Goodbye, peaceful life

Lu Qingyan adjusted the strap of her backpack as she walked down the pristine white corridor of Liyang Academy's main building. The marble floors reflected the light pouring in from the enormous windows, and even the potted plants standing by each door seemed expensive.

"First floor… Principal's Office…" she muttered, glancing down at the map the school had emailed the original Lu Qingyan last week.

Three minutes later, she stood in front of a large, intricately carved wooden door with a brass plate that read Principal's Office. 

Taking a deep breath, she raised her hand and knocked three times, crisp and clear.

"Come in," a calm voice called from inside.

Lu Qingyan pushed the door open.

The interior was as luxurious as one would expect from a private academy built by the country's wealthiest conglomerates. 

Mahogany bookshelves lined the back wall, filled with leather-bound books that looked like they hadn't been touched in decades.

In front of them sat a man who looked to be in his fifties, with silver-threaded hair and a neatly trimmed beard.

He wore a tailored grey suit and wire-rimmed glasses, looking every bit like a scholarly and kind grandfather from a movie.

The moment he saw her, he smiled kindly and gestured toward the plush leather couch.

"Ah, you must be the Lu family's third young miss. Sit down, sit down," he said with practiced warmth.

Lu Qingyan smiled politely and took her seat. 

The couch was too soft. She nearly sank into it like a marshmallow.

"You're Lu Mingxuan's younger sister, right?" he asked, adjusting his glasses.

She nodded.

The principal sighed deeply, so dramatically that Lu Qingyan swore the bonsai plant behind him rustled in sympathy.

And then, under his breath, he muttered, "I hope you're not as much of a troublemaker as your brother…"

Lu Qingyan raised a brow.

Oh?

Did she hear that right?

She tilted her head slightly, pretending not to hear, but her internal monologue was roaring: "Sir, I heard that. And honestly? I agree."

After all, Lu Mingxuan had the kind of reputation that made teachers drink herbal tea and pray before homeroom.

If chaos were a sport, her brother would have been captain of the national team.

In fact, if she hadn't transmigrated into this body, the original Lu Qingyan would have been a troublemaker too—albeit a diet version of her brother. Mild chaos. Baby chaos. Starter pack delinquent.

The principal cleared his throat awkwardly. "Ahem. Now then, Miss Lu, which strand do you plan to take? Science or Humanities?"

"Science," Lu Qingyan replied without hesitation.

The principal nodded and stood to retrieve a stack of papers from a cabinet. "Very well. Before we can assign you to a class, you'll need to take a placement exam."

He returned with a small stack of sample test papers.

"These are from five subjects: Mathematics, Calculus, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. Twenty questions each. You can take your time."

Lu Qingyan blinked as the test papers were handed to her.

She flipped through them quickly.

Derivatives? Integrals? This calculus paper looked like a warm-up sheet.

Biology was all about evolution—the five major geological eras, characteristics of each period, extinction events, evolutionary milestones… It felt more like trivia night than an exam.

She sighed internally.

'Do you want me to walk, or should I just somersault my way through these questions?'

Then came Chemistry. She zipped through molar mass calculations, stoichiometry, and redox reactions like she was reciting the alphabet.

Physics came last—force diagrams, motion equations, projectile trajectories. It was all there, and it was all laughably simple by her standards.

She looked up at the clock.

Thirty minutes.

She capped her pen and looked up. "I'm done."

The principal stared at her as though she had just told him the sky was pink.

"…Already?"

She nodded, nonchalantly sipping water from her tumbler.

Still in disbelief, the principal slowly walked over and picked up her test papers as though they were ancient scrolls.

He took the papers, his face unreadable as he began grading.

She watched as his brows began to rise. 

Then his lips parted slightly in shock. He flipped through the pages with increasing speed, like he was looking for a mistake.

But there were none.

Perfect score in Calculus. Then Biology. Then Chemistry. Then Physics. And Mathematics. Each red checkmark was a small blow to his understanding of first-year human capability.

He looked up slowly, as if she might sprout wings.

"This…" He cleared his throat, barely hiding his awe. "This test is considered difficult even for top Year 1 students. To date, only two students in our school's history have scored a perfect one hundred on this. And… you finished it in thirty minutes."

Lu Qingyan smiled demurely. Only two? Amateur numbers.

The principal took a deep breath, as if trying to recalibrate his understanding of reality, then picked up the intercom and called: "Teacher Zhang, please come to the principal's office."

Five minutes later, a tall, thin man with wireframe glasses entered the room. "Principal, you called?"

"Yes," Principal Yan said, gesturing toward Lu Qingyan. "This student just completed the placement exam. You'll be her homeroom teacher."

Teacher Zhang turned to Lu Qingyan, offering a mild nod, before taking the test papers from the principal.

One minute later, he was staring at the answer sheet like it owed him money.

"These topics…" he muttered. "Some of these haven't even been taught yet. How…"

"She's from the Lu family," the principal said proudly. "But unlike her older brother, she seems to have… substance."

Lu Qingyan nodded internally.

That's right, please continue dragging Lu Mingxuan's name. I approve.

Then came the decision.

"Student Lu Qingyan will be assigned to Year 1, Special Class."

She nodded automatically. "Alright—wait. What?"

The air around her froze.

"Principal… did you just say… Special Class?" she repeated, dread sinking in like cold water.

The principal smiled. "Yes. That's the elite class—top-performing students only. It's a highly competitive group."

Lu Qingyan's face slowly lost all color.

No. No no no.

This wasn't in the plan.

She was supposed to get into Class 1 at most. Low profile. Fly under the radar. Avoid any protagonists or future villains like they were landmines.

Special Class?!

Wasn't that where all the shining halos and dark auras of the novel resided?! Wasn't that where Wang Jingyuan studied?! The emotionally damaged, future antagonist who didn't know whether he wanted to destroy the world or cuddle it?

She was practically stepping into a live-action powder keg.

Her shoulders drooped.

Goodbye, peaceful life.

Hello, dramatic plot entanglements and metaphorical death flags.

Still, she smiled thinly. "Thank you… Principal."

Rest in peace, my invisible side character dreams.