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Shangnan City
Mingxian Conservatory of Music
Milk Tea Shop
6:00 PM
Jiang Yichen pushed open the glass door of the milk tea shop, sweat dripping from his forehead.
The freshmen had just finished military training and were given two days off.
At this hour, the shop was crowded, mostly with couples.
Everyone’s attention was drawn to the left side of the shop.
In the second-to-last row sat a girl in a white dress, while the very last row was occupied by a striking figure—a woman with long, flowing hair, her back turned to the crowd, leaving her face unseen.
Jiang Yichen walked toward the second-to-last row. The girl in the white dress was none other than his sister…
Jiang Suihuan.
Since starting university, she had been crowned the campus belle.
Standing at 168 cm tall, her delicate features were softened by a faint, ever-present smile, giving off the warm, approachable vibe of an older sister next door.
“Xiao Yi, what’s wrong with you? Why are you sweating so much?”
Jiang Suihuan pulled a tissue from her bag and handed it to him.
Jiang Yichen had just sat down. Instead of immediately wiping his sweat, he took the tissue with a grave expression and stared at his sister. “Sis, listen to me. What I’m about to tell you is extremely, extremely terrifying. Whatever you do, don’t panic.”
Jiang Suihuan tilted her head, rarely seeing her little brother so serious. “What is it?”
Catching his breath, Jiang Yichen said, “I just had a dream while napping. Sis, our world… is actually a fictional world from a novel.”
“But it’s not a normal novel—it’s a tragic yuri story.”
“And then—”
“Pfft—”
Before he could finish, Jiang Suihuan burst into laughter.
Frustrated, Jiang Yichen insisted, “No, Sis, I’m not joking! I’m dead serious!!”
Pressing her lips together, Jiang Suihuan nodded. “Alright, alright.”
Jiang Yichen continued, “And you’re one of the main characters—the ‘bottom’—”
“Hey, hey!” Jiang Suihuan stood up indignantly. “What kind of dream is this?! Even if I ‘were’ the protagonist, I’d obviously be the ‘top’!”
“Sis, don’t interrupt—just let me finish, okay?”
Jiang Yichen knew how unbelievable this sounded.
But everything he said was true. He really ‘had’ dreamed of his past life—and the dream felt so vivid, as if it had just happened yesterday.
In that past life, right after finishing that novel, he had stepped outside… only to be promptly claimed by the Truck of Reincarnation.
“Alright, alright, go on. I’ll listen.” Jiang Suihuan sat back down.
“You ‘are’ the bottom,” Jiang Yichen continued, “and here’s the crucial part—once classes officially start the day after tomorrow, you’ll meet someone. She’s your professor, Qin Ling. Professor Qin.”
“Sis, I ‘have’ to warn you—you ‘must’ stay away from her.”
Jiang Suihuan blinked. “Why?”
“Because she’s a ‘psycho’ with split personalities. She likes drinking blood, and she’s a ‘complete’ yandere—”
The novel had been filled with all sorts of ‘explicit’ and ‘violent’ scenes.
Back when he was just reading it, Jiang Yichen hadn’t thought much of it. But now? Now he ‘couldn’t’ accept it.
Jiang Suihuan had always been ‘so’ good to him—sharing food, drinks, fun, everything.
How could his sweet, angelic sister end up with a ‘monster’ like Qin Ling?!
“Xiao Yi!” Jiang Suihuan nervously glanced around, only relaxing when she confirmed no one was paying attention to them.
“You can’t just say things like that!” she said seriously.
“I know,” Jiang Yichen nodded. “But I had to make sure you understood how serious this is. No matter what, Sis, you ‘have’ to stay away from that Qin Ling.”
Jiang Suihuan gave him a concerned look, then patted the seat beside her. “Xiao Yi, come sit over here.”
“Why?” Jiang Yichen finally wiped his sweat with the tissue.
It was early September, just after military training, and the heat was still oppressive. His back was practically drenched from sprinting all the way from the dorm to the milk tea shop.
“Just come here.”
“…Fine.”
Jiang Yichen had always obeyed his older sister without question—because Jiang Suihuan had been the first person in this world to truly care for him.
“Xiao Yi, you’re eighteen now. And while, well… you ‘can’ read that kind of stuff, I really think you should cut back…”
Jiang Suihuan kept her voice low, ensuring only he could hear.
