Chapter 1: Little Sickling

"Today is Mingchu's birthday, and he won't even perform a simple acrobatic act. After enjoying nineteen years of a life that should have been his, Xu Ci, don't you feel even a shred of guilt?"

As spring gave way to summer, Kyoto was graced by a light rain.

The 19th floor of the Xianglan Hotel buzzed with a lavish birthday banquet, its halls filled with the rustle of silk and the gleam of jewels as the elite gathered.

Today, the Xu family had officially announced to the upper class that they had found their long-lost son, Qiao Mingchu, who had been missing for nineteen years. Simultaneously, Xu Ci, the adopted son they had taken in to ease their grief over their missing child, was now branded as an interloper, a crow usurping the magpie's nest.

The harsh words of his second brother, Xu Xiuzhu, left Xu Ci momentarily dazed.

He couldn't understand why everyone who had once loved him had suddenly turned against him, especially when he had been so accommodating to Qiao Mingchu.

For nineteen years, he had tried so hard to please everyone.

But then came a flood of unfamiliar memories, sending a dull ache through his head—

He was living inside a novel.

And all the hardships he had endured were merely the appetizer.

In the novel, he was a sickly uke, suffering from heart disease, hypoglycemia, night blindness, severe allergies, and unexplained bouts of bloody vomiting—all because he was stuck with a script that would make everyone regret their actions.

Qiao Mingchu was the Xu family's lost young master, and his return to the family marked the beginning of his fall from heaven into hell. Qiao Mingchu envied and suppressed him, while the Xu family, desperate to please Qiao Mingchu, humiliated, abused, and destroyed him. The protagonist-shou, meanwhile, was sweet and loving with Qiao Mingchu, and no matter how much he groveled, he received only scorn and abuse.

He was tormented from beginning to end, and finally, with no way out, he died in a dilapidated rental room.

Only then did everyone finally realize their mistakes and weep bitterly for their actions.

And only one year remained until the date of his death in the novel.

After reviewing the stupid, melodramatic plot, Xu Ci frowned slightly, utterly perplexed.

What's so valuable about tears? What use do I have for them?

This delicate, sickly uke couldn't endure such abuse.

Since the truth and the ending were laid out before him, why should he desperately try to salvage the precarious family ties? Wouldn't it be better to spend his remaining year creating a beautiful and fleeting new life for himself?

Xu Ci's body was already frail. He gasped for breath with every step, coughed up blood in the wind, and his constant use of various medications left him unable to withstand the shock of his awakened consciousness. His snow-white face grew even paler, a faint blush of peach blooming at the corners of his eyes. His full, crimson lips pressed together in a silent, determined effort as he struggled to avoid becoming a public spectacle by collapsing.

"Is Xu Ci feeling unwell? Beads of sweat are forming on his forehead," one guest remarked.

"He looks like he's about to collapse. Since ancient times, no young lady or Master Shaofeng has ever taken the stage to perform such a dramatic act. It's only natural he'd be reluctant," another guest reasoned.

Xu Xiuzhu glanced at Xu Ci with disdain. The latter's slender frame and sickly complexion struck him as particularly offensive.

The Xu family had adopted Xu Ci solely for his destiny, which could alter their family's fortune. With each financial windfall the family gained, they sacrificed a portion of Xu Ci's health. Otherwise, the Xu family, once a third-rate clan, would never have risen so swiftly to the upper echelons of society. Nor would Xu Xiuzhu constantly try to win Xu Ci's favor with small acts of kindness.

Xu Ci's body was already at its limit; lucky if he didn't bring bad luck upon himself, let alone good fortune.

Xu Xiuzhu sneered. "He's just putting on a show. All he knows are these cheap tricks."

So, even a heart riddled with wounds could still feel the sharp sting of needles at his second brother's casual words.

Xu Ci's knuckles curled slightly. After a moment's pause, he retaliated without hesitation, "My 'show' is still better than your insincere kindness."

