Chapter 1: CH_1

——

CHAPTER 1
[Coming up with titles is tough, so I will only name those who I can think of easily]

——

Whatever anyone might say… money— is great.

Who didn't like to sit in a car whose seats felt more like the most comfortable of sofas rather than normal car seats, where with the press of a button, the passenger seat in front would extend forward till even the tallest of people could straighten out their legs and rest them on the footrest that gently descended from the back of the passenger seat.

Who wouldn't like that?

Fu Xin sure liked it a lot. And that's why he felt great about sitting in the back of a luxury sedan with his back resting on a reclined seat and feet resting on the footrest. He fiddled with the media system in the back of the car and changed the radio stations playing on the music system. Fu Xin sighed in contentment as a song that he liked played through the high-quality speakers placed throughout the car.

It had been three months since he found himself in this world. Yes — 'in this world' — as in another world than the one where he was born and lived. He had suddenly dropped into the body of the person named Fu Xin, and ever since, that's who he had been living as. It was tough at the start, even with Fu Xin's memories coming along with the body, assuming someone's else's identity wasn't like putting on a new shirt. He had to suffer a lot during the first days as he focused every shred of his being on adapting to his new situation.

However, the payoff was worth it. Fu Xin grinned to himself. The boy's family— his family— was loaded. He caressed the white leather on the seats and could feel the money oozing from it like the cow the leather had been taken from was one of those grass-fed, free-range ones, living the best of lives before being harvested for the sake that his car would have the best leather possible. In his previous life, he couldn't even imagine smelling the inside of this type of car, much less sitting inside, forgetting about even the thought of buying it. But now here he was, the car was for his personal and only his use and came with its own chauffeur dressed in the pristine white uniforms at all times, at his beck-and-call all times of the day.

No pleasure money could buy was away from him. If he wanted something, he had to point, and it would be in his possession as quickly as people could bring it to him. Maybe he was exaggerating, but with the gap between his previous and current lives, it sure seemed this way. For the past three months, there wasn't one thing he had been refused; all of his desires had been fulfilled without a peep of complaint, with the only restriction being he had to act in accordance with Fu Xin's original character.

"Young master Xin, we have arrived," said the uniformed chauffeur from the driver's seat.

Fu Xin pressed a button on the side-dash for the tinted window to roll down to reveal a second untinted one. He looked out at the busy entrance of the large school campus of Third High, filled with students reporting to the school in the morning. Third High was one of the key schools in the city, holding the reputation of excellent infrastructure and a core of teachers with great track records. Naturally, admission into Third High required a high score on the citywide common entrance examination, and Fu Xin had achieved said high score to qualify as a student. From the memories, the original owner had worked hard in middle school for the entrance examination.

Fu Xin took out a hand mirror from the car’s side-dash and fixed his blue necktie on his gray blazer school uniform in the reflection. "Thank you, Uncle Bao. I will see you after school," Fu Xin said as he grabbed his bag and stepped out of the car.

"Have a prosperous day, young master," Uncle Bao said before driving away.

Fu Xin crossed the street and weaved between the crowd of students and parents to make his way to the main entrance. He received morning wishes from his acquaintances and peers, and returned their greetings with a smile. As he was about to cross the gate, he was stopped before he could enter.

"Yes?" asked Fu Xin to the group of parents and students who had called out to him.

One of the fathers in the front spoke, "Son, we were wondering if you could guide them into the school. It's their first day, and we can't go inside with them." The man put his arm around the shoulder of the boy standing beside him.

Fu Xin glanced at the student part of the group and noticed the green neckties on the boys and the green ribbons on the girls. The dark forest green denoted first years, crimson red for the second year, and the royal blue marked third-year students.

Usually, there wouldn't be parents outside the campus, except for the few that dropped off their children to school in the morning. But today was the first day of the year, and the parents of the new first year had come to see off their children on the first day of high school.

"Of course," Fu Xin replied with a smile, even though it wasn't needed as the first-year faculty were inside ready to receive and guide the first years to where they needed to be. But he didn't mind putting the minds of worried parents at ease. After the short word from parents to the children about being good, Fu Xin led the new admissions into the campus while making small talk, then dropped them off where they needed to be and went on his way.

It was the first day of the year for Fu Xin as well. He made his way to the notice board, checked his new class assignment, went to his new classroom, and found his seat in the center of the row beside the windows. Fu Xin cracked the window beside him just a little and let the cool September-autumn breeze graze past him— early mornings and afternoons were cool in autumn, but he liked how the temperature of the wind felt.

He looked around, and even though the classroom was large, there were only twenty-five desks— meaning the class size was twenty-five students. He knew the class size averaged around the early or mid-forties in other schools. This was one of the reasons for Third High's success— the low class size enabled the teachers to give more attention to students and allowed for better guidance. Another perk that came with studying in Third High.

"Brother Xin, it seems we are in the same class."

