The Fake Young Master, a Cannon Fodder, Awakens, and the Real Young Master Panics

Also known as: The Fake Young Master's Ex-Boyfriend Turns Out to Be the Real Young Master

Jiang Qi'an had an unusually vivid dream, and in it, he learned the truth about the world.

It turned out that the world he lived in wasn't real. It was a danmei novel about a real and fake young master.

His ex-boyfriend of many years, Shen Xun, was the real young master and the protagonist gong. Shen Xun's childhood friend, Xiao Mi, was the protagonist shou.

And Jiang Qi'an was the fake young master, a cannon-fodder villain.

In the dream, he let love turn into hatred. Not only did he secretly sabotage Shen Xun, the real young master, he also twistedly drove Shen Xun and Xiao Mi, a match made in heaven, apart. He was like a rat in a gutter, unable to bear seeing the protagonists happy.

After doing every vile thing imaginable, he was abandoned by everyone and pushed into the sea by Shen Xun to feed the sharks.

In the final moments of his life, he still had the nerve to cling to Shen Xun's hand and ask if Shen Xun had ever loved him.

Shen Xun's answer, of course, was: Never.

At the end of the dream, Jiang Qi'an vaguely saw Shen Xun vomiting blood on the deck. He heard a hoarse, desperate cry beside him: “Qiqi!”

Jiang Qi'an narrowed his eyes in confusion, trying to see more clearly.

“Qiqi, Qiqi!”

“Why are you sleeping on the sofa?”

Jiang Qi'an opened his eyes. His mother was half-embracing Shen Xun as she said gently, “This is Qi'an. His nickname is Qiqi. He's a few minutes younger than you, so from now on, you'll be brothers.”

“Qiqi, call him big brother.”

After many years apart, Shen Xun had appeared before Jiang Qi'an again. The abnormal rhythm of Jiang Qi'an's heartbeat made it clear that he still had feelings for him.

But the pain he had experienced in the dream had felt far too real, and everything in reality was unfolding just like the dream. The bloody ending awaiting him made Jiang Qi'an afraid to love again.

He thought he would do as Shen Xun had demanded in the dream: keep his distance. He would also marry someone for the sake of his family's company...

Everything was developing just as Shen Xun had wanted in the dream.

But in reality, Shen Xun had gone mad. He locked Jiang Qi'an in a dark room, pinned him beneath himself, and asked with bloodshot eyes, “Qiqi, who are you going to marry?”

“You're mine. You can only be mine.”

[Extra scene: Their past will be told in the extras.]

Jiang Qi'an's middle school years were simple. Every stroke of his life drew only one person: Shen Xun. He fell in love with Shen Xun at first sight and pursued him like a moth to a flame, without a shred of dignity. But Shen Xun hated him and never treated him kindly.

Unable to endure it any longer, Shen Xun agreed to Jiang Qi'an's pursuit just so he could have some peace and quiet.

Shen Xun never said he liked or loved him. On the day they got together, all he said was, “You have to behave.”

Shen Xun put a tight spell on the very disobedient Jiang Qi'an. After that, Jiang Qi'an never dared make unreasonable demands, afraid Shen Xun would decide he was being bad and “return” him.

Jiang Qi'an behaved himself and thoughtfully refused to sit beside Shen Xun, share a dorm with him, or waste Shen Xun's time with questions about problems he couldn't solve...

Even so, when they graduated, Shen Xun still broke up with him. He even changed his university application at the last moment to get away from him.

After the breakup, Jiang Qi'an followed Shen Xun to his new school. Later, he fell seriously ill, and never mentioned this ex-boyfriend who had hurt him so deeply to anyone again.

It wasn't until many years later, after they were together, that Jiang Qi'an learned the truth.

It turned out Shen Xun hadn't broken up with him to get away from him. He had been hopelessly in love with him...

Reading Guide:

1. Jiang Qi'an is the shou, and Shen Xun is the gong.

2. The blurb is told from the shou's perspective, so some details may differ from what really happened.

3. The gong does have a childhood friend, but there is absolutely no romantic interest between them!

4. There's more to the breakup, and the gong and shou have a massive mutual crush on each other.

5. There will be confinement and coercion in a dark room.

6. This may not be suitable for gong fans or shou fans.

7. The family will favor the shou just a little more, but they will love the gong very much too.

8. The real and fake young masters are not registered under the same household.

More to come if I think of anything...

Theme: Say your love out loud