The Real Young Master

"Is this fun?"

Lu Mian looked at Shen Zhong, his tone as flat as a pool of stagnant water, as if he weren't the one being bullied today.

Shen Zhong snorted and ground his cigarette butt against the table beside him, instantly leaving a charred scorch mark on the wooden surface.

"I thought you didn't have a temper. What, even a rabbit bites when it's cornered?"

Cen Xia silently turned sideways and moved to one side, doing his best to blend into the background.

Lu Mian lifted his eyelids slightly and swept his gaze over the crowd before settling it on Shen Zhong again. His voice was weary, with a hint of mockery. "Is that all you've got?"

Shen Zhong said nothing. He looked around as if searching for something, then beckoned one of his lackeys over.

The one with dyed yellow hair was the quickest to respond. He rushed forward and asked ingratiatingly, "What is it, boss?"

Shen Zhong said, "Hand."

Yellow Hair held out his hand in confusion, and a cigarette with more than half of it left was placed in it.

"What kind of crappy study room doesn't even have a trash can?" Shen Zhong cursed.

Everyone said, "..."

Cen Xia thought, ... You sure do like keeping things clean.

Shen Zhong braced both hands behind him on the table and leaned back slightly, looking down at Lu Mian. "Who cares what methods I use, as long as they work?"

Lu Mian raised his eyes slightly to meet his gaze. Because of where he stood, the left side of his face was exposed to the daylight streaming through the window when he turned his head, and a faint golden sheen shimmered over his light-colored eye.

But the color of his right iris remained unchanged, giving him a strangely disjointed, bewitching beauty that made the heart skip a beat.

The two faced off in silence for a few seconds before Lu Mian suddenly spoke, slowly and deliberately. "I went to Benevolent Heart Hospital a couple of days ago."

The seemingly random remark made Shen Zhong freeze. His brows knitted together, and he abruptly straightened up, his gaze sharp as a knife aimed straight at Lu Mian.

"What do you mean?"

Lu Mian didn't answer. He continued to look at Shen Zhong with a calm, unruffled gaze.

The look stirred a sudden burst of violence in Shen Zhong's heart. It was that look again, as if nothing had anything to do with him, making one want to tear apart the facade of the person before him, and better yet, fill those eyes with tears of terror.

The exchange left everyone else completely baffled, but Cen Xia, who had the script in hand, understood.

Lu Mian was threatening Shen Zhong with his mother.

Cen Xia raised his eyes slightly and looked at Shen Zhong, then looked away a second later.

Who would have thought that Shen Zhong, the second young master of the Shen family, who threw his weight around here, was actually an illegitimate son?

In upper-class circles, illegitimate children were the most despised of all.

Who would be willing to let an illegitimate son or daughter who couldn't be seen in respectable company get a share of their property?

In the end, Shen Zhong simply stared at Lu Mian dangerously for a long while before forcing out a few words. "Let's go."

His lackeys exchanged looks, then followed Shen Zhong out of the study room.

Cen Xia kept his gaze fixed on the floor, not daring to let it wander. In a scene that wasn't part of the main plot, all he needed to do was keep his presence to a minimum and obediently blend into the background.

Only after everyone had left did he slowly start toward the back door.

A voice called him to a stop.

"Wait."

Lu Mian hadn't left. He stood where he had been, his back to the light.

Cen Xia quickly lowered his head, pretending to be timid and meek.

That persona suited an ordinary student who had just witnessed bullying.

"What time does the library close?" Lu Mian sounded somewhat sleepy.

"Huh?" Cen Xia didn't understand, but answered honestly, "Eleven at night."

Having gotten his answer, Lu Mian lowered his eyelids listlessly, said thanks, and turned to leave.

After that unexpected ordeal, Cen Xia had no interest in staying at the library. He found an empty classroom to wait out the lunch break, then went to class.

After that day, Cen Xia's life remained uneventful. He attended class, ate, and slept according to his routine.

The original owner had been introverted and reclusive to begin with, and Cen Xia himself felt averse to this world, so he had few friends. Apart from joining groups that still had openings for class assignments, he hardly interacted with his classmates at all.

A peaceful life meant that the protagonist's plot was peaceful too.

If only it could stay like this forever.

Cen Xia thought this as he picked a seat at random in the cafeteria and sat down. He didn't have much of an appetite today, so he had ordered only a rice bowl.

The utensils were in the sterilizing cabinet, and he had to get them himself.

After taking a pair of chopsticks and a spoon, Cen Xia closed the cabinet door. As he turned, his arm bumped into someone.

Cen Xia hadn't noticed anyone beside him. He hurriedly lowered his head and apologized. "Sorry."

He didn't look at the person he'd bumped into. They were all NPCs anyway, and besides, it had only been a light bump that called for an apology. He was about to leave after saying sorry, but someone grabbed his arm.

