As Jia Li packed her things, she passed Sheng Yiran and Lin Xue in the hallway.
Disgust flickered across Sheng Yiran's eyes. He once tolerated Zhang Rui because Lin Xue stayed near her. Now the sight of her grated on him. He held no personal grudge, yet her face irritated him for reasons he could not explain. The way she hovered near Lin Xue in the past lingered in his mind like an unpleasant memory.
His gaze dropped briefly to her hands. Broad. Rough. Then to her frame. Solid. Heavy. The contrast sharpened when he looked at Lin Xue, slim and delicate beside her.
Lin Xue caught the shift in his expression at once. A faint smirk touched her lips. No one else noticed.
Yes. Stay like this, Zhang Rui. Stay as my foil.
If Jia Li could hear their thoughts, she would have laughed from pure disbelief.
None of this mattered to Jia Li. Hunger mattered more. The original owner often skipped meals to save money, and her stomach ached.
She spotted a vendor selling deep fried scallion pancakes and walked over. The first bite made her pause. Whether from hunger or skill, she could not tell. She bought another to take back.
30 yuan gone.
Jia Li sighed miserly, she just came to this world and she could already feel her money pinching ways resurfacing
She made her way to the school dormitory and asked the system for the original owner's room number. Inside, two girls were already there. They did not look up, nod, or acknowledge her in any way.
Jia Li considered greeting them, then remembered Zhang Rui's social standing and kept quiet.
They spoke freely as if she were not there. She did not mind. She did not know their names, and silence saved her from small talk.
Later, their conversation revealed them.
Chen Yue and Li Wan.
Their laughter drifted through the room while they debated which boy in school looked better.
"Lu Han is a ten out of ten," Chen Yue sighed.
"Sheng Yiran only needs to look at me once and I'd hand over my father's savings," Li Wan replied.
Jia Li barely listened. Her eyes fell on the old laptop on the desk. The casing was scratched. The keys were worn smooth.
She pulled it onto the bed and powered it on. The fan wheezed but held.
She opened the Huatai Securities app she had downloaded earlier.
Her balance appeared in the corner.
Not much. Enough.
The system had given her more than instructions. It had carved financial knowledge into her mind. Charts. Patterns. Market rhythm. All of it felt natural.
She scanned the listings and ignored the large, noisy stocks. Her attention stopped on a quiet ticker.
Qingzhou New Materials Co., Ltd. — 300429.
Low volume. Minimal chatter. Analysts would call it dead weight.
A soft chime. Order executed successfully.
Her account balance shrank, but she didn't feel the loss. The stock wasn't just a gamble — it was a certainty.
On the forum, the sentiment around Qingzhou New Materials was pure scorn.
[IronBull88]: This stock hasn't moved in months. Only fools touch it.
[MarketWolf]: Better off burning your money , at least it'll give you heat.
[DataKing]: Low volume, no momentum, bad fundamentals. Dead meat.
Jia Li closed the laptop.
She lay down and pulled the blanket over herself. The muffled chatter of her roommates faded into the background.
When Jia Li woke again, the room was quiet. A faint glow seeped through the curtains from the streetlamps outside, casting pale light over the two occupied beds across from hers. Her roommates, who had been chattering before, were now bundled under their blankets, breathing softly in sleep.
She rolled out of bed, feet touching the cool dorm floor, and shuffled toward the bathroom.
She went to the bathroom and looked at the mirror.
Her gaze moved slowly downward.
Old acne marks across her cheeks. Uneven texture.
Her neck thick. Shoulders broad. Arms soft. No definition.
Her chest heavy in an unflattering way.
Her waist thick. Her belly rounded.
Her hips wide. Thighs pressed together even when she stood straight.
She turned sideways and winced.
"…That's bad."
"System."
A chime answered.
"I want to see the System Mall. Something for appearance."
[Opening System Mall…]
A transparent panel flickered into view before her eyes, scrolling rows upon rows of items:
[Advanced Fitness Plan — 200 points]
[Extreme Fat-Burning Capsules — 300 points]
[Goddess-Level Skin Rejuvenation Cream — 400 points]
[Deluxe Hair Nourishment Elixir — 150 points]
Her jaw nearly hit the sink. "...Are you robbing me in broad daylight?"
[Host, these are discounted prices.]
"Discounted my—" She cut herself off before she coughed blood.
This scummy system…
She kept scrolling in resigned silence… until her gaze snagged on something.
[Nightly Smooth Skin Serum — 10 points]
Description: Apply nightly before sleep. Wake with smooth, even-toned skin as though under a beauty filter. Erases blackheads, whiteheads, and minor scarring over time.
Jia Li instinctively touched her cheek, feeling the uneven texture beneath her fingers.
Ten points. That, she could spare.
"Buy."
[Purchase complete. Host now has 70 points remaining.]
A small, frosted glass bottle appeared in her hand, cool against her palm. The faint scent of roses rose from it, light and clean.
