School is a byword for youth, innocence, and love. It’s the whisper of a sea you’ve never seen, carried in by the wind. It’s a beautiful bubble drifting into your dreams. At school, Lu Li could briefly cross the gap between classes and sit in a clean, bright classroom with people his own age. Everyone wore the same uniform. They didn’t talk about connections or careers, but pretty girls and unfinished homework.

When he was young, he despised school. He thought everyone there was childish and impulsive. He thought he was exceptional, a chosen son destined for great things. But now, he missed school more than anything. He clung greedily to that childishness and loved this simple, pure kind of life.

Today was the first day after class assignments were posted. Lu Li arrived early. He didn’t like being the last one to sit down under everyone’s gaze. He preferred curling up in a corner, using silence itself to protest the world.

As one uniformed girl after another stepped into the classroom, Lu Li’s dust-covered memories slowly stirred awake. Their names and personalities were picked back up from the ashes of time.

This was Chuanhai No.1 High School, one of the top key high schools in the entire Divine Realm. Compared to other schools in small places that focused heavily on science, Chuanhai No.1 was clearly an oddball. Its strongest fields were the liberal arts—literature, art, music, politics, ethics, law...

The reason was simple. Many of the students here were the children of wealthy merchants or the descendants of powerful officials.

They didn’t need to worry about jobs or employment.

That was all there was to it.

“Special admissions” like Lu Li, who had entered through a government talent support program, were relatively rare. In all of Class 2-1, only one other person besides him fit that category: An Baili. Yes, An Baili was also an “ordinary person” admitted through the talent support program. Her family probably wasn’t well-off, though rumor had it her parents had once been respectable people before the family fell on hard times for reasons unknown.

Lu Li sat alone by the window, gazing at the blue sky and clouds soft as cotton. A few white birds cut across the air, and a trace of envy flashed through his eyes. He liked birds. Or rather, he liked the feeling of freedom. In Divine Realm culture, birds had always carried a sense of transcendence. Sometimes they meant beautiful love. Sometimes freedom. Sometimes a lonely, boundless state of mind. In any case, they were romance’s second sex, the impractical mutterings of sentimental scholars.

One by one, the empty seats in the classroom welcomed their new owners. This liberal arts class had especially many girls and very few boys. But Lu Li rarely indulged in unrealistic fantasies. He knew that sitting in the same classroom was only a surface illusion. On the outside, they spoke the same language. In truth, they were two completely different species.

He was poor. They were rich. That was all.

This bleak, negative way of thinking had haunted him his whole life. Even after living it all over again, it wasn’t something he could easily change. Still, poor as he was, Lu Li had never lacked ambition. He was firm, unshakable, not someone easily swayed by outside things. In Zou Yameng’s words, he could be as stubborn as some kind of alien bull.

The class monitor arrived late. But the front seats had already been taken, so she could only walk to the back in visible frustration. Lu Li felt she wasn’t the scheming type, because every bit of her unhappiness was written plainly on her face. At this age, most high schoolers had already developed some pride and reserve. The class monitor clearly wasn’t one of them.

As she passed by the window, dappled sunlight fell across her delicate face. She looked so beautiful she resembled a classical oil painting. Her slightly furrowed brows even added a touch of Lin Daiyu-like softness to her. The next second, those often-knitted brows relaxed, because she saw Lu Li sitting there like someone apart from the world.

Don’t misunderstand. She and Lu Li weren’t close. The only reason she was happy was because in this unfamiliar class, she had run into a rare familiar face. That gave her a little sense of security. One of life’s greatest illusions was this: a gentle girl smiles at you, and you immediately think, She likes me. Lu Li obviously wasn’t that kind of person. He smiled back at the class monitor, but his mind was already elsewhere.

“The seat next to you...”

“No one’s there. Go ahead.” Lu Li pulled the chair out for her. He’d be happy to have anyone in that seat, male or female, as long as it didn’t go to An Baili.

“Thank you.”

She thanked him politely, lightly pressed down her skirt, and then sat with quiet grace. She wore little leather shoes polished to a shine. Her slim, straight calves were wrapped in close-fitting tights. But Lu Li didn’t like girls who were too skinny. He liked a little softness, legs included. So his gaze only paused on those pale legs for a moment before shifting to her profile.

