Chapter 01
Lin Yan
Lead-gray clouds churned.
Someone had cut the power to the abandoned warehouse. It was pitch-dark. For a few brief breaths, the white flashes brought by lightning barely shone through the windows, illuminating the scene inside.
Dust-covered cabinets, stacked wooden crates, and a mess of sports equipment. On an unmarked phone screen, Aurora Academy’s promotional video was playing.
The church was in Gothic style, with stained glass windows and soaring spires. Numerous relief sculptures were carved upon it, the most eye-catching being a statue of the Virgin Mary, holding a Bible, gentle and compassionate.
“Aurora Academy is located in the suburbs of New Rosuda State. With complete teaching facilities, for hundreds of years it has delivered a large number of top talents to the Federation in various industries… Our school has always upheld the motto of peace and friendship, unity and mutual assistance…”
Lin Yan was burning with a high fever. The wound on his forehead throbbed faintly. Propping himself up against the wall with his elbow, he sat in the corner, his gaze resting on the promotional video while sorting through the chaotic clues in his mind, taking a brief rest.
This was his first day in this world.
The original owner of this body was likely already dead. The cause of death was that a few hours ago, someone had smashed a hole into his head—no bandaging, no stitches, blood still flowing down.
His top priority now was to go to the hospital.
But the warehouse door was locked.
Lin Yan had tried to open it, only to hear bursts of laughter—there were people outside, but they had no intention of opening the door for the original owner. He had likely been subjected to some kind of bullying.
The wound on this body had gone untreated for too long. After Lin Yan took over, a high fever set in.
His limbs were so heavy he could barely lift them. The moment he closed his eyes, he could fall into deep sleep. Heat surged upward, making his eyelids red and dizzy.
Lin Yan flipped through the original owner’s phone.
There were very few contacts, but the notes were uniquely styled—“Fake kind rich guy who might have money… Vicious idiot noble A, Gossiping long-tongued man at the village entrance F… Two freeloaders who give money.”
Even a dog on the street would get cursed by the original owner.
Lin Yan’s headache worsened. Silently, he closed the phone.
No clues at all.
No emergency calls. No emergency contacts.
High fever, blood loss, low nighttime temperature.
An icy chill coursed through Lin Yan’s body.
His head spun violently, signaling that his body was at its limit. He needed to get to the hospital immediately.
There was still a window in the warehouse.
Lin Yan checked the map of Aurora Academy.
After breaking the window, crossing the cedar forest, passing the Gothic church, and turning past two dormitory buildings, he could reach the campus hospital.
After planning his steps, Lin Yan closed his eyes to gather strength. But his body had reached its breaking point. He slipped into a light, false sleep—and even dreamed.
The dream’s scenes were bizarre and dazzling.
Blotches of color finally settled on a gold-edged book with a quill pen. The pages slowly opened.
This world was a cliché, unfinished aristocratic academy novel. The story unfolded from the perspective of the protagonist shou, Mu Lan. Abandoned by his parents at a young age, Mu Lan was an orphan. With outstanding grades, he was admitted to Aurora Academy.
Mu Lan was kind-hearted and charismatic. Upon entering Aurora Academy, he quickly gained a group of followers. It was not until he witnessed the tragic state of other special-admission students being bullied by nobles that he realized everything in the academy was strictly hierarchical and orderly, with no fairness or justice.
Mu Lan could not believe that the classmates at the top academy were so vile. Summoning his courage, he angrily rebuked the bullies. His vivid, pitiful appearance caught the attention of the “heavenly dragons” of the noble academy. After continuous tension and confrontation, the heavenly dragons were gradually attracted to Mu Lan.
But Mu Lan had a boyfriend.
His boyfriend was also a top student, though his grades were mediocre. He was shorter than Mu Lan, wore black-framed glasses all year round, dull and pale, gloomy and unlikable. After provoking the F4, he was bullied by the entire school.
And that boyfriend’s name was… Lin Yan.
Wait.
Lin Yan?!
Lin Yan jolted awake.
The gale pounded against the windows with loud bangs. Rain and mist poured down, covering all of Aurora Academy. The cedar forest became quiet and deep. There was no movement outside the warehouse door.
But the door was still locked.
Lin Yan stood up silently. He grabbed a pair of pliers from a cabinet and skillfully pried open the window. The northern wind smashed against his face. Unconsciously lowering his eyes, he pressed both palms against the window frame.
Thunder roared in the distance. Birds scattered in fright, flapping their wings as if gasping for breath. One finally perched on a branch with a single leg, its black-bean eyes warily staring at the snowman not far away.
