside.

Under the dim glow, he saw a flawless, handsome face. The young man looked around seventeen or eighteen years old, with rosy lips and pearly white teeth, his skin fair and delicate. He was clearly a pampered young master from a wealthy family, yet there was a faint crease in his brows, betraying a maturity and worry beyond his years. Simply put, he was a breathtakingly beautiful nobleman.

Shen Junxi observed him for a moment and quickly realized how vastly different their worlds were. If not for this bizarre twist of fate, he and this young master would never have crossed paths, let alone shared such an intimate encounter.

At that moment, steady and forceful footsteps sounded outside the room.

It must be the house’s servants, Shen Junxi thought, frowning slightly as a sense of helplessness settled over him.

He hastily dressed Song Jingwei in his underclothes. Moments later, the door was pushed open by the servants.

The oil lamp cast light over the disheveled bed, exposing everything at a glance. The servants noticed the mute man was already awake, while Song Jingwei lay on the bed, his clothes in disarray amidst the chaos of the blankets.

They didn’t dare linger their gazes on Song Jingwei but instead sneered at Shen Junxi, saying, “Get out now. We’re sending you out of the estate!”

The night had fallen, and the city gates would soon close. This shabby-looking man was obviously just some country bumpkin.

Shen Junxi held a lantern in one hand and pointed at Song Jingwei with the other, shaking his head with a displeased expression. He despised these servants—each one was nothing more than a treacherous lackey willing to betray their master.

The servants thought to themselves that the good thing about a mute was that he could only gesture but couldn’t complain aloud.

“Enough, this isn’t your concern!” one of them snapped. “You should worry about yourself first! If you don’t behave, we’ll carry you out sideways!” They only meant to scare him, not let him think he’d gotten lucky.

Shen Junxi furrowed his brows, appearing slightly angry. But it was frustrating that he couldn’t speak, and his gestures were completely incomprehensible to the two men. Seeing their blank expressions, he persisted, continuing to signal his intent—he wanted them to find someone to take care of Song Jingwei, who was still on the bed.

The servants, however, remained clueless. Growing impatient, one of them threatened, “Stop being so damn stubborn! Believe it or not, I’ll knock you out right here!” He rolled up his sleeves, ready to resort to violence if Shen Junxi didn’t comply.

Shen Junxi was usually mild-mannered and rarely got angry, but now, his face flushed red with frustration. Yet, knowing he was outnumbered and no match for them, he chose to yield.

Seeing him finally put down the lantern and obediently walk over, the servants cursed under their breath.

“Stubborn as a mule… damn lucky bastard,” one grumbled.

After all, the young master of the Song family, Song Jingwei, was renowned throughout Lihua Town for both his talent and looks—someone everyone admired.

The two men hurriedly escorted Shen Junxi out of the Song estate that very night, managing to extract his name and place of residence before reporting back to Song Jinmei.

“It’s done, and we’ve sent him away,” they informed her.

Song Jinmei asked, “Did you get his name and address properly?”

One of the servants replied, “Yes, we did. He’s a farmer from Tea Mountain Village.”

Hearing that the man was just a lowly peasant, Song Jinmei’s mood brightened instantly.

“And that little bastard?” she asked. “How is he?”

Another servant responded hesitantly, “He… seemed to be asleep when we left. He didn’t wake up.” He had only taken a quick glance at the disheveled young master and dared not look too long.

Song Jinmei nodded in satisfaction. “Good. Check on him again tomorrow. I’ll go myself.”

Still feeling uneasy, she frowned. “But can Song Jingwei even get pregnant? If he can’t, then all this effort would be wasted.”

Her father, Song Man, had gone to a neighboring town for a banquet and would return soon. If this plan failed, she might not get another chance like this.

“Miss, you don’t need to worry too much,” one of the servants assured her. “Isn’t it said that men conceive easily?”

Ever since the discovery of the “Pregnancy River,” people no longer had to worry about the issue of women being too few to continue family bloodlines. However, male pregnancy couldn’t resolve the problem of the gender imbalance, as men could only give birth to boys.

“Hmph. Let’s hope he’s just like his wretched father and gives that peasant a son in one go.”

