Background to Main Lead

I'm Aiden, a background character in a melodrama novel. When the arrogant scholarship student, Brock, transferred into our school and cursed the four most powerful families as a cancer on society, I was studying. While the four heiresses dragged Brock through endless love-hate drama, I kept grinding away. That was until the midterm exams, when I snatched first place away from him. The Holdsworth heiress locked me in a dark storage room, saying she'd keep me there for three days to teach me a lesson. So I calmly dialed an encrypted number on my phone. After all, it's a trashy melodrama. Who doesn't have a hidden identity? Three minutes later, the entire school was surrounded by a fleet of helicopters... Chapter 1 Elena Holdsworth stood over me, looking down with a cold sneer on her face. "Let me tell you, A... Ai–whatever-your-name-is..." She cut herself off, drawing a blank. Silence hung for three full seconds. "It's Aiden," I offered helpfully. Elena immediately frowned in disgust. "What a trashy name." After a pause, she continued, "Honestly, if I weren't doing this to stick up for Brock, I wouldn't waste a single word on a guy like you." I just nodded, looking completely understanding of where she was coming from. After all, she was the female lead in this story. Why would she bother remembering the name of a random extra? In her eyes, I probably didn't even qualify as background filler. I was reincarnated into this world straight from birth, only to realize I had landed inside an old-school, ultra-dramatic romance novel. The plot revolved around a self-made, impoverished male lead and his angst-ridden love stories with the heiresses of the city's four most powerful families. I, on the other hand, was just a throwaway line in the background: [Ever since Brock Larsson transferred here, the former top student was permanently pushed into second place.] Yep, I was that permanent runner-up. Except I believe in taking my fate into my own hands. I spent ten years in my past life and ten years in this one, which meant I had been studying for twenty solid years. The top spot in the grade was going to be mine, no matter what. So while everyone else got sucked into high school romance, I ground through stack after stack of exam prep books. The entire school might've been going wild chasing after the four heiresses and the guys banded together to alienate Brock, but I was studying. As those four heiresses fell for Brock one by one, hugging him in the pouring rain on the track field, confessing their love on the roof, and holding hands in secret between the library stacks, I kept cranking out practice exams without missing a beat. They loved passionately, while I studied with absolute inner peace. That was until the midterm results were finally posted and my name was plastered right at the very top of the leaderboard. Elena leaned in close, her tone dripping with hostility. "Do you have any idea that because you stole Brock's top rank, he couldn't sleep a single wink all night?" She backed me into a corner, exuding the heavy, overbearing aura typical of a spoiled heiress. "He works so hard and strives so relentlessly for success. Why are you targeting him like this?" I couldn't help but interrupt her. "Excuse me, but as far as I remember, Brock ranked 84th overall on this exam. Aside from me, there are literally eighty-two other people ahead of him." Elena froze for half a second before exploding in anger. "It doesn't matter! The top spot belongs to Brock! The only reason he dropped to 84th is because you stole his position, so it's your fault!" I was genuinely amazed by her Olympic-level mental gymnastics. Before I could say another word, she shoved me into the school storage closet. The heavy iron door slammed shut with a sharp, echoing click of the lock. "Consider yourself locked in here for three days to teach you a lesson," her voice carried through the door, filled with arrogant contempt. "It's time you learned your place. Who gave you the right to steal first place?" After Elena's footsteps faded away, I looked around the dim storage space, packed with broken desks, chairs, and dusty sports gear. Just as I was figuring out the best way to break out, my encrypted phone began to ring. "Aiden! Top of the grade again? That’s my boy!" My dad's booming voice burst through the receiver. "Your uncles were so thrilled when they heard the news that they lined up a hundred cases of high-grade explosives, just waiting for you to come home and blow them up for a proper celebration! "Oh, by the way, do you want your mom to swing by and pick you up? She just picked up a rare, customized firearm recently. It's an absolute beauty." Chapter 2 At my wit's end, I brushed him off with a few vague excuses, saying I'd make my own way home, and spent the next few minutes talking my parents out of picking me up. Hanging up the