EPISODE 1 (DESCRIPTION)

Outwardly cold but inwardly soft-hearted beauty with social anxiety (receptive) x possessive and obsessive tyrannical dog-like aggressive (dominant)

Cen Wu accidentally transmigrates into a power-up fantasy novel, becoming the fake young master, a cannon fodder character who occupies a place that doesn’t belong to him.

The cannon fodder, knowing he is a fake, behaves arrogantly and spoiled, fighting with his CEO brother over the family inheritance, nearly causing the death of his wealthy parents, and preventing the real young master from being acknowledged.

In the end, when everything is exposed, the entire wealthy family seeks revenge on him, and the male lead breaks his arms and legs, sinking him into the sea, leaving no trace of his body.

When Cen Wu transmigrates into this moment, the male lead is being humiliated by him. His mouth opens uncontrollably into a cold laugh, and he uses the tip of his shoe to lift the male lead’s chin, saying, “Xie Guilan, a bastard like you who lives in the shadows isn’t even worthy of carrying my shoes.”

The young man kneels on the ground, his hands firmly held behind his back, his eyes dark and cold, exuding an especially sinister aura.

Cen Wu: “…”

Is there still any chance to salvage this situation?

START

In the countryside, at a private horse ranch.

A torrential downpour slashed through the gray night sky. Cold rainwater splashed everywhere, and the scene was gloomy and dim. Only the clubhouse next to the ranch remained brilliantly lit.

In the VIP lounge, Cen Wu had been sitting silently on an expensive leather sofa for several minutes.

The people around him glanced at each other, afraid to make a sound, not daring to anger this young master.

"Second Young Master," a young man with red hair cautiously approached Cen Wu and called out, "What's wrong, Second Young Master?"

Cen Wu had a very striking face. His pale skin made his lips appear even redder. His beautiful, liquid eyes had an almond shape, with long, thick lashes that curled at the ends.

His deep under-eye area, combined with his youth, gave him a soft, ethereal look.

Now, there was no anger or defiance on his face, his eyes vacant and lost. His fingers anxiously clutched the corner of his clothes as he pressed into the corner of the sofa, looking inexplicably helpless and pitiful.

As the red-haired man approached, Cen Wu dodged. When the red-haired man approached again, Cen Wu dodged once more, almost falling off the sofa. He hurriedly steadied himself, suddenly coming to his senses.

And then he was startled, his breath catching.

！？

What's going on?

Cen Wu realized there was a seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy kneeling beside his feet. The boy's head was lowered, his hands tightly held behind his back, and blood mixed with rain trickled down his cold, pale jawline.

There wasn't a single uninjured part of his body.

Large, bluish-purple bruises marked the side of his neck, still bleeding. His clothes were crumpled and soaked with blood.

The scene was so brutal that Cen Wu didn't know whether he should call the police first or help the boy up.

"Xie Guilan," at that moment, the red-haired man suddenly kicked the boy hard on the shoulder, saying impatiently, "Be smart and apologize to the Second Young Master!"

"Who the hell do you think you are, daring to fight with the Second Young Master? What's with the attitude?!"

……

Xie Guilan?

Cen Wu suddenly shivered. Wasn't that the name of the protagonist in the novel he had read before going to bed last night?

It was an upgrade-style power fantasy novel, where the male lead, Xie Guilan, was the true young master of a wealthy family, but was deliberately swapped at birth. The original owner, who shared the same name, was the fake young master who had taken the place of the rightful one.

The woman who took Xie Guilan away was a hostess who had been kept by Xie's father. She thought she could marry into the wealthy family, but Xie's father married the eldest daughter of the Zhou family. She was pregnant at the time and returned to her mountain hometown in bitterness, planning to threaten Xie's father after the child was born.

But on the day of the birth, she encountered Guan Xingxue, who was filming in the mountains and went into premature labor.

The Cen family was an old, prestigious family in the capital Huai Jing. Guan Xingxue was a popular actress at the time, with a prominent family background. Their child was born into wealth and fame.

A heavy rainstorm hit the mountains that day, and the ambulance couldn't make it up. The film crew was stranded on the mountainside.

Guan Xingxue only had an assistant with her.

The assistant went to fetch medicine, and she took the opportunity to swap the two babies while Guan Xingxue was unconscious. Then she fled in a hurry.

She felt no guilt; after all, every mother wants to secure a future for her child. But Xie Guilan just wasn’t cut out to be a rich kid.

However, she didn’t dare to look for Mr. Xie again, fearing he would discover Xie Guilan wasn’t his biological son.

She lived with Xie Guilan in the slums for many years, and it wasn’t until she fell seriously ill and was desperate for money that she took the risk to approach Mr. Xie again.

Mr. Xie was willing to pay for her medical treatment, but that didn’t mean he cared about this illegitimate son. Xie Shangjing, the eldest son, had a terrible temper, and from then on, Xie Guilan became the punching bag for the spoiled brats in Huaijing’s elite circles.

