When Cheng Min received the news, he was stunned at first, but soon, he was overwhelmed with joy, grinning foolishly. The Ji family was a prestigious family in the third district, with a total of four children. The fourth young master he was supposed to marry was the most useless one, with lowly blood and weak abilities. It was purely Cheng An’s way of humiliating him, a revenge for occupying the magpie’s nest all these years.
Cheng Min had originally resigned himself to it, accepting the arrangements they made for him. But now, things had taken a turn. The fourth young master of the Ji family had died, just on the eve of their wedding. What a stroke of luck!
Baby Face was startled by Cheng Min’s reaction and didn’t continue speaking. “Does the Cheng Family Head know about this?” Cheng Min grabbed his shoulder and asked, “Are we going back now, or is there another plan?”
“I don’t know.” Baby Face shook his head and said, “I overheard the news about the fourth young master of the Ji family dying.”
With the fourth young master dead, and Cheng Min’s lowly bloodline, even with the identity of a Cheng family son, it was unlikely that the other young masters of the Ji family would want to replace their deceased brother in the marriage alliance. So now, all they had to do was wait. The worst outcome would be finding a new marriage alliance partner, which would be better than the useless fourth young master of the Ji family.
Cheng Min was in a great mood, so much so that he didn’t even bother to eat dinner. He stuffed some bread into Baby Face’s hands and sent him away, saying, “I want to rest for a while, don’t disturb me.”
The signal on the spaceship was poor, but Cheng Min didn’t mind at all. He nestled by the window, humming a little tune while browsing the star network for the latest entertainment. One foot was propped up on the table, gently swaying, with the crisp sound of a bell ringing back and forth.
Less than half an hour later, Cheng Min received a video call request from the Cheng Family Head. After tidying up his clothes and adjusting his mood, he pressed the accept button. What was meant to come would come. His fate had already been arranged, and he had no choice but to accept it. But for the first time, Cheng Min tried to plead with the Cheng Family Head.
“Cheng Family Head,” Cheng Min said the words he had prepared long ago, “Can you…”
“Cheng Min.” The background was a study, and he interrupted Cheng Min, saying, “I’ve arranged a house for you near the outskirts of Deni Star, with a few people to take care of your daily needs.”
Cheng Min was taken aback, then joy welled up in his heart, and he quickly agreed, “Okay.”
“Remember,” he paused here, looking at Cheng Min for a long time before continuing, “under no circumstances should you come back.”
The Cheng Family Head wanted to sever ties with him. They had no blood relation, and it was only by a twist of fate that Cheng Min had replaced Cheng An as the true young master for nineteen years. Now, he owed him nothing.
“Understood.” Cheng Min nodded, “Thank you, Cheng Family Head.”
“Mm.” He replied indifferently and cut off the communication.
After learning of his final outcome, Cheng Min finally relaxed, curled up on the small sofa, and drifted off to sleep.
Around nine in the evening, Cheng Min was woken up by someone. Rubbing his eyes, he found it was Baby Face standing in front of him. “We’ve arrived.”
Cheng Min yawned, sat up, and looked out the window. The spaceship had somehow landed on a patch of grass. Although it wasn’t as good as the first district, it was still nice.
His groggy mind instantly cleared up. If before, Cheng Min’s wish was to become the head of the Cheng family, now, after learning his true identity, he just wanted to find a place where he wouldn’t be constrained by anyone and live a peaceful life.
With his wish about to come true, Cheng Min, for the first time, acted like an excited child, jumping off the sofa and running outside.
“Your coat,” Baby Face shouted, chasing after him.
Cheng Min stopped, turned around, took the coat from Baby Face’s hands, and put it on. Just as he was about to button it, Baby Face beat him to it. He lowered his head, focusing on buttoning Cheng Min’s coat. Although he had experienced this countless times when he was still the young master of the Cheng family, now, watching this scene, he felt a bit touched.
“What’s your name?” Cheng Min asked without realizing it.
“You can just call me Xiao Yu,” he looked up and smiled at Cheng Min.
“Mm.”
The house arranged by the Cheng Family Head was nice, a two-story detached villa with a very quiet environment, which Cheng Min was very satisfied with. On the first day of moving in, Cheng Min drove away the other two human servants, leaving only Xiao Yu by his side.
Cheng Min’s life was simple. Every day, he either ate or slept in his bedroom, or wandered around the yard with Xiao Yu to pass the time. Within a week, he had gained several pounds. He enjoyed this peaceful life and hoped it would last forever.
Time passed day by day, and soon it was Cheng Min’s twenty-first birthday. As usual, he got dressed, yawned, and went downstairs for breakfast. The chef’s cooking skills were good, and breakfast was delicious.
Sitting in his usual spot, Cheng Min immediately noticed a bowl of noodles in front of him. He looked at Xiao Yu, who was setting the tableware for him, with some confusion. Sensing Cheng Min’s gaze, Xiao Yu looked at him and replied, “You forgot, today is your birthday.”
Only then did Cheng Min remember that today was his birthday. In the past, Cheng Min never had to bother remembering such trivial matters. Countless people would remember it for him, just to please him at the birthday banquet. His only task was to wear a luxurious outfit and attend the birthday banquet as scheduled.
As a noble elf’s birthday, and as the only son of the Cheng family, the extravagance of the event was beyond imagination. Even the small gifts he received were worth a fortune. But now, things were different. No one cared about a fake young master anymore, and the lavish birthday banquet no longer belonged to Cheng Min.
He showed a faint smile, with a hint of loneliness flashing in his heart. Yes, nothing belonged to him anymore. The things he gained by occupying the magpie’s nest were ultimately fake.
“The noodles will get cold,” Xiao Yu’s voice reminded Cheng Min. Coming back to his senses, Cheng Min picked up the chopsticks, lifted the noodles, blew on them, and put them in his mouth. The noodles were chewy and tasted good. With his appetite whetted, he ate more than usual, stopping only when he was full.
That evening, the people in the villa held a small birthday party for him. The cake was tiny, smaller than the desserts Cheng Min had seen. Out of courtesy, Cheng Min took a bite, frowned, and put down the fork, refusing to take a second bite.
There were a few bottles of wine on the table, and Cheng Min, feeling irritable, picked one up, opened it, and poured himself a glass. After drinking it, he poured another… slowly losing control. His vision gradually blurred, and the noise around him was incessant. Cheng Min couldn’t help but rub his temples.
Late at night, Cheng Min woke up from a dream, sweat soaking the hair on his forehead, sticking to his skin. His throat was dry, desperately needing water. He wiped his sweat, got out of bed barefoot, and went downstairs. He walked to the table, poured himself a glass of water, and drank it in big gulps.
The moonlight poured down, casting a glow on the floor. A cool breeze slipped in through the slightly open window, blowing towards Cheng Min. Putting down the glass, Cheng Min hugged himself, planning to go back to sleep.
As he turned, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a shadow behind the sofa not far away. He paused, his expression a bit tense.