Chapter 1 — The Watch of Retribution

When I learned that the chief military instructor was a young scion of the capital’s upper crust, the class belle stubbornly demanded to swap beds with me. In my past life, I hadn't thought much of it and good-naturedly traded with her. Who could have expected that during a sudden dormitory inspection the very next day, the instructor’s custom-made, millions-worth wristwatch would turn up, having fallen from right beneath my pillow? The class belle immediately reported me, claiming that in my desire to win the title of exemplary cadet, I had sneaked into the instructor’s private quarters in the middle of the night to steal his belongings, and had even planned to climb into his bed and offer up my body. The young master detested scheming women more than anything, so he made an example of me, broadcasting my disgrace across the entire network. I was left with a hundred mouths to defend myself yet unable to clear my name, and the school expelled me on the spot. My parents rushed over to plead for me, only to suffer a horrific car crash along the way and die miserably. Meanwhile, thanks to that act of righteous betrayal, the class belle successfully captured the young master's attention. She stole my direct admission slot for graduate studies and smoothly wormed her way into the capital’s elite society. Into her old age, she would still recount it to me with triumphant glee:

"Xie Yun, the wisest thing I ever did in this lifetime was swap beds with you that night."

Opening my eyes once more, I was back to the day the class belle came hugging her blanket to ask for a bed swap. Lin Xiaohui stood beneath my loft bed, her eyes brimming with eager anticipation:

"Yun, I heard that sleeping by the window has wonderful geomancy. Tomorrow is the selection for the exemplary cadets, and we cannot afford any mistakes. To be safe, would you mind swapping beds with me?"

I swallowed hard, retreated deeper onto my mattress, and said, "Xiaohui, I am so sorry, but I just received word that I am no longer participating in the military training."

The light in Lin Xiaohui’s eyes vanished instantly. The hands clutching her pillow froze mid-air. The smile had not even fully faded from her face, making her expression look as though it had been violently torn right down the middle.

"Not participating in the military training?"

Her voice pitched upward slightly. The other roommates around us turned to look. Realizing she had lost her composure, she quickly lowered her tone, squeezing out a look of profound concern.

"Yun, are you unwell?"

"Military training is a mandatory credit; how can you possibly skip it?"

I clenched my palms tightly and nodded. "Yes, hypoglycemia. The hospital certificate has already been submitted, and the academic advisor has approved it."

I spoke very fast. So fast that she had no time to interject. Lin Xiaohui’s expression shifted, and her eye sockets flushed red on cue.

"But Yun, I truly need this window-side bed."

"My mother had a fortune-teller calculate my fate, and she said my fortune has been poor these past few days. I simply must sleep in a well-ventilated spot."

"We are all roommates after all; won't you help me out just this once?"

Her voice trembled, tears hovering on the verge of falling. Wang Qian immediately set down the hand mirror she was holding and spun around to glare at me.

"Xie Yun, you aren't even participating anyway, what difference does it make where the bed is?"

"Xiaohui is trying to help our dorm win the exemplary collective title, and you're just squatting on a resource you won't use. What is the point of that?"

Zhao Min chimed in right behind her. "Exactly. Normally Xiaohui fetches water for you all the time, is trading a bed really that big a deal?"

Listening to the two of them harmonize back and forth, a wave of nausea rose in my chest. In my past life, it had been precisely these two. When Lin Xiaohui framed me, they were the first to jump forward as false witnesses, adamantly telling the instructor that they had seen me slip out in the middle of the night with my own eyes, and that upon returning, my hand had been clenched around that watch. I still vividly remembered the expressions on their faces when they uttered those words. They were identical to the ones they wore now. The corners of my mouth twitched into a cold smile.

"If the two of you are so enthusiastic, why don't you trade with her?"

"Wang Qian, your bed is right by the window too. Zhao Min, your bed faces the door, your geomancy isn't bad either."

