A perfect life begins with changing the timeline.

Li Mu was also quite surprised, after all, according to Brother Frowning, this film was invested in by Wu Kebo.

Li Mu didn't know who Wu Kebo was for the time being. Time passed quickly in the dream, and it was impossible for Brother Frowning to recite the project and explain the relationships between everyone in detail.

So he didn't think much of it. After all, he hadn't even gotten to Wang Jinghua's dinner invitation when he came across the script for "The Girl Next Door." Even if it was a coincidence, there was no reason for him to miss it.

After resting for a while, Li Mu suggested playing one more round.

And so, what a thrilling game it was, lasting from a little after 3 p.m. until after 5 p.m.

Li Mu was covered in sweat; to be honest, even his underwear was completely soaked.

"Li Ji, everything's arranged at the restaurant, shall we go?"

"Let's go."

He drove his Santana, Chen drove his BMW, and Liu Baoteng drove his Volkswagen, all leaving the stadium together.

Before leaving, Liu Baoteng said he was going to the restroom, but when he returned, he brought the same staff member with him, who handed Li Mu a membership card.

This Tianli tennis club also operates on a prepaid membership system. Li Mu didn't ask how much money was in it, but simply expressed his gratitude.

He doesn't care about other cards, he really likes this gift.

Upon arriving at the restaurant, Liu Baoteng brought over a case of red wine.

As for baijiu (Chinese liquor), even Li Mu couldn't drink it anymore, let alone him.

He can only handle about a pound of liquor now; any more and he'll black out.

The problem is, he doesn't want to black out either. After all, no one can guarantee they won't do something irrational or say something they shouldn't after blacking out... But the problem is, as any seasoned drinker who frequently attends business meetings knows, these kinds of things are simply beyond your control.

When you black out from drinking, you might be perfectly sober one second, but after the next drink, that mental block snaps.

Therefore, he tried to keep Sui Kuan with him at every drinking party during this period.

General Sui... he really has a fucking enormous capacity for alcohol.

Especially when those two signature moves are used.

I used a move called "Seven-Point Respectful Five-Point," and the opponent, careless, didn't dodge. Then I used "Eagle of the Grasslands Spreads Its Wings"...

Basically, eight out of ten people couldn't handle it.

But red wine doesn't have so many issues.

So, four people, six bottles of red wine.

After finishing their meal, around 9 PM, Li Mu declined Liu Baoteng's invitation to the next event, but before leaving, he didn't forget to say:

"Manager Liu, could you please inquire about that script for me? I really love that comic. Money's no problem!"

"Okay, okay, no problem... Hey hey hey..."

Seeing that Chen almost fell, Liu Baoteng quickly helped him up.

He casually grabbed the tennis bag.

Everyone was soaked to the bone, especially Li Mu and Chen? But since there was no place to change at the tennis court, they both changed in the restroom of the hotel's private room.

"Is Teacher Chen alright?"

Hearing Li Mu's words, Chen, whose face was already flushed, barely opened his eyes, smiled, and shook his head:

"fine……"\

"Then go back and get some rest."

"Okay, Li Ji, remember to call me next time we play ball."

"Haha, good..."

After exchanging pleasantries, Li Mu grabbed his tennis bag, and the group strolled out.

Without needing anyone to take him, Li Mu simply hired a designated driver to take him back to his dorm.

Although red wine has a strong aftereffect, as long as one doesn't drink too much, one can handle it.

Surprisingly, Sui Kuan wasn't in the dormitory.

He guessed she had gone out with Feng Yuan again, so he didn't ask any more questions. He groggily went into the bathroom, took a shower, and felt even more dizzy.

He managed to get through to his girlfriend, and the last thing he remembered was saying, "Hello, I'm home." After that, he felt his consciousness fade away.

I woke up at 7 a.m.

He wasn't exactly hungover; after opening his eyes, he groggily looked around.

Holy crap, that fat guy didn't come home last night!

He went into the bathroom.

When he came out again, his face was covered in water droplets, and he was fully awake.

I checked my phone and saw that my call with my girlfriend last night lasted 27 seconds. I figured she must have fallen asleep, so I sent her a message:

"woke up."\

Then I got up and went out for breakfast.

After finishing his meal, he picked up his tennis bag as he returned to his dorm, intending to quickly wash his sweat-soaked clothes from the previous day, otherwise they would definitely stink if left to sit for too long.

When he got upstairs and opened his tennis bag... he was instantly dumbfounded.

A pink tennis racket, books, and... a women's tracksuit. Even a set of underwear.

"!"

This... is Chen's?

Oh no, I grabbed the wrong tennis bag.

He quickly closed the bag, but didn't think much of it; it was just a minor issue.

He took out his phone, glanced at the time, and sent a message to Chen:

"Teacher Chen, it's a misunderstanding. We took the wrong tennis bags. Your bag is with me now. Please reply when you wake up, and I'll bring it to you."

Then he obediently put the bag aside.

