Traveling Through the Book and Becoming a Cub Among the Villains - Chapter 3

When Ye Qingxi opened his eyes again, all the memories of his original body had already infused into his mind.

Ye Qingxi was somewhat surprised because he had dreamed of the 5-year-old Ye Qingxi, a child who looked very much like himself.

The child waved at him and said, “I want to be with my grandfather.”

So, he took a step ahead.

Ye Qingxi couldn’t help but feel a little sad.

I hope that, in that world, he can really be with his grandfather.

Sometimes, Ye Qingxi feels quite conflicted.

He understands death very well and accepts it very much. He even wishes he could die in the next second.

But he could only accept his own death.

When it was not him, but someone else who died, he would always feel a deep sense of regret. In those moments, death no longer seemed like a release but rather something cruel and sorrowful.

Ye Qingxi sat in silence.

When the car came to a stop, Mu Feng put down the tablet in his hand and said to him, “Xiao Xi, we’re home.”

Only then did Ye Qingxi snap out of his daze and look up, only to see a grand garden villa spread out before his eyes.

Good thing my parents aren’t here, Ye Qingxi thought. Otherwise, they would definitely want to move in, and who knows what kind of shady, low-quality endorsements they’d try to make him take next.

As Ye Qingxi was lost in thought, the car door slowly opened.

Mu Feng bent down and gently carried him out.

Ye Qingxi, “……”

“I can walk by myself.” Ye Qingxi couldn’t help but speak up.

His voice was soft and childlike, irresistibly cute.

Ye Qingxi, “……”

This voice felt way too unfamiliar.

Mu Feng wasn’t used to carrying children to begin with. He was only trying to be gentle, hoping that Ye Qingxi would quickly accept the idea of living with him from now on. That was why he had been carrying him around.

Now that Ye Qingxi had spoken up, Mu Feng swiftly set him down.

Just then, his phone rang. Mu Feng answered the call while gesturing for Ye Qingxi to follow him. Without pausing, he turned and walked toward the grand entrance.

Ye Qingxi hurriedly followed behind him.

Mu Feng walked up to the villa’s entrance, scanned his face, and stepped inside.

With his small frame and short legs, Ye Qingxi quickened his pace. However, the villa’s smart system had already detected someone entering and had begun its automatic closing sequence.

By the time Ye Qingxi finally reached the entrance, the door had already shut—irreversibly.

Ye Qingxi, “???”

Mu Feng didn’t even glance back, continuing his phone call as he walked further inside.

Ye Qingxi, “……”

Could you at least turn around and check?

Don’t you feel like something is missing?

Where’s your big little kid?!

Ye Qingxi was just debating whether he should remind this old villain that he had left his kid outside when he suddenly saw the man inside come to a halt.

Mu Feng glanced down at his side, then slowly turned around in disbelief.

Ye Qingxi, “……”

He lifted the corners of his lips and smiled.

Old villain Mu Feng, “……”

Only now did Mu Feng realize—Ye Qingxi was only five years old, small and short-legged, completely unable to keep up with his long strides.

Seriously, he had forgotten in just the blink of an eye.

It wasn’t really his fault, Mu Feng thought. After all, his youngest son was already 18—old enough to cause trouble on his own.

And his only grandson, Qin Cheng, wasn’t particularly close to him and rarely visited. How could he possibly be used to these things?

Mu Feng quickly walked back to the entrance, opened the door, and took Ye Qingxi’s hand.

“You little rascal, if you couldn’t keep up, why didn’t you tell Grandpa?”

Ye Qingxi, “……”

After speaking, Mu Feng held Ye Qingxi’s hand and walked toward the villa. Though still on his call, he deliberately slowed his pace. Occasionally, he would glance down at Ye Qingxi beside him, adjusting his steps to match the child’s.

Finally, Ye Qingxi no longer had to take exaggerated strides just to keep up. As they walked, he took the chance to admire the flowers in the courtyard, while occasionally listening to Mu Feng berating someone over the phone.

There was no denying it—an old villain was still an old villain. Even when scolding someone, Mu Feng’s voice was full of power, nothing like a 60-year-old man. No wonder he was capable of pulling off the legendary feat of single-handedly helping the protagonist overcome three major obstacles.

But honestly, that feat was way too intense.

Ye Qingxi pondered—he needed to help Mu Feng change this highly incriminating mindset. If this continued, not only would Mu Feng’s actions keep fueling the protagonist couple’s romance, but they would also fast-track his own son’s tragic downfall.

Sacrificing himself while benefiting others—killing two birds with one stone.

Unfortunately, the ‘bird’ being helped was the protagonist.

And the ‘bird’ being hunted was Mu Feng himself.

Ye Qingxi still held the same belief.

He had lived enough—if someone had to die, it might as well be him.

