The ancient camphor trees on both sides of the schoolyard stood tall and lush like umbrellas, their dense green foliage shimmering under the scorching sun. The hot wind carried the incessant buzzing of cicadas.

Today was the school’s midterm exam.

Inside the exam hall, students were hunched over their desks, scribbling furiously.

The moment Lu Wan opened her eyes, her pupils shrank slightly.

She glanced around. Everyone was still focused on their test papers, heads bowed in silence.

Nothing had happened.

She had already finished her math paper. Since the teacher didn’t allow early submissions, she had simply laid her head down to catch a nap.

She looked up at the clock on the wall. Only fifteen minutes had passed since she last checked.

As expected, it had been another dream.

In the dream, she had been falling endlessly. The sensation of weightlessness was like icy water flooding her lungs, tearing through her chest.

Lately, she had been having the same dream over and over again— dozens of times she had jumped off a building.

It was like being trapped in a merciless free-fall simulator.

She even dreamed that the world she currently lived in was actually a Mary Sue high school novel called 《Overbearing School Hunk: Deep, Deep Love》.

And she herself was the villainess in that novel— the toxic, malicious supporting character.

The basic setup for any villainess requires a tumultuous psychological journey, laying the groundwork for her future jealousy and madness toward the female protagonist.

Lu Wan’s parents— more accurately, her adoptive parents— had always favored sons over daughters.

Unfortunately for them, they only had one child, a daughter, so there wasn’t much room for favoritism to flourish.

After all, their daughter had been bought with money.

The couple had been unable to conceive. Fifteen years ago, they scraped together some cash to buy a son.

They had picked out a boy from a trafficker, but once they returned home, they discovered that the child had been swapped. The one they brought back had no pee-pee!

By then, the shady seller had vanished without a trace, and they had no choice but to grit their teeth and raise the ‘useless’ girl.

Lu Wan didn’t know if her adoptive mother had raised her as a boy to make up for their disappointment or simply to please her husband.

Her household registration had listed her as ‘male’ from the very beginning. Maybe the system had been lax at the time, or perhaps the couple had pulled some strings.

Luckily, pretending to be a boy hadn’t been hard for her. In fact, she quite liked it, as it saved her a lot of trouble in many ways. At least it lowered the odds of attracting creeps.

Throughout her childhood, Lu Wan had been chased around the house by her adoptive father wielding a broom. Passersby would often remind her that she had shoeprints on the back of her shirt.

Before starting school, she had assumed all children lived like that. But later, she realized they didn’t.

Other kids’ dads didn’t get drunk and curse at them. Other kids didn’t get beaten up for asking for food when they were hungry.

So…… Lu Wan had rebelled.

Soon, her resistance escalated into full-on brawls with her alcoholic father.

In that long-running battle of hand-to-hand combat, both sides had their share of injuries.

Lu Wan accumulated plenty of real-world fighting experience. She was bold and skilled. She fought kids two years older than her in primary school and didn’t even hesitate to throw down with dogs by the time she was ten.

She was a little tyrant who could beat a dog into submission.

As she grew older, her fame spread during her middle-school years thanks to her ‘massaging her dad’s back with a shoe sole’ technique.

The neighbors often sighed, saying, “If that Lu boy didn’t like studying so much, he’d definitely turn into a thug.”

A future inmate, no doubt!

If Lu Wan had any redeeming quality, it was her talent for academics.

She always ranked first in every exam.

She had never cost her family a dime for her education. By high school, not only was her tuition fully covered, but she also earned a few thousand yuan in bonuses each semester.

If not for that, she wouldn’t have been able to continue her studies.

Her adoptive father would never have spent money on her education. The drunkard hadn’t worked a single day in over a decade, and the household had survived entirely on the efforts of the woman of the family.

Her adoptive mother had been a submissive woman.

She ran a pancake stand at a street corner, working from dawn to dusk.

It was a modest business but brought in a fair income. Unfortunately, most of the money ended up fueling her husband’s drinking and gambling.

Every time he came to collect money, it was accompanied by curses and violence, leaving their home in constant chaos.

Lu Wan used to wonder how if things kept going that way, would her adoptive father kill her first, or would she end up killing him?

Luckily, the heavens hadn’t been too cruel to her and the man died before she did.

When she was thirteen, the drunkard had too much to drink, lost his footing, and fell into the river.

He was already dead by the time he was taken to the hospital, sparing them the cost of resuscitation.

However, after years of domestic warfare, the man’s death caused her adoptive mother’s mental state to collapse as well.

She held on for a few more years before passing away three months ago.

After her adoptive mother’s death, Lu Wan began having these strange, absurd dreams every night.

But since they were just dreams, she hadn’t taken them seriously.

Until three days ago…… a man came to find her.

A middle-aged man with slicked-back hair, claiming to be sent by her maternal grandfather.

He said she was the long-lost granddaughter of the Zhao family and had come to take her home.

Only then did Lu Wan realize that her biological parents were someone else entirely.

And suddenly, everything in her dreams started to line up.

Lu Wan recalled the plot of 《Overbearing School Hunk: Deep, Deep Love》.

