Chirp... chirp... chirp...
Fuling, in the third-to-last row at the south end of the Damu Garden District, the sound of crickets filled the night, casting a warm, tranquil atmosphere.
The master bedroom of Unit 101 in Building 7 remained softly illuminated, bathed in gentle yellow light. It was still the heart of winter, and the warm air from the heater filled the quiet room.
Chen Yating had just finished putting her two baby girls to bed. She bent down carefully, pulling the blanket up to cover their tiny bodies, making sure their little feet and soft bellies stayed warm through the night. If she didn't pay attention, she knew they would wriggle free and end up sleeping naked for most of the night. She lingered for a moment, her eyes soft as she watched their peaceful faces. A gentle smile spread across her lips, and she leaned closer, brushing a tender kiss on each rosy cheek.
"Sweet dreams, my babies," she whispered, her voice full of warmth and love.
After she finished, Chen Yating didn't leave right away. She lingered by the bedside, her gaze drifting toward the closed door. Beyond it, in the living room, something stirred a doubt in her heart—but within that storm, her hesitation slowly crystallized into resolve.
Rising quietly, she walked over to the drawer. Her fingers hesitated for a brief moment before pulling it open.
Inside lay an EMS delivery bag. Chen Yating drew in a long breath and let it out slowly, steadying her gaze. She took another deep breath, turned off the light, closed the door, and made her way to the living room. At last—she was ready.
Opening the door, the first thing she noticed was that the living room was still lit. As expected, her eyes landed on him, sprawled across the sofa bed like a beached whale.
Tonight he had drunk far too much, raising glass after glass to please the "top dogs"—or, in more polite words, some local businessmen and his superior. All of it was for one thing: to smooth the way for a promotion.
"..."
Chen Yating could only sigh at the sight.
Unbeknownst to her, he—Su Zeming—had already woken up and was in complete panic. How could he not be?
The very first thing he saw upon opening his eyes was… a ceiling. No, everything around him… No, this wasn't his apartment!
One minute passed, then two, then ten. Only after desperately trying to remember everything he could did he realize—holy crap! Wasn't this the legendary transmigration thing? You know, the kind that always becomes inspiration for online novel writers.
"..."
He could only smile bitterly. Who would've thought he'd be the unlucky guy chosen to become that kind of person?
In his previous life, Su Zeming had been a top Political Science graduate from Peking University. The achievement filled him with pride, and he believed the springboard was already set—that his credentials would guarantee him a coveted post in a government department.
But reality hit him like a slap in the face. For the first time, he truly understood that graduating from Peking University meant nothing. There would always be others—smooth operators, tongues slicker than eels, beauty lobbyists, flattery grenades. Those were their cheat codes for life. And when those people were armed with money and connections… he realized that from the very start, he had never stood a chance.
Stress had turned Su Zeming into a short-form content addict, and thanks to the pandemic boom, he practically had a PhD in scrolling while stuck at home.
He shook his head, pushing away the bitter thoughts. 'No… this isn't the time to drown in nostalgia. What matters now is figuring out my current situation.'
After all, surviving a transmigration was definitely harder than surviving lockdown boredom.
CREAK~
The sound of the bedroom door opening made Su Zeming's heart lurch. His fragile calm shattered, panic surging through him. Instinctively, he shut his eyes and pretended to sleep.
Chen Yating, lost in her own thoughts, didn't notice his act. She circled the coffee table and quietly sat beside him on the sofa, leaning her head against the backrest with a tired sigh.
A faint, minty fragrance drifted over. Even with his eyes closed, Su Zeming recognized it immediately—it was the scent of her favorite shower gel.
'Strange… so familiar, yet so foreign," he thought, his chest tightening. "Wait—she's supposed to be my… mother? Scratch that. Sister? That's possible. Or…?'
"Zeming, wake up. I need to talk to you."
The soft voice pulled Su Zeming out of his chaotic thoughts. He hadn't even processed her words; instead, he sat up at once, eager to study her face closely—hoping for some clue.
Chen Yating hesitated, but when she saw her husband suddenly wide awake and scrutinizing her from head to toe, a flicker of annoyance crossed her eyes. "Zeming, you were pretending to sleep!"
"…No—I… I had a nightmare and woke up," Su Zeming stammered. His thoughts were a tangled mess, and he worried that saying more might only dig him into a deeper hole.
Chen Yating looked at him carefully, then gave a small "hmm" before speaking again. "I want to discuss something with you."
