Chapter 13: Dreamlike Home
After numerous revisions, the trash bin was stuffed full of crumpled papers. Over an hour later, Mu Lantu finally finished a version he was satisfied with. He tucked it into a drawer and stood up to stretch. This body’s constitution was average, and he couldn’t rely solely on medication. It was time to put physical training on the agenda and pick up his old skills.
He picked up his phone and opened Wechat.
Hmm, Xu Huazhang still hadn’t replied. He mentally made a note of that.
Then Mu Lantu opened his browser—and froze.
The government had issued a public announcement—pinned across multiple platforms!
The announcement was simple and clear: the appearance of the new planet was a natural cosmic phenomenon. The public should not panic or spread rumors.
Immediately after, Mu Lantu saw several international news updates, reposted by netizens who had scaled the Great Firewall. Other countries had also discovered the new planet, and the news was becoming impossible to suppress. The government likely released the official announcement in time to prevent widespread panic.
Foreign headlines were far more sensational.
“Breaking: New Planet Hosts Alien Life!”
Mu Lantu mentally scoffed: Nonsense. The new planet is shielded—people outside can only see vague shadows even if they fly close.
“President of the Beautiful Nation Claims: The New Planet Was Made by Us!”
Mu Lantu rolled his eyes: Still as shameless as ever.
“Fusang Prime Minister Calls for Increased Investment in Spacecraft Research”
Mu Lantu sneered: Ambitious wolves.
Tiktok was abuzz. Even before transmigrating, Mu Lantu enjoyed scrolling through its videos. In his previous world, the app was called “Tiktok” too and was one of the top short video platforms.
He watched ten videos in a row—nine were about the new planet.
Mu Lantu frowned slightly.
[Xiao Wu, I need to name the new planet before someone on Earth names it instead.]
[What name do you have in mind, Host?]
After a moment of thought, Mu Lantu decided:
[Let’s call it “Dreamlike Home.” Can you display the name on the planet’s shield so that people on Earth can see it through telescopes?]
[Absolutely.]
005 immediately activated the livestream. Mu Lantu saw four majestic Chinese characters appear in Song-style font across the sky of the new planet: “????” (Dreamlike Home). Elegant and dignified.
Mu Lantu went back to scrolling Tiktok. Before long, the moment he was waiting for appeared.
The new planet now had text on it—and it was in Chinese. The internet exploded!
People from Jasmine Country were ecstatic and proud. The characters on the planet proved that if the new world had an owner, they were likely someone friendly with—or from—Jasmine Country.
Citizens of other nations were jealous and furious. Why not use our language? Our country is clearly more powerful!
Every news post about the new planet had comment sections flooded with international bickering. Not only had total comment counts reached into the hundreds of millions, but even replies under individual comments were numbering in the millions.
The sheer traffic was staggering.
Naturally, some comments peddled doomsday scenarios and pessimistic takes—a strong undercurrent.
Mu Lantu didn’t yet have a good solution. Even if he tried to explain, not everyone would believe him. “Skepticism” was many people’s instinct—especially politicians. Many netizens were also contrarians by nature, always playing devil’s advocate just for the thrill of it.
Better to let time reveal the truth.
005 watched with interest.
[Host, telescope sellers must be getting rich off this!]
Mu Lantu chuckled. Absolutely.
[I’ll buy one—no, two.]
The best way to hide a leaf is in the forest.
[Order placed. Local express delivery. They’ll arrive within two hours.]
005 patted its nonexistent chest in relief. Most online stores had sold out of telescopes. Only its lightning-fast speed had secured the last two for Mu Lantu.
At 6 a.m., Mu Lantu was woken by his alarm. He washed up, took his meds, and headed to a nearby park to exercise.
The square-dancing aunties and tai chi uncles were already there, as always—but today, no dancing or tai chi. Instead, they were all gathered around telescopes brought by friends, taking turns to peer at the new planet.
Some sharp-minded young people had already set up stalls in the park: paid telescope viewing, five yuan for twenty seconds.
There was a long line—elderly people and early-rising students all chattering away. It was lively.
Sometimes, making money is hard. Sometimes, it’s just that easy.
Streamers were also hopping on the trend. While jogging, Mu Lantu passed several people holding up phones and talking to themselves.
One female streamer’s eyes lit up the moment she saw him. She sprinted over.
“Hey handsome! Can I do a quick interview?”
Mu Lantu waved her off and ran faster.
The female streamer had only a few thousand followers. Her live chat was usually dead quiet—until now, when it suddenly exploded.
“Holy crap! Streamer, catch up! Even just his back and profile look amazing!”
“One minute! I need to know this hottie’s name!”
“That waist! Those hips! Those legs! Slurp~~”
“Playful jokes aside—don’t mess with my husband!”
“Where’s your morals? Where’s your bottom line? Where’s your dignity? Where’s his address?!”
A virtual rocket soared across the screen, filling it with firelight.
The little streamer clutched her mouth in shock.
“Thank you! Thank you, Princess, for the rocket!”
“Streamer, chase him! If you get his name, I’ll send another one!”
“Okay! I’m going for it!”
The streamer bolted after him.
But how could she possibly catch up to Mu Lantu?
He’d already vanished. After running for thirty minutes, he found a quiet corner to practice martial arts—fists whipping through the air. Another thirty minutes of intense training left him drenched in sweat and refreshed.
After cooling down a bit, he left the park.
Ding-dong.
A notification from Wechat.
Mu Lantu had a feeling—and sure enough, it was from Xu Huazhang.
[Gorgeous Beauty a.k.a Xu Huazhang]: Good morning.
Mu Lantu went straight for the fastball.
[Mu Lantu]: Morning. Are you back yet? I just got back from my run. If you need it, I can bring you some breakfast.
[Gorgeous Beauty]: What an honor, but I’m not back yet.
[Gorgeous Beauty]: Breakfast recommendation—clean, tasty, and hygienic. [Image]
Mu Lantu was a little disappointed.
[Mu Lantu]: Thanks. I’ll try it out.
Xu Huazhang seemed to sense his cool tone and quickly sent another message.
[Gorgeous Beauty]: My work is a bit unusual. Sometimes I’m free for long stretches; other times I’m busy for days. But I’ll always reply when I see your messages.
Mu Lantu sighed. Alright, alright. The pretty ones get special treatment.
He thought carefully and replied:
[Mu Lantu]: Understood. But if too much time passes, and I don’t recognize you next time we meet, don’t take it personally.
Ding-dong. Ding-dong. Ding-dong…
Several images popped up in the chat.
Mu Lantu opened them—sure enough, they were selfies from Xu Huazhang. The background was a plain white wall. Clearly taken in real-time, the photos were awkwardly angled and poorly lit, and his expressions were a little stiff—but none of that could hide his stunning beauty. Some photos had him wearing gold-rimmed glasses, others not. The glasses gave him a strong air of restraint—irresistibly alluring.
Mu Lantu admired each one carefully, then suddenly smiled.
This man… was kind of adorable. So much so, that what started as a casual interest had now turned into a genuine desire to get to know him better.
