Straight Man Transmigrated as the Noble Academy’s Beta Cannon Fodder - Chapter 1

A thin layer of dark, ashen clouds blanketed the entire sky.

Patter. Patter.

Water droplets slid along the extended branches of the plane trees, winding into transparent streaks against the rough bark.

By the window, a youth lay prone on his desk, lazily lifting his eyelids.

Against skin as pale as snow, raven-black bangs brushed across Xie Yun’s narrow, elongated eyes. He propped his chin on his hand and sat up, gazing outside as the pleasant sound of rain hitting leaves drifted into his ears.

Feilode Academy, freshly washed by the rain, felt chilly as a few gusts of cold wind squeezed into the classroom. Xie Yun reached out with a pale, lean arm and closed the window.

It was the lunch break, and the classroom was empty. He leaned against the curved wooden window frame, taking in the vast scenery.

The cream-colored limestone buildings exuded an air of European elegance. Directly below, a swan fountain jetted water in beautiful arcs, and a few students dressed in school uniforms occasionally crossed the lawn.

Xie Yun didn’t watch for long before intending to head back to his desk for a nap.

The day before yesterday, he had died from exhaustion after pulling an all-nighter to study, only to transmigrate into this book. He was then forced by a system to pull another two all-nighters to learn the original soul’s required and elective subjects just to transfer into this academy.

The familiar sensation of fatigue made him feel as though he had returned to the eve of a monthly exam.

Fortunately, back in his original world, he had been the top student in his senior year. This level of high school knowledge was manageable, though learning Spanish—the original soul’s elective—had been a bit of a struggle since he had no prior experience with it.

Everything else was fine.

With that thought, he rested his head back onto his folded arms. But just as he closed his eyes, a noisy, mechanical voice shrieked in his mind.

System Notification: New task detected ahead. Host, please accept.

“No,” Xie Yun refused in a low, muffled voice, not bothered to open his eyes. “I’m exhausted. I’m not accepting it.”

BANG!

The classroom door was violently kicked open.

The person at the desk, who had just finished protesting, knitted his brows and looked toward the entrance.

The palm-colored wooden door swayed as if it might fall. A visitor strode in, clutching a youth of similar height by the collar.

“I’m asking you a question! You act all high and mighty all day—just what are you trying to pull?”

The aggressor had his back to Xie Yun. The deep blue academy uniform hung loosely on his frame, giving him a shiftless, loafer-like appearance.

Looks like a thug, Xie Yun evaluated silently.

That is Cui Yiyang, a member of the famous ‘Financial F4’ at this noble academy~the System helpfully reminded him.

Yes, Xie Yun knew.

Feilode Private Academy was a well-known gathering place for the elite, located in the southern part of Florence State. Those who could enter this school were either powerful or wealthy; naturally, the Xie family of the original soul was no exception.

With so many nobles, internal struggles naturally resulted in a hierarchy. Third-tier students wore camellia badges, second-tier wore white magnolias, and first-tier wore lilies of the valley.

The high-tier students wore the Hong Kong orchid tree (Bauhinia) badge.

Of course, the most powerful were the four sole heirs of the Cui, Zou, Zhou, and You families. Naturally, they became the flamboyant and overbearing “Campus F4.”

They had excellent grades, but wretched morals.

As he thought this, his gaze shifted unintentionally and met the eyes of the youth being held by the collar.

Disordered bangs swept across his pitch-black pupils. The youth’s cold, porcelain face showed no trace of emotion.

This look is too eerie, Xie Yun thought, his expression turning cold. It felt as though that person had been staring at him from the very beginning.

Cui Yiyang furrowed his brows, looking down from his height. His pale fingers twisted the youth’s clothes into a mess of wrinkles. “Are you a mute? Speak!”

Following his loud shout, a subtle silence filled the air. Seeing that the youth still wouldn’t answer, the “F1” lost his temper. He grabbed a water cup from a nearby desk and moved to splash it in the youth’s face!

Attention! Host has triggered a plot event from the original book: Stop the noble F1 from bullying the protagonist ‘Shou.’

[Please accept the task immediately and save the protagonist Shou, Lu Yibing!

Tsk.

The moment the voice in his head stopped, Xie Yun—remembering the System’s previous threat that he’d “kick the bucket” if he didn’t do the tasks—finally stood up in annoyance.

He had only read half of this book, but he knew that his character would eventually meet a tragic end for meddling in others’ business—specifically for saving the protagonist (an Omega bullied by the F4).

To make matters worse, the System required him to follow the original plot while also demanding he change the ending and “capture” the protagonist’s heart.

All because Lu Yibing was his younger brother through a second marriage (different fathers, different mothers).

Is that even possible? Xie Yun was at his wit’s end.

He could only say that being transmigrated as cannon fodder was truly miserable. The feeling of having your fate in someone else’s hands was incredibly unpleasant.

A tall, grey-clad figure stepped forward. His long, straight legs moved past several desks until he stood beside the two. Xie Yun raised his arm and, following the original soul’s script, said: “Classmate, campus bullying is wrong.”

