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Yu Linghuan has always been clear in her likes and dislikes; she never bothers to put on a polite facade for people she dislikes. Coincidentally, Li Hongwen was exactly the kind of person she disliked.
They had a history. In the second semester of their first year of high school, Li Hongwen led a group of boys in rating the appearances of the girls in their class. When Yu Linghuan saw the list with all the girls’ names and scores, she tore it into pieces right in front of everyone and tossed it into the trash. This deeply embarrassed Li Hongwen, and he argued with her at length.
The outcome was obvious: when it came to arguing skills, not just in the class but throughout Land High School, very few could match Yu Linghuan. Yet Li Hongwen refused to admit defeat, claiming instead, “A good man doesn’t fight with a woman.”
Hearing Li Hongwen’s self-righteous tone, Yu Linghuan gave him a cold look and said, “Who said I’ve fallen out with Meng Xin? I’m about to take a nap; I have no interest in chatting with you.” Li Hongwen’s expression stiffened slightly, then he sneered. Today, the whole class had seen how Yu Linghuan and Meng Xin ignored each other all morning and didn’t eat lunch together. Before, these two were inseparable, even going to the restroom hand in hand during breaks. Now, their falling out was so obvious—what else could it be but a break in their friendship?
As for what exactly had happened downstairs just now, though he didn’t know the details, seeing that they hadn’t returned to class together allowed him to guess. Li Hongwen curled his lip disdainfully.
“Yu Linghuan, stop being stubborn,” he said, adopting a condescending tone, “Meng Xin’s no longer in our league. She’s rich now, and it’s only natural she wouldn’t want to be friends with us.” His words carried a heavy hint of malice toward Meng Xin.
Several classmates watching nearby looked uneasy. Everyone could tell Li Hongwen was speaking ill of Meng Xin openly. Many frowned, clearly disapproving. But Meng Xin was quiet and somewhat introverted; aside from Yu Linghuan, she had no close friends. No one immediately stepped forward to refute Li Hongwen.
Yu Linghuan remained silent, taking a deep breath before pulling out a thick book titled "Five Years of College Entrance Exams, Three Years of Simulation" from her desk cubby. Li Hongwen took it as a sign of her backing down and grew even more triumphant. “See? Isn’t that right—”
Before he could finish, a loud bang echoed through the classroom. The entire class fell silent and turned their heads simultaneously. Yu Linghuan stood beside her desk, holding the heavy book—the source of the noise—while Li Hongwen clutched his forehead, stunned.
Someone sighed inwardly: that book was several hundred pages thick; that hit must have hurt like hell. After a few seconds, Li Hongwen recovered and glared at Yu Linghuan, his voice rising in anger. “Yu Linghuan! How dare you hit me!”
Yu Linghuan tapped the book’s cover expressionlessly. “If you lie about Meng Xin again, it won’t just be a single hit.”
Li Hongwen’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You! I—”
“Enough, Li Hongwen, say no more,” the class monitor, Shen Ying, interjected. “You were the one gossiping behind others’ backs; one hit is nothing unfair.”
Shen Ying had been the class monitor for two years and commanded respect in the class. Seeing this, a nearby male classmate also tried to calm the situation. “Brother Wen, let it go; this isn’t worth it.”
Several other boys who got along with Li Hongwen chimed in, “Yeah, no need to make a fuss.”
Li Hongwen was speechless.
Honestly, Li Hongwen still felt intimidated by Yu Linghuan. He vividly remembered being publicly scolded by her in the first year. Physically, as a tall boy over six feet, he wasn’t afraid of Yu Linghuan’s strength, but school wasn’t a place for fights, and if things escalated, he’d be the one to suffer.
Admitting defeat outright would be humiliating, so now that there was a way out, he took it.
“Hmph,” Li Hongwen snorted, “Fine, I’m not bothering with you anymore.”
Shen Ying said, “Then hurry back to your seat. The lunch break bell will ring soon.”
“Got it, got it!” Li Hongwen grumbled, “You sure know how to boss people around.”
He took a step but shot one last glare at Yu Linghuan. After all, he’d only spoken the truth, exposing her abandonment by a friend. Why was she so angry?
Seeing Li Hongwen finally return to his seat, Shen Ying nodded approvingly at Yu Linghuan and silently mouthed three words, which Yu Linghuan understood as “Well done.” They exchanged a brief smile.
Yu Linghuan and Shen Ying weren’t very close, but sometimes girls just share a mysterious, unspoken bond.
Yu Linghuan hadn’t planned to argue further with Li Hongwen; she had more important matters to attend to—novel plotlines, the cannon fodder system, the transmigration system—so many new elements to sort through, she needed to clear her mind quickly.
After putting the thick book away, she leaned back over her desk and began conversing mentally with her system.
“I have a few questions,” she said.
“Go ahead, host,” the system replied.
