Chapter 03

"Huh, doesn't this dream of mine feel a bit unbefitting of a transmigrator's grandeur?"

"Whatever, I'll finish this first and then tackle the rest."

As he thought this, his footsteps quickened.

The moment Su Cheng stepped into the classroom, the room fell silent for a brief moment before disdainful gazes turned toward him.

Those looks carried a mix of complexity and scorn, as if he were some kind of repulsive toad.

"Tsk tsk, Su Cheng, tell me—what’s the difference between what you just did and taking a dump in the middle of the street?"

A boy sitting near the trash pile spoke up.

As soon as the words left his mouth, the class burst into laughter, and murmurs began spreading.

"Yeah, Su Cheng, I really admire you. To do something so embarrassing and still have the guts to show your face—if I were you, I’d have died of shame by now."

"You can’t just rush up to someone just because they’re pretty."

"Have some respect for the class’s reputation, will you?"

What had been cold indifference earlier now escalated into outright mockery and insults, though nothing crossed the line into physical threats—the worst word used was "dump."

Su Cheng, however, didn’t seem angered by this. Instead, he smiled faintly.

He’d known his actions would provoke outrage.

But seeing Su Cheng shamelessly grinning, the class quickly lost interest in further taunts. After all, who knew what this guy might do next?

Everyone in the class knew his limits.

Back at the start of the semester, Su Cheng had pushed a girl in a wheelchair around campus, and their classmates had seen it.

The next day, someone foolishly teased the girl right in front of him.

Su Cheng responded by grabbing a chair and swinging it without hesitation, looking ready to cripple the guy on the spot. The entire class had been terrified.

If not for the teachers stepping in, he might have actually maimed someone.

Su Cheng returned to his seat and lowered his head to play on his handheld console.

It was an old black-and-white device, only capable of games like Snake and Tetris.

The orphanage had given it to him for his tenth birthday, and he treasured it. It wasn’t that he didn’t want a smartphone—they were just too expensive.

Besides, he didn’t have anyone to call anyway.

If he wanted to look something up or unwind with a game, he’d treat himself to a round of Yasuo at an internet café on weekends.

His seat was by the window in the very last row.

Not the so-called "protagonist’s spot."

And the seat in front of him, the one that should’ve belonged to the protagonist?

The original occupant had been beaten into dropping out by Su Cheng. Now, it sat empty.

"I passed by the teachers’ office earlier and overheard them talking about that girl who visited the school today," a girl suddenly said, her tone dripping with intrigue, as if she knew something juicy.

The moment she spoke, the class erupted.

"What were they saying?"

"I wanna know too! Even the school administrators were escorting her!"

"Shouldn’t the real focus be how unrealistically gorgeous she was?"

"Yeah, the school belle—no, the county belle—title’s gonna change hands starting today."

Su Cheng’s head jerked up at this. He pretended to keep playing his game, but his ears were perked. After all, he only had three days to befriend Gu Ruoxue.

The girl grinned, revealing a pair of small fangs. "I heard the teachers say Gu Ruoxue’s family donated two million to fund the construction of a new school building—completely free of charge!"

Silence.

The entire class froze, staring at her in disbelief.

"No way."

Two million?

That was an insane amount of money.

While two million might be pocket change for students at Flame City Private Academy, for an average family, it was more than they’d earn in a lifetime.

"Is that true? Are you sure?"

"Seriously?"

The girl just giggled. "That’s what I heard the teachers say. I don’t know the details."

The class fell into stunned contemplation.

"How rich is her family?"

Some were so shocked they could barely string words together.

Then, someone suddenly said, "Wait, that doesn’t make sense. A third-year senior told me she’s enrolling as a junior. Why would someone that rich come study here?"

Hearing this, Su Cheng relaxed slightly.

The system had given him three days and ten stage missions, so he’d already guessed Gu Ruoxue would be attending school here. But he hadn’t expected her background to be this absurd—casually dropping two million like it was nothing.

"What kind of ultimate beauty is this…?"

"Marrying her would shave off a century of hard work."

"Keep dreaming. Like she’d ever look at any of us?"

"Yeah, let’s be realistic here."

As one of the girls said this, she deliberately glanced at Su Cheng, her expression and tone implying he was the one lacking self-awareness.

Su Cheng gave her a bland look but didn’t react, simply returning to his game.

After all, he was a transmigrator with a system.

His future was destined to be legendary!

No point getting worked up over nameless extras.

Soon, evening self-study ended.

He packed up and prepared to leave.

He lived in the orphanage, a modest place divided into several sections. The children’s area housed groups of kids together—some rooms were around a hundred square meters, others much smaller, just a few dozen square meters. Designed like a garden, it had a warm, cozy atmosphere.

As a healthy, self-sufficient, and reasonably good-looking young man, Su Cheng naturally had his own single dorm. But every time he returned, his footsteps grew heavy.

Because the rooms he passed were filled with kids his age—each suffering from some rare illness.

"How was school today?"

The moment Su Cheng opened his door, the faint sound of wheelchair wheels reached his ears, followed by a familiar, clear voice.

Su Cheng looked up to see a girl in a white blouse and pink cardigan, her hair tied in a ponytail, sitting in the wheelchair before him.

Her large, bright eyes studied him curiously, her lips curved in a faint smile—though her face was unusually pale.

This was Xue Yihe.

A girl life had not been kind to.

Born with asthma, she’d lost her parents and a leg in a car accident as a child.

Yet she remained optimistic, strong-willed, and stubborn, never once showing defeat.

"Not bad. My classmates adore me, the teachers respect me—everyone’s incredibly kind and welcoming."

"Adore? Respect?"

Xue Yihe blinked, then laughed. "Don’t misuse words like that."

With that, she extended a soft, pale hand and gently patted Su Cheng's shoulder, saying, "Come to my room. I have something for you."

Su Cheng looked at Xue Yihe and asked, "What is it?"

Xue Yihe nodded and replied, "Just follow me."

Su Cheng wheeled her into her room.

The room was immaculate, without a speck of dust in sight. The desk was cluttered with numerous books, an array of paints, and various handmade crafts.

Pushing her to the bedside, Su Cheng stopped as Xue Yihe pointed to a drawer nearby. With a bright smile, she said, "Go on, open it yourself."