My name is Chan Chen Lyan.
Today is my thirtieth birthday.
And guess what? I took the day off from work—
Because I got fired.
Yeah. Fired.
Why? All because of that damn assistant manager.
He embezzled money from the company accounts, but somehow twisted everything and pinned it on me.
He fabricated documents and presented fake evidence to the director, saying I was the one who doctored the numbers.
It didn't stop there.
Turns out some of my closest colleagues—my so-called friends—were siding with him all along.
They stabbed me in the back.
Not literally, of course.
But damn... it hurt just the same.
Like a dagger straight through the spine.
Just as I was wallowing in that pain, my phone rang.
It was my girlfriend.
She told me to meet her at the café we usually hung out at.
So I ran.
Ran like I still had something to hope for.
When I arrived and walked up to her, she didn't even smile.
Instead, she said coldly,
"Why are you late again, Chan Chen Lyan? You're always late. I'm done. My brother's already on his way to pick me up."
And then she turned her face away and muttered under her breath—
"I'm getting married… to Min Shan."
She walked out without waiting for my response.
What was I supposed to say?
What could I possibly do?
The truth was, there was nothing left to do.
Nothing I could say that would fix any of it.
Was it heartbreak?
Or the humiliation from getting fired?
I couldn't tell.
All I knew was that my chest felt like it was caving in.
I had studied so hard in school.
Fought tooth and nail to get into a good university.
Worked my ass off to land a decent job.
And now, it was all… gone.
Everything I tried so hard to build just collapsed in front of me.
I wandered the streets like a loser, dragging my feet to a convenience store.
I bought some instant noodles, a few snacks, and a bottle of beer.
Then I walked back to my apartment in silence.
With each step, I kept muttering to myself:
"It's not fair… It's not fair…"
I locked myself up like a crab hiding inside its shell.
Lost, broken, and aimless.
Eventually, I stopped walking.
And at that very moment, I made a decision.
"Screw it. From now on, I'll do whatever the hell I want."
I took a big gulp of beer, laughed like a maniac, and stumbled back to my apartment.
I passed out not long after.
---
The next morning, I woke up groggy, washed my face, and remembered the decision I'd made.
So I went out and bought a full PC set.
Then spent the rest of the day setting it up.
Once everything was ready, I started playing a game—
"Qing Emperor."
I didn't stop.
Day and night blurred together as I drowned myself in the world of that game.
And after exactly one week…
I beat it.
A surge of pride washed over me.
That feeling of "I did it"—
Yeah, it was real.
Then I thought, What should I play next?
As I was reaching for my water bottle, a sharp pain shot through my head.
My vision went completely black.
---
Somewhere far away…
"Has the prince still not regained his memories?"
"Your Excellency, what shall we do? Should we begin the ritual to awaken the Divine Emissary?"
"Winter is already upon us. If we delay further, it might be too late."
"The warlords are restless. The realm awaits your command, My Lord."
And just then, someone whispers:
"We all know who the real Assassin is Queen."