Embarrassing as it was, he still hadn’t remembered the class monitor’s name.

Her profile was lovely. The full curve of her forehead flowed gently past the brow ridge, then dipped smoothly at the bridge of her nose, guiding the eye to the tip of that small, delicate nose. Lu Li thought she’d be perfect in classical makeup, with peach-red at the corners of her eyes, holding a round fan and singing, “Why should the autumn wind grieve over a painted fan?”

He remembered that she seemed to have organized the talent show at their first-year class meeting. She had played the flute at the evening event, though Lu Li couldn’t recall it clearly anymore. He wanted to pull the class monitor into his production team and have her handle the music. That would probably be a difficult mission. Step one was figuring out her name.

Of course, he couldn’t just ask. That would be too rude. They’d been in the same class for a year, and he still didn’t know the class monitor’s name? That was way too impolite.

His gaze lingered a little too long, and the class monitor’s neck turned slightly red. It wasn’t the vivid red of floating duckweed clinging to lotus leaves in a southern pond. It was a faint, adorable pink. Starting at her neck, it slowly spread to the tips of her ears. At last, she couldn’t take it anymore.

“What are you looking at? Don’t... don’t look at me like that.” Her tone tried to sound firm, but that rosy little face made Lu Li want to laugh. This class monitor was so pure it was cute. She wouldn’t even let people look at her. Maybe that was the kind of innocence only girls her age could have.

That was normal too. Chuanhai No.1 had a seriously skewed gender ratio. There were far more girls than boys. Most boys didn’t study here. They usually went early to high schools affiliated with universities. The males who stayed here were mostly second sons with no inheritance rights in the family. With a bit of wicked amusement, Lu Li thought that the class monitor probably had never been this close to a boy before. If he suddenly grabbed her hand, he could definitely scare her half to death.

Of course, he didn’t do that in the end.

“Class monitor, can you play the flute?” Or something similar, he added silently.

“Of course I can. You didn’t know?” The girl looked puzzled. She had organized that event very successfully, and her flute solo had been excellent too. Lu Li shouldn’t have forgotten. Unless... he had slipped away halfway through again. At that thought, her eyes sharpened.

“Lu Li, the new semester starts today. As your class monitor, I won’t indulge you like I did last term. I’m going to supervise you strictly. No more skipping class, no more going to internet cafés, and you have to turn in your homework on time...” The pink faded from her face, and a bit of authority gradually appeared.

“Or what? Call my parents?” Lu Li smiled with careless cynicism. Maybe there was self-mockery in his tone. Maybe ridicule. Maybe something else.

The class monitor looked at his expression, and something in her heart seemed to stir. She remembered when she had first entered high school. She had run for class monitor and decided she wouldn’t let down her teachers’ and parents’ expectations. She would become a competent class officer. Every student had a respectable family background and maintained surface-level respect toward her.

Except Lu Li.

He skipped class openly, often went to the computer room to tinker with who knew what, and rumor said he had shady ties with people outside school. At first, of course, she had been angry. She had tried to persuade him in the beginning, but all she got back was his disdain and contempt. Humiliated and furious, she had decided to use the class monitor’s ultimate move: call the parents.

Teachers weren’t well suited to doing that kind of thing. The students at Chuanhai No.1 all came from unusual backgrounds, so teachers rarely interfered in matters outside academics. The school practiced student self-governance, which meant the class monitor did have the authority to call parents in. It was through that incident that she learned about Lu Li’s miserable background. Gradually, she gave up on forcing him. Her naturally soft heart made her turn a blind eye to him more and more.

“Second-year coursework ends this year. Third year is all about preparing for the college entrance exam. The workload this year is very heavy. You can’t keep drifting along like last year, fishing for three days and drying nets for two.” The class monitor was very serious. “Your family situation isn’t good. That means you should work even harder and get into a good university.”

Lu Li finally understood why he had always had a bad relationship with this class monitor. She had a way of hurting a teenage boy’s pride without the slightest hesitation. She was the same age as him, yet she always managed to stand on the moral high ground and lecture him. With the calmness of someone above him, she whipped him forward and tried to inspire him. It reminded Lu Li of an old ox in the fields.

