Chapter One

Splash!

Everyone on the boat seemed frozen for a moment, as if time itself had stopped. A few seconds passed before someone cried out in alarm, "Yi Yi fell into the water!"

Chaos erupted. Amidst the panic, another small figure leapt into the water—a flash like a fish—and vanished swiftly beneath the surface.

The already noisy boat was thrown into utter confusion.

No one noticed the other two children aboard, their faces stricken with fear, tears streaming down their cheeks.

Did Lin Yi really fall into the water?

Underwater, Lin Yi, who had fainted from lack of oxygen, suddenly opened his eyes.

But those once-clear, innocent eyes were now filled with murderous intent.

What was happening?

Wasn’t he just with the Prince, ambushed atop a mountain cliff? How did he suddenly end up underwater?

He recalled a moment when an assassin, sword in hand, lunged at the Prince’s back, and he, Lin Yi, had thrown himself in the way, shielding his master with all his strength.

And then?

Then he’d fallen off the cliff.

So, was this a pool at the base of the cliff?

Now was not the time for Lin Yi to ponder further; his lungs felt about to burst. If he didn’t surface soon, he might truly drown.

Driven by survival instinct, he swam toward the light.

Each second was agony.

As he struggled upward, he didn’t notice another figure closing in from behind, hand outstretched, nearly grabbing his clothes—only to miss at the last moment.

Qin Siyen’s eyes widened in shock. Even more astonishing—he couldn’t catch up to Lin Yi?

Wait, Lin Yi could swim? Then why had he jumped in after him?

Back on the boat, people were panicking over Qin Siyen’s leap—after all, he was the son of Empress Xie Yu. If something happened to Qin Siyen, the consequences were unimaginable.

Rumor had it, Empress Xie Yu’s husband was the head of the Qin family in the capital—a family of the highest prestige.

With a splash, a small head popped out of the water. He still wore a pink, plush bunny costume. The once-adorable bunny was now soaked, its long ears drooping, fur matted into strands.

It only made Lin Yi’s already cute little face appear even more pitiful, especially his bewildered eyes, which now resembled the lifeless glass beads of a broken doll.

It made people want to scoop him up, cuddle and comfort him.

This scene struck not only those non-swimmers on the boat, but also pierced the hearts of viewers watching the live broadcast.

For a moment, the frantic barrage of comments seemed to pause.

Lin Yi stared blankly at the scene before him. Where was he?

Who were these people staring at him?

Were they accomplices of the assassins?

Where was his master?

Just as he was lost in confusion, he sensed someone beneath the water!

Instinctively, he shifted into a defensive posture, only to turn and see his master emerging from the water.

A miniature version of his master?

No matter—whether great or small, the master was still the master.

As a shadow guard, his sole duty was to ensure his master’s safety.

---

There were still many strangers aboard the strange vessel—he must not let his master fall into their hands!

His round little face was solemn as he looked at Qin Siyen. "Master, I’m here to save you..."

He underestimated his own condition; before he could finish, his bright eyes rolled back, and he lost consciousness.

Qin Siyen hurried forward, pulling him from the water.

He whispered, "Master? Seems you’re the little ancestor here..."

Staff who could swim quickly hauled both children aboard.

With the danger seemingly past, the live broadcast's comment section returned to its lively state.

[Whew! I was so tense I barely dared breathe. Hope both little ones are safe and sound.]
[Did Lin Yi do it on purpose? Fell in so Qin Siyen could save him, trying to latch onto the Qin family?]
[Agreed. Lin Yi is always pulling these tricks—he clung to Qin Siyen from the very start of the show.]
[Can those above mind their words? How can you say such venomous things about a child?]
[Children do bad things too! And don’t use "he’s just a kid" as an excuse. Everyone forgets how Lin Yi bullied his brother as a child model.]
[I’m here for the looks. Little Lin Yi is so adorable—I want to take him home!]
[Handshake to the one above! I adore cute little Lin Yi. PS: About him bullying his brother—I feel there’s more to that story. Maybe one day we’ll see a twist. Covering my head and fleeing.jpg]

The live broadcast was a cacophony. On trending searches, topics like "Qin Siyen saves a life," "Lin Yi falls into the water," and "Lin Yi bunny in the water" began to appear.

*

When Lin Yi awoke again, it was an hour later. All he saw was white. His eyes shifted slightly, spotting a transparent container filled with water and a long tube descending from it.

His head throbbed sharply, as if stabbed with needles. Soon, unfamiliar memories surged in his mind.

When the pain subsided, Lin Yi realized he had, in a sense, borrowed a body—or perhaps become a seven-year-old child.

From what he could piece together, the original Lin Yi had lived in a bizarre storybook world. Thanks to his training as a shadow guard and the original’s memories, Lin Yi was adapting well.

Lin Yi absorbed Lin Yi’s memories, though the child himself had no idea his world was a fictional one.

The original—now himself—was childhood friend to the story’s villain, Qin Siyen. He died young, leaving the already solitary villain even more cold-hearted.

