Yan Su’s pupils contracted sharply.
She was forced to tilt her head back, facing Jian Heng at an extremely unnatural angle.
Jian Heng held her like a doll, a sneer Yan Su dreaded seeing hanging on her lips.
Her eyes had returned to a dull indifference, like an emotionless machine, yet even more terrifying.
If the AI Butler was a cold machine, constrained by people and power, unable to accomplish many things…
…then she was a person stripped of emotion, without limits, and therefore all the more insane.
She had the intelligence and strength to use everything around her to achieve her desired outcome.
Just like now.
Jian Heng tilted her head, looking at the Yan Su that Lin Jianheng had nurtured, and let out a string of unsettling laughs.
Like a villain in a horror movie, famous for their bone-chilling voice, who would deliver a fatal blow at the most ordinary moment.
“Li Nu… should I call you naive, or foolish?”
Yan Su lost her name, reverting in that instant to the lowly Li Nu.
Jian Heng took the knife from the kneeling AI Butler, looking down from on high like a god commanding all.
“I only pretended for a few days, and you really believed I was a good person.” She abruptly let go, and Yan Su fell to the floor.
Like a broken doll, she hit the ground with a scattered, painful thud.
Her heart felt as if it were being sliced by a thousand knives. The joy and excitement of the past few days had become a joke.
The flat of the blade slapped against her face.
It was cold and sharp, yet it didn’t feel like it was hitting Yan Su’s face.
It was her heart.
Yan Su’s heart was shattered by Jian Heng’s monotonous action.
The light in her sea-blue eyes was completely extinguished.
“It was so easy to trick you. If you don’t get hurt, who will?”
Jian Heng gestured with the knife, as if considering whether a horizontal or vertical cut would be better.
No matter what, Yan Su was a fish under her knife, a rabbit unable to escape the cutting board.
A poor little kitten that had lost its master, entered a devil’s house, and fallen into a trapped cooking pot.
“You… you were pretending.” Yan Su began to tremble uncontrollably.
She sat on the floor, utterly devastated, her complexion even worse than her disheveled state.
The knife slid past the corner of her mouth. It didn’t hurt.
Jian Heng didn’t cut her, merely toying with Yan Su like the cruelest of predators, who would play with their prey until it was exhausted, watch its terrified expression, and grant it a final release amidst its pleas.
But Yan Su still flinched, tears welling in her eyes.
Just yesterday, the person before her had kissed her.
Right on this spot. Yan Su had remembered it all day and savored it all night.
What she had received was a soft lick, ambiguous and warm, illuminating the corners where she hid.
But now, it was the sharpness of a knife’s tip, bringing a sour pain.
“What else? The name Lin Jianheng is just my name with a character added in front. The surname Lin is so common, you can find it everywhere. I just made it up on the spot. And you…”
Jian Heng simply sat down on the AI Butler’s back.
There was a clear hierarchy between her and the AI Butler.
The AI Butler obeyed her; it was her dog, her servant.
It worshiped her fanatically, willing to give everything for her.
Poor Yan Su had thought the AI Butler was just jealous.
Jealous that her relationship with their master was too close, jealous of their intimate hugs and licks.
Now it seemed it was all just part of Jian Heng’s scheme.
Using the AI Butler’s abnormality to make her lower her guard even further.
“Still too stupid, too stupid.” Jian Heng leisurely wiped the knife, holding it up to admire before growing tired of it in an instant.
She tossed the knife carelessly to the ground.
With a clang, Yan Su shuddered, as if the knife had cut not the floor, but her heart.
“You can’t blame anyone else for what’s happened to you, right? After all, I didn’t really do much.”
Jian Heng laughed, her fingertips brushing through Yan Su’s hair and caressing her face.
“Helping you sort out your spiritual power was actually to control you. I have to thank your carelessness; it’s how Xiao Shi and I were able to wear down your spiritual power so smoothly.”
“Giving you a phone was actually to monitor your movements, to make sure you didn’t run away or contact anyone else. If you don’t believe me, look.”
With a flick of her hand, Jian Heng easily snatched Yan Su’s phone.
Yan Su offered no resistance. Her eyes were unfocused, and the hair that Lin Jianheng had just praised had lost its luster.
Like a withered rose, dried by the wind, ready to shatter into pieces at any moment.
Jian Heng unlocked it with practiced ease.
Lin Jianheng had just managed to regain her senses, stopping her screams and panicked fear, forcing herself to calmly think of a way out, only to see this scene.
She was beyond astonished. She clearly hadn’t connected the phone to the family network, and the AI Butler couldn’t possibly know Yan Su’s phone activity.
There was something wrong with the original owner’s background—something far more terrifying than she had imagined!
The interface Jian Heng pulled up made Lin Jianheng’s heart stop.
A monitoring app, left on the phone at some unknown time.
Yan Su tilted her head back and even let out a laugh.
Like a rag doll that had given up, finally smiling after being torn apart and crushed.
She had brought this upon herself. She deserved to die.
