The first time Liu Sizhen asked Lin Bosheng to buy something for him, his attitude was particularly bad, and at that time, Lin Bosheng didn’t even know that Liu Sizhen was the new transfer student.

After all, the teacher hadn’t introduced Liu Sizhen individually—only mentioning that a transfer student would arrive the day before. The next day, there was a new person in the classroom, but no one expected it to be him.

When Lin Bosheng first entered the classroom, the unfamiliar boy shoved a 100-yuan bill into his hand and casually told him what he wanted to eat.

Seeing Lin Bosheng still standing there in a daze, Liu Sizhen impatiently emphasized again.

“Hey, you—why are you standing there? Go get it for me.”

At the time, Lin Bosheng really didn’t react right away and thought it was a bit strange. So, he refused Liu Sizhen with the excuse that he had to prepare for morning reading and didn’t have time to buy anything for him. He even kindly reminded Liu Sizhen.

—The teacher said no food during morning reading.

He didn’t know what exactly he said that irritated Liu Sizhen, but without any warning, Liu Sizhen kicked him to the ground, avoiding the desks behind him.

“I’m speaking nicely to you, and you’re getting arrogant, huh?”

There was no warning at all, and even the classmates who had been watching felt that Liu Sizhen was really out of his mind. Lin Bosheng, who had been kicked, was completely confused and bewildered.

Lin Bosheng never spent time on socializing. Every minute he had at school was devoted to studying, so he didn’t have any close friends in class and was always alone.

He didn’t pay much attention to other people either. Even though they had been classmates for a year, Lin Bosheng didn’t know many of his classmates’ names or even recognize their faces.

But he learned from the whispers of other students that the one who kicked him was the new transfer student, Liu Sizhen.

Lin Bosheng didn’t care about who said what in the crowd.

They were saying things like how poor he was to be targeted by Liu Sizhen.

This was the first time he and Liu Sizhen met, and it was definitely a bad start.

---

Liu Sizhen grabbed his chin with one hand, forcing Lin Bosheng to look up at him, while with the other hand, he slapped his face with just the right amount of force, loud enough for everyone around to hear.

“Next time, use your brain.”

It felt like he was being singled out for no reason.

Lin Bosheng turned his head and swatted Liu Sizhen’s hand away.

Hmm… What should he do now?

Hit him back? Lin Bosheng weighed his options in his mind.

He hadn’t eaten breakfast, and his stomach still felt uncomfortable.

And although it sounded unbelievable, it didn’t actually hurt that much. Liu Sizhen’s actions seemed intense and dramatic, but Lin Bosheng didn’t feel much pain.

The reason for this situation was that Liu Sizhen had only ever learned how to stage a fake fight, not how to really hurt someone. Even if he could, his personality wouldn’t let him really hurt the protagonist… that would make him a terrible person.

So, from an observer’s perspective, Liu Sizhen’s actions looked heavy-handed, but most of it was just staged.

What puzzled Lin Bosheng even more was that when Liu Sizhen was saying those “harsh words,” there seemed to be a trace of guilt in his eyes.

When he saw Lin Bosheng fall, Liu Sizhen’s hand instinctively moved as if to help him. When he kicked him down, he made sure he didn’t bump into the desks.

When he grabbed his chin and slapped his face, Liu Sizhen’s movements and expressions were perfect, but the only flaw was that his ears were red.

His pale skin made the redness stand out, and it extended all the way down to his neck. Yet, his tone was so harsh… it created an odd sense of discord.

Lin Bosheng had never seen a bully who would threaten others while their ears turned red like that…

In Lin Bosheng’s eyes, this was very contradictory. Although he didn’t know why the new student Liu Sizhen was acting like this, he really didn’t want to start a confrontation with him so early in the morning.

Lin Bosheng glanced at Liu Sizhen’s clothes and accessories. He wasn’t really interested in such things, but he could tell that they were expensive. Liu Sizhen was probably from a wealthy family.

His flashy outfit, his bright and eye-catching appearance, and the slightly arrogant way he held his chin made him look like a beautiful little peacock in Lin Bosheng’s eyes.

