My piggy assistant Yi Zhi strolls toward me, my ride sitting in front of me with the door opened. His face is redder than normal, likely from the anxiety he’s feeling about my actions and their consequences. In my heart a great feeling of triumph and satisfaction is overflowing, filling me with warmth like nothing ever before. I am free! Even if I must remain in this world, reincarnating for eternity, at least I am more free than before.
“Young Master, I’ve brought the car. Your father has called me, requesting your presence.” Yi Zhi’s dull eyes dart left and right, his face low, clearly afraid of what’s to come. Cold sweat runs down his forehead, a symbol of his unease. A sense of schadenfreude overcomes me, though it is short lived as I also must face the reaper. My father is rather hot and cold, often providing me with money and resources to do whatever I want, while also caring deeply about the face of the family. As an evil rich son, I naturally disappoint his expectations often. Now that I’m free, however, things will be different.
“Yi Zhi, are you a pig or a man? Stop sweating so much, father will understand.” I blankly say back to the piggy. Of course, in regards to Yi Zhi, father will not understand. I will not give him a chance.
“You will speak for me, young master? Th-thank you! Yi Zhi will remember this favor!” His fat belly trembles as he bows to me, Yi Zhi now believing he has seen a way out. His suffering will be much sweeter when he drops from this high.
“Mm, lets not dally. Father must be tense now, as his son I should comfort him.” I stride towards the open car door, swiftly and elegantly taking a seat. After ten reincarnations of playing the rich villain, I’ve come to naturally exude this level of grace.
Yi Zhi enters the driver's seat, fulfilling his role as my assistant. Alas, this will likely be the last time he must fulfill such a role. The car pulls out of the banquet venue, leaving behind the glittering hall of lights and noise. As I look back, my eyes tear up slightly. This moment holds great significance to me, so much so that it’s hard to pinpoint just one emotion in this sea of feelings that have hit me. From now on, I will live my life for myself and nobody else!
—
The sliding doors at the base of the tallest skyscraper in Liu City open silently, beckoning my entrance. I casually stroll forward, Yi Zhi following close behind. A cute woman sits at the reception desk, eyes widening at my appearance. I am a handsome man, not losing to many celebrities, not to mention the son of her big boss.
“Young master, it’s a pleasure to see you! The CEO is in his office, if you need somebody to take you there I am more than happy to help!” The little woman begins to ingratiate herself to me, naturally seeking to catch my eye. A handsome and rich man is naturally a prime target for a lover, but I have no interest in romance in the current situation.
“Thank you, Ms. Li, for the offer. I know the way, so I will not trouble you this time.” I evenly answer back to her proposition as I begin to walk towards the elevator in the hall. I do not miss the sudden disappointment in her expression, but she quickly pulls her face back into a smile before talking again.
“I see, I will inform the CEO that you’ve arrived.” The receptionist, Ms. Li gives me a nod as Yi Zhi and I enter the elevator. The elevator closes and takes us ever higher, towards the topmost floor. The silence is comfortable for me, but Yi Zhi is clearly struggling as the tension starts to choke him. After all, even with my reassurance he is nothing more than a dog in front of his boss. This meeting would be a source of huge stress for him regardless of the reason. I don’t bother to reassure him this time, no longer in the mood to play with the piggy.
We arrive at the top floor, a large and opulent hall greeting us. At the end of the hall is an elegantly carved wooden double door, leading to my father’s office. It takes me less than a moment to collect my thoughts, as I walk purposefully towards the doors. Yi Zhi evidently does not have the same fortitude, hesitating in the elevator before managing to stumble out. I talk to him without turning around.
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“Yi Zhi, you wait out here. There is no reason for the both of us to face my father’s intimidation.” A cold smile crosses my face for an instant before I get it under control, returning to a neutral expression.
“Young master, truly? Thank you! I, Yi Zhi, will remember this favor!” The red faced piggy bows over and over behind me before rushing to a couch in the hall and taking a seat. I spare him no more than a glance as I continue onwards. Once I reach the doors, I knock, then loudly announce my presence.
