Chapter 1: The Mirror, The Murderer, and The Mistake

​I woke up, and my first coherent thought was, This cannot be right.

​It wasn't a philosophical realization or the deep-seated existential dread one might expect upon discovering they'd been transmigrated. No, it was a practical, sensory observation. The sheets were silk, the air smelled faintly of expensive sandalwood and the slightly-too-sweet scent of baby powder, and when I tried to sit up, my head lolled uncontrollably. I managed a small, pathetic squeak.

​I was a baby. A toddler, at best.

​My previous life had been quite different. I was a 29-year-old software engineer named Lin Tao, surviving on instant noodles and the faint hope of retirement. My biggest concern before this cosmic joke had been debugging a faulty line of code. Now, my biggest concern was drool control

.

​Wait. Where am I, exactly?

​The room itself was opulent to a degree that screamed "antagonist." Dark wood, gold inlay on the crib railings, and a view through a massive bay window of a meticulously maintained, ominous-looking fortress. This wasn't just a rich family; this was an Evil Rich Family.

​Then the memories started to flood in—not my own, but the ones belonging to the original occupant of this tiny body. A world of cultivation, warring sects, and a sprawling fantasy novel I had read precisely once: The Ballad of the Immortal Scourge.

​I was now Fu An, the beloved, four-year-old son of the novel's main villain, Fu Xuan, the notorious Sect Master of the Shadow Peak.

​My eyes widened—a challenging task when they were already cartoonishly large. The Ballad of the Immortal Scourge. That book was a bloodbath! The villainous Fu Xuan, my supposed father, was a man whose cruelty was matched only by his obsessive love for this one, tiny child. And little Fu An? He was a plot device. A perfect, innocent hostage for the protagonist, Sect Leader Shen, to use as leverage against the final boss. In the original novel, the protagonist had kept him safe, but only after Fu Xuan himself was gruesomely torn apart.

​"Oh, no, no, no," I tried to say. It came out as a series of unintelligible coos.

​That wasn't the point, though. The impending doom, the terrifying father, the knowledge of my fate—all of it was secondary to the immediate, overwhelming shock I received when I finally noticed the ornate full-length mirror positioned against the far wall.

​My tiny legs managed to swing me to the floor, and I waddled toward the reflection on clumsy feet. I stared quietly into the polished silver.

​Oh. My. God.

​The face staring back was a masterpiece of genetic engineering and fictional hyperbole. Giant, sparkling eyes the color of amethyst. Silken black hair that curled perfectly around a doll-like face. Skin so pale and smooth it looked like flawless jade. My previous face had been… fine. Utilitarian. This face was ridiculously, almost insultingly cute. Who could possibly give birth to a baby this perfect? It was the kind of adorable that made grown men want to abandon their life savings just to buy a shiny toy for him. It was a weapon!

​"This is unfair," I mumbled, tugging on one of the sleeves of my little brocade robe. "I’m supposed to be a side character with a tragic fate, not a poster child for an Emperor’s children’s clothing line!"

​A small, genuine, and entirely involuntary giggle escaped me. The reflection giggled too, a sound so sweet it gave me a toothache. I suddenly understood why Fu Xuan, a man who regularly committed mass murder before breakfast, treated this child like a fragile piece of world peace. How could anyone hurt this face?

​Well, the protagonist would, eventually. And that's where my plan had to start. I had four years before the major plot points began. Four years to navigate this fortress, avoid getting killed by my own terrifying father, and, most importantly, start building my own defense against the hero.

​Step one: leverage the cuteness. This face was currency. This face was power.

​A knock echoed on the heavy door.

​"Little master? Are you awake? Your father wishes to see you."

​My heart jumped. The terrifying villain. Time to deploy the cuteness offensive. I took a deep breath, pasted the perfect, innocent, wide-eyed look on my face, and toddled toward the sound of the door.

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