“How did I raise such a shameless, cold-blooded beast of a son! To think you’d actually poison your own younger brother. If anything happens to Mengchen, I’ll skin you alive!”
The middle-aged man sitting in the head seat was fuming. His once-handsome features were contorted into a hideous mask of rage. He snatched up a teacup, ready to hurl it at the teenager’s head.
The beautiful woman sitting beside him quickly caught his arm, pleading, “Forget it, forget it. We’re family; if word gets out about all this violence, we’ll be the laughingstock of the city. Thankfully, Major General Ying discovered it in time. Mengchen’s poisoning isn’t deep; he just needs a few days of rest. It’s just that the Matching Center’s side…”
The middle-aged man stared with loathing at the boy collapsed on the floor. Ignoring the blood smeared across the youth’s face, he said coldly, “Since this beast dared to poison Mengchen, let him take Mengchen’s place in the marriage to the Admiral’s manor. Consider it atoning for his crimes.”
“If he won’t marry, send him to the police station. Poisoning a sibling—we have the witnesses and the evidence. Even if this brat is an Omega, he’ll be locked up for years.”
“Will that really work? The Matching Center chose Mengchen, and Xiuran still has an engagement with Major General Ying…”
Xiuran was sleeping soundly when loud plotting and a faint, malicious gaze pierced through his slumber. His brow furrowed.
This tone. This vibe.
What kind of third-rate, melodramatic family soap opera is this?
It was early morning—which neighbor had gone crazy from quarantine and turned their TV up that loud to spite society? Could a “salted fish” not get some beauty sleep?
Annoyed, Xiuran reached up to cover his ears, only to feel something sticky. The faint scent of blood hit his nose. He jolted, snapping upright from the floor, only to realize he was sitting in a magnificent, palatial hall. He looked down—his hands were covered in blood, and sharp, throbbing pain radiated from his forehead.
Damn, did my roommate go crazy from quarantine too? Did he throw me out the door as a prank?!
Xiuran’s mind went blank—What the hell is going on? Wasn’t he supposed to be in home-quarantine, paralyzed on his big bed, waiting for the neighborhood committee to drop off food supplies?
How did he wake up in this strange place? Does he need a PCR test? Does he need to scan a health code?
Two maids walked up to him, hauled him off the ground, and said rudely, “Eldest Young Master, sign it.”
Xiuran’s head was ringing. Before he could process anything, a sophisticated device resembling a wristwatch was thrust before his eyes. It seemed to scan his iris as two electronic voices chimed simultaneously:
“Mr. Xi Xiuran, do you wish to terminate your engagement with Mr. Ying Huachi? Once terminated, the Matching Center will…”
“Mr. Xi Xiuran, are you willing to enter a partner bond with Mr. Shi Xingzhou…”
Ying Huachi? Shi Xingzhou?
Terminating engagement? Entering a bond?
Xiuran’s pupils dilated in shock as the realization finally hit him.
Holy sh*t. I actually transmigrated into the book!
After being stuck in quarantine for over two months, Xiuran had played every single-player game he owned. Seeing no hope for the lockdown to end and having no new games to play, he had started searching for novels that featured a character with his own name out of sheer boredom.
These days, who hasn’t heard of the “Same Name Transmigration Curse”?
With that search, Xiuran actually found an old-school “rebirth/group-pampered” novel. It was tagged as Sweet Pet, Rebirth & Face-slapping, and Interstellar Mecha. Unfortunately, he wasn’t the protagonist—he was the “cannon fodder” male supporting character.
The life of the cannon fodder who shared his name could be summarized as follows:
[After his biological mother died in an accident, Xiuran was disliked by his father and sent to a remote planet under the guise of “recuperating.” He was left to fend for himself until he was fifteen, when he fell in love at first sight with the “Protagonist Gong”[1]Top jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1910864_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1910864_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); who rescued him. Upon discovering the man was his fiancé, he did everything possible to return to the Imperial Star once he came of age.
Afterward, Xiuran relentlessly stalked the Protagonist Gong, forcing him to fulfill the marriage contract, while simultaneously being jealous of the “Protagonist Shou”[2]Bottom jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1910864_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1910864_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, plotting to steal the fiancé and the family fortune. After learning that the Protagonist Gong had proposed breaking the engagement, Xiuran was instigated by a maid to poison the Protagonist Shou… Finally, refusing to go through with the marriage swap, he slammed his head against a wall and died.]
When he read that part, Xiuran was appalled by the author’s forced “low-intelligence” writing.
Hello? Excuse me?