“Xu Mingyuan greets father!”
“...Enter.” A cold voice greets me back from behind the doors. I push them open with some effort, the doors being extremely heavy as an intimidation tactic for negotiations. A simple office opens in front of me, in stark contrast to the opulence of the decor leading up to it. A desk, a table, and two couches are essentially the only items in the overly large room. A man of large stature stands at the desk. His shoulders are broad, his chest wide, and on his face is a full gray beard. A scar lies slashed through his right eyebrow, his brow permanently furrowed. His long hair is done up in a professional looking bun. I walk over until I’m standing across from him, looking into his eyes.
“I heard what happened at the ceremony. You’ve always loved that Liu Yingyue, explain yourself.” My father’s eyes narrow, exuding an invisible pressure on me. The head of the Xu media conglomerate is of course not a simple man, even I, a reincarnator, feel a sense of unease under his gaze. It quickly passes as I calm my mind, something this little would only affect me for a moment.
“Father, I simply realized what is truly important in life. How could I get married before I could properly show my worth in this world? There is no such thing as a free meal, and I have yet to pay for anything. I wish to study properly at the Royal Academy and prove my capabilities before I think of such a future. Not to mention, I and Liu Yingyue have naturally grown apart. She brought a strong guard to help her avoid our engagement, and once I saw this I realized there was no need for us two to be together. The Xu family is much larger than Liu City, the benefits from our union are slim. At the academy, I will have plenty of opportunities to make connections. I believe that my decision was not wrong.” I keep my gaze level, my voice firm. My father’s eyes shake momentarily, a look of surprise flashing through them.
“...Mm, very good my son! It seems you really have thought things through, I can see your resolve. Perform well at the academy, your father will support you! Hahaha, when did you get so confident to talk to your father like that!” My father moves to my side, patting my shoulder and roaring with laughter. After years of acting the villain, I naturally have the skills needed to have this sort of discussion. Dialogue is one of the most important skills a villain uses!
“Thank you father, I won’t let you down! I believe I can bring our family even greater power! Only, there’s still one thing I wanted to talk about from the engagement banquet.” My father stops laughing and looks at me, curious about what I am about to say. “The attendant you’ve assigned to me, Yi Zhi, he is no good. Not only did he attempt to instigate a fight at the hall with Ms. Liu and her bodyguard, but he was even too afraid to show his face before you! Now he sits in the hall, waiting to hear from me. This type of cowardly man who only knows how to bark, I think there is no need for him in our family.”
My father’s eyes glint with a dangerous light, clearly understanding what I’m saying. He nods, walking back behind the desk before pressing a button and speaking. “Ms. Li, send a team up to my office to grab Yi Zhi. Take him to the blue room.”
A nervous voice quakes on the other side of the call, “Ye-yes sir! I will call them immediately!” The receptionist, Ms. Li, clearly knows what the blue room is. Her nervous energy even begins to make me sweat a bit. Yi Zhi you piggy, today I’ll be rid of you!
“Very good Ms. Li.” The call ends. Moments later, I hear a commotion in the hallway. Both my father and I glance at the door.
“No, no please! I’m begging you, give me another chance, the young master and I are already quite close! This will upset him too!” I faintly hear Yi Zhi howling through the door. The shameless piggy even in his last moments tries to use my name for his benefit. Today, I have rid myself of not one, but two great burdens! The heavens are finally on my side!
“Please! Not the blue room! Please!” The voice grows more and more distant as Yi Zhi is likely being dragged away. Silence returns to the room.
“Hmph, those doors are so heavy yet the sound pierces through. I will have to replace them.” My father lightly harrumphs. “Well Mingyuan, I must get back to work. I can see you’ve become more of a man. Work hard and don’t disappoint me.” He gives a light wave before taking a seat and staring at the papers in front of him.
I give a slight bow and a wave before walking out into the hall. The hall remains pristine, no sign of the earlier noise anywhere. A bright smile graces my visage, a sign of fortune to come. Today has been a very good day!