Study Bitch.

This is how the world works.

You think you're invincible, acting all high and mighty, but if you keep that arrogance up, sooner or later you'll run into someone even tougher than you.

Someone who’ll treat you just like you treated others.

The original owner of this body—the blond punk—was no exception.

Back in school, he strutted around like he owned the place, picking fights and bullying whoever he pleased.

But what about after he left school?

In the Black Blood Gang, he was a nobody. Li Yuan couldn’t stand the deadweight, and he ended up broke, looked down on everywhere he went. Wasn’t that just karma catching up to him?

...

Wait.

Lin Yu suddenly realized.

Shouldn’t I be his real karma?

Because, from a consciousness standpoint, I was the one who killed him.

Lin Yu had inherited most of the blond punk’s memories.

He remembered clearly—on the night before the transmigration, the punk had just gone to sleep like any other night.

No fights, no sketchy food, nothing.

So it wasn’t a case of him dying and Lin Yu’s consciousness drifting into his body to take over.

No, Lin Yu had erased his consciousness.

Or maybe...

A soul swap?

The moment that possibility crossed his mind, a thin layer of cold sweat broke out on Lin Yu’s forehead.

But just as quickly, his tension eased.

Even if it was a soul swap, so what?

With his dad—a martial arts instructor—around, if the punk had ended up in his body, he’d have been whipped into a meek little kitten who wouldn’t dare even think a curse word.

The mere thought of his father’s iron-fisted discipline sent a chill crawling up Lin Yu’s spine, straight to the base of his skull, making him shudder uncontrollably.

Oddly enough, after that shudder, the restless heat inside him seemed to fade.

Suddenly, he didn’t even feel like drinking anything cold.

Grabbing a room-temperature soda from the supermarket shelf, Lin Yu headed to the checkout.

Speaking of which...

When would someone like Zhao She get his own dose of karma—someone even fiercer and stronger than him?

Recalling Zhao She’s stint in prison, Lin Yu sucked in a sharp breath and shook his head.

A guy who’d been through hell like that? He’d only come out harder, sharper, more ruthless.

Even if some bigger, badder crime lord came along, Zhao She wouldn’t be dumb enough to pick a fight.

So would he end up ruling his own corner of the underworld someday?

Another question popped into Lin Yu’s head.

Who knew?

Lin Yu shook his head slowly.

There’s always someone tougher, always a higher mountain.

No one could predict the future.

Better just pay and get out.

Class was about to start!!!

...

...

Something’s off.

No, scratch that—something’s wildly off.

Lin Yu stared at the report card in his hands, brows furrowed, before lifting his gaze to Tang Manman, suspicion burning in his eyes.

Tang Manman stood there, the picture of innocence, lips pressed together in a tight line—but the smug glee in her eyes was practically spilling over, painting her whole face with barely contained triumph.

“Didn’t you say this exam was super hard?”

Lin Yu scowled.

Tang Manman nodded sweetly.

“And yet you somehow landed second place in the whole school?”

His frown deepened, and he was now fully convinced Tang Manman was one of those students—the kind who whined about failing right up until the results dropped.

And then—boom—top of the class.

Again.

“It was hard,” she insisted.

“My total score dropped by a whole 20 points compared to last semester.”

“It’s just that the second and third placers dropped even more than me.”

Her logic was airtight, leaving Lin Yu momentarily speechless.

Damn.

She had a point.

With the cold, hard evidence right in front of him, Lin Yu had no choice but to grudgingly hand over eight more Dragon Vouchers, his face a picture of misery.

It wasn’t the cost or rarity of the vouchers that bothered him.

It was the fact that each one equaled a wish.

And with this many in Tang Manman’s hands, he felt like he was at her mercy.

Uncomfortable.

Could he add some fine print to these things?

Like, “Final interpretation rights belong to the issuer” or something?

Tang Manman accepted the vouchers with exaggerated care, clutching the small stack like treasure. Her eyes crinkled into happy crescents as she admired the goofy, big-faced dragon printed on them.

Then, with deliberate slowness, she peeled one off and handed it back to Lin Yu.

“Can you walk me home after school?”

Lin Yu’s eyes lit up, and he reached for it eagerly.

“Of course!”

But Tang Manman quickly added:

“For a month.”

“Huh?!”

“A month,” she repeated.

Lin Yu nearly choked.

“That’s way too long! Even checks don’t stretch that far!”

“Ten days per voucher!”

He tried bargaining.

Tang Manman didn’t even hesitate. She pulled her hand back, ready to rescind the offer, her expression screaming, Take it or leave it.

“Fine, fine! A month it is!”

Lin Yu caved.

Deal sealed, they merged into the after-school crowd.

As expected, barely any students stuck around once the final bell rang.

Within fifteen minutes, the lively campus had emptied, leaving behind nothing but eerie silence.

Rushing through her cleaning duties, a green-haired girl sprinted back to the classroom, eager to grab her bag and meet up with friends.

The elevator carried her up to the eighth floor.

The doors slid open, and she bolted out, rounding the corner—only to freeze mid-step.

There, by the window, stood her senior, Gu Yue.

The girl blinked.

“Yue-jie, why are you still here?”

Then, as if answering her own question, she guessed:

“Is it because Lin Yu hasn’t left yet?”

“He’s gone.”

Gu Yue’s voice was soft, almost fragile, echoing faintly in the deserted hallway. There was something hauntingly melancholic about it.

The green-haired girl sensed something was off but didn’t know how to probe further.

“Why didn’t you leave with him today?”

Gu Yue’s eyes dimmed as she stared out the window. Her long lashes fluttered slightly when she lowered them.

“He has someone else now.”

“...”

...