Chapter One: The Watch I Bought Last Year

"Hey, Lin, come out for a moment, there's a package for you at the door."

"I'll be right down." Lin Lei hung up the phone, skipped changing his shoes, and shuffled downstairs in his slippers.

As a veteran homebody, Lin Lei had once harbored a dream of entrepreneurship right after graduating from university. Unfortunately, before his career could take off, tragedy struck his family. His parents were killed in a car accident while traveling, leaving him alone.

Though he received a substantial compensation, it could never replace his lost loved ones. Overnight, Lin Lei became a solitary figure.

Disheartened, he abandoned his fledgling business, returned to his hometown, and lived off the inheritance, drifting through days as a reclusive bachelor.

Three years slipped by. The once handsome youth had deteriorated completely, his face grown rough and unkempt, his beard wild, and his once sculpted abs reduced to a singular mass. To strangers, it would be impossible to imagine that this greasy middle-aged man was only twenty-six.

Of course, Lin Lei now had hardly any acquaintances left. In three years, his old friends and college mates had all vanished from his life, and his withdrawn lifestyle meant he barely interacted with neighbors. Frankly, if he died suddenly one day, the first to discover him might well be the courier.

"By the way, Lin, about that thing I mentioned last time—have you considered it? If you could give me an answer, I can pass it along."

As the courier handed him his package, he asked.

"What, is the delivery business not lucrative enough, so you want to be a matchmaker?" Lin Lei managed a rare joke.

To him, matchmaking was a joke. Living alone meant eating and sleeping whenever he pleased, never having to care about anyone else's feelings. Wasn’t that the ideal life?

"No, it’s just that I go from door to door, so I know everyone. If the neighbors want to say something but feel awkward, they ask me to pass the message." The courier explained.

In this small county, the population was sparse and couriers didn’t change often. For the past three years, Lin Lei had only had this one courier.

With so much time and such a compact area to cover, the courier knew more about the residents than the neighborhood committee ladies.

"It's about that woman who was married and lost a child?" Lin Lei asked.

"They said the marriage lasted less than a month and they didn’t even get the marriage certificate. It was just a banquet for both families. If you two marry, it still counts as a first marriage." The courier replied.

"So, tell me, what kind of woman would be interested in someone like me?" Lin Lei suddenly shifted the topic.

"Well... I think plenty would. After all, you don’t gamble or fool around, you’re responsible and wealthy. Lots of women would like you!" the courier answered.

"You mean I’ve got a house, no car, my parents are gone, and I’m honest?" Lin Lei said, mocking himself.

Though he didn’t have a car, it wasn’t because he couldn’t afford one, but simply because he was too lazy to go out. The house, inherited from his parents, was a standalone villa in the center of town with four hundred square meters and a garden, making him one of the wealthiest in the whole county.

Just as the courier said, despite Lin Lei's greasy appearance, if he wanted to find someone, it wouldn’t be difficult.

"I got it, Lin. I’ll pass your answer along." The courier had no reason to press further.

"Just tell them directly—I don’t like second-hand goods." Lin Lei, though reclusive, had his temper. Being treated as a sucker or a backup made him want to disgust the other party just to vent.

Hearing this, the courier realized Lin Lei was angry and, without another word, handed over all the packages and rode off on his electric tricycle.

There were six packages, some large, some small. Lin Lei couldn’t be bothered to move them inside, so he opened them all at the door, tossed the boxes in the trash, and finally went back inside.

Most packages contained snacks and drinks. Only the last one held an electronic watch.

"Huh? When did I buy a watch?" Lin Lei was puzzled.

He rarely went out and had no need for accessories like a watch. Why would he have ordered one?

It wasn’t that he was reluctant to spend, but he worried the seller had shipped the wrong item.

He searched through his phone and finally found the source among countless orders. It turned out to be a free custom watch won in a points lottery during the New Year’s Eve sale.

Since it was custom-made and free, the seller could ship whenever they liked, so it had taken two months to arrive.

"No wonder I didn’t remember—it's a prize from last year," Lin Lei realized.

Though a freebie, it was a high-end item awarded as a year-end prize.

Its black face and silver edge gave it a futuristic look that Lin Lei found increasingly attractive. After putting away his snacks, he eagerly strapped on the watch.

"Beep!"

"System activated. User detected. Would you like to initiate the binding procedure?" A mechanical voice issued from the watch.

"Wow! It’s actually a smart electronic watch," Lin Lei was a bit surprised.

"System activated. User detected. Would you like to initiate the binding procedure..." The mechanical voice repeated.

"How do you bind it? Forget it, let me check the manual first." Lin Lei picked up the manual.

After a short read, Lin Lei was baffled. "There’s no binding instructions! Did they mix up the manuals?"

The manual in his hand bore no resemblance to the device before him.

"What’s the meaning of this? If you want a bad review, just say so," Lin Lei muttered, grabbing his phone to complain to customer service.

"System activated. Detect..."

The mechanical voice repeated.

"Binding, binding. I’d like to bind, but I’m—" (asking how to bind)

Before he could finish, the mechanical voice changed.

"Binding procedure activated. Extracting user gene code..."

Apparently, the word "binding" triggered the process. The previous attempts must have failed due to the sequence of keywords.

"Hiss! What the hell? Is it leaking electricity?" Lin Lei felt a jab on his wrist.

"Beep!"

"Gene code extraction complete. Binding successful. This system is now upgraded to a personal exclusive. User is now upgraded to host. Greetings, host! Glad to be of service!"

The mechanical voice even carried a hint of happiness.

"Gene code? System? Host? Hold on, what’s going on? Is this still just a watch?" Lin Lei was utterly confused.