Chapter 17

“What kind of mindless novel is this? I slogged through it for half a year, and this is the ending?”

At the crossroad, the boy held a fried dough stick in one hand while swiping on his smartphone with the other, shouting away.

The red light was on, so he had a moment to scroll through the latest chapters of the novel he was following.

He had a psychology final exam coming up, and if he aced it, he might get an internship recommendation from his professor.

But the ending of that novel was just not it for him, so naturally, he was venting all his frustration online.

He popped the dough stick into his mouth, grasped the phone with both hands, and his thumbs turned into blurs as they danced across the keyboard.

Lines of eloquent text quickly formed and were posted in the comments section.

“Bushgomen, I spend a pack of cigarettes a month on your novel. After following it for so long, and this is the disgusting result?”

“The latter half of the book is pure filler. If it weren’t for wanting to see how my favorite characters end up, I wouldn’t waste my money at all.”

“Let’s not even talk about the filler. Do you know what the biggest issue is with the latter part of your book? Character collapse!”

“That protagonist you wrote? I can’t even be bothered to comment. He starts off noble and righteous, then suddenly becomes a human pile-driver. If someone didn’t know better, they’d think you had a mental breakdown!”

“As for the women in the main cast, haha, they have no character, just inflatable dolls.”

“It’s always about blushing and heart racing, over and over. Doesn’t that get tiring? Why don’t I just dive into the Japanese-Korean entertainment scene?”

“After reading the whole book, the only character that left an impression was that villainous princess.”

“Though ugly, at least she has an interesting character, a clear goal, and sticks to her beliefs from start to finish.”

“As for her ending, it was decent enough—dying tragically alone instead of being redeemed and put into the protagonist’s harem. That’s the only redeeming quality.”

“These views come from a ten-year bookworm, so if anyone disagrees, come at me with your arguments.”

After typing all that, the boy hit send, feeling quite satisfied.

Sure enough, within seconds, his comment was getting flamed with a barrage of responses.

“You like the villain? What’s wrong with your worldview?”

“If you don’t like it, just leave!”

“If you think you can do better, then get on with it?”

Watching the flustered reactions, the boy couldn’t help but laugh.

While he countered the comments, he crossed the zebra crossing.

Suddenly, a new notification popped up.

The boy clicked it, expecting another round of insults.

But the private message only contained a single line.

“If given the chance to change everything, would you steer the story to your desired ending?”

“Of course.”

Without a second thought, he replied.

After all, the earlier parts of the story had genuinely moved him.

If he didn’t care, would he have gone online to provoke arguments? Just then, with the screech of a mud truck’s brakes, a classic cliché unfolded.

On a plush bed, Lynn slowly opened his eyes.

He seemed to have had a vague dream, recalling some things from the past.

Sitting up in bed, Lynn stared blankly at his surroundings.

In stark contrast to the dark, damp underground prison he remembered from last night, he found himself in a spacious room.

The decor was lavish, complete with a dressing table, wardrobe, and washroom, almost comparable to the private mansion he had in the Imperial Capital.

After spending over half a month in a slum guest room, the softness of the double bed made Lynn feel as if he’d traveled through time.

Right now, he was full of energy, no longer feeling the discomfort from before; he had completely recovered.

This must be Augusta Manor, he thought to himself.

Although he didn’t know how long he had slept, it seemed he had passed the tests conducted by Ivyst and the others in the underground lab that night.

She probably truly believes the hypnosis experiment worked.

With that in mind, Lynn quietly got out of bed, dressed in the clothes left by the bedside, spent a while freshening up in the washroom, and then rang the bell next to the bed.

A few seconds later, a girl in a maid outfit entered with a smile, saying, “Guest, you’re awake.”

Before she could say more, she paused, taken aback by Lynn’s neat appearance.

“You really could just ring the bell if you need anything,” the young maid said nervously as she curtsied. “For things like washing up and changing, just leave it to us.”

“It’s fine, just lead the way.”

Lynn shook his head, signaling that he didn’t mind.

Upon hearing this, the young maid froze again, “What?” Lynn patiently explained, “Take me to see Her Highness.”

“Oh, oh, yes, of course!”

The maid, flustered, stepped aside with a flattering smile, guiding him out of the room.

Clearly, she hadn’t expected this strange guest to anticipate everything, thus losing the initiative.

Lynn followed her, making his way through the long, ancient corridor, where lifelike statues and murals showcased the understated luxury and nobility of the Augusta family.

Just as he was pondering what to say when he saw Ivyst, two other maids approached from ahead.

However, compared to the maid before Lynn, they seemed cold and aloof.

Thinking about it, this inherent arrogance was reminiscent of the flamboyant young lord of Augusta Manor.

Truly, where there’s a master, there’s a servant.

Fortunately, the two maids approaching seemed to know their place and didn’t pull any ridiculous stunts to make him embarrass himself, instead respectfully greeting him.

“Guest, Her Highness is enjoying afternoon tea in the garden.”

“Got it.”

Lynn nodded and continued walking.

But after a few steps, he heard a hushed scolding from behind.

“Did you finish the cleaning I told you to do? Did you mop the floors? Always slacking off, such a disgusting person. No upbringing coming from the slums.”

“S-sorry, I’ll do it right away!”

“I told you not to try and placate us with that fake smile! It’s really infuriating!”

“I heard your sister is seriously ill and could use the money lately. But with cleaning like this, don’t even think about getting paid this month.”

“B-but my pay from last month was also taken by you guys…”

“Slap!”

A crisp sound of a slap suddenly rang out behind him.

At that, Lynn paused, closed his system, and sighed lightly.

[Character Name: Nina Bellamy]

[Plot Level: E]

[Plot Deviation: 0.00%]

“Sorry, I’m not sure how to proceed, could you please ask that lady earlier to guide me?”

He turned around, speaking with a hint of helplessness.

It’s a simple enough favor, so why not?

“Ah, I’m so sorry, guest!”

Showcasing nervousness at figuring out that Lynn hadn’t walked away, the two haughty maids panicked.

But upon seeing that Lynn didn’t seem interested in intervening in the conflict, they let out sighs of relief.

After the two maids left, Nina, the young maid, hesitated a bit.

She turned her head, trying hard to hold back her tears.

But after accidentally blinking, the shimmering tears flowed down.

Seeing this, Nina hurriedly wiped them away and then, with red eyes, forced a flattering smile at Lynn.

“Guest, I’ll show you the way.”

Honestly, it’s rare to see that kind of flattering smile on a girl’s face.

Only those overly accustomed to catering to others’ whims would display such expressions as their protective cover.

However, the downside is that such smiles only entice the cruel-hearted to bully them further.

Lynn prided himself on being a kind-hearted guy, so he pretended not to see the tears in her eyes.

For a moment, the atmosphere grew heavy.

Augusta Manor was enormous, and after a good ten minutes of navigating, he finally arrived at a side door on the first floor.

Outside, the sun shone brightly.

“Guest, just walk straight ahead, and you’ll reach the afternoon tea area. I can’t go any further, so you’ll have to proceed on your own.”

Nina said softly.

Lynn nodded and reached for the door handle.

But just as he grasped the brass handle, he seemed to think of something and suddenly said, “In my hometown, there’s a saying: ‘You are what you eat.’ While I might not fully agree, I’ll still share this with you.”

“Simply enduring hardship won’t lift you up; it will only bring endless suffering.”

“If you want to rise above, don’t learn to bear hardships; learn to eat others.”