As for emotions, Lin Yi did not understand them.

He’d entered the shadow guard camp at three, completed his first mission at ten, and stayed by his master’s side ever since—until age fifteen, when he took a sword for his master and inexplicably landed in this storybook world.

No one had taught him about friendship; his only task was always to protect his master.

So, learning that the villain Qin Siyen would one day command a business empire and die alone, Lin Yi felt nothing but envy.

It was the sole aspiration for a shadow guard, aside from serving their master.

As he processed the memories flooding his mind, Lin Yi noticed something odd.

In the story, the original Lin Yi hadn’t joined the show from the start; another child and their mother were cast first. When a poisoning incident occurred in the first episode, that child had to leave, and the producers then recruited Lin Yi’s mother, bringing him onto the show.

Yet, in his memories, Lin Yi was simply assigned to participate—there was no mention of a poisoning incident.

As a shadow guard, Lin Yi was compelled to analyze the situation, but the more he thought, the more his head ached.

Enough. No more thinking. He was in a new environment now—perhaps he could fulfill the wishes of his predecessors and enjoy a peaceful old age.

From the storybook, Lin Yi knew this world was much safer than his own.

"You’re awake? Why are you alone in the ward?"

Lin Yi heard the steady voice of a child and turned his head. His pupils contracted sharply. His master!

---

Despite the IV needle in his hand, he immediately got out of bed and knelt on one knee before Qin Siyen.

Even Qin Siyen, calm for his age, was baffled by Lin Yi’s action.

The hospital room door swung open. Xie Yu and the staff entered, witnessing little Lin Yi kneeling with his head bowed—a picture of obedience.

"Xiao Yen, what’s going on?" Xie Yu, dressed in a simple long dress, looked at the boys curiously.

Qin Siyen, still bewildered, stepped back, widening the gap between himself and Lin Yi.

Lin Yi: ... Old habits die hard—always saluting his master.

The staff who followed Xie Yu in were just as confused. Was Lin Yi really trying to curry favor with the Qin family as rumored online?

But kneeling to Qin Siyen seemed far too odd.

Xie Yu ignored the awkward atmosphere, walked over, pulled Lin Yi up, and placed him back on the bed. Lin Yi stiffened.

From his memories, he knew she was Qin Siyen’s mother, and Qin Siyen not only resembled his master as a child, but even bore the same name. In modern terms, he’d been adopted by the old Princess.

Lin Yi stole a cautious glance at Xie Yu. The Princess wasn’t old at all—though only thirty percent similar to the one from his previous life, her dignified bearing was eighty percent alike.

Xie Yu pinched Lin Yi’s cheek. "You’re such an honest child. If you want to thank Xiao Yen, there’s no need to do it like this."

Xie Yu had always liked children who were good-looking, especially after seeing Lin Yi emerge from the water like a magical bunny—she too wanted to take him home.

Satisfied that the IV site wasn’t bleeding, she turned to ask the staff, "Where’s Xiao Yi’s mother? Hasn’t she been notified?"

The staff, who had been absent from the ward to make phone calls, looked troubled at her question.

"I’ve already informed Mrs. Lin, but she says Xiao Yi’s brother is sick and she can’t leave."

"And Mr. Lin?"

"…Mrs. Lin says he’s on a business trip and can’t make it."

Xie Yu frowned. So neither parent would come when their child had nearly drowned?

Lin Yi, hearing this, quietly breathed a sigh of relief. He’d never had parents and didn’t know how to interact with them.

From Lin Yi’s memories, he wasn’t surprised—his parents favored the elder son.

Xie Yu had come to the hospital for Qin Siyen’s sake. Now, seeing little Lin Yi all alone, she decided to stay and keep him company.

When Lin Yi heard Xie Yu and Qin Siyen would stay with him, he tensed up reflexively—his master and the old Princess both accompanying him? Such favor was rare.

This kind of treatment was reserved only for his master’s future princess.

Xie Yu, friendly with the show’s director, was now complaining to him—what kind of parents wouldn’t visit their child after such an accident?

Qin Siyen, at some point, was standing beside Lin Yi’s bed. He noticed Lin Yi gripping his own wrist and asked, "What are you doing?"

"Reporting to mas—" Lin Yi nearly bit his tongue, stopping himself just in time.

"Nothing, just my wrist itches a bit. It’s fine now," Lin Yi replied.

Qin Siyen saw there was no redness or swelling and assumed it wasn’t an allergic reaction, so he said no more.

Still, it didn’t seem like scratching an itch—it was more like the pulse-taking technique used by the old doctors treating his grandfather.

Lin Yi was indeed checking his own pulse. Medicine wasn’t a mandatory skill for shadow guards, but Lin San liked to study it; he often said it was wise to have a trade for the day their master no longer needed them.

After checking his pulse, Lin Yi’s brows knit together. This body was not healthy: deficient in vital energy, burdened by melancholy.

Yet after feeling his bones, he realized he was well-suited for martial arts—a promising seedling.