Chapter 07
Lunch
When Lin Yan was finally able to see the text on the official website, he immediately searched through the information there.
Aurora was founded during the Empire’s rule. It was famous for its iron-blooded methods and was known as the “Little Imperial Military Academy” that selected fresh blood for the imperial royal family.
In the post-war era, Aurora graduates became the backbone of the army. When the Federation was first established, Aurora supplied it with a large number of military strategists, scientists, writers, and politicians.
From then on, Aurora leapt to become the best public academy in the Federation.
Other academies gave Aurora very poor evaluations.
The word “invasion” was born alongside Aurora.
But Aurora did not acknowledge such slander.
Aurora was named after the goddess of dawn in ancient Roman mythology, and its school emblem was the purple bauhinia symbolizing the Federation’s peace. Aurora upheld comprehensive humanitarian principles.
【Food on campus is inexpensive, with breakfast, lunch, and dinner all under ten Federation coins. The school hospital provides free treatment for all students. Special excellent students are exempt from the first year’s school selection fee after enrollment. The top twenty percent of special excellent students in the entire school are exempt from the second year’s selection fee, and this cycles continuously.
In short, within Aurora, gifted and diligent special excellent students need not worry about anything.
Aurora has almost no students who withdraw or transfer.
Students with mental disorders or damaged health will withdraw on their own—other public academies will not accept such students either.
Only students whose academic ranking in the previous year was within the top five percent of the entire school will have transfer procedures issued by Aurora’s principal personally, along with a handwritten letter of recommendation.】
——Excerpt from The Book of Aurora
Lin Yan silently opened the previous year’s academic results of the original owner.
Top sixty percent.
Very good. The withdrawal route was blocked.
Lin Yan’s head buzzed.
The original owner had an 8 a.m. class today—Biology.
Professor Eva of Biology was a very charming lady. No matter wind or rain, she wore her golden big wavy curls loose, heavy makeup year-round, and a form-fitting long dress that showed off her curves. A light-colored ribbon was tied at her neck, and her ten-centimeter high heels made powerful sounds when she walked. What she hated most was lateness.
When Lin Yan stepped into the classroom—
The bell had not yet rung.
He casually found a seat by the window. While tidying his desk, he noticed a classmate standing beside the adjacent seat, with a not-too-thick book placed on the desk.
It seemed that in an instant, many figures flooded into the classroom.
The scraping of chairs and footsteps quickly fell silent.
A subtle atmosphere spread through the classroom. Lin Yan paused in tidying his desk and looked coldly at the red-haired boy.
Lin Yan prepared to change seats.
But he suddenly realized the classroom was full—this was not normal. There were only forty students in Biology class; it was impossible for all eighty seats to be filled.
Serious classmates were racing against time to preview the textbook. Nervous classmates carefully organized the books on their desks. Classmates with ingratiating expressions hurriedly wiped the desks and chairs beside others.
The Biology classroom was arranged according to family background.
Most of the students in the same class as the original owner were special excellent students, with a small portion being low-ranking nobles.
They also needed learning opportunities.
Lin Yan lowered his eyes and sat back down.
Fragments of sunlight passed through the frosted glass, gently covering Lin Yan’s face. His cold white skin seemed to carry a layer of warm light.
Leslie was momentarily distracted. His Adam’s apple moved as he swallowed, and he spoke with a hint of complaint: “Why didn’t you come to the invitation I sent you yesterday?”
Leslie had prepared himself for Lin Yan to ignore him, yet he saw Lin Yan glance at him. Leslie immediately straightened his body. His carefully groomed red hair drooped pitifully, and his breathing unconsciously tightened.
Perhaps the sunlight was too warm, the temperature too hot.
Leslie clearly heard the sound of his own heartbeat. His face flushed and his body heated—uncomfortable but not fatal.
The wound on his face had already healed, yet whenever he thought of Lin Yan, there was a faint itch. Leslie thought seeing Lin Yan would ease it, but when their eyes met, he only felt the corners of his eyes, his skin, even his entire body faintly itching.
The itch seeped into his limbs and bones; he even felt his skeleton trembling.
During this period, Lin Yan had received many invitation letters.
After he gained control of his consciousness, he had not attended a single banquet.
