ICFF4CN - Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Back to Seven Years Old

Wen Xiao died in a 20-square-meter basement, one month shy of his eighteenth birthday.

But when he opened his eyes again, he didn't see the "afterlife"—instead, he found himself in a sunlit classroom.

The late autumn sunlight streamed through the glass window, filtering through the lush ginkgo leaves to reveal a clear blue sky, beautiful as an oil painting.

The sound of children's laughter filled the air, noisy and lively, as unfamiliar young faces flashed before his eyes a completely foreign scene.

Wen Xiao looked down to find a brand-new workbook on the desk, freshly signed.

Class 1-2, Wen Xiao.

The handwriting was crooked but legible, written stroke by stroke.

In the center of the workbook was an embossed school emblem—St. Laurent Noble Academy—with a line of elegant English cursive beneath.

He had been reborn.

Having died at eighteen, he had returned ten years into the past, now a seven-year-old elementary school student.

The other children, all around the same age, were full of curiosity, their voices drifting to his ears.

"What's the name of that new student? The teacher said he was sick and took two months off before coming to school."

"I think it's... Wen Xiao, right?"

"After the teacher brought him to the classroom, he just lay on the desk and slept... Hey! Look, he's waking up."

Wen Xiao felt like a zoo animal under scrutiny, surrounded by curious gazes. His expression remained unchanged, but soon, drowsiness washed over him again, and he slumped back onto the desk, falling asleep without realizing it.

Hazily, he thought—if this was a dream, maybe sleeping would wake him up.

He remembered lying in a cold, damp basement. November had already brought freezing temperatures outside, but the basement felt even colder.

Due to chronic insomnia, anemia, and days without food, he had collapsed there.

No one would find him. No one would notice.

He might die silently in that tiny room, unnoticed for who knew how long.

As a minor character in a novel, this was his destined ending destitute, with no way out.

To die forgotten in some corner an inescapable fate.

Yes, a novel.

As his body grew weak and unresponsive, his mind still somewhat lucid, scenes flashed before his eyes like a revolving lantern.

Some he recognized, others he didn't—as if the entire contents of a book were replaying before him.

Only in death did he realize he had been living inside a danmei novel.

Playing the role of a universally despised minor character.

Though it was his first time hearing the term "danmei," he could guess its meaning from the plot-love between men. But whether it was men, women, or otherwise, it made no difference to him.

His social connections were frighteningly sparse no friends, no closeness with family-fitting perfectly for a minor character in a novel.

After all, minor characters didn't need much screen time or extra description.

A dull thud reached his ears someone was knocking on his desk.

He opened his eyes to the same classroom, but now a child stood before him.

Dressed in a neatly pressed light-blue uniform, the boy had fox-like eyes that always seemed to be smiling, giving off an approachable air.

Being young, his eyes were large and sparkling, with only a slight upward tilt at the corners, making it clear his looks would only improve with age.

Yet there was something oddly familiar about those eyes.

"Classmate, you're in my seat." The voice was deliberately soft, almost whisper-like.

Still groggy from sleep, he found himself unbothered by the gentle wake-up call.

Wen Xiao glanced to the side. He hadn't paid attention when he was led over earlier and had simply taken a seat. Both desks were spotless—the kind of clean that suggested no one regularly used them.

Silently, he got up and moved to the adjacent seat, thinking to himself, So I do have a desk mate after all.

"Isn't that Song Jingbai? He's actually in class today?"

"Didn't he get into a fight with Huo Zhanyan yesterday? Huo didn't even show up today."

"Huo Zhanyan got taken home by his parents. I heard Song Jingbai's family never came, so he just left on his own."

"He can just leave? I wouldn't last a day in this school!"

"Then go pick a fight too."

"Seriously, it's been two months since school started, and I never thought Song Jingbai would get into a fight with anyone..."

Wen Xiao froze—not because he was particularly interested in a scuffle between two first-graders, but because the names at the center of the story rang a bell.

Song Jingbai. Huo Zhanyan.

Long-forgotten memories began resurfacing.

The story was set in an elite all-boys school, revolving around the campus heartthrobs-four legendary figures collectively known as F4 and their tangled romantic entanglements with an ordinary protagonist.

As a mere side character, his role was to serve as a catalyst for the love story between F4 and the protagonist, with little else noteworthy about him.

And now, two of those names just happened to belong to two of the F4... Could it really be a coincidence?

An upperclassman handed him his textbooks, but Wen Xiao barely glanced at them before shoving them into his desk. Then, a familiar voice reached his ears again.

"New desk mate, mind sharing your book for class later?"

He looked up into those eyes. The tone was gentle, the request polite-nothing to fault.

Yet for some reason, Wen Xiao found himself inexplicably irritated. Without thinking, he turned his head away. "No."

And what's with calling me 'new desk mate"? Does this guy cycle through partners that often?

Now that he suspected two of the F4 might be right under his nose, Wen Xiao couldn't sit still any longer. He stood and headed straight for the classroom door.

"What did Song Jingbai say to chase off his new desk mate this time?"

"I give Wen Xiao a week before he asks the teacher for a seat change too!"

