Transmigrated into a cannon folder system

"You are blocking the road." Her savior's voice was cold, laced with a subtle undertone of laziness.

Shen Waqing couldn't tell who it was.

He wasn't wearing a school uniform. From her limited angle, all she could see were the black trousers and the black leather jacket he had on.

"does your family owns the road?" One of Pumpkin's accomplices mocked, voice dripping with sarcasm

"Just because they call you the boss of the school you are letting it get into your head aren't you?" Zhou Liang he scowled staring at him with burning eyes.

Xiao Zhan has been stepping on his toe lately. The other time he beat up one of his brother for dine dashing. Because of this most people don't take him that seriously anymore.

Today they had more people. He certainly won't let him walk out of this in one piece.

"Don't stop others from going to school just because you're not interested," The boy in black didn't seem to notice the disadvantage, tone unchanging as he said. "If you don't have a life, others do."

Shen Waqing could hear the sound of Zhou Liangchen gritting his teeth. "You really don't know how to give others face. Xiao Zhan, if I don't show you your place today, I'll change my surname to yours!"

He turned to his band of cronies. "Brothers, let's get him together. He might be strong one-on-one, but I want to see how he handles us all at once."

The whole development had taken less than thirty seconds, and Shen Waqing began to panic.

She didn't want him to get hurt—especially not because of her.

They needed to leave.

Xiao Zhan looked at the six approaching him and frowned. He was already in a foul mood this morning, and this only made it worse.

He had to get his hands on those meat-filled steamed buns before they sold out—he needed to be quick.

A tug came from the edge of his jacket. Glancing back, he saw a short girl pulling at him.

"Quick. Let's run," she whispered, her voice small. She barely reached his shoulder, her hair a crazy, tangled mess, streaked with dirt and dust stuck to her chin.

"You can run if you want." He shrugged her hand off and met the first attacker head-on.

How is this even possible? Shen Waqing stared, eyes wide as Mr. Savior in black easily beat the entire gang—without a single strand of hair falling out of place.

Is he the male protagonist? She gazed at him, stunned, then quickly shook her head.

That can't be. The male lead's surname is Chen, and I'm familiar with him through Wei's memories.

But then, who is he? Only the protagonist was supposed to have such a dramatic, stage-worthy entrance. One man, against all odds.

Shen Waqing furrowed her brows, deep in thought.

As he walked up to her, radiating that savage energy, her eyes widened in sudden realization.

There was someone else who could have such a commanding presence—

The main villain!

Damn. The villain in the book is called Mr. Xiao, and his name is Xiao Zhan. It all matches up.

Am I lucky... or just plain unlucky to run into the villain this early?

Meanwhile, the so-called villain walked past her without sparing her a glance.

She snapped out of her thoughts. Looking at the gang groaning on the floor, she leaped over Pumpkin's head, grabbed her bag, and rushed after the story's villain.

"Wait…"

Feeling the tug on his jacket again, Xiao Zhan turned and gave her a deadpan look.

Shen Waqing faltered. Remembering how easily he'd beaten up six people. 

"What do you want?" He looked down at her, face blank.

"I... I..." This is not the time to stutter… This is not the time to stutter!

Shen Waqing struggled to move her stiff tongue. Just as Xiao Zhan turned to leave, she dove into her bag and pulled out the two remaining boba drinks.

He glanced at them, eyes turning cold. "I don't want your stuff."

"No—I mean..." Breathe… Breathe…

Why is he so scary… Kyaa!!

"Thank you for saving me," she finally forced out, giving a proper bow. "Thank you. Thank you. I just wanted to give these to you. Please accept them."

Too scary! Shen Waqing shoved the boba into his hands and scurried away.

She hated owing favors. He helped her, so the boba could count as repayment. They were cheap—but it was all she had.

Her uniform was stained, and now that the adrenaline wore off, she noticed a sharp ache in her bruised knee.

Should I go back home?

Shen Waqing wasn't used to skipping school. Even when she was sick, she'd take her medication and drag her weak body to class.

She wasn't just first in the province during the college exams, she was also the school's model student.

Habits are hard to change.

By the time she arrived at school, the first period was already over. She reported an accident and went to the nurse's office to get her wounds cleaned.

She stared at her wrist, now marked with deep purple bruises, and at the red-and-purple scratches on her elbow and legs.

This body gets injured so easily. Her face twisted into a grimace.

She changed into her PE uniform, folded her stained uniform into her bag, and headed to class.

Thankfully, when she walked in, it was just the beginning of third period. She quickly sat down and opened her chemistry textbook.

Just as she settled, someone kicked the back of her chair. She turned to see Shi Mei.

"Where were you?"

"Something came up," Shen Waqing replied plainly and turned back to focus.

Yuwei's best subject was chemistry—unfortunately, Shen Waqing's weakest. To avoid exposing herself, she'd have to study harder.

She tapped her pen against the desk, eyes fixed on the board.

She was confident in other subjects. Unlike Yuwei, she was good at English and had worked as an editor for almost five years.

She'd taken the college exams back in her world. Though the textbooks were different, the topics were similar.

She was going to sort out Yuwei's life.

Since I don't know her regret, I'll just solve all her problems.

You didn't take the college exam in your past life? Then I'll take it on your behalf. Shen Waqing's eyes flashed with determination.

Shi Mei stared at her back, resisting the urge to kick her chair again.

What's wrong with her? How come she's ignoring me all of a sudden?

The class ended after an hour, followed by the fourth period.

Shen Waqing's shoulders relaxed as the lunch bell rang.

Her stomach churned. She'd only had a small boba drink and an apple in the morning—now it was growling with hunger.

