A light knock sounded on the door.
"Young Master, it's time for school," came the gentle voice of a maid from outside.
Gu Junqing stepped out of the room and saw her waiting. She had an oval face, dark almond-shaped eyes, and a slight blush on her cheeks that only added to her youthful charm. She appeared to be in her early twenties—refined and beautiful, a stunning presence in her own right.
"Young Master, Madam is waiting downstairs for breakfast," she said with a bow.
Gu Junqing smiled. "Got it. I'll head down now."
The maid blinked in surprise. The young master… smiled at her? Gu Junqing wasn't exactly cold to the staff, but he was usually reserved—stoic, even. That warm smile had caught her completely off guard, and her cheeks flushed even redder under his gaze. Embarrassed, she quickly turned away.
Gu Junqing stepped into the elevator and descended.
In the dining room below, his current parents were already seated, waiting for him at the breakfast table.
In his previous life, Gu Junqing had lost his parents early. Their faces had long since faded from his memory. But he had made a decision: since he had been given this second chance in a new world, he would cherish this life—and this family. He would love them deeply and protect them well.
"Young Master Gu, you needed to be invited to eat?" his mother, Xie Ying, teased playfully.
Gu Junqing let out a helpless chuckle. "Dear Mother, surely you jest. Who could possibly be more noble than you?"
His father, Gu Junxiong, let out a soft sigh and said with a complicated expression, "Alright, enough jokes. Let's eat."
Gu Junqing nodded obediently and joined them.
From what he'd learned, his parents hadn't been very present during his childhood due to demanding careers. This absence had led to feelings of guilt—and that guilt gradually evolved into doting love. They were willing to give him anything he desired, even if it meant dragging the entire Gu family—and his mother's powerful Xie clan—into war against a protagonist of destiny.
Of course, this was par for the course in these kinds of villain families. After all, it wouldn't make sense if the villain tried to leverage his family against the protagonist, only for some elder to appear and shout, "You wicked child! You've harmed someone again! Watch me break your legs!" What kind of plot would that be?
Then again, many top web novel authors had begun moving away from such tropes. The new trend was redeemable villains, ones more nuanced than black-and-white caricatures. In fact, some so-called villains were more righteous than the so-called righteous, like the Moon Worship Cult Leader from Xianjian, who famously declared, "I only wanted to prove the Earth was round, and they beat me for it."
"I'm full. I'm off to school."
Gu Junqing wiped his mouth with a napkin, bid farewell to his parents, and headed outside—straight into the sleek, custom Pagani parked in the driveway, purchased specifically to make his school commute more... convenient.
Tianlin High School—the crown jewel of Luodu's education system.
Even nationwide, it ranked among the top three. The students who attended were elite: top scorers from Luodu and even neighboring provinces fought for admission.
The campus buzzed with activity as students filed in, full of youthful energy and ambition—a contrast that left many worn-out office workers watching from their commutes feeling wistful.
Time is a straight line—with no start and no return. You can only move forward, so why not treasure the moment?
At that moment, a roaring engine broke through the noise. A dazzling Pagani turned the corner, and the surrounding vehicles instinctively made way, as if parting for royalty.
The car pulled to a smooth stop at the school gate. Gu Junqing stepped out, tall and poised, his expression calm. His crisp uniform accentuated his already stunning appearance, and his every movement radiated elegance.
Instantly, the balconies overlooking the courtyard filled with girls peeking through the railings, unable to tear their eyes away. Whispers turned into excited squeals. Everywhere he walked, he drew stares and sighs.
Gu Junqing, for his part, was a little dazed. In his past life, he had never been the center of such frenzied admiration. The attention made his heart beat faster. He even got caught up in the moment, glancing up at one of the windows and flashing a small, charming smile.
The result?
Mass hysteria.
Girls screamed, shouted his name, and lost all composure. It was like a pop concert in full swing.
"Ahh… I got carried away," Gu Junqing muttered, a hand to his forehead. "I'm supposed to be the cold and elegant villain, not the heartthrob of Class Ultimate."
He felt like he could dig a three-bedroom apartment in shame with how deep his secondhand embarrassment ran.
But the truth was undeniable—Gu Junqing really was that good.
Top student. Supreme family background. Devastating looks. Compared to the typical protagonist—often born into mediocrity, maybe with a mysterious house or a long-lost sister, or with conveniently dead parents—Gu Junqing was practically a divine being walking among mortals.
His father? Head of the Gu Corporation, the most powerful conglomerate in Luodu.His mother? Heiress of the Xie family—one of the most mysterious clans in all of Kyoto.Wherever he went, people followed. Cameras, attention, awe.
Then the bell rang, pulling students from their daze. Reluctantly, the girls returned to their classrooms. Tianlin's rules were strict—skipping class could lead to disciplinary action or even expulsion.
Gu Junqing stepped into his class and headed for his seat.
And then she walked in.
Murong Wan.
Gu Junqing narrowed his eyes. "So this is the female lead, huh?"
Her long, black hair flowed like a waterfall, her brows delicately arched, and her eyes gleamed with a soul-captivating brilliance. A flawless nose, rosy cheeks, and cherry-pink lips gave her the beauty of a painting. Her skin was like snow-polished jade, her figure slender and graceful. Even in the school's modest uniform, she radiated allure. Seventeen or eighteen at most—and already breathtaking.
Just one look at her, and the memories surged back.
Why had his predecessor fallen so hard for this girl? Was it the moment her hair fluttered under the tree? The accidental brush of their eyes? Was it youthful longing?
Or maybe... it was just lust.
Gu Junqing sighed inwardly. "The author of this story must be a real idiot. A man like me—this handsome, this powerful—and I get led around by the nose by a girl who never even liked me? In the end, she even helped the protagonist kill me just to steal the Xie family's secrets."
And the old Gu Junqing hadn't blamed her. He'd died... staring at her face.
"Thankfully, the story's just getting started," Gu Junqing murmured. "Murong Wan doesn't hate me yet. There's still a chance to turn this around."
But the thought of the protagonist still made his blood boil.
"Seriously? I'm possessive and a little lustful, sure. But that's no reason to kill me!"
Yes, the old Gu Junqing had been obsessive. He'd tried to monopolize Murong Wan's attention, banned other men from getting close to her, and kept tabs on her every move.
Murong Wan approached now, her expression cooling as she noticed him staring. Her eyes sharpened, somewhere between irritation and hidden emotion.
"Gu Junqing, how many times do I have to say it?" she snapped. "I don't like you! Stop asking people to follow me! Got it?"
She stood over him, glaring.
To her, Gu Junqing was an unwanted shadow—a clingy stalker who couldn't take a hint.
He blinked once... and then smiled.
"Alright," he said, his tone light. "As you wish."
This whole "simping rich boy" act? Yeah, no thanks.
Whoever wants to be the love-struck fool can go ahead.
But it won't be Gu Junqing.
---
Notes:
("Licking dog" (舔狗) is slang for someone who blindly simps or fawns over someone who doesn't reciprocate—often to the point of being pathetic.)
(A tongue-in-cheek reference to a classic Chinese game where the 'villain' actually had a logical, science-based motive.)
("Class Ultimate" is a popular trope in Chinese school stories, often referring to a special elite class of geniuses or powerful students.)