Of course, the current him wouldn’t feel ashamed or angered by words like that. He only said lightly, “Then what about my college tuition? It’s over a hundred thousand a year. I can’t earn that from a summer job. If I can’t afford college anyway, why should I work so hard?”

The class monitor grew a little anxious. “You can’t just give up on yourself like this. If you don’t have money, you can apply for student loans. Or... or join a targeted employment program.” Her voice grew weaker and weaker, because she knew neither option was realistic. Student loans weren’t something an orphan without a legal guardian like Lu Li could get. His actions had no legal validity. And as for a targeted employment program... would Lu Li even agree to that?

So she could only change her approach.

“If you study hard these next two years, I’ll have my family pay your four years of college tuition. My mom listens to me a lot. She definitely won’t refuse.”

Her eyes were shining. She truly seemed to think this was a perfect idea. To save a lost boy was, to her, a tremendous achievement.

Lu Li didn’t want to get too entangled with her. This girl being naive didn’t mean her parents were. He and the class monitor weren’t related in any way, so why would her family help some poor kid just because their daughter asked? Maybe her parents were understanding, broad-minded people.

Lu Li wasn’t.

“Actually, I have a plan to earn enough tuition. I was already busy with it last year.” At last, Lu Li showed his fangs. “I’m making a game. If it sells well, earning tuition will be easy. But I’m missing someone who understands music, especially classical instruments.”

“...You skipped class last year to do that?”

“Yep.”

“And those shady dealings with people outside school?”

“They were hobbyists I contacted. Too bad most of them were half-baked frauds. A few really had skill, but they wanted me to pay to hire them.” Lu Li gave a bitter smile. “Where would I get that kind of money? So I could only come to you, Class Monitor, and hope to freeload off your musical talent.”

The class monitor puffed out her chest slightly. The girl looked a little proud from Lu Li’s praise. Unfortunately, her chest wasn’t exactly imposing, so the gesture only made her seem even more childlike. Dealing with a girl like this made Lu Li feel relaxed. When dealing with two kinds of people, it was best to tell the truth. One was the truly innocent kind. The other was the truly smart kind. Telling the truth to the first kind reduced your stress. Telling the truth to the second kind increased it.

“Then I’ll agree,” she said readily enough.

“Agree to what?” A voice Lu Li knew all too well came from behind him.

An Baili entered the classroom through the back door like a ghost. She hadn’t dressed up on purpose today. She still had the same old-fashioned blunt bangs, braided hair, and black-rimmed glasses. Her eyes, hidden behind those thick lenses, drifted toward Lu Li from time to time. In his previous life, An Baili had once said she wasn’t actually nearsighted. The glasses were just flat lenses made deliberately thick, all to avoid a little trouble.

As for what kind of trouble, Lu Li didn’t know. Student management at Chuanhai No.1 was fairly strict. It was rare for students to get into conflicts on campus, so An Baili shouldn’t have run into much trouble there.

“Hello, classmate.” The class monitor was obviously startled. “Were you assigned to this class too? My name is Chu Jingyi. Nice to meet you.” The poor girl had been scared badly enough that her voice was trembling. She was very timid.

Back in his previous life, she must have been terrified out of her mind before the plane crash. The thought made Lu Li feel a little sad. He didn’t like the class monitor, but he still didn’t want to see such a pure-hearted girl die in a disaster.

He silently repeated the name Chu Jingyi several times in his heart, while a smile appeared on his face. “Hello, classmate. I’m Lu Li.” He disguised it well, because he had always been a genius at playing dumb. A lot of life’s troubles could be solved just by pretending to understand or pretending to be clueless.

But An Baili could always see through his act.

And she always called him a heartless man.

Unfortunately for her, this time she hadn’t realized Lu Li still retained the memories from before his rebirth. A little excited, she said, “My name is An Baili.”

"Nice to meet you... all of you." She hid it well. At least, Chu Jingyi didn't notice anything off.

