A fierce battle had just ended.
Today, the man was especially merciless. Chu Yin lay utterly exhausted, curled up in the messy quilt, her eyes shut tight against the pain. The man held her from behind, forcing her into his arms.
Chu Yin's mind was spinning. Even in her confusion she struggled instinctively.
His hand froze. Then, a low, mocking laugh.
"What—waiting for Gu Qiuze to come back to China and save you?"
"Lu Zhen, what are you talking about…"
His breath was still hot, but his voice turned cold as steel. "Your brother is still begging Gu Qiuze to rescue you, isn't he? Chu Yin, you know the consequences of angering me."
Consequences.
Chu Yin thought bitterly—she knew them all too well. When this man wrapped his claws around her, the Chu family had been ruined overnight. Bankrupt, destitute. The true daughter of the Chu family reduced to his prisoner, stripped of freedom, treated like an object. Just like now, when she was forced to endure his devouring possessiveness.
He leaned closer, his voice cruel at her ear.
"Even your fake sister managed to marry into wealth. But you—only you must remain shackled by my side. Until death, you belong to me."
No.
Chu Yin thought: Either he killed her, or she killed him. That would be enough.
Her head grew heavier, weightless, as though her soul were drifting. In a hoarse whisper she forced out:
"Lu Zhen… be careful. You might die in my hands first…"
Lu Zhen laughed softly and bent to whisper something.
But she couldn't hear. Because in that instant, the dizziness worsened, and a sudden force dragged her away—pulling her soul from her body. For the first time, she felt relief.
And in the final fading moment of her consciousness, that always-cold, mocking voice cracked—splintered with panic.
"Chu Yin! Chu Yin—!"
She fell into a long dream.
In it, Chu Yin saw her wretched life flicker like pages of a book, turning rapidly in the wind.
"Your world is a book. Lu Zhen is the twisted, paranoid male lead. And you… you are the short-lived Bai Yueguang, imprisoned at first sight, devoured until you blacken. After your death, he obsesses day and night, becomes a demon, even finds a substitute."
Chu Yin, dazed, thought: Whose voice is that…?
The book turned to its final page—then suddenly flipped backward, the sound of paper rustling until it stopped at the title page:
[At seventeen, Chu Yin was found by the Chu family. Though they already had an adopted daughter, Chu Qiuqiu, they brought her back from the countryside and transferred her into Cuiwen Private High School. There, she met Lu Zhen…]
Even in a dream, Chu Yin wanted to tear the book apart. She never wanted to meet that bastard Lu Zhen again!
"So—what if you could start over? If I gave you the pen, let you change the script?"
The voice whispered again.
"Knowledge changes destiny. Learning can break everything. Try it."
An invisible force shoved her forward. And at that moment, Chu Yin woke up.
"School starts tomorrow. Is it really okay for Xiao Yin to join the international class?"
A woman's elegant voice sounded at her ears.
Then, another voice—sweet and familiar:
"After all, my elder sister has just returned from that kind of place. Her education is limited. It's normal that she won't keep up with our class level. Don't worry, Mother, I'll help her!"
Chu Yin turned toward the voice.
Chu Qiuqiu.
She looked the same—like a proper high school student. Lost at age five, and two years later adopted by the Chu family because she resembled Chu Yin. By the time Chu Yin herself was finally found at seventeen, Chu Qiuqiu had already been cherished as the Chu family's daughter.
Though this all felt like a dream, Chu Yin's heart was steady. She knew her stepsister's words were false sweetness—pretending to be intimate while making her look small.
Memories surged back. When she lifted her head to face Madam Chu, her eyes were calm.
"I'm not going to the international class."
In her last life, entering the international class had been the start of disaster. It put her at the same desk as Lu Zhen. From then on, she was hounded endlessly—by the girls jealous of her, by Lu Zhen himself. She could never shake him, until her short life ended in his hands.
Not this time.
"Yes!"
A warm reminder echoed suddenly in her mind:
[Life can repeat. Why walk the same path? Imperial Study System tip: After binding, complete learning tasks to gain permission to modify the script.]
Chu Yin froze. It was the voice from her dream.
And along with it came the glowing book—the one that recorded her world. A faint light shone in her mind. Beside it lay a pen, glowing with the same halo, hovering above the paper as though waiting for her to move.
[Ding! System internal test running. Current script is below. Please attempt to modify one word.]
The luminous book spread open. Chu Yin read the contents:
[Location: Chu Family Villa. Characters: Chu Yin, Madam Chu, Chu Qiuqiu.]
[Chu Qiuqiu sniffed: "Sister, your choice is correct~ Our international class circle really isn't something you can fit into."]
[Madam Chu thought for a moment: "Indeed, given Xiao Yin's situation, ordinary classes may be more suitable."]
…This was their script?
Chu Yin read on.
[Chu Qiuqiu glanced silently at Chu Yin, pride in her eyes. "The families in our class are all distinguished. They're not as easy to approach as my sister imagines. For example, the Lu family's young master is in our class. He doesn't let just anyone near him. If you transferred in suddenly, you might be kicked out immediately."]
Chu Yin's breath caught.
The Lu family's young master. Lu Zhen.
She remembered clearly the way he cornered her in the classroom, that cold expression. She remembered those scarlet eyes when she once rejected him. Even now, she only had to close her eyes to recall his shadow looming over her in a darkened room, asking over and over again if she loved him.
If only she had been kicked out back then.
Her silence was taken by Chu Qiuqiu as shame. Smiling, Qiuqiu sweetly asked Madam Chu:
"By the way, Mother, Brother and Qiuze won prizes abroad. They're coming back the day after tomorrow. Shouldn't we hold a celebration banquet?"