Though the author used some creative framing, whether it was the fiancé or the family fortune, didn’t they belong to “Xi Xiuran” in the first place? The father was just a “phoenix man”[3]a man from a poor background who married into wealth jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1910864_1_3').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1910864_1_3', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, and the entire Xi family business had been built by Xiuran’s late mother. What was wrong with him taking back his mother’s inheritance?
The fiancé situation was even more ridiculous. The one with the contract with Ying Huachi was clearly Xiuran, but the Xi family had been vague about it to the public, and Ying Huachi stayed silent. This led everyone to believe the fiancé was actually Xi Mengchen. Thus, “Xi Xiuran” became the shameless villain in the story, maliciously trying to snatch his younger brother’s man.
Meanwhile, the Protagonist Shou, Xi Mengchen, was the pure, kind-hearted “little white flower”—a darling of heaven and the “Son of Fortune” of this world.
In his previous life, Xi Mengchen was the Admiral’s wife. Although he lived as a “living widow”[4]a wife whose husband is never home or incapacitated jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1910864_1_4').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1910864_1_4', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, he sat on a multi-billion inheritance and spent money like water every day. But he had no love, so he wasn’t happy.
Thus, he was reborn.
After being reborn, he accepted the confession of the future Emperor[5]the Protagonist Gong jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1910864_1_5').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1910864_1_5', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });. Using his future knowledge, he maxed out his favorability with all the future big-shots, gradually becoming the “group favorite.” Not only did he have wealth and power, but he also had love. He became the Imperial Queen and lived happily ever after.
A “Happy Ending” for the whole book.
The plot was so cheesy it was “good with rice” [6]entertaining enough to consume mindlessly jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1910864_1_6').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1910864_1_6', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, yet addictive. After Xiuran finished it, he felt a bit bloated.
Rubbing his stomach—which was full from the plain buns he’d been eating—he complained to his roommate: “This story is such a classic. You can just absorb it without a brain; it’s pure satisfaction. But maybe because of the name, my takeaway from the whole book is: All Xiuran lost was his life, but Xi Mengchen lost his love and happiness!”
Whether it was because his roasting had been a bit too savage, or because the ‘Same Name Transmigration Curse’ was actually a thing—either way, he had officially been dropped right into the plot.
Having finished recalling the plot, Xi Xiuran glanced at the reflection of the youth in the floor-to-ceiling window.
Deep blue, medium-length hair with slightly curled ends framed a pair of round, emerald-green cat eyes—large and clear. His features were handsome, though his complexion bore a sickly pallor. Set against the bloodstains on his temple, he looked exceptionally frail and pitiful.
Aside from the hair and eye color being wrong, this face was identical to how he looked at sixteen or seventeen.
F***k, the salted fish cursed internally.
Xi Xiuran lowered his eyes to reminisce about the plot, remaining silent. In the eyes of the others, this looked like a silent protest. Xi’s father and mother both wore darkening expressions. Just then, a young, handsome officer with silver hair and blue eyes descended from the second floor.
This was Xi Xiuran’s fiancé, the Empire’s youngest Major General of the Third Legion: Ying Huachi. As the protagonist “Gong” (Top), Ying Huachi had a distinguished family background, outstanding looks, and was an S+ rank high-level Alpha. Reaching the rank of Major General at such a young age meant he had a limitless future; he was the “Dream Alpha” for countless Omegas on the Imperial Star.
Few Omegas could resist Ying Huachi’s charm, let alone the original Xiuran, who was only fifteen when they met—a classic “hero saves the beauty” encounter. Being rescued by Ying Huachi from a group of thugs was the only beautiful memory the original owner had of that remote planet, and he viewed Ying Huachi as his only light.
Upon accidentally learning that Ying Huachi was the fiancé his mother had arranged for him, the original owner—who had been despairing on that backwater planet—began to study fervently, wanting to become someone worthy of Ying Huachi. However, just before his exams, he was suddenly expelled from school and barred from testing. Left with no choice, he sought help from the Matching Center and finally returned to the Imperial Star under the guise of marriage.
The original owner was in the throes of first love, pouring his heart into Ying Huachi—sending breakfast, delivering cold medicine—yet Ying Huachi always met him with a cold face. He even forbade Xiuran from mentioning their engagement publicly, claiming it would hurt his career. He let Xiuran become the laughingstock of their social circle—the “sl*t” who maliciously tried to steal his brother’s fiancé.
Whenever the original owner felt discouraged, Ying Huachi would visit the Xi family in his name, giving him a glimmer of hope. In reality, he was just “stringing him along” to get closer to the protagonist “Shou”, Xi Mengchen.
