Chapter 2

Chapter One: The End and the Beginning

"Su Jing, you have been expelled from the school."

When Su Jing heard these words, he was eating in the cafeteria. The newly appointed student council president placed his food tray in front of him, put down the chopsticks, and watched as Su Jing wolfed down his meal.

"What do you think about it?"

"It was expected."

Su Jing seemed to have completely misunderstood what the young man opposite him was saying. He meticulously finished the rice on his plate, then took a napkin to wipe his mouth.

"When will the official notice come?"

"Next week, probably."

"Thank you for letting me know."

The student council president sighed, watching the back of this possibly most interesting friend he had ever met as he left. He couldn't help but shout loudly:

"Su Jing, what are you going to do next!?"

"Pack up and move on to the next place."

The simple answer was as expected, just like Su Jing himself.

Su Jing had been at Landon University for three years, ranking in the top ten of his year. If nothing went wrong, he could be recommended for a master's program. He was also a key member of the Literature Club, the Sanda Club, and the Drama Club, and a senior errand runner in the student council office.

Given his situation, he should have been eligible for various scholarships, but strangely, he never applied for any. Instead, he occasionally worked as a tutor to earn some extra money.

When his class monitor asked him why he didn't apply for scholarships, Su Jing replied: First, writing the application is too troublesome. Second, I don't need to compete with others for those things.

The class monitor couldn't understand why someone would prefer to tutor four classes a week rather than spend half an hour filling out an application, but it wasn't his concern. One less person applying for a scholarship meant one more slot for the class.

Feeling indebted to Su Jing, the class monitor took good care of him.

Su Jing's carefree and pleasant college life continued until he discovered that the department head, Fang Tiankan, was accepting bribes from students and running an underground circle that spanned four colleges. This circle specifically recruited wealthy or well-connected students, and its members could get everything they needed in university from Fang Tiankan.

That day, after class, Fang Tiankan called Su Jing to his office and described his organization's blueprint in detail. He mentioned the Skull and Bones of American history and the boys' clubs of Ivy League universities with great enthusiasm, then looked at Su Jing expectantly and said:

"Little Su, I know you are a talented person. Although your family is not particularly well-off now, I believe you have the qualifications to join our circle. What do you think?"

Su Jing rubbed his nose and asked, "Mr. Fang, why do you think I would want to join you? Aren't you afraid I might tell others?"

Fang Tiankan laughed heartily.

"Little Su, who would speak out about something that benefits them so much? Who would refuse it?"

Su Jing smiled, showing his teeth. "I want to try it out."

His eyes sparkled for the first time in a long while.

After leaving Fang Tiankan's office, Su Jing returned to his dormitory, made several copies of the recording he had secretly recorded, then spent ten minutes writing an emotional poster. He then spent forty-five minutes printing five hundred copies at a print shop.

In the next hour, he made over a dozen phone calls.

Five hours later, during dinner, Su Jing was already standing at the entrance of the cafeteria, wearing a black robe and a medieval bird mask borrowed from the Drama Club, waving his arms and giving a passionate speech. The specially adjusted stage speakers spread the inciting words and Fang Tiankan's statements across half the campus, causing a loud uproar at Landon University.

Someone called the three major newspapers in Landon, and twenty officers rushed to Landon University to maintain order because the enraged students, incited by someone, began to protest. They blocked the administrative building and dragged Fang Tiankan out of his office.

By the time the officers arrived, Fang Tiankan had already broken two bones.

Su Jing stood in the crowd, sipping a newly bought coconut milk, looking innocent and pure.

The aftermath of the incident lasted for three weeks, disrupting the normal teaching activities of the school. Almost all teachers were under review due to student pressure. Twenty-two of the most vocal students were detained for three days.

In the end, Fang Tiankan and two other teachers were dismissed, and the twenty-two students were given major demerits. The student council and the club federation underwent a major reshuffle, with new leaders supported by the core members overthrowing the old leaders who had lost their backing.

And the origin of it all—Su Jing—was expelled from the school for violating school regulations, severely disrupting the school's educational and teaching order, life order, and public place management order.

"What are you thinking?"

As Su Jing carried his luggage out of the dormitory building, a pleasant female voice came from behind him.

