Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Lu Nian remembered that she should be dead. On her way to buy new textbooks across the road, there was a car accident, and she couldn't be saved.

When she opened her eyes again, what she saw was the cold sunshine in winter, shining on the iron-grey concrete ground, it looked bleak.

She looked down at her feet, noticing a pair of extremely slender and dainty legs, wrapped in delicate deer-skin boots. She remembered that her legs were not that slender. She looked at her hands, they were very juvenile, and the skin appeared semi-transparent under the sunlight.

"Ring ring ring." Before Lu Nian could think further, a bell rang suddenly beside her ear. It was the most common school bell that almost everyone had heard. Lu Nian looked into the distance and saw a white teaching building under the sunlight. It seemed to be inside a school, but the teaching building was far from her; it didn't seem like she was in the teaching area.

Lu Nian tried to move by leaning on the wall. This body was genuinely weak; walking felt much heavier than before.

After walking a few steps, Lu Nian heard a commotion not far away. She turned a corner and saw the source of the noise.

It was a group of not too large, around fourteen-year-old teenagers, none of them wearing school uniforms, varying in height. Backing her was a chubby boy, both horizontally and vertically seemed equally round, the whole person looked round and rolling.

Lu Nian felt like approaching them to ask about the situation.

The chubby boy didn't notice her; he was speaking to someone with a very harsh tone, head lowered.

Only then did Lu Nian realize that there was another person encircled by the group. The boy looked about eleven or twelve years old, younger than them all, and he had blood flowing from his face and hands.

In the dead of winter, he was only wearing a thin, worn, and pilled dark sweatshirt. His ears and exposed wrists were frozen red, and a white school uniform lay nearby, covered in dust and footprints.

Three older boys were pinning his limbs, and he was pressed to the ground, unable to move at all.

This is

A school

Bullying situation, isn't it? The strong bullying the weak, and the many ganging up on the few.

Lu Nian was still feeling dizzy and hadn't quite grasped the situation. However, witnessing this scene made her feel naturally uncomfortable.

"Qin Si, I've disliked you for a long time," the chubby boy covered his bleeding eye, furious and frustrated. "What are you pretending to be at school usually? Still pretending now? Let me see you pretend," he stomped violently on the boy, rolling from his back to his hand.

Just a little poor brat without parents, never yielding to anyone, but quite fierce when fighting. A few people couldn't hold him down; luckily, he is still young and hasn't grown up. If he gets a bit older, they probably won't be able to handle him.

"Hold him down for me." The chubby boy spat viciously on the ground. "Damn it, let's see if I can't deal with you today."

Qin Si?

Lu Nian was startled; she suddenly recalled something. This name was very familiar to her, the name of the main antagonist in a novel she was reading just before she went to sleep yesterday.

Could it be that she died first and then reincarnated into the world of a book?

Or is it just a coincidence of names?

However, the brutal and ruthless main antagonist in the book and this pale, weak little boy presented a vast contrast, didn't they?

The boy's pale face was bruised in places, one part blue and another purple, still bleeding, very pitiful. Only underneath the messy hair, a pair of large, dark eyes shone like cold stars, exceptionally noticeable on such a face.

He remained silent, enduring the barrage of fists landing on him, emanating a muffled sound with each hit. It seemed he felt no pain, showing no signs of weakness, no matter how they assaulted and berated him.

Lu Nian couldn't bear to watch any longer, her legs feeling weak as she stepped out from around the corner.

The first to notice her was Qin Si, who lifted his eyes, glaring at her darkly from the corner. His gaze felt like it had been steeped in ice, chilling her to the bone.

Lu Nian was startled by his intense stare, involuntarily halting in her tracks.

Did he recognize her? Why was he looking at her in such a manner, even more ferocious than the way he looked at those who were beating him?

Nevertheless, having already stepped forward, Lu Nian had no choice but to steel herself, pretending not to notice Qin Si’s gaze, and advance.

“What are you guys doing?” she finally spoke, realizing her throat felt somewhat hoarse. Her voice was delicate and young, soft and tender, “Stop hitting him, please.”

The group paused at her words, seemingly having failed to notice her presence behind the corner of the rooftop earlier, and were momentarily stunned.

“Nian Nian?” One of them ceased their assault, a boy peering at her uncertainly before hesitatingly calling out, “What are you doing here?”

He seemed to be the only one in the group who didn't look like a delinquent, dressed somewhat neatly, with a clean-cut appearance.

Another taller individual, upon hearing the name, paused, then pointed to Qin Si on the ground, stuttering, “Lu Nian? His sister?”

“Worthy of being his sister?” Lu Yang spat disdainfully, looking at Qin Si at the center with a face full of disgust, “He wasn’t formally adopted by my uncle; he’s nothing but a bastard.”

Meanwhile, Lu Nian stood there, stunned.

Lu Nian? Was that the name of her current identity?

Lu Nian quickly searched her memory and indeed found this name in the book she was reading. However, it was not the name of the protagonist, but rather a minor character who barely had a role, serving merely as a background figure in the antagonist Qin Si's backstory, a child adopted midway by the Lu family after growing up in an orphanage.

The only reason why Lu Nian remembered this character was because of the similar name, even sharing the same phonetic pronunciation for the surname.

But did the original Lu Nian harbor some grudge against him?

It seemed that Qin Si looked at those who were bullying him earlier with less animosity.

Lu Yang and the tall boy both released their grip. Before the other person could react, Qin Si had already gotten up from the ground and bit the plump boy fiercely on the arm. The boy screamed in agony, raising his fist to hit Qin Si again. Lu Yang, taking advantage of his height, along with the tall boy, once again pinned Qin Si down.

