I was a charlatan in India

Warm and soft.

"Beep...beep..."

Shenhe River awakens in a hazy, soft light.

The surrounding smell was no longer pungent, but rather a faint scent of disinfectant mixed with a high-quality air freshener.

He tried to open his eyes, but his vision was blurry.

I remember, it was in Varanasi... no, it was in...

"She's awake! Quick, go call the nurse!"

A familiar voice rang out; it must be Lao Zhang, the team leader under his command.

This guy has been with me since he joined the company, and although he's called a subordinate, he's more like a buddy.

Immediately afterwards, a rough, large hand slapped Shenhe on the shoulder.

"Old Shen, you're really pushing yourself! Drinking with Boss Wang and ending up in the ICU!"

"Even if it's to get us some work, you can't do it like this."

Oh right, I was drinking with Mr. Wang at the company's annual party to secure an order...

But what about India...?

"That's why we say Brother Shen is our boss. Things are tough everywhere right now, but this order is enough to keep our department from being laid off for a year!"

A female voice echoed.

Hmm... it's Jiang Xiaoyu from the office, the woman who always blocks my expense reimbursement.

So she can say a few nice things too.

That's true, we're all just working people, what deep-seated hatred could there be between us?

"We're really lucky to have such a leader. Look at Group Three over there, they're sending women up one by one to take their place, their clothes are practically just a piece of cloth!"

"Yes, our leader really treats us like human beings..."

"Go back and mentor the new recruits well. Make sure they get results for the boss at the start of the year; we can't let him down, understand?"

Listening to his colleagues chatting away, Shenhe felt a surge of warmth in his heart.

If everyone can gather around and take care of themselves, then this drinking session wasn't in vain.

Shenhe tried to open his eyes, but his eyelids felt as heavy as lead and wouldn't obey him. He could only pry them open slightly.

The blurry figure swayed back and forth, making it impossible to distinguish, which gave him a headache.

Forget it, I'd rather not open my eyes and lie down for a while longer.

My stomach is cramping slightly, like it's on fire.

Speaking of India...

Varanasi, the city of blessings, the mad Agni, the naive Arti, the devout Mina, and the doctor Dalit who was frightened away by incense ash...

What a mess this is!

As expected, you shouldn't mix alcohol; I actually got myself into such an absurd illusion.

Shenhe suddenly felt a tension in his heart ease.

In India, they consider themselves the gods they worship.

Gods have their own responsibilities.

Just like a department manager, you have to consider both your boss and your subordinates.

In the end, I seemed to be in a precarious situation myself, let alone able to help them solve their problems.

They are really incompetent.

Regardless, if someone were truly a god, they should at least be able to protect their followers, right?

If all of this is an illusion, then at least I haven't let them down.

very nice.

Yes, hallucination.

Shenhe breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time, there seemed to be a slight sense of loss.

It's time to face life; this is the real business.

Shenhe sniffed the clean air in the room, which was completely different from the foul, pungent, and sweet-sour filth near the Heng River.

came back.

Accompanied by rhythmic footsteps, a gentle female voice rang out.

"How are you feeling? Does your stomach still hurt?"

In my blurry vision, I could see the corner of the nurse's white uniform.

"water……"

His voice was a little hoarse.

The nurse used a cotton swab dipped in warm water to carefully moisten his chapped lips.

"Don't rush, take your time. You have alcohol poisoning and acute gastric mucosal damage; you need to rest for a while."

Then, while adjusting the IV drip rate, she reprimanded him in a professionally concerned tone.

"You can't drink like that anymore. You're still young, you need to take care of your health."

"You can never earn enough money, but you only have one life. If you trade your life for money now, no amount of money can buy back your health in the future, understand?"

Shenhe couldn't say much, he could only symbolically move his neck as a response.

He closed his eyes, letting himself sink into the pillow, only the slight coldness keeping him conscious.

The body was undoubtedly heavy and in pain.

It's so good to be back.

Fuck India, fuck blessings, fuck the power of asceticism.

He wanted to get a good night's sleep, then take a day off and stay home for three days and three nights, playing games and watching variety shows, to completely forget that eerie world.

Sleepiness surged in.

However, just as he was about to fall asleep, a familiar voice made his whole body tense up instantly.

"Great Heaven..."

!!!

This is……

Forgetting even the heaviness of his body, Shenhe's eyes widened instantly.

Mina, a believer, is praying to herself!

Illusion, hallucination.

All are hallucinations.

However, the voice was still intermittent, choked with sobs.

"...My father went to see the doctor again; he insisted that I abort the child."

"Oh God, I really don't want to marry a man older than my father. Please guide me and tell me what to do."

Damn it, maybe it's not a hallucination over there.

Shenhe's breathing quickened, and his damned sense of responsibility began to stir.

Those were, after all, his followers, who believed in him...

No, that's not right!

What does this have to do with me!

I am not the Great Deity you speak of at all! That is Shiva's job, what does it have to do with me!

Shenhe instinctively wanted to escape and was unwilling to respond.

Let alone the fact that they were just... hallucinating.

Even if all of this is true, there is no doubt that modern life is more comfortable than ancient India.

Even Ashoka never ate modern food or enjoyed modern facilities. The ordinary people here are happier than the Brahmins of ancient India!

If they respond and are really dragged back, it's uncertain whether they can come back!

No, it's not about whether they can come back or not.

These are clearly hallucinations; how could I believe such a thing?

He drank too much; it might have really damaged his brain!

This can't happen again.

The nurse already said to be careful...

However, Mina's plea once again interrupted his escape.

"Great Heaven, you said you would take care of everything."

"I know I shouldn't rush you, but I trust you have a plan."

"But I'm so scared. If you could, please give me some direction..."

...My fingers began to unconsciously grip the sheets.

My phone vibrated on the bedside table.

Shenhe laboriously moved his arm to turn on the screen, but the dim light made his headache worse.

It was a message from home.

"Child, how could you be so foolish! Is work more important than your health?"

"You can't do that again. Mom doesn't need you to make a lot of money, she just wants you to be safe and healthy..."

"Oh, by the way, your dad said that once you're discharged from the hospital, he'll give you the keys to that old house so you can quickly find a good girl and settle down..."

Scroll up, and you'll find comments from your boss.

"Xiao Shen, you did a great job. Mr. Wang is very satisfied, and the order has been finalized."

"I've already approved your promotion and project bonus. I'll talk to HR about it. You should get some rest; your health is the most important thing."

Above that are more greetings from colleagues and friends.

Shenhe is doing quite well.

He's very popular here.

Family, career, friendship—everything is wonderful, everything is full of hope.

As expected, this side is more important...

Shenhe let out a heavy sigh.

My chest was trembling slightly.

What do those ancient people who died countless years ago have to do with me?

Even if I don't go back, shouldn't there be a real deity to deal with this?

"Oh my god, they're here!"

Mina suddenly exclaimed, and anyone could hear the fear in her voice!

"Mina, has your heavens responded?"

Vasudiv spoke sarcastically, followed by a new doctor.

Compared to the previous one, this one looks significantly more presentable.

He had a neatly combed back hairstyle and a gold snake emblem on his chest, clearly indicating that he was also a member of a high caste.

There is no doubt that this kind of doctor cannot be silenced after use.

Although he disliked leaving any evidence against him, Vasudiv had no choice.

Time is running out, and the Nabu family is also pressuring them hard.

Mina has to abort the baby.

He must take control of the Nabu family's businesses!