Chapter 1: At this point, might as well eat first
The windows were adorned with leaves so thin they were nearly transparent, allowing the morning sunlight to gently and warmly permeate the room.
The entire room was filled with a refreshing wooden fragrance.
The cool breeze from the yard softly caressed his body, making him shiver and unconsciously open his eyes.
What caught his attention was not the modern European-style furniture that filled the room.
Rather it was a reflection of a handsome face in the mirror not far away. The clear, cool green eyes also couldn’t hide a hint of sleepy confusion.
It was as though it wanted to keep people at bay, yet appeared harmless to humans and animals alike.
He raised his hand to touch his own cheek.
And the black-haired, green-eyed young man reflected in the mirror did the exact same motion.
“Where is this…?”
Lan Qi muttered to himself.
It seemed he had, somehow, traveled through time.
This familiar face in the mirror was one he knew too well, a character from the new game developed by their company, “The Heart of Thorn Lion.”
As the chief designer, he was at the company, organizing a ritual for the planners when everything went dark as though his brain disconnected, and when he opened his eyes again, he found himself in this new reality.
At the same time, a flood of information poured into his mind, and he struggled to understand his current situation.
Soon, his brow furrowed deeper and deeper.
Because he hadn’t traveled to an all-powerful hero or a villain of unspeakable evil.
Instead, he found himself as a side character who met a swift end in the game’s side story, “The Rise of Talya.”
Aside from being handsome and from a wealthy family, this young man named “Lan Qi” lacked intelligence and had no other redeeming qualities! Since he was assigned to draw the important character “Talya,” all characters related to Talya’s story, including “Lan Qi,” were designed by him.
He never imagined that he would become the side character Lan Qi…
Thankfully.
Due to his professional spirit, he made Lan Qi very attractive.
He touched his chin and began to ponder.
“Why did this wealthy young master meet his end again…”
Even though he was part of the art department, he had played this game and had access to some character designs.
Soon, he remembered—
Someone would target the life of “Lan Qi the rich young master.”
And that someone was none other than the main character of the side story and the game’s eventual grand villain—Princess Talya of the Demon Clan.
At this point in time, despite not yet having risen to power and appearing as a destitute refugee girl, her strength was already formidable.
To survive in the human kingdoms, she was always careful to disguise her true self.
Only when cornered would she reveal her innately violent and cruel nature.
And in the side story.
“Lan Qi” was the first human to anger her to the point of explosion after her exile.
The spark that led to their enmity was “Lan Qi” shooting Talya’s demonic pigeon, which she sent to scout information, treating it as prey.
When Talya found “Lan Qi” two days later.
The young master, unaware of the gravity of the situation, not only failed to apologize but also mocked Talya, who looked like a beggar, mercilessly.
He even threatened to roast her other familiars for her and hold a super—great barbecue party! In the end.
The foolhardy “Lan Qi” got what he asked for, was instantly killed by Talya, dropping a bunch of gold coins, and she took his family’s ancient relic [The Hymn of Mercy].
The wealth plundered from him also became extremely important startup capital for Talya’s journey to restore the demon clan.
In a sense, our benefactor Mr. Lan Qi indeed played a significant role in Talya’s fortune.
“I don’t want to be Talya’s top benefactor—!”
Sitting on the bed, Lan Qi covered his head, as if waking from a nightmare.
Calm down.
Think positively.
Things aren’t so bad.
Since he knows about the “grudge between Lan Qi and Talya,” all he has to do is avoid it all!
Don’t anger this demon clan big shot, just peacefully escort her out of his domain, OK!
At this moment, in this brand-new world.
Lan Qi felt a long-lost motivation and ambition! It must be the rewards from his previous life of abiding by the law and doing good deeds.
Next, as the life of a wealthy young master began!
Economic freedom, no more overtime! Wealth and power, such a fantasy! Just then.
A soft knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.
“Young master, are you awake? You asked me to wake you up early yesterday…”
It seemed that the faint voice of a woman came from outside the door after hearing some noise inside.
“Awake.”
Lan Qi responded, got out of bed, and almost tripped over a pile of wine bottles by the foot of his bed.
He paused for a moment.
Right.
Since his predecessor turned 16 last month and came of age, he developed a bad habit of heavy drinking.
