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The door opened.
A moment later, one light after another illuminated the dim room.
Dragging herself and her bag inside, Lin Zhiyan trudged into the living room before collapsing face-first onto the sofa. She was exhausted. Her whole body felt as though it had been run over by a truck, and she was on the verge of melting into a puddle of human-shaped liquid.
So tired.
Today had been far too long.
She had to deal with Jiang Yi, deal with Zephy, deal with Lu Weixi, and still attend classes.
Seriously, was her life supposed to look like this?
After getting into a prestigious university, shouldn’t she have been studying for civil service exams with one hand, professional certification exams with another, doing internships with a third, and grinding her GPA with a fourth? Then graduating early with honors and entering a government think tank or consulting firm?
Then marrying her boss’s son or some high-ranking official’s son. The two of them would struggle together, drift apart because of work, get divorced, and she’d walk away with a massive settlement.
Finally, she’d spend her evenings holding a glass of wine, gazing at the city lights through floor-to-ceiling windows while a naked man lounged on the bed behind her, and she’d wistfully reminisce about her first love.
Why, instead, was she spending the past month enduring high-intensity classes, high-intensity battles with these privileged dragons, and constantly engaging in psychological warfare just to avoid expulsion or punishment?
She had only wanted to earn some money for textbooks.
Maybe strike it lucky and farm a few extra gold coins.
Lin Zhiyan covered her face and closed her eyes.
For the first time, she regretted getting admitted here.
Before school started, she’d imagined herself “seeing all the flowers of Chang’an in a single day.”
After school started, reality became:
“How may this humble servant assist you, my lord?”
No.
Complaining solved nothing.
She opened her eyes.
Above her hung an elaborate crystal chandelier with dangling tassels. It resembled an enormous transparent spider hanging upside down from the ceiling.
Tomorrow night she’d meet Li Siheng and Le Mans.
If she could persuade them to transfer schools and cut ties with her, half her problems would disappear.
As for Zephy and Jiang Yi, she didn’t interact with them that much anyway. Zephy probably wouldn’t bother her for a while after today, and Jiang Yi only saw her during the elective course.
The real problem was Lu Weixi.
Lu Weixi and Jiang Yi hated each other, but failing the course didn’t necessarily mean Lu Weixi would let her go. When a young master got angry, someone always ended up as collateral damage.
Should she improve her relationship with him?
No.
If she got too close to Lu Weixi, the relationship she’d established with Jiang Yi would inevitably suffer. If things went badly, both sides could turn against her.
Apologize and compensate him?
Also no.
Who knew what ridiculous demands he’d make afterward?
Jiang Yi had been right.
Getting entangled with Lu Weixi really did bring endless trouble.
The photograph wasn’t a threat anymore.
The only thing left was the money.
Did she really have to give up all that money?
She’d already covered so many classes.
Wuwuwu.
Lin Zhiyan’s brain immediately began calculating her financial losses.
Countless numbers flashed before her eyes.
Pain filled her chest.
Fine.
She’d treat it as an expensive lesson.
At least it would eliminate a lot of trouble.
Having made up her mind, Lin Zhiyan sprang upright and punched the sofa cushion several times to reinforce her determination.
But instead of a soft thump, her fist hit something solid underneath.
“Hm?”
She pressed down again.
One section of the cushion felt harder than the rest.
What was that?
Standing up, she yanked the cushion aside.
The next moment—
Thunk.
A rectangular brocade box fell onto the floor.
Lin Zhiyan sat down and picked it up.
Inside was an identification document.
She opened it and immediately saw a page full of legal terms beneath a striking title:
[Interstellar Empire Citizen Property Ownership Transfer Certificate]
Her eyes moved downward.
She found Le Mans’s flowing signature.
His signature and citizen-data particle seal were already stamped on the left side.
The right side remained blank.
Looking deeper into the box, she discovered a card tucked underneath.
It was written in Le Mans’s handwriting.
At the lower right corner sat a tiny cat paw print.
You made me so happy while trying to cheer me up that I decided this should be your salary.
Just enter your name and particle seal.
Wait, no—if you found this yourself, you’re not allowed to sign it. Come find me first!
P.S. Alexander stepped in the ink, so I let him leave his paw print as a witness seal.
Also, this serves as a warning: the cat hostage remains in my custody.
…
Brother.
If I found this myself, why would I listen to you?
I’d sign it immediately and the house would become mine.
Why would I come looking for you?
The thought was so absurd that she almost laughed.
Why?
Why was there someone this gullible?
This foolish?
Couldn’t he tell that what he felt toward her was merely vague and subtle affection?
It wasn’t love.
Not even close.
Or perhaps he understood perfectly.
Maybe money, time, trust—none of those things seemed precious to him.
Which was why, even when putting his feelings into writing, he made no effort to conceal his fondness.
Lin Zhiyan fell backward onto the sofa.
She stared at the card.
