Early in the morning, Kris was rudely awakened by his alarm clock. He impatiently turned it off and lay in bed for a while before realizing he had class today.
Kris hastily put on his school uniform and rushed toward the school.
He had already decided to cover most of his future journeys by running, to cultivate his true energy as quickly as possible and make it flourish endlessly. Only then could he unlock the next stage of his martial arts practice.
As he entered the school and headed toward the classroom, Kris felt a light tap on his shoulder.
"Hey!"
Turning around, he saw a vibrant and beautiful girl greeting him.
She had short amber hair and delicate features, and her emerald eyes were sparkling with joy as she looked at him.
"Have you thought about what I told you?"
Kris was a bit confused, trying hard to recall.
Seeing his silence, the girl asked somewhat annoyed:
"You didn't forget, did you?"
"Uh? Haha, of course not."
Kris scratched the back of his head, finally remembering that the girl's name was Zhang Peilin, a classmate of his. However, he couldn't recall what she had said at all.
He wondered about the state of his previous life's memories. How could he have completely overlooked such a lively and adorable girl? She wasn't even a focal point in his memories, which was why he hadn't thought of her immediately.
"So, have you considered it? If you don't come, my brother's friend will move in instead."
"Uh? Hold on a second."
Kris pretended to think, but in reality, he was desperately trying to recall what Peilin had told him. However, his previous self's mental state before death was probably at its lowest, so he likely hadn't remembered anything.
After a long pause, still unable to recall, Kris helplessly said:
"Can you tell me about your situation again? I've been too busy these past few days."
Peilin glared at him, exasperated that he had truly forgotten! If it weren't for the fact that he'd been looking rather pitiful lately, she wouldn't have spoken to him for at least a day.
"My brother's going off to college and needs to move out. He wants his friend to move in, but I thought of you since you're also living outside. So, I told my mom about your situation, and she asked if you'd be willing to move in."
Only then did Kris understand, and it all came rushing back.
Just the day before yesterday, on Friday afternoon after school, Peilin had taken him to her house and talked about renting a room. She had even shown him her brother's room.
However, at that time, his previous self had already started running a fever, and his mind was foggy. Coupled with his sensitive pride and not wanting to freeload, he hadn't taken it seriously and quickly forgotten about it.
He remembered that Peilin's mother and sister had been there, but he had no impression of them in his memories.
Now that he thought about it, the scenario of a mother and two sisters felt oddly familiar. If it weren't for the fact that they were speaking Korean, he would have thought he'd crossed into a Japanese adult manga.
"Would it be convenient?"
Kris asked subconsciously, after all, he wasn't a child anymore. But his mind was still recalling the specific details from that day.
"What's the big deal? The room's empty anyway. If you don't move in, my brother's friend will."
Peilin replied nonchalantly.
"Wait, his friend's brother is moving in? Zhang Peilin, this name, this plot—it feels so familiar."
Kris pondered deeply, and after a while, it hit him. Wasn't this the plot of a Korean 18+ manga he had read?
"Your sister's name wouldn't be Zhang Wan'en, would it?"
Kris asked tentatively.
"How do you know?!"
Peilin asked in surprise, but quickly remembered that her sister had asked about Kris's name. She then huffed angrily and turned away.
He was more concerned about her sister than his own living situation! She wouldn't speak to him for the rest of the day!
"Damn, it really is!"
Kris's mouth dropped open. The manga was called *Boarding Diary*, the first Korean manga he had ever read, and the one that had "killed" his billions of descendants, so it left a deep impression.
The girl walking angrily ahead was the youngest daughter of the family. Zhang Wan'en was her sister, their mother was Zhao Meijing, and their father had passed away years ago.
It seemed the plot hadn't started yet, so he had indeed crossed into this manga?
And his martial arts practice seemed perfectly suited for this manga, especially since that beggar had said the manga originated from Lao Ai. Cough, he couldn't think further.
He couldn't call the old man that anymore. Immortal, please forgive my disrespect.
