Li Wei made it to lunch before the system updated.
Same table.
Same corner.
Same shadow where sunlight never quite reached.
Then—
[Applause Points: 50/50]
[Quick Wit Lv.1 available]
[Unlock? Y/N]
He almost choked.
Fifty?
He'd only earned thirty-five.
[Audience Update]
[+3 Converts]
[Source: Hallway witnesses | Classmates | Staff]
[Note: Word is spreading.]
Li Wei looked up.
The cafeteria looked the same.
Loud. Messy. Ignoring him.
But that wasn't true anymore.
Three people here were watching.
Waiting.
He selected Y.
Warmth flooded his chest.
Sharp.
Clean.
Voices separated.
Noise became information.
[Quick Wit Lv.1 acquired]
[Reaction speed: +0.3s]
[Success rate: 45%]
[Note: Hesitation is defeat.]
Li Wei exhaled slowly.
0.3 seconds.
That was all it took to win a conversation.
Last life—
He was always too late.
This time—
He wouldn't be.
"Hey. Clown."
Li Wei didn't even look up.
He already knew who it was.
[Performance Opportunity]
[Audience: 87]
[Composition: 62% Neutral | 23% Hostile | 15% Converted]
Wang Jie stood there.
Alone.
Not confident.
Not relaxed.
Watching.
Li Wei looked up.
"Your friends ditch you? Or are they scared I'll talk again?"
Wang Jie flinched.
There it was.
The opening.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Wang Jie snapped.
"You're just making stuff up for attention."
Li Wei smiled.
Too slow.
"Then your parents are fine?" Li Wei asked.
A beat.
"Your mom didn't book a divorce lawyer last month?"
Silence.
"She didn't cancel three days later?"
Wang Jie froze.
"There isn't a second phone in your dad's car… that only rings after 9 PM?"
Color drained.
"…How do you—"
"I'm a clown," Li Wei said lightly.
"We notice things."
[Quick Wit: SUCCESS]
[Credibility Damage: Severe]
[+28 AP]
The room shifted.
People weren't eating anymore.
They were watching.
Not laughing.
Watching.
Wang Jie clenched his fists.
For a second—
He almost swung.
"Enough."
The word cut through everything.
Teacher Chen.
He stood beside them like he'd been waiting.
"Wang Jie, sit down."
"Li Wei, come with me."
[Performance suspended]
[Authority detected]
[Warning: Different rules apply]
Li Wei stood.
Followed.
But this time—
He felt it.
Eyes.
Attention.
Weight.
The seats are filling.
Teacher Chen's office hadn't changed.
Same smell.
Same walls.
Same fake warmth.
"Close the door."
Li Wei did.
No chair offered.
Of course.
"You've been acting strange," Teacher Chen said.
Li Wei stayed silent.
"Answering questions you shouldn't know. Causing disruptions. Targeting other students."
A pause.
"That's not like you."
Li Wei tilted his head.
"How would you know?"
Silence.
"We've never spoken," Li Wei continued.
"Not once."
Something flickered in Teacher Chen's eyes.
"You're upset about detention," he said calmly.
"I understand that."
"You laughed."
Teacher Chen blinked.
"When the video played," Li Wei said.
"You laughed the loudest."
Silence.
For a second—
Something cracked.
"That was months ago," Teacher Chen said.
"It was."
"And you're still holding onto it?"
[System Alert]
[Hidden Audience Detected]
[Threat Level: Rising]
Li Wei's chest tightened.
"…Not holding onto it," he said.
"Just remembering."
Teacher Chen smiled.
Wrong.
Cold.
"I've taught for twelve years," he said.
Stepping closer.
"And students like you…"
A pause.
"The ones who think they're special?"
He leaned in.
"They never are."
[Threat Confirmed]
[Recommendation: Avoid direct conflict]
Li Wei nodded.
"Can I go?"
A beat.
"Go ahead," Teacher Chen said.
Then—
"I'll be watching you."
Li Wei left.
In the hallway—
He finally breathed.
[New Objective: Investigate Teacher Chen]
[Warning: He knows something]
The rest of the day blurred.
AP climbed.
31… 34… 38… 42…
Whispers spread faster than he expected.
By the final bell—
He was close again.
Then—
Someone stepped in front of him.
A girl.
Small.
Quiet.
Focused.
"You're Li Wei."
"…Yeah?"
She looked around.
Then closer.
"My name is Xiao Ling."
[Unknown Entity]
[No Audience Data]
[Warning: Outside System Tracking]
Li Wei's heartbeat picked up.
"What do you want?"
She stared directly at him.
"Did you come back too?"
Everything stopped.
Li Wei didn't move.
Didn't blink.
"I don't know what you mean."
"You do."
Her voice shook.
But didn't break.
"I was at your funeral."
His breath hitched.
"I was the only student there."
Memories slammed into place.
The girl at the back.
Crying.
Alone.
"I tried to help you," she said.
"Notes. After class. You never saw me."
Li Wei's hands trembled.
"I thought it was a joke…"
"It wasn't."
Silence.
"I woke up three years ago," she said.
"With everything."
Her grip tightened on his arm.
"You're not the only one."
[System Alert]
[Unknown Variable Confirmed]
[Xiao Ling: Potential Ally]
[Origin: ???]
[Memory Status: Intact]
Impossible.
"How?" Li Wei whispered.
"I don't know."
"But I remember you."
A pause.
"And I won't ignore it this time."
Li Wei looked at her.
Really looked.
Not mocking.
Not watching.
Seeing him.
For the first time—
Not as a joke.
As a person.
[Ally Acquired]
Li Wei exhaled slowly.
"…Okay."
Her face broke with relief.
Around them—
Students passed.
Oblivious.
The world kept moving.
But something had changed.
Not just a solo performance anymore.
A duo.
A different kind of show.
And somewhere—
Deep behind his eyes—
A second spotlight turned on.
Not for the audience.
For the truth.
And whatever was coming next…
Was bigger than revenge.