Disgust was evident in Xu Xiuzhu's eyes. Seizing on this, he fired back, "Xu Ci, is this how you speak to your elders?"

Xu Ci ignored him, turning to leave.

He's dying anyway. I won't indulge him.

He had barely entered the corridor when Qiao Mingchu blocked his path. Before he could speak, his eyes reddened as if he'd been bullied. "Xu Ci, do you hate me that much? Must you ruin my happy day with such a scene?"

"..."

Was refusing to perform as a monkey for everyone's amusement considered such a "scene"? What a ridiculous accusation.

Xu Ci didn't engage. After all, he was the Xu family's adopted son, still bound by the chains of nineteen years of their "kindness."

He might tolerate this once, but he wouldn't necessarily indulge him again.

He tried to slip away from Qiao Mingchu, but his gaze collided with his older brother, Xu Chongchen, who was standing not far away, his arm linked with Liu Yiqing, the Liu family's son. Their intimate gestures made them look every bit the couple.

The three locked eyes. Liu Yiqing didn't release Xu Chongchen's arm, and Xu Chongchen didn't distance himself.

As long as they didn't make their relationship public, they would always have an excuse to flirt openly in front of Xu Ci, then claim it was "necessary for the sake of cooperation."

No one was hiding under their bed, so where did all these "necessary" excuses come from?

Xu Chongchen approached, his tall, handsome figure radiating a frosty chill.

He had always disliked seeing discord within the Xu family. Even though he knew Xu Ci was in the right, he couldn't bring himself to blame him, knowing how much Qiao Mingchu had suffered while away. Instead, he urged Xu Ci to yield.

"CiCi," Xu Chongchen said, "this is Mingchu's first birthday back home. Don't make him unhappy. You're a trained performer—singing a few songs today would be a good way to showcase your skills."

Xu Ci froze.

The overwhelming sense of suffocation left him unable to breathe.

Is this what my eldest brother, who has protected and doted on me since childhood, would say?

Why must I endure again?

He's humiliating me in front of all these guests, and I'm still supposed to endure?

Now that he's revealed his true colors... good. At least I can finally sever ties cleanly.

Xu Ci and Xu Chongchen were not blood brothers, with an eight-year age gap between them. From kindergarten, Xu Ci had been the most radiant child: beautiful, accomplished, reserved, well-behaved, and polite. The children in the orphanage knew they were abandoned by their birth parents, unwanted trash. They couldn't tolerate the existence of a bright, radiant creature like Xu Ci.

Young Xu Ci endured relentless bullying. The pain of fists and slaps was etched deep in his memory, causing his small body to tremble uncontrollably at the sound of his peers' childish voices.

After being adopted by the Xu family, he couldn't attend school normally for a long time. The Xus hired private tutors for him.

Though Father and Mother Xu showered him with apparent affection, there was always a layer of distance and estrangement between them.

The noble and gentle Xu Chongchen became a ray of light in his life.

Over time, Xu Ci's fondness for Xu Chongchen transformed into a hidden, unspeakable emotion.

He thought this bitter, unrequited love would be buried with him in the grave. But on his eighteenth birthday, Xu Chongchen confessed his feelings to him.

Their relationship, tinged with a forbidden allure, couldn't be revealed to their parents for quite some time. Unwilling to face societal judgment, they kept it a secret. Liu Yiqing was aware of this, but the proud young master initially didn't care about Xu Chongchen himself, viewing their association as merely a means to advance his family's interests.

Had he not awakened to his future knowledge, Xu Ci would have tried to ignore this discomfort. But now, knowing the script that would unfold—Xu Chongchen's engagement and marriage to Liu Yiqing, and his shameless act of making Xu Ci his mistress outside the marriage—he wondered if he was some pathetic, wretched fool.

Many guests were clearly using Xu Ci's fall from grace within the Xu family as gossip material. Yet Xu Ci remained a top-tier beauty. His lazy eyes, with their slightly upturned corners, carried a cool, detached elegance, while the fragile, almost sickly pallor of his complexion exuded a potent allure, drawing others to him like moths to a flame.

