Episode 01

Growing up in the heart of China’s tech capital, my high school years probably going to start as surviving the hyper-competitive pressure cooker of Shenzhen Middle School.

The campus felt less like a regular academy and more like a modern tech startup, packed with state-of-the-art robotics labs and surrounded by a brilliant, relentless student body that forced me to sharpen my wits just to keep up.

Every evening, I'd walk out of the school gates and look up at a horizon ablaze with towering, neon-lit skyscrapers.

Navigating that fast-paced environment and the city's hustle left a permanent mark on me, molding me into a sharp, forward-thinking strategist who always knows how to stay three steps ahead of the crowd.

I'm already sitting on my chair, looking at the window and admiring how the winds whispered peacefully on my face, low-key romanticizing the moment.

...1 HOUR AGO...

After listening to him yapping for 2 hours straight, finally the ceremony started. He makes a gesture to wave a goodbye to me "Let's separate our ways. I'm going to my lineup for the ceremony". I nodded in response then headed off to my line.

While I was walking I thought of the boy whose a violinist prodigy the one he kept talking about stuck on my head actually I'm also curious how he plays, I think his name is "Chen Ming..." I just noticed.. Why is everyone staring at me and whispering? Did I do something bad or what dang it don't tell me I still have a toothpaste near my mouth?

I arrived at the ceremony and took my seat when all of a sudden a teacher kept waving at me asking mouth lyric like "come here quickly" sort of. Great now I have freshman greetings welcome speech and I learned today that I'm the leader council?? Well what could I say? I don't have any choice but this kind of thing is easy for me, I was already been practiced public speaking by my parents since I was young, sometimes my family would throw a party for me to make me play an instrument infront of the guests.

...Back to present...

After the principal done speaking it's my turn to go to the stage. As I am preparing myself from the backstage, a boy in my age looked at me coldly. What is he staring at? I don't have any time to think that because my name was already called.

" Let us now, listen to the welcome address to be delivered by Mr. Li Yuqi, A leader council and the top one passer among the list."

As my name was called out I walk on stage smiling, as claps surrounded the auditorium. "Well, there's no turning back now" I mumbled to myself still smiling woah maybe being professional runs from my bloodline.

I begin my speech and to be honest I think I did really well I didn't stutter a single word.

..."As I leave the stage, I want to leave you all behind with one final message no matter what the challenge is but let us never forget the every step forward, every challenge faced, and each of the failures encountered is shaping us into the people we are meant to be. Dream bigger, work harder, and trust that God's plan for you is greater than anything you can imagine. Thank you and Good luck with all of you new journey" I said in my final message....

..."Thank you, for your wonderful speech Mr. Li Yuqi. Now let us gave him a big of applause"...

I let out a big sigh of relief after I come back from the stage, I drink some water to fresh myself. Woah that was lowk good never did I expect to found out about myself that I'm a leader council, STEM student, and top 1 highest rank among the list of passer students.

Episode 02

The applause was still ringing in my ears as I stepped into the dim, air conditioned safety of the backstage wings. I grabbed a bottle of water, downing half of it in one go.

Top passer, student council leader, and a flawless speech. Not a bad start for a kid from the Shenzhen pressure cooker.

"God's plan? Really?"

I choked slightly on my water, coughing as I turned toward the voice.

Standing by the prop curtains was the boy who had eyed me coldly before I went on.

Up close, he looked even more detached, his uniform pristine, a sleek violin case slung over his shoulder.

"Excuse me?" I adjusted my blazer, my strategist brain instantly clicking into defensive mode.

"Your speech," the boy said, his voice smooth but dripping with quiet arrogance.

"It was beautifully rehearsed. Very professional. But empty. People who rely on 'destiny' or 'plans' usually just lack the stomach to control their own variables."

I let out a short, amused laugh, stepping closer.

"And you are?"

"Chen Ming."

The name hit me instantly. The violinist prodigy.

"Well, Chen Ming," I smiled, keeping my tone perfectly polite but sharp as a razor.

"Calculated optimism is a strategy, not a weakness. But I suppose when you spend all your time talking through four wooden strings, human communication can be a bit hard to parse."

His eyes narrowed slightly, a tiny crack in his icy armor.

"Let's see how long that strategic optimism lasts when the real workload starts, Leader Li."

He turned on his heel and walked out into the corridor, leaving a heavy tension in the air.

Wow. Talk about an ego, I thought, shaking my head.

...-----------------------------...

Twenty minutes later, the ceremony officially ended.

I could see my friend scanning the crowd, scanning the room to find me, undoubtedly ready to yap for another three hours about his life. I needed an exit strategy.

Sliding past a group of chatting parents, I ducked down a quiet, sunlit hallway that led away from the main auditorium and into the school’s older arts wing.

The further I walked, the quieter it got, the modern tech aesthetic of the main building fading into high ceilings and polished wooden floors.

Then, I heard it.

It wasn't just music, it was an assault.

A violin was weeping and raging through a piece so fast and technically complex it didn't sound humanly possible.

The notes bounced off the walls of the empty corridor, pulling me forward like a magnet.