Wang Qian’s expression stiffened. Her mouth opened, but no words came out. Of course she wouldn't trade. Who didn't know that while Lin Xiaohui claimed she only wanted a bed swap, her mind was plotting something ulterior? But now that my words had choked off their argument, they were losing face completely. Wang Qian abruptly bolted upright.

"Xie Yun, what do you mean by that?"

"Xiaohui specifically asked to swap with you, why are you dragging us into it?"

"If you won't swap, just say so. Throwing out snide insinuations—do you really think you're some kind of princess?"

"I simply am not swapping."

I lay back down, pulling the blanket up to cover my head. "Whoever likes trading can trade with her; stop bothering me."

Silence reigned in the dorm room for a few seconds. Then came the sound of Lin Xiaohui’s suppressed, aggrieved sobs.

"Qianqian, Minmin, stop arguing."

"It's my fault, I shouldn't have troubled Yun."

"It's fine, I can sleep near the draft, a cold is nothing..."

Wang Qian flew into an instant rage. "Xiaohui, stop crying! Some people are just utterly selfish!"

"She won't even go to military training yet she hogs the bed, what kind of person is that?"

"From now on, none of us should pay any attention to her. Let's see how she survives all by herself!"

Turning my back to them, I fished my phone out from beneath the covers and ordered a micro infrared camera with a two-hour delivery window. Lin Xiaohui, since you are determined to march toward your own demise in this lifetime, I will construct a grand stage for you myself—and make sure you sing your little heart out. Early the next morning, military training commenced. My academic advisor had never received any leave application from me whatsoever, so I was still summoned out to the training grounds. The scorching sun blazed overhead, and the pungent smell of the rubber running track made my stomach churn. Lin Xiaohui stood in the front row; upon seeing me walk over, she visibly stalled, likely having genuinely believed I wouldn't show up. Wang Qian let out a cold laugh from beside her.

"Oh, didn't you say you weren't participating?"

"What a liar."

I ignored them and walked over to take my place at the back of the formation. Soon enough, a black off-road vehicle drove onto the training grounds. The door swung open, and a man dressed in camouflage fatigues stepped out. Gu Yan. The young master of the capital’s upper elite, and the chief military instructor for this session. In truth, he was not much older than us; strictly speaking, he was merely our senior student. Wearing dark sunglasses, his jawline possessed a terrifyingly cold sharpness. The surrounding female students let out a collective ripple of breathless gasps, and Lin Xiaohui’s face flushed crimson as she stealthily adjusted her collar. Gu Yan strode up to the formation and removed his sunglasses. His gaze swept across the crowd like a blade.

"I don't care what status you hold back at home; once you are here, you obey my commands."

"Whosoever plays tricks right in front of me, I will make sure they regret it for the rest of their lives."

His eyes swept over the ranks, finally landing upon Lin Xiaohui. Lin Xiaohui’s body swayed. Then, her legs turned to jelly, and she pitched forward. Gu Yan furrowed his brow and reached out to steady her.

"What's wrong?"

Lin Xiaohui’s face was deathly pale as she leaned weakly against his arm. "Reporting, Instructor... I didn't sleep well last night."

"The wind draft by the window bed was too strong, and I think I've caught a cold..."

As she spoke, her gaze intentionally or unintentionally glanced in my direction. Wang Qian immediately shrieked, "Reporting, Instructor! It's Xie Yun!"

"Xiaohui's health is already delicate, and she wanted to swap beds with her, but Xie Yun stubbornly refused!"

"She even lied about dropping out of military training just to deliberately make things difficult for Xiaohui!"

The eyes of the entire class converged upon me in unison—filled with disdain, schadenfreude, and malicious glee. Gu Yan cast Lin Xiaohui aside and marched toward me with a dark expression. He stopped right in front of me, his height of one hundred and eighty-eight centimeters pressing down with a suffocating weight.

"Your name is Xie Yun?"

"Yes." I lifted my gaze to meet his.

"Military training values the spirit of solidarity. You wouldn't even accommodate a simple bed swap, and you lied to dodge training?"

