Just because I wrote "Zhu Xian," the school beauty sent me razor blades.

On the night of the release.

It's still raining.

Xie Wanyin, clutching a copy of "Dragon Raja I: Dawn of Fire" still smelling of fresh ink, kicked open the door to dormitory 404.

"Ladies! I queued for two hours! And I got the last copy!"

Su Zhiyuan looked up from her book. Shen Qingci put down her face mask. Gu Zhiwan walked in from the balcony.

The three of them looked at the book with a dark red cover, next to the title, which had a silver dragon-shaped totem printed on it.

"Dragon Clan?" Shen Qingci raised an eyebrow. "Not a fantasy or suspense story?"

"Fantasy genre." Xie Wanyin tore open the plastic wrap and turned to the first page. "That old scoundrel has changed tracks again."

The four of them huddled together under the lamp.

The story begins with a boy named Lu Mingfei.

At eighteen, he lived with relatives, was at the bottom of his class, had an average appearance, and always wore a faded old T-shirt. No one waited for him to eat, and if he came home late, he could only eat cold leftovers. His aunt treated him coldly, while his cousin enjoyed all the favoritism.

"Isn't this just a classic example of a loser starting out?" Xie Wanyin commented.

"Don't rush." ​​Shen Qingci didn't look up.

The pages continued to turn.

Lu Mingfei mustered the greatest courage of his life. He went to the riverbank, picked a large bunch of dandelions, borrowed a sound system, put on his cousin's hand-me-down, ill-fitting suit, and practiced his confession several times in front of the mirror. After the short film finished, he walked onto the stage with the dandelions in his hands, stood quietly on the lowercase letter "i," and waited for her.

But it wasn't Chen Wenwen who emerged from the shadows.

It was Zhao Menghua, holding red roses, kneeling on one knee in front of her.

The laughter engulfed him like a tide. Dandelions scattered from his hands onto the ground, and he stood frozen on the stage, unable to utter a single word.

[Remember the fastest online novel website: 1 ...

Xie Wanyin stopped turning the page.

She didn't speak, but her lips were pressed into a thin line.

Shen Qingci glanced at her expression, reached out and took the book, then continued reading.

Then Nono appeared.

Shen Qingci read the description aloud, her speech unconsciously slowing down by a beat: "A girl in a burgundy long dress stood backlit, her dark red hair cascading to her shoulders, her stiletto heels clicking on the floor as she walked in. The laughter that filled the room instantly ceased."

Ignoring everyone else, she walked straight onto the stage, naturally took Lu Mingfei's arm, and her voice clearly echoed throughout the entire theater—

"Ricardo, we're running out of time. Do we still want to continue the activity?"

"The moment this person arrived, the entire atmosphere of the play changed," Shen Qingci said. "That old rascal's character writing is truly masterful; he established himself from the very first appearance."

Su Zhiyuan took the book and turned to the dialogue in the car—

"Lu Mingfei, let me tell you something. You can lose temporarily, you can be laughed at, but you absolutely cannot feel that you're destined to be this unlucky for the rest of your life."

Xie Wanyin suddenly straightened her back.

"You just got stabbed here, it hurts, doesn't it? Remember the pain. Remember how it felt to stand on this stage today like a lonely lowercase 'i,' surrounded by everyone. Don't let this embarrassment be the end; use it as fuel."

"Smack!" Xie Wanyin slammed her hand on the table, startling Gu Zhiwan.

"This Nono! I need to write her a thank-you letter!"

"She's fictional," Shen Qingci said.

"I'll write fiction too!"

Lu Mingfei returned to his uncle's house, where the oppressive and suffocating daily routine continued as before.

Xie Wanyin became quieter and quieter as she flipped through the pages, no longer interrupting as before, only occasionally biting her nails.

Su Zhiyuan noticed it.

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," Xie Wanyin turned a page. "It's just that... that old man wrote about Lu Mingfei's daily life at his uncle's house so realistically. Not the kind of realistic portrayal that deliberately tries to elicit sympathy, but the kind of realistic portrayal where 'he doesn't feel like he's suffering because he's already used to it.'"

Su Zhiyuan didn't reply, but she slowed down the speed at which she turned the pages of the book.

CC1000 special train.

Lu Mingfei met Fingel—a slovenly and undisciplined student who was always smoking and drinking and had been a bottom-ranked G-level student in Kassel for many years.

Xie Wanyin finally chuckled: "The mutual sympathy between these two losers makes me feel a little better."

