Song Shi'an grabbed two books from his desk, took a pen, and headed to the library.
Many students flocked in that direction along the way; the library was bustling with activity as final exams approached.
He quickened his pace, pulled the hoodie over his head, and blended into the crowd, walking forward with his head down.
I found Chi Xun frantically writing something on the second floor and sat down right next to him.
"Hey buddy, sorry, someone's here. I'll be right back." Chi Xun didn't even look up, his pen flying across the paper.
"Oh, there are other people here?"
Chi Xun turned his head abruptly, his mouth opening to almost scream, but then he suddenly remembered he was in the library and swallowed his words: " Shi'an, you're finally back! You didn't even tell me you were playing Si Qinglan! Are we even buddies?!"
"You didn't ask either," Song Shi'an shushed.
Chi Xun silent. Who would have thought he would act in such a big IP? It seems he was too narrow-minded before.
Song Shi'an flipped through the books he had casually picked up, but he hadn't brought the one he needed for tomorrow's exam.
He got up, said "I'm going to find some information," and went into the bookshelf.
I searched everywhere for the information but couldn't find it; instead, I did find a book of unofficial history.
He randomly flipped to a page and leaned against the bookshelf to read. The more he read, the more outrageous it seemed. Was this even right...?
The emperor, traveling incognito, encounters a commoner girl who turns out to be a princess from the previous dynasty. The princess also has a long-lost twin sister who was adopted and raised as a female general by a general from an enemy country.
With so many factors at play, he couldn't help but frown.
A student came looking for a book and saw this scene directly from across the gap in the bookshelf.
She covered her mouth to stifle a scream. Wow, Song Shi'an! She never expected him to come straight to the school after getting off the plane.
She immediately took out her phone and snapped several photos in a row; every single one looked beautiful.
The light from the bookshelves shone down on him, casting a warm glow on the pages. He leaned against the bookshelves, engrossed in his reading, sometimes frowning and sometimes relaxing, making one wonder what content could have captured his attention.
She looked down at the photos, and when she looked up to take a couple more, the person opposite her had already disappeared.
She stood there, phone in hand, filled with regret. "Damn it! Couldn't I have gone back to check?"
Chi Xun looked at Song Shi'an carrying back several books. "You read so many in one night?!"
"No." Song Shi'an shook his head and turned the book title over to show him.
"Records of Strange Tales and Events Throughout History," " Secret History of the Imperial Harem Records of Folk Oddities " —Chi Xun's lips twitched. Good heavens, he'd thought this guy was planning to create a miracle overnight, " Shi'an An, if you don't want to fail, let's try our best. Maybe the teacher will bail you out and you can get a 60."
"Don't worry, passing shouldn't be a problem," Song Shi'an said, indicating that he had everything under control.
Chi Xun didn't know where he got the courage. Although the energy storage department was a popular major, it was also notoriously difficult to study, with the failure rate consistently ranking among the top three every year. Chi Xun could only wish him good luck.
After several days of exams, it's finally over.
Some students who took the exam early have already packed their suitcases and gone home. Jiang Ye, a local, sent a message in the group chat saying "I'm leaving" after handing in his last exam, without even returning to his dorm.
Chi Xun packed his suitcase, rolling his clothes into tubes and stuffing them inside. " Shi'an, aren't you packing your things to go back?"
"Go back, I have a ticket for tomorrow." Song Shi'an leaned against the headboard, scrolling through his phone.
"I'll be going now, see you next year!" Chi Xun dragged her suitcase to the door, turned back and waved to him.
See you next year.
The dormitory door closed, and the sounds of footsteps and suitcase wheels in the corridor gradually faded away, and the entire floor became quiet.
Looking at the empty dormitory, Song Shi'an sighed, swiped his phone screen, and hesitated for a long time on the rescheduling page.
A phone call came in; it was Mother Song.
"Son, do you have a train ticket for tomorrow? What time do you arrive? Your dad said he'll pick you up at the station tomorrow." Mother Song's voice came through the receiver, with the sounds of roosters crowing and pots and pans clattering in the background.
"Around 3:30 pm tomorrow." Song Shi'an leaned against the headboard, his voice unconsciously softening.
"Okay, okay, Mom will cook a meal of your favorite dishes tomorrow," came Mother Song's happy voice.
"Okay, Dad doesn't need to pick me up. I'll just take a taxi to the village entrance myself."
"You silly child, your dad isn't working tomorrow, what's wrong with him picking you up?"
"Alright then." Song Shi'an smiled.
After hanging up the phone, he stared blankly at it for a while, resigned to his fate but still feeling a little guilty.
He mentally tapped the system: "System, where is the original owner now?"
[Ding, querying... Just like the host, you've been matched to another world. Oh, right, he's the Male Lead Performance System.]
Song Shi'an jumped out of bed. "Damn system, why didn't you say so sooner!"
[Host, you didn't ask.]
"#*&%#..."
[Host, please calm down. This isn't under the system's jurisdiction.]
Song Shi'an was exhausted from arguing, so he collapsed onto the bed. That damn system was really doing him a disservice.
However, knowing that the original owner had also gone to another world, the weight on my heart finally lifted a little.
The next morning, feeling refreshed, he took a taxi to the high-speed rail station, swiped his ID card to enter, and found a seat.
I've developed the habit of closing my eyes and sleeping as soon as I get on the bus. I lean my head against the window, close my eyes, and my consciousness starts to blur.
I felt like I had only slept for a short while when the bus arrived at the next stop, and people started getting on and off one after another.
A girl dragged her suitcase through the crowd, trying to lift it onto the luggage rack. Halfway up, her arm started shaking, and she was caught in a dilemma, unsure whether to go forward or backward.
Hearing the noise, Song Shi'an opened his eyes, his voice still hoarse from just waking up. "Do you need any help?"
The girl's face flushed red. She looked at the boy in front of her who was wearing a mask, his hat pulled low, revealing only a pair of slightly upturned eyes.
She nodded and whispered, "Thank you."
Song Shi'an stood up to let the girl in and reached out to take the suitcase.
The moment he was lifted up, his back almost gave out; had they stuffed a ton of iron inside?!
He appeared calm on the surface, but his arm muscles were working hard, and he almost gritted his teeth to lift the suitcase steadily onto the luggage rack.
He withdrew his hand, calmly sat back down, his heart already filled with tears.
Never underestimate any girl's suitcase; you'll never know how they manage to carry it.
"Thank you," the girl said again from the side.
"It's alright, I'll help you take it when we get to the station." Song Shi'an smiled, then closed his eyes and went back to sleep.
The girl secretly pulled out her phone and texted her friend. "Girl! Ahhhh! I met my dream guy, what should I do?!"
My best friend replied instantly, "This is the twenty-third 'ideal man' you've mentioned this month..."