CHAPTER 31: HOW BORING!

Morning sunlight streamed through the wide glass windows of the kindergarten classroom, scattering across colorful tables and tiny chairs arranged neatly in rows.

The air smelled faintly of crayons, milk, and the sweet tang of strawberry jam sandwiches.

Children’s laughter echoed from every corner, innocent, loud, and chaotic. It was a world too small for adult worries, but too full of energy for peace.

And sitting right in the middle of it all, looking like she’d rather be in a war council than surrounded by toddlers, was Chi Huaijin.

She sat perfectly straight, her hands folded on the desk like a miniature adult enduring a mandatory meeting.

Her porcelain face was calm, but her eyes, the deep, knowing eyes that had once seen death, betrayal, and a landslide that glimmered with silent suffering.

’This... is my battlefield now,’ she thought gravely, staring at the pastel-colored alphabet posters on the wall. ’Not demons, not the apocalypse, but a kindergarten!’

She sighed deeply. Her little pink backpack sat beside her leg, shaped like a bunny. It was humiliating, honestly, but her father had bought it for her himself, saying it "looked cute."

She couldn’t possibly refuse. Not when he’d looked so proud tying the ribbons on it that morning.

At least the day had started well. She’d hugged him goodbye, promised to be good, and watched him drive away.

But her peace didn’t last even five minutes.

Because the moment she took her seat, the teacher introduced someone new, someone who would apparently be her ’deskmate’.

That someone was currently glaring at her from across the tiny table, his small arms crossed, a scowl fixed on his face like it was carved in stone.

He was a boy with messy black hair that stubbornly refused to stay neat, no matter how often the teacher tried to comb it.

His dark eyes were sharp, his lips pursed, and his aura... unusually cold for a five-year-old.

Even though his features were still babyish, it wasn’t hard to tell that this grumpy little boy would grow up into one of those annoyingly handsome, self-righteous male leads, the kind with an army of fangirls and a permanent frown.

’Oh no... not him.’

Huaijin’s stomach dropped as recognition hit her like a thunderbolt.

This wasn’t just any child.

This was the male lead of the story.

The future golden boy, the protagonist blessed by heaven and loved by fate, the one whose life revolved around the real daughter of the Chi family.

Her eyes twitched.

In her past life, he’d been the walking disaster that triggered the chain of events leading to her father’s downfall.

And now... he was sitting right across from her, pouting because he couldn’t sit next to his crush.

How poetic.

"Hey," he grumbled, his small fingers tapping impatiently on the desk. "Why are you sitting here?"

"Because this is my seat," Huaijin said simply, without even glancing at him.

He frowned. "But Teacher said I could sit with her!"

His little finger pointed across the room to a sweet-looking girl with pigtails and bright eyes, who was currently being swarmed by a few admiring classmates.

That girl was none other than the real daughter of the Chi family, though, of course, nobody here knew it yet.

She was known by another name now, adopted into another wealthy household that wasn’t aware of her true bloodline.

Her real name in the story was Chi Lingxi, though right now, she was just "Miss Liang"— the picture of grace and innocence.

Even at this age, her presence stood out.

She had a gentle smile, bright laughter, and that subtle glow of a protagonist that drew people to her like bees to honey.

And just a few seats away from her, wearing an overly frilly pink dress, sat Chi Yuanying, the fake daughter of the Chi family.

Huaijin almost groaned aloud.

So this was it. The stage was already set.

The cast of the original story was already assembled, just shorter, chubbier, and equipped with sticky hands and snack boxes!

If this were a TV show, she’d ask the director for a break.

Instead, she sat quietly, watching as the little male lead continued to sulk.

"Teacher said I could sit with Lingxi," he muttered under his breath. "Why did you have to come and take her spot?"

Huaijin blinked, expression neutral. "Because my name was written on this desk. You can’t read?"

He froze. His small face turned pink.

"I—I can read!" he stammered.

"Then what does it say?"

He leaned forward, squinting at the cute label with "Chi Huaijin" written neatly in pastel marker.

"...Chi... Hua... Ji... Jin?" he guessed.

"Close," she said sweetly. "But wrong."

He scowled, his cheeks puffing up. "You’re mean!"

Huaijin turned her head slightly, pretending to admire the flowers outside the window. "I’m just correcting you. It’s called education."

The boy glared at her, clearly unaccustomed to being talked to like this. No one ever dared talk back to him; after all, he was the pampered young master of one of the most powerful families in the country.

Except that Chi Huaijin wasn’t impressed.

In fact, she was already strategizing her survival plan.

Note to self: ’Avoid involvement with the future male lead at all costs. He attracts trouble like a magnet.’

The teacher clapped her hands. "Alright, children! Let’s start with introductions!"

Each child stood up, said their name, and shared something about themselves. When it was Huaijin’s turn, she stood politely, her calm posture making her seem older than her years.

"My name is Chi Huaijin," she said in her soft, bell-like voice. "I like stars, flowers, and my dad!"

A chorus of "awws"s came from the teachers, and even a few of the kids looked impressed.

Except for her deskmate, who whispered under his breath, "Hmph! How stupid and boring."

She ignored him completely.

Next, it was the turn of the real daughter, Liang Lingxi, who stood gracefully, introducing herself with a smile that could melt hearts.