SCHS - Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The midsummer wind carried an annoying heat that felt like fire on the skin, causing fine beads of sweat to seep out. Looking out through the car window, the exceptionally bright sun hung in the sky like a fireball, intensely oppressive. Uncle An, the driver, drove steadily, glancing discreetly at Wen Shixue in the back seat through the rearview mirror.

The Wen family's young lady was as bright and beautiful as a flower, with skin as smooth as porcelain, perfect like a porcelain doll meticulously crafted by an artisan, flawlessly beautiful. However, this porcelain doll's expression wasn't so pleasant right now. She was looking at the tablet in her hand, her brows tightly furrowed, as if she had seen something utterly detestable. From time to time, lines like "Why do you love her and not me?" and "I must have you!" came from the tablet, as if a melodramatic romance drama was playing.

Finally, she couldn't watch anymore. After letting out a "Tch," she closed the video, narrowed her eyes, propped her chin, and felt genuinely bewildered. Sitting on the other side was her cousin, Wen Yue, a girl with a delicate appearance. Seeing her surrender, Wen Yue asked, "Not watching anymore?"

"Can't watch it," Wen Shixue said. "This female supporting character is also a rich and beautiful second-generation heiress. With her conditions, what kind of man couldn't she have? Why does she have to circle around someone else's dish? What was the screenwriter thinking?" She had just been watching a currently popular idol drama where the male and female leads were from ordinary families, while the female supporting character was a beautiful young lady from a wealthy family.

As a young lady from a wealthy family, the female supporting character had everything she wanted since childhood, but she just couldn't win the male lead's heart. Yet, she stubbornly refused to give up, eventually turning dark because her love was unrequited, becoming a universally disliked and dutiful obstacle to the main couple's happiness. As a real young lady from a wealthy family, Wen Shixue's attention would unconsciously focus on the wealthy female supporting character, and she would then be dissuaded by her "wise" actions, successfully dropping the drama and never looking back.

If she were that female supporting character, she would definitely give up on the male lead without hesitation. The sky is vast and the sea is wide; with her conditions, what kind of man couldn't she have? Why bother chasing after someone who gives you the cold shoulder, foolishly interfering in a couple's love? Even if she did manage to snatch him away, he wouldn't be worth cherishing, because if he could be taken once, he could be taken again. His love would become worthless along with his wavering heart.

Wen Yue didn't have a concrete understanding of love yet, only managing to piece together a concept from dramas and past examples she had seen. She looked at her with hesitant eyes: "Perhaps this is love?" "Liking someone makes you like this? Will we become like this in the future? Will you, Sis?"

Wen Shixue immediately turned her head and gave her a strange look, as if she couldn't understand why such a question would pop into her little head. Wen Shixue answered with absolute certainty: "No. Even in relationships, you need basic morals. You can't steal what belongs to others; that's common sense. And what's so great about someone else's dish? If he can be taken once, he can be taken again. Whoever wants to be an obstacle to a couple can go ahead; this young lady won't bother."

She had no interest in being a homewrecker. Besides, with her conditions, what kind of man couldn't she have? Forget men, she wouldn't lack for women either. She would never become that foolish – absolutely not! The naive Wen Yue felt her mind clear up after Wen Shixue's guidance, no longer worried about becoming like that. She then smiled and changed the subject: "Sis, why did Uncle call you back?"

Wen Shixue shrugged: "Don't know." She and Wen Yue were originally traveling abroad, but Wen Lianchang called and told her to come back to China, saying he had something to discuss with her in person. So they ended their trip early and returned. She was indeed a little curious about what Wen Lianchang wanted to say, but whatever it was, it wouldn't be to harm her.

She furrowed her brows, looking at the big sun outside the window, and moved towards the middle as if avoiding poison, trying to reduce the area exposed to the sun. She complained, "This isn't the sky, it's a steaming furnace..." She had no doubt that if someone stood outside for a day, they'd be cooked through.

Staring at the sun for a long time, her throat couldn't help but feel dry and parched, as if scorched by the scorching sun. She couldn't help but ask, "Xiao Yue, want some cola?" Wen Yue was feeling thirsty and readily agreed: "Okay!"

Wen Shixue's almond eyes curved slightly, a hint of satisfied amusement in her gaze. A summer without iced cola is incomplete! ...They stopped in front of a KFC not far from the airport, and Wen Shixue and Wen Yue got out to buy something to eat. The store was constantly busy, and the ordering lines were three deep. Wen Shixue glanced around casually and headed towards the line against the wall.

As Wen Yue looked up at the menu, Wen Shixue noticed the thin man in front of them wearing a mask. His phone was dishonestly pointed towards the skirt of the girl in front, and then he pretended to look at the menu, raising his head. Wen Shixue raised an eyebrow. Since she had stumbled upon something like this, there was no reason to let it go. So she decisively took out her phone and recorded his actions.

