Late at night.
Lin Xinghe raised her head and inspected the huge, high-tech gate in front of her. It was mostly blue, purple, and green making it lean towards the cyberpunk style (1).
Two big, neon words blinked above her head—Villain School.
Borrowing the light, she glanced down at the lacquer scroll in her hand. Written in calligraphy were the two words: Admission Letter. She rolled it open and read—+
Student: Lin Xinghe
Our school has decided to admit you to the Modern Era Department to study reform. Please bring this letter and report to the school on time before dawn.
Below, there was even the official seal of the Villain School.
Lin Xinghe looked at the school gate and then at the admission letter. They had completely different styles. For a moment, she thought that she was at the wrong place. This strange sense of discord brought her to a standstill in front of the deserted gate and kept her from moving forward.
It all happened so suddenly.
In fact, she still hasn't completely processed what happened.
An hour ago, she was wearing a couture dress to the Hundred Flowers Awards Ceremony in which her debut film "April and the World" was nominated for an award.
From the director to the screenwriters, to the production team to the actors, the entire film was put together by unknown newcomers. Even so, it became this year's dark horse.
When Lin Xinghe stepped onto the stage to accept the Best Actress Award, she felt that her win was both appropriate and yet unexpected.
She... This person... Her luck is incredible. She was shopping for snacks at the supermarket one day when she caught the eye of the director of "April and the World." She then successfully auditioned for a spot in the cast and went on to shoot the award-winning hit.
But sometimes she's really lucky and sometimes she's not. Otherwise, the weather wouldn't have turned violent right after she left the awards ceremony. The rain was pouring down so heavily and she was struck to death by a lightning bolt that was as thick as a tree trunk.
There were so many people at the scene that were taller than her, but against all odds, she was killed on the spot with pinpoint accuracy. It was like she was holding a lightning rod.
Before she could reflect on her brief life or even admire her charred remains, a burst of light rushed towards her. It pulled her soul into a strange place that was surrounded by nothing but a vast expanse of white.
It was at that time that she found a scroll floating in mid-air.
She reached out and touched it and the scroll fell into her palm. It was like she activated the switch to another world. The white void split apart as if it was cut open by a knife. The light disappeared and was replaced with this bizarre world.
As soon as she looked up, she saw the unimaginable Villain School.
... Are you going in?
... You're still not going in?
The gate slowly opened to both sides.
Rapid footsteps sounded.
A tall, slender girl appeared in front of Lin Xinghe. She looked her up and down and said with a flat tone, "Classmate Lin Xinghe, right? Hello, I'm Lu Qin, the president of Class 1 of the Modern Era Department. I'm very sorry for making you wait. When I read the notice, I thought it said to come in the morning. I didn't expect you to come here in the middle of the night." As the conversation picked up, Lu Qin suddenly asked her, "Have you killed anyone?"
... What the hell kind of question is that??
Lin Xinghe slowly shook her head.
"What was your job before you died?"
"Actress."
"Ah, actors are the most useless. They're not good at selling pork (2)."
Lu Qin seemed somewhat disappointed and muttered: "Besides, it's impossible for the Modern Era Department to get any good students..."
Lu Qin's enthusiasm dropped a little.
... This girl was an actress in her life. Most actresses are good-looking and the new classmate is no exception. Tender and petite. Her facial features are delicate like a porcelain doll.
It's tragic to be good-looking but incapable at this school.
While Lu Qin was looking at Lin Xinghe, Lin Xinghe was looking at Lu Qin. Naturally, she didn't miss her whisper.
This place made her feel extremely uncomfortable. She wanted to leave but noticed a layer of gray all around. It was like a film and it covered the entire sky.
Lu Qin said: "There's no point in looking for a way to escape. You already died. If you want to be reborn, the only thing you can do is go to school. You can't leave this school until you graduate. Do you see that boundary? It's a gateway that connects to a different world. Before you get your certificate of completion, you can't get out. Look down at yourself and be thankful. After coming to this world, you now have a body and are no longer just a soul."1
Lin Xinghe clenched her fist. The sensation was no different from when she was alive. At some point, the couture dress she was wearing had turned into a simple skirt that seemed to be part of a uniform. On her chest was the crest of the Villain School.
Lu Qin suddenly seemed to think of something and the smile on her face widened. She excitedly grabbed Lin Xinghe's hand and said, "Let's continue on to the school. I'll introduce you to our campus. It's where you'll stay for the next 1-2 years, or even the next few decades."