The disgust in his voice was entirely unmasked. "I've seen plenty of your kind."

"Since you have so much excess energy, go run twenty laps around the track."

I clenched my fists so hard my fingernails bit deep into my palms. "Reporting, Instructor, swapping beds is a personal freedom, and I have no obligation to be responsible for her health."

"You dare talk back?"

Gu Yan let out a cold laugh. "Thirty laps. If you can't finish running them, the entire class stands at attention with you."

A chorus of curses instantly erupted among the crowd.

"How utterly shameless, dragging us down with her suicide mission."

"Xie Yun, go run already, do you want to get us all killed?!"

I looked into Gu Yan’s face, then glanced at Lin Xiaohui hiding behind his back, struggling to suppress the corners of her mouth. Without uttering a single word, I turned and walked toward the running track. Thirty laps—twelve thousand meters. By the tenth lap, my legs began to feel like lead. By the twentieth lap, my throat tasted entirely of rust. By the thirtieth lap, black spots danced across my vision. Yet I did not stop. Not a single step. I pressed the tip of my tongue against the corner of my mouth, tasting the metallic tang of blood, while silently counting in my heart. Thirty laps. One, two, three. That evening when I returned to the dormitory, every bone in my body felt shattered. Lin Xiaohui and the others were gathered around eating watermelon. Seeing me walk in, their laughter faltered for a fraction of a second. Wang Qian rolled her eyes upward.

"Oh, the long-distance running champion has returned."

"Thirty laps and you still didn't drop dead, you've got a tough hide."

Zhao Min covered her mouth and giggled. "Some people just naturally lack discipline."

Maintaining a cold expression, I picked up my washbasin and headed to the washroom. After washing my face, I stared at my reflection in the mirror. My eyes were bloodshot, yet I did not cry. I locked eyes with my own reflection for a long, quiet moment before taking a deep breath and carrying the basin back to the room. Arriving at my desk, I discovered my water cup had been knocked over. Water covered the entire desk surface, and my military training reflection journal was completely soaked and ruined.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Lin Xiaohui said, leaning against the edge of her bed while casually filing her nails.

"Minmin accidentally bumped into the desk just now."

"You aren't going to hold a grudge, are you?" She flashed a sweet, saccharine smile at me.

I said nothing. I tossed the ruined notebook into the trash can, wiped down the desk with a rag, climbed up to my loft bed, and drew the curtains shut. Out of their sight, I pulled the memory card from the stuffed bear, plugged it into my phone, and reviewed the footage. The video was crystal clear. Taking advantage of my absence, Lin Xiaohui had tossed my journal into a basin of water, soaked it thoroughly, fished it out, and placed it right next to the spilled cup. Every single motion, every single expression was captured in sharp detail.

I let out a cold laugh, uploading the video to the cloud before setting an automated timer. The recipients were set to the academic advisor, the principal's mailbox, and the campus confession wall, scheduled to send automatically at ten o'clock the next morning unless canceled.

Deep into the night, the steady sound of breathing filled the dorm room. I closed my eyes, keeping myself in a state of absolute wakefulness. Two o'clock in the morning. From the bed below came the faint friction of fabric, followed by the sound of bare feet stepping onto the ladder rungs. One step. Two steps. A hand parted the curtains of my bed. Borrowing the feeble moonlight filtering through the window, I narrowed my eyes to see Lin Xiaohui’s face slightly distorted with excitement. Clutching something glittering in her hand, she carefully tucked it beneath the pillow of my bedding, then quietly retreated. The entire process took less than a minute. I did not move an inch, simply listening as she climbed back into her own bed. My heart hammered wildly against my ribs, yet my mind remained chillingly clear. In my past life, she had done the exact same thing—planting Gu Yan’s custom-made Richard Mille wristwatch, worth over two million, right beneath my sleeping pillow—a watch Gu Yan had left behind in the locker room while taking a shower.