The original soul naively thought Ying Huachi actually approved of the marriage and waited joyfully for the wedding. That was until he overheard Ying Huachi negotiating with Director Zhao of the Matching Center to pull a “bait-and-switch”—sending Xiuran to the Admiral’s manor in Xi Mengchen’s place, while Xi Mengchen would become Ying Huachi’s legitimate fiancé…
As soon as Ying Huachi appeared, Xi’s father and mother performed a “Sichuan Opera face-change,” greeting him with beaming smiles. The three of them chatted warmly like a family, all expressing concern for the protagonist Shou’s health.
Once they finished, Ying Huachi turned to Xi Xiuran, his expression instantly turning frigid. Ignoring the boy’s disheveled state and the blood on his face, he said with utter loathing: “How can someone as vicious as you exist in this world! If Mengchen hadn’t pleaded for you repeatedly, I would have personally sent you to prison!”
“Aren’t you just stalling for time to see me? Don’t bother asking. Terminating the engagement was my idea; it has nothing to do with Mengchen.”
Listen to this. Is this scumbag even speaking a human language?
He’d already gone behind the original soul’s back to swap the marriage and send him to his death. Yet, because the original owner refused to submit, he was “vicious”? So the original owner was just supposed to sit there and watch them plot to push him into the fiery pit of the Admiral’s manor?
Thinking of this, Xi Xiuran paused.
Wait… marrying into the Admiral’s manor actually sounds pretty great.
In the original novel’s previous life, after the protagonist Shou rejected the protagonist Gong’s confession, he was caught in an Imperial conspiracy and forced to marry the mentally traumatized, comatose Admiral Shi. Within a month of the wedding, the Admiral lost control, went mad, and accidentally injured him before passing away. Aside from a damaged gland and losing his fertility, the protagonist Shou lost nothing—he sat on a multi-billion inheritance and enjoyed a life of luxury and glory.
Then, he “happily” died and was reborn.
After rebirth, under the protection of the protagonist group, the protagonist Shou only had to rest in a hospital bed while a “cannon fodder” took his place in the marriage to Admiral Shi. That cannon fodder was “Xi Xiuran.”
The original owner didn’t know Admiral Shi wouldn’t live past a month; he only knew the Admiral was a bloodthirsty madman. He believed he wouldn’t survive two days if he married him. Combined with the discovery that the man he loved had been deceiving him, he slammed his head against the wall and died in a fit of rage.
Xi Xiuran cast a lingering, fearful glance at the marble pillar in the corner of the hall. Why couldn’t the original owner just think it through? Slamming your head into a wall hurts! Take a step back, the sky is wide and the sea is vast—isn’t a multi-billion inheritance more fun?
He recalled that in the previous life, the protagonist Shou just hid in a guest room for 30 days, faced zero trouble, and inherited everything.
Xi Xiuran let out a mental cry: “If the younger brother can do it, so can the older brother!”
Survive one month to claim the inheritance and live like a “salted fish” for the rest of his life? This was the ultimate salted fish dream!
Xi Xiuran snapped his attention back to Ying Huachi, only to hear him continuing: “…Xi Xiuran, stop your delusional dreaming. You and I are not from the same world. Not in this life, not in the next—I would never marry you. You aren’t even worth one of Mengchen’s toes!”
“A stupid, poisonous Omega like you, who committed the crime of attempted murder, should be grateful you can even marry into the Admiral’s manor. What more could you want!”
Xi Xiuran was busy fiddling with the watch-like personal terminal the maid had given him, carefully reading the two marriage contracts. He nodded nonchalantly. “Mm-hm, yeah, you’re right.”
We really aren’t from the same world.
Ying Huachi: “…”
Xi Xiuran confirmed there were no issues with the agreement, signed it with a flourish, and looked up at Ying Huachi. “Signature’s done. Engagement terminated. Now, can you give me back the engagement ring?”
That was a memento from the original owner’s mother. Xi Xiuran wasn’t going to let this dog of a man keep it.
Ying Huachi was momentarily stunned. Xi’s father and the others were also speechless.
He signed it just like that?!
They had prepared an entire script of threats and bribes, and they hadn’t even gotten through half of it.
The hall fell into a sudden silence.
With a beep, both Ying Huachi and Xi Xiuran’s terminals received a confirmation from the Matching Center.
Ying Huachi glanced at the notification to ensure Xi Xiuran wasn’t playing tricks. He tossed a prepared ring box over with a patronizing tone. “Take it. Now that the engagement is over, Xi Xiuran, from now on we—”
Xi Xiuran caught the ring and cut him off. “My marriage contract with Admiral Shi has been approved. In the future, please address me as the Admiral’s Consort.”
His green eyes were clear and bright, his expression calm—not a trace of his former gloom remained.
