Lin Beixing slightly parted her lips. Before speaking, she took several deep breaths to calm herself.

She lifted her gaze.

Her eyes shimmered with fragile light—on the verge of tears, yet stubbornly held back.

Lu Yu suddenly couldn’t bear to press her further. He stepped back half a pace.

"My mom… she’s fiercely competitive…"

Her pink, delicate lips parted. Her breath stayed steady. Though her voice was faint—easily drowned by the speech below—Lu Yu caught every single word.

He listened intently, fingers clenched tight as he watched the moisture glistening in her eyes.

Lin Beixing explained she carried her mother’s surname. Her mother was Lin, so she was Lin too. The Lin family her mother came from was vast and influential.

Wealthy, sprawling, with over a dozen siblings in her mother’s generation alone. Cousins on Lin Beixing’s side were countless.

Old Master Lin—her grandfather, patriarch of the clan—had a unique philosophy. Once his children came of age, he’d "set them loose": a sum of money, then freedom to carve their own paths.

Which made his dozen-plus children intensely competitive.

This rivalry had begun even before Lin Beixing was born.

First, they vied over business success and social contributions. After having children, the battlefield shifted—to their kids.

Whose baby was chubbier? Whose daughter prettier? Whose grades higher? Whose child excelled in music or art?

And Lin Beixing’s mother was especially driven.

To earn her mother’s approval, Lin Beixing had been learning nonstop since childhood: painting at three, piano at five… She never wanted to disappoint. She strived to be *that* "perfect child" everyone praised.

Lu Yu leaned against the rooftop’s wire mesh, listening quietly.

A cool breeze fluttered the hem of his clothes.

He still wore the school uniform Lin Beixing had given him—tight, uncomfortable.

Down on the field, the speaker finished. Applause crashed like waves against their ears.

Lu Yu’s gaze drifted back, settling on Lin Beixing’s eyes.

"Why didn’t you fight back?"

"She dumped all her expectations and pressure onto you. Why didn’t you resist?"

Lu Yu kept his tone tightly controlled. Voice low, heavy—impossible to tell if anger simmered beneath.

Lin Beixing pressed her lips shut, hands clenched.

Beneath his unwavering stare, her eyes grew warmer, redder.

At last, she turned her head slightly, letting the breeze cool her burning eyes.

The flag-raising ceremony ended. Students scattered like a disturbed ant colony, flowing toward the classroom building.

After a long silence, Lin Beixing finally spoke.

"What’s the point of resisting… I’m competitive too. I want to see Mom smile. I want her praise."

"Anyway… isn’t Mom just trying to be good to me?"

Her voice was soft, gentle—like a whisper the wind might carry away.

Downstairs, student chatter grated on Lu Yu’s ears. He frowned, watching the dampness in her eyes, holding his temper in check.

Truth was, he wasn’t sure why he felt so angry.

Maybe it was the memory of Lin Beixing standing beyond the fence—what had she felt then?

Or the second body swap, when her body was so weak she could barely stand… Lu Yu thought collapse wouldn’t have been surprising.

"What you need isn’t someone else’s kindness… You need to be kind to *yourself*, Lin Beixing."

He couldn’t say more.

Having said that, he wouldn’t stand on a moral high horse.

After all—he was a mess too.

A failure. Someone rotting away during the very years he should’ve been learning.

Lu Yu met her eyes, voice dropping lower:

"Nothing matters more than yourself. So… be a little selfish."

He shrugged off his jacket.

Instinct. A quiet wish for her to be okay.

Before, he hadn’t known. But now—before him stood a gentle, bright girl in the bloom of youth. Her smile was cute. Even her scowls were endearing. He couldn’t watch her sink deeper without escape.

But what could he do?

It was her family. Her choice.

All he could offer was a reminder—from a failing student, no less.

"Here. Take it back."

He pressed her uniform into her hands and pushed open the rusty iron door.

Noise from the stairwell flooded in.

Lin Beixing stood frozen. Lu Yu glanced back, took a slow breath, softened his tone: "Let’s head back to class."

"…Mm."

Only after her reply did he descend.

Lin Beixing remained long after he vanished.

The sun burned hot against her skin.

Only when his figure disappeared did she lift her hand and wipe away the tears welling in her eyes.

Lu Yu returned to Class 5, Grade 12.

Unusually noisy today.

He wasn’t used to the clamor.

But the moment he stepped inside, the room fell dead silent—as if a switch had been flipped.

"Huh?"

A question mark formed slowly on Lu Yu’s face.

He settled into his seat. His deskmate, Ren Jie, popped up, grabbing his arm.

Ren Jie: "Bro! Where’d you vanish to?! Why’d you and Class Rep disappear together?!"

"No uniform. Didn’t go down."

Ren Jie shook his arm wildly. "Listen! Homeroom teacher was *furious*! Said he’d make *you* stand in the corner—but not a word about punishing Class Rep Lin! Favoritism, right?! Bad grades don’t mean bad character, bro!"

Lu Yu stayed silent, dizzy.

Truth was, Ren Jie wasn’t after justice—he was starving for gossip.

After all, last week, strange incidents had already happened between Lu Yu, the school heartthrob, and Lin Beixing, the campus beauty.

Not just Ren Jie—the whole class had grown oddly "alert" around them.

Lu Yu skipping? Normal. But *Class Rep Lin*?

Her first skipped assembly in nearly three years—and with *him*?!

Ren Jie’s voice drew glances. Lu Yu pulled his arm free and buried his face in his arms.

Restless. Needed sleep.

The classroom grew heavier with silence.

Air thickened into stillness.

After a beat, Ren Jie poked his elbow, whispering: "Bro Lu… Class Rep’s back…"

"…Why are her eyes so red?"

Lu Yu cracked his eyes open slightly. Gaze dropped to his own legs. He said nothing.