The next morning, Song Jingwei finally broke free from his dazed state, only to be met with soreness all over his body and the sight of an unfamiliar, antique-styled room.

This place had nothing to do with a hospital. Instead, it looked entirely like an ancient setting. That meant he was no longer in the hospital but had been transported to some unknown place.

After adjusting for a moment, unfamiliar memories flooded his mind. He quickly realized that he had been reincarnated into ancient times—but not into any historical dynasty he had ever heard of.

This era had several shocking aspects. First, there were significantly more men than women, with a gender ratio of five to one. Second, a river called the Pregnancy River existed—any man who drank its water and then had intercourse with another man could conceive and give birth, fundamentally resolving the gender imbalance issue.

It should have been a good thing, yet Song Jingwei couldn’t bring himself to feel happy about it.

He had the misfortune of arriving in this world only to be immediately schemed against by his so-called sister. Not only had he unknowingly consumed the river’s water, but he had also been forced into bed with another man. If things progressed as expected, a small embryo would soon be growing in his belly.

Even worse, this world placed immense importance on descendants—there were no contraceptives or abortion methods available.

This kind of situation could drive any straight man insane.

However, Song Jingwei had already experienced the agony of dying from stomach cancer. His biggest wish in life had been to have a healthy body. Having endured sickness and death, being reborn suddenly was both a blessing and a curse.

The worst thing had already happened—he had died in that hospital bed. Compared to that, wasn’t this a better outcome?

A faint smile tugged at his lips. He got up, found clean clothes, and put them on.

It had been a while, yet the surroundings remained eerily quiet. That alone told him the original owner of this body was truly insignificant in the household—so much so that he didn’t even have a single personal servant.

With awkward steps, he walked out of the room in search of help. Eventually, he spotted a lowly servant working in the courtyard.

Summoning the servant, Song Jingwei ordered, “I need a bath. Go get someone to bring me hot water.”

Though his status wasn’t as high as his legitimate sister, Song Jinmei, he was still the only young master of the Song family. The servant dared not disobey and quickly hurried off to fulfill his request.

Although Song Jingwei was not the most important person in his father Song Man’s heart, he had never been deprived of food, clothing, or other necessities. This was precisely why Song Jinmei disliked him—because family inheritance passed from father to son, not to daughters. If their father didn’t care so much about lineage, he might have spoiled Song Jingwei to the heavens by now.

After all, he was the only son. Once the eldest daughter married, the family estate would still have to be passed down to Song Jingwei.

Song Jinmei harbored deep hostility toward him because her mother had died from anger caused by Song Jingwei’s “little father.” Although that man eventually met a miserable end as retribution, she still wasn’t satisfied. She wouldn’t feel at peace until she had driven Song Jingwei out of the Song family.

Before long, a young servant returned with two kitchen aides carrying hot water.

Song Jingwei carefully took a hot bath, then instructed the same servant to bring him breakfast. Before the servant left, he asked, “Where are the people who usually attend to me? Where’s Midou?” Even if Midou wasn’t around, there should have been two other attendants looking after him.

The servant replied, “I don’t know where Midou is, but Guiyuan and Litchi were borrowed by the young miss.”

Song Jingwei understood immediately. Song Jinmei frequently found ways to make his life difficult, and taking away his servants was just one of them. Compared to her larger schemes, this was hardly worth mentioning.

“I see. You may go,” Song Jingwei said.

Sitting quietly in his room, he sorted through the memories of the original owner of this body—retaining what was useful and sealing away the rest forever. He had no pity for others and refused to inherit unnecessary emotions. In his past life, he had been a rather indifferent person, and in this life, without any blood relatives to weigh him down, he was even freer—no emotional attachments to deal with.

Once a variety of breakfast dishes were brought in, his earlier displeasure vanished. The greatest gain from coming to this world was having a healthy stomach that allowed him to eat whatever he wanted. Enjoying food even made him temporarily forget the discomfort in his body.

Just as he finished eating, four or five people appeared at his door. Leading the group was Song Jinmei, who had been eagerly waiting to see her brother’s miserable state. Behind her was her personal attendant, followed by the two male servants who had been taken from Song Jingwei.

