"What kind of brain-dead novel is this, to have followed it so painstakingly for over half a year only for it to end ?"
At the street corner, the youth held a fried dough stick in one hand and swiped his smartphone with the other, ranting as he did so.
Right now, the red light prohibited crossing, a perfect time to check the novel he had been following lately.
He had a psychology final exam to attend in a bit, and with excellent results, he could intern at a related institution with his tutor's recommendation.
But the ending of that novel really didn't suit his taste, so his current mood was completely focused on taking it online.
With the fried dough stick clenched in his teeth, the youth held his phone with both hands, and his thumbs danced across the keyboard like shadows.
A stream of eloquent text rapidly took form, posted in the comment section.
"Bush Gormon, I spend as much on your novels as I do on a pack of cigarettes each month, and after following it for so long, you end it so disgustingly?"
"The latter half of the book is just pure filler, and if it weren't for wanting to see how my favorite character's story ends, I would never have wasted my money."
"Let's not even start on the filler, but do you know what the biggest problem with your book is in the latter parts? Character collapse!"
"That pathetic protagonist you wrote, I can't even be bothered to critique, so noble and righteous in the beginning and out of nowhere turns into a human pile driver, anyone would think you had a split personality!"
"As for the women in the protagonist's group, ha, they have no character at all, mere inflatable ditches."
"Apart from throwing themselves at him, that's all they do, over and over with 'blushing cheeks' and 'hearts fluttering', isn't that annoying? Why don't I switch to the Japanese and Korean sections?"
"Out of the whole book, the only character that left a strong impression on me turned out to be that antagonist, the Imperial Princess."
"Though ugly in appearance, at least her character is interesting, with a clear goal, persisting in her beliefs from beginning to end."
"Her eventual fate wasn't bad either, dying tragically alone instead of being white-washed and pulled into the protagonist's harem, which is also the only commendable highlight."
"The above is a perspective from a ten-year bookworm like me, those who disagree, feel free to argue."
After such a satisfying outpour of words, the youth happily posted it.
Sure enough, it didn't take more than a dozen seconds for that comment to be cursed out in a dozen layers.
"Like the antagonist? What kind of values do you have?"
"If you like it, watch it; if not, get lost!"
"You think you can do better?"
Seeing these people's frantic appearances, the youth laughed with great pleasure.
As he countered the comments above, he crossed the crosswalk.
Just then, a new notification popped up.
The youth clicked it open and saw that a fellow reader had sent him a private message.
He anticipated another round of swearing.
Unexpectedly, the content of the private message was just a short sentence.
"If you had a chance to change all this, would you steer the story toward the ending you desire?"
The youth replied without a second thought.
After all, the emotional impact the first half of the book had on him was not fake.
If he didn't truly like it, why would he seek such scolding?
The next second, the classic and cliched scene happened alongside the sudden screeching of a dump truck's brakes.
Slowly opening his eyes on the soft bed, Lynn woke up.
He seemed to have had a blurry dream and remembered some things from before.
While sitting up from the bed, Lynn looked around at his surroundings in a daze.
Unlike the dank and gloomy underground prison he remembered from last night, he was now in a spacious room.
The decorations around were extremely luxurious, complete with a dressing table, wardrobe, washroom, and the like; it almost compared to his private residence back in the Imperial Capital.
After spending over half a month in the slums, feeling the softness of the double bed beneath him felt like another world to Lynn.
Presently, he was in high spirits, free from the prior discomfort, fully recovered.
This must be Augusta Manor.
Lynn thought to himself.
Although he didn't know how long he had slept, it seemed that, on that night at the underground laboratory, he had passed Ivyst and the others' test.
She must truly believe that the hypnosis experiment had an effect.
With this in mind, Lynn quietly got out of bed, put on the clothes prepared by the bedside, freshened up in the washroom for a while, and then rang the bedside bell.
