Just as Chu Xuanyan was lost in thought, a soft knock came from the direction of the door, bringing him back to his senses.
He blinked, slowly returning to the present moment, then rose from his chair with a quiet sigh. He put the book on the table and walked towards the door to open it.
When the door opened, he saw a delicate figure standing before him. Her silhouette was framed by the warm hallway lanterns.
She was his personal maid, Luo Meiling.
"I've brought dinner for you, young master," she said gently. her voice light and respectful.
Sixteen this year, Luo Meiling had the composed elegance of someone raised in quiet discipline. Her features were soft and balanced—almond-shaped eyes the color of pinewood, framed by long dark lashes. A few strands of her straight, waist-length black hair swayed in the breeze, while the rest was tied into a neat ribbon behind her head.
Her robes were simple but well-kept, dyed in the soft blue of household service—but somehow, they did little to hide the graceful lines of her slender frame. Though clearly not a noble herself, her calm demeanor and alert eyes made her seem far more composed than many daughters of the elite.
Chu Xuanyan stepped aside. "Come in."
She bowed her head slightly in thanks and entered, carrying the tray of food with practiced care. As she placed it on the low table, the gentle aroma of warm food and herbs filled the room.
"You've skipped lunch again," she murmured, glancing at the untouched books and open window.
"I wasn't hungry," Chu Xuanyan replied as he settled back down on the cushion before the table.
She didn't comment, merely handing him a wooden spoon.
He began to eat in silence, unhurried, his expression calm.
Luo Meiling sat at a respectful distance, her back straight, hands resting on her lap. She watched him for a few quiet moments, then finally spoke again, her tone carrying a trace of reproach:
"You shouldn't be so hard on yourself that you neglect your health. I've noticed you've been skipping meals more and more lately. You should at least care about yourself…"
Her voice faltered slightly at the end—frustrated, yet concerned.
Chu Xuanyan looked at her.
"It's not that," he said softly. "Don't be angry, Meiling."
There was warmth in his voice and a calmness in his gaze—not the kind one used with a servant, but with someone irreplaceable.
Because, to him, Meiling wasn't just a maid.
She was his friend—perhaps the only one he had in this life. In the years since his fall from grace, when the world had scorned and dismissed him as a cripple, she is one of those who stayed. She never treated him with pity or false cheer.
And for that, Chu Xuanyan treated her as an equal, as someone precious.
Luo Meiling glanced at him, quiet for a moment. Her eyes lingered on his composed expression—too composed, perhaps. She was still slightly angry, but she knew him too well to press further.
He wasn't reckless. Even when the world turned its back on him, he had never lost control. He grew quieter, yes—but never bitter, never broken. He never once cared for the opinions of strangers. What they thought of him was meaningless.
So, instead of continuing the subject, she changed it.
"…Are you going to the riverside again ?"
Her voice was casual, but her eyes searched his for a flicker of emotion.
Only she knew how much that riverside meant to him. The quiet stream, the wind rustling through reeds, the way the moonlight shimmered over the water—he found peace there. It had become his silent refuge, a place where the noise of the world couldn't reach him.
Chu Xuanyan finally showed the hint of a smile. A faint one, but real.
"Indeed," he replied, a touch of amusement in his tone. "How can I not?"
His expression made it seem like her question had been silly. Of course he would go. She knew how much he loved it.
Seeing the soft change in him, Luo Meiling hesitated—then decided to drop the unexpected bomb.
"The Young Miss is returning from the capital."
For a moment, there was silence.
Then—an unmistakable ripple passed through his calm eyes.
"…What?" he said softly, just a hint of surprise in his voice.
Luo Meiling nodded slowly. "Young Miss Bai Lianxin is returning from the capital. She'll be here by tomorrow evening. The message came in earlier today… but since you hadn't left your room, I wasn't able to tell you."
Chu Xuanyan's expression, which had briefly shifted, returned to serenity once more. He placed the spoon down gently and leaned back, sighing.
"Well. That's something I hadn't expected to hear."
There was no dramatic reaction. Just mild surprise—because after everything he had endured, very little could shake him anymore.
Still…
"Why would she be coming here?" he asked, brow slightly furrowed, voice thoughtful.
His thoughts wandered.
Bai Lianxin…
Ah yes. You're probably wondering—who exactly is Bai Lianxin?
Allow me to explain.
She's my fiancée.
Now that Luo Meiling had brought up his fiancée, Chu Xuanyan found it difficult to suppress the flood of memories.
