Lu Huan’s life in the Prince of Ning’s manor had always been difficult, from childhood until now.
If it were only because he was a concubine’s son, perhaps he wouldn’t have been bullied to such an extent. In the capital, nearly every noble and powerful household had a few concubines and illegitimate children—but at least those children could eat their fill and wear warm clothes. None were targeted as he was.
When he was five, he first learned from the servants’ gossip that there was another reason behind the Prince of Ning’s cruelty—why he was never allowed to step outside the manor gates, and why the prince’s legal wife and her two legitimate sons were permitted to treat him so viciously.
It was said that his shengchen bazi clashed with that of the Crown Prince.
[Shengchen bazi (生辰八字), literally “birth date’s eight characters,” is a traditional Chinese astrological system that records the exact time, day, month, and year of a person’s birth according to the lunar calendar. Each pair of characters represents one Heavenly Stem and one Earthly Branch, and together they are believed to determine a person’s fate, fortune, and compatibility.]
Lu Huan had never met his mother. He knew nothing of his own birth, much less the exact hour or day he had been born. He could never have imagined that just because his bazi collided with the Crown Prince’s taboo, it had ruined the Prince of Ning’s official prospects—and for that, he had been cast aside to rot in the damp, cold woodshed of this deep-walled manor for fourteen years.
Lu Wenxiu was nothing but a brainless fool, unworthy of concern. The one he truly guarded against was the smiling, knife-hidden Princess Consort of Ning.
The back kitchen was full of her lackeys. Over the years, they had deliberately served him cold leftovers and scraps. During holidays and festivals, they would even reduce his portions in mockery, starving him on purpose.
Yet today, the meal that was delivered had suddenly changed—freshly cooked, steaming dishes and warm rice!
In Lu Huan’s eyes, that was naturally a sign that something was wrong.
Su Xi lay on her bed, resting her cheek in her palm as she watched the screen, waiting for the game avatar to see the fragrant, steaming meicai kourou [braised pork with preserved vegetables] and happily dig in with his chopsticks.
Even she was nearly drooling from hunger at the sight of that dish—so why was the little avatar still standing there, frowning coldly at it?
And why was his expression growing colder and colder?
What are you thinking? Hurry up and eat!
Su Xi was just about to poke him to make him start eating when she saw the game avatar reach into his simply drawn sleeve and pull something out, holding it delicately between two fingers. His soft, round bun-like face was unusually serious.
Su Xi: ?
Wait—why are you taking out a needle instead of eating?!
This little guy really didn’t follow any normal game logic.
The next second, she watched as the avatar bent slightly and inserted the silver needle into the food box, pricking it into the meicai kourou.
Then he lifted it out, rinsed it twice in clear water, and watched closely for any change in color.
When the needle didn’t turn black, a faint crease deepened between his brows. He looked surprised.
Next, he carefully inserted the silver needle into the rice, studying it again.
Still, it didn’t turn black. His confusion only deepened.
Even so, the little avatar didn’t relax his vigilance. He tested the food box several more times, stabbing the needle in with extreme caution and alertness.
Su Xi gaped at the screen, stunned.
Was her Zai Zai… suspecting the food was poisoned?
[Zai zai (崽崽) — a soft, affectionate nickname meaning “little one” or “baby.” Originally referring to a young animal or child, it’s used endearingly in modern speech or fandom to express fondness.]
No way—his guard was that high? Wasn’t this game being a bit too realistic?!
In other games—like Travel Frog—if you bought your little frog good food, wouldn’t it happily rush to eat it? So why was this one so…
Su Xi was left utterly bewildered by her avatar’s reaction.
Just when she thought it was simply the game’s programming being unusually detailed, and that once he confirmed the food was safe he’d start eating—
Yet before she knew it, the game avatar’s face turned to ice. He picked up the food box and walked toward the stable outside the woodshed, as if planning to find a quiet place to dump it.
Su Xi: ???
She was struck as if by lightning.
—I went through all that trouble to get it, and you’re just going to throw it away?!
The food had neither poison nor laxatives, which truly surprised Lu Huan. But for the back kitchen to suddenly send him a steaming hot meal—there had to be something wrong.
It must be that woman, or Lu Wenxiu, scheming something new.
He would rather starve than take a single bite.
Carrying the food box, he walked to the door, ready to pull it open.