The more glamorous the occasion, the more obvious the contrast with her "country bumpkin" sister.
"Brother will bring me gifts again. I'll invite some friends to celebrate—ah, right." She suddenly looked at Chu Yin. "Sister, would you like to come too?"
Every word matched the script exactly.
Chu Yin's hand trembled slightly as she held the glowing pen. The book's page was open. She could edit it.
The next line read:
[Chu Qiuqiu smiled gracefully, lifting a crystal goblet of red wine. She swirled the liquid and said, "There's so much banquet etiquette. Sister, you don't know how to drink? Let me teach you."]
Chu Yin thought for half a second. Then, with a flick, she crossed out "red" in "red wine."
She replaced it with "material."
The script shifted:
Chu Qiuqiu raised her goblet, smiling. "First, swirl it gently to admire the color. Then, like this…"
She inhaled deeply in intoxication, then brought the glass to her lips and took a large sip.
"Pfft!"
The liquid exploded out like fireworks, spraying all over Madam Chu's face.
The entire room froze.
And in Chu Yin's mind, the system cackled like a crow:
[System binding successful~]
A servant rushed forward with napkins. Madam Chu stood up in shock. "Qiuqiu! What are you doing?!"
Coughing and choking on the strange bitter taste, Chu Qiuqiu lost all elegance. "Mom, I didn't mean it! I—I—"
And then, a clear voice cut in.
"That's it."
Qiuqiu looked up.
Chu Yin, silent until now, suddenly smiled. Her long hair slid back, revealing exquisite features. Her peach-blossom eyes curved lightly, glowing with vitality.
"So this is how wine is drunk? Good to know."
Chu Qiuqiu's face turned green.
That night, the house grew quiet.
At three in the morning, while everyone slept, Chu Yin was studying.
After the system bound to her, the first task it released was simple: [Complete General Assignment].
She returned to her room, bathed, changed into clean clothes, and sat at her desk.
The system's lazy voice yawned:
[Ding—political assignment complete. Current completion rate: 70%. Host~ don't you need to rest?]
Chu Yin rolled her neck, stretched her wrist, and opened her history workbook.
Rest? Not now.
She had tested it—this system could really alter the script. Everyone else was bound by the story's fate. But if she completed tasks, she could gain control and rewrite her destiny.
She would no longer be the doomed Bai Yueguang destroyed by Lu Zhen.
Today—no, tomorrow—was the turning point. The day Lu Zhen supposedly fell for her at first sight. She had to change it. Even a small change could spark a butterfly effect.
In her past life, she had never been a good student. But after Lu Zhen imprisoned her at twenty, she had been forced to study to keep up with him. She had taken the GMAT alongside him, studied abroad, even audited Ivy League courses. Her knowledge far surpassed an ordinary high school student's.
She finished her math and English homework quickly. Essays required more time—reading, practicing. She focused.
The room was quiet except for the scratch of her pen.
By dawn, when the sun painted the room faintly gold, she laid down her pen.
The system chimed.
[General Assignment complete. Next page unlocked. You have gained permission to modify (one word). Friendly reminder: as learning tasks grow harder, modification permissions will increase.]
The glowing book and pen reappeared. Chu Yin's pulse quickened as the next script loaded.
[Location: Huiwen Private High School. Characters: Chu Yin, Lu Zhen, Chu Qiuqiu, classmates.]
[…The first day of school. The weather is poor.]
[A Bentley Mulsanne stopped at the school gates. Passing girls slowed their steps, fixing their hair. A few seconds later, a boy in a white shirt stepped out. The crowd erupted in whispers.]
[Lu Zhen slung his bag lazily over one shoulder. He looked up. Raindrops fell from the sky. His black hair clung faintly to his forehead. The youth's face was cold, melancholy, devastatingly beautiful.]
Most of it was Lu Zhen's solo scene.
Then—
[Suddenly, Lu Zhen's gaze sharpened. In the distance, he saw a girl in a floral dress, smiling brightly at someone.]
Chu Yin's breath caught.
That was her. Seventeen, still innocent, still radiant.
Was this really "love at first sight"? In her memory, she didn't even recall meeting him that day. One look, and he claimed her life?
**[Lu Zhen's gaze lingered for several seconds. Then he looked away.
He thought: That skirt is ugly.]**
Chu Yin: "…"
The system in her head snorted with laughter.
She gritted her teeth.
Very good.
Right now, only one thought filled her mind—
I will kill Lu Zhen.
She grabbed the glowing pen and struck through the word "rain."
The system panicked:
[Wait, host! Once you change it, it can't be undone! Are you sure? "Rain" is just a weather description!]
Chu Yin sneered. She didn't regret it.
Let him regret it.
She replaced "rain" with: knife.
The system: "…"
You really know how to play.
Early morning. Misty skies.
The gates of Huiwen Private High School were bustling. It was the first day of term.
Girls yawned, complaining about the short summer break. Suddenly, a stir spread through the crowd.
A luxury Bentley Mulsanne glided to a stop at the gates. Everyone knew whose car it was.
"Quick! Lu Zhen is here!"
"Ahhh, my Brother Zhen!"
"I hope I can walk into school with him!"
The car door opened. A long leg stepped out.
The boy wore only a simple white shirt, but couldn't hide his aura of nobility. On the cloudy day, his side profile was cold and perfect, his jawline sharp as sculpture. His eyes were long and narrow, a tiny crimson mole burning at the corner like a touch of fire against snow.
The moment he appeared, the world seemed tinted pink. Imaginary petals fell around him.
Lu Zhen lifted his head casually.
The sky darkened. Something was falling.
"…?"
He lowered his gaze.
At his feet, gleaming in the faint light—
A knife.