Ying Huachi keenly sensed that something was off about Xi Xiuran, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.
Did he really give up?
Just as he thought this, he saw Xi Xiuran carefully tuck the ring box away, placing it close to his heart. His face immediately darkened. Tucking the engagement ring away so carefully… does that mean he still hasn’t given up?!
Ying Huachi was about to give Xiuran another warning when a “Whoosh—Whoosh—” sound of an aircraft landing echoed outside. The butler rushed in shortly after.
“Sir, Madam, the people from the Matching Center are here to pick him up.”
Upon hearing this, Xi Xiuran whipped his head around, his eyes sparkling.
An aircraft! The kind you only see in sci-fi blockbusters!
That was fast. It had been less than two minutes since the application was submitted. Or had they been waiting nearby all along?
Considering how much Ying Huachi and the others loathed him, Xi Xiuran bet it was the latter.
Having retrieved the ring left by his mother, Xi Xiuran didn’t give Ying Huachi or the others a second glance. He grabbed the luggage the maid had already packed for him and walked out the door of the Xi residence without looking back.
Ying Huachi frowned at his attitude. This guy better have truly given up, or he’ll learn the hard way.
The March air was slightly chilly, but the sight of spring returning to the land met his eyes. Xi Xiuran wiped the blood off his face and shouted in his heart: Charge! The beautiful life of a young, charming, wealthy, widow is waiting for me!
Once he got to the Admiral’s manor, he was going to have a massive feast immediately. As long as there was meat, he’d be happy.
That’s right—zero ambition.
After being in quarantine for over two months, Xi Xiuran hadn’t just lacked meat; he’d almost starved to death.
Under the surprised gazes of the Matching Center staff, Xi Xiuran began planning his post-marriage life with perfect clarity, his heart full of beautiful yearning for his new life as a “lying-flat” salted fish.
Because of the Soroa Empire’s worrying fertility rate and the extreme scarcity of Omegas, the Empire absolutely forbids the existence of “adult single Omegas”—unless that Omega is infertile.
In the Soroa Empire, where procreation is the highest priority, the concept of a “wedding ceremony” doesn’t even exist. Marriage is an incredibly simple affair: once both parties submit a marriage contract to the Matching Center and it’s approved, they are legal partners. If it’s an Alpha-Omega (AO) marriage, the Matching Center will even send dedicated personnel to carefully escort the Omega to the Alpha’s home and conduct periodic follow-up visits to ensure the rare and precious Omega isn’t being mistreated.
Consequently, seeing that Xi Xiuran was injured, the Matching Center staff immediately had him lie down in a medical pod.
Xi Xiuran didn’t expect that by the time he opened his eyes again, he would already be inside a room decorated with exquisite luxury.
“This must be the guest room where the Protagonist Shou stayed…” Xi Xiuran glanced around. Confirming his location through the paintings on the wall—a guest room in the annex of the Admiral’s manor—he began to focus on recalling the relevant plot points.
In the original novel, there wasn’t much description of Admiral Shi Xingzhou. Especially from the Protagonist Shou’s perspective, the word that appeared most often was “Madman.” From the perspective of others, his life could be summed up in two words:
Empire’s Pride.
Pity.
Xi Xiuran remembered a passage in the original text that went like this:
[Shi Xingzhou was of noble birth and possessed extraordinary looks. Having achieved illustrious military merits for the Empire, he was once the SS-rank Alpha every Omega in the Empire most desired to marry. Unfortunately, his Mental Sea was severely damaged during the war against the Zerg. He was fine while in a coma, but once awake, he was extremely prone to agitation; once he lost control, he would become tyrannical, frenzied, and bloodthirsty. Xi Mengchen originally thought these were just stories made up by jealous people to scare him, but shortly after stepping into the Admiral’s manor, he heard a maid’s blood-curdling scream from the second floor. Not long after, a bloody corpse was carried down by the personal guards.]
Xi Xiuran rubbed the goosebumps rising on his arms but carefully compared the original plot again and decided it wasn’t a big deal!
If he just stayed on the path the Protagonist Shou took in the previous life and held on for one month until Shi Xingzhou kicked the bucket, he could live the rest of his life as a “lying-flat” salted fish.
“Mr. Xi, are you awake? The Admiral is conscious and wishes to see you.” A somewhat cold voice suddenly came from outside the door.
Shi Xingzhou is actually awake?!
Xi Xiuran was so startled he nearly jumped out of bed.
T/n: New Story is up! It’s a short story but I really like the MC and the dynamic between the ML and MC and the sheer coincidences that happens in the future😆. Stay tuned for more. You can support the original author here. Happy Reading 💅 🙃.
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