Dark clouds swallowed half the sky. A sudden gale swept across the ground, transforming a clear, blue day into a storm of thunder in an instant.
At the elite academy, students crowded the windows, peering out at the churning sky. Only Su Qingqing remained oblivious, staring blankly ahead in the classroom as the professor’s voice droned on.
She had been transmigrated into a dated romance novel by a freak accident. She hadn’t been reborn as the beloved female lead or even a background character.
Instead, she had taken over the body of the story’s villainess—the fake heiress.
The original Su Qingqing’s end was miserable. After repeatedly framing the female lead, her true identity as a fake heiress was exposed. But even then, she refused to leave her wealthy adoptive parents, her desperate clinging so suffocating that they eventually cast her out without a second thought. Her cruelty stood in stark contrast to the female lead’s pure innocence, and in the end, she died a lonely, wretched death that no one mourned.
What a mess, Su Qingqing thought with a sigh.
Worse yet, she had arrived at the exact moment the original Su Qingqing was sharing a dorm room with the male lead.
The original owner of this body had gone to extreme lengths to get close to him, even cutting off her beautiful long hair and disguising herself as a man just to secure a spot in his dormitory.
Somehow, her plan had actually worked. This is the kind of nonsense only an old-school novel would pull off, Su Qingqing mused. Where the impossible becomes possible.
Su Qingqing’s clear eyes flickered. She had no Adam’s apple, and her skin was so delicate it looked like it could be pinched to draw water. Even with her short hair, her stunningly beautiful face was impossible to hide.
Yet, in the two days since she’d arrived, no one had questioned her gender. Instead, her looks had been turning heads all over campus.
The original Su Qingqing’s beauty and figure were top-tier in the novel, enough to make anyone stop in their tracks. It was a shame she’d met such a miserable end.
The bell rang, snapping Su Qingqing back to the present. The professor had already left the classroom, and a wave of chatter and commotion filled the air.
This was an elite academy, a place for the children of the wealthy and powerful.
During her first two days here, Su Qingqing’s frail build and gentle demeanor had made her an easy target for bullies. But while she could stomach any food, no matter how bad, she couldn’t stomach being pushed around.
She had already dealt with the students who tried to bully her, taking them down with a few swift moves. Bullying? Not on my watch.
She hadn’t even made it out of the classroom when a male student slammed into her from behind. Before she could even turn, the scent of his cologne and a wave of masculine pheromones washed over her.
“Are you blind?”
Duan Xinghe glared down at her, his expression cold and contemptuous.
The students, who had been hurrying to class, stopped in their tracks to watch the drama unfold. They whispered among themselves, speculating on the terrible fate awaiting anyone who dared to provoke Duan Xinghe.
Su Qingqing stared back at the handsome, arrogant face glaring down at her.
“If you’re not going to use your eyes, you should donate them,” she said, her voice cold. “It’s a waste to keep them as ornaments.”
A collective gasp rippled through the crowd. She’s dead! How dare she talk back to Duan Xinghe!
Duan Xinghe froze, stunned that she would dare to defy him. His gaze swept over her, taking in her delicate, jade-like features. He’d been struck by her beauty the first time he’d seen her, and now, staring at her again, he couldn’t help but be mesmerized.
Just as the crowd waited for him to lash out, Duan Xinghe simply smirked.
“Interesting.”
He brushed past her, hands shoved in his pockets, and strode out of the classroom.
The girls nearby erupted in a chorus of excited screams.
“So handsome!”
“Duan Xinghe just killed me with that look!”
“He might not be on Mu Bai or Chu Yunhan’s level, but he’s still a total babe!”
Ignoring the fangirls’ swooning, Su Qingqing walked straight out of the classroom. She had no evening classes and planned to head back to the dorm before grabbing dinner.
The dorms at this academy were doubles, and when Su Qingqing first saw hers, the sheer luxury made it hard to believe this was actually a student residence.
She had yet to run into the male lead, Mu Bai. Recalling the original novel’s description, she couldn’t help but shudder. He was not a man to be trifled with—not only was he brooding and cold, but also ruthlessly cunning for his young age. In the original story, he could overturn fortunes with a mere wave of his hand, his mind a bottomless abyss of schemes.
Only the female lead—a gentle, pure “little white flower”—could ever hope to melt his stony heart. As for a mere cannon fodder supporting character like herself, her only goal was to stay as far away as possible. She hoped their paths would never cross, ensuring both her peace of mind and her survival.
Of course, her hopeful daydream was cut short by the pressing reality of her chest binder. The pressure against her chest was suffocating, a tormentingly clear reminder of the curse of having a shapely figure. She’d tied it too tight that morning and could barely breathe.
Since she could only dare to lift her clothes and re-bind herself in the privacy of the dorm bathroom, Su Qingqing beelined for the toilet the moment she entered the room. She was so focused on loosening the straps that she didn’t even check if anyone else was there.
Su Qingqing rushed into the bathroom and eagerly loosened the binder. She let out a long breath, feeling like she had just come back to life.
This is the price of love, she thought wryly. The cost of cross-dressing is a steep one.
If this elite academy didn’t demand a five-million-yuan penalty for early withdrawal, she would have dropped out on her first day. But she didn’t have five million, and there was no way she could ask her wealthy parents to pay. After all, she was a fake heiress. Her only option now was to endure until graduation.
This really is a CEO novel, she mused. The numbers are always in the millions or hundreds of millions.
After a moment’s relief, Su Qingqing carefully re-wrapped the binder, this time leaving it much looser. The oversized clothes concealed the curves of her chest perfectly.
She hastily pulled her clothes back on and opened the bathroom door. A figure was standing right there…
Su Qingqing gasped, nearly choking on her own breath.
Under the light, the man’s exceptionally sharp features were as cold as frost. A dark, detached aura clung to him, and his icy gaze reflected her own startled image.
Her breath hitched. The man before her, more handsome than Pan An himself, was the male lead, Mu Bai?
Did he just… see me?