"Three days had passed in the blink of an eye, as if my consciousness had been floating in a limbo. And yet, in front of me, the same translucent panel remained, elegantly fixed in the air."

  「 Ding! The System welcomes you, Host! 」

  "About time… you took too long," I thought, sighing bitterly.

  「 Ding! Apologies, this system was in sleep mode. zzZ 」

  —Eh?

  "Can you… can you hear my thoughts?" I asked mentally, surprised.

  「 Ding! That is correct, Master. I hear everything… absolutely everything! 」

  "Then why did you make me call you out loud?!" I complained internally, indignant. "I almost died of embarrassment!"

  「 Ding! Before? Oh… it was just too fun to watch. Hahaha! 」

  "Bastard… #$@%"

  I cursed over and over, clenching my teeth as embarrassment rose to my cheeks. Of course, all of this happened only in my mind; outwardly, my expression remained exactly the same—indifferent and without any reaction.

  「 Ahem!… Cough, cough. 」

  Ignoring my tantrum completely, the screen flickered with a short, dry burst of static, as if someone were clearing their throat on the other end of a phone line.

  (…silence)

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  After a few seconds, the system's voice was heard again, now with a more respectful cadence.

  「 —Congratulations, Master! Allow me to explain… This system operates under the design concept: "A villain must achieve greatness; if one is incapable of being great, then they do not deserve to be called a villain." Therefore, our primary objective is to destroy the trash configuration of the original story and prevent the tragic ending of the character 'Qin Moshen.' 」

  Trash configuration? —I frowned slightly. After a brief moment, I asked with a hint of bitterness—: Are you referring to my death? To the stupid and pathetic death of Qin Moshen?

  「 Ding, ding, ding! Correct! 」

  The system's response was so enthusiastic that it irritated me slightly.

  「 …Additionally, Master, allow me to remind you that your current situation is, in fact, far worse than in the original work. Due to your… "enthusiastic" recent actions, you have triggered the premature awakening of the main character, Lin Feng. 」

  When the system finished speaking, I almost staggered, my breathing stopping for a second as I processed the information.

  —Premature awakening? —I repeated, feeling a sharp chill in my stomach—. Wasn't Lin Feng supposed to obtain the Sage's inheritance only a week from now?

  「 Ding! That is correct. However, in the novel, you did not expel Su Liang'er… By breaking off with her earlier than planned, you forced her encounter with Lin Feng, causing the annulment of the engagement two days ahead of the original timeline. The hatred he feels toward you awakened his "Protagonist's Aura" ahead of time, guiding him directly to the Sage's Inheritance. 」

  "Shit!" I cursed internally as cold sweat began to soak my back. Not only was I trapped in the body of a villain, but due to my own negligence, I had practically brought the knife closer to my own throat.

  「 Ding! Do not worry, Master… I am here to help you! 」

  「 Tatatataraaaa! 」

  The sound of trumpets made by the system broke the tension of the moment.

  「 Ding! Congratulations, Master! You have been granted a [Welcome Package]. 」

  「 Would you like to open it now? 」

  —Do it —I replied aloud, with the aristocratic and icy cadence that Qin Moshen had ingrained into my body.

  「 Processing…! 」

  「 Ding! You have obtained the Eye of Providence: It allows you to see the "Luck Value" and the status of any person within a radius of 10 meters. 」

  "Luck value?"

  The words were etched into my mind.

  "Could it be a direct manifestation of providence?"

  I asked the system, but it displayed the same description.

  I frowned slightly.

  It seemed I would have to verify it myself, but for now, that explanation was the most reasonable. As for what referred to status…

  I gently opened and closed my eyes. Instantly, small translucent labels began to appear within my field of vision.

  [ Lin Hai ]

  [Affiliation: Qin Family]

  [Loyalty: High]

  [Status: Anxious]

  ? [+] (View more.)

  I stared at them for a moment. They seemed to belong to the middle-aged guard who had interrupted me earlier.

  Out of curiosity, I pressed the [+] (View more.) option.

  Immediately, a brief stream of information filled my retinas.

  "Lin Hai. Head of security in service to the Young Master of the Qin Family. Thanks to his excellent eyesight and vast experience, he has accompanied the demanding young master as his right-hand man for many years; however…"

  I did not continue reading. All of that information was something I already knew and found irrelevant. It only served to confirm the system's reward.

  After a few seconds, I took several silent steps toward the door and left the room.