Rebirth: The Villainous Young Master in a Novel

Chapter 19: Extended Characters of the Novel World

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As the car drove into this European-style classical royal estate, Song Shicheng knew he was home. Once the car stopped, he pushed the door open and stepped out, surveying the surroundings.

Although it hadn’t been described in detail in the novel, the scale of this estate clearly matched the Song family’s wealth. Surrounded by lush trees and a tranquil environment, three buildings were arranged in a triangular layout. The two slightly shorter buildings on either side flanked the grand yet elegant main building in the center. In the middle of the flower bed stood a majestic stone lion, adding a sense of authority and grandeur to the entire estate.

Other facilities, such as gardens, an artificial lake, a swimming pool, and a tennis court, were all present. Song Shicheng didn’t have a concrete idea of the estate’s value, but he vaguely remembered seeing pictures of David Beckham’s mansion, which seemed somewhat similar. It was probably worth around 400 to 500 million yuan.

Thinking about how he would live in this luxurious estate and enjoy a high-quality life, Song Shicheng couldn’t help but sigh: Being a rich villain is so satisfying!

“Welcome home, Madam and Young Master!”

A group of servants and security guards had already lined up in front of the main building to welcome them. At a glance, there were at least twenty or thirty people!

As soon as Ji Jing got out of the car, she nodded toward a middle-aged man who seemed to be the butler and asked, “Ade, is everything ready?”

The butler quickly bowed and nodded, then waved his hand. A servant brought out an iron basin filled with talismanic papers and placed it on the ground, then lit the papers with a lighter.

“Step over the fire basin to ward off bad luck,” Ji Jing said to Song Shicheng with a smile.

Song Shicheng was both amused and exasperated. It seemed that wealthy people were quite superstitious, but he still obediently stepped over the fire basin.

However, as he watched Ji Jing, Ye Wensheng, and the others prepare to enter the house, he hesitated and said, “Mom, I’ve been cooped up in the hospital for so long. I’d like to take a walk outside and get some fresh air.”

Right now, he didn’t even know the layout of the house, let alone where his own room was. Even with the excuse of a concussion, forgetting such basic things would be too suspicious.

So, the safest approach was to let them go inside first, and then he could quietly find his way around later.

Ji Jing didn’t suspect anything and nodded. “That’s fine. The weather’s nice, and some activity will help your recovery. Your Uncle Ye and I have some matters to discuss anyway.”

Clearly, Ji Jing needed to figure out how to deal with Shen Guotao’s schemes.

After everyone went inside, a tall, burly man remained standing in place. Judging by his attire, he didn’t look like a servant or a security guard.

“Young Master, Hammer is here to apologize!”

The big man walked up to Song Shicheng, his face full of sincerity, and spoke in a deep, muffled voice.

**Hammer.**

Ah, right. He was Song Shicheng’s loyal thug.

Song Shicheng knew this guy was all brawn and no brains, so he wasn’t too worried about exposing himself. He raised his head and said arrogantly, “What are you apologizing for?”

“Hammer failed to protect you properly, causing you to get injured. I’ll accept any punishment you see fit, Young Master.”

Hammer, unaware that his master had been replaced, continued to apologize earnestly.

Song Shicheng knew Hammer’s combat skills were actually quite impressive. He remembered that Hammer was a freestyle fighting champion and a top-tier enforcer in the industry. Unfortunately, the martial arts skills he had given Ye Tian were even more overpowered, which led to the original Song Shicheng and Hammer being beaten up by Ye Tian.

During the fight in the hospital stairwell, Hammer had been knocked out cold, unable to protect Song Shicheng.

But what caught Song Shicheng’s attention was that Hammer hadn’t visited him during his entire hospital stay. He decided to test the waters. “Where have you been all this time?”

Hammer nodded and explained, “Madam scolded me for failing to protect you and punished me by making me stay home to take care of your dogs.”

**My dogs?**

Oh, right. The original Song Shicheng occasionally used his dogs to intimidate or attack people.

Coming back to his senses, Song Shicheng took another look at Hammer. Since he was going to play the role of a villainous young master, he needed some loyal lackeys by his side. Hammer, with his unwavering loyalty and simple-mindedness, seemed like a good choice. Most importantly, Hammer wouldn’t ask too many questions, making it easier for Song Shicheng to gather information about his current environment.

“Alright, I’ll talk to my mom. From now on, you’ll continue to follow me.”

Song Shicheng’s words immediately brought a smile to Hammer’s face, and he eagerly expressed his gratitude and loyalty.

“Now, take me around the estate. I also want to see my beloved dogs.”

Song Shicheng gave the order, but as soon as he took a step, Hammer instinctively followed behind him, forcing Song Shicheng to abandon the idea of having Hammer lead the way.

Fortunately, the estate wasn’t too large. After wandering aimlessly for a while, Song Shicheng heard fierce barking coming from deep within the garden.

Walking around a flower trellis, he saw a row of dog kennels lined up by the fence. Various dogs were rolling around and resting on the enclosed green lawn. There were Border Collies, German Shepherds, Golden Retrievers, Alaskan Malamutes, and more—mostly large breeds. However, the most imposing and ferocious was the Caucasian Shepherd locked in an iron cage. Even though it was dozing with its head down, none of the other dogs dared to approach, as if that area was its exclusive territory.

When the Caucasian Shepherd heard footsteps, its eyelids twitched. As soon as it saw Song Shicheng, it jumped up and let out two fierce barks.

The other dogs also ran over, wagging their tails and barking affectionately. It was clear they had been well-trained.

Song Shicheng played with them for a while, but then he noticed the Caucasian Shepherd limping around in its cage. Upon closer inspection, he saw that its right hind leg was bandaged.

“What happened to this dog?” Song Shicheng frowned. Looking more carefully, he noticed that some of the dog’s fur had been torn off.

“Young Master, a while ago, Cousin Young Master brought a Tibetan Mastiff over and insisted on having it fight with Big A. That’s how Big A got injured,” Hammer muttered guiltily, even slapping himself in the face. “It’s Hammer’s fault for embarrassing you, Young Master.”

“Enough with the self-punishment. I’m not blaming you.”

Song Shicheng waved his hand impatiently, finding this extreme subservience a bit hard to stomach.

However, Hammer’s words revealed some useful information.

For example, the Caucasian Shepherd was named Big A, and by extension, the other dogs were probably named Big B, Big C, and so on.

Additionally, the cousin who had brought the Tibetan Mastiff to challenge his dog and caused the injury clearly didn’t have a good relationship with him. Hammer’s mention of “embarrassing” him suggested there was some rivalry.

But Song Shicheng couldn’t recall writing about any relatives of the Song family in the novel. Could this be a character automatically extended by the novel world?

After all, this was now a real world. Not only did many minor characters have vibrant lives, but some characters who had never been mentioned in the novel might also start appearing around him.

As Song Shicheng was lost in thought, a low, menacing growl came from behind him, accompanied by a mocking male voice:

“My dear cousin, you’re finally back. You have no idea how boring it’s been walking the dogs without you around.”