The familiar figure of that girl—Bai Lianxin—rose vividly in his mind.
She had long, slender legs as pale as snow, graceful and eye-catching even in stillness. Her facial features were delicate and sculpted, from her elegant, slightly raised nose to the sweep of her voilet eye lashes. Her skin was like porcelain kissed by moonlight—ethereal in its beauty.
But it was her eyes that left the deepest mark on everyone who saw her.
Those deep, violet eyes—like ancient amethysts soaked in starlight—seemed to shimmer with a quiet mystery, an ungraspable depth. She was more than beautiful. She was soul-stirring.
She was one of the shining stars of Sunlight Academy, born with a Ninth-Grade Space Astral Star—An astral star so rare that it was practically unheard of—let alone one of the ninth grade, the highest known. Her talent was enough to leave the entire Frostviel Kingdom in awe.
Well, Chu Xuanyan mused, highest known grade according to the people of this world.
As someone from Earth, he refuses to believe that is really the highest grade since he knows that there's always a higher mountain peak beyond the one you see.
still, space, huh...that's dangerous. Only he, perhaps, truly understood the terrifying implications. If harnessed properly, the power of Space could overturn the heavens.
After all, it was said that Space was the king and Time was the emperor in the domain of universal Laws. Although these were clearly biased, this was enough to explain just how terrifying the might of these two types of Laws was.
And yet, as someone who had never truly cultivated, he had no way of knowing whether the application from those novels can be applied in real world.
And Bai Lianxin didn't just possess rare talent—she lived up to it.
After just one year at the Academy, she had been recruited directly into Sagecrest College, bypassing even the graduation requirements. In the past hundred years, she was the only person to receive such an honor.
By now, she was a legend of the sunlight Academy, and the many students who had enrolled after her practically worshipped the ground she walked on. In fact, she was now incredibly famous throughout the entirety of the frostviel Kingdom.
"…It's been two years since I last saw her," he thought to himself. "I wonder how she is.
...
Fuck!
Just as the weight of their two-year separation settled in his chest, he couldn't help but curse under his breath.
How could he not recognize this kind of cliché plot?
A plot where the fiancée of a trash protagonist, after gaining a shred of talent—well, in this case… she is not just talented. She is monstrously talented, he had to admit—suddenly decides to break off the engagement.
Classic, isn't it ?
His usually calm expression finally cracked, a faint gloom surfacing in his eyes. Even someone like him couldn't stay composed while facing the very real possibility of becoming a potential cuckold.
Well… maybe calling it that was a bit too much. Technically, the engagement would be broken off first, and then whatever happened would happen—but still.
Could it really be happening?
That familiar, dreadful arc where the MC—weak, ridiculed—was abandoned by the girl who once promised him forever.
What stung more was that, in those stories, the protagonist always made a glorious comeback. But what about someone like him? He couldn't even cultivate.
So how the hell was he supposed to flip the script?
Maybe he was just overthinking things. After all, their relationship had always been… quite close.
But then again, weren't all those main characters close with their fiancées before everything went to hell? Sweet childhood promises, shared dreams, touching moments—none of it stopped the heartbreak when the sword of "you're not worthy" finally dropped.
So who's to say he would emerge unscathed from this cliché battlefield?
Is he really destined to walk the same path?
Is he cursed by the heavens or something?
... Let's calm down first and think clearly. He took a deep breath, trying to still the chaotic thoughts swirling in his mind. Slowly, he began to analyze the situation with what little clarity he could muster. and after a while, he came to a quiet, bitter conclusion.
'If she truly wants to call off the engagement… then I have no right to stop her. It's her life.'
She was a dazzling genius now, while he—he was just a cripple, even if he somehow kept the engagement, what would it amount to?
She would one day stand among the stars—an awe-inspiring figure of the cultivation world. While he? He would age. He would die. A mere mortal.
It was better to let go now, rather than pretend this illusion could bear fruit.
Maybe, he thought, eyes dim, she'll meet someone on her journey… someone who can give her the happiness she truly deserves.
'Honestly, it's not even romantic between us'
The relationship between him and her wasn't the kind you'd expect from an engaged couple. It wasn't romantic. If anything, it was more akin to siblings—more specifically, a younger brother and an older sister.
Now, you might wonder how that came to be?
Well, here's the story.
As far as Chu Xuanyan could remember, the first time he met Bai Lianxin was when he was just three years old. His foster mother had returned from a journey, and along with her came a quiet, four-year-old girl—Bai Lianxin.