Seeing this, Su Xi quickly pressed her fingertip onto the sketched door on the screen: Zai Zai, wasting food is shameful.
The woodshed door creaked and groaned, as though the frame had gotten stuck in the wall. Lu Huan actually couldn’t pull it open at once.
A flicker of disbelief crossed his eyes.
The wind… wedged the door into the wall?
Steadying himself, Lu Huan gripped the doorframe and pulled hard. He was clearly not yet recovered from his illness, yet his strength was astonishing—Su Xi outside the screen couldn’t hold it down!
The door was about to be broken in half by the two of them, one inside and one outside!
Helpless, Su Xi lifted her finger, and only then did Lu Huan manage to open the door and walk out with the food box.
He even turned back to glance at the door in puzzlement—but given how old and poorly kept the woodshed was, a little oddity wasn’t too strange.
“……”
And so, Su Xi could only watch helplessly as Lu Huan carried the food box to the stable, dug a pit with a shovel—
She was already fretting over how cautious her little avatar was. If he won’t eat or drink, how am I supposed to raise him? But then she heard a burst of heavy, chaotic footsteps from afar, mixed with shouts of “Find the thief!”
She heard it—and naturally, so did Lu Huan.
His expression shifted at once, as if realizing something. A shadow passed through his dark eyes, and his hands moved faster.
But before he could pour the food into the pit, several people stormed in.
He had only enough time to slam the lid shut on the food box and toss it into a corner of the stable. Then, his face cold, he turned to face them.
At the front, swaggering and arrogant, was Lu Wenxiu, followed by Lu Jia and Lu Yi, the head steward of the kitchen, and a crowd of people.
The screen suddenly filled with commotion—a throng of stick-figure people appearing all at once.
The scene looked like this:
人人人人人人人人人人人人
人人人人人人人人人人人人人 人
人人人人人人人人人人人人
Lu Wenxiu—drawn as a short, peanut-sized stick figure in a red cloak—marched up to Lu Huan, looking all domineering and overbearing.
It might have been an imposing stride, but because the stick figure art was so ugly, and because he stood opposite Lu Huan—tall, steady, and striking even in his minimalist lines—it only made him look like a badly drawn draft.
“This young master told the kitchen this morning he wanted meicai kourou,” Lu Wenxiu shouted, eyes slanted arrogantly. “The cooks made it especially for me, but somehow a greedy little thief stole it! Really now, what, are you a starving ghost reborn? Stealing even a single dish? Once we find out who did it, they’ll be the laughingstock of the entire Prince of Ning’s manor!”
Su Xi’s eyes widened in shock.
Bullshit! That damned peanut-sized idiot really had the guts to lie through his teeth!
Meicai kourou your ass!
She had clearly seen that everything edible in the kitchen had already been taken, and only that dish of meicai kourou was left untouched. Thinking it was unwanted leftovers, she had taken it for her Zai Zai.
Now Lu Wenxiu showed up with a whole crowd—obviously just making trouble on purpose, seizing the chance to stir things up, looking for an excuse to get revenge for what happened before!
But no matter what, Su Xi realized she’d meant well yet ended up making things worse.
Lu Wenxiu’s group loomed overbearing and smug, while her little game avatar stood there all alone.
His robe was filthy, still damp with half-melted snow, the wind tugging at the tattered fabric as if it could tear apart any moment. A faint anger burned in his pitch-black eyes; his fists at his sides clenched ever so slightly—but he restrained himself, not moving.
Su Xi felt a sharp pang pierce her heart. Incredibly, she was actually feeling guilty toward a game character.
Lu Jia, still rubbing his backside, chimed in, “Right! We left the food box in the kitchen, so how’d it end up here? Obviously you took it yourself. Saw the Second Young Master’s dish, got greedy, and stole it.”
Lu Yi, pressing his swollen face and speaking through gritted teeth, added, “Second Young Master, I’d bet your fine dish has already gone down his throat.”
Lu Huan said coldly, “You all know very well what really happened.”
Just as he had suspected—when something out of the ordinary happened, there was always something foul behind it. So that was why the kitchen suddenly sent him a steaming meal—it was all for Lu Wenxiu to make a scene.
A few days ago, when imperial examiners came for inspection, he, though only a concubine’s son, had been summoned to participate. He’d outperformed both Lu Wenxiu and Lu Yuan, shaming them utterly. Since then, Lu Wenxiu had been looking for every possible way to pick a fight.