The blue glow of the refreshing official seal reflected in her dark eyes.
After a long time, she lowered her hand and picked up her terminal.
Then she remembered.
Le Mans was still confined and unreachable.
She put the terminal down again.
Holding the card, she pressed her thumb against the little black paw print.
Tomorrow night she could ask him in person.
So tonight—
She would reluctantly refrain from forcibly seizing private property.
She could become an even worse person later.
Bzzzz—
A string of vibrations suddenly sounded.
Incoming call requests.
Lin Zhiyan immediately snapped out of her thoughts.
The terminal was vibrating so aggressively that if she didn’t answer soon, it felt as though it would walk out of the living room, open the front door, and let itself into her house.
She took a deep breath and answered.
The moment the call connected—
It disconnected.
Then another call arrived.
She answered.
It disconnected again.
The cycle repeated.
“…”
What exactly was he trying to do?
Confused, Lin Zhiyan sent a message.
[YZY: ???]
The moment she sent it, the nonstop calls ceased.
Several minutes later, Lu Weixi finally replied.
[Lu Weixi: Finally done pretending to be a turtle?]
[Lu Weixi: Answer the phone.]
Before she could type a response, another call arrived.
This time, it connected.
“Go ahead. Explain what happened.”
Lu Weixi sounded relaxed, but the way he spoke was eerily similar to Jiang Yi’s.
An interrogation.
“If I fail this course, my mood isn’t going to be very good.”
“I couldn’t do anything about it.”
Lin Zhiyan answered honestly.
“The only thing I can do is calculate the fees. I’ll charge for the classes I’ve already covered for you and refund the rest—including Jiang Yi’s course and all the classes I haven’t covered yet.”
“So you’re saying you’re eating the loss yourself?”
Lu Weixi sounded puzzled.
Then realization dawned.
“Oh.”
“Li Siheng is transferring schools now, so you think that photo can’t threaten you anymore?”
“The important thing is that I never volunteered in the first place.”
Lin Zhiyan sounded exhausted.
“You were the one who made me do it. Why should I be responsible? I already got punished because I covered classes for you…”
She took a deep breath.
Then squeezed out a trembling sob.
Breaking her words into tiny fragments.
“I… I really don’t understand…”
“Why are you making things difficult for me?”
“But… but…”
“I’ve already done my best.”
“I can’t do anything else.”
“Just because I’m connected to Li Siheng, does that mean you think you can humiliate me?”
By the end, even her face felt warm.
Using vocal acting was harder than crying for real.
Silence fell.
A long silence.
Lin Zhiyan suddenly felt nervous.
Had her acting been too terrible?
Finally, Lu Weixi spoke.
His voice was noticeably louder.
“f*ck, why are you crying?! I haven’t even done anything yet!”
Lin Zhiyan: “…?”
Why did he sound panicked?
She thought for a moment.
Then added a few more choked sobs.
“I… I’m not…”
“Give me a break. You’re breathing like a bull and saying you’re not crying? Don’t pass out inside my terminal. You—no, wait, you—”
He sounded irritated.
Or maybe overwhelmed.
His speech sped up.
“Stop, stop, stop. Quit crying. I’m not trying to do anything to you. Calm down.”
Interesting.
He actually seemed genuinely flustered.
Was he one of those classic characters who looked terrifying but couldn’t handle making a woman cry?
Lin Zhiyan found the discovery strangely fascinating.
So she continued breathing dramatically.
Occasionally adding a little mouth breathing for effect.
Two minutes later, Lu Weixi’s mentality completely collapsed.
She could practically hear him pacing around.
Finally, helplessly, he begged:
“Can you stop crying already? Please? I beg you. Put away your divine powers.”
“I’m already about to fail this damn class, and I have a mountain of crap to deal with.”
“Please spare my ears.”
Lin Zhiyan: “…”
Misjudgment.
He wasn’t soft-hearted.
He was just genuinely panicking.
After gradually calming her breathing and fake sobs, she spoke in a hoarse voice.
“I’m feeling better now. Sorry. I’ve just been really overwhelmed. You’ve put too much pressure on me.”
“When did I pressure you?”
Lu Weixi immediately argued.
“I just told you to consider your options. You took the money, didn’t you?”
His logic struck directly at her weak point.
“Even if I threatened you, that’s separate from the transaction. The result is that I failed the course.”
“Don’t tell me this is because Jiang Yi and I don’t get along.”
“There were only two reasons I hired you.”
“First, your grades are good enough.”
“Second, you could handle Jiang Yi.”
Handle Jiang Yi?
Ridiculous.
Just keeping herself fed was already difficult.
Wait.
“…Why do you think I can handle Jiang Yi?”
“Oh.”
Lu Weixi paused.
“Because I saw you come out of Jiang Yi’s lounge looking disheveled.”
A few seconds later, he added:
“Right. I have that photo too.”