Kassel College unfolds—students carrying alchemical firearms and longswords can be seen everywhere on campus, and the building walls are engraved with ancient dragon patterns that restrain dragons.

Gu Zhiwan didn't say much, but every time Shen Qingci slowed down his page turning, she would lean closer to look.

Newborn bloodline test results—Lu Mingfei is an S-class mixed-race individual.

Xie Wanyin sprang up from her chair: "Here it comes! A classic wish-fulfillment novel plot twist!"

"Not up to standard," Su Zhiyuan said calmly. "S-rank bloodline, but he can't do anything himself. He has talent, but he's still weak."

Xie Wanyin slowly sat down.

"...You old scoundrel, you're really ruthless."

"Freedom Day" full-scale confrontation exercise.

The student council's red combat uniforms clashed with the Lionheart Society's black combat uniforms, turning the entire campus into a battlefield.

Caesar tied up his long, silver-white hair and carried a gold-plated folding knife, Dick Tudor. Chu Zihang was spotless and carried a Japanese-style gold-plated longsword, Murasame.

Xie Wanyin's eyes lit up: "Publish a separate book for these two!"

"And then?" Shen Qingci turned the page.

Then Lu Mingfei crouched behind a pillar in the parking lot, his hands trembling, and subconsciously pulled the trigger—two tranquilizer darts flew out simultaneously, one hitting Caesar in the back and the other striking Chu Zihang in the chest.

The two A-level powerhouses knelt down at the same time.

Shen Qingci's hand froze in mid-air.

Xie Wanyin was stunned for a second, then laughed so hard she slid off the chair, pounding the floor with a dull thud.

"Hahahaha—he took them both down!"

She laughed until she was breathless, scrambled to her feet, and pointed at the book: "You old bastard, you're so mean! You built up such a cool duel for so long, only to have some shaky kid get a double kill with one shot!"

"I take back what I said about it being a 'feel-good' story." Shen Qingci laughed as well. "This is a comedy."

"That's Lu Mingfei for you." Su Zhiyuan's lips curled into a slight smile. "The way a loser behaves—not through strength, but through luck and fear."

3E Classroom Test.

Dragon language pierced Lu Mingfei's mind like countless fine needles. He convulsed and almost lost consciousness.

In the darkness, a boy dressed in a black suit, with an exact resemblance to him, slowly appeared.

Lu Mingze.

Something for nothing.

If you want everything you desire, you must pay an equal price.

The only bargaining chip—a quarter of Lu Mingfei's life.

Xie Wanyin's fingers pressed against the pages of the book, her nails turning white.

Shen Qingci remained silent.

Gu Zhiwan murmured the English phrase: "Something for nothing. There is no power that comes out of thin air."

"This Lu Mingze," Shen Qingci broke the silence, her voice low, "He gave Lu Mingfei everything, but wants to take a quarter of his life in return. What kind of nonsense is that?"

"A trade," Su Zhiyuan said, "the fairest yet cruelest trade."

Will Lu Mingfei agree?

Su Zhiyuan turned to the last line of this chapter, glanced at it, and closed the book.

"He has already agreed."

The four of them remained silent for a long time.

The sound of rain outside the window was very clear.

Xie Wanyin suddenly spoke, her voice a little hoarse: "Don't you guys think Lu Mingfei and Biyao look a bit alike?"

Su Zhiyuan looked at her.

"They're the kind of people who did nothing wrong, yet fate pins them to the ground."

Su Zhiyuan didn't reply, but her fingers gently stroked the dragon-shaped totem on the book cover.

"Old fool." Xie Wanyin stared at the small silver words on the cover—"Dawn of Fire."

"In 'Zhu Xian,' he made Bi Yao die; in 'Orient Express,' he had twelve people commit murder; and now, in 'Dragon Raja,' he made Lu Mingfei exchange a quarter of his life for power—his stories never allow anyone to have an easy time."

Shen Qingci leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling: "But none of the characters he wrote felt unreal. Lu Mingfei's cowardice, Fingel's nonchalance, Caesar's pride, Chu Zihang's silence—when you read them, you don't feel 'this is something the author made up,' you feel like they're really alive."

"That's the most terrifying part," Gu Zhiwan finally spoke, her voice very soft. "The world he created is more convincing than reality."

Outside the window, the September night rain was still falling.

The table lamp illuminated four people and an open book.

Xie Wanyin reached out and turned to the first page of the next chapter.

"Want to keep watching?"