Yesterday’s fuss wasn’t enough, today he’d come up with a new trick to frame him!
Seeing her avatar’s grim expression, Su Xi suddenly realized that if she hadn’t stopped him earlier—if she hadn’t pressed on the door to keep him from dumping out the food—then that troublesome meicai kourou would’ve long been buried in the stable pit. Lu Wenxiu and his bunch of idiots wouldn’t have had any evidence left to twist against him!
All because of her—
But seriously, this game! Who could’ve predicted it’d be so unpredictable?!
Which garbage programmer coded this thing?!
Su Xi was getting anxious now. Her elbows were sore from leaning on the bed, yet she didn’t dare look away from the screen. She’d sworn that morning she wouldn’t get addicted, but right now she looked exactly like an obsessed gamer girl!
“Hmph, why don’t you open that food box behind you and let our Second Young Master take a look,” the head of the kitchen said. “If we find the dish there, you’ll have to admit you’re a thief!”
The steward sounded completely certain that Lu Huan had stolen it. After all, they’d discovered the meicai kourou missing from the kitchen, and the floor covered in coarse bread crumbs—who else could have switched them but him?
Even if Lu Huan hadn’t taken it and it was some other servant, the missing dish could still be pinned on him. They could easily say he ate it.
Anyway, the Second Young Master only wanted an excuse to punish the eyesore he hated most—Lu Huan. He didn’t care where the meicai kourou really went.
Lu Wenxiu shot the kitchen steward a satisfied glance—what a convenient excuse he’d found for him.
Lu Huan’s expression darkened, his face bleak, a glint of cold fierceness rippling in his black pupils.
He had been careful enough—yet lately, bizarre things kept happening. Had he grown careless today, acted too slowly? Or had he let down his guard and fallen right into Lu Wenxiu’s trap?
Seeing his expression, Lu Wenxiu became even more certain that the meicai kourou was hidden in that food box behind him.
All he needed now was to walk up himself, lift the lid—and make that stubborn, unyielding illegitimate son into a thief, to drag his name through the mud!
Lu Wenxiu was in high spirits. Smugly, he crooked a finger and ordered Lu Jia to summon Lu Yuan and all the other servants of the Prince of Ning’s manor.
After all, the more people watching, the better the show.
Before long, Lu Yuan really was brought over, followed by a large crowd of servants. Practically the entire household had come to watch the commotion. Normally, they wouldn’t dare openly spectate such things, but this time, the Second Young Master himself had invited them.
Lu Yuan, a few years older than Lu Wenxiu, looked much steadier and frowned as he spoke diplomatically, “What’s going on here? Theft within the Prince of Ning’s manor is no small matter, Wenxiu. Do you have any solid proof?”
Behind him, the servants whispered among themselves, pointing at Lu Huan.
One servant leaned close to Lu Wenxiu’s ear and whispered, “Young Master, the meicai kourou must be in that food box behind him. I can smell it. Just expose him.”
Lu Wenxiu’s smile widened with triumph. He turned to Lu Yuan and said, “Of course I have evidence.”
Then, he addressed the gathered servants in a loud, self-righteous voice. “All of you, open your eyes and see clearly who in this household would stoop so low as to steal even a single dish meant for me! Such thievery—lower than a beggar! If you’re truly that hungry, you could have come to me and begged for it. Why steal?”
Every word dripped with venom as he cast a sidelong glance at Lu Huan.
“Open the food box behind him!”
The cold wind howled. Ice seemed to form in Lu Huan’s dark eyes. He stared at Lu Wenxiu in silence, lips pressed tightly together.
The tension was knife-sharp, the air stretched taut.
Lu Wenxiu sneered, brushing aside the kitchen steward, and personally strode up to the food box. He lifted it and gave it an ostentatious shake before the crowd, moving slowly and theatrically, milking the suspense, then pressed his hand upon the lid.
At that very moment—
Su Xi moved her finger on the screen.
“Swish—” Lu Wenxiu’s movements were unbearably showy, dragging out the reveal long enough to leave Lu Yuan and the servants hanging on edge. Finally, he yanked the lid open.
With a triumphant sneer, he barked, “Well then, caught red-handed!”
But—silence fell.
Inside the box, where was the delicious dish he’d been so sure of?
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