As for everyone else, they should just focus on living well. The underworld wasn’t going anywhere; there was no need to rush to check in.

Everyone else could step aside, just let him go alone.

Mu Feng led Ye Qingxi into the villa, finally finishing his scolding spree before hanging up the phone.

He picked up his slippers and changed into them. Just as he finished, he heard the child beside him ask, “Do I need to change my shoes?”

Only then did Mu Feng realize—he hadn’t prepared slippers for Ye Qingxi.

Mu Feng had never been particularly attentive to everyday trivialities. When his wife was still around, she would handle these things for him, so he never had to worry about them. After she passed away, his status meant there was no one he needed to be meticulous for anymore, and gradually, he stopped paying attention to such details.

Thinking of his late wife, a wave of sorrow washed over him.

He opened the shoe cabinet and rummaged through it, eventually finding a pair of spare slippers that Mu Zheng had once prepared for Qin Cheng.

“Wear these.” Mu Feng placed the slippers at Ye Qingxi’s feet.

Ye Qingxi was a little surprised—Mu Feng had actually prepared slippers for him in advance?

It seemed this old villain was more attentive than he had thought.

“Thank you, Grandpa.” Ye Qingxi said.

“No need to be polite.” Mu Feng’s tone was gentle.

He picked up his phone again and called his assistant, instructing them to buy clothes, shoes, socks, and other daily necessities for Ye Qingxi.

Ye Qingxi listened quietly and nodded to himself.

It was indeed time to buy new clothes.

Back when “Ye Qingxi’s” grandfather was hospitalized, it had been a cold, rainy day. That’s why “Ye Qingxi” had been dressed in a short-sleeved shirt, a jacket, jeans, little socks, and sneakers.

But in the past couple of days, the rain had stopped, and the weather had grown hot again—yet Ye Qingxi was still wearing the same outfit.

His biological grandfather had been lying in a hospital bed, nearing the end of his life. Meanwhile, his soon-to-be guardian, Mu Feng, had been too preoccupied with the old man’s condition to notice such details. Three days had passed, and “Ye Qingxi” hadn’t changed his clothes once.

He should have gotten a fresh set long ago.

However….

Ye Qingxi looked at the old villain beside him.

Even under the bright sun, Mu Feng was dressed impeccably—shirt, dress pants, leather shoes, not a single detail out of place.

Perhaps, in Mu Feng’s eyes, Ye Qingxi wearing jeans, socks, and sneakers didn’t seem hot at all. As for the jacket—well, hadn’t he already taken it off?

Ye Qingxi thought about it and found it very likely to be true.

“Come on, Grandpa will take you to your room.”

After finishing his call with his assistant, Mu Feng hung up and took Ye Qingxi’s hand, leading him toward the stairs.

This villa was built long ago and didn’t have an elevator. When Mu Feng got older, Mu Zheng had suggested installing one. But Mu Feng refused, he didn’t see the need. “It’s not like my legs are broken. I can still climb stairs.”

So now, without even pausing, Mu Feng led Ye Qingxi straight up to the third floor in one go.

The first room he took Ye Qingxi to belonged to Mu Shaowu. Inside, Ye Qingxi immediately noticed a poster of him.

It was indeed a stunning face—one that perfectly blended beauty and handsomeness, like a two-dimensional anime boy come to life. No wonder the novel described him as having only average acting skills yet still managing to captivate fans and dominate the industry as a top-tier celebrity.

“From now on, he’s your father.” Mu Feng lifted his chin, motioning toward the poster.

Ye Qingxi looked up, a little surprised.

Shouldn’t such a major announcement have waited until Mu Shaowu was actually present?

Was it really this simple and casual? Just a plain statement, like it was nothing?

What if he didn’t accept it?

“Don’t worry,” Mu Feng continued. “Your father doesn’t have any other children, and he won’t have any in the future. You’ll be his only child, so he will take good care of you.”

Ye Qingxi, “……”

He felt that Mu Feng was being far too optimistic.

Even biological parents didn’t always take good care of their own children, let alone an adoptive father.

Did Mu Shaowu even know his father had found him a son? Did he accept it?

And even if he did accept it, did that mean he had to like it?

Even when adopting a pet, people would at least visit in person to see its appearance and temperament. And this was a whole person!

Ye Qingxi stared at the poster of Mu Shaowu, exuding an air of confidence and intensity, his presence practically bursting from the image.

How old was he again?

25, right?

Could he really accept suddenly having a 5-year-old son out of nowhere?

In the original novel, Ye Qingxi was barely mentioned. But even in those two brief sentences, the book made sure to emphasize—

【His relationship with Mu Shaowu was just average.】

Even the real, quiet, and well-behaved 5-year-old Ye Qingxi only had an average relationship with Mu Shaowu.

