"How is your head now, young master?" The soft voice of the girl servant sounded, but Ling Yue wasn't paying attention to her or the fading pain in his head.
Instead, he stood before the bronze mirror in the room, staring at his reflection — almost too perfect, like the danmei protagonists he had read about in books.
After he got hit on the head by what turned out to be a jade comb thrown by Madam Su, his stepmother, who saw him running, he woke up a few minutes later and accepted his fate.
He accepted that he was reborn as Ling Yue and didn't argue as they prepared his bath — one of the warmest he'd had in a while.
The hit to the head might have reset his brain, but it didn't mean he accepted being in the book.
There was no way he was staying in a shitty, boring sequel as an omega — especially not to Xuan Han.
"Just like I imagined it," he muttered as he stared at the blue robe they had dressed him in. It cascaded over his lithe frame.
The silk had silver lotus flowers embroidered in swirling patterns along the hems and wide sleeves, with a beautiful, deep-blue sash tied around his waist.
His hair was half-pinned with a jade comb shaped with swirling clouds. "I can't believe I can be this pretty," he said, flashing his long lashes and chuckling. "I look like a cosplayer." He smirked and flipped his hair dramatically.
But the sight of Ling Yue , not Kai Hamilton — staring back twisted in his gut. He might never see his round face and brown eyes again if he didn't get out of this story.
Still, he smiled regardless. "I'm serving looks," he grinned and touched the left side of his head, wincing in pain.
It was the spot Madam Su Wei had struck with her jade hairpin.
The servant had applied an ointment that relieved him of the pain when he woke up, but he could still remember how his head had felt like it was split apart when he got hit.
"That witch really tried to knock me out, huh?" he scoffed, adjusting the sash around his waist.
"Ling Yue! What the hell are you still doing?" A loud, irritating voice sliced through the air as someone slammed the door open and stormed in.
Ling Yue turned to face a woman wearing crimson robes. Her sharp, green hawk-like eyes and pinched expression made her disdain clear. Her gray-streaked hair was pulled into a severe bun that screamed wicked stepmother trope.
"You tried to run away!" she screamed, pointing a finger toward him. "An illegitimate omega like you should be on your knees thanking the heavens for this opportunity! How many families would kill for a spot in the Heaven's Emperor's concubine selection? Yet here you are, fussing like a spoiled child."
She drew closer until she stood right in front of him. "If you embarrass the Su Clan, I'll make sure you regret it more than your wretched birth."
Ling Yue rolled his eyes dramatically, crossing his arms over the luxurious robe.
Classic wicked stepmother trope, straight out of a trashy novel, he mused.
"Grateful? For being paraded around like an idiot in some emperor's harem? Yeah, no thanks. I'd rather binge-read new BLs back home than deal with this nonsense, so I tried to leave. You can keep your opportunity, because I am not interested in playing omega for anyone — especially not that backstabbing Xuan Han."
At the mention of the emperor's name, all the servants in the room gasped.
Then, Master Su — Ling Yue's father walked in, his broad shoulders heaving with barely contained fury. His blue eyes met with Ling Yue's and he yelled.
"Ling Yue! You foolish boy, you dare utter Heaven's Alpha's name so casually? Are you planning to get us all killed? The celestial envoys could be here now and hear you! One wrong word and the Su Clan could be reduced to ashes. Have you forgotten that we are only omegas?" he screamed, raising his hand to strike him.
Ling Yue shut his eyes, expecting his father to hit him, but instead, the man sighed. "You're lucky I don't want to leave a mark on you. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't disown you if you dare bring shame to our family."
He fluttered his eyes open and rolled them again. "Disown me? Cool, that sounds like an upgrade. And respect? For a guy who killed Feng Lan in the original story? Please."
Ling Yue waved his hand in his father's face and chuckled, knowing nobody understood what he was saying — but he continued anyway.
"This sequel is even crazier and messier. Ling Yue has a father who doesn't love him, a stepmother who hits him with a jade comb… It's going to be a total flop," he paused and chuckled.
" No one even knows what's going to happen yet. I don't even know because it was just announced before I— well, before I ended up here. But with this storyline, I can already tell it's gonna be shitty, full of forced romance and plot holes big enough to drive a truck through."
His stepmother and father exchanged looks, staring at him with their mouths agape, because everything Ling Yue said made no sense.
Madam Su Wei clutched her chest, gasping. "Did the jade comb hit you too hard and make you start speaking strangely? What is this gibberish? Sequel? Fl… flop? Have you truly lost your senses?"
"Oh, he has, Mother," a soft voice sounded from the entrance.
The newcomer wore a green robe that looked shiny next to Ling Yue's vibrant blue. Tall and lean, with a sharp jawline like Master Su's, his green eyes were as cold as Madam Wei's, and he didn't look too happy to see Ling Yue. "You're raving like a lunatic, brother."
Brother? Ling Yue stared closely at the new face, trying to recall it. When he asked earlier, the servant had mentioned something, but he had forgotten.
"Language, Ling Chen," Master Su muttered.
Ling Chen bowed his head gently. "I apologize, Father. I just couldn't bear to see him acting like an idiot." He moved closer to Ling Yue and clapped a hand on his shoulder.
"What's up, brother?" Ling Yue winked at him, but all he got in response were Ling Chen's glaring eyes that looked like they were about to murder him.
Ling Chen grabbed him by the collar. "Listen to me, you bastard. Don't make things hard for me there. Just stay silent like the fool you've always been. I don't know why you're suddenly loud today, but stay away from me!" he warned.
"Oh, you can trust me with that," Ling Yue responded, raising his hand.
And just then, memories flashed through his head. They weren't his memories, but the real Ling Yue's — and there, he saw how his younger self had crouched in corners, crying while Madam Su Wei slapped his face, kicked him, and called him names.
Know your place, illegitimate boy.
Die, you burden.
The memories faded, leaving Ling Yue's chest tight with rage. Poor kid, he thought. But he wasn't him. He was Kai Hamilton and would show everyone who he truly was.
Ling Yue straightened and pushed Ling Chen's hand away from his chest, catching him by surprise as he stared with widened eyes.
"Since you want that position so much, don't worry — I'm not aiming for it." He straightened his robe and chuckled. "I don't care about that flop, Xuan Han!"
His father shouted yet again. "Ling Yue!" he groaned and pointed a finger toward him — but just as he was about to speak, one of the servants rushed in and announced.
"The envoys are here."