Fu Xin turned to see two boys. One of them was wide and short like a barrel, while the other looked like a shirt on a coat hanger wearing glasses.

"Guo Qing, Ding Tong," Fu Xin greeted his two classmates. From the memories, these two had been in the same classroom as Fu Xin since the first year, and after three years of being in the same class— especially with the low class size— it was natural for them to know each other.

Guo Qing, the short and wide, crossed his arms and flashed a broad grin. "I knew before I even woke up today that I would be in the same class as Brother Xin."

Ding Tong, the spectacled skeleton, nodded in agreement as he corrected the spectacles on his nose bridge. "This class is indeed great. Not only do we have Brother Xin with us, we even have Xue Lanfen in our class. Truly a great blessing," Fan Tong said, rubbing his hands together as he looked to the center of the class.

Xue Lanfen... Fu Xin knew her. Even though they hadn't been in the same class in their first and second year, he knew of the girl ranked as the most beautiful girl in the school by the boys.

She was indeed beautiful, Fu Xin thought as he gazed at the girl with a polite yet charming demeanor, who got along with everyone— well-liked by both genders, and even the teachers preferred her due to her academic performance. If Fu Xin had to describe Xue Lanfen, she was an existence at the top of the social ladder in Third High.

"Brother Xin, why don't you pursue Xue Lanfen, you two would be the perfect fit for each other," Guo Qing said suddenly, beaming all the while as if proud of his suggestion. Ding Tong gave Guo Qing a disgusted look from behind his spectacles but didn't say anything to him; instead, he turned to Fu Xin and said, "I agree, Brother Xin. You and Xue Lanfen are indeed a perfect match for each other— only a capable man deserves a beauty like her."

Fu Xin just laughed but didn't say anything in response. He didn't know what to say, and an ambiguous type of laughter was the initial response. "Let's not talk about this; it would be rude and embarrassing if she ends up hearing us."

Fu Xin wasn't the type to arrive super early to places and appointments, so it didn't take long for the first bell to ring, signifying the start of the school day, and on cue, the front door of the classroom slid open, and two women entered. The students stood up to greet them.

"Good morning, take your seats," said the middle-aged woman of the pair. She was dressed in a professional shirt and pant attire, with her hair wrapped in a tight bun. She set her things on the teacher's desk in the corner before facing the class. "I hope all of you're doing well. My name is Hao Fenhua; you will address me as Teacher Hao. I'm your class tutor and will teach you Politics for your third year. I hope all of you understand the importance of this year. All of you have the National Higher Education Entrance Examination at the end of this year. It's imperative that you perform well not only for yourself but also for your family, who have worked hard to get you into this school. If you perform well, you will be on a fast track to success and a great life, but if you don't, you will be left behind by your peers."

'That was harsh,' thought Fu Xin. He didn't agree with whatever was spoken.

Teacher Hao continued to talk about the importance of performing well in the national entrance examination and how this would dictate their lives moving forwards. And while a lot of them listened, there were those who had their attention grabbed by other women standing near the door. The woman was much younger than Teacher Hao, and looked to be in her early twenties; she was dressed in a white pantsuit with a white collarless top to match, completing a well-put-together appearance. The woman was simply stunning, with a charm of an adult woman that made it difficult for high school boys to keep their eyes off her.

"Now, I would like to introduce you to Zhang Xioli," Teacher Hao said, and the young woman stepped forward. "She's currently studying at Peking University," many gasps sounded in the room. Peking University was one of the best, if not the best university in the country; being a student meant that you were one of the elites. "She will be working here as a teaching assistant three days a week, and perhaps even lead a few classes. So I suggest that you listen to her clearly as she has aced the exam that all of you will be attempting, and maybe one of her insights might be why you end up performing better."

Zhang Xioli stepped forward and bowed in greeting. "Hello everyone, I hope all of you treat me well. I'm looking forward to learning from you all and will be more than happy to answer any questions you might have for me. I will be present here from Thursday to Saturday every week. When I'm not in class, you can find me in the faculty staff room."

Suddenly someone began clapping, and the next moment more followed until the entire class was clapping. Zhang Xioli looked surprised and embarrassed at the sudden clapping. Teacher Hao had to shout and glare to stop the applause.

You are reading story Villain: Remastered at novel35.com

Whispers and conversations replaced the clapping, and Fu Xin heard the boys around him talk amongst each other.

"Isn't this great! Now we have two beauties in our class."

"Hey, who do you think is better— Xue Lanfen or Zhang Xioli?"

"Teacher Xioli, of course, she is a... woman."

"You're already calling her Teacher Xioli? Pfft! Xue Lanfen is better; at least I have a chance with her. Zhang Xioli won't even look at me."

"Ha! You sure have dreams. Even Xue Lanfen won't look at your ugly mug. You have a face that even your mother doesn't love."

"You, little shit! Meet me, your father, outside!"

"You, my father? Your mother sure said something otherwise when we were in bed together last night."

