TCFGBH Chapter 126

Arc 4: My World.

“Senior, I heard your family went bankrupt.”

Xia Yan had just transmigrated when a familiar voice echoed in his ears. He widened his eyes in confusion, standing at the corner of the hallway, unsure of what to do.

A tall, solid figure leaned in, his strong arm resting near Xia Yan’s ear, closing the distance between them.

This person… looks a bit familiar?

System: [Memory transmission in progress. Transmission failed. Please figure it out yourself, host.]

[Original plot sending, please check, host.]

Compared to the previous brief fragments, the current script was much more detailed. A 300,000-word novel was forcefully loaded into Xia Yan’s mind by the system, and the massive amount of information required him to focus fully to sort it out.

To outsiders, it appeared as if Xia Yan had been struck by the words and was standing in place, at a loss.

The man pressed forward, lowering his voice to sound like a devil tempting the boy to fall: “Senior, I’m not mocking you. But can you accept a life of poverty?”

At this point, he slowly stopped, staring at the boy’s flawless profile for a long time, giving him time to think. After a while, he slowly added, “As long as you’re with me, everything you have now will not disappear.”

…

…

…

After an awkward silence, Xia Yan finally figured out the situation.

He had transmigrated into his own world!!!

The novel Equal Rivals followed a cliché plot where two protagonists, who grew up together, were rivals. Both were competitive and viewed each other as enemies.

After entering high school, they unknowingly fell for the same boy.

The boy came from a wealthy family, was laid-back, and had outstanding looks. He was the unattainable “white moonlight” in the hearts of many.

This secret crush lasted until their senior year. The boy’s family went bankrupt, and for money, he casually started dating a rich second generation student from school, selling his body.

The protagonist gong and shou were among his “buyers.”

The tangled love triangle continued until graduation. The “white moonlight” failed his exams, dropped out of school, and was then supported by the protagonist gong. However, due to the protagonist gong’s busy academic life, he was neglected, which led the boy to cheat.

When caught, he even tried to manipulate his lover with psychological tactics, claiming that it was all because his lover wasn’t considerate.

The protagonist gong, heartbroken, got drunk and ended up sleeping with the protagonist shou. Their relationship changed, and they ended up in love, completely forgetting about the “white moonlight.”

And Xia Yan… was the “white moonlight” in the novel.

This… this is completely different from my character, what the hell!!! How am I this bad?

Anger.

The system didn’t dare to speak, quietly pulling up the mission board.

In contrast to the previous world, this world seemed much simpler, with only three tasks.

[Task 1: Date the protagonist shou.]

[Task 2: Date the protagonist gong.]

[Task 3: Cheat.]

[Due to the uniqueness of this world, after completing the tasks, the host will continue living in this world, thus all plotlines and tasks are open. This is a time reversal of the host’s world, not a parallel world, so please complete the tasks carefully.]

Xia Yan: […] What should I do if I’m forced to become a scumbag?

He fell into silence.

System (softly): [At least you’ve achieved your wish to be revived, right?]

Xia Yan: […] Well, thank you.

Both the host and system sank into their own thoughts. The man, who had been waiting for a reply, grew anxious and lowered his voice, urging, “Senior! Your answer.”

“Ah…”

Xia Yan snapped out of his daze, looked at the unfamiliar face before him, hesitated for a moment, and then dug through his memory to recall who the person was.

Jing Yizhou, a sophomore.

They didn’t interact much, and when he first asked this question, Xia Yan had been so shocked he ran off. Now, after experiencing countless worlds, Xia Yan was more mature in handling things.

He raised his head, his dark, bright eyes shining, not allowing a speck of dirt: “I don’t need that kind of help.”

Under his gaze, the man felt a moment of shame, but it was quickly replaced by the fervor of youthful love, and he anxiously asked, “Why?”

He sounded like a machine gun, rapidly spewing words: “Without money, you’ll only be able to wear cheap fast fashion t-shirts, ordinary sneakers, and cheap pens. You’ll have to cancel your violin, painting, and judo lessons. Your family can’t afford a driver, and you’ll have to take the subway to school. Can you bear this kind of life?”

Xia Yan wanted to say six things: “…”

Does this guy even know what the average salary is?

What’s wrong with a t-shirt that costs one or two hundred? Half the school takes the subway, it’s just a half-hour journey, it’s not a big deal.

Why does he make it sound like such a tragic life?

Clearly, he’s been living in the wealthy circle for too long and knows nothing about real life.

Xia Yan shook his head again, preparing to refuse firmly. However, before he could, someone grabbed the 1.8-meter-tall sophomore and tossed him aside.

Immediately, a familiar yet unfamiliar face appeared before him.

“Yan Yan, are you alright? Did he bully you?”

“Huh?” Xia Yan blinked in confusion, then replied, “…No, I’m fine.”

“That’s good.”

The boy sighed in relief, like a cat, resting his head on Xia Yan’s shoulder. His naturally curly brown hair poked through the collar and tickled Xia Yan’s pale, slender neck, sending a slight itch through him.

Xia Yan instinctively moved away, but the boy stubbornly followed him, refusing to give him space.

