Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Qi Yanyu possessed a refined and noble appearance, a cut above ordinary but far from dazzling.

His health was poor—so much so that he could cough up blood on cue. His soft hair framed eyes with lashes perfectly spaced like phoenix feathers, finely tapered. His eyes were pitch-black, pure yet somewhat cold.

His lips were beautifully shaped, a soft oleander pink. His nose was straight, and his skin pale, as if bloodless. Beneath his dark, expensive suit, one could faintly glimpse a brown cashmere vest and a snow-white silk shirt, crisp and immaculate.

His hands were elegant, with jade-like fingers.

From a distance, it was clear he was in a bad mood—especially when others flattered him, as the corners of his lips would curl into a subtle, sardonic curve.

There was no warmth in his gaze, only bored detachment.

Qi Yanyu—how could he not be considered the biggest laughingstock in recent years?

Especially when, over a year ago, he had knelt in a fit of rage for the sake of a beauty, only to end up with public cuckolding and a broken leg.

And today, that same woman was also present at the gathering.

No doubt, this was the reason for his exceptionally foul mood.

People observed from afar the central figure of this comedic whirlwind. And at this moment, that central figure was holding a slender cigarette between his lips.

His eyes were lowered, distant, either lost in thought or just indifferent.

Even before transmigrating into the novel, Qi Yanyu's name, identity, family, and friends remained exactly the same as after the transmigration. He also had two older brothers and one younger brother. Sometimes, he wondered if someone around him had written a parody novel mocking him. He’d barely skimmed it before getting sucked into the story.

His cigarette-holding fingers were slender, pale, and smooth.

Yet, the cigarette butt was nearly burning his fingertips, and Young Master Qi didn’t even notice.

Zhou Yuan, one of the central figures, swirled a wine glass.

Dressed in a well-fitted khaki suit, he was tall and poised, his face as refined as uncarved jade. His polished charm made him glow like a celebrity.

Now that his standing had changed a bit, some nearby trust-fund brats started heckling: “Isn’t that your ex-boyfriend? Qi Yanyu, the one who sent you to the hospital multiple times a year ago? You gonna go ‘school him’ or what?”

Clearly, those who had always disliked Qi Yanyu were deliberately trying to stir trouble.

Zhou Yuan replied coolly but politely, “We were friends, nothing more.”

Even though he had explained many times—that Qi Yanyu had never sent him to the hospital repeatedly, and it was all just rumors—the crowd kept twisting the truth, making white black. Eventually, Zhou Yuan grew tired of defending the matter.

He pivoted the conversation away, especially since he was accompanied by a young heiress named Lan Xiaoxiao.

This was the Lan family’s jewel-empire heiress, third-generation rich.

Thus, the teasing remarks about Zhou Yuan and his former patron, Qi Yanyu, gradually died down.

Qi Yanyu’s rep was trash. At just nineteen, he’d supposedly slept his way through half their crowd. It was said that Zhou Yuan’s first time had been with Qi Yanyu—that he and a few others had toyed with Zhou Yuan until he lost consciousness and was hospitalized that very night.

Song Yuanting, their circle’s resident menace, spotted Qi Yanyu, who had arrived less than ten minutes ago and was already trying to leave.

He remarked, "I heard your younger brother has been found. Why not bring him out so everyone can take a look?"

Qi Yanyu lifted his cold, indifferent eyelids. "Song Yuanting, say that one more time, and you’re gone."

He’d always had a nasty temper. Even after transmigrating into the book, it remained unchanged.

A spoiled golden boy, pampered his whole life, never faced hardship—how could he ever be mild-tempered?

Qi Yanyu had no idea how many people he had offended in the past.

And the author of the book must have hated him deeply, writing him into the most miserable circumstances possible.

The local bully slowly grinned. "A bastard-born brother is still a brother, no? Even if he was whelped by a bitch..."

The crude, vulgar taunt from the local bully, though meant to rile Qi Yanyu up, didn’t land the way he’d hoped.

"Not gonna say hello?" Song Yuanting continued, "Or has Young Master Qi already replaced him?"

