Chapter 169 - 168: You Wear My Brooch First

The matter with the Qin Family was settled. Jian Yu took out the necklace she had worn as a child.

As she touched the necklace around her neck, she couldn’t help but recall the dream she had last night.

"Shen Gu, have you seen this before?"

Shen Gu glanced at the necklace.

He shook his head. "Not before, but I’ve learned a little about it recently. The Qin Family gives these to the younger generation. Qin Xianzhao has one too. Yours... my aunt must have been the one to put it on you."

The Qin Family had been unwilling to raise a sickly child, so they’d carelessly tossed her onto a remote planet.

Shen Qing, in a fit of anger, passed away in the hospital.

Shen Gu disliked anything related to the Qin Family.

For the first time, he made a suggestion that overstepped his usual boundaries. "Throw it away. It’s bad luck."

Jian Yu handed it to him without a hint of emotion. "Alright."

Shen Gu accepted it, then looked at her with hesitation.

Jian Yu looked back, confused. "What is it?"

"It’s nothing." Once he was sure she wasn’t upset about it, Shen Gu walked to the side and forcefully tossed it to a garbage robot.

Jian Yu watched him, lost in thought.

His bitter expression, and those slightly reddened eyes so similar to her own, strangely overlapped with the ’Jian Yu’ from her dream.

In the dream, the Qin Family had used the excuse of the original owner’s poor health and need for rest to pull her out of the academy.

After the reunion, the original owner was constantly bullied by the fake young master, and Mr. Qin treated her as nothing more than a tool for incubating Alien Beasts, desperately squeezing every last drop of value from her.

It was around that time that Xie Li was exposed for having swapped her daughter for someone else’s son.

Master Qin, ever the opportunist, decided to make the best of the situation. He acknowledged the original owner but, while exploiting her, also allowed Xie Li to dote on Qin Xianzhao and torment the original owner in both body and mind.

Before her death, the original owner found out she only bore a slight resemblance to Xie Li and wasn’t her biological daughter at all. She launched a vicious counterattack, nearly destroying the centuries-old foundation of the Qin Family.

The original owner was truly just a background character; everything she knew about the male lead and his friends came from the academy forums and the Star Network.

But from the original owner’s point of view, she was a beautiful, strong, and tragic protagonist in her own right, with moments of brilliance that rivaled anyone else’s.

"I’m heading out," Shen Gu said with a wave, pulling Jian Yu from her reverie.

Jian Yu snapped out of it and stepped onto the hover-lift. "See you this afternoon."

Shen Gu watched her ascend.

Turning around, he muttered to himself, ’With my strength right now, I’m not even sure who’s protecting whom.’

Lin Yu, who had come by to hand off some mission-related work, overheard his muttering. "Wait until the off-campus operations next semester. You’ll get stronger then."

Shen Gu looked up. "Senior."

He lowered his gaze as several Crystal Stones were pressed into his hands.

Beast Crystals from Mutant Beasts.

"They’re not high-level, so the chance of them helping you level up and evolve is slim. Just think of it as a way to replenish your energy."

Lin Yu clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Stop being so pessimistic. I’ll take you to the Freshmen Challenge."

...

In a bit of a daze, Jian Yu made her way to the third-floor meeting point.

Inside, she saw that fifteen people had arrived, seven of whom were her classmates.

She didn’t know them well, so she just offered a polite smile and a nod in greeting.

The student in front of her suddenly turned around. "Chairman Sheng got held up. He’ll be here to take us over in a bit."

Jian Yu was momentarily confused. "Okay, thanks."

"I’m Lu Yi," she said, introducing herself.

Her eyes shone as she met Jian Yu’s gaze for a moment before quietly turning forward again to wait.

Out of the corner of her eye, Jian Yu caught a glimpse of a Star Brain Floating Screen.

In front of the screen, Lu Yi’s fingers were typing rapidly, a blush creeping up her cheeks.

Jian Yu must have been staring without realizing it, because her gaze was a little too obvious.

Lu Yi swallowed and turned around again. "I’m reading fanfiction. Want to see?"

She recited a title. "You should check it out. I think it’s pretty interesting."

Jian Yu paused for a moment but didn’t refuse. "Alright."

’The title alone tells me I’m going to like it!’

Enduring Lu Yi’s intensely fervent gaze, Jian Yu feigned reluctance as she accepted the recommendation.

Noble Academy: F7’s Dominant and Coercive Love.

She opened it to take a look...

Jian Yu’s brow furrowed.

’The main character is also named Jian Yu?’

After reading the summary and quickly skimming the plot, Jian Yu fell silent.

It was exactly the same as the story the system had transmitted to her, just with the heroine’s name swapped out!