She packed her books when someone slid into the seat beside her.

"What happened to your uniform? Why are you in your PE clothes? You also came late today. When Teacher Li called roll, you weren't in class. She was furious. You should've seen her face."

Shi Mei's worried expression made Shen Waqing shift uncomfortably.

"I'll talk to her later."

"She's just overreacting. Everyone knows your grades dropped. She doesn't like you because she thinks you're dragging the class down."

The more she listened, the more Shen Waqing wanted to put distance between herself and this so-called friend.

Seeing her frown, Shi Mei quickly changed the topic. "What should we have for lunch?"

Just then, the class monitor walked in and headed straight toward them.

She was slim and tall, glasses perched on her nose. Her sharp gaze fell on Shen Waqing.

"Teacher Lin said to tell you to go to the principal's office."

Shen Waqing had already anticipated this after reading the book—though it was happening a little earlier than expected.

Yuwei wasn't supposed to show up at school today. This was supposed to happen tomorrow.

"Okay." Shen Waqing kept her expression neutral. She packed the last of her books and turned to Shi Mei. "Go ahead and eat first."

With that, she left the classroom.

She bumped into Teacher Li at the door of the principal's office. The older woman gave her a side glance and walked away.

Shen Waqing frowned. Even after scouring Yuwei's memories, she still couldn't understand the root of that woman's dislike.

"Come in," the principal's booming voice called out.

Setting her thoughts aside, she entered the office and greeted him politely.

The principal started with kind words about her studies, then moved on to her recent drop in grades. After some time, he got to the point: Teacher Li had reported that she was slacking off and arriving late to class.

Shen Waqing frowned. Today was the only day she'd been late—and slacking off?

What eyes did she use to see me slacking?

From her memories, she knew how hardworking Wei had been. She wasn't naturally gifted, so she made up for it through relentless effort. Slacking off? Impossible.

Her mood turned sour.

The principal sighed. "I know you work hard. But with repeated concerns, Teacher Li suggested a transfer to homeroom C. Maybe it will reduce the pressure on you. What do you think?"

He didn't expect her to accept. Homeroom C was infamous for unruly students and noise. Most serious students refused to go.

But Shen Waqing nodded. "Okay."

Surprise flashed across his face. He hesitated. "It's fine if you don't want to go. I'll explain to Teacher Li."

"It's fine. I'm okay with changing classes," she replied firmly.

"You… No matter what you're going through, remember your counselor and teachers are here for you. You can come talk to me anytime," he said gently.

"Thank you."

After a few more words of encouragement, she was dismissed.

Stepping out of the office, Shen Waqing felt a little lighter.

There were still a few minutes left before lunch ended, so she walked to the cafeteria, bag slung on her shoulder.

When she arrived, most of the food had already been taken.

She served herself a plate of stir-fried tomato and egg—with more tomato than egg—and picked up two buns. Then she found a quiet corner to eat.

Starving, she ate with her head down. She hadn't felt this hungry in a long time.

While eating, she sensed an intense stare on her back. A frown formed as she turned.

The cafeteria was nearly empty—just a few lone students and scattered groups.

Even after scanning the space, she couldn't identify the source.

Maybe I'm just overthinking.

Wiping her tray clean, she chugged down a bottle of water and finally felt alive.

This is the first time I've eaten since arriving here.

After lunch, it was time to find her new class. Shen Waqing first went to the staff room to meet the homeroom teacher.

Teacher Wáng Jìnsōng was a broad, slightly tall middle-aged man. At first glance, he looked stern. But the curve of his eyes when he smiled erased that impression—his presence was unexpectedly warm.

He had already been informed about the transfer. Smiling kindly, he said, "Wait a moment. I have class with them right now. Let's go together."

As he tidied up his table, the Chinese teacher beside him looked up curiously.

"Teacher Wang, is this a new transfer to your class?"

"Hmm… We're welcoming a new ancestor," Teacher Wang joked as he stepped around his desk and gestured for her to follow.

Shen Waqing was surprised by his lively energy. He chatted nonstop, and she had no choice but to listen and nod attentively.

"Our class might be at the bottom, but the students are good kids. You'll get along just fine," he assured her.

Really? Shen Waqing was skeptical. Homeroom C was notorious for housing delinquents. Even teachers sometimes refused to take the class, complaining the students weren't serious.

Noise echoed down the hall as they approached the class, but the moment Teacher Wang pushed open the door, everything fell silent.

She stood behind him, blocked from view.

His eyes scanned the room, stopping at Troublemaker #1—who hadn't had time to hop off the table before being caught.

Expressionless, the student climbed down and went back to his seat.

Teacher Wang withdrew his gaze and led Shen Waqing inside.

"You have a new classmate," he announced.

Turning to her, he said, "Why don't you introduce yourself?"

"Ah…" Being stared at by a class of strangers, she shrank her neck in discomfort. "I'm Shen Waqing from Homeroom A."

The murmurs that followed were filled with surprise—and suspicion.

"Hey, how come someone from Homeroom A transferred here?"

"How am I supposed to know?" the class monitor muttered, glancing helplessly at his desk mate, Fang Yichen, who kept jabbing him.

"Still, it's weird," he added under his breath, then snorted. "Those Homeroom A students usually look down on us. Look at her face—she clearly doesn't want to be here."

Already sweating bullets, Shen Waqing was relieved when Teacher Wang pointed her to a seat.

There was only one empty desk—in the second-to-last row by the window, where red maple trees stretched outside.

As she approached, she noticed someone seated behind her. His arms were folded across his chest, earphones in place, eyes closed as he leaned back in his chair.

The more she looked…

The more familiar he seemed.

It's him.