Many second-generation heirs' hearts stirred at the sight. If not for the Xu family's protection over the years, this delicate beauty, as radiant as peach blossoms in March, would have been torn apart and gnawed to the bone long ago.

Xu Chongchen had always been careful to keep their relationship secret.

A malicious intent surged within Xu Ci, his clear almond eyes glinting with coldness. "Is that right, Xu Chongchen? We're breaking up."

Xu Ci left, leaving the crowd behind to erupt in a frenzy of gossip.

Watching Xu Ci's retreating figure, Qiao Mingchu felt a surge of satisfaction. He loathed Xu Ci's beauty; every time Xu Ci appeared, Qiao Mingchu was reduced to a dull, dusty background. Still, he protested, "Big Brother, Second Brother, are we just going to let him go? What if Mom and Dad get angry?"

Xu Xiuzhu scoffed, "The way he left is the way he'll crawl back begging for forgiveness! Without the Xu family, he's nothing."

Though inwardly flustered, Xu Chongchen ultimately dismissed Xu Ci's words as an outburst of anger. After all, he was the one who had "bent" Xu Ci. If Xu Ci didn't love him, who else could he possibly love?

Xu Ci was a sophomore at the Kyoto Film Academy. His health was frail, and after such a strong emotional upheaval, he had little energy left.

He left Xianglan Hotel and hailed a taxi.

"Where to, handsome?" the driver asked cheerfully.

"East Dormitory Area, Kyoto Film Academy."

Xu Ci leaned his head against the car seat, feeling weak, and turned to gaze out the window at the sky.

The thick, ink-like clouds in the distance, soaking through the dark sky, stirred a faint memory of his orphanage days. In his mind's eye, he often found himself alone, gazing up at skies like this.

For years, he had been deceiving himself.

When the Xu family adopted him, he convinced himself he had found family and love. In reality, he could sense the depth of their affection, but he simply refused to return to the dark, cramped room where he had been mocked and beaten.

If his parents didn't love him, if they didn't want him, why had they brought him into the world in the first place?

Back in his dorm room, he found it empty. His roommates were all out. Second-year coursework was much lighter than first-year, and it was Saturday, so the dorm was deserted. Xu Ci lay down on his bed and fell asleep.

He slept for a long time, not waking until five in the afternoon. Nestled in his blanket, he lingered in the warmth, savoring the soft touch of the thin quilt.

Just then, his phone vibrated.

A message from an unknown number.

Mr. Xu Ci? I'd like to discuss a potential collaboration. - Yu Hanli

Yu Hanli?

Xu Ci knew the name, but they had never met, and their paths had never crossed.

He was just a student with no output in the film and television industry. Why would Yu Hanli want to collaborate with him?

A heat rose in Xu Ci's throat, and he coughed twice. The violent coughing brought a faint blush to his snow-white cheeks. His sickly pallor added a touch of delicate, languid charm, making him both aloof and alluring.

After falling out of favor with the Xu family, many jackals and tigers had coveted him, and even the Great Actor Yu, who was praised for his noble integrity, was among them.

In the later chapters of the book, Xu Ci had indeed received an offer of patronage from Yu Hanli—a rising Kyoto magnate and an award-winning actor with a grand slam in the entertainment industry. But he had ruthlessly rejected it.

Now, if the book's plot was irreversible, his frail body was at its last gasp and wouldn't last much longer. With death looming, what was the point of struggling?

Since Yu Hanli wants to keep me, I might as well treat him as a decent patron.

He didn't just need a patron; he needed a decadent, twisted relationship to numb the pain of life.

Yu Hanli was exceptional in every way—family background, physique, and looks. Being slept with by such a rare, exquisite specimen wouldn't be a loss for him, Xu Ci thought, abandoning himself to the idea.

Thinking of this, Xu Ci's face flushed a little more, feeling warm.

His pale fingertips trembled slightly as he took a deep breath and replied to the message:

Yes.

You set the time. I'd like to know the details of this collaboration.