Chapter 1
Holly Barlow opened her eyes and realized she was sitting in the Dean of Students' office.
On the desk in front of her lay a handwritten self-reflection letter. It was about a student's secret relationship at school.
Before she could even process what was happening, a flood of memories from the original novel slammed into her mind.
[A seventeen-year-old school bully named Warwick Kirk fell for Tasha Presley, the top student in her grade, the moment he saw her.
[He told her she was different and asked her to be his girlfriend.
[Tasha fell for him, and they crossed a line they should not have.
[She got pregnant, had an abortion, and spiraled into depression.
[Warwick went abroad. Ten years later, he came back and chased her like a man possessed.
[In the end, they got together and had a pair of twins.]
Holly stared ahead, speechless.
Then she let out a quiet scoff. She thought the author had to be an idiot. No wonder the reviews were so bad.
Right then, a mechanical voice rang out in her head.
[Congratulations. You are now Holly Barlow, the Dean of Students in this book. Your mission is to protect the female lead and rewrite her ending.]
Holly's vision flickered.
In the original story, Holly was the kind of dean that everyone hated.
When Tasha got into a secret relationship, Holly called her shameless.
When Tasha got bullied, Holly asked her why she was the one being targeted instead of someone else.
When Tasha read extracurricular books, Holly snatched them away and tore them in half. She said those books were useless and told Tasha to focus on practice exams if she wanted to get into a good university.
She was not evil, not really. But she was cold, rigid, and impossible to like.
Students talked about her behind her back. They said she was already forty and still single, so something had to be wrong with her.
Holly leaned back in her chair and asked calmly, [Quick question. Can we rename this book "How I Entered a Terrible Novel and Drove the Male Lead Into Depression"?]
The system said nothing.
Holly stood up, walked to the mirror, and smoothed down her clothes. [Fine. Let's get started. Step one. Cut this toxic relationship off before it even begins.]
*****
Holly had barely reached the second floor when she spotted trouble at the end of the hallway. A few boys had a small girl cornered.
The one in front, Lucas Howard, leaned against the wall like he owned the place. "You're Tasha, right? The top student? Let me copy your homework."
Holly's eyes lit up. "Top student? So this was the female lead."
She walked over fast, but she did not raise her voice or start lecturing like the original Holly would have.
Instead, she pulled out her phone, opened the camera, and pointed it straight at Lucas.
"What's your name? Which class are you in?" she asked. "Go on. Say it again. Tell the camera you're asking the top student to let you copy her homework. I'll post it on the school forum and let everyone decide what they think."
Lucas was stunned. "Who are you?"
Holly did not lower the phone. "Dean of Students. Smile a little. No need to be nervous. I'm just collecting evidence."
The second he heard that, Lucas's face changed. He turned and ran. The rest of them followed right behind him.
They rushed left, hit a dead end, then scrambled back the other way, looking ridiculous.
Tasha pressed her lips together, trying not to laugh.
After a second, she looked up at Holly, her expression a little complicated. "Thank you."
Holly waved it off. "No big deal. By the way, are you in Class 3, Grade 11?"
Tasha nodded.
Holly asked, "Is there a guy named Warwick Kirk in your class?"
Tasha thought for a second, then nodded again. "I think so. He's kind of well-known."
Holly gave her a light pat on the shoulder. "Got it. I'll arrange a transfer for you. You're moving to the elite class. A student like you should not be stuck in a regular class."
Tasha blinked. "Huh?"
Holly looked at her. "What's the problem? The top student should sit with the second-best student. You help each other and push each other. That's how you improve.
"What are you supposed to do in a class with a school bully? Compete over who can skip class more stylishly?"
Tasha froze for a beat, then suddenly laughed. "You're actually really funny."
"Thank you," Holly said seriously. "I used to dream about being a stand-up comedian. I'm taking that as a compliment."
The transfer went through without a hitch.
Holly brushed imaginary dust off her sleeve, looking satisfied. [Not bad, right?]
The system replied in a flat voice, [Amazing. Truly. No one in this world is more powerful than you. You are a walking bug in the story. The male lead is obsessed with you. The female lead adores you.]
Holly smiled, perfectly content with that completely nonsensical praise.
Unfortunately, the satisfaction lasted exactly one day. The story started correcting itself.
The next afternoon, on the playground, Warwick finished a game of basketball and sat on the steps, drinking water. Not far away, Tasha was standing under a tree, quietly memorizing vocabulary.
Warwick narrowed his eyes. "See that girl?" he said to the friend next to him. "She's interesting. She's like a little wildcat. She used to be in our class. I have no idea why she transferred."