Chapter 2
[BeepāTask Complete.]
[Achievement Unlocked: Shi Ye’s favorability towards the Host is -1000.]
Wen Rong was already short by comparison, and now huddled into a tiny ball out of fear, he made Shi Ye look like he was standing next to a shivering soccer ball.
However, Shi Ye didn’t “kick the soccer ball.” His upright posture stiffened slightly before he turned around with a delayed reaction. Taking long strides, he returned to the car, slammed on the gas, andāVroomāsped away in a cloud of dust.
āShi Ye grabbed someone’s used underwear!
āAnd he actually leaned in to sniff it!
Fully grasping the gravity of the situation, the onlookers fled the crime scene immediately, leaving only Wen Rong. He remained squatting on the spot, his head buried in his arms, his brain processing everything half a beat too slow.
[Congratulations to the Host for completing Task 1. You have received 1 point.]
“Why am I here?”
[At 9:34 AM on June X, 20XX, a massive earthquake occurred in the Host’s real world. The Host died in the ruins.]
[The Main System selected the Host as Transmigrator No. 98798. Based on the Host’s various data metrics, the most suitable script and role were bound to you.]
[As long as you complete the tasks, the Host can continue to live in this world like a normal person.]
“Can I only live here? Can’t I go back?”
[The Host has already died in the original world.]
“Then… was my news report published?”
[The top scorer of the college entrance exam, an orphan, dying in an earthquake. It counts as fairly sensational social news.]
“My mom and dad…” Wen Rong’s voice grew smaller and smaller.
He realized that since he was already dead, even if he made the news and his parents recognized him, what was the point?
Wen Rong seemed to hallucinate a dashing man on a motorcycle and a gentle woman waving goodbye to him, even though he didn’t know what their faces looked like.
Sadness enveloped him, but like a thin mist, it dispersed as soon as the wind blew.
It didn’t matter. He was long used to life without parents anyway.
Wen Rong’s heart ached dully, just as it had for the past decade. He was accustomed to this feeling, grieving silently within his own fantasies.
Usually, this state didn’t last long. He would quickly be dragged back to reality, leaving him with only enough mental energy to worry about real-world problemsālike right now, concerning his underwear.
“W-What about my underwear? It seems that person took it away.”
[…]
“Why is there underwear I’ve worn here?” He paused. “And the woven bag, that’s mine too.”
[The cannon fodder character’s growth history completely adopts the Host’s original experiences, including items the Host has used.]
[In this world, the Host still grew up in an orphanage, was abandoned twice, and is a bullied bookworm. It is just that at the age of eighteen, your severed life was connected to the cannon fodder’s plotline.]
[Little System will now play the cannon fodder’s character settings for the Host.]
[Wen Rong, 18 years old. Excellent college entrance exam scores. On the day of filling out college applications, passed by a river and saw people drowning. Saved two people in one go, and consequently missed the deadline to fill out the application.]
[This incident went viral across the internet. The Host received a silk banner of gratitude personally awarded by the Mayor. Simultaneously, the world’s top aristocratic university, Floriman Academy, sent the Host an admission letter with a full tuition waiver.]
“There are many days allotted for filling out applications. If I missed the first day, there was still the second day.”
[The plot setting is that the Host missed filling out the application in order to save people.]
“Can I go to Tsinghua or Peking University? The classmates here don’t seem to welcome me very much.”
[In this world view, Tsinghua and Peking University do not exist.]
“Did this school only recruit me because of the news about saving people? Do I need to do anything…”
[Due to the federal election system, the people’s votes are particularly important. Every year, the Principal selects an age-appropriate child from positive news stories to recruit into the school. This creates a faƧade that “students who attend this academy all have good character,” making it easier for graduates to participate in elections later.]
Wen Rong was convinced. Hesitantly, he asked another question: “This looks like a foreign school. Is the teaching entirely in a foreign language? I don’t really know how to speak English.”
[In this world view, Chinese is the universal language.]
“Then why isn’t a top-tier institution named something like Tsinghua or Peking, but instead has a foreign name?”
[The Host need not delve into the logic of a novel world. Based on Little System’s understanding of the author, the academy’s name was likely generated by a one-click naming software.]
