It was the wee hours of the morning, and the room was unlit, pitch black.
Shen An pulled back the curtains, letting the bright moonlight filter through the window. It cast a silvery glow into the dark room, the play of light and shadow revealing a faintly puzzled expression on his face.
All around was deathly quiet, so still that he could even hear the whisper of the wind. He stood by the window, rubbing his chin in thought.
The scene was missing just one cigarette to feel complete.
He picked up his phone from the bedside table and opened the bizarre Healing System. The interface and missions showed no changes.
To this day, Shen An still harbored doubts about the system. He hadn’t fully figured out its purpose.
Had his arrival in this world been an accident, or a premeditated setup?
Shen An leaned toward the former. Based on everything he’d learned so far, there was nothing extraordinary about this world. Even if it was a setup, what unique value did he hold?
But the missions it assigned were proving tricky.
Shen An had originally planned to coast for a month and then bail. Now that looked difficult.
He had gotten entangled in the grudge between Zhao Qingyu and Xu Yijing.
The resulting whirlpool had swept him up, leaving him unable to steer his own course.
Shen An understood one key principle: In any world, before you’d planted your feet firmly, never offend anyone lightly—especially those with power and influence.
From Wang Yuqiong, he had learned Zhao Qingyu’s background. She was undoubtedly one such person.
And weathering the ire of someone powerful was no joke.
Shen An wasn’t scared. He just didn’t want the hassle.
Besides, what was the deal with the grudge between Zhao Qingyu and Xu Yijing? What the hell was that about?
And Zhao Li’s talk of psychological issues…
Now he believed Xu Yijing was indeed off-kilter.
But Shen An doubted their feud would escalate to life-or-death stakes. Still, the murky situation grated on him. This loss of control left him deeply uncomfortable.
Dang it!
He cursed under his breath. He needed to get closer to Zhao Qingyu.
At the very least, he had to clarify the situation quickly.
Xu Yijing was secretive as hell, Zhao Qingyu paranoid as could be—neither one was quite right in the head.
Chen Nannan and Wang Yuqiong were deeply wary of them both, only warning him to stay cautious without saying more.
That baseless anxiety and sense of spiraling out of control were why Shen An had struggled to sleep tonight.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have spent the dead of night standing by the window, staring at the moon.
He lingered there blankly for half an hour but arrived at no fresh insights. He’d have to play it by ear, one step at a time.
With a soft sigh, he turned and drew the curtains closed. Better hit the sack early.
Nothing mattered more than sleep.
A damn morning class awaited him tomorrow.
He had graduated years ago. Returning to university life was something Shen An simply couldn’t adjust to.
Lying in bed, buoyed by that fresh round of reflection, he drifted off quickly this time. Outside the window, the hazy night gradually yielded to the faint light of dawn.
Suddenly, an insistent ringtone yanked Shen An from his slumber.
He opened his eyes groggily and glanced at the clock on the bedside table.
Seven o’clock?
What the…?
Grumbling irritably, he snatched up his phone. Song Rui’s wake-up call was punctual as ever—seven on the dot.
“Hello?”
Shen An mumbled weakly.
“Shen An… time to get up.” Song Rui had set her own alarm for six-thirty, but it proved unnecessary. She had woken naturally at six-fifteen.
She had spent the next half hour or so washing up and getting ready before calling Shen An right at seven.
“Damn it, doesn’t morning class start at eight-thirty?”
Shen An remembered the schedule.
Song Rui paused, then said timidly, “I was worried you’d run short on time later, so I called a bit early.”
“You’re too sweet. Tell you what—call me back in half an hour so I can grab some more shut-eye.”
“But…”
“No buts. Exactly half an hour!”
Shen An cut short her hesitation and hung up before she could protest.
Ding-dong.
Song Rui let out a sigh, propping her cheek in her hand as she glanced at her still-sleeping roommates. She felt a touch helpless.
