Chapter 1: The Firewood God System

Shanghai, Xingyuan Industrial Park, Feiyu Technology Headquarters.

In a luxurious office on the top floor, Chen Yansen sat in a chair, skillfully tearing open the aluminum foil, dropping a small diamond-shaped blue tablet into his mouth, then swallowing it with warm water.

Once a man passes thirty, he can’t afford to go without technology.

Chen Yansen let out a long breath, silently reflecting.

At thirty-four, after more than a decade of struggle, he now owned a five-hundred-square-meter standalone villa, a three-million-yuan Maha GLS600, and a company listed on the main board.

Add to that the bachelor buff, and young girls became utterly obsessed.

Who doesn’t dream of marrying a rich man and climbing the social ladder?

Chen Yansen knew this all too well.

Talking money with young girls was fine; talking feelings was absolutely out of the question!

“Dad, I bought a very sexy swimsuit.”

His phone buzzed with a new message.

Chen Yansen glanced at it and smiled faintly.

She was unquestionably his longest-standing girlfriend—pure in public, seductive in private.

Called him “Mr. Chen” by day, “Dad” by night—what man could withstand that?

Chen Yansen calculated the time until the drug took effect, then replied: “Dad prefers Angel Beast. Stay home and wait.”

Without waiting for a reply, he pushed open the door and headed straight for the parking lot.

Soon, a pitch-black Maha sped onto Yixian Avenue, then raced along the north-south elevated highway.

The street scenes outside rolled backward endlessly.

Neon lights rose, traffic streams forming flowing ribbons of light, like a river of stars on earth.

Minutes later, Chen Yansen’s heart suddenly tightened, his chest pounding hard—“thump, thump”—his head grew heavy in waves.

“Shit! Is the drug this strong?”

Chen Yansen muttered under his breath.

His grip on the steering wheel weakened, until he finally let go entirely!

The car shot straight through the guardrail, flying into the air dozens of meters high!

With a thunderous boom, Chen Yansen lost consciousness completely.

…

…

“Fucking Chen Yansen, please stop sleeping!”

Half-asleep, Chen Yansen heard someone calling him, accompanied by shaking; the intense sensation of falling vanished rapidly, the pain in his organs and viscera disappeared instantly.

A flash of white light passed—he slowly opened his eyes.

“Look what time it is now? The gathering’s at 7:30, and you? You slept straight until 8:15!”

The speaker was a slightly chubby, dark-skinned teenager, about seventeen or eighteen, looking helpless and aggrieved.

“Wang Zihao?”

Chen Yansen stared at the fat boy before him, and suddenly a familiar name popped into his mind—he called it out unconsciously.

No!

Wang Zihao died three years ago!

He married a scheming woman, then gave birth to a son darker than charcoal—Wang Zihao’s skin was indeed a bit dark, but there was no way he’d father a black baby.

It was cross-racial!

After the paternity test, they had a huge fight.

He ended up losing half his fortune, and unable to bear it, Wang Zihao chose to jump.

“Aren’t you dead?”

“Pfft! What nonsense are you spouting again? If you don’t get up, I’ll kill you!”

Wang Zihao snatched up a short-sleeved shirt and hurled it straight at his best friend’s head.

Chen Yansen pulled off the shirt, looked around, and realized he was lying in the rest area of a bathhouse.

The interior was old-fashioned, just like the public baths from over a decade ago.

Since graduating university, he hadn’t set foot in a place like this.

Seeing Chen Yansen still dazed, Wang Zihao grabbed a pair of gray shorts from beside him, intending to dress him himself.

“Let go, I’ll do it myself.”

The moment Wang Zihao touched him, Chen Yansen felt utterly uncomfortable—he kicked Wang Zihao away and quickly pulled on the shorts and shirt.

Just as he finished putting on his shoes, Wang Zihao grabbed him and rushed out.

Passing a full-length mirror, he finally saw his current appearance.

A messy side-swept fringe, one right eye exposed, a faint black stubble around his mouth—he looked both immature and ridiculous.