“Sorry, I won’t ask anymore.”
Actually, asking so many strange questions was just Wen Rong’s internal resistance at work.
But clearly, none of this could be changed.
He was dead, transmigrated into a cannon fodder, and was destined to continue being bullied by others in this school.
The short, frail boy squatted down. Moving like a broken robot, stuttering and pausing, he collected all the scattered clothes back into the woven bag.
Then, hugging the woven bag, he walked slowly past the giant boulder engraved with “Floriman Academy.” Because his clothes were different from everyone else’s, he constantly drew sideways glances from passersby.
Freshman Registration Office
“Name?”
“Answering Teacher, my name is Wen Rong.”
“Height.”
“176 centimeters.”
“Weight.”
“120 jin (60kg).”
“Special talents.”
“…None.”
“Parents’ names, work units, phone numbers.”
“No parents.”
“What about other guardians?”
“…No guardians.”
The teacher blew air through the mustache on his lip, finally looking up to eye him. “Helping you file your record is actually quite effortless. Why aren’t you wearing the uniform?”
“…”
“Is this question hard to answer?”
“I… I don’t know either.”
“No money to buy it?”
“Iā”
The teacher interrupted him. “Student, the school has already waived your tuition and miscellaneous fees. You don’t expect the school to pay for a small expense like a uniform too, do you? Our school is different from the kind you attended before. Here, uniforms are mandatory. You’d better get it sorted out as soon as possible.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Alright, alright, what’s the use of saying sorry… Follow me.”
“Thank you.”
[Thank him for what? Is this the attitude a teacher should have toward a student?]
Wen Rong comforted the System. “Don’t be angry, the teacher didn’t beat me.”
[…]
As he followed across half the campus, the System professionally introduced Wen Rong to the school: it originated from an ancient castle centuries ago, possessed historic architecture, covered a vast area, was expanded every year, and was designed by world-class designers…
He didn’t remember a single word, remaining in a wandering trance the whole time.
It wasn’t until the teacher stopped and turned back to hand the dorm key to Wen Rong that he snapped out of it. “This is the key. Remember to keep it safe. Don’t always forget to bring your key when you go out and cause trouble for the teachers.”
Wen Rong didn’t take the key, nor did he answer.
Because he was dumbfounded.
A large 50-square-meter apartment. The living room opened directly onto a balcony, and there was a separate bedroom.
It looked like a “little home” where someone actually lived. Everything was a warm beige tone. Against the wall stood a massive solid wood bookshelf, every shelf packed with books, connected to a desk. On the desk sat a laptop computer.
Everything was so beautiful it seemed to glow with golden light.
[Close your mouth. Your look of never having seen the world is making the teacher despise you even more.]
Wen Rong closed his mouth, turned, and bowed to the teacher. “Thank you for bringing me here.”
“Behave yourself normally. Don’t go into other people’s dorms and steal things.”
Wen Rong bowed again. “Thank you for the reminder.”
System: […]
Is this the supreme dullness one possesses when their EQ is 0?
Sigh.
It let out a sigh.
It wasn’t just his EQ; Wen Rong’s other stats were also terrible. His looks weren’t high, EQ wasn’t high, aggression was non-existent. It had assumed his IQ would be high, but unexpectedly, it didn’t even reach the passing line. It really didn’t know how he managed to get the highest score in the province.
After finishing its sigh, it watched Wen Rong see the teacher off, then take off his shoes and carry them in his hand. He stood rigidly by the door in his socks, not moving a muscle.
The System couldn’t help but ask: [What are you doing?]
Wen Rong stole a glance at the room, cautious yet full of anticipation. “Waiting for the roommate to arrive.”
He paused, a look of envy appearing on his face. “His things are so complete. I wonder if he’s easy to get along with.”
System: My native language is Speechless.
System: [You don’t have a roommate.]
“How can that be… the dorm is full of his things.” Wen Rong pointed to the desk. “There’s even a laptop.”
[…]
“The bed is made, too.”
[Host, this is the world’s top aristocratic university. The one thing they don’t lack is money. Everything you see right now is configured individually for you, including the computer.]