phone, I shook my head and sighed. Honestly, neither of them was capable of staying out of trouble. If they ever found out their precious son was locked in a dark storage room from school bullying, they'd probably blow the entire campus sky-high. Even though I was just a background character, this was a trashy melodrama after all. My grandfather was a legendary mafia don. My dad inherited the family business, and my mom was the number-one assassin on the global hit list, charging a flat rate of a hundred million dollars per contract. The two of them hit it off like soulmates, got together, and had me—their one and only precious child. In the words of my dad, George Simkin, it took ten generations of straight-up criminals in our bloodline just to sprout a single kid who actually liked to read. I still remember back in elementary school, when I brought home a report card with straight A's for the first time. My parents looked at me with terror in their eyes. First, they suspected I had cheated. Then they thought I had threatened or bribed the teachers for those grades. They even wondered if I wasn't their biological son, simply refusing to believe I had earned them myself. It wasn't until later that they realized I truly had zero interest in sports or fighting. I preferred staying home to study and had somehow mastered eight languages at a young age. After that, they finally gave up. When I scored first on my high school entrance exams, my parents almost passed out from the shock. That very night, my dad excitedly surrounded the headquarters of over a dozen rival gangs, setting off demolition charges one by one just to give me a fireworks show. Meanwhile, my mom hunted down every single person on the top ten bounty list to clear them out, claiming she was putting together a flawless gift to celebrate my achievement. My only wish after that was simple: once I started high school, they were strictly forbidden from revealing my identity so I could study in peace. In the past, whenever anyone found out who my parents were, they would end up trembling in fear. Now that I’d finally managed to live quietly as a background character and focus on my studies, I couldn't let them ruin it. With that thought in mind, I crouched down in front of the storage room's lock. In no time, the lock clicked open. After years of passive exposure at home, picking a standard lock was child's play. That afternoon, I showed up to class right on time, sitting back in my desk and opening my textbook as if nothing had happened. When Brock saw me, a quick flicker of unwillingness flashed across his eyes. He spent the entire class period staring at me with a stubborn look. During recess, he couldn't hold back anymore. He walked over and stopped right in front of my desk, his voice firm. "Aiden, I admit you're good. But I'm telling you, I'll definitely win back first place on my own." I looked up at him and said with utter sincerity, "Then, on top of beating me, you've got another eighty-two people to cross off your list." Brock froze for a second, pressed his lips tightly, and turned back to his seat with a lonely back. I shrugged and went straight back to solving practice problems. It didn't take long before Elena walked over with a scowl. She wore a high-end red designer dress and high heels. "Aiden, I really underestimated you. It looks like you haven't learned your lesson yet." She raised her hand to slap me across the face. I was just about to dodge when a hand reached out from the side to stop her. It was Lara Wheeldon, the heiress of the Wheeldons. She wore a gentle smile, but her eyes were filled with shrewd calculation. Lara looked down at me, her tone soft. "Aiden, how about I give you money, and you let Brock take the top spot?" Curious, I asked, "How much are you offering?" The smile on Lara's face deepened. "Whatever amount you want, I'll give it to you. The Wheeldons never lack money." I thought it over for a moment, then held up a hand with five fingers. Lara raised an eyebrow. "Five million? Done." She turned to sneer at Elena. "That's why you should always use your brain instead of brute force when you run into problems, Elena. Why get hands-on when money can solve it?" I didn't rush to reply and asked a question back. "But the scholarship for taking first place is only five thousand dollars. Why don't you just wire five million to Brock? Isn't he trying to rank first for the money anyway?" Elena let out a cold laugh from the side. "Brock isn't a gold-digger like you. The five thousand dollars he earns through his own hard work is worth more than anything. You don't understand how genuine he is." I nodded. "Well, I'm not asking for five million." Lara frowned. "Then what do you want?" "I want..." Slowly, I folded four of my fingers down, leaving only my middle finger sticking up. I silently mouthed two words at her. "Dumb-ass." The gentle smile on