I woke before my alarm could ring. Glancing at the watch beside my pillow, it was only six.

I stretched, crawled out of bed, and shuffled into slippers. Half-asleep, I stumbled to the bathroom to wash up.

Alone in my room for half an hour, I packed everything into two suitcases. Thanks to last night’s partial cleanup, it went quickly.

Bag in hand, I stepped into the hallway. Checking the map on the wall, I headed downstairs, mentally listing today’s tasks:

Luggage moved to my new home by Uncle Li this afternoon. Orientation at nine—better arrive early for the dean’s office.

My watch read just before seven. Lunch? Probably the school canteen.

Lost in thought, I reached the lobby. I ordered breakfast and sat by a window.

Then I spotted someone ahead in the same uniform—Maple Glory Academy. Too far to greet; strangers rarely do, even at the same school.

As I pondered this, my breakfast arrived. I ate slowly, then stood to leave.

The boy suddenly appeared beside me. He paused, studying me.

"Hey, heading to school too?"

I examined him: about 173cm tall, earnest eyes behind glasses, thin frame, a trace of sickly pallor on his face—likely from childhood illnesses.

I nodded. "Li Ze. Transferring into Grade 11 this semester. Nice to meet you." I offered my hand.

His eyes widened slightly. "No way! I’m Zhao Yi—also Grade 11!" He gripped my hand with both of his.

"Nobody walks this route anymore. Everyone lives in the East Dorms now. West District’s nearly empty..." He grinned. "Guess it’s fate running into a classmate!"

Quiet-looking, yet so talkative. Never judge a book by its cover.

"Sorry to interrupt," I cut in gently. "I should head to the dean’s office early. Walk and talk?"

Zhao Yi scratched his head, sheepish. "Right, right—I get carried away when excited. Follow me! I know a shortcut. Makes up for wasting your time."

We slipped out the hotel’s back entrance. He led me down a narrow alley barely wide enough for one person, emerging into a decaying residential zone.

"See? Super shortcut. This area’s slated for demolition. Still got holdouts refusing to leave..."

Zhao Yi chattered nonstop as we walked. I nodded along, tossing in occasional replies to show I listened.

Turns out he was the hotel manager’s son—stayed over when too lazy to go home. His gossip, though, held little substance.

Then, at a street corner, several men with flashy hairstyles surrounded a scrawny boy.

I stepped forward to help—

Zhao Yi grabbed my arm.

"They’re local troublemakers. Don’t get involved. Especially not your first day here. Bad idea."