Chapter 1

The end of September marked the arrival of autumn.

After morning reading, a light drizzle began to fall outside the window.

Class 9 of Senior Year 3 had brighter classroom lights compared to other classes.

Some students laughed and played around, others huddled together to discuss yesterday’s math problems. Everything seemed so harmonious.

Except for the girl sound asleep in the corner, who looked completely out of place.

Ding——

The long, distant sound of the school bell jolted the sleeping girl awake.

Jiang Zhiyu rubbed her sleepy eyes and slowly opened them. A familiar desk, a familiar white school uniform, and the aura of youthful high school life filled her view.

She chuckled lightly and shook her head.

“So you can dream even after death.”

A boy’s cold and disdainful voice cut through:

“You ranked third to last in the class on your first monthly exam, and you’re still here dreaming?”

The boy had a fair, clean appearance and spoke in a condescending tone.

It had been a long time since she’d seen such a handsome young man—the last time being in her previous life.

Drooling slightly, Jiang Zhiyu mumbled dreamily,

“Can’t believe my imagination came up with someone this good-looking.”

A flicker of anger appeared in the boy’s eyes as he coldly pulled out seven test papers with her name on them and slammed them onto her desk.

“Jiang Zhiyu, I hope you have some self-respect. Senior year is a turning point in our lives. Focus on your exams instead of me.”

He quickly walked off, as if avoiding a plague.

Jiang Zhiyu squinted at his name tag: Lin Yeci, from Jingbei High School.

In her past life, she got into Jingbei University with the top national score and became a professor by age 24.

She glanced at the test papers and frowned,

“Even the basic questions are wrong. These can’t be my papers.”

As soon as she said that, nearby girls turned around and stared at her blankly.

A ponytailed girl with a neat uniform and a name tag reading He Shiduo snorted and rolled her eyes.

She walked over and pointed to the name on the test paper,

“None of us are lucky enough to have a test full of red Xs like this.”

The class burst into laughter.

Suddenly, Jiang Zhiyu caught sight of the test’s title:
“First Monthly Exam for Senior Year 2023”

Her heart skipped a beat. This was the year after her death—meaning she’d been reborn and transmigrated into another Jiang Zhiyu, a failing student?

She quickly held her pen case to her face to use it as a mirror.

The face staring back was very different from her previous delicate features—full of acne, oily glasses with grimy black frames, and a yellowed uniform that looked and smelled like it hadn’t been washed in ages.

Judging by her classmates’ attitudes, this original Jiang Zhiyu must have been timid and constantly bullied.

Completely opposite of her past life, where she had a reputation and everyone respectfully called her “Sister Yu.”

The only upside—this new body, though a bit chubby, looked healthy and strong compared to her sickly past self.

“Alright, alright, stop laughing. She’ll go cry to the teacher again, saying we bullied her.”

He Shiduo’s sharp voice echoed, clearly meant to mock her further. The class only laughed louder.

A girl with short hair in the back knocked on her desk:

“Stop laughing, or she’ll start crying again.”

Jiang Zhiyu scanned the room—every face was full of mockery.

Seriously? You think I’ll take this lying down?

She suddenly slammed her desk and glared fiercely at the tall He Shiduo.

Shocked, He Shiduo stepped back in fear. The class went quiet.

Without a word, Jiang Zhiyu walked out of the room—only to bump straight into Lin Yeci, who was holding a stack of papers at the door.

Their eyes met briefly, but she rushed past him without stopping.

“Why is she suddenly acting tough today?”
“No idea. Class is about to start. Where’s she even going?”

As murmurs spread, the bell rang and everyone returned to their seats.

Their homeroom teacher strode in with a furious face and placed a long rattan stick on the desk.

“Our class had the lowest average score in the entire grade this month.”

The class fell silent.

“Lin Yeci is still ranked first, but one person can’t save us all!”

He smacked the desk with the stick,

“Why do we have so many failing students? Especially Jiang Zhiyu! She used to at least rank tenth from the bottom—now she’s third to last!”

…Was that supposed to be a compliment?

Fuming, the teacher marched over to her desk, only to find it empty—just a pile of messy test papers and romance novels.

“Her stuff is here—where is she?”

He grabbed one of her books and sneered,

“Spending all her time reading this kind of trash. No future at all.”

“Sir…” He Shiduo said in a falsely gentle tone.

“Just before class, Jiang Zhiyu ran out of the classroom.”

“Outrageous!” the teacher shouted. “Her parents better come in tomorrow!”

He Shiduo secretly grinned, pleased with herself.

Meanwhile, Jiang Zhiyu was in the bathroom. She took off her glasses and washed her face.

She realized her eyesight wasn’t that bad—only mildly nearsighted. Far better than her old body.

Tying her half-length hair back with a band, she instantly looked cleaner.

She tidied herself up and walked calmly back toward the classroom.

At the door, her teacher’s fierce gaze locked onto her.

“Where did you go? Don’t you know class has started?”

The whole class stared at her, ready to watch the usual drama—her getting scolded and crying.

But Jiang Zhiyu calmly said,

“I’m sorry for the delay. I had a bad stomach ache this morning and had to go to the bathroom.”

“Oh? Ranked third to last, and the only girl in the bottom ten—what’s going on in that head of yours?” the teacher snapped, pointing to the novels.
“Reading this kind of garbage every day. Bring your parents tomorrow!”