When the Villain Refuses to Die
Walking in Silk
The first thing Yan Rui noticed was weight.
Not the weight of stress, deadlines, or the fried chicken he devoured last night — but the heavy drag of silk blankets wrapped around his body.
He blinked awake. A carved ceiling, painted with gold and phoenixes, loomed above him. Sunlight poured through embroidered curtains, warm but unfamiliar.
Yan Rui shot up. His bed at home was creaky, lopsided, and most definitely not gilded with dragons.
Yan Rui (MC)
(thinking):“…Wait. This isn’t my apartment. Unless IKEA launched a ‘royal dynasty’ collection?”
He stumbled to the side of the bed, feet sinking into a rug softer than clouds. A polished mirror stood tall across the room. He staggered toward it — and froze.
The face staring back at him was not his.
Narrow phoenix eyes. Pale, flawless skin. Long black hair tied with a jade clasp. Lips curved in a natural smirk, like someone born to look superior.
Yan Rui slapped his cheeks.
Yan Rui (MC)
(thinking):“Nope. Nope nope nope. This is not me. I look like one of those smug villain characters that readers beg the author to kill off.”
As if summoned by his panic, a glowing text appeared before his eyes.
[System Notification]: Welcome, Yan Rui. You have transmigrated into the role of Lord Yan Rui, notorious villain of the novel “Moonlight Over the Empire.”
Yan Rui (MC)
“…Excuse me???”
[System Notification]: Your fate is sealed: in 30 days, you will be executed by Prince Li Feng.
Yan Rui dropped onto the silk bed with a groan.
Yan Rui (MC)
(thinking):“Of course. Of course it’s that kind of novel. I finally get transmigrated and instead of being the beloved protagonist, I’m the walking death flag. Why not?”
He buried his face in his hands. His mind scrambled through the details of the book.
Yes, he’d read it — or at least skimmed through. The villain Yan Rui was arrogant, cruel, and obsessed with getting in the way of the crown prince’s path to power. By chapter 15, the prince had him executed. Brutally.
Yan Rui (MC)
“…So my script is literally ‘exist → annoy prince → die.’ Nice. Very nice. Fantastic role.”
[System Notification]: Survival chance: 0%.
Yan Rui flopped back against the mountain of pillows. The silk swallowed him whole, but it felt like a coffin. His coffin.
But then a spark of defiance stirred.
Yan Rui (MC)
(thinking):“No. No way I’m dying like some disposable villain. I’ll change the story. Stay far, far away from the ice-block prince. He never sees me, he never kills me. Easy.”
He didn’t notice the shadow passing outside the door.
Nor the faint pause of footsteps, as if someone had stopped to listen.
The wheels of fate had already started turning.
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