“When I spoke with Meng Xin just now, I no longer felt that intense negative emotion. So I’ve completely broken free from the novel’s plot control, right?”
“Correct. Previously, your strong negative feelings toward Meng Xin were because you needed to play the role of the malicious female antagonist driving the plot. Now that you have awakened, those restrictions have been lifted.”
Yu Linghuan pondered. “Understood. Second question: what if I tell others about the novel’s plot—”
“Don’t even think about it. Any related content will be blocked. You cannot disclose anything about the novel’s world or main storyline to anyone. Doing so will bring severe consequences.”
“Alright.” Yu Linghuan was not too disappointed; she had guessed as much. That meant her third question, whether she could reveal the truth about the Meng family’s real and fake daughters, was pointless.
“Last question: what do you know about Meng Mingzhu’s transmigration system? For example, what can she exchange points for? Besides items, are there other rewards or punishments for the points?”
Earlier, Yu Linghuan had overheard that Meng Mingzhu planned to exchange 300 points for an advanced suppression aura to use against her but gave up after learning the cost. She suspected that having too few points might lead to punishments.
“Sorry, host, I only know the general functions of the transmigration system. Specific data is classified, and I have no access.”
“No wonder you’re the most useless cannon fodder system.”
“...”
The system felt wounded.
“But one thing is certain: if Meng Mingzhu’s points drop to zero, there will be very serious consequences—most likely, her transmigration system will fail entirely.”
Yu Linghuan nodded thoughtfully. “I see.”
They were silent for several seconds before the system suddenly spoke again.
“Host, I must remind you once more: Meng Mingzhu is currently the chosen one in this world, possessing a powerful transmigration system. Clinging to her and cutting ties with Meng Xin is the wisest choice.”
Yu Linghuan replied without hesitation, “Impossible.”
The system pleaded earnestly, “Host, I know you’re good friends with Meng Xin, but without a system, she cannot compete with Meng Mingzhu. Standing with Meng Xin might bring you no good outcomes—possibly worse than the novel’s ending.”
“So what?” Yu Linghuan said firmly. “Meng Xin is my best friend. No matter what, I will stand by her.”
“...”
After a long silence, the electronic voice finally responded, “Very well. Although I still can’t fully understand human thoughts, I will respect your wishes.”
...
At exactly one o’clock, the lunch break bell rang.
The school didn’t require students to nap during lunch break, only that those remaining in class keep quiet. Entering senior year, studies were supposed to be much heavier than in earlier years, but it was only the first day, and no one had yet entered that intense mindset.
Most students rested their heads on their desks, while a few fiddled with their phones. As a private school, Land High School’s rules weren’t as strict as traditional schools; students could bring phones as long as they didn’t use them during class.
Li Hongwen sat rubbing his forehead, cursing silently. Yu Linghuan had struck hard; the spot she hit still ached faintly.
His deskmate leaned over and whispered, “Brother Wen, you’re well-informed. Look at that box on Yu Linghuan’s desk... isn’t that a luxury brand’s packaging?”
Li Hongwen was about to close his eyes and rest but perked up at the words. “What?”
His deskmate pointed to the upper right corner of Yu Linghuan’s desk. “See that green box?”
Li Hongwen squinted in that direction.
The next moment, his upper body froze.
He rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
His deskmate quietly urged, “Brother Wen, did you see it?”
“Too far away, how could I tell clearly?”
“Oh,” the deskmate replied.
It had been a casual question, and hearing Li Hongwen didn’t know, he didn’t press further.
But Li Hongwen kept staring at the box on Yu Linghuan’s desk.
He lied to himself: he had seen the same box at home before. If he remembered correctly, it was an R-brand watch box.
R-brand watch boxes were distinctive, with obvious patterns, easy to recognize.
Li Hongwen’s father owned an R-brand mechanical watch. Li Hongwen had once asked his father to buy one for him to show off at school, but his father had flatly refused, saying a high schooler didn’t need such an expensive watch and might damage it.
Now seeing that familiar box on Yu Linghuan’s desk, Li Hongwen could hardly believe his eyes.
He had begged his father so many times for a watch from that brand, and his father never agreed. How did Yu Linghuan come to have one?
As far as he knew, Yu Linghuan’s family was ordinary and single-parented; there was no way she could afford such a costly watch.
A thought flashed through Li Hongwen’s mind: Could it be... a gift from Meng Xin?
After all, with the Meng family’s wealth, buying an R-brand watch was like ordinary people buying a cabbage.
But Meng Xin had only just been recognized by her family and was reportedly not favored. Would the Meng family allow her to spend money so freely?
More importantly, hadn’t Yu Linghuan and Meng Xin already fallen out?
Li Hongwen glanced at the empty seat where Meng Xin would have been, then back at the box on Yu Linghuan’s desk, feeling a clawing sensation in his stomach.
What exactly was going on?