Fu Xin looked between Xue Lanfen and Zhang Xioli and subconsciously began to compare them. He had to give Zhang Xioli the edge because she had the advantage of being an adult and was filled just in the right places. Xue Lanfen was still young, but who knows how she would turn out in the future— she was already beautiful, and from the looks of it, time would only bloom her beauty.

Fu Xin looked around the classroom to see if he had missed seeing any of his classmates and noticed an empty seat— it was in the last row, nearest to the back door of the classroom.

'Hmm?' Fu Xin suddenly felt discomfort in his heart as he looked at the empty seat. He didn't know what possessed him, but he looked at Xue Lanfen chatting with her neighbors, then at Zhang Xioli, who was conversing with Teacher Hao. His eyes even went to Guo Qing and Ding Tong, who were sitting beside each other in the second last row, they waved to him when they noticed him looking at them.

Fu Xin forced a smile and waved back briefly before looking forward. The smile turned to frown and his face felt tight. Something was wrong— he felt it in his deepest core. There was something instinctually wrong with the classroom; he just couldn't put a finger on it.

Teacher Hao finished the conversation with Zhang Xioli and faced the class, and was about to continue her address when she frowned. "I see one empty desk; who is not present in the class?" she asked.

The class size was small and the one empty chair would've stuck out if not for it being near the far edge of the classroom. Teacher Hao retrieved her register and pulled out the class seating plan.

"Where is... Lin—"

The front door rattled as it slid open, revealing a boy shabbily dressed in a disorganized school uniform with the tie hanging loose around the neck, one of the shirt sides untucked, and the black shoes were dirty with dust. The boy's hair made it look like he had jumped out of bed and had sprinted straight to school without stopping from the way his heaved breaths.

"Lin Tian!" Teacher Hao called in a stern voice. "How dare you be late on the first day of school!"

The now-named Lin Tian stood up straight and spoke, his breathing still labored. "Sorry, Teacher, my bicycle broke down halfway, and I couldn't fix it. I had to carry it with me as I ran as fast as possible." Lin Tian cut a very pitiful figure with his head bowed, not daring to look up, nervous hands joined in front, and hunched shoulders as if he was trying to shrink himself.

The uncomfortable feeling inside Fu Xin eased when he saw Lin Tian, though he didn't know what to think about it, as he took no pleasure seeing someone getting embarrassed in public; he was the type who caught second-hand embarrassment quite easily.

"You will come see me in the staffroom after school," Teacher Hao glared; apparently, Lin Tian's pitiful figure didn't have any effect. "Go fix yourself in the restroom, be back in three minutes."

Lin Tian muttered a sorry and turned away to go to the restroom. "Close the door!" Teacher Hao called loudly. Lin Tian hurriedly returned and closed the door.

"I will repeat once more if any of you didn't understand me," Teacher Hao said to the class. "This year isn't going to be anything like your last two years. Tardiness won't be accepted no matter what the excuse. Only those who dedicate themselves to their studies for this entire year will succeed. You have to understand if you struggle now, you will have an easy time later, but if you take it easy now, you will struggle later. It's up to you, what do you want? A year of hardship for a lifetime of prosperity— or a year spent in relaxation for a lifetime of struggle. From where I stand, the choice is obvious; I hope that all of you will make the right choice."

Fu Xin felt the class around him turned serious. The choice indeed sounded obvious, but they didn't know that there was no way that one year of hardship could guarantee an easy life.

'Adult life is tough,' he sighed. He was happy with his current situation, but if he could ask more, he would've asked to be dumped into Fu Xin's body when the body was younger, so he could spend more years in the carefree part of life before the realities of adulthood hit him.

Lin Tian returned after fixing his clothes, which still didn't look completely proper but were just passable. Teacher Hao still looked and sounded displeased as she sternly sent him to his seat. Fu Xin followed Lin Tian with his eyes and gazed at him as the latter settled in his seat.

The uncomfortable feeling was now completely gone.

The class started with Teacher Hao explaining the curriculum. Zhang Xioli had sat down behind the teacher's desk and too listened to Teacher Hao along with the class.

Squeak! Fu Xin heard the sharp noise. He knew it was from a chair being suddenly dragged against the ground, but he instinctively turned towards it and found Lin Tian sitting straight in his chair, looking around with eyes wide in shock.

'What's wrong with him?' Fu Xin thought.

[Protagonist encountered...]

The world around Fu Xin ceased to exist as every single drop of his focus and concentration was taken away by the monotone voice that rang in his ears and the vision in front of his eyes that looked like he was facing a HUD display. He read the words after the voice narrated them, and he could hear as his heart quickly began to beat faster and faster with every passing moment.

[Due to <Attribute: Villain> the opposing Fate has been constructed...]

[Initiating response...]

[Response: Stop the identified protagonist from growing and gaining hegemony. Failure to do so would naturally lead to death...]

The uncomfortable feeling that had gone away... it came back.

It came back like a punch to the throat.

---