Song Yuanting was determined to witness the showdown between ex-lovers turned rivals.

"I cycle through people pretty fast," Qi Yanyu replied coolly. "And I don’t keep dead weight around—you should know that by now."

Qi Yanyu looked every bit the polished aristocrat, well-maintained. His skin was flawless, like carved jade, though his gaze was cold and detached. His lashes, thick and dark like phoenix feathers, gave him an almost ethereal beauty, enhancing the icy demeanor of a young master.

"That’s true," Song Yuanting observed the man before him, an innate malice rising in his heart. Someone that high and mighty deserved to be knocked down, to be seen struggling in the mud—now that’d be a sight.

Song Yuanting smirked, noticing the approaching figure behind Qi Yanyu, and added fuel to the fire: "Only Young Master Qi has such magnanimity. Anyone else would’ve made sure Zhou Yuan ended up as a rent boy by now."

The moment the words left his mouth—

A whole glass of wine went flying straight into Qi Yanyu’s face.

No time to dodge. Witnesses saw a young lady stride over and arrogantly dump the drink right on Qi Yanyu’s head.

Qi Yanyu had read the book. In it, he ordered the girl beaten, even though Zhou Yuan intervened and protected her.

Turns out she was the Lan family’s eldest daughter, freshly returned from studying abroad. Because of this, he offended the Lan family.

Later in the novel, when Qi Yanyu was humiliated by Lan Yinxun and Lan Xiaoxiao, it was described how his eyes reddened, yet he stubbornly refused to shed a single tear.

Now, with droplets clinging to his lashes, he lifted his gaze. Fully aware of the fallout, he still raised his hand and slapped Zhou Yuan—who had rushed over but failed to stop Lan Xiaoxiao—across the face.

But the slap was barely a tap.

To onlookers, it seemed almost flirtatious.

Zhou Yuan being struck left Lan Xiaoxiao both shocked and furious.

If Qi Yanyu had known he’d transmigrate into this book, he would’ve trained harder in Muay Thai.

Even if his fate was to be shattered to pieces, he’d make sure to settle scores on the spot. Even if he knew his retribution in the book would come swiftly.

Others transmigrated into different bodies. But him? His circumstances remained just as disastrous.

Zhou Yuan merely tilted his head slightly. The slap didn’t hurt, but the shame stung. He tightened his grip on Xiaoxiao’s wrist, keeping her from lashing out again.

"I’ll cover the cost of the clothes, whatever it takes."

Zhou Yuan's face was like alabaster, cold and clear, with a touch of youthful defiance. He was only nineteen, but the hardships of his early years had hardened him into someone more calculating.

Beside him, Lan Xiaoxiao struggled against Zhou Yuan's grip on her hand, indignant. "He bullied you so much before, and you still want to..."

Qi Yanyu's clothes were drenched down the front, droplets still trailing down his face.

Yet his complexion remained pale as a wilted flower, his eyes jet-black. He lifted his gaze and said softly, "It's disgusting."

Zhou Yuan's expression froze.

Lan Xiaoxiao finally yanked her hand free and pointed at the speaker's nose. "Qi Yanyu, aren’t you just a scoundrel in this circle? What gives you the right to act so high and mighty?"

Zhou Yuan tugged Lan Xiaoxiao back behind him. "Apologies for ruining your evening, Qi Yanyu. We’ll compensate you for the clothes." He grabbed the strongest shot of tequila on the table and knocked it back in one go.

Then he pulled Lan Xiaoxiao away.

Qi Yanyu smiled faintly. "Zhou Yuan, the year you turned eighteen, you were handed over like a present to me as a coming-of-age gift. Long time no see—have you taken up with the Lan siblings now?"

He was doing it on purpose.

Even after finding himself in the world of the book and knowing his fate and circumstances, he couldn’t resist the urge to provoke.

A total self-saboteur—that was him.

Zhou Yuan had indeed appeared in Qi Yanyu’s real life, once delivered as a "gift" for his amusement.

But afterward, they never saw each other again.

