You said you hated men, why are your eyes now full of love?

"You mean to say..."

In the office, the principal looked at the boy in front of him with a strange expression.

"His face willingly collided with your fist?"

"That's exactly what happened," Ji Mu replied calmly.

"...Alright, cut the nonsense." The principal pinched the bridge of his nose, completely speechless at the absurd excuse.

No wonder this kid managed to place first in the six-school joint exams. A poker face this impeccable, lying so effortlessly without blinking, was a skill few could match.

"Now, tell me what really happened. What exactly did Situ Yan do to provoke you?" The principal stressed, "Remember, tell the truth, the whole truth."

His gaze sharpened as he added, "If you spout more nonsense, you can kiss this month's excellent student bonus goodbye."

What?! No way!

His meal budget depended on that money. If his bonus got revoked, he’d be eating dirt.

Realizing that the principal wasn't joking, Ji Mu immediately straightened his posture and abandoned any thoughts of dodging the question.

"Principal, the main reason is...."

Over the next few minutes, Ji Mu recounted the whole story of his grievances with the so-called Underworld Prince.

"Causing trouble?"

The principal's expression shifted upon hearing certain key points. He remained silent, absorbing the full picture, and only after Ji Mu finished did his tightly knit brows finally relax.

"As long as you're unharmed, that’s what matters. However…" He paused, locking eyes with the boy. "If I recall correctly, the Situ family's bodyguards are all ancient martial artists. Yet, not only did you take them on unscathed, you even won?"

Skinny, inconspicuous, looked like he’d be blown over by a strong gust of wind, yet somehow, this kid was an actual hidden master.

Ji Mu's expression remained calm and indifferent.

"I have a little skill, nothing worth mentioning."

Nothing more than a passing storm.

The principal felt his throat tighten.

This brat, playing tricks!

In this day and age, are people still pulling the "pretend to be weak before pouncing" act?

Even with all his experience, he found himself at a loss.

"I won’t press for details. As long as you can protect yourself, that’s enough."

Ji Mu nodded. "Understood."

"And another thing, brawling in public doesn't look good. It's a hassle, but at least it's still within my ability to handle."

The principal glared at him, "Behave yourself for a while. I don't want to clean up after you again."

"Understood."

Ji Mu nodded absentmindedly, like a robot repeating itself.

The principal waved his hand impatiently. "Scram."

"Understood!"

This time, his reply was noticeably firmer and louder.

The exasperated principal couldn't help but laugh.

This little brat isn’t even trying to fake it anymore.

Ji Mu was already at the door, ready to find a spot to nap, when he suddenly paused.

A thought struck him. Turning back, he asked, "Principal, by the way… why are you helping me?"

In this world, there was no hatred without reason, just as there was no kindness without reason.

There was no way the principal was standing up to those noble families just because Ji Mu was the top scorer in the six-school joint exams.

Ji Mu tried to piece together the reason, but the principal simply gave him a meaningful look.

"In time, you'll understand."

…

As he descended the stairs, Ji Mu rubbed his chin, still thinking about the principal's cryptic words.

"System, what do you think he meant by that? I get the feeling that there's some incredible secret behind all this."

[Hmm... let me think.]

The so-called super-intelligent system hummed thoughtfully.

[Logically speaking, no matter how stellar your grades are, that old man wouldn’t go out of his way to help you this much.]

Between a brilliant student and a well-established noble family, any rational person would choose the latter, as it would simply bring the greatest benefits.

Yet, despite knowing this, the principal firmly chose to side with Ji Mu. No matter how you looked at it, something wasn't adding up.

This could only mean one thing...

Perched on Ji Mu’s shoulder, the system suddenly clapped its hands.

[Host, could it be that you're actually his bastard son?!]

Ji Mu: "???"

I thought you were about to drop some major insight.

It turns out that you just dropped complete nonsense.

"Exaggeration isn't nonsense, and adaptation isn't invention. But your imagination is a little too wild, System."

[But it's true! Just hear me out.]

The system, sounding perfectly serious, launched into its speculation.

[Think about all the trouble you've stirred up lately. Every one of your opponents is either rich or noble. If it had been any ordinary student in your place, they’d be dead and buried by now.]

Yet not only had Ji Mu come out of it unscathed, he hadn't even faced a single punishment.

There's definitely something fishy going on here!

[Look, unless there's a personal interest or blood relation involved, no matter how much you admire someone, there's always a limit. But the principal? His favoritism towards you can only be described as unconditionally lenient!]

Ji Mu remained silent, clearly agreeing with this statement in his heart.

[And another thing...]

The system carefully remembered.

[Host, haven't you noticed? The principal's eyebrows and eyes… they kinda look like yours.]

Huh? Is that so?!

Ji Mu was astonished.

Thinking back to the principal's suspiciously friendly attitude, everything suddenly seemed… oddly reasonable.

Could it be that he really was...

[Hehe, host, you might be a long-lost noble young master from a prestigious family!]

The system's eyes sparkled as it began to automatically fill an entire dramatic backstory in its own mind.

[But due to family disputes, the principal couldn't immediately take you back to acknowledge your kinship. He could only act as a guardian, silently watching you grow.]

[When the time is right, you'll return with a vengeance and slap those scheming family members in the face!]

This was exactly like the plot of a sensational novel.

Wow, cool! (๑✧∀✧๑)

"...."

The more the system talked, the more ridiculous the story became.

Pressing his index finger against his temple, Ji Mu decided to move on from this topic.

"Forget it. We'll figure it out eventually."

After all, as a native of China, he had never felt a sense of belonging to this fictional novel world.

And ever since he learned that there was a chance to return to Blue Star, that sense of detachment in his soul had only grown stronger.

His help to Ruan Qingqing was sincere, and he truly considered this kind and resilient girl as a friend.

However, all of this was nothing compared to his ultimate desire to earn the billion-dollar reward and return to Blue Star to live a relaxed retirement.

"Whether I’m related to him or not, as long as it doesn’t interfere with my mission, it doesn’t matter."

[Wow, host! ⊙∀⊙!]

The system looked shocked.

[Host, do you even realize how cool you sound right now?!]

It spoke with excitement.

Too many people had lost themselves in these mission worlds—trapped by family, friendship, love, and all that messy nonsense.

Some even forgot their original purpose, abandoning their missions entirely and choosing to stay behind.

After all, emotions in a novel were far more beautiful and sincere than those in reality.

If you had a family or a lover who was devoted to you, who would want to return to a reality filled with lies, deceit, and betrayal?

Only Ji Mu!

From beginning to end, his only goal was to get rich, return to Blue Star, and never let anything tie him down.

After guiding so many hosts, this boy had the strongest will it had ever seen!

The system was extremely pleased.

With such a brilliant general, combined with its own wise and powerful support, the two of them together could be considered the dragon and phoenix of this world.

How could they possibly fail?!

[To reward your unwavering determination, I have decided to share some good news with you!]

Hello readers!

Every review counts.

Hey folks!

Ongoing event: 20 votes on NovelUpdate for another extra chapter!

Feel free to leave comments in Discord now that the comment section is unavailable.