She was the only one in the dorm who rose at six-thirty.
Which was why Song Rui now stood out on the balcony, braving the morning breeze to make the call.
Fortunately, it was the tail end of summer edging into autumn. Early as it was, her short sleeves kept her from feeling cold.
She turned hesitantly, tempted to head back inside, but worried her clumsy movements might wake the others…
After a moment’s awkward deliberation, she decided to stay put on the balcony. Half an hour was manageable.
Time slipped away unnoticed. Song Rui watched the minutes tick by with eager anticipation until it hit seven-thirty sharp!
She dialed Shen An again, precise as a clock.
“Hello…” His voice remained as listless as before.
“It’s seven-thirty!”
Song Rui said softly.
“Fine, I’m up. Thanks for the wake-up call.” Shen An grumbled a bit before hanging up.
At that instant, the balcony door slid open.
Wang Yuqiong emerged, rubbing her sleepy eyes with a groggy look. She startled slightly at the sight of Song Rui.
“You…”
Sleepiness fled as she blinked in surprise. “Up so early?”
She spotted the phone still pressed to Song Rui’s ear and tilted her head. “Got a caller this early?”
Song Rui hurriedly pocketed her phone, a bit embarrassed. “Yeah… I didn’t wake you, did I?”
“Nah, I slept like a baby.”
Wang Yuqiong gave a gentle smile. “This early—you weren’t waking someone up, were you?”
Fresh out of bed, Wang Yuqiong wore no makeup, but her fair skin glowed with an even purer, unadorned innocence.
Her complexion was flawless—porcelain-smooth with a rosy undertone, retaining that soft, girlish tenderness. Her cheeks were impeccably clear, without a single blemish or mark.
Many girls transformed dramatically with makeup, using it to mask imperfect skin.
By contrast, Wang Yuqiong was a vision of natural elegance, blessed with innate beauty.
Of course, Song Rui held her own, just shy of that breathtaking level.
Busted without warning, Song Rui looked flustered. Never one for deception, she opened her mouth and stammered, “N-no…”
“Oh~ Need the bathroom?”
Wang Yuqiong’s lips quirked in subtle understanding.
“No, no need!”
Song Rui backed away quickly, mustering a smile. “I’ve already washed up.”
By now, the other two roommates were stirring one after another. The once-quiet dorm filled with the sounds of morning bustle.
Meanwhile, Shen An hauled himself out of bed with great effort.
He sat there in a daze for several minutes before his mind cleared somewhat.
It was the earliest he’d risen since enrolling.
“Damn, what a crap major.”
He muttered irritably, shuffling off to the bathroom.
Once he’d made himself somewhat presentable, he pushed open the door. The living room lay quiet; Xu Yijing must have already gotten up and left.
Shen An paid it no mind. He slipped on his shoes and prepared to head out.
But right before leaving, a nagging realization hit him—he was forgetting something…
What, though? For the life of him, he couldn’t pinpoint it.
Keys? He had them.
Phone? Check.
That was that.
He glanced at the time, shrugged off the vague unease, and rushed out the door.
He made it to the North District bus stop in a flurry, catching a campus shuttle just as it arrived. The vehicle was packed to the gills, but he claimed the very last seat.
Aboard, Shen An figured his luck wasn’t half bad.
He scanned the crowd. Talk about a shortage of guys around here…
He was the sole male passenger on the entire bus. No other fellows in sight.
Well, except the driver—an older guy.
Halfway through the ride, it suddenly struck him what he’d left behind.
Crap…
My textbook?
Shen An stared down at his empty hands…
First day of class, no book. He could only hope the professor went easy on him.
He sent up a silent prayer.
He arrived at the Central District lecture building and pulled out his phone to check the schedule. By coincidence, it was Room A105—the same as yesterday’s interview room—for morning class.
Students hurried along in a rush. Flanking the main entrance were two students, one on each side.
They wore crisp white uniforms that marked them apart from the crowd.