I followed the sound to a heavy, half-open double door at the end of the hall.

I peered through the crack.

The room was bathed in the warm glow of the afternoon sun.

Standing in the center was Chen Ming.

His eyes were closed, his posture flawless, his bow moving across the strings with a terrifying, furious perfection.

The cold, arrogant boy from backstage was completely gone, replaced by something fierce and raw.

I stood frozen, low-key mesmerized by the sheer gravity of his performance.

SCREECH.

The music abruptly halted, a harsh, dissonant note echoing through the room.

Chen Ming lowered his bow, his chest heaving slightly as he turned his gaze directly toward the door.

His eyes locked onto mine through the gap.

"Is spying part of the student council's duties, Li Yuqi?" he asked, his voice cutting through the quiet room.

I didn't run.

Instead, I pushed the door wide open and walked right in, a confident smirk returning to my face.

"Just checking on the campus talent. Though, for someone who talks so much about controlling variables, your final crescendo sounded a little... angry."

Chen Ming gripped his bow tighter, his eyes flashing with a competitive fire. "You don't know anything about music."

"Maybe not," I replied, stepping closer, my mind already calculating three steps ahead.

"But I know people. And I know a challenge when I see one."

Episode 03

I didn't wait for Chen Ming to reply.

I turned on my heel and walked out of the music room, making sure my exit looked completely effortless.

My heart was thumping against my ribs, but a smirk played on my lips.

Score one for the strategist. I had completely shattered his icy composure.

...****************...

I grabbed my luggage from the campus holding area and headed toward the high-rise student dormitories while I was walking my phone suddenly is ringing, I saw the screen mom is calling, I answered it.

"Hi, mom I just grabbed my luggage from the campus holding area, and I'm headed toward the student dormitories"

Mom smiled, "I told you, you don't need to get dorms. Your father and I are worried, you know we can rent you a house near your campus."

"Y'all don't have to so no need to worry about me, I'll be fine plus it's better this way. I should go now, bye mom."

Mom sighed softly "Alright, make sure to eat healthy foods and don't push yourself too much" I smiled softly "Okay mom, take careof yourself too."

The sun was dipping below the Shenzhen horizon, painting the glass skyscrapers outside the gates in shades of crimson and gold.

All I wanted was to find my sanctuary, lock the door, and low-key romanticize the city view in peace.

I checked my digital key card. Building B, Floor 4, Room 404.

The hallway of the fourth floor was quiet. I slid my card against the electronic scanner.

The lock clicked open with a satisfying beep.

"Home sweet home," I muttered, pushing the door open and dropping my heavy duffle bag onto the floor.

The room was sleek, modern, and spacious, with two identical desks and two neatly made beds separated by a large window.

But my breath instantly caught in my throat.

Sitting on the bed to the left, carefully polishing the glossy wood of a violin, was Chen Ming.

The universe had to be playing a sick joke on me.

Chen Ming stopped polishing. He slowly raised his head, his cold, piercing eyes locking onto mine.

For a fraction of a second, a look of genuine shock flashed across his face, but he masked it instantly, replacing it with a smug, knowing smirk that made my blood boil.

"You've got to be kidding me," I breathed out, still holding the doorknob.

"Is this part of your 'God's plan' too, Leader Li?" Chen Ming asked, his voice smooth, dripping with dark amusement.

He didn't even look up as he set his cloth down.

"Because if it is, your strategist brain clearly failed to calculate the housing algorithm."

"The algorithm is flawed," I snapped, shutting the door behind me and dragging my bag toward the empty bed on the right.

"I'm the top passer. I should at least get a roommate who understands basic human expressions."

"And I'm the top soloist," Chen Ming replied coolly, crossing his arms.

"I was hoping for a roommate who knew the concept of boundaries. Let's set some ground rules, Li Yuqi. Don't touch my sheet music, don't look at my instruments, and don't drag your student council politics into this room."

"Fine," I shot back, dropping onto my mattress and staring at him across the small divide.

"Then here are mine, Keep your wooden noise machine quiet after 10:00 PM, and don't touch my robotics gear. If a single microchip goes missing, I'll know exactly who to blame."

"Deal."

Before the silence could get any heavier, the wall behind my bed vibrated violently, followed by the loud, muffled sound of a heavy suitcase slamming into the floor next door.

"YO! YUQI! ARE YOU IN THERE?!"

A loud, frantic banging echoed on our shared wall. It was my friend from earlier. The yapper.

"I GOT ROOM 403! WE ARE WALL-BUDDIES! OPEN UP, I HAVE SO MUCH TO TELL YOU ABOUT THE ORIENTATION CAFETERIA LUNCH!"

I closed my eyes, letting out a long, defeated sigh. I looked across the room. Chen Ming was staring at the wall with a look of pure, unadulterated horror, his icy composure entirely shattered by the sheer volume of my friend's voice.

I couldn't help it. A genuine, triumphant smirk spread across my face.

"Welcome to Room 404, Roommate," I whispered smoothly.

"Hope you like variables you can't control."