Later on, his foster mother took her in as her personal disciple.
From that point on, she was always around and from a certain perspective, it could be said that the two of them truly were inseparable childhood friends. His foster mother had doted on Bai Lianxin just as much as she had on him—if not more.
Unfortunately, ever since his memories had returned, things between them had become… complicated.
Bai Lianxin had always been exceptional—even as a child. She was calm, poised, and frighteningly talented, and on top of that, a year older than him. But after regaining the memories of his past life, Chu Xuanyan couldn't help but see her for what she was to him : a child.
They used to play often, side by side through thick and thin… until the day his memories awakened. After that, a strange distance took root—one neither of them could properly name, but both felt.
As for how she ended up as his fiancée?
Supposedly, when she was around ten years old, Chu Xuanyan's foster mother casually remarked, "It would be wonderful if you became my daughter-in-law someday."
It was a passing comment. A warm sentiment, nothing more.
But the very next day, ten-year-old Bai Lianxin, in all her seriousness, personally wrote up a marriage contract and handed it over to his speechless foster mother.
Of course, she tried to reject it. She even told Bai Lianxin to tear it up and forget about it.
Unexpectedly, she put on a rare show of stubbornness. Without saying a word, she simply knelt down before Chu Xuanyan's Foster mother and refused to rise.
In the end, there was nothing to be done. His foster mother had no choice but to accept the so-called engagement.
However, after doing so, She secreted away the marriage contract and never raised the topic again, pretending as though it had never existed.
As time had passed, nothing further was said on the matter. everyone, even Chu Xuanyan himself, had long since forgotten about it.
That is until one particular day when Bai Lianxin was at the Sunlight Academy, she told a particularly determined suitor that she and Chu Xuanyan had long ago been betrothed to each other.
That news had stunned not just the academy—but the entire Frostviel Kingdom. that was how hilarious of a story it is.
Even now, years later, Chu Xuanyan was still suffering the aftershocks of that declaration.
How could he not be affected?, even more so since he is just a cripple, while she stood radiant at the center of the younger generation—worshipped by men and admired by women alike.
Chu Xuanyan could only sigh.
He hadn't asked for any of it.
And yet—even that engagement might soon end.
Perhaps it's for the best.
He looked up at the ceiling. His thoughts quieted.
Let her go. Let her be free. And me? Maybe it's time I stop trying to defy fate.
As for what people might think? He chuckled under his breath. when had he ever cared about their opinions?
You could light the world with kindness, he muttered with a sigh, and someone would still complain about the glare.
Damn, I've become wise.
Let them talk. Let them scoff and sneer.
In truth, life wasn't so bad. Yes, people looked down on him. Yes, they trash talk him. But none of them dared to truly cross the line—not with his foster mother standing behind him. And maybe… maybe it was finally time to start thinking about settling down.
Sunlight City wasn't such a bad place, after all.
Sure, the scorn of others followed him like a shadow, but that would be the same anywhere he went.
Maybe he should also start thinking about finding an ordinary woman—someone who could truly love him for who he was, not for power or status.
A simple life. A quiet home. A warm hand to hold in the years to come.
Living as an ordinary mortal, without ambition or grand legacy… could such a life really be so bad?
Two years, he decided quietly. At most, I'll give myself two more years.
Two years to search for a way out of his condition. For a miracle, if such a thing still existed for people like him.
And if nothing changed—if the heavens remained silent—then he would follow through with his quiet plan.
And speaking of which… didn't I already have someone —someone who truly cared about me?
As that thought passed through his mind, his gaze unconsciously drifted toward Luo Meiling.
She wasn't as breathtakingly beautiful as Bai Lianxin, true—but she was still beautiful in her own right.
And more importantly, she was here. Quietly standing beside him, her eyes calm and steady, watching him ride wave after wave of emotion. His expression had changed so many times in the past few moments that she'd long since stopped trying to count.
He had completely forgotten her presence while drowning in his thoughts—until now.
When she noticed the intensity of his gaze, Luo Meiling flinched ever so slightly, her eyes widening just a fraction. In all the years she'd known him, Chu Xuanyan had never looked at her like this. Not once.
And truthfully… she couldn't understand what that look meant.
He smiled faintly to himself.
Who am I kidding? he thought. She's anything but ordinary.
Even though he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he could imagine—no, feel—that Luo Meiling must also possess immense talent.
Of course, he did not believe she is on the same level as Bai Lianxin. That fiancée of his existed in a league of her own.