He turned his head to look at Leslie. A trace of ridicule flashed through his eyes as he asked coldly, “You invited me, so I must go?”
Leslie had been flattered all year round. The greatest setback he had encountered so far was this cold and hard stone called Lin Yan—unchanged by wind, rain, or gentle breezes.
He swallowed and was just about to speak—
When he saw Lin Yan look at him and press a finger to his lips in a gesture.
Shh.
Those pitch-black pupils clearly reflected his own face—red hair hanging down, pitiful expression. Leslie unconsciously nodded, his mind dazed.
He remained dazed for a long time.
He had come to trouble Lin Yan. What was he doing?
It wasn’t until the sound of high heels fell by his ear—
That Leslie realized—
Class had started.
He had thought Lin Yan was looking at him.
Lin Yan did not notice the daze of the person beside him. He was listening attentively. Fortunately, he had some foundation in Biology—at least he could understand the professor’s lecture, occasionally writing notes beside the textbook.
Leslie, having come back to his senses, kept glancing at Lin Yan.
And from time to time at Lin Yan’s notes.
The handwriting was clear and well organized.
There were only two Biology classes today.
Having barely slept through the night, Lin Yan followed the professor’s train of thought, but his brain could no longer function. Even his expression seemed to lag. As soon as class ended, he lay down on the desk to catch up on sleep.
When Lin Yan woke up, the sun was already high in the sky.
As he was about to get up, he found Leslie still sitting there watching him.
Lin Yan looked at Leslie impatiently, his face expressionless, appearing cold and calm.
Leslie’s face flushed red. He awkwardly touched his nose.
He thought that next time he would definitely find trouble with Lin Yan.
Suddenly, Leslie took out the still-warm meal from his drawer and placed it beside Lin Yan, blurting out, “Are you going to eat?”
Lin Yan silently looked at the steam rising from the lunchbox.
Leslie looked at Lin Yan’s slightly lowered lips.
He thought he would definitely find trouble with Lin Yan next time, yet his mouth kept moving: “I don’t know what you like to eat. There’s foie gras with orange salad, grilled lobster, steak, and caramel pudding… Take a look. If you don’t like it, I’ll call—”
Hearing him list dishes like reciting a menu, Lin Yan suddenly interrupted, “Have you eaten?”
Leslie answered subconsciously, “…Not yet…”
Lin Yan did not take the lunchbox from Leslie. He placed the bread from his shoulder bag onto Leslie’s desk, stood up, and left. His voice was very light: “Thank you.”
A very simple piece of bread, in ugly packaging.
Leslie stood up half a beat late, his mind in a mess. The thought of definitely troubling Lin Yan next time stalled for a moment. He gripped the edge of the bag and asked softly in a daze:
“Lin Yan, where are you going?”
Lin Yan did not want to speak. He carried his shoulder bag and walked out of the classroom.
Leslie felt both annoyed and embarrassed. Subconsciously, he wanted to throw the bread into the trash can, but he tightly held onto it instead. His restless mood finally calmed a little.
He thought that next time he would definitely grind down Lin Yan’s sharpness.
.
When Lin Yan returned to the dormitory, he ran into Mu Lan.
Around them was a parasol tree forest.
Mu Lan was not wearing Aurora’s uniform. He wore only a dark gray sweater with deep blue accents and a high collar. His elbow rested on the railing. His black hair was blown fluffy by the wind, and the lines of his profile were gentle.
Lin Yan tried to detour.
But Mu Lan seemed to have eyes on his back. He turned around accurately, his slightly almond-shaped eyes full of smiles, his voice gentle: “Ge, I’ve been waiting for you.”
Lin Yan did not want to speak much. He was still sleepy, and many chaotic images flashed through his mind. His face grew even more expressionless as he coldly stared at Mu Lan, signaling him to speak if he had something to say.
Mu Lan approached Lin Yan. His expression was dejected, but he quickly forced a smile. “Ge, do you still have Federation coins? If not, I can transfer some to you. Didn’t you say you liked a piece of clothing from the spring brand? I won first place in the chemistry competition. The prize money is ten thousand Federation coins—just enough to buy that outfit…”
As he spoke, he was about to take out his phone to transfer the money.
