Fang Zheng stands by the window, his gaze locked onto the cold, distant moon. His fingers tremble as they rest against the wooden frame, his breath coming in slow, uneven exhales. A bitter smile escapes his lips.
"I've reincarnated into my own damn novel⊠The very story I despised with every fiber of my beingâthe one that haunted me even in death. And now, even beyond death, it still won't let me go! This cursed worldâone I carved with my own handsâhas trapped me within it.
A month has passed since I woke up here. Most things remain as I wrote them, but there's one monstrous, impossible changeâa twist so profound it shatters the very foundation of my story. One that warps everything I had written about Fang Yuan!"
His fists clench so tightly that his nails dig into his palms, faint crescents of pain cutting into his skin. The frustration boils over, a storm of emotions he can no longer contain. His mind becomes a battlefield, roaring with confusion and rage.
"Why the hell do Fang Zheng and Fang Yuan have a triplet sister? In my novel, Fang Yuan and Fang Zheng were twinsâjust two, nothing more! So why the hell are they suddenly triplets now? Who the hell is this Gu Xianer? Where did she come from? Is she some twisted part of Heaven's Will, some sick pawn in its game to undo me, to destroy me?"
His thoughts spiral into chaos. "Is this some kind of sick joke, or have I been betrayed by the very world I created?!"
A deep, gnawing fear slithers through his gut. "How much does it know? How much has it already foreseen?"
His breath hitches. His mind reels. "Did it anticipate my reincarnation? Just as it foresaw Fang Yuan's? Does it know every step I'll take, every move I'll make?"
A suffocating, crushing terror surges within him, drowning his very soul. "If Heaven's Will knew I would enter Fang Zheng's body, thenâ"
His nails screech against the window frame, the sound like claws tearing at his sanity. "Then this... this is beyond terrifying. This is no longer a gameâit's a trap, a death sentence. It already knows."
He sucks in a sharp breath, trying to steady himself, but the calm is fleeting. The frustration surges back, hotter and fiercer than before.
"If I had known... if I had even suspected... even a single whisper... that I'd be reincarnated into my own cursed story, I would have torn Heaven's Will apart, piece by piece, before I ever let it gain this kind of power."
But thenâhis eyes darken, a black void swallowing the light in an instant. A slow, twisted grin creeps across his lips, like a predator savoring the moment before the kill.
"At leastâŠ"
His voice drops, as if the very air around him grows heavy, thick with dread. It's a whisperâlow, chilling, steeped in madness.
"I didn't make it omniscient. It can't read my thoughts. It can't twist my mind, can't act against me directly. No⊠it can only act in the shadows, manipulating the puppets around meâthe people, the world, the environment. Everything it does, every ounce of its power, must be indirect."
His shoulders relax, and he lets out a small, hollow laugh.
"But it can't touch me. No⊠It can never touch me. It can never do anything against me."
His breath steadies.
"After allâŠ" The words hang in the air like a slow-burning fuse, crackling with madness. "I am the creator of the Gu World!"
His laugh erupts, cruel and full of dark, twisted glee. "Ha ha ha!" The sound echoes, bouncing off the walls, distorting into something almost unrecognizableâmore a scream than a laugh, a declaration of control, of dominance.
"You think you can manipulate me? I am the one who has shaped and created this world!"
The sound startles Shen Cui, who has been sitting quietly on the edge of the bed. Her heart races, her breath catching in her throat as she watches him. The flickering candlelight casts eerie shadows across his face, making him look almost otherworldly.
Fear creeps into her voice, soft and trembling. "Y-Young Master�" Her voice is hesitant, laced with unease. "Is⊠something wrong?"
The sound cuts through his thoughts like a knife. His eerie laughter halts, the tension snapping in an instant. His mind jolts back to reality.
Fang Zheng turns sharply at the sound of her voice, his eyes narrowing as if seeing her for the first time. For a moment, confusion flickers across his face, but it vanishes quickly, replaced by a cold, chilling clarity.
"Ah, yes. Shen Cui. Another change I had forgotten about."
Then, with a dark gaze, he continues, "In the original story, she was Fang Yuan's personal maid. She was never this close to Fang Zheng. And yet, here she isâsharing not only the same room but even the same bed with my Fang Zheng."
Fang Zheng tries to recall something, and fragmented memories start surfacing. He continues, "So, according to the real Fang Zheng's memories, Gu Xianer is a pretty stupid, amateur girl for her age. Even though Fang Yuan, Fang Zheng, and Gu Xianer are triplets, she's nowhere near as mature as she should be."
He pauses, then adds, "Gu Xianer always stays with Fang Yuan and doesn't even want anyone else to approach him. Not even Fang Zheng."