Lara's face shattered instantly, her eyes darkening. "Aiden, don't push your luck." I stepped back, catching sight of our homeroom teacher, Mr. Colas, walking down the end of the hallway out of the corner of my eye. Taking a deep breath, I cleared my throat and yelled at the top of my lungs. "Mr. Colas! Lara's trying to bribe me with five million dollars to throw the exams for Brock!" Chapter 3 Everyone who heard about it looked at Brock with contempt. "And he's supposed to be a special admissions student? Turns out he even needs a rich girl to buy him his rank." "Shh, keep it down. Watch out, or he'll get her to come settle scores with you." Brock's face turned pale. He walked up to Lara, his voice tight with anger. "Lara, I never asked you to do this for me. I'll get my own grades." With that, he turned and walked off with his head held high. Even as Lara chased after him to explain, Brock quickened his pace without looking back. Elena ground her teeth on the side. "Aiden, that jerk!" Kaia Grant, the Grants' heiress, leaned against a pillar in the hallway and spoke up slowly. "I have an idea." She curled her lips into a smile. "A nerd like him has obviously never dated anyone. Why don't I go after him? Once he thinks I actually like him, I'll dump him hard. When the time comes, he won't even have time to cry, let alone take first place." The others exchanged glances, a meaningful light flashing in their eyes. Unaware of their plot, I headed home after school. I pushed open the three-meter-tall, carved iron gate. The moment I stepped into the living room, a crowd of thugs in suits turned around and gave me a deadly stare. Seeing it was me, everyone instantly burst into bright smiles. "Hey, look who's back! Our top scholar, Aiden!" "Our little star student! Let me take a look at you. You've gotten thinner. Is the school food that bad?" I greeted them one by one. "Hey Uncle Elliot, how's business been?" The scar-faced man burst into laughter. "Thanks to you, we took seven big orders last month. I've been so busy!" "Uncle Lewis, heard you took over three rival turfs last month? Body holding up alright?" The usually stone-faced capo cracked a wide smile. "Don't worry! I still got plenty of fight left in me!" After I greeted everyone, my parents finally squeezed out from behind the crowd. Both of them had matching rainbow hair, looking like a pair of walking Skittles. My lip twitched. "What is with the look?" Dad scratched the back of his head with a foolish grin. "Your mom said it's all the rage with high schoolers nowadays. Do you like it?" I let out a chuckle. "It's... pretty unique." Then I slung my backpack over my shoulder. "I'm going to study. Final exams are in a month." Dad sighed and called out to my back, "Man, this kid is great in every way, except he works too hard! He doesn't take after his mom and me at all. Back then, we were busy fighting, skipping class, and dating! "I was waiting for him to get expelled so he could come back and inherit the family business, but it looks like we won't live to see the day." Uncle Elliot slapped him on the shoulder. "Stop humble-bragging! You've got a son at the top of his year. Just be happy!" The rest chimed in, and thunderous laughter filled the living room. Upstairs in my room, I set down my bag just as my phone buzzed with a message. [Hey, it's Kaia. Can we get to know each other? You're not like the other guys.] I stared at the screen for three seconds, grinned, and threw open my door. Then I shouted downstairs at the top of my lungs, "Dad! I'm getting a girlfriend!" The living room went dead silent. Dad's eyes widened. "What?! Which family's girl is it?" Ignoring him, I slammed the door shut and messaged Kaia back. For the next month, Kaia began chasing me. Every morning, a cup of coffee was placed on my desk. Right when school ended, she would show up at the classroom door. On weekends, she went out on dates with me. During evening study sessions, she sat next to me without flipping a single page, resting her chin on one hand and staring at me with affection. We were inseparable. She clung to me from morning till night, dragging me all over the place, leaving me no time to study. Meanwhile, she began ignoring Brock. Whenever Brock tried to find her, she coldly avoided him. Rumors began spreading at school. [Kaia Falls for Grade's Top Student.] [Is It Over For the School's Heartthrob?] Brock's supporters called me shameless behind my back, but I pretended not to hear a thing. Finally, the term exams ended. The day before the results came out, Kaia asked to meet me on the school rooftop. When I arrived, Elena, Lara, and Myra Clark were all there, standing in a line with Brock protected right in the middle. Kaia crossed her arms, tilting her chin up with an arrogant tone. "Aiden, let's break up. The game is over." She then turned to Brock, her voice softening. "See? Everything