"Go ahead. I'm listening," Su Zeming replied quickly. The more they talked, the more information he could piece together about this strange new reality.
Chen Yating's gaze drifted around their seventy-square-meter apartment—the coffee table, the sofa, the shoe cabinet, the aging TV stand. The living room felt cramped, almost suffocating.
"Zeming, don't you think our place is a bit small?"
'Small?' Su Zeming glanced around the room, looking utterly lost.
Before he could say a word, Chen Yating carried on, her tone soft, almost smiling. "Well, I don't blame you. I didn't expect to have twins."
'TWINS?!'
Does that mean... there are two of them...?!
The word hit him like a hammer. Su Zeming froze, his mind scrambling. He searched through fragments of memory, desperate for a clue—but nothing surfaced. In the end, all he could manage was a stiff nod.
"Yes… it is a bit small."
That was the most logical response Su Zeming could come up with.
"Zeming, I know you earn about 30,000 yuan a year, which is more than most of our neighbors. But kindergarten costs eight hundred per child—hundred thousand for both. That's already higher than our mortgage. And then there are tutoring classes… If we spend too much, we'll have nothing left to save. How—"
'How can we ever afford a bigger house?'
The words hovered on Chen Yating's lips, but she swallowed them back. Traditionally, men provided while women managed the home. Now she was about to suggest the opposite—and she feared he wouldn't take it well.
"Zeming…" she finally gathered her courage. "Please, take a look at this."
Su Zeming, normally so reserved, perked up at once. At last, some information!
She handed him the EMS delivery bag. He tore it open—and the moment his eyes landed on the contents, he froze, stunned into silence.
"Professor Zhouchen… not long ago, he contacted me—" She hesitated, uneasy. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she continued, "He offered me the position of Deputy County Chief for Infrastructure and Transportation."
"…"
Su Zeming was stunned—not because of what she said, but because the moment he heard his supposed wife, a blue panel immediately appeared in front of him.
DING!
[...Host failed to improve overall governance metrics. Searching for an alternative host with better potential...]
[…Initiating containment protocol and recalibration of target parameters…Containment sequence 1% complete…]
[@!#$ ERROR — ERROR …]
[Environmental integration mismatch detected…Probability of cascade corruption: 97.4%. Searching for another host…]
[Detected Anomaly. Unregistered host activity observed—]
[[@!#$ ERROR—]
[Override current host allocation. Insert alternative host with higher compatibility metrics...]
[...Suitable host detected. Please read the binding terms and confirm whether to bind the system...Automatic binding applied...]
[...Welcome to the SUPER GOVERNOR SYSTEM...]
📊 City Stats
Population: ~1.2 million
Area: ~6,200 km²
GDP: ~12–15 billion yuan
Administrative Divisions: 5 Subdistricts, 12 Towns, 3 Townships
👥 Public Approval → 49%
🏛️ Party Approval → 40%
📈 Economic Growth → 4.5%
🚨Social Stability → 30%
📑 Administrative Efficiency → 44%
💡Innovation Index → 10%
✅ Overall Governance Score ≈ 29 / 100
[HOST: Su Zeming]
[Age: 29 years old]
[Position: Governor of —]
[@!#$ ERROR — ERROR …]
[Position: Deputy County Chief—]
[@!#$ ERROR — ERROR …]
[...Host situation does not match system requirements...Searching for alternative host or adjustments to restore system stability...]
[@!#$ ERROR — ERROR …]
[↓ Deploying SUPER GOVERNOR SYSTEM ↓]
[↓ Deploying SUPER GOVERNOR SYSTEM (Advanced Version) ↓]
[↓ Deploying SUPER GOVERNOR SYSTEM (Standard Version) ↓]
[↓ Deploying SUPER GOVERNOR SYSTEM (Lite Version) ↓]
[↓ Deploying SUPER GOVERNOR SYSTEM (Guest Version) ↓]
[…Initializing…]
[Welcome to the SUPER GOVERNOR SYSTEM (Guest Version) ]
🌾 Agriculture [locked]
🏭 Industry [locked]
🎓 Education [locked]
🏥 Medical Care [locked]
💻 Technology & Urban Services [locked]
🏗 Infrastructure & Transportation [locked]
🌿 Environment & Sustainability [locked]
💼 Commerce & Trade [locked]
🎨 Culture & Tourism [locked]
📡 Communication & Media [locked]
💰 Finance & Budget [locked]
⚖️ Law & Order / Public Security [locked]
💼 Business & Economy [locked]
'...A system? My golden finger?!'