[Audio] She’s a Passerby, But Can See the Protagonist’s Halo – CH1

Chapter 1

September 7th, Binhai City.

It was already September. The sunlight was still somewhat scorching, but A-Yan didn’t feel it at all.

At that moment, she stood in line among the female freshmen waiting to register, casually glancing around as if observing the campus environment outside the registration tent—nothing about her drew attention.

After scanning her surroundings twice, A-Yan confirmed that no one had any strange golden halos floating above their heads. She immediately let out a sigh of relief.

Great. Choosing to attend university in Binhai City was absolutely the right decision! Finally—finally—she was far away from those “halo” people!

Just thinking about it made her heart surge with excitement.

Could it be that all the prayers she made before the college entrance exam—to the Jade Emperor, the Buddhas, the Three Pure Ones, even Confucius—had actually worked? Whoever answered, thank you, truly!

Ever since elementary school, A-Yan had been able to see strange things.

Her newly moved-in neighbor, Aunt Tan, had the words “Pregnant and Ran Away” floating above her head, while her twin children had “Peerless Genius Babies” above theirs. The golden halos above the three of them shone brilliantly, leaving young A-Yan deeply shaken.

And in reality, those twins truly lived up to their halos—peerless geniuses, terrifyingly so.

At three, they could recite the English-Chinese dictionary backwards. At five, they mastered both Chinese and Western instruments. At seven, they hacked into a national database… There were countless such incidents.

If the age gap between A-Yan and the twins had been large, it might have been easier to bear. But they were only three years younger than her.

When they were seven and successfully hacked into a national database—prompting recruitment from state security—ten-year-old A-Yan, who lived upstairs, had only managed to win an Excellence Award in a primary school math olympiad and second prize in a New Concept English competition with her childhood friend. In comparison, she seemed utterly ordinary.

Because Aunt Tan didn’t want to force the twins to grow up too quickly—and they themselves wanted to experience a normal childhood—they didn’t enter the academy’s gifted youth program early. Instead, they skipped three grades and studied in the same class as A-Yan. From elementary school to middle school, for a full nine years, A-Yan grew up under the overwhelming contrast of these two “ultimate boss-level” prodigies.

To escape a high school life still filled with comparison, A-Yan resolutely chose not to advance directly to her school’s key high school. Instead, she went to a private school.

At first, her high school life was normal. Her deskmate was that same quiet girl with straight bangs and an old uniform. They attended classes together, ate together, and got along well.

Who could have expected that three months later, after a nap, a dazzling new halo—“Rebirth: Crematorium Arc”—would suddenly appear above her deskmate’s head, nearly blinding A-Yan.

The once quiet and introverted girl seemed to have become someone else entirely. At sixteen, she bloomed like a white lotus, moving gracefully among the cold top student, the wolf-dog school tyrant, the ruthless bigshot, and the gentle childhood sweetheart, leaving A-Yan utterly stunned.

Throughout high school, A-Yan was forced to witness the story between this reborn girl and her many pursuers, such as—

At the corner of the teaching building, she once ran into her deskmate being cornered by the school tyrant on the stairs, eyes red as he said, “Xu Jiaojiao, I’d give you my life.”

…

Her high school life was truly absurdly dramatic.

Thinking back on those years surrounded by such people—and then imagining the bright and ordinary college life awaiting her in Binhai—A-Yan was almost moved to tears of joy.

After submitting her admission notice, college entrance exam score report, and other documents, A-Yan completed her registration procedures and sent a message to her childhood friend, Zhu Jue—she was heading to the dormitory.

As one of the top universities in Binhai City, and even the entire Xia Nation, Binhai University had a long history. Its campus was located in the city center and covered a vast area, second only to the Agricultural University. It was divided into four major sections—east, south, west, and north—and the dormitories were named after the four seasons and the twenty-four solar terms.

A-Yan was enrolled in the Faculty of Literature, and her assigned dormitory was in the South District, Xiayuan Dorms. Binhai University allowed freshmen to ship their luggage in advance, so her bedding had already been delivered to the assigned room by the school.