Lin Xinghe didn't say a word and followed Lu Qin to the school.
Gusts of damp wind blew ahead.
Beneath the two rows of street lights, there was a long bridge whose end was out of sight. On either side of it was a bottomless river.
Lu Qin brought Lin Xinghe onto a tour bus.
Over the ten minutes that they had walked along the bridge, Lin Xinghe learned that Lu Qin was the villainous fake daughter in a real daughter/fake daughter novel. She was scared that the real daughter would take everything away from her after she returned, so she secretly tripped up the real daughter and found people to kidnap her. Unexpectedly, the boyfriend of the real daughter, the male lead so to speak, found out about the kidnapping plot in time and made her the victim instead. In the end, she died at the hands of the kidnappers.
"... Villain?"
"Of course. Everyone who enters our school is a villain. Big villains and small villains. Anyone who gets in the way of the protagonist at some point is considered a villain." Lu Qin stepped off the bridge and pointed to some distant buildings and said, "Our school has four departments: the Modern Era Department, the Ancient Era Department, the Xianxia Department, and the Western Fantasy Department. Our Modern Era Department and the Ancient Era Department are on the east side. On the west side are the Xianxia Department and the Western Fantasy Department. The dormitories are further down, closer to the Xianxia Department."3
Lin Xinghe was a little surprised.
How could an upright youth with good roots like her become a villain?
However, her surprise didn't last long and she was soon shocked by the scenery in front of her.
The school gate had a cyberpunk style, but the campus itself was a mix of styles.
Even though it was the middle of the night, you could vaguely see four conspicuous buildings with four completely different styles near the end of the long bridge. You could even say that the difference between them was as big as 10,000 miles.
The Modern Era Department consisted of several high-rise buildings that looked just like the ones in her old world.
The Ancient Era Department was packed with numerous red and green pavilions. It's as if they moved over half of the Forbidden City.
The Xianxia Department resembled a city in the sky. An immortal mansion floated in the air.
The Western Fantasy Department was a gothic-style castle manor that followed Central European architecture.
In this huge school, four different styles of buildings were mixed and matched. It was extremely bizarre.
... What kind of strange place did she enter?
"Oh, by the way, what's your special ability?" Lu Qin asked suddenly.
Lin Xinghe thought it over and said, "My luck is pretty good."
Lu Qin wanted to roll her eyes.
... Is she an idiot? Since when did good luck count as a special ability? There probably aren't any special abilities to speak of. Nothing but looks. If Modern Era students want to survive in this school, they either have to serve others or huddle together to stay warm. They won't make it past the first exam if they don't excel in anything. Freshmen like Lin Xinghe disappear from the school in only a few days.
Lu Qin thought about it for a bit and then smiled calmly.
"It's late now. I'll take you to the dormitories to rest. We start class at ten o'clock in the morning, so you still have eight hours. Daily necessities have already been prepared for you in your room. You can take a rest when you get there. If you have any questions, there's a freshman manual on your desk or you can come find me at 605."
The tour bus stopped when it reached the dormitories.
Lu Qin said: "The dormitories are divided into District 1 and District 2. I live in District 2's Room 605. You're in District 1's Room 303. You'll see the sign if you walk straight ahead. Just come to the classroom before ten o'clock tomorrow morning. I won't send you off."
Lin Xinghe nodded politely: "Okay, thank you, Class President."
Lu Qin waved to her and watched her figure disappear into the night before lowering her head to send a text—Master Jun, she's on her way to District 1. Please look after me the next time we meet in the exams.
Li Jun leaned lazily on the tree, staring into the distance with squinted eyes.
The little brother next to him handed him a cigarette.
Li Jun tossed it into his mouth.
The little brother lit it up and said with a flattering tone, "Master Jun carved a bloody path and took a spot in the Top Ten during the last exam. Lu Qin is sending a present over right now to congratulate you. I just checked with her. You're going to be satisfied with the goods this time. The girl was an actress in her last life and most actresses are open-minded, unlike the crying little missies in the Ancient Era Department. She's also more than beautiful enough to be the flower of our Modern Era Department. You're guaranteed to be happy with her service."
Li Jun sneered and said: "The only thing that your Modern Era women are good at is warming the bed."
