The alarm on Sang Jiuning’s phone jolted her awake.
The moment she opened her eyes, she was not greeted by the familiar ceiling adorned with her Totoro decals.
She lay there, dazed and disoriented.
Had she transmigrated? Or been thrust into a novel?
A sharp pang shot through her head as a flood of unfamiliar information rushed in.
She was certain now.
She had transmigrated into a book.
It was a campus romance novel she had casually flipped open the night before, skimming only the first chapter before bed. She had become a character who shared her name and lived in the same dorm as the pure and innocent campus beauty, the female lead Su Qingyan—Sang Jiuning.
In the book, her character was summed up in just eight words: fake, pretentious, and obsessed with vanity.
As for the plot…
All she could recall was that Su Qingyan would become the university’s untouchable moonlight—beloved by all, surrounded not only by a dark, obsessive male lead who thrived on coercion but also by a host of devoted, handsome, and wealthy side characters.
And the rest?
What was the male lead’s name?
What were the side characters’ names?
She couldn’t remember a single one.
Sang Jiuning sat up in bed, paused for three seconds, and then her eyes sparkled.
A transmigration!
And into a sweet campus romance novel at that!
Since she was destined to be a nameless extra cannon fodder, why follow the script?
The female lead had her obsessive male lead and a flock of simps.
So if she poached just one of them, that wasn’t too much to ask, was it?
She had a soft spot for those devoted, obedient, doting, and wealthy side characters!
After all, in the original story, those simps didn’t even show their faces clearly. Whoever she picked, it wouldn’t affect the main plot—
Because a cannon fodder’s only purpose was to highlight the female lead’s brilliance, not to actually drive the story forward.
Sang Jiuning threw off the covers and got out of bed. Her fingers glided across her phone screen as she opened the anonymous section of the campus forum and searched for keywords like “Finance Department,” “campus heartthrob,” and “often lingers outside the girls’ dorms.”
A hot post popped up: Who else saw that guy with a thermos lingering outside Building 3 again last night…
So, barely a month into freshman year, the female lead’s simp had already clocked in for duty?
Raising an eyebrow, she clicked on the post.
The OP described in breathless detail how a tall, long-legged boy in a white T-shirt had appeared around eight in the evening, carrying what looked like an expensive thermos, pacing outside the girls’ dormitory before being kindly but firmly shooed away by the dorm matron. The comments section exploded with speculation.
“Is it Weng Zhicheng from the Finance Department? I heard he’s been heading to Building 3 every day lately, no idea who he’s waiting for.”
“Weng Zhicheng? The provincial top scorer in the college entrance exams, the one from that crazy rich family? Even he’s playing the simp?”
“Don’t jump to conclusions. Maybe he’s waiting for a relative?”
“A relative at midnight with a thermos? Outside a girls’ dorm? I’ll bet five bucks he’s chasing someone!”
Sang Jiuning’s gaze lingered on the name “Weng Zhicheng” for a couple of seconds.
Provincial top scorer? Filthy rich?
With that kind of profile, he was prime simp material!
Her mental abacus was clacking away as her fingers scrolled rapidly, hunting for more intel on this Weng Zhicheng.
Sure enough, the comments unearthed more details:
“I heard Weng Zhicheng lives in that villa district off-campus and drives a low-key Maybach to class.”
“Not only is he smart, but he’s also an amazing basketball player. During the last freshman welcome cup finals, his game-winning three-pointer was absolutely killer!”
“Ahhh, it’s him! I saw him at the library yesterday! He was sitting by the window, sunlight streaming across his profile—he literally looked like a male lead stepped straight out of a novel!”
The more Sang Jiuning read, the brighter her eyes gleamed. This guy was practically the embodiment of her ideal “devoted, obedient, and wealthy” perfect tool!
Weng Zhicheng?
She racked her brain, frantically scanning for any mention of him in the original book’s first chapter. Nothing.
He was clearly just an unnamed background character whose name might pop up once or twice in passing dialogue.
Perfect!
She immediately committed the name to memory, exited the forum, and opened WeChat.
The original owner’s WeChat contacts were sparse—mostly classmates.
From her memory of the original female lead Su Qingyan’s profile picture—a cute little bunny—she found her WeChat, tapped in, and saw that her Moments were set to a three-day visibility. The latest post, from yesterday, was a photo of the library with the caption: “Working hard!”
The likes and comments were pouring in, as expected of a campus beauty.
Sang Jiuning gave it a like and commented: “Don’t overwork yourself. Rest well.”
In the original first chapter, Su Qingyan had mustered the courage to add some big shot on WeChat.
Sang Jiuning strained to recall the phone number—it was fuzzy, but she remembered it was missing just the last digit from the number of the story’s most devoted side character.
She decided to gamble.
Fishing out her phone from beside her pillow, she typed in a string of numbers as best she could recall.
For the final digit, she closed her eyes and randomly punched in a “6.”
A search result appeared: a blank profile picture, with the username “Z.C.”
That had to be him! Weng Zhicheng!
A grin spread across Sang Jiuning’s face as she immediately sent a friend request.
For the verification message, she didn’t hold back:
[Baby, accept your adorable, kissable girlfriend~]
Sent.
No response.
She wasn’t fazed in the least.
Simps required patience, after all.
She didn’t dwell on it, set down her phone, and went to wash up.
The girl in the mirror had a rather pretty face—almond-shaped eyes, rosy cheeks, and fair skin—though her gaze still carried a trace of the original owner’s lingering timidity and scheming.
Sang Jiuning made a funny face at the mirror and silently recited: “From today on, I am Niu Hulu·Jiuning! Cannon fodder? Not a chance! Simp? Here I come!”
After freshening up, she changed into a simple white T-shirt and jeans, pulled her long black hair into a high ponytail, and looked fresh and energetic.
The original owner came from an ordinary family but loved buying cheap knockoffs of designer brands, making herself look tacky and mismatched.
Sang Jiuning had no such inclinations—comfort and ease were what mattered.
Just as she finished getting ready, the dorm door swung open, and a girl in a white dress with flowing long hair walked in—she looked pure and innocent, the very picture of a campus beauty. It was none other than Su Qingyan.
When she saw Sang Jiuning, she offered a gentle smile: “Jiuning, you’re awake? No classes today—want to head to the library together?”
Sang Jiuning sized her up—this was the quintessential “white moonlight” female lead setup—and felt absolutely nothing.
She waved a hand dismissively: “No thanks, I’ve got plans with someone today.”
Su Qingyan paused, apparently not expecting Sang Jiuning, who usually clung to her, to turn her down.
But she quickly recovered her smile: “Oh, I see. Well, okay then.”
With that, she busied herself with her own things.
Sang Jiuning paid her subtle reaction no mind, grabbed her phone and backpack, and strode out of the dorm.
Her target was clear—the Finance Department. Weng Zhicheng!
If he was known for “lingering outside the girls’ dorms,” then around this time, he might be on his way to deliver a loving breakfast to the female lead. Or maybe he’d just finished?
She jogged all the way to the main campus thoroughfare, her eyes scanning like radar in every direction.
The morning campus was crisp and fresh, filled with students out for exercise or heading to class.
Sang Jiuning asked around for directions to the Finance Department building and finally came to a stop in front of an imposing academic block.