between him and me these past few days was fake. I was just playing with him." Though the corners of Brock's mouth curled up, he looked away, his voice calm. "Who cares who you like?" Kaia turned back to me, no longer hiding her malice. "Aiden, I never liked you. Every single day I spent with you made me feel disgusted. I only did this so you wouldn't have time to study. Let's see how you take first place this time." She paused, her tone growing colder. "Turns out you're just another vain guy, taking the bait after a little chasing." She looked at me triumphantly, waiting for me to be heartbroken, but I laughed out loud. "Is that so?" I nodded. "Sure, then. Let's break up." Kaia clearly hadn't expected such a calm reaction and froze for a second. "Keep acting tough. Once the scores come out, let's see if you can still laugh." Just as she finished speaking, everyone's phone buzzed with a mass notification of final exam scores from the academic office. "Results are out!" Kaia shot me a smug look and opened her phone. The next second, her face changed. Chapter 4 Everyone stared at the final rankings in shock. My name was still right at the very top—a near-perfect 1590, locked in with zero suspense. Brock’s name, meanwhile, had dropped all the way to 200th place, even worse than his previous 84th. The moment Brock saw his score, his face went pale. He lowered his eyes, pressed his lips into a tight line, and turned to leave with a grim look on his face. No matter how much the girls called after him, he didn't look back once. Kaia stared at her phone, completely stunned. "How is this possible? I clung to you every single day. You didn't have any time to study..." I looked at her with a trace of pity. Over the past month, she had dragged me to cafes to ditch class, but I'd keep an earbud in to stream online lectures. When she dragged me into late-night voice calls to play dual-player games, I worked out calculus problems on scratch paper, mastering the art of multitasking. Even as she sat next to me saying romantic things, my earbuds were actually playing Spanish listening practice. I patted her on the shoulder with a sympathetic sigh. "Kaia, I had a great time this past month." Kaia froze. Then her face turned bright red from her neck up to her ears, and she kicked over a nearby trash can with a slam. "Aiden!!!" I ignored her and turned to leave. Behind me, the other three girls began mocking Kaia without mercy. Finally, Myra spoke up. "All your methods are too small-time. If you want to solve a problem, you do it once and for all." She smiled coldly, drawing her index finger across her neck in a slow throat-slitting motion. The other three exchanged glances, their amusement fading. Elena nodded. "If Myra is taking action, looks like he's completely done for." The day I got my scholarship, I walked out of the classroom and called my dad. "Hey, Dad, school's out." On the other end, Dad’s voice sounded overjoyed. "Great! My precious son got first place again! I've already set up a feast for you!" "Right, and since it's your grandfather's 80th birthday, your uncles all flew in. Now I get to brag that my son's a genius! Hahaha!" Just as I was about to reply, a sharp pain hit the back of my head. My vision went dark, and the phone slipped from my hand onto the floor. In the last second of my fading consciousness, I saw Myra’s indifferent face. She looked down at me on the floor, turning to the people behind her. "Take him and dispose of him." From the phone on the floor, Dad's voice came through. "Hello? Aiden, why aren't you talking? Hello?" Myra bent down to pick up the phone, originally intending to hang up. But then she had a thought. Bringing the phone to her mouth, a cruel smile curled on her lips. "Are you Aiden's dad? Your son crossed someone he shouldn't have, and now he's going to pay." The line went silent for two seconds before Dad's voice came through once more. He said in a deep tone, sounding like a completely different person, "Who are you? What did you do to my son?" Myra felt even more satisfied, leaning lazily against the car door. "You wouldn't even know what to do about it if I told you, old man. Your son is in the hands of the Clarks now." She hung up, tossed the phone onto the ground, and got into the car. "Drive." The car started and rolled out of the school gates. However, less than three minutes into the drive, the driver slammed on the brakes. Myra, who was resting her eyes in the back seat, jerked forward from the inertia. She looked up in anger. "What's going on?" Her henchman in the front seat stammered, "Miss Clark, we can't go anywhere." Myra looked up, her pupils shrinking. A fleet of black helicopters hovered overhead, blocking out the sun and completely sealing off the road. Rows of black-clad bodyguards rappelled down from the helicopters, raising their weapons. "Everyone, stay where you are. Don't move."