Lu Ximing opened his eyes.
There was no rain.
No sound of traffic.
No pain.
He was standing in an endless white space that seemed to stretch forever. There was no floor beneath his feet, yet somehow he wasn't falling.
Ximing looked around in confusion.
"Where am I?"
"Somewhere between life and death."
A woman's voice came from behind him.
Ximing turned.
A woman in a long white robe stood several steps away. Her long silver hair floated gently despite the complete absence of wind. She held a strange golden staff in one hand.
Ximing stared at her.
"Who are you?"
She smiled.
"You may call me a goddess."
"A goddess?"
"Yes."
Ximing looked down at himself.
"Then... am I dead?"
The goddess nodded.
"You were involved in an accident on your way home."
Ximing went silent.
His memories returned.
The office.
The documents.
The dark road.
The headlights.
The screeching tires.
Then nothing.
He lowered his head.
"So that's it?"
The goddess tilted her head.
"For your previous life, yes."
Ximing gave a bitter laugh.
"My life wasn't exactly wonderful anyway."
He thought about his childhood.
His mother's death.
His father's new wife.
The stepfamily that had never truly accepted him.
The years of being treated as though he didn't belong despite being part of the family.
Then finally, after graduating, he had left home and built a life for himself.
It hadn't been perfect.
But it had been his.
"And now it's over," he murmured.
The goddess watched him quietly.
"Not necessarily."
Ximing looked up.
"What?"
"I can give you another life."
His eyes widened.
"You're saying I can reincarnate?"
"Yes."
She raised one finger.
"But there is something special about this reincarnation."
"What?"
"You may make three wishes."
Ximing stared at her.
"Three wishes?"
"Three."
The goddess smiled.
"You may choose what you want to take with you into your next life. Wealth. Knowledge. Abilities. A special power. Anything you can reasonably imagine."
Ximing crossed his arms.
"Anything?"
"Within reason."
He immediately began thinking.
After everything he'd experienced, there were three things he wanted more than anything.
He held up one finger.
"First, I want a healthy body."
The goddess nodded.
"Granted."
Ximing raised a second finger.
"Second, I want an incredible memory and intelligence. I don't want to struggle with learning again.Ximing suddenly remembered something.
"Wait."
The goddess raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"I want my own space."
"Your own space?"
"A private dimension connected to me. Inside it, I want a house, food, clothes, clean water, farmland, storage, everything I need to survive."
He looked at her seriously.
"And nobody can enter unless I allow them."
The goddess smiled.
"Interesting."
She lifted her hand.
"Granted."
A golden mark appeared briefly on Ximing's palm.
"Your space will be connected to your soul. It will grow with you."
Ximing nodded.
"Perfect."
"Granted."
He paused.
His third wish was harder.
"What kind of world am I going to?"
The goddess's smile became mysterious.
"Not your world."
Ximing frowned.
"Then where?"
"A beast world."
"...A what?"
"A world inhabited by humans and beastfolk."
Ximing stared at her.
The goddess continued.
"In that world, society is different from the one you knew. There are males and females, but males are divided into different biological roles. Some males can carry children, and certain beastfolk possess animal traits."
Ximing slowly processed this.
"So I'm being sent to a world where people have animal ears and tails?"
"Among other things."
He sighed.
"Fine."
He raised his third finger.
"Then my final wish..."
He thought about his old life.
For once, he didn't want revenge.
He didn't want his father's wealth.
He didn't want his stepfamily to regret how they treated him.
He simply wanted something he had never truly had.
"A family that genuinely loves me."
The goddess became silent.
Then her expression softened.
"That is a beautiful wish."
She lifted her staff.
"Granted."
Golden light began to surround Ximing.
"Wait!" he exclaimed. "What about my new life? Who am I going to be?"
The goddess smiled.
"You will learn soon enough."
The light became brighter.
"Your name will remain Lu Ximing."
"Okay..."
"And one more thing."
"What?"
"You will not remember everything immediately.and your body will be able to give birth to children granted that I think you will want your own children.
Ximing blinked.
"Why?"
"Because sometimes..."
Her voice became faint as the light swallowed him.
"...a new life deserves to be lived before it is understood."
Ximing felt himself falling.
"Wait—!"
The last thing he heard was the goddess laughing softly.
"Good luck, Lu Ximing."
Then everything went black.