…What a moronic line, he complained to himself after saying it.

A frowning Cui Yiyang: “?”

His attention was snatched away by the newcomer. Xie Yun’s loose bangs complemented his snow-white face. The corners of his cold eyes were faintly tinged with red, carrying the exhaustion of someone who had just woken up. At this close range, one could even see the faint veins beneath his thin skin.

His voice was crisp, like icicles hanging from the eaves in midwinter.

He was “stranger-level” beautiful.

Is this the transfer student mentioned on the forums? Cui Yiyang recalled, staring blankly at the beauty before him.

On the side of the beauty’s long, slender neck sat a tiny, curved gland, tinged with a delicate pink. It looked like the apple that tempted Eve—something that made one want to take a bite.

Unfortunately, the forums said he was a Beta. His gland was vestigial and useless; he couldn’t be marked.

But if he couldn’t be marked, why was he, an Alpha, unable to look away? It was as if he were being influenced by an Omega’s pheromones.

The F1 studied Xie Yun’s broad-shouldered yet narrow-waisted frame.

Feeling uncomfortable under the stare, Xie Yun’s thin, red lips parted. His tone remained flat: “Cui Yiyang.”

He didn’t follow the script this time. He called the financial giant’s heir by his full name.

Hearing his name, Cui Yiyang let go of the protagonist, Lu Yibing. He arched an eyebrow, turned toward Xie Yun with newfound interest, and chuckled. “Transfer student?”

Xie Yun lowered his arm and looked at him coldly, remaining silent.

“You’ve got some nerve.”

A light laugh escaped Cui Yiyang’s throat. He narrowed his eyes and spoke to him syllable by syllable: “Do you know who I am? How dare you call me by my full name?”

The transfer student opposite him slowly raised an eyebrow.

Then, he heard him say: “Who are you?”

His voice was as steady as still water, his face masked in coldness, devoid of emotion.

The heir of the Cui conglomerate: “…”

He felt his self-esteem had been insulted. How could anyone not know who he was!

Cui Yiyang sized Xie Yun up again. However, seeing how beautiful this transfer student was, he didn’t hold a grudge. He took a few small steps forward.

His warm breath was about to hit the tip of Xie Yun’s nose. Xie Yun dodged, but the other man still leaned in close to his ear, laughing as his finger poked Xie Yun’s chest and slid slowly downward.

“You don’t want me bullying him, right? Tell you what. Give me a kiss, and I won’t beat him up.”

This time, it was Xie Yun’s turn to be speechless.

Kiss what? A literal question mark seemed to pop up over Xie Yun’s head.

I am straight. What terrifying gay energy.

As the words fell, another dark, brooding gaze burned into the back of Xie Yun’s head. Someone’s hand clenched into a tight fist.

Outside the classroom, the trees—scented with early summer locust flowers—rustled in the wind. Cui Yiyang watched the impassive Xie Yun and thought to himself: From the moment we met, this beauty has maintained a face as cold as frost, like an eternal glacier, freezing everyone out. If he got angry, would his expression finally break?

If those narrow eyes were flushed with rage, and his brows were knit in anger… it would surely be…

There are no security cameras in this classroom. Xie Yun noted.

“Will there be a punishment if I save the protagonist without following the original script?” Xie Yun asked in his mind, his face darkening at the disgusting gaze lingering on him.

The System laughed: [As long as you save him, you can do it however you like. ^^]

THUD.

In the next moment, the expressionless beauty raised his knee and delivered a direct strike to the man’s vitals!

“Ugh…”

Cui Yiyang’s train of thought was shattered. Agony instantly radiated between his legs. He frowned and stumbled back two steps. Before he could react, Xie Yun grabbed Lu Yibing and bolted out of the classroom.

A still-recovering Cui Yiyang: “?”

Locust leaves swept up by the wind brushed against their clothes. Lu Yibing felt a warmth enveloping his arm. He looked up to see the back of a youth—tall, lean, and dashing.

Heavy breathing echoed through the empty European-style corridor. Xie Yun looked left and right before stopping at a corner.

He shouldn’t chase us here, he thought while catching his breath.

After a few seconds, before the cold wind could dissipate the heat of their run, the arm he was holding suddenly pulled back, grabbing his hand instead.

A circle of coldness wrapped around Xie Yun’s wrist. He turned to the person beside him, a question mark once again appearing over his head.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“Brother,” Lu Yibing spoke, his voice low and somewhat embarrassed. “There are classes this afternoon. We have to go back.”

Xie Yun, who had dragged him out only to realize the boy was right: “…”

It’s fine. At least the task is finished.

The students of Feilode usually had private lounges for lunch breaks. As the break neared its end, a few students in uniforms began passing by the corner. Naturally, people only showed up because there were afternoon classes.

Xie Yun ignored the crowd, but he felt like people were staring and whispering.

Is it an illusion? He lifted his eyelids and accidentally met the eyes of a girl. She froze for a moment, then hurriedly pulled her friend away. Once they reached the stairwell, they whipped out their phones.