Today is April 30th, the last day of this month, and it's also a Saturday, so it's considered an early start to the May Day holiday.

He began packing his luggage.

His girlfriend's flight was in the afternoon, and as per her request, he planned to take all the clothes over for her to "appraise."

Throw away what needs to be thrown away, and only wear what's meant to be worn at home from now on.

This woman is quite wasteful... she's constantly instilling in herself...

"Fashion sense"...

As he pondered this, he began checking his clothes, afraid of missing anything, like lipstick stains that hadn't been washed off.

That would be just making trouble out of nothing.

She's been quite forgiving of herself; she knows it's just socializing and unavoidable.

But if someone's kindness turns into taking advantage of you, that's going too far.

……\

"Ring ring..."

In the bedroom, Chen's brows were slightly furrowed.

He seemed quite annoyed by the jarring telephone ring.

Whether she liked it or not, the ringing of the phone still woke her up.

She groggily opened her eyes, still suffering from the hangover, and could only answer the phone in a half-awake state:

"Feed?"

"Hello, Sister Chen, General Manager Jing wants you to come to the company now."

"!"

Chen opened his eyes instantly and quickly replied:

"Okay, I'll go right away."

"OK."\

After hanging up the phone, Chen sat up abruptly.

Although she was still a little dizzy, she forced herself to wake up quickly and went into the bathroom.

When she reappeared, she had put on light makeup.

One must not be impolite in front of the company's general manager.

But she could be more casual about her clothes. She quickly chose a comfortable outfit, put it on, and then hurried out with her phone in hand.

But after taking only a few steps, he suddenly stopped.

He quickly reached the door and opened the white tennis bag.

have to.\

A black tennis racket, a set of wet men's clothes...

While waiting for the elevator outside, she quickly dialed Li Mu's number:

"Hello, Mr. Li, I'm sorry, we did indeed take the wrong tennis bags."

"Haha, it's alright. I just opened it and glanced at it before realizing something was wrong, so I closed it. Don't worry, Professor Chen... Here, whenever is convenient for you, I'll bring it to you."

Chen wouldn't let him deliver it... This was a reporter the company wanted to build a good relationship with.

But then I thought... what I originally wanted to blurt out, "I'll have my assistant pick it up," turned into an invitation:

"Is Li's restaurant free at noon? I need to go to the company now, how about we have lunch together and exchange hostages while we're at it?"

"Hahaha……"\

This witty remark successfully amused Li Mu:

"Sure, no problem. But what currency should I prepare for the ransom? Cantonese, Shandong, or Sichuan cuisine?"

"Hmm, watercress, I guess. I ate too much yesterday, a bit too much, so I can only eat something light today. Didn't Li Ji say yesterday he'd never had Russian food before? My treat, shall we go to Old Moscow for a meal?"

"Okay, no drinking?"

"No, no, I really can't drink anymore. If I hadn't been drunk yesterday, how could I have taken the wrong hostage?"

"Hahaha……"\

Li Mu laughed again.

Just as he was about to hang up, Chen suddenly said:

"Li Ji... could you check if my book is in there too?"

"Please wait a moment... Yes, Atonement, um, is Professor Chen Catholic?"

Chen was taken aback and asked:

"What do you mean?"

"The title of this book... isn't the word 'atonement' meant by 'atonement'? But usually, the word 'expiate' is used to describe atonement, while 'atonement' is a theological term, right?" (Note 1)

"Well……"\

This question left Chen speechless.

She certainly knew the meaning of the word "atonement," but she only understood it after buying the book and looking it up in an English dictionary.

But listening to this reporter Li speak so logically and persuasively, she asked with some curiosity:

"Is Reporter Li's English that good?"

"Hmm...it's alright."

"All right……"\

Because she needed to get to the company quickly, she didn't think much of it and said directly:

"Mr. Li, could you please take this book out first? I'm afraid my clothes will get it wet."

"Okay, it's been taken out."

"Okay, shall we meet at noon?"

"OK."\

After hanging up the phone, Chen quickly drove towards the company.

Li Mu didn't think much of it. After he had almost finished packing all the clothes, he sat on the bed, glanced at the time, and saw it was just past nine o'clock.

For a moment, there was surprisingly nothing to do.

So, without realizing it, he turned his attention to the book titled *Atonement*.

Since coming to Beijing on a business trip, some of his habits have been disrupted.

For example, reading books, or playing chess.

The exercise was fine; I really enjoyed myself yesterday.

Feeling a bit bored, he picked up the book, intending to read something interesting.

He was stunned as soon as he opened it.

All in English? \

He glanced through it and it was indeed true.

It is not a domestic translation, but a book written entirely in English.

He curiously flipped back to the first page.

\

Thanks to Fatty's English proficiency, he found reading it effortless and understood it very smoothly.

I've learned the meanings of these words for nothing.

Then I slowly started reading.

(Note 1: As mentioned before, all the English content is from Baidu and Douban, so don't take it too seriously.)