Yubei District, Chongqing
Li Xuan stared at the screen, his stomach sinking. C-. His calculus grade had dropped just as he was finally pulling his other grades back up.
Mom is not going to be happy.
His parents weren't the strictest, but when it came to academics, they never compromised. Ever since moving from Urumqi, he had been trying to keep up, but it always felt like he was running a race where everyone else was miles ahead. Some of his classmates had packed schedules—school, clubs, music lessons, competitions—yet still managed to ace every test. Meanwhile, he was barely keeping his head above water.
It didn't help that his parents were part of online groups filled with tiger moms, always discussing their children's achievements. They told themselves to let him enjoy his childhood, but deep down, they wished he could do better.
At lunch, earlier that day, Li didn't have to look up to know what was coming.
"So, how'd you do on the calc test?" Zhao Wei smirked, already knowing the answer. Before Li could speak, Zhao turned to the table. "Man, some of these scores were brutal. I don't get how people are still struggling."
Laughter followed. Not just at him—others had bombed too—but somehow, Li always felt like the easiest target. Maybe because he used to be better. Maybe because he still wanted to be.
He had friends, sure, but none that made people listen when he spoke. None that made him feel like he belonged.
Sighing, Li Xuan switched off his computer and lay on his bed, picking up the slice-of-life novel he had borrowed from the library.
The protagonist had just asked his crush out.
Li Xuan sighed again.
His chest felt empty, longing for someone special. But his own crush was out of reach—smarter, more accomplished. How could he, struggling to keep up, ever ask her out?
The book slipped from his fingers, landing on the floor.
It's simple. Just study harder. Then his parents would be happy. Then everything would be fine.
Sunlight warmed his legs through the window.
It'll get better, he told himself. I'll do better next time.
Drowsiness took over.
Li Xuan woke up with a start.
He had fallen asleep in an awkward position, feet still on the floor. But something was wrong. Someone was standing in front of him.
A man in a black business suit. A silver mask concealing his face.
Li Xuan's breath caught.
The man extended a hand—calm, steady, expectant.
Li hesitated. His fingers trembled as he reached out, his pulse loud in his ears.
Through the carved mouth of the mask, the man whispered:
"Don't be late for the occasion. Someone's waiting for you on the other end."
Li barely had time to react before a powerful force yanked him forward.
The world twisted. His stomach lurched. For a split second, he felt weightless—then the ground slammed beneath his feet.
Heat. That was the first thing he noticed. A thick, stifling warmth, like stepping from an air-conditioned room straight into the height of summer. His grip tightened around the masked man's hand, his mind scrambling to process the shift.
His vision adjusted. The colors around him were too sharp, too intense. The air smelled different. The faint hum of an unfamiliar energy thrummed beneath his skin.
This wasn't home.
"Well?"
Li stared at the man in front of him. He realized that he felt much heavier, and to his surprise, he was dressed in, what was surprisingly, decorated armor.
"w-what?"
Li couldn't muster up anything better to say. The man wasted no time informing him of what was happening.
"Your proposal to the village chief's daughter has been accepted! Come on!"
Then, the memories started rolling. At first, it was faint scenes of Li with a girl he never knew. The love they had for each other was immense.
He had remembered that they had spent countless nights together, perched up in the highest baobab, watching the young sun set into the distance, bringing warm nights and faint memories.
They had secretly married, a while ago, but their relationship was never approved of by the chief, until now. Li almost choked on his own breath, his heart started pounding.
These were all parts of distant dreams he once had. Subconsciously, he even knew where he was and why. Past dreams disregarded as bullshit happened to be life in another world. Thus began the immense unraveling of old dreams and a new life.
They say that in your dreams, all the faces you see are those of people you have once met. Your mind cannot create faces on its own.