He looked like he came from a good family, and if they ever clashed, Lin Bosheng wouldn’t come out ahead. Anyway, there was still some time before morning reading ended…

So, Lin Bosheng decided to do as he was asked and ran the errand.

But when he returned with the items, Liu Sizhen began nitpicking, even though he was the one who had specifically asked for those things. He didn’t like this one, or that one.

He asked Lin Bosheng to peel an egg for him, but then refused to eat it after it was peeled.

He complained that Lin Bosheng didn’t peel it well and told him to eat it instead.

Despite all his complaints, Lin Bosheng couldn’t detect any true disgust in his eyes. Instead, Liu Sizhen seemed to be observing him, his gaze filled with subtle, almost imperceptible sympathy, as if he saw Lin Bosheng as some kind of pitiful soul.

“Pitiful soul?” Lin Bosheng lowered his gaze in thought. He wasn’t really a “pitiful soul” in the traditional sense. At least, he definitely wasn’t the way Liu Sizhen seemed to think he was.

But… it felt somewhat nice.

What did he actually mean by all of this?

Lin Bosheng didn’t know how the other students in Class 11 viewed the first encounter between him and Liu Sizhen, and he wasn’t particularly concerned with others’ opinions of him.

But… one thing was for sure: that morning, for the first time during class, he didn’t feel any stomach pain.

Lin Bosheng’s stomach felt comfortable, warm even, because he didn’t experience the usual cramping pain he was so accustomed to. Even during class, he felt more focused. If he had to say anything felt odd, it was that his stomach felt too warm. The familiar pain had been replaced by a comforting warmth that was strangely pleasant, but a bit unsettling.

There was another thing, though, which Lin Bosheng wasn’t sure if he was overthinking: most of the things Liu Sizhen had asked him to buy were items that matched his own preferences—things he liked but didn’t usually splurge on. If it were just that, Lin Bosheng might have thought it was a coincidence.

But when Liu Sizhen kept making all kinds of excuses to throw them at him after he brought the items back… how would he know Lin Bosheng’s tastes? How could he know what he liked? They had just met, right?

Lin Bosheng lowered his gaze, the corners of his mouth slightly turned down.

Perhaps… maybe he was overthinking things.

While he was in class, bending over to pick up a pen that had fallen to the floor, he accidentally glanced back.

Although Liu Sizhen was sleeping at his desk, his hand was making strange movements on his leg, as if tracing something.

Liu Sizhen’s hands were beautiful, unlike Lin Bosheng’s own, which were rough with small cuts. His skin was flawless and pale, his fingers long, and the curves of his nails were perfectly shaped.

Lin Bosheng didn’t know why he found himself staring at Liu Sizhen’s hand, but it was undeniable that Liu Sizhen stood out from everyone else. In the dull grayness of the room, he was like a sudden burst of color, like… a star.

He only glanced once, and saw that Liu Sizhen seemed to be writing something on his leg. Lin Bosheng then subconsciously tried to replicate the motion, only to be surprised to find that Liu Sizhen was actually following the teacher’s steps to solve problems.

At that moment, Lin Bosheng had one thought:

So… what on earth is he doing??

And at the same time, a bit of secret joy welled up inside him.

He had discovered something that no one else could see.

---

Since Liu Sizhen hadn’t chosen to “parasite,” the system created a shell without a soul for him, and his character page was summed up with only a few brief words: bad temper, likes to bully classmates—nothing more.

The rest of his background details were automatically filled in once he arrived, such as his family background:

“Your parents married for the sake of a family alliance, with no emotional connection between them. After marriage, your father was promiscuous, keeping many mistresses and having several illegitimate children. Your mother also had a vague relationship with her first love.”

“They both despise each other and make every effort to ignore each other, and they extended that disdain to you. You were born only to fulfill a task and were never liked.”

“As a result, you were abandoned to be raised by nannies from a young age.”

“Your relationship with your parents is poor. You argue almost every time you meet. They don’t like you, and you don’t like them.”

“After one of your most serious arguments, they sent you to Changning, a small town.”

“Fortunately, after sending you to Changning, perhaps out of guilt, they didn’t spare any expense on you. They still don’t like you, but they are generous with money and fulfill any of your requests. However, they are unwilling to spend time with you, even for a meal.”