The snowman was framed within the vertical window. Behind him was messy “garbage.” He held his eyelids open, black hair and red lips. He seemed feverish; heat reddened the corners of his eyes. His damp black hair made his skin look even paler. In his pitch-black pupils were reflected two small figures.
A very soft swallowing sound.
The bird stood still, straightening slowly, even grooming its damp tail feathers.
A hesitant voice suddenly interrupted.
“…Ge?”
The wind abruptly stopped.
The newcomer occupied most of the window. Wearing Aurora Academy’s uniform, black hair and green eyes, with a clean and delicate face, timid. As if noticing Lin Yan’s gaze, he gently curved his eyes, carrying just the right amount of surprise and worry.
According to the original owner’s phone memo, everyone in the world was a villain. It provided Lin Yan no clues about the person before him. Lin Yan silently looked at the tears in the other’s eyes and did not speak.
Mu Lan averted his gaze first. Stubbornly wiping his cheek, his voice carried a sob:
“Sorry, Ge. Teacher Aikela asked me to help with a chemistry experiment. After finishing, a few classmates insisted I attend a birthday party. I couldn’t refuse, so I was delayed for a few hours. I’m sorry, Ge. I didn’t expect them to go this far… If I hadn’t been delayed, you wouldn’t have been hurt. It’s all my fault, Ge.”
As Mu Lan spoke, he reached to hold Lin Yan’s hand. Lin Yan quietly avoided him, listening to Mu Lan’s continuous apologies.
Lin Yan’s head was dizzy. He did not really hear Mu Lan clearly.
But he felt he should be going to the hospital, not listening to someone cry at his grave.
Just as Lin Yan was about to speak, he heard the scraping of crude chains. Forcing his heavy eyelids open, he looked over.
The abandoned warehouse of Aurora Academy was built in medieval stone architecture. The extended eaves formed a natural shelter from the rain.
The cedar forest swayed eerily in the wind. Footsteps approached along with the clattering of rough chains. The broken lightbulb flickered dimly, like a signal of ghosts arriving in a horror film.
The light was too dim for Lin Yan to see clearly. He could only make out a group of tall classmates in Aurora Academy uniforms. The leader’s face was unclear—a head of pink hair, several buttons undone, revealing a large expanse of chest. A rose waist chain hung loosely at his waist as he thoughtfully examined the two.
Lin Yan lowered his eyes dizzily.
The pink-haired boy glanced at Lin Yan disdainfully, clicked his tongue, and said arrogantly, “Yo, the lover came so fast?”
Mu Lan raised his voice angrily. “Vidi, even if we’re special-admission students, we’re still students of Aurora Academy. What lover? Can’t you speak properly? And why did you smash a vase on Lin Yan’s head and lock him in the warehouse?”
Pushing. Laughter.
Someone sneered, “Commoners still dreaming of being in the same class as us.”
Too noisy.
Lin Yan felt his fever worsen. His head felt filled with lead. His forehead throbbed again. Amid the nonsense, his mind automatically extracted key points—the wound on his forehead and being locked in the warehouse were both intentional acts by this person.
Fragments flashed through his mind.
Missing homework. Desks painted with clowns. The smell of dead rats. The despair of being locked in a restroom. Mocking laughter. Finally, the pain of having his head smashed open.
Through the blood, Lin Yan saw clearly the face of the pink-haired boy.
Vidi scratched his head impatiently. Since his cousin seemed interested in Mu Lan, he casually responded to Mu Lan and turned his focus to Lin Yan, eyes full of condescension.
“Lin Yan, not saying anything? Going to hide like a turtle again?”
The shadows behind him laughed in unison.
Vidi sneered. “Someone like you—cowardly and weak. Calling you a rat would dirty the word rat.”
He spread his legs and laughed strangely. “Lin Yan, why don’t you crawl under my crotch? I’ll spare you this time…”
The others spread their legs too.
Laughter echoed endlessly.
After Vidi finished speaking, a cold voice sounded. Its owner seemed to be confirming something, clear and crisp:
“It was you who hit… Lin Yan’s head and locked me in the warehouse?”
The voice was like frost and snow smashing into Vidi’s ears—cold, icy. He shivered.
For a moment, he couldn’t speak.
Lin Yan lifted his head. Blood flowed from his forehead down his pale face, leaving shocking streaks. His pitch-black pupils stared at Vidi unmoving, like an evil ghost crawling out of hell.
Vidi swallowed his curse back for some reason, suppressing the strange emotion rising within him.
“So what if it was me?”
The lights flickered.
Lin Yan, who had been by the window, suddenly appeared among the bullies like a ghost. With agile movements, he struck the unprepared boys.
Startled, they instinctively fought back.