"It’s just fiction, don’t mind it." Lu Yi watched Jian Yu’s expression, unable to tell if she was angry.

She lowered her voice. "There are several versions, and this is the most popular one. I heard people on many different planets are reading it, even people on the remote Wu Star are avidly following it."

Jian Yu looked up. "Wu Star?"

’The original owner stayed on Wu Star for a time, too.’

"Yep," Lu Yi explained. "It’s a fanfic written by someone from Wu Star. Everyone suspects the author goes to our academy."

Worried that Jian Yu might not be familiar with it, she added, "Wu Star is remote, but the culture and people are great. They have the most fanatical readers, so writing this kind of thing is extremely profitable."

Jian Yu looked at her. "What planet are you from?"

"..." Lu Yi’s gaze darted about evasively.

"I confess, I was the one who provided the idea. If you don’t like it, I’ll have my friend take it down right now. She’s not profiting from it; she just wrote it for fun and never expected it to get so popular."

Jian Yu waved her hand slightly. "It’s fine."

’It’s too late to take it down now, anyway.’

Jian Yu mulled it over.

’The plot the system sent me probably wasn’t just from the original owner’s perspective as a background character. It must have also included the gossip and fanfiction she read.’

’In the original owner’s eyes, Ling Yanzhi and his friends really did seem to have some major plot armor.’

A faint, rank smell drifted into the meeting room, causing Jian Yu to frown.

Looking up, she saw it was Yan Qin.

"What, are you surprised to see me here?" Yan Qin had spent a lifetime bowing to others.

In this life, she was determined to stand tall before everyone. "You think you’re the only one who could get into this research project?"

Jian Yu’s eyes fixed on her as a black mist silently unfurled, creeping toward Yan Qin.

The smell on the other girl was faint, but it was identical to the one she had smelled last time.

What was strange was that two consecutive attacks had failed to force out a Soul Ghost Body.

Jian Yu noticed that no one else seemed able to smell the scent of rot.

After a moment of thought, she sent a message to Shi Zhao.

Shi Zhao replied instantly: That’s the residual scent of a Soul Ghost Body. It’s not that you’re unable to draw one out.

Yan Qin sneered, "What are you, deaf? So pathetic. Even after being granted privileges and becoming an Awakened, you can’t wash away the stench of being poor, cowardly, and incompetent."

Jian Yu closed her Star Brain. "I’m ignoring you because your words are disgusting. You don’t actually think anyone is afraid of you, do you?"

A thick black mist billowed from her fingertips, silently coiling around Yan Qin.

"AGHHH!"

Jian Yu froze.

’Why is the heroine here?’

She withdrew her power and stepped aside.

Xu Jianjuan had heard the scream from outside.

She strode in, her eyes falling on Yan Qin, who was collapsed on the floor.

"Everyone’s here. Assemble on the first floor of the lab."

"You!" Yan Qin was stunned. "What are you doing here?"

Xu Jianjuan walked over.

She planted her foot on the back of Yan Qin’s hand and crouched down. "Shh. Your voice is so unpleasant."

Pain made sweat break out on Yan Qin’s forehead. She shoved at her frantically. "Get off me, you psycho! You’re stepping on my hand!"

Xu Jianjuan lifted her foot.

She watched coldly as Yan Qin howled on the floor. "If someone can’t even manage to stand up, then their spot will be revoked."

"What right do you have to revoke my spot?"

After being ignored, Yan Qin scrambled to her feet and followed them in silence.

Jian Yu fell into step half a pace behind Xu Jianjuan.

She thought she was imagining things, but then she caught the scent of a Soul Ghost Body on Xu Jianjuan again.

In fact, the scent was even stronger than the one on Yan Qin.

They arrived at the first floor.

[Identity Verification Failed.]

Jian Yu was unable to enter and took two hesitant steps back.

"Hahahaha!" Yan Qin burst out laughing.

She walked over. "You must have had your spot revoked. That’s why you can’t get in."

Xu Jianjuan frowned. "Try again."

"Oh." Jian Yu tried once more.

The identity verification failed a second time.

A flash of white caught her eye, and Jian Yu heard a crisp voice speak.

"You’re wearing the wrong brooch."

Jian Yu turned, her gaze shifting upward.

The crowd greeted him in unison, "Chairman Sheng."

"Mm," Sheng Yue acknowledged, approaching with a steady gait, exuding an aura of cool detachment.

He removed the purple brooch from his chest, leaned down, and personally pinned it to Jian Yu’s clothes.

As he looked down, his long lashes cast soft shadows on his eyelids, his expression tranquil.

"We’re the same Level. You can wear mine for now."