Lin Yan grew sleepier; his mind could barely turn. He forced a cold expression on his face.
He reached out to press down Mu Lan’s phone. His expression became even colder, as if he were about to hit someone.
“No need. Don’t transfer money to me in the future.”
Mu Lan’s gaze flickered. He subtly avoided Lin Yan’s hand.
Lin Yan withdrew his hand even faster.
Mu Lan saw a flash of snow-white.
He tugged at his sweater collar.
Lin Yan thought he had finished speaking and stepped forward to leave, but then heard Mu Lan ask tentatively, “Ge, did class go smoothly today?”
Lin Yan lifted his eyelids and glanced at him. “Anything else?”
He looked as if he would leave at any moment.
But Mu Lan seemed not to notice, his tone light. “Nothing. Let’s walk together. Ge, did your dorm change into a single room? Can I sleep with you tonight?”
Lin Yan’s whole body shook. His drowsiness was instantly frightened away. He looked at Mu Lan irritably and asked coldly, “What exactly do you want?”
Mu Lan’s eyes reddened. “Ge, back then when I saved you, you said you would repay me for a lifetime. Could it be that you’re already tired of me so quickly?”
The relationship between the original owner and Mu Lan had indeed begun with a hero saving the beauty.
A very cliché story.
The original owner gambled and owed a large sum of money to the casino.
Debt collectors wanted to beat him to death.
Mu Lan appeared out of nowhere and saved him.
The original owner only saw a patch of green and a vague outline of a face before fainting. When he woke up again, he was already lying in a small clinic, with Mu Lan standing beside him assisting the doctor.
The original owner’s memory was very blurry.
Lin Yan did not quite understand how the two developed into a boyfriend relationship. After he transmigrated into the book, his energy was poor. He was drowsy, exhaustion sweeping over him, with no energy to listen to Mu Lan. He simply stated a fact:
“We broke up.”
Mu Lan’s eyes grew redder. “I never agreed to that, Ge.”
As he spoke, Mu Lan moved closer to Lin Yan, pressing against him. His voice became soft, carrying its own logic: “Ge, I know you don’t want to implicate me because of the red card matter, but it’s okay. We were always one, weren’t we…”
The wind grew stronger, the shadows of the trees swaying.
Even Mu Lan’s voice became faint and eerie.
Lin Yan only felt as if all the exposed skin on his body had been licked once. He shuddered unintentionally, his face turning colder.
As Mu Lan drew nearer—
Lin Yan finally realized that Mu Lan was taller than him.
Lin Yan withdrew the hand that had been pressing on Mu Lan’s shoulder and accurately kicked at Mu Lan’s knee, flipping him onto the ground.
“We’re breaking up. Stop pestering me.”
Caught off guard, Mu Lan dropped to one knee.
He lowered his head, his expression unreadable.
From the parasol tree forest came rustling sounds, as if some kind of reptile was angrily moving through the fallen leaves.
Lin Yan turned back warily.
He saw only overlapping tree shadows.
Lin Yan stepped back cautiously and glanced coldly at the kneeling Mu Lan. Having long lacked sleep, a layer of red surfaced beneath his eyelids. His face showed no expression as he reflexively shielded Mu Lan behind him.
His body tensed as he extended his hand. “Get up first. Something’s not right.”
A pale, slender hand.
Because of its owner’s tension, blue veins surfaced on the cold white back of his hand, like green branches in snow, spreading deeper.
No one was nearby.
Mu Lan stared straight at that hand. He seemed to temporarily forget his cleanliness obsession, his gaze lingering on those green branches in snow.
Would his blood taste good?
The sound of a large reptile brushing past seemed like Lin Yan’s illusion.
Lin Yan frowned, vigilantly staring into the depths of the parasol forest. Suddenly, his palm sank, as if something slick had entwined around his fingertips and the back of his hand, biting at his veins.
Lin Yan’s whole body went numb. He instinctively looked over.
He saw Mu Lan kneeling on the ground, solemn as a child, holding three of his finger joints. As if sensing Lin Yan’s gaze, he looked up at him, pursed his lips, and smiled shyly. Fragmented light flashed in his pupils. Gentle and kind, his voice soft and faint:
“Ge, you smell so good.”
“What body wash are you using?”