“You guys, stop…” Lu Nian felt her mind go blank, not thinking of anything as she tried to approach and pull Lu Yang away. However, she hadn't anticipated the extent of weakness of her current body. A mere block from the plump boy’s arm sent her staggering backward several steps.

The building was approximately four to five meters tall, a school rooftop seemingly far removed from the teaching area and long abandoned, overgrown with weeds. The rooftop lay open, devoid of any safety measures around its periphery.

This was very dangerous. Didn't these children have any sense of safety? Why choose this place to play?

She had been afraid of heights since she was little. Even though two stories wasn't especially high, standing at such a precarious edge made Lu Nian's legs give way, unable to control her backward toppling momentum.

The plump boy turned his head and realized something was amiss, “Someone, someone is going to jump off the building!”

Damn it, she really didn't want to jump. The problem was, her toes had already left the ground.

"She, she's jumped!" The chubby boy was dumbstruck, unable to pay any more attention to Qin Si, he yelled in sheer panic.

Lu Yang was also in a frenzy, "Nian Nian!"

The wind roared as it whistled past her ears.

In the final second before losing consciousness, Lu Nian thought that she must be the most unfortunate person to have ever travelled through a book; forced to jump off a building immediately upon arriving.

This was far more thrilling than any free-fall ride she had experienced at amusement parks before.

Dying twice in a row, she really was playing a tough game.

……

When Lu Nian opened her eyes again, she was met with the blindingly white ceiling of a hospital room.

It seemed she hadn't actually died this time.

She attempted to move her limbs, which seemed to be all intact, save for a piercing pain emanating from her right hand whenever she moved it.

"Nian Nian." She heard someone calling her name beside her. With great effort, Lu Nian turned her head to see a stern-faced middle-aged man wearing golden-rimmed glasses.

The woman holding a thermos next to him exclaimed with joy, "Nian Nian, you're awake! How are you feeling now?"

Lu Nian tried to speak, but found her throat incredibly hoarse. She could only nod slightly to indicate she was okay. After assessing her own body, it seemed all parts were accounted for with no significant pain, making her suddenly realize her own substantial luck.

It appeared she was staying in a secluded VIP hospital room. Soon, a doctor came in to check on her. After the examination, he respectfully told Lu Zhi Hong, "Mr. Lu, aside from a minor fracture in her right hand, there seems to be no other serious injuries. However, her physical condition is quite poor. I recommend a few more days of hospitalization for recuperation."

She was indeed lucky to have only sustained minor injuries after falling from such a height.

Lu Zhi Hong nodded to the doctor, who then exited the room. Turning to the woman, he instructed, "Let them come in."

The door opened once again to reveal familiar faces; the chubby boy, the tall one... Lu Yang, and bringing up the rear, a face she recognized too well.

Qin Si.

It appeared no one had tended to his wounds. Lu Nian observed his face, with a scab forming on a gash on his left cheek, seemingly washed with a rough hand, possibly inflamed... His face still showed signs of bruising, presenting a grim sight.

"Let's hear it then," Lu Zhi Hong removed his glasses and massaged his temples, "What happened?"

The group of young men stood together, their earlier arrogance vanished. The chubby boy hesitated for a moment but couldn't find the words to say.

It was only when Lu Yang, pale-faced, finally spoke to Lu Zhi Hong, "He pushed Nian Nian off," that the silence broke.

He was pointing at Qin Si.

A heavy silence enveloped the hospital room.

Lu Yang knew that his distant cousin sister had always harbored great disdain for Qin Si. This might be an opportunity to get Qin Si sent back to the orphanage or even to a juvenile detention center, and he did not believe that Lu Nian would not cooperate.

Qin Si remained indifferent, not uttering a single word since entering the room.

"Yes, yes, it was him. We all witnessed it," the plump kid affirmed.

"Indeed, we didn't have time to stop it."

Ever since Qin Si came to the Lu family, he exhibited a somber demeanor—solitary and unruly. As a young boy, he neither approached anyone nor revealed his true nature, often bearing a predatory glare. Even without speaking, Lu Zhihong seemed to believe the accusations to some extent.

Lu Zhihong admonished, "Qin Si, if this continues, we might have to contact the orphanage and consider sending you back."

A deep furrow manifested between the middle-aged man's eyebrows.

Initially, bringing Qin Si from the orphanage had been for the sake of Lu Nian. However, over these two years, Lu Nian displayed no interest, even manifesting aversion towards him.

While the Lu family could afford to raise such a young child, they did not harbor idlers, especially if he proved to be of no value and potentially harmful to Lu Nian. Naturally, sending him back was an option.

Sending him back...

If sent back, chances of resuming his education would be slim.

Moreover, he might have to endure periods of hunger once again.

The boy remained silent, his head bowed, allowing the long, unruly strands of hair to shield his expression. However, his lips were firmly pressed together, void of any color.

Not a single word of defense escaped him.

No one would believe his words.

From birth, he had grown accustomed, even numb, to this treatment.

He recalled the cobwebs on the walls of the orphanage, the cracked paint, the biting cold of winter as he curled up on the bed under a thin blanket, watching the seemingly endless snow dusk carried by the wind outside.

"It wasn't him." A raspy voice sounded from behind.

With great effort, Lu Nian sat upright on the bed. Her youthful, yet pale face reiterated, "It wasn't him. Qin Si didn't push me." This time, her voice carried more weight, resounding clearly in the room.

For the first time, Qin Si lifted his head to look at her, bringing silence to the room.