Campus.

A place brimming with youthful energy.

Sure, incidents like bullying happened—but they were just a tiny sliver of the whole. Most campuses still radiated warmth and light.

Dreams, friendships, crushes—these were everyday sights.

Many students had long grown used to this easygoing, cheerful atmosphere.

But for Qin Cheng? This place shattered his expectations. The very air here made him feel…

a faint wave of nausea, tinged with quiet surprise.

In his world, a place this harmonious would be hailed as sacred ground—no rigid hierarchies, no brutal trials, not even a whisper of oppressive silence.

This… not even a true sanctuary could pull it off, could it…

“Is this… order?”

Qin Cheng stood frozen, hand pressed to his brow as he stared at the plaque, murmuring under his breath.

Noon sun hung high. Most students were already in class or resting in dorms. Strangely, he stood alone at the school gate.

“My classroom is…”

He lowered his hand and stepped inside.

As he glanced around, a guard who’d been watching him scurried over, bowing deeply with a fawning grin. “Young Master Qin! You’re back! I kept close watch—that Yu kid hasn’t shown up these past few days!”

The flattery didn’t disgust Qin Cheng. If anything, this groveling posture felt *right*. It faintly echoed the cultivators of his past life.

He didn’t know the guard’s name—just another nobody. But one detail stuck: after the previous owner’s failed confession to campus beauty Cheng Yu An, *this* guard had tipped him off about her schedule, enabling the attempted assault.

In short: one of his lackeys.

“Has Cheng Yu An come to school today?” Qin Cheng turned, voice calm, cutting straight to his purpose.

That so-called “protagonist” Yu Zhe was still locked up. Even with powerful backers pulling strings, release would take time.

So stay put a little longer.

After all… who doesn’t have connections?

Rubbing his hands together, the guard pointed eagerly. “She’s here! Saw her arrive myself this morning!”

“Go tell her to come to the principal’s office. If she refuses… Yu Zhe can forget about walking free.”

“You did well. You may follow me.”

“Yes, Young Master Qin! Thank you!” The guard snapped upright, beaming. He slapped a hand to his forehead in a stiff, odd salute—then bolted off.

The way he ran, that eager grin… genuinely nauseating.

Qin Cheng shook his head, hands tucked in pockets, face unreadable as he strolled toward the teaching building.

Why could he access the principal’s office?

The previous owner was useless—but he knew how to buy loyalty. Qin Cheng felt a flicker of grudging respect.

A couple of corrupt teachers had also been swayed.

Nothing money couldn’t fix. If it couldn’t? Throw more at it.

A few quiet maneuvers, and the principal’s office was just another room.

Besides… drama hit harder there.

Just the Demon Sovereign’s little quirk.

“Ah, ‘protagonist’… please come defeat this villain of yours~ (smirk)”

......

......

Cheng Yu An—Qingli University’s celebrated campus beauty.

Blessed with grace and talent, passionate about medicine, gentle and kind.

Right now, she slumped over her desk, worry etched across her face. Her classmates offered comfort, but only got a strained, forced smile in return.

“Yu An, that guard outside seems to need you,” a friend nudged her shoulder, pointing toward the door.

“Huh? Me?”

Cheng Yu An blinked, confused. Why would a guard seek her out?

Still, she rose politely and stepped into the hall.

The guard stood rigid by the doorway, expression stern.

“The leadership requests your presence in the principal’s office. Short-staffed today—I was sent to inform you.”

“Message delivered. I’ll return to my post.”