Shen Lei used to have everything.At nineteen, he was the boy every student on campus envied. Handsome, wealthy, confident—the kind of young man who drew attention the moment he stepped into a classroom or walked across the courtyard. Professors smiled when they saw him, not just because he was intelligent, but because he carried himself like someone destined for success. His peers whispered about his charm and the expensive car he parked in front of the university gates. Girls blushed when he passed, while boys looked at him with a mixture of admiration and jealousy.
Yet, all of it collapsed like a house of cards.
It began with death.
His grandfather, Shen Tiansheng, the man who had raised him after his parents' tragic car accident, suddenly passed away. The news had struck him like a blade to the heart. His parents' loss years ago had left a scar, but his grandfather's death left an emptiness far deeper. His grandfather wasn't just a caretaker—he had been a mentor, a father figure, and the last thread tying Shen Lei to the family he once had.
When his parents died, people had gathered to offer empty words of sympathy. But when his grandfather's funeral came, the crowd was thinner, the condolences colder. By then, most people had already seen the writing on the wall: without his family's fortune backing him, Shen Lei's once gilded life was unraveling.
The inheritance, they all thought, would never reach him.
And they were right—at first. Lawyers came with documents and debts. Accounts froze, relatives squabbled over assets, and business partners pulled away. By the time the dust settled, Shen Lei was left with little more than his clothes, his tuition bills, and the fading memories of a life he had once taken for granted.
The fall from grace was brutal.
He remembered the day Wang Xinyi left him vividly.
She had been the campus queen—long black hair like silk, bright eyes that shone beneath the sun, and a smile that had made him believe in tomorrow. Their relationship had been the envy of many. When the two walked hand in hand across the university grounds, they looked like a prince and princess out of a fairy tale.
But fairy tales were fragile.
"Sorry, Shen Lei," she said one evening, her voice trembling though her eyes betrayed none of the sadness her words suggested. "We can't continue this. You… you can't give me the life I wanted."
They had been sitting at the café just outside the campus gates. Students whispered from nearby tables, some pretending to sip coffee while they eagerly waited for the drama to unfold. Xinyi's friends lingered by the window, watching her with approving nods, already eager to drag her toward some richer prospect.
Shen Lei had stared at her for a long time, the café's neon lights reflecting in his eyes. His chest felt tight, but his face remained calm.
"Okay," he said coldly. His lips curved into the faintest of smiles, though his heart felt like it was shattering. "I understand."
Xinyi's eyes flickered, as if part of her had expected him to beg, to plead, to remind her of the things they had once shared. But Shen Lei did no such thing. He stood, his chair scraping against the tiled floor, and walked out into the night.
Behind him, she called his name once, then twice, but he didn't look back. He had already realized the truth: she had been with him for the fame, the cars, the expensive dinners, the attention. Love, if it had ever existed between them, had already been sold to the highest bidder.
He dropped out soon after.
There was no point in clinging to a campus that had once cheered for him only to whisper behind his back now. Once he had been the pride of the university; now, he was the cautionary tale. "Don't be like Shen Lei," they whispered. "Rich one day, ruined the next."
And so, he left.
But fate was not done with him.
When he arrived at his grandfather's secondary residence, a place he had never visited before, he was stunned. Nestled behind tall gates on the edge of the city, the property stretched like a private kingdom.
The gate creaked as he pushed it open, revealing a long private road lined with trimmed hedges and glowing lanterns. At the end stood a villa—no, a mansion—its walls painted a pristine white, its windows reflecting the golden hue of the setting sun. He paused, breath caught in his throat.
"Woah…" he muttered, stepping through as though afraid the image before him would dissolve if he moved too quickly.
The garage alone was enough to make his heart race. Inside, lined in perfect rows, were cars he had only seen in glossy magazines: sleek exotics, roaring sports cars, and luxury vehicles that whispered of extravagance. His grandfather had never spoken of this place, never boasted of his hidden wealth. They had lived humbly in the city, in a home that spoke of dignity rather than excess. Why had he kept this villa a secret?
The mansion's entrance loomed ahead. The doors were tall and imposing, carved with intricate designs that seemed to shimmer faintly under the light. His hand trembled slightly as he pushed them open.
Inside, the house was a world of its own. Six bedrooms, each designed with meticulous care, three master suites that overlooked the city through tall glass panes, and a grand office whose wide desk faced an entire wall of windows. The view stretched endlessly—skyscrapers glittering in the distance, streets alive with movement, the pulse of a city that never slept.
But the most startling discovery waited in the kitchen.
On the counter lay a folded note, its envelope sealed with a crest Shen Lei had never seen before. His fingers brushed the wax, and for a brief moment he hesitated, as though opening it would change his life forever. Finally, he broke the seal and unfolded the letter.
The handwriting was elegant, steady, the kind that spoke of experience and dignity.
Dear Shen Lei,
As you read this letter, I will already be gone. I wrote this to leave behind what I cannot take with me to heaven. There are truths you must know, truths I kept from you until now.
I was once the strongest hero in another world. They called me the Light Emperor. Your grandmother—whom you never met—was the Dark Emperor. Together, we defeated the Demon God and ended the great war that ravaged that world.
But peace does not last forever. Knowing this, we created a portal—a bridge between this world and that one. Through it, we could watch over both realms, though we chose to live our days quietly here.
That portal still exists, hidden within this villa. As my heir, you may come and go as you please. On the other side, you will find a mansion styled in the ways of the medieval age, where my legacy rests. Take my crest and declare yourself as the grandson of the Light Emperor. The people will recognize you, and the world will open its gates to you.
Carry this inheritance with pride. The choice is yours, my grandson. Will you live quietly in this world… or carve your path anew in another?
God bless,
Your Grandfather,Shen Tiansheng
Shen Lei stared at the letter for a long time, his mind reeling.
His grandfather… a hero? His grandmother, a Dark Emperor? A portal to another world? It sounded absurd, like something out of the web novels he had once read on sleepless nights. And yet, standing in this villa, surrounded by impossible wealth, staring at a crest that seemed to pulse faintly with light, he could not bring himself to dismiss it.
He clutched the note tighter, heart pounding in his chest.
For the first time since his grandfather's death, since his fall from grace, since the betrayal of Wang Xinyi, Shen Lei felt something he had thought lost forever.
Hope.
And maybe, just maybe… destiny.