Chapter 1

Chapter 1

How bizarre and disorienting it is to wake up one day and suddenly regain memories of a past life! Evan Noah felt as though countless bees were swarming chaotically inside his skull, while his stomach churned violently. All he wanted was to kneel over the toilet and vomit until his insides emptied—only then might the nausea and inner turmoil subside.

Yet, in the end, he managed to suppress it through sheer willpower. A flash of resolve flickered in his eyes. He quickly rummaged for a small, treasured box—the kind that once held dreams and secrets in abundance. Now, without hesitation, he dumped all the letters inside into the nearby charcoal brazier. His movements were hurried, his hands trembling slightly, as if those letters were cursed objects. He stared intently at the fire, watching the dancing flames slowly consume each page until every letter had turned completely to ash. Only then—feeling as though he’d just completed some solemn rite—did Evan Noah slowly rise, walk to the window, and open it.

Instantly, a biting wind laden with fine snowflakes rushed in like a troop of mischievous sprites. Wearing only thin pajamas, Evan Noah was immediately assaulted by the cold and couldn’t help but shiver. The chill pierced his skin like icy needles—yet it also cut through the fog clouding his mind. He took a deep breath; the frigid air seared his lungs with a sharp, stinging burn—but it also sharpened his thoughts, bringing clarity to his scattered consciousness.

Once the acrid smell of burning paper had gradually faded from the room, Evan Noah quietly closed the window, turned around, and collapsed onto the narrow single bed. He lay there in silence, frantically sifting through the tangled mass of information flooding his mind.

Evan Noah was the third son of the Noah family. Just yesterday marked his fifteenth birthday—a milestone signifying coming-of-age in this world. Overjoyed, he’d snuck off with his brothers to a tavern to celebrate. The place reeked of rich liquor and boisterous laughter. They drank glass after glass until Evan Noah passed out completely—and when he awoke, he was stunned to find himself remembering his previous life.

“Did Meng Po skimp on the ingredients for her soup?” Evan Noah wondered suspiciously. Though he now wore the face of a Caucasian European—high-bridged nose, deep-set eyes, brown hair, brown eyes—in his past life, he’d been unmistakably Chinese. While he hadn’t achieved anything extraordinary, as someone from humble origins, he possessed astonishing survival instincts and an uncanny knack for making money. Through sheer effort and cleverness, he’d not only gained admission to a second-tier university but also saved enough for the down payment on a sixty-square-meter apartment within less than two years of working—happily shackling himself to a mortgage thereafter.

Yet his life ended abruptly at thirty. Still unmarried, he’d seized a weekend to update his serialized novel on the Green River Novel website. Fingers flying across the keyboard, he plotted thrilling storylines in his head—when suddenly, with a deafening crash, everything went black. He died without ever knowing what happened.

Having perished so inexplicably in his past life, the circumstances of this one made him want to flip the heavens the bird. Perhaps because he’d been updating his novel moments before death, he’d miraculously transmigrated into his own ongoing serialization—*Sword and Rose*—becoming one of the secondary love interests for the protagonist “receiver”: Evan Noah himself.

In his past life, as a part-time web novelist adept at turning a modest profit, Evan Noah naturally understood market demands well—writing whatever genres sold. *Sword and Rose* was a light wish-fulfillment rebirth BL novel.

Its protagonist, Arthur Nicholas—the legitimate eldest son of the Nicholas family, the White Rose Earl Nicholas—had broken off his secret relationship with Valen Thomas to preserve his heir status, entering instead into a marriage contract with a count’s daughter.

Heartbroken and abandoned, Valen joined the Empire’s colonial army. Arthur’s life, however, didn’t unfold as beautifully as he’d hoped. In a world where noble arranged marriages were commonplace, it was entirely normal for husband and wife to live separate lives once an heir had been produced. Arthur soon became just like his father: outwardly maintaining aristocratic splendor, inwardly utterly mediocre.

When he fell gravely ill and took to his bed, his wife was off indulging in an affair, and his son attended a society ball—indifferent to his condition. When the butler brought him the newspaper, Arthur saw reports on the Empire’s overseas colonies—and there, again, was the name *Valen Thomas*. By then, Valen had become Governor of New Delaware, one of the Empire’s colonies.

Arthur was instantly consumed by profound regret—especially upon learning Valen remained unmarried. That regret sliced into his bones like a razor-sharp blade. Then he died—only to be miraculously reborn at age fifteen.

In this new life, Arthur rejected his family’s demands for an arranged marriage and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Valen—the protagonist “giver”—heading together to the Empire’s colonies. With swords in hand and wisdom and courage guiding them, they forged a brilliant future vastly different from their last. This was the outline Evan Noah himself had written.

In the process, the exceptional protagonist “receiver,” Arthur, naturally attracted other admirers. For instance, Evan Noah—one year younger than Arthur—was among them. His character was defined as Arthur’s devoted fanboy and obsequious junior admirer.

Now, the protagonist “receiver,” Arthur, had been reborn for a full year. He’d clearly refused his family’s marriage arrangements. Though he hadn’t yet lost his heir status, the Earl was furious—and had slashed his allowance by more than half. He attended the Imperial Knight Academy. Tuition posed no problem, but his daily quality of life had plummeted drastically.

Arthur, pampered since childhood, couldn’t bear such a steep decline—yet he couldn’t tarnish his image by asking the protagonist “giver” for help. So he turned his gaze toward his junior schoolmate, who’d idolized him since childhood: Evan Noah.

In the letters Arthur sent Evan Noah, he humorously recounted life and studies at the Imperial Knight Academy—and encouraged Evan Noah to train hard and strive for admission. Of course, he also inadvertently revealed his own predicament.

And Evan Noah—born into a wealthy merchant family and doted on as the youngest son—was naturally naive and innocent. Moved by Arthur’s letters, he foolishly began using his own allowance to support his idolized “Brother Arthur.” Thus, Arthur Nicholas—through letters that appeared perfectly ordinary to outsiders—gradually drained the wallet of this gullible boy, Evan Noah.

Author’s Note:

Please add to your collection.

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