The female protagonist was the ultimate glitch in the noble high school. But though poor, she radiated endless charm. Her unique style and unorthodox ways captivated a crowd of elite young men.

Despite constantly being schemed against by rich heiresses and seductive vixens, she remained undefeated, thanks to the dazzling halo of the female protagonist.

A textbook cheat character in every way.

As for Lu Wan’s role in the novel, she was cannon fodder— a girl foolish enough to challenge the female protagonist for the male protagonist’s affection. Her fate was nothing short of tragic.

Out of love for the male protagonist, she kept picking fights with the female protagonist. But every failure only served to deepen the female protagonist’s bond with the men around her.

After fulfilling her duty as the plot’s bulldozer, Lu Wan was thoroughly disgraced, descended into drug addiction, and finally stepped off a tall building with a quiet leap.

She earned her pitiful ‘side character’ ending.

Lu Wan: “……”

What the hell kind of plot was this?

Seriously, with the male and female protagonists constantly entangled in their messy, melodramatic love-hate games, when did they even study?

They were supposed to be high schoolers! Meanwhile, her own days were filled with classes, homework, and part-time jobs— a repetitive, colorless life like an old silent film.

She didn’t get the appeal of the novel at all, but if she couldn’t mess with the protagonists, she could at least stay far away.

Lu Wan didn’t want to be a tool character, existing just to highlight the female protagonist’s kindness through her own viciousness and stupidity.

Everyone could just mind their own business.

The female protagonist could get torn apart and the male protagonist could keep flexing— Lu Wan only wanted to study.

The soft little bunny could be pinned against walls and kissed, and have her waist grabbed and kissed— Lu Wan just wanted to be first in her grade.

────ρя

This translation is by Pocketrobbin at S h a n g h a i f a n t a s y . c o m

As Lu Wan walked out of the exam hall, she spotted a friend standing across the road.

But before she could reach the crosswalk, a car pulled up beside her.

The window rolled down. She recognized the driver.

It was that slicked-back man who had come to find her two days ago.

Zhang Weidong had already been in Ning County for three days. The Zhao family had entrusted him with the task of bringing their lost granddaughter home.

His first impression of Lu Wan had been a disappointment.

He could only sigh. The environment truly shapes a person.

She didn’t look like a wealthy young lady at all. In fact, she barely even looked like a girl.

How bizarre. The Zhao family’s long-lost granddaughter had been raised as a boy for over a decade.

Zhang Weidong couldn’t help but mutter to himself, wondering whether the girl had any psychological issues……

Well, her life was probably ruined now, even if she was taken back.

But she had accepted his story surprisingly quickly, showing no particular shock.

Then again, that made sense. She had been living such a hard life. Suddenly being told she was a rich heiress must’ve felt like winning the lottery. Who wouldn’t be thrilled?

The Zhao family had instructed him to bring her back as soon as possible to avoid any unforeseen complications along the way.

But this girl insisted on finishing her midterms first, saying she had to see things through properly.

Zhang Weidong had been forced to wait around for two days, and now he was full of complaints.

They hadn’t even returned yet, and she was already acting like some kind of young lady.

Was she even worthy? She was just lucky, and she didn’t have the slightest bit of self-awareness.

He was no idle man with nothing better to do.

Zhang Weidong’s impatience was written all over his face. He frowned and said, “The exam’s over. So, we can leave now, right?”

Lu Wan was momentarily stunned. “Now? It’s already afternoon. Let’s go tomorrow. I still have things to do, and I haven’t packed.”

“You still have things to do? Do you know what the Zhao family represents? Don’t bother packing your junk. They’ll buy you new stuff when the time comes. They’re not short on money. That kind of petty thinking won’t get you anywhere.”

The Zhao family had been urging constantly, and Zhang Weidong was growing anxious, so his tone turned blunt.

Was she out of her mind? He had come to take her to a better life, and she was still dawdling.

────ρя


Xu Yao had been waiting for a while, but Lu Wan didn’t show up, so he came over to take a look.

Just in time, he caught the last sentence.

Xu Yao already knew Lu Wan had found his biological parents and would probably leave in the next day or two. But this was how these people talked?

Xu Yao kicked the car door. “What the hell did you just say? Say it again, I dare you.”

He used full force, and the door dented slightly where his foot landed.

Zhang Weidong nearly exploded with anger, but seeing that the silver-haired youth before him was tall, muscular, and clearly not easy to mess with, he forced himself to hold back.

He met the youth’s eyes and knew at once that this wasn’t someone he could win against.

Turning away, he looked coldly at Lu Wan. “These are the kinds of people you hang out with? You’re willingly degenerating! No wonder they say rough places breed unruly people.”

Lu Wan found his words baffling.

Ning County wasn’t some major city, but it definitely didn’t deserve to be described as a backwater dump.

The county was in a mountainous area, known for its scenic beauty and rich underground mineral resources. Several types of ores had abundant reserves, and the local economy was thriving.

She didn’t want to start a fight, but she didn’t have the patience to be lectured either. She said coldly, “If you don’t want to wait, you can leave now. Just give me the address. I’ll take the train there myself.”

