The morning light got through the small window, casting faint golden rays onto the dusty wooden floor. Chen Wei, once Karl Wright, the feared and respected CEO of a vast empire, had awoken to yet another reality that no longer resembled the life he had known. The last 24 hours had been filled with confusion, shock, and a growing sense of urgency. He couldn't remain in this state of uncertainty for long.
The body he now inhabited was weak, its muscles unfamiliar and untrained. It was the body of a ten-year-old boy, yet his mind was still sharp, calculating, and ruthless. His intelligence had carried him to the top of the corporate world, and it would do the same now. But first, he needed to understand his surroundings.
He had to adapt, and fast.
Rising from the bed, Chen Wei took stock of his situation. The room was as modest as it had seemed the night before. The faded curtains fluttered in the breeze, and the simple furniture gave little hint of luxury. The walls were bare, with only a small desk and a single chair in the corner. It was a far cry from the penthouses and boardrooms of his past life, but it was reality now. The sooner he accepted that, the better.
His mind wandered back to the memories that had started to surface. He was no longer Karl Wright, but the body he now inhabited was once Chen Wei someone he had no knowledge of. It was like being a ghost, wearing the skin of another. There were flashes of memories of a father, a mother, and the warmth of a home, yet none of it felt real to him. His new life, it seemed, had been one of hardship. The Chen family was not wealthy; they were ordinary, struggling to make ends meet.
But none of that mattered now. Survival mattered.
He moved to the small wooden desk, noticing the stack of old books and a journal resting on top. His small hands brushed over the pages, flipping through them absentmindedly until something caught his eye. The journal wasn't just any diary it was full of notes on what seemed like basic survival. Simple observations on the world, on food, on the way people lived. It was a record of the mundane, but it revealed something essential: the world he now inhabited was not a world of skyscrapers and corporate empires. This was a world of physical strength, self-reliance, and survival of the fittest.
As he read further, his eyes narrowed. There were hints of something deeper, something powerful hidden in this world, but he couldn't quite grasp it. What was this place? What was this realm? Was there something more than just the simple life he had now?
His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.
"Chen Wei?" a voice called from the other side, soft and warm. "It's time for breakfast."
It was a woman's voice, but it didn't immediately feel familiar. He stood frozen, unsure of how to react. He had no memories of this woman no memory of the Chen family he had supposedly come from. His only focus was on his survival, on finding a way to regain some control over this strange new world.
He took a deep breath and approached the door, steeling himself. There was no going back now.
Opening the door, he found a woman standing there middle-aged, her features warm and kind. Her face was familiar, though not to him. She smiled softly as she saw him standing in the doorway, her eyes glinting with an affectionate look.
"Good morning, Chen Wei. Are you feeling better today?" she asked, her tone gentle.
He nodded, though the lie stuck in his throat. He wasn't feeling better he felt lost, confused, and weak. But he couldn't let her know that. She would never understand. No one would. He had to play his part, at least for now.
"Yes, Mother," he replied, unsure where the word had come from, but it felt right. It felt safe.
The woman stepped aside, gesturing for him to follow her into the small kitchen. As they walked together, Chen Wei couldn't help but notice the simplicity of the house. The furniture was old, worn down by years of use, and the kitchen smelled of plain porridge and something unidentifiable, but warm. It was humble, quiet, and far from the world of power he had once known.
His mother, it seemed, was already preparing breakfast. She was stirring something in a pot over the stove. The scene was domestic and peaceful, and it unsettled him. He had never been part of something like this before. The closest he had come to a family meal was the rare occasions he sat with his executive team at some high-end restaurant, discussing business over expensive wine.
But this was different. This was a family something he had never known, not in the way it seemed to exist here.
"How are you feeling, Wei?" his mother asked again, as she set a bowl of porridge on the table in front of him. "You've been so quiet lately."
He didn't know how to answer. His past life had been one of isolation, where people were tools to be used, not family to be cared for. But this was different. He was different. And so, he responded with a vague smile, offering the most believable answer he could muster. "Just tired, Mother. I'll be fine."
She looked at him for a long moment, her eyes soft and filled with concern. But then she nodded, turning to tend to the rest of the meal. Chen Wei sat down at the small table, watching her every move, wondering if this was how it was supposed to be. A life like this is simple and slow, but somehow... comforting.
His thoughts wandered as he ate the porridge, his mind already turning to the future. He had to get stronger. This body was weak and frail, but he would not stay weak. He had to find a way to regain his power, his control. He needed to learn about this world, about the people in it, and the forces that governed it. He had been given a second chance, he would not waste it.
He had built an empire once. He would build another, but this time, he would start from the ground up.
The rest of the day passed in a blur. His mother had sent him out to do chores, and while he had no real strength in his new body, he found himself doing his best. He had to push himself. He needed to learn, to understand the rules of this new world. And so, he worked through the pain, feeling his muscles burn with each task. He carried wood, hauled water, and did everything a child in his position was expected to do.
By the end of the day, as the sun dipped below the horizon, Chen Wei was exhausted, but something inside him had shifted. His body was weak, but his mind was already working to find a way out. This life was not a death sentence. It was an opportunity. A chance to rebuild.