“I just thought Li Siheng’s photo was better leverage.”
“If you hadn’t started crying earlier, I would’ve sent it to you and told you to figure out a solution—or I’d send it to certain people.”
Disheveled?
Was he talking about when Jiang Yi cut off her sleeve?
So the person standing outside playing with a terminal had been Lu Weixi?
And he’d taken photos?
Lin Zhiyan nearly broke down.
“…Do you just really enjoy taking pictures?”
“Maybe I enjoy collecting new secrets whenever I find them.”
There was laughter in Lu Weixi’s voice, but his tone turned more serious.
“You failed to meet my expectations.”
“So naturally, it’s your responsibility to solve the problem.”
What kind of nonsense was that?
If he expected her to cure terminal cancer and she failed, should she commit ritual suicide too?
And besides, when money was involved she’d pretended to be under his thumb.
But now?
How was she supposed to solve something like this?
“Did you hear me? Why aren’t you talking?”
Lu Weixi impatiently urged.
“Jiang Yi and I—”
Our relationship isn’t what you think.
No.
He definitely wouldn’t believe that.
Lin Zhiyan swallowed the second half of the sentence.
Then suddenly said:
“Even now, you’re still trying to put all the blame on me?”
“Huh?”
She caught him completely off guard.
His tone turned sharp.
“What, now you’re trying to dump responsibility on me? Lin Zhiyan, you—”
“Do you remember what you said on the phone?”
Her voice was quiet.
“A lot of people know I was covering classes for you now. Do you think that’s because I’m famous, or because you’re famous?”
As he listened, Lu Weixi frowned.
“What are you trying to say?”
“The first class, Jiang Yi really didn’t punish you because of me.”
“Fortunately, I became a teaching assistant and had authority over attendance records.”
“But once rumors started spreading, the matter was bound to be investigated.”
“Especially after I skipped your name during the second attendance check.”
“So Jiang Yi called me in for questioning.”
“If you don’t believe me, go verify it yourself.”
“Continue.”
“I explained that you’d requested leave in advance, and I’d forgotten to submit the paperwork.”
Lin Zhiyan sighed.
“At that point, everything should have been resolved. One absence. That’s all.”
“But then you called.”
“Jiang Yi hadn’t even spoken yet, and you immediately confessed everything.”
Lu Weixi: “…”
He shot upright from his sofa.
“Wait.”
“What?”
“Surely you haven’t forgotten what you said?” Lin Zhiyan asked sorrowfully.
“You personally admitted that I was covering classes for you.”
“You personally admitted that you were threatening me with photographs.”
“Lu Weixi.”
“Why do you think I cried?”
“I had no way out.”
Her tone was full of grief.
“You personally handed Jiang Yi the knife and invited him to stab you with it.”
“So the person responsible isn’t me.”
“It’s you.”
The flood of information left him stunned.
His gray-blue eyes blinked.
His handsome face went completely blank.
Several seconds later:
“…Holy shit.”
“That’s actually true.”
“You should think of a solution.”
“I am thinking!”
“Mm. Good luck.”
“I’m hanging up.”
After the call ended, Lu Weixi sat there with his fingers buried in his hair.
Annoyed beyond belief.
He thought for a long time.
No solution.
Eventually, he decided to take a cold bath.
As cold water filled the bathtub, he sank beneath the surface.
Wet blond hair clung to his pale face.
His eyes remained closed.
Damn it.
He couldn’t do anything to Jiang Yi.
At this point, maybe failing was failing.
Let Jiang Yi stab him a couple more times while he was at it.
Worst case, he’d start investigating the Child Chain matter now and focus on graduating next semester.
He opened the terminal.
Accepted the Child Chain file.
Read a few lines.
Child Chain technology refers to a wireless communication technology forged by mixing [DATA LOST] elements into [DATA LOST] materials…
The special characteristic of this technology is that it does not require [DATA LOST] assistance…
Instead it relies solely on [DATA LOST] particles…
Signal confirmation and [DATA LOST] positioning…
This technology is currently [DATA LOST]…
Lu Weixi: “…”
Who could understand this mess?
He tossed the terminal aside.
Closed his eyes.
And returned to thinking about failing the course.
Then suddenly—
His eyes opened.
Something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
Night deepened.
Wrapped tightly in her blanket, Lin Zhiyan looked forward to tomorrow.
As long as she resolved the transfer-school issue tomorrow night, how much easier would life become afterward?
She’d successfully fooled Lu Weixi.
He probably wouldn’t realize the truth for quite a while.
Meanwhile, she’d continue covering the remaining classes.
Endure another couple weeks until the elective course finished.
Collect the final payment.
Then endure another month or two until the semester ended.
Break up.
And then—
Off to the royal family internship program for some prestigious gilding.
Yes.
Yes.
Life was finally starting to look correct again.
Hugging the blanket tightly, Lin Zhiyan drifted into sleep.
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