Chapter 2 - HuaYuan High School

The lid flew off, and YueYing recoiled in shock, dropping the box. Its contents spilled onto the velvet blankets: A white school uniform, decorated in clever blue ornaments with a glimmering golden brooch pinned to the outer jacket. An attached blue side-skirt and various golden chains gave the outfit the impression of a rebellious teenager.

[ Do you like it? ૮꒰˶ᵔ ᗜ ᵔ˶꒱ა˖⁺‧₊˚ ]

"What is this?" YueYing stared at the outfit, surprised.

Thoughts circulated in his mind. If the System gave him a school uniform, it must've meant that his current situation required him to attend a school. And judging from the adorned youthful and ambitious embellishments…

The system probably enrolled him in high school.

YueYing had bad memories of high school. The children had conceited mindsets: They'd ostracise him for his illness, as if even looking at him in his wheelchair could infect them. While he'd at least talked with the children in elementary and middle school, once he became alienated, he found it hard to communicate with anyone at all. His experience left him an introverted mess when he reached college. Then he'd died, having lost the courage to tell his parents everything he wanted to.

[ If it's now… The 'Protagonist' should be in high school right around now! ◉‿◉ ]

YueYing nodded, his memories flickering away with the System's machine voice.

"Do you know what the 'Protagonist' looks like… That'll help me find him faster." He slid his feet off of the bed and wobbled to a stand. The vivid recollection of his twisted bones flashed through his head, and he winced, grabbing the bed frame for emotional support.

[ Nooope! Find him yourself! ]

YueYing could hear the System's sarcasm. He grabbed the school uniform and looked around—where was the bathroom?—then settled his gaze on the mirror. He had noticed something different about his appearance, other than the ominous red lock streaking down his hair. He looked younger, like his body had regressed to his earlier years. Although he did maintain this youthful appearance throughout college, right before he died, he'd had the opportunity to see himself in a hand mirror, and he recalled blanching at the aged lines streaming across his face.

But now….

Emerging from the bathroom, dressed in fresh attire, looking somewhat lady-like in the over-decorated uniform, YueYing stood in front of the system and crossed his arms.

"What do you want me to do?"

[ It's 8:30 AM right now! Once you open your bedroom door, you'll be on the rooftop of your new school! ◡̈ ]

"Can you give me some information? First you want me to become a school bully, next you don't even tell me the name of the school or what grade I'm in."

[ Oh, right! I registered you as a senior, and you're known as a constant class-skipper, filthy womaniser, and you've been suspended more times than all of the students' suspensions in the history of the school combined! >ᴗ< ]

YueYing paled.

[ There's a reason for all of this, I promise! Just follow my plotline~ ദ്ദി ˉ꒳ˉ )✧ ]

[ And by the way, I really don't know what the 'Protagonist' looks like in high school…. So good luck, Mr. Li! ◝(ᵔᵕᵔ)◜ ]

[ And I'll break your legs again if you don't act like a tyrant! ◉⃝◉ ]

"B-But—" All of the confidence YueYing acquired from reincarnating and becoming younger dissipated like smoke on a windy day. His shoulders sagged, and he trudged his way to the door of the bedroom, turning the handle until an audible click brought him back to full attention.

A baby blue sky awaited him beyond those doors, marshmallow clouds hanging from the threads of sunlight. Diamonds sparkled in the air, fissuring in and out of YueYing's sight. His hair swirled in the Spring breeze, and when he looked down, rows of cherry blossoms greeted him in a ring around a shimmering fairy pond.

The campus stole his breath away and carried it to the winds.

"This is…"

[ Welcome to HuaYuan High School! ٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و ♡ ]

YueYing dashed barefoot onto the marble tiles on the fenced roof. He hadn't felt the warmth of the Sun for so long. Taking in a deep breath then breathing out, YueYing's bed-bound trauma dissipated with the mist.

Before he could reach the fence, the purple System blocked his path with a pair of blue-gold stilettos.

[ Put your shoes on! ( •̀ - •́ ) ]

YueYing ignored the System and touched the metal fence. He dragged his hand down, shivered from its cool surface, and stared in awe as his hot fingertips left trails of white condensation. Then he looked past the fence, watching the pink blossom petals flutter down from the trees. He had a thought—

I want to draw this.

He'd spent his college days confined to a bed. While the view outside his window showed him the splendid courtyard of his parents' college, and the TV by the dresser depicted all sorts of scenery, after he graduated middle school he never had the chance to see cherry blossoms again. They grew only in Spring, and before he could recover from seasonal sickness, they'd vanished into the cruel Summer.

The rooftop door opening startled YueYing out of his trance. He turned to see a teacher who had eyebags like he'd pulled five all-nighters in a row. The teacher took one look at YueYing, froze in place, then closed the door as if he'd seen nothing at all. YueYing heard him mutter as his footsteps faded away, "I don't get paid enough for this."

The new highschooler's eyes widened at the supposed insult. He had an ugly expression and hadn't said a word this entire exchange. 

[ Mr. Li? Mr. Liiii! (ꐦㅍ _ㅍ) ]

The System's annoying mechanical voice brought YueYing back. He remembered the System bringing him a pair of shoes earlier and glanced down: at his feet, the sharpest and meanest stilettos YueYing had ever seen stood like knives on the marble rooftop.

His face turned white.

[ Don't be so scared. It's easier than having broken legs! (｡˃ ᵕ ˂ ) ]

The System cooed from the side as it watched YueYing struggle to strap the stiletto clasps across his ankles.

—

As YueYing stumbled down the long school corridors, he noticed something about the students. Every time his eyes turned in their direction, the students would jerk their heads down like crane machines. YueYing compared their uniforms to his: They had no blue skirt on their side, nor golden chains across their shoulders, nor 10-inch stilettos biting into their skin.

The system had tricked YueYing.

He gritted his teeth, holding back the tears of embarrassment threatening to flood down his face. He would have found a corner to cry in, if not for the System insisting he continue on.

"To where?"

[ I remember the 'Protagonist' liked the library a lot! Go to the library! (＾◡＾) ]

"Where is the library?"

[ I don't know, he never told me… (˚ ˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥ ) ]

Why did YueYing feel that the System had a personal grudge against the 'Protagonist?' Stalking him yet never knowing his location….

The more YueYing walked, the more he wanted to collapse to the floor. His mind spun from the numbing strain on his feet and legs, and he staggered sideways into a room. The door flung in, and YueYing saw through blurry vision a tall man talking to another student.

[ THAT'S THE 'PROTAGONIST'--! ]

The System's scream tore through YueYing's brain, and he blanked.

[ 'System binding initiated….' ]

When he came to consciousness, he found his hands on the taller man's back, and a sequence of events played out before him in slow motion:

The man had a surprised expression as he fell towards the bookshelf.

The student next to him screamed out, 'Mr. Librarian!!' and jumped towards the man.

The System completed its reboot, and an angry and disappointed kaomoji flickered in front of YueYing:

[ ಠ益ಠ ]