Ecan Wells recently worked on a construction site, carrying cement for people. He earned 150 yuan a day.
"This is after I seriously compared the wages of moving bricks on the construction site with those of smashing ice cubes in a bubble tea shop. I decisively chose to enter the construction industry. Whether it's profitable or not doesn't matter, I mainly love civil engineering." Evan mumbled with his mouth full of food, speaking indistinctly. "Labor is so honorable, don't you think?"
"You're talking nonsense." His coworker, Zoran Hort, spat food out of his mouth. "You're a finance major! How the hell do you love civil engineering?"
It was the middle of summer, and the sun was blazing. The canopy on the construction site, meant for workers to take a break, was already packed, so Evan and Zoran had no choice but to sit in a shaded area outside and start eating their lunch. Evan had placed his orange safety helmet aside.
The ground was so hot it seemed you could fry an egg on it. Evan quickly grabbed his safety helmet back, as the wind that was blowing felt like it was directly from an oven. Sweat had already crystallized as white salt on his t-shirt, and drops of sweat fell into his lunch box.
Evan calmly continued, "When heaven is about to assign a great responsibility to a person, it must first make his heart suffer…"
Suddenly, a large truck sped by, raising a cloud of dust that hit Evan in the face, making him cough uncontrollably. His rice was covered with a layer of sand. Zoran was quick enough to shield his own meal but couldn't protect Evan's. He glanced at Evan's lunch box.
"This can't be eaten anymore, right? We'd have to pay if we get more food."
"Don't make a big deal out of it." Evan shuffled the rice, turning the clean part underneath to the top. "If it's dirty, just eat it. No sickness from it."
Zoran: "…"
You really are poor.
"Come on, Evan! The cement truck's here!"
"Hey! Coming!" Evan grinned, showing his white teeth, running toward the truck, his dusty face brimming with excitement. It looked like he wasn't carrying cement but rather a hundred kilograms of USD.
Evan was always eager to work and was really strong. He could carry two bags of cement to the fifth floor without getting winded. He was the top producer on their site. Zoran could keep up with Evan at first, but eventually, he couldn't match Evan's pace. The kid seemed to have an electric motor attached to his heels, running across the construction site leaving a blur behind.
"Evan!" Zoran called out, panting heavily. "I can't keep up anymore. You carry the cement, I'll push the brick cart for them."
Evan stopped, turned back, and looked at him with a helpless expression. "Eh, fine. If you're too tired, take a break. Hand me that bag."
Evan took the cement bag from Zoran's hands and carried it up the stairs with ease.
Zoran: "…"
My bro Evan, truly a man with a steel will.
Evan unloaded the cement bags and rubbed his sore shoulders. He felt like he couldn't take it anymore and thought about helping push the brick cart for a bit. But then he noticed that the pile of bricks Zoran had stacked was slowly leaning over.
"Move!" Evan shouted, but it was already too late. Zoran didn't have time to react, and he was also blocked by a high brick wall behind him. Evan rushed forward, grabbed him and slammed him to the ground, just as the falling bricks hit Evan's head and back.
It turned out Evan might have a will of steel, but not a steel skull, and he felt as if his brain was about to explode.
"Evan!" Zoran screamed in fright, quickly supporting Evan, "What's going on? Are you okay? Look at me!"
The commotion drew the attention of other workers, who surrounded Evan, discussing what had happened.
"What's going on? The brick pile collapsed!"
"Quick, lay him down! Kid, are you conscious?"
"Look, his eyes are closed, call an ambulance!"
"Take off his helmet first…"
Evan was momentarily dazed and didn't even understand what had happened. He lay on the ground, everything around him was dark. He couldn't make sense of anything and only heard Zoran crying beside him. Evan groaned impatiently but in a much softer tone. Zoran got closer to listen to him and heard Evan mumble, "Zoran, why are you crying? Don't you have class?"
Zoran cried even harder. "Bro, it's summer vacation! What if you're knocked silly? What if you die?"
Although Evan was dazed, he still managed to catch the words "ambulance" and muttered, "Forget it, I don't have… I don't have money for hospitalization!"
Before he could finish, he slowly closed his eyes. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't open them again. A warm liquid flowed from his nose. He wanted to ask how he ended up in this situation, but he had no strength left. It felt like he was being dragged into the darkness. He could faintly hear someone on the construction site shouting about "nosebleeds, ambulances, and hospitals," but he didn't have the energy to resist.
Damn it.
I'm not going to be crushed to death by a brick, am I?
His consciousness drifted in the sea of darkness, floating up and down, making his head dizzy and nauseous. Evan didn't know how long he had been drifting. Suddenly, a beam of white light broke through the darkness, and Evan couldn't help but walk toward it. The light grew brighter and finally turned into the white ceiling of a hospital room.