In short, it was a case of a scumbag father, a deranged mother, a vicious older brother, and a broken him. Anyone who had a beef with him could take a swing.

The original Xie Guilan had long known he was an imposter. But he had been arrogant and domineering for so long, notorious in Huaijing’s upper-class circles as a drama queen. He constantly sabotaged Xie Guilan, trying to prevent the real heir from reclaiming his place in the family.

He even foolishly tried to compete with his elder brother for the family inheritance, nearly getting his wealthy parents killed.

When the truth came out, the original Xie Guilan faced brutal revenge from the entire family and was eventually killed by the male lead. The male lead broke his arms and legs and threw him into the deep sea to feed the sharks, not even leaving a trace behind.

Cen Wu: "..."

He really wanted to escape, but he couldn’t.

Xie Guilan’s mother needed surgery, and Mr. Xie gave Xie Guilan 30,000 yuan for the medical expenses. Xie Shangjing couldn’t stand this illegitimate son, and when he saw that Xie Guilan had taken money from the Xie family, he decided to make trouble for him, forcing him to come to the Xie family’s private horse ranch to serve them that night.

In other words, he was there to get beaten up.

The original Xie Guilan had a guilty conscience. He feared that the truth would be exposed and Xie Guilan would seek revenge. But at the same time, he was jealous of Xie Guilan. Why should Xie Guilan be the biological child of the wealthy parents?

What did this poor wretch have that he didn’t?!

Xie Guilan silently took several lashes without fighting back, but the original Xie Guilan was still insanely resentful. He ran to Xie Shangjing to tattle, falsely accusing Xie Guilan of hitting him.

Xie Shangjing didn’t care about the truth. Since the original Xie Guilan said so, he blamed Xie Guilan.

He ordered Xie Guilan to be dragged out and beaten, then had his men hold Xie Guilan by the shoulders and force him to kneel in the pouring rain for three hours before bringing him back.

Cen Wu: "..."

Cen Wu didn’t dare to provoke the male lead. What benefit would it bring him to offend the male lead? Besides, he didn’t want to bully someone for no reason.

He just wanted to return the identity of the real young master to Xie Guilan, then beg for forgiveness and leave obediently. Maybe then Xie Guilan would spare him.

There was still hope, still hope, Cen Wu tried to reassure himself.

But first, he needed to get Xie Guilan out of there and stop the male lead from being humiliated any further.

Cen Wu took a deep breath, his throat tightening, and instinctively swallowed.

There were more than a dozen people in the box, and at that moment, all eyes were fixed on him. Cen Wu’s body stiffened, and his instinct was to hide backward.

Cen Wu was a director who had become famous at a young age, but he had severe social anxiety. He needed his assistant director to accept awards on his behalf. He was fine on set, but as soon as he left, his social anxiety would kick in.

The symptoms had become increasingly severe. He hadn’t filmed a movie or gone out in more than half a year, and he would blush and stutter when talking to people. When someone approached him, his hands and feet would turn ice-cold and start shaking.

This unfamiliar place was a nightmare for someone with social anxiety like him...

But the next moment, Cen Wu realized he hadn’t been able to escape, and his mouth opened uncontrollably, letting out a cold laugh.

???!!

"Xie Guilan," Cen Wu watched as he lifted the tip of his shoe, arrogantly raising Xie Guilan's chin in a humiliating gesture, and sneered, "A lowly bastard like you isn't fit to tie my shoes, yet you dare to touch me?"

Xie Guilan was forced to raise his head, his face covered in bruises, his skin as pale as mountain snow.

His sharp features were accentuated by deep-set eyes and a high, straight nose. His dark almond-shaped eyes were cold and sinister, like a vicious dog lurking on a stormy night.

A simmering hatred and barely contained rage simmered beneath the surface, well hidden. Another person wouldn't have noticed.

But Cen Wu was a director.

"What have I done? This is going too far."

Cen Wu's back was drenched in cold sweat, wishing he could cover his own mouth, but he couldn't move. He could only act like a puppet, unable to control himself.

He was still wearing the black riding boots from earlier, and Xie Guilan's long, straight legs were wrapped inside them, sharp and beautiful.

The black toe of his shoe pressed coldly against Xie Guilan's snow-pale throat, the posture extremely vicious.

Xie Guilan's hands, held behind him, were clenched into fists, the palms bleeding from the force. His throat convulsed suddenly.

"Why are you glaring at me?" Cen Wu said coldly, putting force on his foot as if trampling on a piece of trash, his tone arrogant and vicious, "If you glare at me again, I'll gouge out your eyes."

He pressed down hard on Xie Guilan's neck, grinding it repeatedly until the cold white skin turned red and bled.

He even leaned down, looking down at Xie Guilan's cheek, the slap not hard but all the more humiliating, "In the future, when you see me, know your place!"

