Chapter 01

October 2021, Spirit City

Cherry Blossoms Club – 10:30 PM

The autumn night felt calm, with the soft rustling of trees carrying through the air. A silent breeze whispered, its chill cutting through the mist of rain hanging over the streets.

City had a peaceful heaviness to it, with the golden hues of falling leaves lining the boulevards.

But inside the Cherry Blossoms Club, there was nothing calm about the atmosphere. Sharp laughter and overlapping conversations mixed with the clinking of glasses, and the neon lights painted the room in crimson and violet.

Beneath those hues, the air was restless. People laughed too loudly, flirted too boldly.

I sat alone in the corner, taking it all in. I felt their eyes on me—the fleeting glances of strangers trying to understand why I didn't blend into the noise. I wasn't like them.

I swirled the wine in my glass, watching the rich red contrast against the darkness of my coat and the deeper black of my thoughts. The liquid rippled like blood as I raised it to my lips, the taste cold and bitter against my tongue.

My fingers traced the glass lightly, lingering. I must have looked like I belonged here—dressed in an expensive black overcoat, wearing a Patek Philippe that caught the light just right—but nothing about me truly fit in this place.

"You okay, young master?" A soft voice broke through my haze.

I glanced up, finding a hostess standing by my table. She was young, confident, and carried herself like she knew the game better than anyone.

Still, her smile didn't quite touch her eyes. She leaned over, refilling my glass as her gaze flicked to mine.

"Do you need me to accompany you for the night?"

I shook my head slightly.

"I'm fine. Really. Just... remembering a few things,"

I said, but my voice betrayed me. It carried something thick, something unsaid that I couldn't shake.

She tilted her head, her eyes scanning my face with a mixture of curiosity and caution.

"You sure? I've seen a lot of men drink, and trust me—you're not like them. Most start crying after they've had too much, but you... just the first sip, and here you are."

Her words lingered, brushing against a truth I didn't want to admit. My fingers came up to my cheek, brushing against my skin. It was damp—tears had slipped without me realizing.

No matter how much I tried to keep it together, they kept falling.

But none of that mattered.

"I'm fine,"

I repeated, forcing the words out like a shield. This time, my tone sounded distant. Empty.

She gave me a long, searching look before nodding and stepping away, leaving me with my wine and my memories.

The truth was, those memories weren't going anywhere.

I loved her once. A girl whose name carved itself into my mind like a scar. She was my everything.

But I didn't just love blindly—I trusted blindly, too.

Zhao Yunfeng, Lin Haoran, and Lu Yu... I thought of them as brothers, the kind you'd fight and bleed for.

What a joke that was.

Lin Haoran, that bastard, was wooing her behind my back while smiling in my face. His greed and lack of shame made me sick.

The man even had a sister-in-law—he didn't care. He wanted more, always more, even if it meant stabbing someone who trusted him.

And her...

"You can't blame me, You're the one who failed. Brother Haoran is everything you're not. I'll be with him, and I'll be happy. So do us both a favor—just die. If you really loved me, you'd do it."

It wasn't just the words that broke me. It wasn't even the fact that she betrayed me for him. What hurt the most was how the others followed suit.

Zhao Yunfeng. Lu Yu. Those who stood with me... turned their backs on me.

They didn't stop at betrayal. Before I could retaliate, they killed me.

Swift and cruel. Final.

They discarded my body like I was garbage, like I had never mattered at all.

My final moments had been empty. Suffocation, both physical and emotional, as every hope and trust I ever had was ripped away.

But that life was over.

I was reborn, and now, every path was mine to walk. Every chance to rewrite what they'd done was in my hands.

I stood slowly, pulling myself back to the present. The weight of the wine glass felt lighter as I set it down and looked toward the hostess.

She was still watching me, her eyes betraying questions she didn't have the courage to ask.

Without thinking, I leaned forward, pressing a light kiss to her forehead. Her cheeks flushed, and her wide eyes locked onto mine in startled silence.

I slipped my card into her beautiful cleavage with an ease I didn't quite plan.

"Young master...You.."

I smirked and straightened. "Dinner's on me if you're ever interested," I said, stepping back. Without waiting for her reaction, I turned and walked away.

As my footsteps echoed down the hall, my thoughts darkened.

In my past life, I believed in loyalty. I believed in kindness and trust. Zhao Yunfeng, Lin Haoran, and Lu Yu showed me what those beliefs were worth. Nothing.

This time, things would be different.

"Lin Yueying..."

I said her name softly, letting it sit on my tongue without emotion.

Lin Haoran's mother. The first time I met her came back to me—a memory unclouded by the haze of time.

She had been sitting in a similar place, surrounded by vultures. They pushed her to drink more and more until the drugs they'd slipped her began to show their effects. She was drunk, vulnerable, and nearly lost.

I saved her once. I fought for her. And all it brought me was ruin—false accusations and public disgrace that tore through my life like a wildfire.

It was also the time when I first met the evil trio.

Lin Haoran never forgave me for even existing in that moment. He used it as a weapon, a justification.

I wouldn't let it play out the same way. Not this time.

I reached the private rooms and looked through a glass pane. Inside, a woman sat on a plush sofa, men surrounding her like wolves circling prey.

I didn't need to see her face to know it was her.

Lin Yueying.

I smiled to myself, the edge of it sharp and ruthless.

This time, I wasn't here to save anyone.

The hero inside me had died long ago.

This time, I was the villain.

A disgusting and ruthless villain.

( End of the chapter)

[ Author Note - This is my new book, heavily based on drama, slice of life, and lots of Netori. I hope you guys will support it. I want to write this one at a slower pace because I want it to feel gentle and romantic. I hope you all enjoy it. Love you! ]