After picking up her key downstairs with the claim slip, A-Yan carried an indescribable joy in her heart. Her steps felt light as she dragged her suitcase up to the third floor.

Long before school started, she and her childhood friend Zhu Jue—who was also attending the same university—had already done their freshman “homework.” Six-person dorm, private bathroom, air conditioning.

Looking at the information slip with the dorm details and her roommates’ names—“Gu Jiasui, Yi Zhi, Chu Bingbing, Ding Ling”—she silently thought, Hope everyone’s easy to get along with.

As she walked down the corridor, the tiles underfoot looked old and dim but were clean. The white walls were smooth, as if freshly painted. Many dorm doors were open; suitcase wheels rattled across the floor. Parents were making small talk, while freshmen observed and commented on the dorm conditions.

“320. This is it.”

After checking the number on the doorframe, A-Yan confirmed it and stepped into the dorm she would be living in for the next four years.

“Gululu—” Her suitcase rolled in first. As she pushed it inside, she locked eyes with a girl arranging items at the desk.

The girl had neat, well-defined features with a sharp, heroic air. She wore a wolf-cut hairstyle, with two strands of dark green highlights on either side of her forehead. Even sitting down, her broad shoulders and long legs stood out—her proportions were excellent. She didn’t speak, only nodded at A-Yan.

A-Yan stiffly returned the nod—but not because the girl seemed unfriendly.

It was because she saw a faint halo flickering above the girl’s head.

The five words “Apocalypse Ability User” hovered right there above her hair.

A-Yan forced herself to look away, then quickly found her own name on the bed opposite this “ability user” roommate.

The dorm had three loft beds with desks underneath on each side of the entrance. A-Yan and this roommate happened to occupy the middle spots on opposite sides—not near the door, nor near the bathroom or balcony.

The moment she set her backpack down on the desk, A-Yan felt a little like she was breaking down.

Was this some inescapable fate?

She had traveled all this way to get into Binhai—so why had she once again ended up surrounded by people with halos!?

Everyone in the registration line earlier had been completely normal—so how did she end up with a “special person” the moment she entered the dorm?

Silently, she took out disinfectant wipes from her bag and began cleaning. Based on the bed number on the slip, she matched the name with the ability-user roommate.

Apocalypse Ability User—Yi Zhi.

After making her bed, A-Yan sat on it. Half-standing, she could reach the ceiling with a stretch. Above, there was a ring of wire surrounding the bed—probably left by a senior for hanging bed curtains.

Since there were limits on luggage weight for flights, she had planned to buy these small items after arriving anyway—they wouldn’t be expensive.

By the time she finished making the bed, A-Yan had already steadied her emotions. She climbed down and greeted Yi Zhi.

“I’m going to buy a bed curtain. Do you need me to bring anything?”

Yi Zhi paused, putting down the potted plant she was arranging on her desk, and politely shook her head. “No, thank you.”

She glanced at the items on A-Yan’s desk. “I’m not going out for now. I’ll keep an eye on your things.”

Hearing her speak—perfectly normal and easygoing—A-Yan felt a wave of relief and thanked her politely.

“Alright, thank you for the trouble.”

A-Yan left the dorm and headed to the campus convenience area. Washbasins, cups, bed curtains—these daily necessities all had to be bought on-site. On registration day, the place was packed with students and parents. By the time she returned, half an hour had passed.

Carrying a basin in her arms, she walked back into the dorm—and heard voices inside.

“We’re actually in the same dorm—this is great!”

“What’s your name?”

So the other roommates had arrived? The voices didn’t sound like Yi Zhi.

The moment A-Yan stepped through the door, her footsteps froze.

Four enormous golden halos appeared before her eyes, delivering yet another shock to her worldview.

“Ancient Soul in Modern Times,” “Apocalypse Ability User,” “Ghost King Revival,” and “Will Die If I Don’t Spend Money” hovered above the heads of her four roommates.

A-Yan slowly typed a question mark in her mind.

Seriously… was this really a normal world for ordinary people to live in?

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