"Right? They're always at the bottom of the exams. Completely different from Master Jun who was assigned to the Western Fantasy Department because of your powerful skills. I watched the entire livestream of your last exam and the final thunderbolt was awesome. So strong!"
2
Li Jun was complimented so he felt pleased all over. He raised his eyes and glanced at the only pathway to the dormitories in District 1.
Five minutes passed and there wasn't even the shadow of a ghost.
"Don't worry, Master Jun. Women walk slowly and she's a confused freshman. Maybe she got distracted by the flowers along the road."
Another half-hour passed. Li Jun had already smoked his fifth cigarette and there still wasn't any sign of the new student.
Impatiently, he said, "Go out and see why she hasn't come yet."
The little brother agreed to go.
Soon after, the little brother came back looking like he saw a ghost: "There's no one."
At this moment, Lin Xinghe was struggling to climb over a fence.5
She was covered in dirt.
Just half an hour ago, she was on the road observing her strange surroundings. There was only one path to the dormitories and lined on either side were green plants that she couldn't identify and fences half as tall as a person.
Taking these into consideration, she shouldn't have fallen over the fence.
But while walking, her ankle twisted and she slipped and stumbled over.
She thought the ground would be flat on the other side. She didn't expect it to be a hill. Lin Xinghe rolled to the bottom like a snowball. She didn't know if she was lucky or unlucky. She came out unscathed from this snowball-like fall. When she stood up, she didn't have a single scratch.5
It was completely dark and she couldn't see her fingers.
But Lin Xinghe didn't panic and climbed back up with great effort.
Luckily for her, the heroine of her debut movie was a rock-climbing expert. She even went so far as to find someone to study climbing under for a month. Otherwise, if she was like any other person, she may not have been able to climb up this slope.
When she climbed to the top, she found herself in front of the dormitory.
----------
Footnotes:
(1) Cyberpunk: a genre of science fiction set in a lawless subculture of an oppressive society dominated by computer technology
(2) Not good at selling pork: not good at making money and doing hard work
----------
Comments:
I hope you will like this novel as much as I do! I love the main character and her antics. I hope you will be patient with both the story and me as a translator. Please sprinkle lots of comments for me to read~ (*≧∀≦*)
Late at night.
Lin Xinghe raised her head and inspected the huge, high-tech gate in front of her. It was mostly blue, purple, and green making it lean towards the cyberpunk style (1).
Two big, neon words blinked above her head—Villain School.
Borrowing the light, she glanced down at the lacquer scroll in her hand. Written in calligraphy were the two words: Admission Letter. She rolled it open and read—+
Student: Lin Xinghe
Our school has decided to admit you to the Modern Era Department to study reform. Please bring this letter and report to the school on time before dawn.
Below, there was even the official seal of the Villain School.
Lin Xinghe looked at the school gate and then at the admission letter. They had completely different styles. For a moment, she thought that she was at the wrong place. This strange sense of discord brought her to a standstill in front of the deserted gate and kept her from moving forward.
It all happened so suddenly.
In fact, she still hasn't completely processed what happened.
An hour ago, she was wearing a couture dress to the Hundred Flowers Awards Ceremony in which her debut film "April and the World" was nominated for an award.
From the director to the screenwriters, to the production team to the actors, the entire film was put together by unknown newcomers. Even so, it became this year's dark horse.
When Lin Xinghe stepped onto the stage to accept the Best Actress Award, she felt that her win was both appropriate and yet unexpected.
She... This person... Her luck is incredible. She was shopping for snacks at the supermarket one day when she caught the eye of the director of "April and the World." She then successfully auditioned for a spot in the cast and went on to shoot the award-winning hit.
But sometimes she's really lucky and sometimes she's not. Otherwise, the weather wouldn't have turned violent right after she left the awards ceremony. The rain was pouring down so heavily and she was struck to death by a lightning bolt that was as thick as a tree trunk.
There were so many people at the scene that were taller than her, but against all odds, she was killed on the spot with pinpoint accuracy. It was like she was holding a lightning rod.
Before she could reflect on her brief life or even admire her charred remains, a burst of light rushed towards her. It pulled her soul into a strange place that was surrounded by nothing but a vast expanse of white.
It was at that time that she found a scroll floating in mid-air.
She reached out and touched it and the scroll fell into her palm. It was like she activated the switch to another world. The white void split apart as if it was cut open by a knife. The light disappeared and was replaced with this bizarre world.