Turning around, he saw a girl with long black hair and a gray coat standing by the flower bed, her long, slender legs and delicate features attracting the attention of many hungry male eyes.

"Hey, beautiful. How about a farewell kiss?"

Su Jing smiled warmly.

Lu Mengyao had met Su Jing during the Drama Club's recruitment. As the fifth president of the club, Lu Mengyao thought this new student had a good appearance, with soft features and a strong line, and his rare long hair particularly caught her attention, so she took a bit of notice.

"Classmate, why do you want to join our Drama Club?"

Su Jing scratched his head and said:

"The Drama Club has more pretty girls like you, right?"

A low laugh rippled through the recruitment site.

Lu Mengyao, who was often harassed by various perverts, replied coolly:

"Isn't such a sudden approach rude?"

"Seeing your beauty, my heart is filled with joy. Why should I care about being rude or not?"

Lu Mengyao's comment on him was: shameless, but with great potential.

So Su Jing joined the Drama Club.

"I just thought he... looked ugly. The first time I met such a typical villain, I couldn't help but want to try and mess with him... and it turned out I was lucky and succeeded."

Lu Mengyao always thought Su Jing was a very unique person because he never considered the consequences of his actions, only doing things for his own entertainment. This carefree personality made his life journey more dramatic than most people's, and his unusual way of thinking allowed him to find solutions in various difficult situations, although... sometimes the results were not what ordinary people could accept.

"Cough, there were others who refused to join his circle, but... only you went so far." Lu Mengyao shook her head helplessly.

"I have no attachments, so I am freer than they are. If you can't live life as you please, what's the point? If you can't follow your own will, what's the difference from a dead fish?"

Looking at his bright, innocent smile, Lu Mengyao's words caught in her throat. She remembered his file from a previous encounter and swallowed her words.

"I'm graduating next year and will soon be taking the postgraduate entrance exam. What are you planning to do next?"

"There's still a lot of my family's inheritance left, and I've saved some money from writing for magazines. I don't have to worry about food and drink for a while. Now I plan to find something more interesting to do, like trying out for some talent shows like 'Happy Boys' or 'The Voice of China.' Entering the entertainment industry and becoming a superstar of the next generation... sounds cool and exciting."

"Then... I wish you all the best."

"Thanks, dear president."

As Su Jing turned to leave, Lu Mengyao suddenly said:

"Su Jing. I know you are a very free person. But... if one day you have attachments again, you will regain... your... sense of responsibility."

This statement was abrupt and left Su Jing stunned for a moment.

Responsibility... and attachments...?

Past memories resurfaced in his mind, and his smile gradually faded, his lips curling into a hard line, the expression of a beast facing a challenge.

Either become a steel hero or a destructive demon.

He silently recited the lines he had once written in a script, then was suddenly startled by a honk. He had unknowingly walked into the middle of the road, and a speeding sports car nearly knocked him down. A warning bell rang in his head, and he quickly turned to see a truck barreling towards him.

A deafening explosion, and Su Jing was thrown over ten meters away.

At that moment, his mind went blank, and he felt as if he were flying in the sky, while gravity pulled him rapidly towards the ground. The intense pain didn't hit him until seven or eight seconds later, causing his body to convulse like a dying insect. Su Jing knew without looking that his ribs were almost all broken, his heart beating faster and faster, like the last struggle of a dying flame. He probably didn't have much time left.

He hadn't experienced so many interesting challenges, hadn't seen so many beautiful sights, hadn't lived a truly interesting life, and now he was going to die...

He had once sworn to live for those who had died...

He had once sworn to live more brilliantly and recklessly than anyone else...

He had once sworn to become the body of the dead, the eyes of the deceased, to make her name known to the world...

And now... he was going to die!

He hadn't fulfilled a single vow!!

For some reason, before he fell into the endless darkness of regret, Su Jing's last thought was regretting not trying to kiss Lu Mengyao, something he had always wanted to do.

——————————————

Darkness.

Eternal darkness.

In the endless darkness, a star seemed to flicker.

Then, a thought was suddenly infused into Su Jing's consciousness.

[Welcome to the Heaven Game.]