Cen Wu: "..."

Never mind, it'll be over in a lifetime. 🙂

Cen Wu's calves trembled. Humiliating Xie Guilan like this made him extremely uncomfortable, and he didn't even dare to look directly into Xie Guilan's eyes.

The original owner really knew how to attract hatred. A gentleman would rather be killed than insulted, especially in this cliché early-era novel.

Did they even understand "Don't underestimate the youth"?

The onlookers stood by, arms crossed, watching the spectacle unfold. No one dared to interfere, nor did anyone want to. Xie Guilan had offended someone he shouldn't have—the ancestor of the Cen family.

Even if Cen Wu were to kill him tonight, the Cen family would cover it up.

Cen Wu thought of the upcoming plot and felt numb. It was exactly the part he had read last night, buried under his blanket.

"The original text reads:

Xie Guilan neither resisted nor bowed his head, his body covered in crisscrossing whip marks and shoe prints from being kicked, yet his eyes remained cold, like unmoving snow.

He knelt but didn't truly kneel, successfully infuriating everyone present.

'Do you think I really wouldn't dare?' The young man in front of him was furious, his excessively handsome face distorted by rage as he began to kick Xie Guilan viciously, shouting at the people beside him, 'Drag him out!'"

The situation was escalating quickly, just as described in the original text. The people in the box, observing Cen Wu's expression, had already started to fan the flames.

"You can't let him get away with this, Young Master Cen! He had the nerve to fight back against you!"

"Young Master Cen, why not hang him up and lock him away for three days and nights! He won't last without breaking!"

"Second Young Master..."

"...everyone shut up!" Cen Wu's palms were slick with cold sweat, and his legs felt like they weren’t under his control as he was forced to walk toward Xie Guilan. He said violently, "You think I really wouldn't dare?"

The tension in the private room was thick. These rich brats had been born into elite families, carrying a sense of entitlement and malice from being overly indulged. They got a kick out of watching people squirm in desperation.

Especially someone like Xie Guilan, a bastard son. While Xie Shangjing looked down on everyone, why did Xie Guilan think he could stand up to them?

But after all, he was still Xie's father’s son. If something really happened to him, Xie's father might not let them off the hook.

Everyone wanted to wait for Cen Wu to lose his temper first, then join in with a few kicks, so the blame wouldn’t fall on them.

They waited, continued waiting, waited some more, until Cen Wu’s remaining arrogance dissipated completely, leaving a dead silence in the room that was almost awkward.

Cen Wu suddenly stopped in his tracks, still standing stiffly in place.

Everyone was speechless.

Everyone was confused.

Cen Wu's expression turned wooden, not daring to lift his head. His toes curled tightly against the floor, and his pale ears flushed with embarrassment.

Oh God, save me.

Maybe he should just die instead.

Cen Wu didn’t know what was going on. He had braced himself for the worst, expecting to be thrown to the sharks, but suddenly he could move again, as if fate had decided to mess with him, saying, 'Haha, go ahead.'

Angry.

Cen Wu was quite scared, his already pale skin losing even more color, his eyelashes fluttering non-stop.

He hesitantly knelt in front of Xie Guilan, his voice trembling as he asked, "C-can you... stand up?"

The young man crouched very cautiously, his hands placed on his knees, unconsciously gripping the fabric of his pants, making it all wrinkled. His voice was small and trembling, filled with concern.

Xie Guilan's thin lips pressed tightly together, his dark and cold eyes like nails piercing into him, sending chills down his spine.

Cen Wu shivered, lowering his head even more. The dim yellow light in the private room cast a shadow on his snow-white neck, so thin that the vertebrae were tightly strained, like a small animal whose scruff had been grabbed.

The people around looked increasingly puzzled, even the red-haired guy scratching his head in confusion. What was this ancestor playing at?

Seeing Cen Wu’s pale face and trembling eyelashes, the red-haired guy felt an even deeper disgust toward Xie Guilan.

Look how angry he made their Cen Ge. He was shaking from anger.

As a loyal henchman, he had a sudden realization—this had to be sarcasm.

High, really high. Only his Cen Ge could be this high.

"What are you pretending to be pitiful for?" The red-haired guy, thinking he had understood his brother’s thoughts, confidently stepped forward and kicked Xie Guilan's shoulder again. "Can't even stand up after a few hits?"

Cen Wu: "..."

Cen Wu: !!!

Xie Guilan fell to the ground, his dark bangs falling down to cover his eyes, half of his face hidden in the shadows, breathing heavily, his body tense with pain.

The last flicker of emotion in his eyes vanished, replaced by a cold, simmering rage.

The red-haired guy, completely unaware that his kick had pushed his brother toward a dead end, wore a fawning expression as he spoke to Cen Wu, "Second Young Master, you don't know, he's just asking for a beating. If you don't get tough, he'll just pretend to be dead."

Cen Wu: "..."

Thanks, I guess.

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