Song Jingwei recognized her and glanced up briefly, waiting for her to speak.

Song Jinmei had come specifically to witness his humiliation. She had imagined many scenarios of how he would look after waking up—but none of them were like this.

Her brother sat there, clean and neatly dressed, his demeanor calm as ever. His face was still the same, but his aura was even colder and more composed than yesterday.

Shouldn’t he be furious and humiliated? Shouldn’t he be raging at her, yelling in anger? No matter what, he shouldn’t be acting so indifferent!

Doubt filled her mind—was he just pretending?

“Song Jingwei, don’t you have anything to say?” she asked.

Knowing full well she had come to provoke him, he merely glanced at her and said flatly, “Good morning, big sister.”

His expressionless, almost corpse-like face made Song Jinmei feel irritated. Even the two servants who had always attended to Song Jingwei were stunned. The old Song Jingwei, though usually quiet, had always been at odds with Song Jinmei. Whenever they met, arguments were inevitable—never had there been a moment of peace.

“Have you forgotten what happened yesterday?” Song Jinmei couldn’t think of a better explanation for his reaction. She could only assume he had forgotten and decided to remind him, saying, “While father was away, you secretly met with a man in the house and did such filthy, disgraceful things. I can’t believe it. If it were just any man, fine—but a mere peasant?”

She feigned regret but then smiled in satisfaction.

“So? How did it feel to be in bed with a peasant? Did he make you feel good?”

“You want to know how it felt?” Song Jingwei’s brow arched slightly as he spoke. It was a habitual gesture of his. In his previous life, he had phoenix-shaped eyes, making the expression particularly suave. Now, with a pair of peach blossom eyes, the effect was even more dazzling—like spring flowers blooming.

“Tell your men to find you a beggar. However you want him to treat you, let him treat you.”

The four male servants gasped quietly. It wasn’t that Song Jingwei had changed—it was that his sharp tongue had become even deadlier.

Song Jinmei clenched her fists so tightly that the muscles in her face twitched. It took everything in her to suppress the urge to strike him.

“Song Jingwei, all you can do is talk big. I’m telling you now, I’m done playing games with you. Soon, you’ll be crawling out of the Song family in disgrace.”

“Oh? I’ll be waiting,” Song Jingwei replied indifferently, genuinely unconcerned.

It was the old Song Jingwei who had grudges against Song Jinmei. It was the old Song Jingwei who cared about this family. But he was not that person. Leaving the Song family was only a matter of time.

“Still pretending? You think you’re still the honorable young master of the Song family?” Song Jinmei sneered, shaking her head. “From today onward, you’re nothing but a used shoe. Before long, you’ll be pregnant with some wild man’s bastard and end up married to a filthy, penniless fool. Hahaha!”

The more she spoke, the more thrilled she became, laughing loudly at the thought.

“You’re telling me this, and you’re not afraid I’ll just run away?” Song Jingwei poured himself a cup of tea.

“Father will be back soon,” Song Jinmei said, looking at him with feigned pity. “I’ll be telling him everything. You disgraceful wretch—just sit tight and wait for your punishment.”

As soon as Song Man’s carriage arrived, Song Jinmei stood at the entrance to greet him. When her father stepped out and didn’t see Song Jingwei, he frowned and asked, “Where is your brother?” Could it be that he didn’t know Song Man was returning today?

“He’s feeling unwell and didn’t come,” Song Jinmei replied. Before coming out, she had ordered people to guard that courtyard.

“What happened?” Song Man asked casually upon hearing that his son was unwell. He didn’t seem too concerned. As the wealthiest man in Lihua Town, his reputation was everything to him. The fact that his legal wife couldn’t bear him a son was his greatest humiliation. He had finally managed to have a son through a male concubine, but the boy didn’t get along with his sister, had a reclusive personality, and showed no talent for business. This frustrated him greatly.

“Something serious happened while you were away. Let’s go inside, and I’ll explain everything in detail,” Song Jinmei said as she supported him, leading him through the grand red-lacquered gates of the Song residence.

Song Man straightened his expression and carefully led his eldest daughter to his study. After closing the door securely, he asked, “What major event happened while I was away?”