Zhang Weidong’s anger nearly exploded again.

Take the train? Was this person stupid?

He wanted to grab her by the collar and shake some sense into her, but the silver-haired guy beside her looked ready to throw a fist. No point arguing with a street punk.

Fuming, Zhang Weidong tossed out a curt, “I can’t be bothered with you”, then slammed on the gas and sped off.

Country bumpkin. She had no idea how many jokes she was going to make of herself in the future. He was looking forward to it.

────ρя


After the unwelcome guest left, Lu Wan turned and said, “Let’s go. My treat today. Let’s eat at the barbecue place where I usually work.”

“He talked to you like that and you’re still in the mood to eat?”

“I had the owner save some good stuff for me.” Lu Wan said. “There’s only one of them on an entire cow.”

Xu Yao was still angry but immediately got distracted. “Pizzle? You trying to strengthen your yang energy?”

“Get lost!” Lu Wan said. “It’s beef tongue! Grilled beef tongue!”

“……Oh.”

Xu Yao shrugged. Couldn’t blame him for the misunderstanding. Lu Wan never joined the other boys’ size-comparison jokes and always went to the restroom alone.

He suspected Lu Wan had some kind of…… condition. Maybe things didn’t work properly.

But since it concerned a man’s dignity, Xu Yao was curious yet tactful enough not to ask. No need to expose his buddy’s flaws.

They arrived at the barbecue place.

It was the weekend, and the food street was packed with people.

Lu Wan picked a street-side table. The weather was warming up, and girls in light clothing made for a beautiful scene— very pleasing to the eyes.

Her gaze followed the pretty girls passing by. Xu Yao teased, “Checking out girls again?”

“Shut up!”

She wasn’t lusting after their bodies. She was lusting after their skirts.

Xu Yao pressed his lips together. He knew Lu Wan liked looking at beautiful women, but only for looking.

After all, girls had been chasing Lu Wan since childhood. As his friend, he’d been asked countless times, “What’s the name of that good-looking friend of yours?”

But this person had never dated anyone.

Looking at him now, Xu Yao had to admit that Lu Wan was really handsome.

A straight nose bridge, well-defined brows, and sharp, sculpted jawline. That hint of sharpness took away any excessive softness and added a bold, carefree aura.

Beautiful, but not girly.

He was wearing a vest bought from a street stall, a cheap shirt, and faded light-blue jeans that had been washed so many times they’d turned pale.

But even in cheap clothes, he looked clean and striking. His face alone made up for everything else.

Xu Yao thought of that guy who had just looked down on Lu Wan and frowned. “Don’t blame me for saying this, but it’s been so many years and your parents didn’t even come themselves. They sent that jerk? That’s not a good sign.”

Lu Wan took a sip of water and said calmly, “Since they found me, I still have to go take a look.”

Xu Yao said, “Fine. If things don’t go well, you can always come back. Better to be at ease than uncomfortable. You’ve got good grades, so the school will definitely take you back.”

Lu Wan nodded. This guy might be a goofball most of the time, but he was a good friend.

Overnight, she had gone from a poor student to a long-lost heiress. Lu Wan had her own thoughts.

She couldn’t pretend to be a boy forever.

After her adoptive mother passed, she thought about returning to her real gender. But she never found the right time. Partly because of those strange dreams, and partly because she wasn’t sure how the people around her would react.

Now that her birth parents were taking her back, it would be a good chance to transition smoothly. A new environment meant others wouldn’t find it too strange.

Considering everything, they probably wouldn’t stop her from studying.

In a year, she’d take the college entrance exam. If things didn’t work out with them, she could always keep her distance later.

She’d get into a good university and choose a promising major.

She’d have no trouble supporting herself.

────ρя


After parting ways with Xu Yao, Lu Wan returned home. It was already ten-thirty at night.

A new store had opened at the end of the street. Baskets of flowers stood at the entrance. As she passed by, Lu Wan plucked a yellow carnation and tucked it behind her ear.

She used the glass door as a mirror, twirled around, and admired herself.

As a girl, she figured she wasn’t ugly.

At this hour, most of the stores were closed, and there were no streetlights. But about ten meters away, a giant billboard ad lit up the surroundings.

The wiring on the billboard was faulty, and it flickered on and off.

Lu Wan looked up at the celebrity on the ad sign.

It was the shared dream guy of the girls in her class. Everyone talked about him.

They bought magazines, endorsements, merch— completely obsessed.

After hearing about him so often, she’d even memorized his résumé.

Lu Buyu had become famous at a young age, debuted upon returning to the country, and blew up after starring in his first drama. He steadily rose through the ranks, eventually becoming a top-tier celebrity. He even won a Best Newcomer film award and had performed on the New Year’s Gala two years in a row.

And under this horror-movie lighting, the guy’s face still looked flawless.

Rosy lips and perfect teeth— he was really good-looking. No wonder he was so popular, even in a small county like this.

Lu Wan withdrew her gaze and walked forward with her head down.

She didn’t notice the young man standing in the shadow just outside the reach of the billboard’s light.

He kept his lips pressed together, eyes fixed on her back.

And he had the exact same face as the model on that billboard ad.