GTAS Arc 1 Ch. 3

After Gu Jinlin struggled to get into his clothes, he finally emerged from the room, his eyes immediately falling upon a group of guys escorting the unconscious Brother Chen out. Meanwhile, the self-proclaimed senior remained stationed at the door, seemingly… waiting for him?

As he was dressing himself up earlier, Gu Jinlin had a mental exchange with the system. Throughout the conversation, he was able to gain further knowledge of the identity of the body’s original owner—Shen Liyu.

At the mention of this name, Gu Jinlin pieced together what had transpired moments ago, just before he entered this world.

Before all these things happened, Gu Jinlin had just finished his livestream in his apartment. Fatigued, he was about to take a shower when the doorbell suddenly chimed just as he was about to walk through the bathroom door.

“Excuse me, sir. There’s a package for you. Please sign here.”

After signing and closing the door, Gu Jinlin frowned upon the box in his hands.

The sender was listed as “Number One Fan of Lin Lin.”

It seemed to be a package sent by one of his livestream fans. Gu Jinlin walked over to the couch, sat down, and opened the box, revealing several books inside.

A quick glance revealed that they were not serious reads. The covers depicted two men embracing and kissing, indicating that these were BL novels; and it was even accompanied by vulgar titles… 

It was hardly worth a glance.

Nevertheless, Gu Jinlin casually picked up the topmost book “The Years When I Was the School Heartthrob” and flipped through it.

The story was simple, detailing how a protagonist was akin to a heavenly dragon [1] by how Li Chen was able to rise to dominance in school, build his harem, and eventually reach the pinnacle of life—a tale dripping with dog blood drama [2].

Gu Jinlin skimmed through it before tossing it aside. Such novels were a waste of time! He’d rather take a relaxing bath and catch some shut-eye.

As for the name Shen Liyu, it appeared at the beginning of the novel. Shen Liyu fell for the male lead Li Chen over a trivial matter, becoming the first conquest of this dragon-like protagonist. Unfortunately, his plans were thwarted by Gu Jinlin’s sudden arrival.

【 Congratulations to the host for accumulating 20 scum abuse points. Keep up the good work.】

This was the voice prompt from the system echoing in Gu Jinlin’s mind when he kicked Li Chen. 

Gu Jinlin understood that he had transmigrated into a novel. He understood the reason for this transmigration—his death. Indeed, because just as he had settled down on the couch and was about to doze off after setting the novel aside, an adjacent gas leak met an open flame. It caused the entire building to explode in an instant.

Now, he had to strike a deal with the system. By completing the novel’s counterattack missions, he could return to the day before the incident in his original world happened and prevent it from happening, thus saving himself.

Perhaps because Gu Jinlin had disrupted the story’s progression, the senior Song Qihan, who was supposed to appear in the hotel room only after Shen Liyu was taken away by Li Chen for the first time, had arrived earlier than was expected.

While Song Qihan’s early appearance seemed to rescue Shen Liyu, in essence, it instead protected Li Chen from receiving further malicious “harm” from Gu Jinlin.

Gu Jinlin sighed inwardly. The protagonist’s halo around Li Chen was indeed glaringly obvious…

Turning to face Shen Liyu, who stood before him in a wrinkled school uniform with his head slightly bowed in contemplation, Song Qihan pursed his lips.

In Song Qihan’s eyes, Shen Liyu had always been a well-behaved and sensible junior. How could he end up associating with such delinquents like Li Chen? This was unexpected to him, and the recent scene in the room earlier—how could an adult like him not understand what Shen Liyu and Li Chen were up to…

However, upon noticing the injury on Shen Liyu’s shoulder, Song Qihan believed that he was coerced into this situation. With the deepening of his gaze behind his glasses, Song Qihan’s thin lips parted as he spoke solemnly to Shen Liyu.

“Stay at my place tonight. Don’t be afraid; I’ll protect you.”

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[1] 龙傲天 (lóng ào tiān): This phrase translates to “heavenly dragon,” metaphorically describing a protagonist who is exceptionally powerful, dominant, or influential. 

[2] “Dog blood drama” (狗血剧 gǒu xiě jù) is a slang term used in Chinese popular culture to describe melodramatic or overly sensationalized television dramas, movies, or novels. These dramas often feature exaggerated plotlines, unrealistic scenarios, and excessive emotional conflicts among characters.