A soft knock echoed from outside the door.
"Master… may I come in?"
The voice was gentle.
Soft.
Carrying a hint of nervous hesitation, as if afraid of disturbing someone above her station.
Lin Chen lifted his gaze slightly.
"…Come in."
The door opened slowly.
And a young girl stepped inside.
She was around 1.65 meters tall, dressed in a neatly pressed maid uniform. The black-and-white outfit outlined her slender frame with elegant restraint, neither revealing nor dull—just perfectly balanced, like everything about her had been carefully arranged.
Her skin was pale and delicate.
Her long blue hair flowed smoothly down her back like a quiet river under moonlight, swaying gently with each step she took.
But what truly stood out—
Was her face.
Soft features.
Downcast eyes.
A faint nervousness that never fully left her expression.
She didn't look like someone who belonged in a world of wealth and power.
She looked like something fragile.
Something meant to be protected.
Something easily taken.
Her name was Su Qingya.
And Lin Chen knew exactly who she was.
Because in the original novel of this world…
She was one of the main heroines tied to a Son of Luck.
And that Son of Luck was not ordinary.
He was one of the early rising monsters of this merged world.
A man who would later dominate an entire region of influence.
A man whose fate would crush countless "villains" like stepping stones.
His name was:
Ye Tianming.
The favored child of destiny.
One of the earliest recognized Sons of Luck in this world.
A man who would eventually gather power, women, and opportunities at an unnatural speed—each encounter pushing him further into the center of the world's fate.
And Su Qingya…
Was one of the earliest threads tied to him.
At that moment—
A cold mechanical sound echoed in Lin Chen's mind.
Ding.
A translucent panel unfolded before his vision.
[Target Detected: Su Qingya]
[Identity: Main Heroine Candidate – Ye Tianming Lineage]
[Current Favorability: 10 (Friendly)]
Lin Chen's eyes narrowed slightly.
So it was confirmed.
She wasn't just a heroine.
She was a fixed node in the fate system of Ye Tianming.
A starting point.
A future pillar.
And now—
She was standing in front of him.
Su Qingya lowered her head slightly.
"I will clean the master bedroom now, Young Master."
Her voice was soft, obedient.
Carefully controlled, as if she had long been trained to speak this way.
She moved without waiting for approval, stepping into the room and beginning her work with practiced precision.
Every movement was efficient.
Silent.
Disciplined.
Lin Chen watched her for a moment.
Then a faint smile appeared on his lips.
Not warm.
Not emotional.
But observant.
Measuring.
Like someone seeing the first thread of a much larger web.
Then he turned away.
"I'll take a shower."
The bathroom door closed.
Warm water soon filled the room with rising steam.
Lin Chen stood under the shower, letting the heat wash over him.
Water flowed down his shoulders and arms in steady streams, grounding him in physical reality.
But his mind was far from calm.
A merged world.
Countless novels fused into one reality.
Sons of Luck walking paths written by fate itself.
And heroines like Su Qingya—
existing as anchors in those predetermined stories.
His fingers tightened slightly.
Then relaxed.
"…So even people are just nodes in a story."
His eyes narrowed faintly.
"Interesting."
Outside, Su Qingya finished cleaning the bedroom quietly.
Her movements were careful and precise, as though she had repeated them thousands of times.
When everything was perfect, she paused for a moment, scanning the room once more.
Then she turned and left.
Click.
The door closed softly behind her.
Silence returned.
When Lin Chen stepped out, faint steam still lingered around him.
He had changed into a black and white school uniform.
The shirt fit him perfectly, outlining his tall and lean frame without appearing flashy. The collar sat neatly against his neck, giving him a clean and composed appearance.
His trousers were dark and straight, emphasizing his posture—upright, calm, controlled.
His hair was slightly damp, a few strands falling naturally across his forehead.
And when he looked into the mirror—
He paused.
Just for a second.
"…This is me?"
The reflection was unfamiliar.
Sharp eyes.
Calm expression.
A quiet pressure that seemed to exist without effort.
Not arrogance.
Not softness.
But presence.
The kind that made people hesitate without knowing why.
He exhaled slowly.
"…So this is what a villain looks like."
Downstairs, breakfast had already been prepared.
A perfectly arranged spread waited on the table.
Golden toast with melting butter, soft-boiled eggs placed neatly in ceramic holders, fresh fruits cut with precision, and lightly pan-seared meat slices seasoned with herbs.
A cup of warm milk sat beside it, steam rising gently.
Everything was orderly.
Controlled.
As if the entire world existed to serve one person.
Lin Chen sat down and ate slowly.
Each bite was measured.
Not indulgent.
Not distracted.
He was observing.
Not just the food—
But the structure of this life.
This world.
After finishing breakfast, he stood up.
A black luxury car was already waiting outside.
A butler stood respectfully beside it, opening the door the moment Lin Chen approached.
"Young Master."
Lin Chen nodded once and stepped inside.
The door closed softly.
The interior was silent.
Comfortable.
Expensive.
The car began moving.
Outside the window, the city unfolded.
Towering buildings.
Flowing traffic.
Countless lives moving forward without awareness of what truly governed their world.
Lin Chen leaned back slightly.
His gaze drifted across the passing streets.
Then—
Ding.
A cold notification echoed in his mind.
"Warning."
His eyes sharpened instantly.
"…Already?"
The system responded.
"Son of Luck activity detected ahead."
"Target: Ye Tianming."
"Current trajectory: intersecting with host route."
A pause.
Then—
"First encounter event will begin in 10 minutes."
The city outside continued moving.
Calm.
Normal.
Unaware.
But inside the car—
Silence had changed.
It was no longer peaceful.
It was anticipation.
Lin Chen slowly looked forward.
His expression had shifted completely.
No hesitation.
No confusion.
Only focus.
Sharp.
Controlled.
Predatory.
"…So it begins."
And somewhere ahead in the same city—
A man named Ye Tianming, the Son of Luck…
was about to cross paths with a villain who should not have existed.