“To put it simply, sometime between the forties and eighties of the eleventh century, fissures like bottomless abysses appeared across the earth’s surface, and from within those fissures poured endless hordes of creatures unknown to humanity.’
‘These beasts were ferocious, bloodthirsty, and delighted in hunting humans, plunging humanity into a crisis of extinction.”
At the front of the classroom, a woman dressed like a teacher was droning on about the history of this world.
Lin Jianqing, utterly bored, stared out the window at the sky, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts.
‘I wonder what time I’ll be done working today.’
He looked a bit tired, muttering under his breath. He wanted to put his head down on the desk and sleep, but feeling the history professor’s gaze, he didn’t dare.
If not for the last‑minute schedule change, he’d be catching up on sleep in his dorm right now—or taking a shower.
“And against these creatures, every weapon known to mankind could barely harm them. Just when humanity’s habitats were constantly under attack by unknown monsters and the survival of the race hung by a thread—women seemed to evolve ahead of time, their bodies and minds strengthened.”
“A few even awakened unique supernatural abilities. Only then did humans gain the power to fight these monsters and continue to reproduce. After women fully awakened their abilities, the world’s history was split in two.”
“The era when humans were repeatedly crushed by alien creatures was classified by historians as the darkest hour in human history, while the era after women awakened their abilities was named the new history.”
“Fortunately, thanks to the efforts of our predecessors, humanity has reclaimed most of its lost territory…”
Listening to the history professor’s lecture, Lin Jianqing could barely stand it anymore.
He’d heard these things so many times they were coming out of his ears.
Right now, his mind was completely occupied with how to handle work later. Working two jobs a day plus taking high‑intensity classes was already wearing him thin.
“Alright, we’ll stop here for today. Class dismissed.”
***
After about two hours, the class finally ended.
As soon as it was over, Lin Jianqing’s first priority was to rush back to the dorm.
He needed a shower. He had to take a quick one while he still had a little time.
Because he’d worked the night shift at McDonald’s, and then had to come back in the morning for the rescheduled history class, he hadn’t bathed all night. He looked a bit disheveled.
After a quick rinse, he used a light blue bath towel that made his naturally fair skin look even more clear and lustrous. He dried his wet hair that fell over both shoulders with the towel while staring at himself in the mirror.
Lin Jianqing’s features were already very androgynous, and his hair was long for a man. With the steam from the bathroom, he seemed like he was standing in a gentle, misty starlight.
His lips were as beautiful as cherry blossoms, his skin as delicate as fine porcelain. In the swaying light, he gazed at the paper quietly, like the beautiful youth in Greek mythology who died staring at his reflection in the water.
“Sigh… still have to go to work.”
Looking at himself in the mirror, Lin Jianqing let out a small sigh.
It wasn’t until he entered university that he realized he was just an ordinary person who happened to look a bit better than most.
Even after reincarnating, he hadn’t gotten any kind of system or golden finger. In fact, he was now drowning in debt. He looked out the window at the women walking back and forth on the streets.
At this university, female Awakeners were everywhere—quite a few were A‑level Awakeners, and there were even potential S‑level ones.
Before his parents had their accident, Lin Jianqing used to fantasize that he might become the first male Awakener in the world.
But after turning eighteen, he discovered that he was no different from any other man in this world.
They all looked equally “frail” to the naked eye, at most able to handle logistical work.
But someone like Lin Jianqing, an art student at an art college, couldn’t even handle logistics. It was a worrisome future…
He put on his work uniform and complained inwardly.
Linzhou City was just an ordinary, low‑key third‑tier city. For the people living here, everything the city offered was enough to satisfy all their needs, including Lin Jianqing’s.
But he needed money.
He couldn’t dwell on it—he had to get to work now, or he’d be late.
There was no time to overthink. His mother still needed medical fees, his sister still needed tuition, and he had to eat. Right now, he desperately needed money.
Lin Jianqing had a part‑time job at a bubble tea shop on campus. With its trendy decor and franchise branding, it was the most popular bubble tea shop in the school.