Seconds later, a young girl dressed as a maid came in, smiling as she said, "Sir, you're awa..."
She paused when she saw that Lynn was neatly dressed.
"Actually, you could have just rung the bell for anything," the young maid said somewhat nervously, bowing, "For things like washing and dressing, you can leave it to us."
"No problem, lead the way."
Lynn shook his head to indicate it didn't matter.
Upon hearing this, the young maid was once again stunned. "What?"
Lynn explained patiently, "Take me to see Her Highness."
"Oh, oh, okay, okay!"
The maid moved aside in a fluster, smiling flatteringly as she led him out of the room.
Obviously, she had not expected this odd guest to have anticipated everything, causing her to lose the initiative.
Lynn followed behind her, winding through the long, ancient corridors, where lifelike statues and murals on either side showcased the Augusta Family's understated luxury and nobility.
As he pondered what to say upon meeting Ivyst, two other maids suddenly approached from up ahead.
Compared to the one in front of Lynn, they appeared indifferent.
On further thought, this innate arrogance was exactly like that of the homosexual young master of the Augusta Manor.
Like master, like servant.
Fortunately, the two maids coming towards him seemed to know their place and didn't do anything as stupid as forcing him to assert himself; rather, they bowed quite earnestly.
"The Imperial Princess is enjoying afternoon tea on the lawn in the side courtyard."
Lynn nodded and continued forward.
However, he had only taken a few steps when he heard a suppressed scolding from behind.
"Did you finish the cleaning you were supposed to do? Did you mop the floor? Always trying to skive off, you really are base at heart—those from the slums really lack upbringing."
"I'm, I'm sorry, I'll go do it now!"
"I've said it before, don't try to fool us with that kind of smile; it's infuriating!"
"I heard your sister is very sick and you must be in need of money lately. But with your housework done , you can forget about this month's pay."
"But, but my salary from last month was also taken by you..."
A crisp slap noise suddenly came from behind.
Hearing this, Lynn stopped, turned off the system, and sighed faintly.
[Character Name: Nina Bellamy]
[Plot Deviation: 0.00%]
"Sorry, I don't know the way forward, could the young lady who was here just now please lead the way for me?"
He turned around and said helplessly.
Why not do something when it's convenient?
"Ah, terribly sorry, guest!"
Realizing that Lynn hadn't gone far, the two haughty maids were suddenly flustered.
However, seeing that Lynn seemed to have no intention of getting involved in their dispute, they breathed a sigh of relief.
After the two maids left, Nina, the young maid named earlier, seemed hesitant.
She turned her head, attempting to hold back her tears.
But she accidentally blinked, and the glistening teardrops began to stream down.
Seeing this, Nina hurriedly wiped her eyes, and then with reddened eyes and pursed lips, she managed a servile smile towards Lynn.
"Guest, I shall guide you."
Honestly, it's rare to see a servile smile on the face of a young girl.
Only those too accustomed to pandering to others and weak-willed become adept at such expressions as their protective coloration.
The drawback, however, is that to those with malicious hearts, this smile only spurs them to bully her more.
Lynn considered himself a kind-hearted person, so he pretended not to see the tears in her eyes.
Suddenly, the atmosphere turned a bit oppressive.
Augusta Manor was vast, and after walking for a good ten minutes through the winding estate, he finally reached a side door on the first floor.
At that moment, the sunlight outside was bright and beautiful.
"Guest, just ahead is where Her Highness is having afternoon tea. It's not appropriate for me to go further; please continue on your own."
Lynn nodded and prepared to push the door open and leave.
But just as he took hold of the brass handle, he seemed to remember something and suddenly said, "There's a saying from my hometown, 'you are what you eat.' While I don't fully agree with it, I'll leave you with this thought."
"Eating bitterness and enduring hardships won't make you stand out but will bring endless suffering."
"If you aspire to be above the rest, don't learn to eat bitterness, learn to eat the rich."