Kris quickened his pace to catch up with her.
"Uh... thank you for helping me like this."
Zhang Peilin snorted lightly. Just as Kris was about to apologize further, a commotion erupted behind them.
Both turned instinctively, and Peilin's face changed as she grabbed Kris's hand and hurried into the school building.
Kris looked back and saw a crowd at the entrance, with a red-haired man at its center. His memory quickly refreshed—it was a student who had just transferred to their senior year, the son of an SG Group director, someone to avoid at all costs in school.
*"So this is the legendary Korean chaebol?"*
Judging by Peilin's reaction, as if avoiding a venomous snake, it was clear this person was trouble. But come to think of it, with Peilin's family's looks, how had they managed to survive unscathed in such a society?
Silently, Kris followed Peilin into the classroom. She released his hand as soon as they entered, her face slightly flushed as she walked to her seat.
Kris made his way to his own seat, unfortunately not the protagonist's spot, but the second-to-last row near the hallway—a true background character's position.
Opening his book, Kris wondered if he would understand anything. But as he looked at the pages, he realized that memory was like Schrödinger's cat.
Until you actively recall a memory, you can't be sure if you remember it or not. It exists in a superposition of remembered and forgotten states, only collapsing into one state upon recollection.
At that moment, as he looked at the knowledge, corresponding memories slowly awakened in his mind. This process was oddly captivating for Kris.
"Ding..."
Kris picked up his phone and saw a message from Peilin:
"Are you moving in or not?"
"I am, but I just paid a month's rent, so I'll move next month."
"Can't you get it back?"
Kris recalled the furious landlord chasing after his motorcycle yesterday and replied:
"Doubtful. I'll try when I get back tonight."
"Okay, I'll tell Mom when I get home."
Just then, the teacher entered, and Kris quickly replied "Got it" before putting his phone away.
His mind drifted to thoughts of Peilin's mother and sister, but unfortunately, he had been quite ill that day and only remembered their figures were impressive. Beyond that, he had no recollection.
Adjusting his breathing using the *Nourishing Qi Method*, he focused on the lesson.
To thrive in this world, getting into a prestigious university was crucial. He couldn't rely on others forever.
Lao Ai, the ultimate freeloader, had reached the pinnacle but still met a tragic end, losing even his descendants.
So, despite his martial arts practice increasing his strength, knowledge remained his lifeline until he became a true ancestor.
Even as an ancestor, without the ability to govern, life would be unstable.
And someone who couldn't distinguish between 13.8 and 13.11 wouldn't stand a chance against the ruling elite without being manipulated.
Kris immersed himself in his studies. The day passed quickly, and in the evening, senior year self-study began.
Kris was gritting his teeth over a math problem when a roar erupted from the next classroom. The noise grew louder and clearer:
"Someone jumped off the building!"
The classroom erupted with the sound of chairs scraping. Everyone rushed to the windows to look down, Kris included.
Under the bright lights of the school building, a figure lay motionless in the grass below.
It was an ordinary-looking boy, eyes closed and silent, perhaps unconscious. His lower leg was visibly bent at an odd angle, and his uniform was sharply tented by the broken bone.
Soon, the homeroom teacher, a balding man in his fifties named Mr. Wu, entered the classroom and barked:
"Stop looking! Everyone back to their seats! With the college entrance exam approaching, you should be studying!"
The students reluctantly returned to their seats, but their phones buzzed incessantly.
Kris opened his phone to find multiple group chats with 99+ messages. Peilin had also sent him a video.
The perspective seemed to be from behind the crowd, showing a student being bullied, while the bully's red hair stood out—it was Li Minghao.
A student by the window couldn't take it anymore and said something, though it was too far to hear clearly.
Li Minghao then angrily rushed over, pushing the student to the window and threatening him. In the struggle, the student fell.
Clearly, the video recorder hadn't expected this. The footage became chaotic, as if the person was running while holding the phone.
Then, the video abruptly ended.