Cen Xia thought the other person wasn't satisfied. After all, there were too many young masters at this school who looked down their noses at everyone. So he had no choice but to look up at him.

Shi Su was about the same height as him, and their eyes were level.

"Hey, you dropped something."

He looked at the key on the floor, felt his empty pocket, and bowed his head in thanks. "Thank you."

Shi Su stared at his face for a few seconds, then hesitantly asked, "Haven't we met somewhere before?"

"Probably not."

Cen Xia picked up the key and left.

Back at his seat, Cen Xia looked toward the sterilizing cabinet again, just in time to see Shi Su walking away.

A boy carrying two meal trays came over to Shi Su, and the two chatted and laughed as they found an empty table and sat down.

The first person Cen Xia had seen when he opened his eyes in this world was Shi Su.

In that room piled high with clutter, Cen Xia had stood at the back of the crowd as a bystander.

He saw two people forcing Shi Su to kneel on the floor, making him bow his head and apologize, while someone in front filmed it on a phone.

Once the recording was finished, the video would be posted on an off-campus black forum. Unlike the strictly regulated student forum, which was full of restrictions and banned words, that black forum had no taboos.

But only Kanlitel students could log in to the black forum, and reposting its content or making screen recordings was forbidden. If discovered, the lightest consequence was expulsion.

It was as if a wall had been built to keep all the dark and sordid things at the school from leaking out-they would never allow any rumors or scandals that could tarnish the academy's polished facade to reach the outside world.

Cen Xia's mind had still been foggy from transmigrating, and what stood out most in his view was the boy pinned to the floor, in an utterly sorry state, but with astonishingly bright eyes.

He refused to submit.

Unable to fight off the hands holding him down, he could only bare his teeth and snarl threats at his enemies.

He tried to frighten them off with his ferocity.

But clearly, he couldn't.

Another person came around behind him and pressed his head toward the floor.

Streaks of dust instantly smeared his fair face. He struggled in vain, glaring fiercely at the people in front of him.

This is going a bit too far. Watching the scene, Cen Xia frowned, pushed through the crowd, and walked to the front.

The onlookers, the ones helping, the boy pinned to the floor... everyone turned to look at him.

The boy looked a little stunned, as if he hadn't expected anyone at this school to stand up for him.

Cen Xia had just reached the front and was about to speak when the world's will delivered its first punishment.

Before Cen Xia fell, he saw the boy's panicked expression.

Someone cried out beside him, "Fuck, we've got a scammer trying to fake an injury!"

When he woke up again, he was in the infirmary.

He later learned that when he collapsed, everyone had scrambled to pick him up and carry him to the infirmary, terrified that if they were a second too slow, he would die there and his death would be pinned on them.

The farce ended up saving Shi Su.

Only later did he learn that he couldn't do anything unnecessary in this world.

The first class that afternoon was a chemistry lab, and the teacher required them to work in groups.

For assignments like this, Cen Xia usually waited until the end and joined whichever group was short a person, but this time someone approached him first.

There weren't many people in class he could remember, but he knew this one: Ding Yiheng. He was popular in class and could join in a conversation with any group.

He talked games with the boys and gossip with the girls; there was no topic he couldn't join in on.

Ding Yiheng had a round face, small eyes, and a mole above his eyebrow. His features were distinctive and hard to forget after a single glance.

At the same time, Ding Yiheng was studying him closely: an ordinary face and ordinary clothes. He was like the many people one passed at school and forgot at a glance.

Ding Yiheng said, "Want to be partners?"

Cen Xia agreed without hesitation, saving himself the trouble of finding someone without a partner.

Once they had teamed up, Ding Yiheng sat down beside him. He opened his book, but after a few glances at the chemical formulas, his head began to ache. He turned and asked, "How are you at chemistry?"

Cen Xia's grades were neither high nor low. There were thirty people in the class, and his last test score had put him squarely in fifteenth place. A step higher or lower wouldn't have had the same effect.

So he shook his head. "Average."

Ding Yiheng's spirits fell. "Hope the old man doesn't call on us."

Cen Xia offered no opinion.

As if making small talk, Ding Yiheng asked, "What does your family do?"

"Resorts."

"Which brand?"

"Forest and Field Mountain Lodge."

Ding Yiheng stared at him wide-eyed. "That's your family's? I saw it online before and was planning to go during the holidays."

Cen Xia kept his eyes on his book. "I'll give you a discount if you go."

Ding Yiheng beamed. "Thanks."

Cen Xia's family's resort brand was well known in the country and could be said to be the most profitable one. Otherwise, his parents wouldn't have sent him to this elite school.

But even so, his family's circumstances could only be considered average at this school.

That fits an NPC perfectly, Cen Xia thought. Average grades, an average family background, and average looks.