Now, as a fake replacement, could he possibly expect anything better?

Of course not.

But Ye Qingxi didn’t care about any of that.

He hadn’t even cared about his own biological parents—why would he care about some stranger who had nothing to do with him?

He was supposed to be dead. He had no idea why he had ended up here, but that didn’t mean he wanted to keep living.

Ye Qingxi still wanted to die.

But for now, his emotions were stable, so he wasn’t at the point of taking action himself.

He planned to wait for plot death—to let the story kill him when the time came.

So, unlike how a normal child might react to hearing such a shocking announcement about gaining a new father, he didn’t show any excitement, confusion, or resistance.

Instead, he simply nodded—perfunctory, indifferent—just enough to acknowledge that he had heard it.

But the person next to him was Mu Feng. A man who rarely interacted with children and, at 60 years old, had reached the age where nothing seemed surprising anymore.

To him, Ye Qingxi’s response wasn’t odd at all. On the contrary, he found the boy’s calm and composed demeanor admirable. Unlike other children who would react noisily and dramatically, Ye Qingxi was quiet, steady, and obedient.

Mu Feng was quite satisfied.

Closing the door behind them, he took Ye Qingxi’s hand and led him to the room next to Mu Shaowu’s.

“You’ll stay here for now,” Mu Feng said.

Even a child should have their own room. That had always been the rule for his children, so naturally, it would be the same for his children’s children.

Ye Qingxi looked around at the room—it was obviously a guest room. The neutral colors, the plain furniture, the complete lack of warmth or personality.

His discounted grandpa was such a strait-laced man.

Would it have killed him to add some child-friendly elements?

Did he forget the kid in front of him was only 5 years old?

Forget it, Ye Qingxi thought.

He wasn’t actually a 5-year-old child anyway.

This style? He’d just pretend he was staying at a hotel.

Ye Qingxi nodded. “Mm.”

“Then rest for a while. I’ll call you when it’s time to eat,” Mu Feng said.

Ye Qingxi nodded again. “Mm.”

Mu Feng finally turned to leave.

Just as he was about to step out, something seemed to occur to him.

He went downstairs to his room, grabbed a tablet, and made his way back up to the third floor. Handing the tablet to Ye Qingxi, he said, “If you want to play, you can use this.”

“Thank you, Grandpa,” Ye Qingxi responded in a soft, obedient voice as he took it.

“No need to be polite,” Mu Feng replied before leaving once again to tend to his own matters.

Ye Qingxi lay on the bed, tablet in hand, and searched for ‘Mu Shaowu.’

In seconds, a flood of related content popped up.

Stories, articles, and gossip—all revolving around the man.

There was one about Mu Shaowu at 19, playing basketball on campus. After finishing a game, he happened to walk past a film crew that was scouting the school for a shooting location.

In that moment, he completely outshone the drama’s actual male lead.

There was also plenty of talk about Mu Shaowu’s debut drama.

By all accounts, his acting was nonexistent.

For a full thirty episodes, he carried the show purely with his looks. His face remained stiff the entire time—expressionless, lifeless, almost corpse-like.

But did the audience see him as a walking mannequin?

Of course not.

They called it “cold and aloof.”

To them, he wasn’t just blank—he was perfectly in character.

There was also the infamous “Keep Your Distance” incident.

Mu Shaowu had outright told someone:

“Stay away from me. Stop leeching off my fame.”

Right there, in public.

The other person was completely humiliated.

Haters immediately jumped on it, calling him low EQ, rude, and unfit for the entertainment industry.

His fans, on the other hand?

“Our Ge is the only real one left in the industry!”
“That person was leeching off him—he was just being honest!”

It was safe to say that Mu Shaowu was the complete opposite of Ye Qingxi.

And now, Ye Qingxi was supposed to be his son?

He thought about it for a moment.

With that personality, could Mu Shaowu really accept suddenly having a 5-year-old kid?

Not likely.

Honestly, Ye Qingxi wasn’t optimistic about their future as father and son.

But, it didn’t matter.

Mu Shaowu was a top-tier celebrity—he was always busy.

Most likely, he wouldn’t even be home much.

Which meant that before the so-called “plot death” arrived, they might barely interact at all.

Ye Qingxi thought about this, exited the search on Mu Shaowu, and started playing a tile-matching game.

By the time he reached level 10, Mu Feng appeared in front of him again—this time to call him for dinner.

Ye Qingxi put down the tablet and followed him downstairs.

As Ye Qingxi descended the stairs and entered the dining room, he was surprised to find three people already seated there.

To the left of the main seat sat a handsome man who bore a striking resemblance to Mu Feng. His sharp eyebrows and eyes exuded an imposing aura. At this moment, he was gazing at Ye Qingxi with deep, dark eyes. This must be Mu Zheng.

