Chapter 433: The Chicken Fillet Dropped, and a Protagonist's Hope Died With It
Long Hao rubbed his rumbling stomach. Since his rebirth, it had been over a day, and he still hadn't eaten.
The void in his stomach was a gnawing, acidic pit, a constant reminder of his powerless state. That feeling was magnified a thousandfold by the phantom tastes and smells still haunting his memory from Zhenxiu Pavilion. He could almost feel the buttery texture of the seared foie gras melting on his tongue, the delicate aroma of the black truffle soup, the crisp sweetness of the iced dessert wine. But it wasn't his memory; it was the memory of watching Shen Anyu indulge.
He had watched his nemesis, the man who stole his life and his fiancée, being flanked by the impossibly beautiful Xu sisters. Xu Ruoshui and Xu Ruoxue, a pair of celestial twins, had catered to Shen Anyu's every whim, their slender fingers peeling fruits and refilling his glass with a reverence usually reserved for an emperor. The sight had been a spear of pure, unadulterated envy straight through Long Hao's heart, twisting in the wound of his hunger.
'Family, who can understand this feeling?' he lamented internally, his stomach clenching painfully. The injustice was a bitter pill. To be reborn with knowledge of the future, only to be starving on a street corner while the villain who ruined you feasts like a king... it was a humiliation that burned hotter than any physical pain. The man enjoying that life, that opulence, those women, should have been him.
The sheer injustice of it all fed a burgeoning fire of resentment. Every pang of hunger was another log on the pyre of his hatred for Shen Anyu.
[Ding! Child of Destiny Long Hao feels intense envy. Plundering +9996 Destiny Points!]
[Ding! Child of Destiny Long Hao feels the bitterness of injustice. Plundering +9998 Destiny Points!]
[Ding! Child of Destiny Long Hao's resentment deepens. Plundering +10021 Destiny Points!]
Unaware that his emotional turmoil was only enriching his enemy, Long Hao scowled, kicking a loose pebble on the sidewalk. "Damn it," he muttered under his breath, the words laced with venom. "That bastard Shen Anyu eats so well... he really knows how to live."
A grimace twisted his features before slowly morphing into a determined, almost delusional smirk. "Just you wait. In the future, I'll live even better than him. The food I eat will be rarer, the wine more expensive, and the women serving me… they'll be a hundred times more beautiful."
He closed his eyes, painting a vivid picture in his mind: himself, seated at the head of a grand banquet table, with Su Hongmian on one side and a dozen other peerless beauties on the other, all looking at him with adoration. The fantasy was a potent drug, momentarily soothing the ache in his stomach and soul.
Across the street, hidden behind the tinted privacy glass of a silently idling Maybach, Shen Anyu watched the pathetic display with a faint, mocking smile. He held a crystal glass of aged whiskey, the amber liquid swirling gently as he observed Long Hao's foolish grin. The Child of Destiny was like an ant in a jar, completely oblivious to the god watching its every move. To him, Long Hao's grand ambitions were nothing more than the laughable delusions of a cornered rat.
Finally succumbing to his hunger, Long Hao located a street food vendor and bought three hand-pulled pancakes, loaded with egg, sausage, and crispy chicken strips. The greasy, savory aroma was intoxicating. He devoured the first one in three massive bites, the warm food a balm to his empty stomach. With a renewed sense of purpose, he ambled toward his next destination: Tianji Pavilion.
But as he arrived at the familiar address, his confident stride faltered. He stopped, his second pancake halfway to his mouth.
"Huh? Wait… where's Tianji Pavilion?" His eyes scanned the street, a knot of confusion tightening in his gut. "Such a massive, famous Tianji Pavilion… where did it go?"
His gaze slowly lifted to the brand-new sign hanging where the ancient, mystical plaque of Tianji Pavilion should have been. Gaudy, pink-and-purple neon lights blinked aggressively, spelling out: "Aunt Bai's Foot Bath & Spa."
Long Hao stood utterly frozen, completely dumbfounded.
'What… what is going on?' His mind raced, refusing to process the scene before him. 'Where is Tianji Pavilion? Did I take a wrong turn? Am I on the wrong street?'
He frantically retraced his steps, checking street signs and landmarks. No, this was the place. His memory, reinforced by the countless hours he'd spent in his past life watching livestreams exploring Magic City's Antique Street, was flawless. Tianji Pavilion was supposed to be right here. How in the hell had it become a cheap-looking foot massage parlor?
"Tianji Pavilion?"
A voice snapped him out of his spiraling confusion. The owner of a neighboring antique shop, an old man polishing a vase, had overheard his frantic muttering. The man sighed with a hint of nostalgia.
"Ah, you're looking for Tianji Pavilion? It closed down about half a month ago. The shop was sold, and now it's… well, that," he said, gesturing with his chin toward the garish neon sign.
He leaned against his doorframe, warming to the topic. "Speaking of which, Master Chen Tianji of Tianji Pavilion… now there was a true master. His fortune-telling was unbelievably accurate, practically a divine art. He could read your entire fate, good or bad, with a single glance."
The old man's eyes twinkled with the memory. "I still remember the day it opened. Master Chen pointed at a man walking by and declared the fellow was wearing a green hat. Sure enough, the man's wife was cheating on him! It caused a huge scene, but it proved Master Chen's skill was the real deal."
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