Lan Yuan walked into the kitchen wearing her daily school tracksuit. She hadn't bothered to put on the jacket yet.
Her parents were already there. Lanying was reading the newspaper, and Yichen was cooking a light, healthy breakfast for her daughter. Yichen turned around when she heard the sound of Lan Yuan pulling out a chair.
Yichen gasped, surprised to see her daughter looking like a thug. "Oh my god! Dear, why are you wearing it like that? Who are you trying to imitate?"
She put the plate on the table and gave her daughter's arm a small smack, scolding her. Lan Yuan didn't react at all to the weak smack; her face remained emotionless.
"...It looks fine to me," Lan Yuan said.
She pulled the plate toward her and began to devour the food. She gave a small nod of approval. "Mmh... delicious."
"Aiya, you can't go around looking like a thug, A-Yuan! Wear your jacket properly. It's going to be cold today," Yichen scolded again.
But Lan Yuan pretended not to hear her. It was too early to deal with school lectures. She put down her fork and spoon and looked at both of her parents.
"From now on, I will go to school with Driver Han every day," Lan Yuan said, waiting for their permission.
Yichen was still not used to this change. She had never seen someone become a completely different person so quickly. Lan Yuan had become bolder, she had a stiff, emotionless look that showed she wasn't afraid of anything anymore.
Lanying turned his attention to his daughter. He could see that Lan Yuan had changed—not for the worse, but for the better.
"Can I?" Lan Yuan asked.
He still saw the same Lan Yuan in her, the quiet child he knew, but she no longer stuttered.
Smiling at the interaction between mother and daughter, he didn't care if the change was because of "the boy." He simply liked it better this way, she could finally speak her mind instead of just being obedient.
Lanying hummed. "That's good." At his words, Lan Yuan glanced at him.
"...Okay, thank you."
Lan Yuan knew this family consisted of good people. The original owner of this body had lived in a wonderful home, surrounded by acceptance and love. This comfort was utterly unrecognizable to someone with her past.
Before she transmigrated into this web novel, her life hadn't been good at all, she had endured nothing but hardship.
Her parents had abandoned her in front of an orphanage when she was only five years old. Lan Yuan had never known a home as warm and caring as this one.
In that life, she was skinny, dressed in shabby clothes, and abused by the caretakers. She had watched other children tremble in fear, pushing one another just to get enough food to survive.
The worst part came when the caretakers stole the charity money meant for the building and fled. Once again, the children were abandoned by cruel people.
Lan Yuan had seen how unfair adults could be, and she had been powerless to change it. With no path forward, she had tried to become a protector for the other children against the outside world.
She had thought their lives would be better if they simply hid, but she was wrong. They were kidnapped and forced to work in the underground world.
The pain became unbearable when they were imprisoned. Trapped and unable to escape, Lan Yuan watched as the children were taken away one by one, never to return.
"I want to escape... I don't want to be here." Lan Yuan's heart cried out.
She grew to hate adults. To her, they were selfish, self-centered abusers who only sought control. There were no kind people coming to save them.
Eventually, it was her turn. She was taken away with no hope of escape.
When she was pushed into a room without explanation, her instincts flared.
Suddenly, she was faced with another child—one covered in bruises, with blood staining his shirt.
It terrified her. When the boy lunged at her with a sharp weapon, Lan Yuan froze. All she could think about was surviving and making the pain stop. To defend herself, she blindly grabbed an object from the ground and swung it toward him.
That day became her worst nightmare. All she saw was blood. As the boy fell, he smiled, blood trickling from his mouth.
He mouthed a final sentence to her: "It's not your fault. I'm free now."
Then, he died.
Lan Yuan didn't cry that day, but her heart bled.
The scene had already dealt irreparable damage to her psyche. She watched her hands shake, coated in red, but she remained emotionless.
There were no tears, only the cold realization that she had dried up inside. She had seen too much.
From that moment on, she became the person she was "meant" to be. They chose her as the best candidate to lead the organization when she turned nineteen.
She became the most feared woman to ever lead that underground empire. But she was never happy.
The life she led made her facial muscles grow stiff and expressionless.
She did the dirty work and cursed her existence, never wanting to be a leader. All she had ever wanted was to survive and be free.
Lan Yuan shook her head, pulling herself out of the deep, dark thoughts of her past. During the calm breakfast, Lanying didn't question or push her. She felt a wave of relief.
Now, it was time for school.
Lan Yuan ignored the students whispering as she passed. Their gossip didn't interest her.
Keeping to herself, she entered the classroom and walked straight to her desk without a word.
As she sat down, her mind wandered to the novel's plot—specifically, the villain. She hadn't met him yet, in fact, she hadn't even caught a glimpse of him yesterday. She wondered if he even attended the same school.
In the original story, the villain's background was a mystery. The author only described how he became the most feared and wealthiest man in the book.
All Lan Yuan knew was that he and the male lead had been rivals since childhood.
It was shocking to realize that she, Li Lan Yuan, was the male lead's unnamed ex-fiancée and childhood friend. The story never mentioned her name in his life because she was nothing more than a spark to ignite the plot.
She had stayed awake last night thinking about it. She didn't care about the main couple or their drama.
This time, Lan Yuan wanted a quiet, peaceful life—the kind of life she had never been allowed to have before.
"She really changed!" a student whispered to the friend sitting beside her.
Lan Yuan heard them clearly. She simply flipped a page of her book, pretending to read while silently eavesdropping.
"Did you see the forum last night? Someone saw her fighting thugs and breaking their bones," the girl added, leaning in closer to gossip.
The other girl gasped. "What? No way. I don't believe it." She shook her head in disbelief.
The first girl pulled out her phone. "Someone took a picture and posted it on W*bo. It's a huge topic!"
Lan Yuan's brow twitched. So that's why everyone is staring, she thought.
"Are you sure this is her? The face is blurred," the friend replied, squinting at the screen.
"Oops, wrong one. Here, I found a thread where someone posted the unblurred version."
"I still can't wrap my head around it. How did the quiet, stuttering girl who used to get bullied suddenly have this much... aura?"
Lan Yuan internally rolled her eyes. Better if they don't believe it, she told herself.
"It's true! It's definitely her," the girl insisted. "Who else in our class has that expensive bag? There's too much proof!"
"...Troublesome," Lan Yuan mumbled.
She had heard enough. Standing up, she walked past the girls toward the back door. They immediately went silent, their eyes following her every move until she was gone.
"...Do you think she heard us?"
"I don't know. She seemed indifferent."
Lan Yuan walked calmly toward the computer lab.
Her goal was simple, take down the forum before it gained any more traction. She couldn't let her new parents find out about this—explaining it would require far too many words, and she hated talking.
"Two days in, and already so much trouble," Lan Yuan sighed to herself.
≤//≥
Little Theatre
Lan Yuan: (Rubbing her temples, looking exhausted) Another day, another problem...
Author: (Cheerful and energetic) You did a great job! But you know what? You really need to exercise more!
Lan Yuan: (A dark shadow crosses her face as she glares) No. No more work. Don't you dare.
Author: (Peace out)