Yet in this book, his entanglement with Zhou Yuan didn’t end here—later, he would repeatedly walk into traps set by the Lan siblings for revenge.

But in this novel titled *The Untold Secrets of the Qi Family*, the character sharing his name was written to suffer miserably.

It must have been written by someone who knew him well—and hated him.

He had spent three days of his free time reading the book, skimming to the ending where he was imprisoned, then bought by someone who broke his bones and locked him in a windowless dungeon, turning him into a sex slave.

The novel depicted his relationship with Zhou Yuan in detail:

At eighteen, Zhou Yuan was drugged and sent to his bed.

The book claimed Qi Yanyu and several other men tortured Zhou Yuan to the brink of death, leaving him hospitalized for days.

In reality, Zhou Yuan *had* been drugged and delivered to his bed.

But Qi Yanyu disliked such methods. That night, he had drunk heavily and simply passed out on one side of the bed. When Zhou Yuan woke the next morning, his burning stare held on Qi Yanyu for a long time.

Groggy from drinking, Qi Yanyu blinked his sleepy, detached look. "I didn’t touch you. Next time, pick better friends."

Zhou Yuan’s expression twitched in shock before settling back into his usual cold, stubborn demeanor.

As Qi Yanyu moved to leave the room, Zhou Yuan suddenly spoke, rushed and pleading: "Can I be your bodyguard or assistant? I... really need the money."

Now, in the transmigrated present, the VIP lounge was a psychedelic haze of neon lights and liquor.

This was the most elite club in Kanbei, accessible only to members.

Tonight, every attendee was a rich brat from their circle.

And when these heirs heard Qi Yanyu’s provocative remark from the center of the drama, they erupted in laughter.

Lan Xiaoxiao couldn't bear to see the person she liked being insulted like this. If Zhou Yuan hadn't held her back firmly, she would have wanted to flay Qi Yanyu alive on the spot.

The backstory revealed that half a year ago, Zhou Yuan had betrayed him. To be with Zhou Yuan, Qi Yanyu had cut ties with his own family, only to have his legs broken by them. Shortly after, Zhou Yuan ran off with someone else.

Zhou Yuan froze for a moment before calmly replying,

"Qi Yanyu, I admit I didn’t handle things well back then."

After Qi Yanyu begged his eldest brother to allow him to be with Zhou Yuan, he was placed under house arrest. Not long after, Zhou Yuan slept his way to someone else—a fact well-known within their circle.

Though Qi Yanyu had never done many good deeds and his character was far from upright, Zhou Yuan was undoubtedly the one black mark on his record he least wanted to recall—bar none.

·

At that moment, in the neighboring VIP room, a wrap party for a TV drama crew was taking place.

The newly risen star, Jiang Tiyan, had skyrocketed to fame overnight due to his otherworldly good looks.

He had played the third male lead in the drama.

Naturally aloof, he never attended gatherings. If not for the female lead—a former classmate he’d once been close to—wearing him down, he wouldn’t have bothered showing up.

But after just a few sips, Jiang Tiyan stood up and left.

After his departure, snide comments started flying among the crew:

"Who does he think he is?"

"If he doesn’t act well, he can just go home and inherit his family’s fortune."

"Five minutes is more than we deserved."

Jiang Tiyan walked down the hallway outside and passed by the neighboring VIP room, where raucous shouting could be heard.

He usually minded his own business. But then he caught a familiar name—"Qi Yanyu."

Pushing the door open, he saw the man's face wet, his clothes soaked in patches.

Jiang Tiyan intercepted the slap of a young woman and shoved her away harshly.

Lan Xiaoxiao, the pampered Lan heiress, had never had anyone dare seize her wrist. She scowled. "Let go of me! Who do you think—"

Jiang Tiyan flung her aside, his face thunderous.

Turning around, he saw Qi Yanyu unsteady on his feet from drunkenness, with Zhou Yuan standing right beside him.

"Zhou Yuan,"

Jiang Tiyan’s ethereal beauty, reminiscent of a movie star’s, carried a cold, disdainful glare.

"Shouldn’t you be busy serving your sugar mommy? Slumming it with us commoners?"