But all that was secondary. Only the shop owner knew the real reason.
Their shop was so popular entirely because Lin Jianqing worked there.
Many people came just to see Lin Jianqing, and bought a cup of tea on the side.
Before Lin Jianqing started working there, the shop only survived by helping the girls’ dorm “smuggle” contraband and taking a cut.
That “smuggling” business had died down a lot after Lin Jianqing joined.
His job at the shop was simply to stand at the front counter, handle payments, attract customers, and basically be a mascot.
As for Lin Jianqing, it was a good thing he had financial aid from grants and scholarships, or he’d be considering dropping out and working full‑time.
He had just changed into his work uniform. A heavy baseball cap covered his hair and half his face, but even that couldn’t stop some girls’ crazed enthusiasm for him.
He often experienced customers grabbing his hand and refusing to let go when he handed them their tea. The manager would then have to deal with them as harasser cases.
But now Lin Jianqing was completely swamped dealing with customers placing orders, being harassed, and making drinks.
As he was spacing out, a tall, wheat‑skinned girl pushed through the crowd, half‑dragging a girl with long black hair that flowed to her waist.
“Hey, Huaixue, I heard this bubble tea shop’s flavors are pretty legit. Why don’t we give it a try?”
“Come on, come on, look what you want to drink. My treat.” The wheat‑skinned girl waved her hand and slapped it on the menu on the counter.
There were only two types of people who came to this shop: those who came to see Lin Jianqing, and those who genuinely wanted to buy tea.
Clearly, this wheat‑skinned girl was the second type.
“Wh‑whatever… Let go of me.”
The girl being forcibly dragged finally spoke. Her face was chiseled with distinct features, handsome in a sharp way, but her eyes showed a hint of reluctance.
Both of them exuded an indescribable aura. Lin Jianqing was a man, so he couldn’t sense it, but every female Awakener present could clearly feel that the wheat‑skinned girl was an A‑level Awakener.
“There’s no ‘whatever’ to order for you. Come on, pick one.”
“I’m not picking.”
“Fine, fine. Hey, could we have two large Oolong Milk Foam teas, iced? And add double cheese to one of them. Thanks!”
Lin Jianqing looked at the somewhat wild and unrestrained wheat‑skinned girl in front of him as he tapped on the ordering screen.
“Is that for takeaway or dine‑in?”
“Dine‑in. Takeaway is too much trouble.”
Hearing that answer, the girl called Huaixue frowned.
“Here? You like crowded places?”
“Hey, no, no. Shen Huaixue, I’ve got my pot and induction cooker stashed here. I need to grab them back while the dorm auntie isn’t looking. You wait here a bit—I’m going to find the boss.”
The wheat‑skinned girl suddenly leaned close to Shen Huaixue, whispering mysteriously.
Even though she was an A‑level Awakener, she still had to follow school rules. Dorm contraband still had to be smuggled in.
“Hey, just wait here. I’ll go find the boss in the back.”
Clearly, this wheat‑skinned girl used to be a “customer” of the shop.
“Alright, alright. Hurry up and come back. Don’t keep me waiting too long.”
Hearing the explanation, Shen Huaixue rolled her eyes at her, then crossed her arms and watched her leave. She stood idly by the pickup counter.
But as she was bored and her attention drifted to the front counter, her eyes unconsciously fell on Lin Jianqing. His appearance instantly captivated her.
Just like that, Shen Huaixue’s gaze stayed fixed on Lin Jianqing at the counter until he brought her order to the pickup area.
“Excuse me, order 208. Two large Oolong Milk Foam teas are ready.”
After placing the teas on the counter, Lin Jianqing turned and walked back to the register without a backward glance, continuing to serve other customers.
He completely failed to notice that Shen Huaixue, standing at the pickup counter, had her hands gripping the tray so hard they turned white.
She lingered there, staring at Lin Jianqing without blinking, even blocking other customers from picking up their orders.
Her eyes, black as ink, were like a beast lurking in the shadows.