There was still an empty seat in front of Chu Jingyi. But An Baili didn't sit down. Instead, she stared at Chu Jingyi and put on an awkward look.

"Big Sis Jingyi, I... my lungs aren't very good. Can I sit somewhere with better ventilation?"

That made Lu Li's lips twitch slightly. An Baili, oh An Baili. You're actually a year older than Chu Jingyi, aren't you? How do you even manage to say that "Big Sis" out loud?

Chu Jingyi let out an "ah" and immediately moved to give up her seat. But Lu Li had already stood up first.

"In that case, An Baili, take my seat. I'm closer to the window, so the air's better."

An Baili grew a little anxious. "But it's too cold there."

What a flimsy excuse. Only an idiot wouldn't see through her.

Chu Jingyi shot Lu Li a reproachful look. "How can you have her sit that close? What if she catches a chill? If she keeps getting cold for a long time, then every time... it hurts like crazy. Do you have any empathy at all?"

Lu Li looked at her with a trace of pity, but he could only go along with what she said.

"Oh, is that so? Sorry, I didn't think it through. Then how about this, Jingyi—you take my seat, and An Baili can sit where you are now. That way, you can block a little of the wind, and it'll be easier for girls to look after each other too."

He deliberately called the class monitor "Jingyi" just to throw An Baili off and make her give up sooner.

They'd finally gotten a second chance at life. Couldn't they each go after their own lives? Why did she still have to stick to him like gum?

His goal was achieved, but the two girls reacted very differently.

Chu Jingyi's ears turned pink again. She thought the way Lu Li addressed her was too casual, but she was too embarrassed to correct him in front of a third person. Her skin was thinner than he'd imagined. When she acted as class monitor, she was so bold and commanding. It really made no sense.

An Baili, on the other hand, was much more interesting. She wanted to get angry, but didn't dare show it. Her gaze moved back and forth between the two of them. Her lips kept twitching as she forced the words back down.

Her acting was awful. Only she and Chu Jingyi didn't know that.

Lu Li picked up his bag and moved to the empty seat in front of Chu Jingyi. He nodded and smiled at the unfamiliar girl beside him as a greeting. He didn't expect a response. He just sat down straight away and looked at the blackboard without letting his eyes wander.

In the end, An Baili still didn't get what she wanted. She sat down in Chu Jingyi's original seat with visible resentment, which only left the class monitor wondering if she'd said something wrong.

Although Lu Li sat upright and proper, his attention was still on the two girls behind him.

An Baili was, after all, a little more calculating. She quickly adjusted her mood and asked Chu Jingyi what kind of arrangement she and Lu Li had made.

When she heard that Lu Li had invited Chu Jingyi to handle the game's music production, the smile on An Baili's face finally fell apart.

That should have been her place. One of those memories where she and Lu Li had shared hardship together. So where had this woman, who had long since vanished from memory, suddenly come from?

Maybe because both of them came from pretty terrible backgrounds, Lu Li had always felt a natural closeness to An Baili.

When she was excluded and oppressed, Lu Li was the one who stood up for her. He took her on walks. He taught her how to blow a leaf whistle. He told her she was actually beautiful.

In their senior year, Lu Li even ran out of school with her in the pouring rain, just to take her to see where the rainbow began after the storm.

For An Baili, the first sixteen years of her life had been covered in dark clouds. The world was gray and broken. She couldn't find any joy in living, and at one point had even thought about suicide.

But ever since she met Lu Li, he had become a beam of light piercing through the clouds, drawing An Baili toward him like a moth to flame.

She knew Lu Li didn't actually love her that much. She also knew the real reason—the deeper reason that even Lu Li himself didn't know.

And yet she still couldn't stop herself from tasting the poison called Lu Li, as if it were some kind of self-sacrifice.

Lu Li was hers. He could only be hers. And she could only be Lu Li's. No one, no matter who they were, was allowed to come between them.

No one. Not Zou Yameng, not Chen Jianing, not Wen Amber, and not any other random woman. They were all her enemies.

In the corner Chu Jingyi couldn't see, An Baili's gaze turned cold and sharp.

She had never shown this side of herself in front of Lu Li.

Not until the very last minute of her previous life.