Battle-hardened, Lin Yan moved in a seamless series of actions, effortlessly knocking them to the ground.
Vidi stood among them, shocked. Lin Yan targeted him precisely. After knocking down several boys, he delivered a ruthless, accurate kick to Vidi’s knee.
The sound of a kneecap dislocating rang out.
Vidi’s legs buckled.
Expressionless, Lin Yan grabbed Vidi’s hair. Ignoring his curses and struggles, he stepped on Vidi’s calf and yanked the chain at his waist.
Vidi struggled and cursed loudly.
Skilled at fighting while injured, Lin Yan restrained him with technique. He ripped off the rose waist chain and skillfully bound Vidi’s wrists.
The cold chain slid across Vidi’s chest, tightening around his neck.
Like a dog collared by Lin Yan.
Unable to break free from Lin Yan’s strange strength, Vidi cursed furiously.
Irritated, Lin Yan stuffed the last segment of chain forcefully into Vidi’s mouth.
“Lover? Using that word,” Lin Yan tugged the golden waist chain, voice cold. “Are you a dog?”
Vidi knelt on both knees, forced to lift his head. Red marks formed on his throat. After a brief suffocation, he roared, “Lin Yan! I won’t let you off!”
The boys on the ground scrambled up. “Lin Yan, are you crazy? Do you know who Vidi is? Who are you? A special-admission student dares hit the Foreign Minister’s son? The Vidi family won’t let you go!”
With a loud bang—
Lin Yan grabbed Vidi’s head and smashed his forehead against the wall.
Scarlet blood flowed from Vidi’s forehead.
The exact same spot where Lin Yan had been hit.
Vidi trembled with rage. Dizzy from blood loss, he glared at Lin Yan, teeth gritted, a drop of blood at his lips.
“Lin Yan! Pray you never fall into my hands!”
He spoke too fast and swallowed the blood.
Disgusted, he nearly gagged—but his eyes caught the pale palm of Lin Yan. A drop of blood slid down Lin Yan’s fair hand and landed on his face.
It was Lin Yan’s… blood.
What he had just swallowed… was Lin Yan’s blood.
Thump thump thump.
Vidi swallowed involuntarily. Before he could speak, his head was slammed against the wall again.
Humiliation overwhelmed the dizziness.
He heard Lin Yan’s indifferent voice:
“Clear-headed now?”
Lin Yan tugged the chain like pulling a dog. Forced to raise his head, the loose chain struck Vidi’s handsome face.
Looking down, Lin Yan examined the blood and red marks—just like what the original owner had suffered.
Humiliation. Dizziness.
Vidi had never been so disgraced. His heart pounded wildly. With blood at the corner of his eye, he screamed at the boys, “Are you fucking blind?!”
Bruised and battered, they tried to stop Lin Yan.
Lin Yan dragged Vidi away by the chain and smashed his head against the wall again without mercy.
Pain. Blood. Dizziness. Chaos.
Lin Yan seemed unable to see or hear anything. Tugging the chain at Vidi’s neck, eyes lowered:
“Clear-headed now?”
He was so close.
His dark eyelashes nearly brushed Vidi’s nose.
Vidi trembled all over. His heart pounded violently. His body went limp, unable to resist—under the suspension bridge effect, he lost the ability to speak.
Lin Yan looked at Vidi’s dazed eyes. Once certain he had no strength to resist, he released him and kicked him hard.
“Get lost.”
The boys hesitated to approach.
Vidi tore off the chain from his neck, gripping it tightly. Swallowing the blood in his mouth, he glared threateningly at the boys. They understood and hurriedly supported him.
A faint light brightened in Mu Lan’s eyes. Pressing his racing heart, he stared strangely at Lin Yan’s back.
The fever worsened.
Expressionless, Lin Yan turned and walked away. Passing Mu Lan, he didn’t even look at him.
Mu Lan, stunned and pained, looked at Lin Yan with unfamiliar fear. Summoning courage, worried and upset, he said:
“Ge, from now on at the academy, stay close to me at all times. Vidi’s like a mad dog. I heard he forced a student to withdraw before. These nobles are disgusting. After suffering such a big loss, he’ll definitely find a way to target you… Forget it, let’s not talk about that. Ge, are you okay? Since when did you have such good fighting skills…”
As Mu Lan anxiously continued, Lin Yan glanced at him.
Mu Lan straightened, lowered his lashes, delicate and pitiful like a little white flower. Carefully, he said:
“Ge, I’ll take you to the campus hospital…”
Lin Yan avoided his hand.
He had no time to guess Mu Lan’s thoughts. Without leaving any room for emotion, he said coldly:
“You get lost too.”