Her tone was gentle, almost hesitant—like she was tiptoeing around the subject.
Jiang Yichen froze.
Then it hit him.
“Wait—Sis, you think I’m talking about some kind of ‘erotic novel’?!”
His face twisted in horror.
“No! No, no, no! This isn’t about—ugh!” He groaned, dragging a hand down his face. “I’m ‘not’ hallucinating from reading too much weird fiction! This is ‘real’!”
Jiang Suihuan blinked. Then, slowly, her lips curled into an amused smile.
“Oh? So you ‘do’ read that kind of stuff?”
“I—! That’s not the point!!”
Behind them, a soft ‘clink’ sounded—a spoon lightly tapping against a glass.
Neither of them noticed.
Least of all Jiang Yichen, who was too busy flailing in frustration.
But in the very last row, the woman with long, flowing hair—the one who had been sitting with her back to them this whole time—stirred her milk tea slowly.
A faint, unreadable smile played on her lips.
“……” Jiang Yichen froze for a second before realizing what she meant. “No, Sis, listen to me—I need to say this again: everything I just told you is real!”
“Sigh…” Jiang Suihuan ruffled his hair. “I know. At your age, having those kinds of dreams is normal, but you have to learn to separate reality from—”
“Ugh—never mind, forget it.”
Jiang Yichen knew how absurd this all sounded. After all, who would believe that the world they lived in was just some fictional story?
But for the sake of his sister’s future happiness, he sighed and said, “Sis, can you at least promise me one thing?”
“Go on.”
“No matter what, ‘never’ get involved with that Qin Ling. Got it?” His tone was deadly serious.
“Fine,” Jiang Suihuan agreed helplessly. “But ‘you’ have to promise me something too—cut back on reading those… ‘unhealthy’ things.”
Jiang Yichen: “……”
Ten minutes later.
Arm in arm, Jiang Suihuan and Jiang Yichen walked out of the milk tea shop.
With their striking looks—her as the campus belle, him as the heartthrob—they naturally drew glances from passersby.
Neither of them noticed the woman still seated inside, her dark eyes lingering on their retreating figures.
Qin Ling took a slow sip of her tea, her lips curving into a faint, inscrutable smile.
“Interesting.”
The word was barely a whisper, lost in the hum of the shop.
But the game had already begun.
During the military training period, the two siblings had often been seen together.
At first, rumors even spread that they might be dating.
“Oh, Professor Lin? You’re here for milk tea too?” Jiang Suihuan greeted the female teacher walking toward them—her academic advisor, Lin Yao.
“Jiang Suihuan.” Lin Yao smiled warmly at the pair. “I’m actually here to meet a friend.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Professor Lin.” Jiang Yichen also nodded in greeting.
After a brief exchange, the siblings headed toward the cafeteria.
Meanwhile, Lin Yao entered the milk tea shop and walked straight to the last row—where the striking woman with her back to the door still sat.
The woman wore a simple white blouse, her hair cascading loosely over her shoulders, paired with a sleek black pencil skirt.
Her features were exquisite—a straight nose, softly tinted lips, and eyes that were clear yet profound, exuding an air of quiet detachment.
“Well, well, Lingling! You’ve ‘finally’ returned to the country!” Lin Yao plopped down across from her with familiar ease. “What’s so fascinating out there? Surely the view isn’t more interesting than your long-lost best friend?”
“Nothing.”
Qin Ling took a sip of water, her gaze lingering on a certain young man’s retreating figure outside the window.
‘Psycho’?’
‘Blood-drinking?’
‘A novel’s world?’
‘A dream?’
How… ‘amusing.’
The corner of her lips curled slightly.
Lin Yao followed her line of sight, then raised an eyebrow. “Wait—don’t tell me you’re staring at that freshman? Jiang Yichen?”
Qin Ling set down her glass.
“His name is Jiang Yichen?”
Her voice was light, almost idle.
But the way she said it—slow, deliberate—sent an inexplicable chill down Lin Yao’s spine.
Lin Yao laughed nervously. “Uh… yeah. Why?”
Qin Ling finally turned to face her, that faint smile still in place.
“No reason.”
But her eyes—dark, unreadable—said otherwise.