Ignoring the awkwardness of a 1.81-meter tall guy squeezing into the space of another 1.8-meter tall person, Xia Yan helplessly pushed him away, “You’re too heavy, get away from me.”

“No, I don’t want to!” The boy’s voice trailed off like a playful pout.

Huo Hao had a quarter of Russian ancestry, with naturally brown eyes and hair. His skin was as white as jade, and his doll-like face balanced the oppressive height. When he acted coy, it didn’t feel out of place; in fact, it made people want to ruffle his hair.

Xia Yan and he were desk partners and had a very good relationship—definitely best friends.

Though later, Huo Hao confessed, their friendship turned awkward, and Xia Yan fled the capital.

Oh! Right, this guy was the protagonist shou in the novel.

Xia Yan fell into his memories again and fell silent. Meanwhile, the two other men had already started arguing. Jing Yizhou, frustrated, shouted, “Huo Hao, what are you doing?”

“Cheh.” Huo Hao, who had always been a good-natured boy, now raised an eyebrow in irritation, completely disregarding their friendship, and insulted, “You think you can support Xia Yan with just a few hundred thousand? Dream on.”

Even with money, they were still students. Having a few hundred thousand disposable funds at that age wasn’t a small amount.

Jing Yizhou sneered, “I only have a few hundred thousand? What about you? How much more can you have?”

When questioned, Huo Hao wasn’t fazed. He pulled a platinum card from his pocket—one that was not something a normal person could possess—and shoved it into Xia Yan’s uniform pocket.

“There’s 1.2 million here. Take it for now, Yan Yan.”

“…”

Crushing blow!

Jing Yizhou’s pride was wounded, and he fled in embarrassment.

Huo Hao triumphed, his mood lifted.

Xia Yan, with part of his attention still on the past, idly touched the card in his pocket, the sharp edges of the card poking into his palm. Three tasks flashed through his mind.

He blurted out, “Do you want to support me too?”

?

For the first time, the usually composed boy looked flustered, stammering for a long time but unable to speak, clearly struggling internally.

If he wasn’t interested in Xia Yan, that would be a lie.

But he liked Xia Yan in a genuine way, the kind of liking that wanted a relationship, not just a transaction. For an eighteen-year-old boy, this was a bit too forward.

Xia Yan thought about the tasks, hesitated, and then asked, “So… do you want to date me?” Ugh, deceiving an innocent child’s feelings, he felt a little embarrassed, and his ears turned red.

“YES!!!”

Without hesitation, Huo Hao answered affirmatively.

[Task 1: Date the protagonist shou (Completed)]

The two, now dating, stood awkwardly at the corner of the stairs, unsure of what to say. They lingered too long, and the school bell rang abruptly, breaking the romantic tension.

Xia Yan managed to say after a long pause: “We should go to class.”

Huo Hao smiled sweetly, “Okay.”

The two of them walked towards the classroom together. Halfway there, Xia Yan suddenly remembered something and stopped in his tracks. Seeing the confusion in the young man’s eyes, he softly said, “Can we keep our relationship a secret?”

“Why?”

“Because of my current situation…” Xia Yan hesitated.

The rumors about being supported financially were not too bad. After all, they were still in high school, holding onto the beauty of love without being overly materialistic. Most people would believe their love was real.

What really worried him were the next two tasks: [Start a relationship with the protagonist gong] and [Cheat.] He had just been revived and returned to his senior year of high school. He didn’t want to be caught up in the hotbed of public opinion.

The best case scenario was to complete the tasks quietly without drawing attention.

Huo Hao clearly thought about the idea of being financially supported. Having Xia Yan agree to be his boyfriend was like a surprise from the heavens. He was overwhelmed and delirious, but no one could refuse such a request when their long-time crush became their partner.

He nodded. “Okay, don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone.”

Xia Yan sighed in relief. “Thank you.”

After the commotion, the two were a few minutes late returning to the classroom. The teacher was already standing at the front, but since Xia Yan’s family had recently encountered difficulties, the teacher seemed sympathetic and didn’t say much. They just returned to their seats.

The high school curriculum was undoubtedly a step back for Xia Yan. As he picked up his textbook, he was uneasy, afraid he wouldn’t understand. What if he failed the exam after just one year?

However, when he actually looked at the content, he could quickly calculate the formulas and write the correct answers.

He was thrilled: [Could it be that I’ve become a genius?]

The system replied: [It’s probably because of the strength of your soul. After crossing so many worlds, your soul has become stronger each time, and with a stronger mind, your memory and perception are much better.]

[I see.]

The rest of the morning was spent with Xia Yan battling with his textbooks, desperately reviewing the material. Huo Hao tried several times to whisper sweet words to him but never found the right moment.

He couldn’t help but look at the young man with a bit of a pitiful gaze. How could he just ignore his new boyfriend like this?

It wasn’t until the lunch bell rang that Xia Yan packed up and went out to have lunch with Huo Hao. Just as they stepped out, they ran into Li Xiangze, the protagonist gong.

Li Xiangze, the student council president in his senior year, was also Huo Hao’s neighbor and bitter enemy.

He was Xia Yan’s next target for a relationship.