Jia Li gave the mirror a deadpan look. "Not helping."
She tugged her shirt back down and tried not to think about how the hem curled slightly because it had to stretch over her stomach.
She applied the serum and returned to bed.
The next morning, pale sunlight crept into the room. Jia Li dragged herself to the bathroom, still half-asleep, and splashed her face.
She paused.
The difference was subtle, but her skin looked a little clearer, less dull. The redness around old scars had softened, and the texture beneath her fingertips felt smoother.
Her reflection still showed a broad face and the same stubborn bulk below the neck, but the surface was changing. Just a little.
[Consistent use will improve results,] the System said confidently.
Jia Li exhaled slowly.
"One step at a time," she said.
Jia Li's roommates were already halfway through their morning routine by the time she rolled out of bed.
Chen Yue was tying her hair into a messy bun with military precision, while Li Wan was busy fussing over the angle of her eyeliner.
They did not greet her. They did not avoid her. They existed beside her without interaction.
She preferred this.
She dressed slowly. This body tired easily.
Outside, she bought another scallion pancake and headed to class.
She arrived before the bell and rested her head on the locker beside her desk.
When the teacher entered, she straightened.
As the teacher began the day's first lesson, Jia Li found herself slipping into focus faster than expected. Her pen moved almost on its own, jotting down key points, breaking down formulas, summarizing examples. It had been years since she had sat in a classroom, but her mind still worked the same way it always had: sharp, methodical, quick to catch the important bits.
By the time the bell rang for lunch break, she had filled half a page with neat, condensed notes.
The cafeteria was already loud when she got there, filled with the smell of frying oil and steamed rice. Tray in hand, she scanned the tables for an empty seat.
No luck.
Every time she moved toward a half-filled table, the subtle shifting of bags, the sudden loud chatter, or the quick glances between students made it clear they did not want her sitting there.
This defensive behaviour like they were facing a scourge really make her teeth itch
She was about to find a quiet corner to lean on when she spotted Li Wan across the room, already halfway through a plate of stir-fried noodles.
Having nothing to lose, Jia Li walked over and sat down beside her without asking.
Li Wan froze.
They sat in silence until a shadow fell across the table.
Chen Xiaomei.
"Well, if it isn't our country bumpkin and her new friend."
Li Wan stiffened.
Her lip curled into a nasty smile. "Well, if it isn't our country bumpkin and her new friend."
Chen Xiaomei's eyes flicked to her, and the smile sharpened. "Careful, Li Wan. You wouldn't want people thinking you're too close to her. Reputation is like glass, you know?"
Jia Li set down her spoon.
Sigh. Some people are just too eager to take early morning beatings.
"If you're here to watch us eat, at least pay for the meal. Otherwise, get lost. You're blocking the light."
Nearby tables went quiet.
"Enjoy your lunch," Chen Xiaomei said coldly. "You're finished after school."
Jia Li glanced toward the window.
"Clear skies. Good weather for a walk."
Chen Xiaomei left.
For a moment, the table was quiet. Then Li Wan let out a breath she did not realize she had been holding.
The final bell rang, and the students of Jiangcheng No. 1 Experimental High School spilled out of their classrooms in noisy streams. Some rushed for the school gates, others lingered in groups, chatting and laughing.
Jia Li did not rush. She slung her bag over one shoulder and made her way toward the dormitory building at her own pace, taking the quiet side path between the gym and the dorms.
Three figures waited.
Chen Xiaomei. Li Fang. Huang Qian
Chen Xiaomei's lips curled into a cold smile. The sting of her defeat in the bathroom still burned in her memory. The only reason she had lost last time was because she had been caught off guard. Today, she was ready.
"Well, well… Zhang Rui," she drawled, stepping forward. "Still so full of yourself after that lucky hit in the bathroom? Let's see if you're so tough when I'm prepared."
Jia Li stopped. "Say what you want. I'm going to the dorms."
"Oh, I'll make it quick," Chen Xiaomei sneered, lunging with a shove aimed at her shoulder.
Jia Li's hand shot up, catching her wrist mid-motion. A twist, a step in, and her foot hooked behind Chen Xiaomei's ankle. The bully's balance broke instantly, sending her crashing to the pavement with an undignified yelp.
Li Fang moved next, all height and momentum, swinging an arm toward Jia Li's head. Jia Li ducked, pivoted, and drove a clean side kick into Li Fang's ribs. The taller girl staggered back, wheezing for air.
Huang Qian hesitated for a heartbeat before lunging. Her slap never landed; Jia Li redirected her elbow and sent her stumbling into the wall with a controlled push.
The entire exchange took less than twenty seconds.
Chen Xiaomei scrambled back to her feet, her face a blotchy mix of anger and embarrassment. "You—"
Jia Li walked past them without looking back.
Students nearby stepped aside.
Bullies targeted weakness. The original Zhang Rui carried herself like prey.
Jia Li did not.
In her past life, she had avoided conflict and swallowed humiliation. The world had not grown kinder.