Student Union attire, most likely.
These two belonged to the Discipline Department, tasked with attendance checks and the like—including dealing with tardiness.
The doors stayed open freely during the allotted window.
Once time was up, they’d lock until the bell for the first break.
The pair stood there to nab any latecomers.
A first offense meant writing a reflection statement. The second got reported to the academic counselor. From the third onward, violations piled up until they warranted formal demerits.
At a glance, this university was quite strict when it came to attendance.
Unlike some schools where showing up was optional—like a fart in the wind—no one cared whether you attended or not.
For Shen An, though, loose was better than tight. The ideal setup would let students manage themselves completely.
This level of strictness meant it would be tough for him to sneak out early from now on.
By the time he reached Room A105, the classroom was already packed.
True to form, Shen An became the last one to arrive.
A quick glance at the podium revealed it was empty—the teacher hadn’t shown up yet.
“Shen An! Over here.”
Hearing his name called, Shen An followed the voice. It was Yang Bin.
He and Li Yun, those two unlucky guys, were huddled in the very last row, in the corner of the corner.
What a familiar feeling.
Shen An’s mouth twitched into a grin. A corner like that was perfect—nice and hidden for whatever you wanted to do.
He was just about to head over when Wang Yuqiong, seated in the first row, turned with a bright smile and pointed to the empty seat beside her. “Sit here.”
Shen An raised an eyebrow. ?
Propping her chin on her hand, Wang Yuqiong said playfully, “Senior Sister told me to keep an eye on you and make sure you pay attention in class.”
Shen An: ?????
“Senior Sister didn’t just tell me—she told Lianyao too, right, Lianyao?”
Wang Yuqiong glanced back at Shen Lianyao.
Shen Lianyao was in the second row. Meeting Wang Yuqiong’s gaze, she nodded faintly. “Mm.”
“Actually… um… she told… me… too…”
Song Rui timidly raised her hand. Shen An shot her a glare, and she quickly dropped it, hunching her head submissively.
Well, damn.
Shen An’s mouth twisted in irritation. “I’m truly honored to have all three class cadres watching over me.”
Wang Yuqiong smiled with a hint of mischief. “No need to thank us. It’s only natural.”
“Heh.”
Shen An’s mouth twitched again. With a sigh, he reluctantly took the seat next to Wang Yuqiong.
Sorry, good brothers. I’ve let you down.
Yang Bin watched Shen An settle beside Wang Yuqiong, and the smile vanished from his face.
Ah…
Li Yun adjusted his glasses. “Same people, different fates. Tsk.”
The moment Shen An sat down, he slumped over the desk, utterly listless.
Wang Yuqiong poked him.
Shen An ignored her.
She poked him again.
Song Rui, sitting nearby, watched the little interaction with a twinge of sourness.
When had these two gotten so close?
They had seemed like total strangers the last time they’d met.
Shen Lianyao, right behind Shen An, frowned at his lifeless posture.
After Wang Yuqiong’s repeated prodding, Shen An finally couldn’t take it anymore.
He shot a glance at her beaming face and sighed. “What do you want, Class President?”
“Nothing much. Just thought it was kind of fun.”
Wang Yuqiong pursed her lips and leaned in close, whispering.
“Alright, did you bring your book?”
Shen An asked.
“They haven’t handed them out yet. Where would I get a book?” Wang Yuqiong looked puzzled.
“Not handed out?”
“Nope. We’ll pick them up this afternoon. Morning class doesn’t need books anyway—just follow the PPT.”
“Whew, I thought I’d forgotten mine. Turns out they just haven’t distributed them.” Shen An let out a breath of relief.
She stifled a laugh. “Pfft, if there were books to grab, Senior Sister definitely would’ve reminded you.”
“Enough already. Can you stop bothering me?”
“What, you sit in the front row and still plan to sleep?”
“Heh, I need to meditate!”
Wang Yuqiong: …