As soon as she looked up, she saw the unimaginable Villain School.
... Are you going in?
... You're still not going in?
The gate slowly opened to both sides.
Rapid footsteps sounded.
A tall, slender girl appeared in front of Lin Xinghe. She looked her up and down and said with a flat tone, "Classmate Lin Xinghe, right? Hello, I'm Lu Qin, the president of Class 1 of the Modern Era Department. I'm very sorry for making you wait. When I read the notice, I thought it said to come in the morning. I didn't expect you to come here in the middle of the night." As the conversation picked up, Lu Qin suddenly asked her, "Have you killed anyone?"
... What the hell kind of question is that??
Lin Xinghe slowly shook her head.
"What was your job before you died?"
"Actress."
"Ah, actors are the most useless. They're not good at selling pork (2)."
Lu Qin seemed somewhat disappointed and muttered: "Besides, it's impossible for the Modern Era Department to get any good students..."
Lu Qin's enthusiasm dropped a little.
... This girl was an actress in her life. Most actresses are good-looking and the new classmate is no exception. Tender and petite. Her facial features are delicate like a porcelain doll.
It's tragic to be good-looking but incapable at this school.
While Lu Qin was looking at Lin Xinghe, Lin Xinghe was looking at Lu Qin. Naturally, she didn't miss her whisper.
This place made her feel extremely uncomfortable. She wanted to leave but noticed a layer of gray all around. It was like a film and it covered the entire sky.
Lu Qin said: "There's no point in looking for a way to escape. You already died. If you want to be reborn, the only thing you can do is go to school. You can't leave this school until you graduate. Do you see that boundary? It's a gateway that connects to a different world. Before you get your certificate of completion, you can't get out. Look down at yourself and be thankful. After coming to this world, you now have a body and are no longer just a soul."1
Lin Xinghe clenched her fist. The sensation was no different from when she was alive. At some point, the couture dress she was wearing had turned into a simple skirt that seemed to be part of a uniform. On her chest was the crest of the Villain School.
Lu Qin suddenly seemed to think of something and the smile on her face widened. She excitedly grabbed Lin Xinghe's hand and said, "Let's continue on to the school. I'll introduce you to our campus. It's where you'll stay for the next 1-2 years, or even the next few decades."
Lin Xinghe didn't say a word and followed Lu Qin to the school.
Gusts of damp wind blew ahead.
Beneath the two rows of street lights, there was a long bridge whose end was out of sight. On either side of it was a bottomless river.
Lu Qin brought Lin Xinghe onto a tour bus.
Over the ten minutes that they had walked along the bridge, Lin Xinghe learned that Lu Qin was the villainous fake daughter in a real daughter/fake daughter novel. She was scared that the real daughter would take everything away from her after she returned, so she secretly tripped up the real daughter and found people to kidnap her. Unexpectedly, the boyfriend of the real daughter, the male lead so to speak, found out about the kidnapping plot in time and made her the victim instead. In the end, she died at the hands of the kidnappers.
"... Villain?"
"Of course. Everyone who enters our school is a villain. Big villains and small villains. Anyone who gets in the way of the protagonist at some point is considered a villain." Lu Qin stepped off the bridge and pointed to some distant buildings and said, "Our school has four departments: the Modern Era Department, the Ancient Era Department, the Xianxia Department, and the Western Fantasy Department. Our Modern Era Department and the Ancient Era Department are on the east side. On the west side are the Xianxia Department and the Western Fantasy Department. The dormitories are further down, closer to the Xianxia Department."3
Lin Xinghe was a little surprised.
How could an upright youth with good roots like her become a villain?
However, her surprise didn't last long and she was soon shocked by the scenery in front of her.
The school gate had a cyberpunk style, but the campus itself was a mix of styles.
Even though it was the middle of the night, you could vaguely see four conspicuous buildings with four completely different styles near the end of the long bridge. You could even say that the difference between them was as big as 10,000 miles.
The Modern Era Department consisted of several high-rise buildings that looked just like the ones in her old world.
The Ancient Era Department was packed with numerous red and green pavilions. It's as if they moved over half of the Forbidden City.
The Xianxia Department resembled a city in the sky. An immortal mansion floated in the air.
The Western Fantasy Department was a gothic-style castle manor that followed Central European architecture.