On the right side of the main seat were a young man and a young woman, both sharing varying degrees of resemblance to Mu Feng. The girl, seated slightly farther away, idly twirled a lock of her long, ash-blonde curls around her finger. She tilted her head slightly, her delicate chin lifted, showcasing a side profile that was both beautiful and elegant.

The young man sitting beside her seemed even younger than she was. He was engrossed in his phone, his slender and well-defined fingers tapping lightly on the screen. His dark bangs hung low, partially covering his eyebrows, leaving only a glimpse of his high-bridged nose visible. Paired with the youthful energy radiating from him, he exuded an effortless charm.

Perhaps noticing the movement, both of them turned their heads simultaneously to look at him. Ye Qingxi met their gazes, guessing that they were likely Mu Shaoting and Mu Shaoyan.

Mu Feng led him to the seat beside the main chair and gestured for him to sit down.

“This is Xiao Xi,” he announced.

It wasn’t just a simple introduction—it was a confirmation. The use of “this is” rather than “this is someone” made it clear that Mu Feng had already mentioned Ye Qingxi to his children before.

After saying that, Mu Feng turned to Ye Qingxi and introduced, “These are my sons and daughter. You can call them Big Uncle, Little Aunt, and Little Uncle.”

Ye Qingxi nodded.

Looking at the big villain, the little villains, and the old villain beside him, he realized he had truly landed in a den of villains.

Now, all that was left was his cheap dad—the ultimate villain of the entire story, the villain among villains, the centerpiece of the villainous cast!

As soon as this thought crossed his mind, he heard the old villain beside him say, “Why isn’t Shaowu back yet?”

“The weather turned bad over there, a sudden downpour. His flight couldn’t take off, so he might have to wait until tomorrow,” Mu Zheng explained.

Upon hearing this, Mu Feng’s expression instantly darkened. “I told him yesterday that he must be back tonight! Can’t he put aside that messy work of his for once?!”

“What do you mean by ‘messy work’?” Mu Shaoting disagreed immediately. “Dad, I know you don’t think much of the entertainment industry, but Second Brother has been an actor for so many years. Can’t you at least show some respect for his profession?”

“I can’t.” Mu Feng was firm and unapologetic. “And you, don’t think I don’t know why you’re speaking up for him. When you start your senior year next year, you’re going straight to the company for an internship. Stop thinking about all that nonsense!”

“How is it nonsense? I like singing! What’s wrong with wanting to sing?!” Mu Shaoting glared at him in dissatisfaction.

Sitting beside her, Mu Shaoyan sighed in exasperation. “Can you just say less?”

She knew their father didn’t approve of this, yet she still insisted on arguing—wasn’t she just asking to be scolded?

“What does it have to do with you?! Just mind your own business and stop meddling in mine!” Mu Shaoting snapped back angrily.

“Who the hell cares about you? Fine, fine, go sing! Want me to get you a microphone?”

“Watch your mouth!” Mu Feng glared at Mu Shaoyan. “What do you mean ‘who the hell cares’? Who the hell is her mom?! Isn’t her mom also your mom?!”

Mu Shaoyan, “….”

Mu Shaoyan was speechless again. Fine, he shouldn’t have said anything in the first place.

“If you can’t speak properly, then don’t speak at all! If I hear you talk like that again, go kneel in front of your mother’s photo!” Mu Feng was still fuming.

“I’ll go kneel right now, how about that?!” Mu Shaoyan snapped back, his temper flaring.

As soon as the words fell, Mu Zheng, who had been silent the whole time, finally spoke up, “Sit down.”

But Mu Feng didn’t care, “Let him kneel! If he wants to kneel, then let him!”

Ye Qingxi, “……”

Ye Qingxi nodded silently in his heart. It’s great. It’s truly a family of villains. With the smoke of gunpowder and arguments, it feels like their family will soon come to an end.

When he is killed by the plot, I believe everyone will not be very sad.

Ye Qingxi was very satisfied. Originally, he was not a member of this family, and naturally did not need others to mourn his death.

Author’s Note:

Xiaoxi now: Very good, this family also looks unstable.

Xiaoxi later: Our family is super solid! No one is allowed to separate our loving family!

Other members of the Mu family: That’s right!

The Mu family is not a perfect family (this should be obvious). From Grandpa Mu to Mu Shaoyan, everyone has their own shortcomings. Therefore, they will grow up more or less and improve

their own minor flaws with the help of Xiaoxi

(Grandpa Mu: ??? Me? Sixty years old, growing up?

Xiaoxi: Yeah.

Grandpa Mu:……)

Of course, this is not a big problem, because no matter what their own shortcomings are, they are very good to Xiao Xi and love Xiao Xi very much~

The mini attacker Qin Cheng in this chapter is slightly exposed.

Qin Cheng……. Hehe