Chapter 1

My roommate's simp was back again.

She'd been standing downstairs for two hours already, drenched in the pouring rain.

Henry Wilson, my roommate, glanced down from the balcony and slammed the window shut with a look of utter annoyance. "That pauper's here again. She is clinging like a fucking ghost. Annoying as hell."

He tossed his wet towel onto my desk, bossing me around. "Yannis, go down and get rid of her for me."

I was wearing headphones, listening to my loyal subordinate report the quarterly revenue for a ten-billion-dollar project.

I looked up at Henry's face, one that thought itself devastatingly handsome, and felt absolutely nothing.

Because I knew that the pauper he mocked was actually Olivia Warren, the only daughter of the city's wealthiest tycoon, cherished like a princess in the palm of his hand.

And Henry? He was only cannon fodder in this power-fantasy novel I'd transmigrated into, destined to be crushed into dust.

*****

Outside, the rain was pouring down in torrents, fat drops drumming nonstop against the window.

Inside the dorm, Henry had just come back from a basketball game, stinking of sweat and cheap cologne. He casually tossed his wet basketball onto the floor, letting it roll a few times and smear a muddy streak across the spotless floor.

I frowned but kept quiet.

As the male lead in this story, Henry had all the classic traits of a campus novel hero. He was 6'1", came from a well-off family, and had a face that could easily win him the title of campus heartthrob.

Plus, he had an ego the size of the campus and a temper that screamed "spoiled brat."

Henry ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, walked over to the balcony, and glanced down. His expression soured instantly.

"Seriously, when is she going to stop?" He stomped back inside, muttering under his breath, and kicked his chair so hard that it screeched across the floor.

"That penniless girl is standing down there again, like some lovesick statue. What a bad omen."

I followed his gaze and looked down.

By the streetlight below the dorm, a slender figure was holding a tiny umbrella, looking extra vulnerable in the raging storm.

It was Olivia, the real female lead of this story.

According to the original storyline, because of a mix-up, Olivia thought the boy who helped her as a kid was Henry, so she started a year-long crush on him.

She brought Henry breakfast every day, reserved seats for him, and brought him water during his basketball games. But all she got back was Henry's scorn and indifference.

Henry lapped up all her attention, but then laughed about her behind her back, calling her a hopelessly poor, desperate fangirl who'd never seen the real world.

And he had no idea that the simple silver chain she always wore was a family heirloom worth tens of thousands.

And he was clueless that the plain red string on her wrist was actually a charm, worth tens of thousands.

I was Yannis Lynn, an unlucky time traveler who ended up as Henry's roommate. I was a total background character in the original story and barely got a line in the whole book.

In my previous life, I worked to death at my desk, struggling to survive. But in this life, I got thrown into a webnovel and ended up as the long-lost heir of the Lynn family, one of Caelum's most powerful clans.

I was tired.

All I wanted was to kick back, live the life of a rich, useless heir, enjoy good food, hit the gym, have a few drinks, and coast through this wealthy but boring life.

So, I kept my identity under wraps and acted like a regular student at school. Honestly, my favorite part of the day was watching Henry put on his clown show.

"Hey, Yannis, I'm talking to you," Henry snapped when I didn't respond. He chucked his wet towel right onto my desk, where I was reading, and the water seeped right into the pages.

"Go down there and tell her I don't want to see her. Tell her to get lost and never come back," he ordered, like he was talking to a servant.

I closed my book slowly and looked up.

Through my headphones, my assistant, who pulled in a seven-figure salary, was nervously giving his report. "Mr. Lynn, the chip acquisition in Nordmark is entering its final stage. Should we proceed as planned?"

"Understood. Stick to the original plan," I replied calmly, then took off my headphones.

Henry paused for a second, looking confused. "Who were you talking to?"

"My mom," I said, keeping a straight face as I slipped my phone into my pocket.

Henry scoffed and didn't ask any more questions, urging me, "Hurry up and go. Just seeing her gets on my nerves."

I didn't bother to answer him. I got up and headed for the balcony.