Wen Rong’s slightly long hair drooped over his black-framed glasses, and his mouth hung open just as wide as when he first entered, looking a bit foolish.
The System inexplicably wanted to broaden this fool’s horizons a bit more. [Furthermore, attending this school means you don’t need to consider any issues regarding food or lodging. The cafeteria here operates buffet-style, with hundreds of chefs cooking personally. It encompasses cuisine from every country globally. Every day, planes from all over the world arrive loaded with fresh local ingredients, absolutely authentic and original.]
Gurgle, gurgle.
Wen Rong’s stomach rumbled in cooperation.
“Can I eat it?”
[Of course you can. Accommodation, food, and miscellaneous fees are all included in the tuition. You are a Special Recruit; your tuition is fully waived.]
[However, not tonight. The dinner service time has passed. Ordering a meal now would require paying out of pocket.]
Wen Rong rubbed his stomach. “I’ll just go eat at the cafeteria tomorrow then.”
He asked again, “And the uniform the teacher mentioned… why do university students have to wear uniforms?”
[Because the students here come from all over the world, and their dressing styles vary. For example, in the girls’ school, some parents require their children to be wrapped entirely in black cloth. In the boys’ school, some students are accustomed to going out wearing only a string of leaves. To maintain the school’s image, the Principal requires a unified uniform.]
Wen Rong nodded. “That makes sense. But I don’t have money to buy a uniform. May I ask how to make money here?”
[Host, although you didn’t get to attend Tsinghua or Peking University, when the college entrance exam results came out, the government deposited the prize money into your bank account. It totals 500,000.]
500,000 was an astronomical figure to Wen Rong.
Thinking that he got so much money just for taking a test, he felt a small surge of pride in his heart.
“Does this mean I can focus purely on studying now?”
[The uniform set includes ten summer outfits, ten winter outfits, ten formal suits for official occasions, as well as basic sportswear, etc… Total cost: 500,000.]
On the data panel, Wen Rong’s mood value free-fell to 0.
The System hurriedly added, [Host, don’t worry. Floriman Academy has established various types of scholarships.]
“Mhm-hmm.”
The mood value rose slightly.
Wen Rong had some confidence when it came to getting good grades on exams.
[Floriman Academy is a 7-year program; you receive a doctoral degree upon graduation. As long as the Host obtains a scholarship once, it can cover all tuition and miscellaneous fees for the 7 years, and you can graduate as an Outstanding Graduate.]
An Outstanding Graduate meant he could find a good job!
Behind the black-framed glasses, Wen Rong’s pupils shone bright, filled to the brim with hope for the future.
The System felt satisfied.
Its Host was an ordinary bookworm who dressed tackily. Because he had no money for a barber, his hair was longer than the average male student, and he wore ugly, cheap black-framed glasses on his face, looking rustic and dull.
When his mood value was low, his face was pale, and his lips were white, looking just like a corpse.
Only when he was happy did he look less lifeless.
Spirits restored, Wen Rong acted like a curious baby, observing everything from the balcony onwards. He was curious about the washing machine and dryer, curious about the robot vacuum, curious about the electric curtains… He looked all the way to the bathroom, touched the smart toilet, and discovered the white towel hanging on the rack was radiating heat. He touched it carefully, exclaiming in surprise, “It’s hot!”
[That is an electric heated towel rack.]
“It’s so soft.”
[How could a towel not be soft?]
“Mine are always hard… this towel is really so soft.”
When he smiled, there were small dimples on his cheeks.
Wen Rong couldn’t wait to take off his glasses and press his entire face into it, his nose exhaling breath that blew the towel up like a small balloon.
“System, it really is so soft!”
[Alright, it belongs to you, don’t act likeā]
[?]
[!!!]
After taking off the black-framed glasses, Wen Rong was a completely different person.
His face was elegantly graceful, with a complexion like creamy suet white jade. His features were exquisite and delicate, resembling a white magnolia.
On the numeric panel, the red bar next to the “Appearance” stat launched like a rocket, hitting the maximum instantly.
š Advance Access: Complete Novel
- Option 1: Note your email on PayPal/Ko-fi.
- Option 2: Email proof to beezzzreads@gmail.com.
- Option 3: Comment below.
Recommended Reads
