After an unknown amount of time, Xi Lian slowly woke up, feeling dazed.
If someone were here to see him—the young boy with pale skin and misty dark brown eyes—they might have had the urge to ruffle his soft hair. Unfortunately, no one was there to do so.
As the initial fog in his mind cleared, Xi Lian's heart, which had been racing from the unfamiliarity, finally settled as memories of what had happened returned.
Just then, a familiar metallic ding echoed in his mind, startling him. This time, however, he remained calm. He instinctively looked around, but upon finding no trace of the dull beam of light from before, he confirmed that the sound came from within his consciousness.
"What do you expect? I haven't read all those novels for nothing," Xi Lian thought to himself, feeling slightly amused.
> "Host, are you ready for your first world?" The system's indifferent voice echoed in his mind.
"But what exactly is my mission? Is it counterattack? Face-slapping? Role-playing? Huh, what is it?" Xi Lian fired off questions, curiosity shining in his eyes.
> "No, Host. The task is different in each world. You will receive your task once you transmigrate."
"Oh…"
> "Do not worry, Host. Tasks do not include killing, assault, or anything of the sort. You can even—"
"Okay," Xi Lian interrupted, but a hint of suspicion remained in his voice.
> "Host, prepare for your first task."
Before Xi Lian could react, a sudden wave of weightlessness overtook him. His stomach churned violently, and for a moment, he thought all his organs would come spilling out. Thankfully, the system quickly guided him to a bathroom.
> "Host, this nauseous feeling will occur a few more times, getting weaker with each transmigration until it disappears completely."
"I already know that much from novels," Xi Lian muttered, gripping the sink for stability. "So, what's my task? And who am I right now?"
> "Plot loading... complete."
"Memory download... complete."
A sharp pain exploded in his head.
"Aah—!" Xi Lian clenched his jaw, forcing himself not to scream.
"You could have at least warned me about the headache!" he snapped in irritation.
> "Didn't you say you already knew this much?" The system's cold mechanical voice responded, but this time, Xi Lian detected a faint trace of mockery.
"You're mocking me! Not every novel includes a headache, you know," Xi Lian grumbled, his face flushing slightly in embarrassment.
> "Host, process the information first," the system instructed, sounding slightly impatient.
Xi Lian took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He closed his eyes and began processing the memories flooding his mind.
---
World Background
This world followed a yaoi plot featuring a transmigrated college student named Minzhe.
Minzhe woke up inside a novel he had once read—a story about a business genius, Jun Hao, whose parents had died in a car accident when he was just 14. While still in shock and grieving, his greedy relatives fought over his parents' wealth. In the end, his aunt took him in, not out of love, but to gain control over his inheritance.
The original Minzhe had been part of a group of bullies who mocked and pranked Jun Hao. However, after regaining memories of his past life, Minzhe realized he was living inside the novel and felt deep guilt for how he had treated Jun Hao. Determined to make amends, he tried everything to gain Jun Hao's forgiveness. Naturally, as they spent more time together, Minzhe and Jun Hao fell in love.
Once Jun Hao built his business empire, he took revenge on everyone who had bullied or humiliated him—including those who simply stood by and watched. After overcoming countless obstacles, he and Minzhe finally got their happy ending.
Xi Lian pressed his lips together, trying to absorb the flood of information. His fingers twitched slightly as he processed the plot.
"So… I'm inside a novel." He exhaled slowly, trying to calm his racing thoughts. "And it's a world where revenge is taken on every single person who wronged the protagonist…"
That wasn't good. What if he was one of the bad guys? Or worse—one of the adults directly involved?
"System…" he hesitated. "Who… who am I in this world?"
> "Host should process the memory before making any assumptions."
Xi Lian's stomach twisted. He hated uncertainty. But there was no turning back now.
"I just hope I don't die too early."
When Xi Lian fully analyzed his new memories, he let out a weak sigh.
His name was the same. He was Xi Lian, Jun Hao's non-blood-related cousin, from the aunt's maternal side. Although they lived under the same roof, the original Xi Lian had never spoken much to Jun Hao. He had a meek and cowardly personality, avoiding conflict at all costs.
And that… had sealed his fate.
In the original story, he was just a side character—one who stood by and watched the abuse unfold without interfering. Jun Hao never directly targeted him, but his indifference had still cost him everything.
When Jun Hao rose to power, he cut off Xi Lian's career prospects, leaving him jobless and unwanted. In the end, no one dared to help him. He died of starvation, forgotten by everyone.
A chill ran down Xi Lian's spine.
> "Host, your name will always remain the same in every world so you can better adapt to your missions."
Xi Lian's fingers curled slightly.
"So, I'm not a villain… but I'm still doomed."
He swallowed. He needed to survive.