Thus, his memories of the past month felt a bit fragmented.
It seemed his predecessor often got into drunken brawls and did stupid things when drunk.
The original “Lan Qi provoking Talya” might also be because he was drunk.
So, drinking is indeed harmful.
Lan Qi mused as he changed his clothes.
Just stepping out of the bedroom.
He noticed the shivering maid standing by the door.
The maid seemed reluctantly completing the task of the young master and feared being scolded by the angry young master for waking him.
“Good morning.”
Lan Qi said in a calm tone.
“Eh?”
The maid looked surprised and instinctively made a sound.
Seeming to judge Lan Qi’s mood for the day.
Then she quickly responded to Lan Qi:
“Master is already waiting for you in the dining room.”
Lan Qi nodded.
He knew his parents were still alive, and he wasn’t an orphan.
But they were busy managing the business and had almost adopted a hands-off approach to Lan Qi in recent years.
Even these days, it was rare for his father to be home, which was a rare occurrence in his predecessor’s memories.
Thinking about this, Lan Qi walked down the mansion’s hallway.
All the servants without exception shrank back, deeply bowed, then hurried away as if fleeing.
It seems his predecessor didn’t hold back in troubling those around him.
Lan Qi sighed internally.
Although he didn’t have many memories of being drunk, it seemed his predecessor would become volatile and smash things when drunk, making the servants’ fear understandable.
…
Soon Lan Qi arrived at the dining room.
He saw a middle-aged man sitting at the end of the long table, his father.
“You’re late again.”
His father didn’t mean to reprimand Lan Qi, just stating a fact.
“Sorry, I won’t drink excessively again.”
There’s no need for self-destruction anymore.
Lan Qi was quite satisfied with a wealthy young master’s life.
His life goal was simple—
To live comfortably, peacefully, and worry-free.
“Sit.”
All the servants in the hall were surprised by Lan Qi’s demeanor.
And after a brief moment of shock, his father nodded in response.
“Alright.”
Lan Qi eyed the lavish spread that didn’t quite fit his idea of breakfast and sat down at his place.
Somehow.
He felt something off.
Then, unconsciously, he lifted his gaze toward a dish in the center of the long table.
—A perfectly golden-browned roasted pigeon was on the plate.
It was evenly coated with a layer of aromatic seasoning, retaining its perfect shape even after being cut.
“This is…”
Lan Qi’s expression turned strange as he slowly pointed at the pigeon.
The more he looked, the more he felt a bizarre sense of déjà vu.
His father didn’t answer immediately, and the servant in the distance also looked at Lan Qi with puzzled faces.
Lan Qi appeared very strange to them today, overall very gentle.
“It’s the pigeon you brought back yesterday. The servants prepared it for breakfast today as per your request.”
His father glanced at Lan Qi and said indifferently,
“You were too drunk last night, don’t you remember?”
Lan Qi: “”
Yesterday?
The pigeon I brought back? A feeling of extreme unease washed over Lan Qi, who quickly reached for a dish he didn’t recognize, pretending to be calm.
Even though the roasted pigeon was already unrecognizable.
But looking closely at its shape and contours.
Lan Qi became absolutely certain—it was indeed Princess Talya of the Demon Clan’s pigeon.
After all, Talya’s familiars were also designed by him.
“Are you okay?”
Lan Qi’s odd behavior couldn’t have escaped his father’s notice.
“I’m fine, just the aftereffects of drinking, alcohol is harmful indeed.”
Lan Qi smiled at his father and continued with his breakfast.
Seeing the pitiful state of Talya’s familiar, Lan Qi felt a lump in his throat.
Predecessor, you were truly naive…
Turning someone’s familiar into this.
And then still intending to mock her like that.
She wouldn’t be a demon clan monarch if she didn’t kill you! Lan Qi couldn’t help but ponder, could anything be done to save this poor pigeon?
The answer was no.
So, the most sensible thing for him to do now became quite clear.
He should thoroughly destroy the evidence and pull himself together, recovering from his hangover.
So, he finally reached out, took a leg of the pigeon, and put it in his mouth, biting off a piece of the salt-seasoned, oil-soaked crispy meat, and just like that, the delightful taste spread through his mouth.
Satisfied.
He would feed the bones to the dogs later.
…
(End of Chapter)