A small, mocking laugh escapes him. "Fang Zheng was pretty naive, but also pretty cunning. Shen Cui seduced him, and he fell for it. For that, he came up with a pretty good plan to sleep with her regularly."
An admiring smile crosses his face. "So, he starts complaining to his aunt and uncle. His complaint went something like this: Fang Yuan is sleeping with Gu Xianer, always playing with her and keeping her company. But he has no one. And even worse, she doesn't allow him to sleep with them. It isn't fair."
Fang Zheng continues, "Hearing these complaints day after day, their aunt and uncle finally ordered that Fang Yuan and Fang Zheng would sleep in one room, while Gu Xianer and the servant Shen Cui would sleep in another. But Fang Zheng knew that Gu Xianer blindly loved Fang Yuan, and she would always stick to him. She'd never accept being separated from him. Ha ha ha. Not bad. Not bad at all."
He chuckles darkly. "As Fang Zheng predicted, Gu Xianer shouted and cried hearing the order. Even Fang Yuan failed to make her agree. Ha ha ha. As a result, their aunt and uncle were furious with Gu Xianer and scolded her harshly. But Fang Yuan, ever the protective brother, stepped forward and suggested that he and Gu Xianer stay together, while Fang Zheng and Shen Cui would stay together. And just like that, his plan succeeds. Really amazing, considering how stupid I made him in my original novel. Ha ha ha."
His laughter echoes through the room.
His laughter is interrupted as Shen Cui rises from the bed, her movements slow and deliberate, like a predator stalking its prey. She steps closer, her presence overwhelming, warmth radiating against his skin. Her breath brushes against his ear, soft and seductive, as she whispers, "Young Master⊠let me ease your worries tonight⊠just like before."
Her fingers ghost over his arm. "I feel⊠a burning desire inside me, Young Master. Won't you let your servant fulfill your needs?"
Her lips curve into a gentle smile. "You've been so anxious these past few days, with the awakening ceremony approaching. But I know⊠there's no need to worry. I'm certain you'll awaken a high talent. You're destined for greatness, Young Master."
Her words send a jolt through him. His breath catches, and his body tenses. An icy sensation crashes into his chest, cold and suffocating, as a buried memory claws its way to the surface.
"The awakening ceremony."
A shallow breath.
"Tomorrow⊠is the awakening ceremony."
His heart pounds.
"That's why I'm so anxious. That's why I can't think straight. But why? Why am I so afraid?"
His fingers twitch. His throat feels dry, but he shouts in his mind with confidence:
"I am the creator of this world⊠I am the creator of Fang Yuan⊠Then why⊠why am I shaking?"
A surge of frustration grips him. His nails dig into his palm.
"Enough! How can I be so afraid? How can I fear anything in this world? I am the creator of this world, and everything that exists in it is because of me. If I hadn't written Reverend Insanity, this world wouldn't existâlet alone Fang Yuan!"
His eyes snap open, burning with renewed determination.
He forces himself to breathe, deep and steady, pushing back the tide of panic. "I need to check on Fang Yuan. Now. The weather... it's exactly as I described in the novel. Cold, with a light rain. If everything is unfolding as I wrote it, then Fang Yuan has already returned to the past. But I need to be sure. I need to know if this is still his first life, if he's still the naive, inexperienced scholar I created."
His grip tightens, and his voice is barely a whisper now.
"I hope⊠I hope this is still his first life in Gu World."
He begins pacing around the room, his worry growing. Then, suddenly, he shouts, "No! I can't stop myself from worrying. I need to check. I just need to check his eyes."
Anger surges through him, and he shouts in his mind, "Even if he is a terrifying demon who has come from the future, it doesn't matter. I am the one who made him like this. I shaped him. How can I feel afraid just to go and to look into his eyes?"
Frustration boils over, and his thoughts twist, "Even if his eyes are cold, dark, emotionless, hiding a terrifying beast and abyss within them⊠I shouldn't feel afraid. I am the one who gave him this pair of eyes."
He pauses, then with renewed determination, he shouts, "That's right! This naive Fang Yuan always tells stories to make Gu Xianer fall asleep. I'll go remind them about the awakening ceremony tomorrow. This way, I can check Fang Yuan's eyes quickly. Ha ha ha. Perfect plan."
Fang Zheng's eyes scan the room, and his gaze lands on the lamp, which is off. A smile crosses his face as he ponders, "I'll use this lamp to check. It will let me see Fang Yuan's eyes clearly in an instant."
He turns to Shen Cui, ordering, "Go and light the lamp."
Upon hearing the command, Shen Cui's expression shifts to disappointment. With a very disappointed look on her face, she moves to light the lamp.