In this huge school, four different styles of buildings were mixed and matched. It was extremely bizarre.
... What kind of strange place did she enter?
"Oh, by the way, what's your special ability?" Lu Qin asked suddenly.
Lin Xinghe thought it over and said, "My luck is pretty good."
Lu Qin wanted to roll her eyes.
... Is she an idiot? Since when did good luck count as a special ability? There probably aren't any special abilities to speak of. Nothing but looks. If Modern Era students want to survive in this school, they either have to serve others or huddle together to stay warm. They won't make it past the first exam if they don't excel in anything. Freshmen like Lin Xinghe disappear from the school in only a few days.
Lu Qin thought about it for a bit and then smiled calmly.
"It's late now. I'll take you to the dormitories to rest. We start class at ten o'clock in the morning, so you still have eight hours. Daily necessities have already been prepared for you in your room. You can take a rest when you get there. If you have any questions, there's a freshman manual on your desk or you can come find me at 605."
The tour bus stopped when it reached the dormitories.
Lu Qin said: "The dormitories are divided into District 1 and District 2. I live in District 2's Room 605. You're in District 1's Room 303. You'll see the sign if you walk straight ahead. Just come to the classroom before ten o'clock tomorrow morning. I won't send you off."
Lin Xinghe nodded politely: "Okay, thank you, Class President."
Lu Qin waved to her and watched her figure disappear into the night before lowering her head to send a text—Master Jun, she's on her way to District 1. Please look after me the next time we meet in the exams.
Li Jun leaned lazily on the tree, staring into the distance with squinted eyes.
The little brother next to him handed him a cigarette.
Li Jun tossed it into his mouth.
The little brother lit it up and said with a flattering tone, "Master Jun carved a bloody path and took a spot in the Top Ten during the last exam. Lu Qin is sending a present over right now to congratulate you. I just checked with her. You're going to be satisfied with the goods this time. The girl was an actress in her last life and most actresses are open-minded, unlike the crying little missies in the Ancient Era Department. She's also more than beautiful enough to be the flower of our Modern Era Department. You're guaranteed to be happy with her service."
Li Jun sneered and said: "The only thing that your Modern Era women are good at is warming the bed."
"Right? They're always at the bottom of the exams. Completely different from Master Jun who was assigned to the Western Fantasy Department because of your powerful skills. I watched the entire livestream of your last exam and the final thunderbolt was awesome. So strong!"
2
Li Jun was complimented so he felt pleased all over. He raised his eyes and glanced at the only pathway to the dormitories in District 1.
Five minutes passed and there wasn't even the shadow of a ghost.
"Don't worry, Master Jun. Women walk slowly and she's a confused freshman. Maybe she got distracted by the flowers along the road."
Another half-hour passed. Li Jun had already smoked his fifth cigarette and there still wasn't any sign of the new student.
Impatiently, he said, "Go out and see why she hasn't come yet."
The little brother agreed to go.
Soon after, the little brother came back looking like he saw a ghost: "There's no one."
At this moment, Lin Xinghe was struggling to climb over a fence.5
She was covered in dirt.
Just half an hour ago, she was on the road observing her strange surroundings. There was only one path to the dormitories and lined on either side were green plants that she couldn't identify and fences half as tall as a person.
Taking these into consideration, she shouldn't have fallen over the fence.
But while walking, her ankle twisted and she slipped and stumbled over.
She thought the ground would be flat on the other side. She didn't expect it to be a hill. Lin Xinghe rolled to the bottom like a snowball. She didn't know if she was lucky or unlucky. She came out unscathed from this snowball-like fall. When she stood up, she didn't have a single scratch.5
It was completely dark and she couldn't see her fingers.
But Lin Xinghe didn't panic and climbed back up with great effort.
Luckily for her, the heroine of her debut movie was a rock-climbing expert. She even went so far as to find someone to study climbing under for a month. Otherwise, if she was like any other person, she may not have been able to climb up this slope.
When she climbed to the top, she found herself in front of the dormitory.
----------
Footnotes:
(1) Cyberpunk: a genre of science fiction set in a lawless subculture of an oppressive society dominated by computer technology
(2) Not good at selling pork: not good at making money and doing hard work
----------
Comments:
I hope you will like this novel as much as I do! I love the main character and her antics. I hope you will be patient with both the story and me as a translator. Please sprinkle lots of comments for me to read~ (*≧∀≦*)