Long-buried memories shattered free—he remembered at last!

This was the summer of 2010. After submitting his university applications, he dragged Wang Zihao to the bathhouse to prepare for the evening gathering.

I’ve been reborn!

Chen Yansen’s scalp prickled, as if electrified.

He wasn’t particularly happy—after all, in 2026, apart from his kidneys, everything else was top-tier.

He still had sixty million in the bank, unspent!

Thinking of this, Chen Yansen couldn’t help cursing inwardly.

Standing at the intersection, Wang Zihao waved for a taxi while scanning Chen Yansen, tentatively asking: “Had a fight with Zhou Keyuan? That’s why you’re delaying and skipping the gathering?”

Chen Yansen was observing the appearance of Chunshen in 2010—less neat and polished than its version over a decade later, but richer in everyday charm.

The early summer night was slightly stifling, yet carried refreshing, gentle breezes.

The streets teemed with people, noisy and lively.

“No.”

Chen Yansen froze at the question, then denied it.

In his past life, he refused to marry partly because of Wang Zihao’s fate, and partly because of this woman—Zhou Keyuan.

Back then, his cultivation was shallow, his ability to spot manipulative women was poor—he was completely fooled.

He groveled for her as a lapdog for five or six years!

“I got a taxi! Get in!”

Wang Zihao flagged down a cab and urgently urged him.

“What’s the rush? We’re already late—first, take me to get a haircut.”

Chen Yansen waved his hand, calm and unhurried.

“Are you two going or not?”

The taxi driver stuck his head out, impatiently asking.

“Sorry, we’re just discussing.”

Seeing his friend standing still, Wang Zihao apologized apologetically to the driver.

“Take your time.”

The driver snorted, rolled up his window, and sped off without giving Wang Zihao any time to reconsider.

Chen Yansen, standing nearby, chuckled—the taxi industry back then had such arrogance, untouched by the brutality of ride-hailing apps!

Too bad those good days wouldn’t last much longer!

“Come on, Live Dad! We’ll have to tell Big Sister we’ll be late.”

Wang Zihao sighed heavily.

“Mouse, because of that ‘Dad,’ I promise you—this lifetime, your son will be 100% yours.”

Chen Yansen hooked his arm around Wang Zihao’s neck and grinned.

“You never say anything decent—you’re always making fun of me!”

Wang Zihao, hearing this, immediately gritted his teeth and cursed.

With the evening breeze beside them, the two wandered slowly until they found a hair salon.

“Can you cut side-swept bangs?”

Chen Yansen plopped down, eyed the barber’s punk-style side fringe, then asked uncertainly.

“Easy! But are you sure you want this cut?”

The barber nodded confidently, yet worried Chen Yansen might complain later, so he kept double-checking.

After all, side-swept bangs were the mainstream hairstyle for trendy boys in town.

“No problem—even a buzz cut would look better than this.”

Chen Yansen shrugged, his tone firm.

“Probably another heartbroken kid trying to start over.”

The barber, used to this, sneered inwardly.

He silently labeled Chen Yansen, then picked up the spray bottle and quickly soaked his hair.

“Snip—snip—”

Sharp scissors moved back and forth; thick clumps of hair fell away, revealing a broad, full forehead with clean, sculpted lines—utterly transforming his previous demeanor.

“Being reborn isn’t so bad—at least my kidneys are brand new.”

Chen Yansen stared at the boy in the mirror and finally accepted reality.

Future opportunities to make money were countless—Bitcoin, e-commerce, short videos, smart chips, AI, and more; just catching one would easily propel him into the ranks of the super-rich.

“Ding! The ember glows softly into Profound Heaven, soothing the dusty heart and transforming it into a Dao immortal.”

“The Ember-God System has been loaded!”

Before Chen Yansen had fully processed the overwhelming joy of his rebirth, a string of strange characters appeared before his eyes.

“What the hell is this?”

A semi-transparent panel hovered in midair, its surface rippling with blue starlight, eerie and alluring.

Chen Yansen squinted and fell into deep thought.

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(End of Chapter)