Next, his hearing returned, and the sound of beeping medical equipment filled the quiet room, which sounded harsh in the silence.
Evan noticed that he was in a hospital room. It wasn't one of those crowded and cramped multi-bed rooms. The bed was large, the quilt soft and fluffy, and the room was bright and clean. There were several bunches of sunflowers blooming on the windowsill. Evan was still processing what had happened when a rustling sound came from beside him. He turned his head and saw a middle-aged man in a suit.
"You're awake," the butler said as he got up and pressed the call button on the bed. "How do you feel now?"
Evan opened his mouth, staring at the man. His voice was hoarse and weak, and the butler couldn't hear clearly what he said, so he leaned in to listen closely.
"I… I was… injured at work."
Evan's voice was faint, but his tone was unusually firm, as if he would go back to the construction site and make a scene if he wasn't reimbursed for his medical bills.
The butler froze for a moment before replying seriously, "Yes, it is an injury from work."
Evan: "Reimburse… medical expenses!"
The butler was confused. "What?"
"Medical expenses…"
"Medical expenses, what about them?"
Evan persisted, his voice barely audible. "Reimburse… medical expenses… my insurance card… is at home."
"Young master, do you want Mr. Clark and young master Sinclair to reimburse your medical expenses?" The butler, from Evan's fragmented speech, guessed what he meant.
"Mr. Clark?" Evan's head buzzed. This name sounded so familiar.
[Ding! System installation complete. 100% progress. Story package installed. 12-hour monitoring installed. Forum installed. System loading…]
Evan jumped at the cold, mechanical voice suddenly echoing in his mind. "Who's talking?"
The butler, who had been speaking with the doctor, paused and answered, "Young master, do you need something?"
[It's the system. Congratulations, host. You've crossed over.]
"Huh? Are you joking?"
[Host, you can mentally say what you want to communicate with me. Otherwise, your actions may be interpreted as mental illness by humans.]
The butler noticed Evan zoning out, his forehead wrapped in a bandage, his chin thin, and his frame fragile like a metal board. He looked lonely lying in the bed, which made him seem pitiful.
"Please arrange for another brain CT," the butler said to the doctor, pointing at Evan's head, in case he had gone crazy.
Evan's lips tightened, and he sat there, lost in thought. What on earth is going on?
[Congratulations on entering the world of "You Are My Secret." Since you have already died in your original world, we invite you to participate in our "Story Modification Plan," changing the tragic fate of the original character Evan and turning him from a low-quality cannon fodder into a high-quality supporting character.]
Wasn't that the pure love novel Zoran made me read last night? He even made me recite the whole book because Evan's name is the same as a side character's in the novel!
In reality, there was nothing much to recite. The Evan Wells in the book was the epitome of a cannon fodder character. On the surface, he was a pampered young master, but in reality, he was an illegitimate son. His family reluctantly acknowledged him for the sake of appearances, but they never treated him like a real family member.
Although the Wells family provided him with everything, they never could accept him as part of their family. The parents of the Wells family went abroad early to develop their careers, leaving only the eldest son in charge of domestic affairs.
If Evan had been content living as a rich parasite, it wouldn't have been a problem, but he was infatuated with Sinclair's youngest son, Yeon Sinclair, from a family connected to the Wells family. Yeon, unlike Evan, was a proper young master with a smooth life, harmonious family, and a good upbringing.
Evan clung to Yeon, meddling with Yeon and Senso Clark's relationship. In the end, Yeon's older brother, Theo Sinclair, had to step in and deal with Evan, who ended up destitute.
Now, he had been beaten up by the main character, Senso, after blocking someone at the school entrance. He had ended up in the hospital.
Evan: What if I refuse?
[You have already been cremated in your original world.]
Evan: … You're ruthless.
[To ensure the story is well-received by readers, your interactions with the main characters will be reflected in another dimension through a novel format. Readers' comments will influence your next task.]
Evan hadn't fully processed the fact that he'd crossed over, but mechanically nodded. "Let me see the reader comments."
A "ding" sound came from the phone on the bedside table. Evan looked at it. It was a link to a webpage, and when he opened it, the comments almost shattered his screen.
1L: Evan finally got beaten up! Rejoice, everyone!
2L: Now that I see so many people are happy, I can relax.
3L: Daily question, did Evan die? Did he die? I'll chip in three mao to attend the funeral.
4L: Why does everyone talk like this? He's only 21, don't let him go!
151L: Quickly log off, seeing him now makes me physically sick.
Evan held his phone, his face frozen in a stiff smile. "Are you saying that my next actions are related to the reader comments?"
[Yes.]
Evan: "So… does this mean I should die for a moment?"
[…]