The peeping man used the crowded customers as cover, quickly took a few photos, and then eagerly lowered his head to check them. Wen Shixue finished recording the evidence. After confirming he wasn't carrying any weapons, she tapped him on the shoulder. When he turned around, she quickly took a photo of his face. While dialing the police, she said, "It seems you don't know what phones are for. Shall we trouble the police uncles to teach you?"

Everyone's gaze instantly turned towards them, pinning them in place. The girl standing in front of the peeping man finally realized what was happening. She instinctively pulled down her skirt, her eyes fixed on his phone: "You were taking pictures? Give me your phone!" The peeping man was caught off guard, exposed to everyone's view. His eyes darted around nervously. Seeing Wen Shixue calling the police, he instinctively reached out to snatch her phone. When she dodged, he cursed in frustration, "Crazy woman!" Then he viciously shoved Wen Shixue and darted away.

Wen Yue gasped. Wen Shixue's body swayed from the push, and her head hit the concrete wall squarely. It hurt so much she furrowed her brows, unable to recover for a long time.

The peeping man charged recklessly, startling bystanders who scattered, completely failing to react and grab him to hand over to the police. Just then, the collar of his shirt tightened around his neck, making him pause. The next second, the world spun, and an oppressive force suddenly pressed down on his back, leaving him sprawled helplessly on the ground, unable to move.

The person who subdued him was a young man. His appearance held a hint of refreshing handsomeness, and he acted decisively. He first told others to call the police, then turned back to look at the suffering Wen Shixue, asking with concern, "Miss, are you alright? Do you need to go to the hospital?"

Wen Shixue endured the headache and looked up at him. In that instant, as if a magic box had been opened, countless strange memory fragments broke free and surged out. The protagonists of these memories weren't just one person; there was her and... this young man. In one memory fragment, the man was frowning, while she was hysterically yelling at him with red eyes, questioning him like a madwoman: "Why don't you like me?!"

She was startled. Before she could react, her head felt like it had been violently struck by a hammer. The pain intensified, and finally, she couldn't bear it anymore and fainted.

...Wen Shixue woke up, or rather, she finally woke up.

Three full hours had passed from the moment she fainted until she woke up. All the necessary tests were done, but not a single problem was found; even the doctors said she was fine. His daughter was fine but wouldn't wake up, which made Wen Lianchang extremely anxious. He paced back and forth in the hospital room, even wanting to summon the world's best medical team immediately to operate on his daughter and see if the impact had caused some hidden internal illness.

Fortunately, she finally woke up. Wen Lianchang had the butler call the doctor, who examined her again. She lay on the hospital bed, her almond eyes wide open, staring unblinkingly at the ceiling, her soul seemingly adrift, remaining silent throughout. It wasn't until Wen Lianchang called her name that she slowly responded.

Since no problems were found, the doctors left. Wen Lianchang didn't want anyone to disturb Wen Shixue, so everyone else in the room tactfully left. The surroundings instantly became quiet again. Wen Shixue was still in a daze, recalling her dream. Yes, she had a dream during those three hours, a dream about herself that highly overlapped with reality yet was extremely dramatic. Therefore, she couldn't determine whether it was truly just a dream.

The dream told her that the world they lived in was actually a romance novel, and she, Wen Shixue, was precisely the villainous female supporting character in this novel. The young man who had subdued the peeping man earlier was the male lead with a halo above his head!

In the plotline of this romance novel, she didn't faint. Instead, under the male lead's kind concern, his handsome and clear face, and the radiance of his righteousness, she began to feel that this man was so pure and unaffected, completely different from those greasy men outside, and then she fell in love at first sight. Wen Shixue felt this shouldn't be the case. As the daughter of the Wen Group, was she really that inexperienced?

In the later plot, she would turn dark because she couldn't win the male lead's heart, then cause endless trouble, striving to be the most detestable villain on the path to the male and female leads' happiness, determined to see the melodramatic tropes through to the end!

Oh, the dream also told her that Wen Lianchang called her back to inherit the family business, but at that time, she had already activated her "love brain" mode. Apart from information about the male lead, nothing else could enter her mind. So she embarked on a series of elaborate rejections of inheriting the family fortune, elaborate pursuits of the male lead, and elaborate troublemaking, ultimately and predictably ending up with nothing, a standard villain's fate of being cursed by everyone.

Wen Shixue: "..." She felt a deep malice in this dream because she had just finished complaining about the villainous female supporting character's actions, and the next moment she was slapped with the label of villainous female supporting character and even became a paper person!

She didn't believe it; this must be a dream. But the dream was too specific and sudden, even appearing before she fainted, making her reserve judgment on its authenticity and feel compelled to verify it.