“Every month, you receive large sums of money from both of them.”

There were many other hidden details about his interpersonal relationships and small nuances, which were gradually added after his arrival.

“Well, I’ll leave it at that for now…” Liu Sizhen rolled over on the luxurious bed. The silk fabric really felt comfortable. Life as a wealthy person was indeed good.

He had been born into a modest family. While they weren’t extremely wealthy, they were well-off enough, so he had no worries about food and clothing. He gave a small sigh of admiration before getting out of bed.

He tugged at his hair, which had been recently styled, still holding its shape. The bangs were a little long, resembling the popular style from the early 2000s that slightly covered the eyes.

At first, he had been a little uncomfortable with it, but now he was getting used to it. Dressed in loose pajamas, his eyes barely open from sleep, he rubbed them while walking toward the door.

The housekeeper downstairs was cleaning quietly, and the kitchen was far enough that Liu Sizhen couldn’t hear the sounds of cooking, but his sharp nose could already smell the food. It was likely ready.

Sure enough, as he peeked his head down the stairs, Aunt Wang, who was arranging the dishes, seemed to have eyes on the back of her head. She looked up and greeted him while holding the clothes he was going to wear for the day.

It was clear she had already ironed them, with no wrinkles in sight.

“Young Master, you’re awake? Breakfast is ready.”

This decayed lifestyle, where it’s said “clothes are brought to you, food is served to you,” is not an exaggeration at all.

Every day during school hours at Changning No. 2 High School, there’s a car parked outside that’s not particularly low-key. At first, it caused some stir, but over time, no one paid much attention to it anymore.

The old man at the gate could tell who it was just by looking at the car.

It’s said that this student doesn’t even attend classes and sleeps all day. People don’t understand why he even bothers to come to school. It’s also heard that he’s rich, doesn’t care about anything, and plans to study abroad after graduation, skipping the college entrance exam.

The old man shook his head and sighed to himself.

When Liu Sizhen entered the school gates, he saw the old man frowning as he looked at him.

“Student…” The old man paused and added with some feeling, “The primary task for a student is to study well.”

Liu Sizhen couldn’t help but laugh. Of course, he knew he needed to study well. When he was in high school, he was even the class monitor, and his rank had never been lower than third place.

But right now…

“Mm, I know,” he softly replied.

He didn’t want to be disrespectful to elders.

He also realized that the more peripheral characters, like the gatekeeper or the household servants, didn’t require him to follow his character’s role strictly.

It was exhausting to maintain the “performance” constantly.

The old man had heard that Liu Sizhen had a very bad temper and even bullied his classmates, but after meeting him, he was unexpectedly gentle. He didn’t seem at all like the person others had described.

“Well, I’ll be going now…”

Turning around, Liu Sizhen exhaled deeply. Today, he had a task in the plot that he really didn’t want to do, but he had no choice. His mood was slightly frustrated.

Before, the tasks had been small, like occasionally making the male lead run errands or bossing him around. The violent scenes in the script were easy to avoid.

But today, it seemed unavoidable.

He was supposed to lure the male lead to the boys’ restroom and beat him up.

And this time, it wasn’t just him; there were several others involved…

They pretended to dislike the good student, thinking he was acting all high and mighty.

In the timeline without Liu Sizhen, these students had bullied the male lead. But now that Liu Sizhen was involved, they quickly tried to get on his good side, seeing that he disliked the male lead.

Although Liu Sizhen didn’t want to engage with these troublesome characters, to the other students, they really were all the same.

[…What should I do? I’m so nervous…]

As the agreed-upon time drew nearer, Liu Sizhen’s palms began to sweat. Whenever he got nervous, he unconsciously grabbed onto something. Even though Lin Bosheng, sitting in front of him, turned around to look at him several times, he didn’t notice anything.

His mind was completely consumed by what he was about to do. Liu Sizhen felt like a thief, who had never stolen before, about to commit his first theft.

His heart was about to jump out of his throat.

[…I’m so nervous…]

258: [It seems like you’re the one who’s going to bully someone.]

Liu Sizhen: […Oh, right.]

If someone didn’t know better, they’d think he was the one being bullied…