Once outside, Wen Xiao made a beeline for the faculty office. Even if he didn't know where it was, asking for directions didn't faze him.

Just as he reached the door, a young woman's voice drifted out from inside.

"Sorry, teacher, Zhan Yan has caused you trouble at school. His father and I gave him a good talking to when we got home... Yes, how could he fight with classmates? We've already lectured him... We'll have to trouble you to keep an eye on him going forward. Who knows where this kid picked up all these bad habits..."

"Hey, what are you doing eavesdropping here!" A crisp voice suddenly sounded beside him, deliberately lowered as if trying to startle someone.

Wen Xiao turned his head to see a face half-swollen, with a band-aid stuck on the nose...

Combined with how the boy's wide eyes still appeared small due to the facial swelling, this might actually scare a first-grader.

But in Wen Xiao's eyes, this was clearly a pig's head-the face was swollen like a hog.

The boy glared at Wen Xiao incredulously: "Are you laughing? Are you mocking me? You're dead!"

Wen Xiao didn't think he'd laughed at all and couldn't be bothered to respond. In that brief moment, an elegant woman in a cheongsam emerged from the office.

Draped in a fox fur shawl and dressed like a noblewoman, she moved with surprising ferocity.

The beautiful woman immediately grabbed the ear of the pig-faced boy: "Huo Zhanyan! I leave you alone for one conversation with your teacher, and you're already bullying classmates again?

"You're dead"? I think you'll be dead first if you keep causing trouble. Getting parents called to school every day where do you expect me to put my face? Can't you behave for just one day?"

"I didn't bully him! He was eavesdropping, and he laughed at me!" Huo Zhanyan pointed at Wen Xiao to tattle.

The woman wasn't actually using much force, caught between anger and helplessness toward her troublesome child.

Their family was... how did they end up with such a rebellious oddball? But no matter how infuriating, he was still her own flesh and blood.

She looked at Wen Xiao, finding this quiet, expressionless, beautiful child standing by the side exceptionally well-behaved.

Bullied by Huo Zhanyan yet neither crying nor making a fuss, with a slender frame-unlike Huo Zhanyan, who was the burliest among his peers, like a little tiger.

The contrast made the woman's protective instincts surge toward this seemingly obedient and sensible child.

"Little classmate, don't be afraid. This is auntie's phone number. If Huo Zhanyan dares to bully you, tell your teacher or call me directly. Auntie isn't one of those unreasonable parents. If you tell me, I'll definitely stand up for you..." She bent down slightly and, lacking a pen, took a business card from her purse to place in Wen Xiao's hand.

Such a lovely child-she'd been called to school so many times, yet never seen him before.

No wonder, exactly the type Huo Zhanyan would bully.

"But why haven't I seen you before? Which class are you in... Don't worry, auntie isn't a bad person."

Wen Xiao stood frozen by this unexpected treatment, but the commotion at the door reached the office, and the young man who'd taken him to his new class came out.

Wearing thick black-framed glasses and a linen knit sweater, he appeared scholarly and mild-mannered.

"Mrs. Huo..." The homeroom teacher smiled helplessly, assuming Wen Xiao had frozen in place out of fear. He gently pulled him aside. "This is Wen Xiao from our class. He took a two-month sick leave before school started due to illness, so it's normal you haven't met him."

"Sick leave... and he's in the same class as Zhan Yan?"

Wen Xiao inexplicably felt Mrs. Huo's gaze grow even more intense as she looked at him. Glancing sideways, he directly met Huo Zhanyan's fierce glare...

Equally intense, in a way that made the mother-son pair strikingly similar.

Upon entering the office, the teacher adjusted his glasses, surprised to see Wen Xiao follow them inside. He'd assumed he'd merely been intercepted by Huo Zhanyan while passing by.

"Wen Xiao, did you need something from me?"

Wen Xiao hadn't forgotten his purpose. Though he'd already encountered Song Jingbai and Huo Zhanyan, he stubbornly wanted visual confirmation.

Were those really their names? Could it just be homophones?

"Teacher, may I see the class roster?"

The teacher paused before retrieving two stapled sheets from his drawer.

"Wanting to familiarize yourself with classmates?" He watched Wen Xiao scrutinize the names with visible approval. Managing these first- graders was notoriously difficult, especially with several particularly troublesome students. Seeing Wen Xiao take such interest in class affairs warmed his heart.

Finally, a student who understood the power of unity!

"Remember to help and care for each other. Since you're all in this school together, you'll likely advance through middle and high school as classmates... Try to socialize more during breaks."

Wen Xiao's eyelid began twitching uncontrollably the moment he spotted certain names.

Not only were Song Jingbai and Huo Zhanyan listed, but two other future campus legends-the infamous F4 who left chaos wherever they went were all his classmates. Was this school even survivable?

All four shared one defining trait: terrible personalities.

Mutual help? Caring bonds? Advancing together? This had to be a joke...

Recalling Huo Zhanyan's asymmetrical face, Wen Xiao returned the roster and exited.

Why hadn’t Song Jingbai hit him harder? Was he saving his strength?

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