Wen Lianchang sat by the bed and asked gently, "Does your head hurt? Are you uncomfortable anywhere else?" Wen Shixue's mind was currently filled with that vivid dream. Ignoring her old father's words, she instinctively grabbed his arm, staring at him with fervent eyes, and asked, "Lao Wen, what did you want to tell me by calling me back?"

She eagerly hoped Wen Lianchang would say something different, something that would shatter that absurd dream for her. Wen Lianchang scanned her up and down, then patted her head: "Why are you asking about this as soon as you wake up? Are you really that curious?"

Wen Shixue nodded like pounding garlic, appearing very eager. Wen Lianchang smiled kindly: "What else could it be?" Wen Lianchang: "Of course, it's for you to join the group and prepare to take over my position."

Wen Shixue: "..." This must be a coincidence. She comforted herself this way. But in that dream, Wen Lianchang would also tell her something she had never known – that she had a fiancé.

Her fiancé was also a young master from a wealthy family, named Xu Jianfan. The Xu family had lived abroad for a long time, so she had never met her fiancé and didn't even know such a person existed. Now that the Xu family had returned to China, the parents of both families planned to have them marry soon.

"Lao Wen." Her gaze, half-hesitant and half-expectant, landed on Wen Lianchang again. "You wouldn't tell me that I have a fiancé, would you?"

Wen Lianchang paused: "How did you know?" Wen Shixue: "..." She wanted to be left alone.

...Wen Shixue didn't sleep all night. She sat by the window for the entire night, quietly recalling the sudden influx of memories. Her worldview and scientific understanding had been unprecedentedly impacted. She needed time to accept it, whether long or short.

Why was something so fantastical happening? A living, breathing person had just turned into a thin paper figure. What meaning did her existence have now?

She sat stiffly like that all night, her thoughts drifting further and further, until the sky turned the color of a fish's belly at dawn. The faint morning light fell at her feet. Only then did she slowly move, reaching for the water beside her and taking a sip. As she absentmindedly put the cup back, a crisp shattering sound suddenly rang in her ears.

She looked down and saw that the perfectly intact glass cup had shattered into pieces. The morning light hung on the sharp fragments like stars, exceptionally dazzling. She instinctively reached out to pick them up, and her smooth fingertip was unexpectedly cut. Startling red immediately filled the wound, silently reflecting in her pupils.

It was blood. She paused slightly. In that instant, the gloom that had enveloped her for a day and a night was suddenly torn open. Spring rain-like heavenly light generously poured down from it, illuminating her state of mind with sudden clarity – she suddenly understood.

What if she was living in a book? She could cry, laugh, and think. She would still bleed when injured. She was still a person of flesh and blood! Moreover, perhaps the Earth outside of this book was also a galaxy created by some book in the universe using a language they didn't know. It was even possible that the entire universe was written into existence – who could say for sure?

Her scattered thoughts, these nesting doll-like ideas, made her feel much better. She finally accepted this reality, and a comforting smile appeared on her face. The early sun was bright, and the clear light fell upon her face like a divine touch, as if even heaven approved of her thoughts.

She no longer dwelled on the matter of being a paper person. What did it matter if she was a paper person? At least she was a paper person who knew the plot – she was ahead of all the other paper people!

But the most outrageous thing was that she, Wen Shixue, wasn't the female lead but the villainous female supporting character! It was fine if she couldn't be the female lead; she wasn't that interested in that identity anyway. But how could she be the villainous female supporting character? Recalling what she had done in the original plot...

Wen Shixue: Tch, I must have been insane. [Confused Grandpa on Subway.JPG]

Now that she knew the plot, there was absolutely no way she would repeat the same mistakes! She turned and walked out of the bedroom, simply bandaged her injured finger, and then waited for Wen Lianchang to wake up, preparing to discuss some important matters with him.

Wen Lianchang was worried about his daughter and hadn't slept well either. He got up at five o,clock, his first instinct being to check on his daughter's condition. Then he saw his daughter sitting in the living room on the first floor, leisurely drinking milk.

Seeing that he was awake, Wen Shixue greeted him warmly: "Morning, Lao Wen. Come down quickly for breakfast, I have something I want to talk to you about."

Wen Lianchang came downstairs and observed her for a moment. After confirming that she was indeed fine, he asked, "What is it?"

Wen Shixue put down her milk, wiped her mouth, and said solemnly, "The first thing is, I am willing to join the company and work."

Wen Lianchang nodded with a satisfied expression, feeling much relieved.

Then she changed the subject: "Second, break off my engagement with Xu Jianfan."

Getting married was out of the question. She had no interest in Xu Jianfan, and besides, Xu Jianfan was the male lead. She would absolutely not marry the male lead!

She, Wen Shixue, would be beautiful alone!

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