Her only pain was in her carelessness, in having trusted someone so easily.
Someone who had hurt her from the very beginning.
Pitifully, she had thought it was truly love; that someone like her, who could only curl up in the darkness, had found her own light, her own master.
“And cooking for you—did you never think I might poison it? A poison specifically for succubi…” Jian Heng didn’t finish her sentence.
She froze, her brow furrowed. She sank down, pressing the AI Butler to the ground, its mechanical skeleton making a grinding sound.
But the AI Butler wore a blissful smile, the curve of its lips crazed.
It was Lin Jianheng.
Lin Jianheng was trying to fight the original owner for control of the body.
She tried many methods. In those few minutes of breakdown, her soul was in agony, yet she still tried to ram, hit, and pinch.
She used every means possible, but it was as if she didn’t exist in Jian Heng’s eyes. The usurper continued to bewitch Yan Su.
Twisting white into black, determined to make Yan Su lose all trust in her.
Lin Jianheng didn’t have time to think about the original owner’s motives; she only knew she had to stop her.
Wielding the power she could still control—perhaps her spiritual power—she attacked Jian Heng directly.
Jian Heng’s words stopped. Lin Jianheng realized this tactic was working and immediately focused her energy on that point without a second thought.
The original owner must have a weakness. It was impossible that she had taken back this body for no reason.
Lin Jianheng didn’t think about her reasons for doing this.
In truth, she was just a foreign soul.
She had just transmigrated after death into a novel her best friend had complained about. She hadn’t even read the novel herself and didn’t know many of the details.
She was still facing a hellish ending of certain death—transmigrating after the original owner had bullied the demon lord.
She had to bow her head and take responsibility, even though none of the harm was her doing.
A voice kept asking her why.
Why care about someone completely unrelated? Why inherit someone else’s life?
Aren’t you ashamed? Aren’t you embarrassed? Don’t you want to go back to that familiar world, to know what happened to the people you care about after you left?
Lin Jianheng forcefully struck Jian Heng’s eyes and temples with her spiritual power, searching for a weakness, when she suddenly couldn’t take it anymore and let out a scream.
“Shut up!” Lin Jianheng had to drown out that questioning voice.
That voice, no different from Jian Heng’s.
“Shut up, don’t… interfere with me!” Lin Jianheng sent a wave of spiritual power striking the body’s face—the same spot she had slapped herself on the night she arrived.
Suddenly, she felt her spiritual power causing the soul before her pain.
The connection between the original owner and this body weakened!
“I don’t need a reason!” Lin Jianheng took a deep breath and launched an all-out assault with all her might.
She didn’t need a reason to stay.
Or, she could give herself many reasons.
She wanted to live. She needed a better identity, better conditions.
She didn’t want to go back to the family that didn’t care about her, didn’t want to go back to that job that only exploited young labor.
And…
She wanted to save Yan Su.
They had known each other for about ten days. Yan Su was so lovely, so vibrant.
How could she stand by and watch the original owner order her around, break her heart, and then hurt her body!
So what if this body wasn’t hers? It had been hers to live in for all these days; it would surely accept her again.
Lin Jianheng continued to attack the injury she had created, gradually seeing a wisp of white smoke drift out from “her” body.
Was this the original owner’s soul? For the first time, Lin Jianheng felt such killing intent. She immediately pursued it, wanting to annihilate it.
But the original owner was still struggling.
In Yan Su’s eyes, her temperamental master had suddenly gone berserk, kicking away the AI Butler she was sitting on, not caring that its parts scattered across the floor.
Struggling, face contorted, she lunged toward her.
Yan Su didn’t even think of dodging.
She even gathered her hair.
She knew this master’s habits.
Didn’t she want to mark her?
She would give it to her.
Stop pretending to be a good person. She would give anything.
And that master did indeed bare her fangs, as if she were truly about to inject her with pheromones.
Yan Su smiled and opened her arms, awaiting her demise.
The last laugh was for herself.
But suddenly, an unusual scent wafted out.
Yan Su smelled… a different pheromone scent.
Like mint, and also like gasoline from a basement.
It was repulsive.
It wasn’t the sweetness of orange blossoms, nor the light fragrance of caramelized walnuts?
Yan Su looked up, slightly stunned, trying desperately to confirm something.
But her vision was blocked by the crazed Jian Heng.
The last of the light was completely extinguished.
Yan Su stopped thinking and closed her eyes. The pain she expected never came.
Jian Heng stopped an inch from her gland.
Jerkily, slowly, she moved away from her body.
“She… is not me.” Lin Jianheng gradually returned to her body, expelling the foreign soul.
“And I’m not her. Can you believe…” The original owner’s soul was still pulling and fighting with her.
Yan Su could no longer hear her words clearly. She gave her one last look.
Meanwhile, the AI Butler staggered to its feet and reattached its own broken arm.
It came to Lin Jianheng’s side, immediately noticed something was wrong, and shrieked.
“You! It’s you again! Why is it you! Where is my master? Master, my master!”
The AI Butler picked up the knife from the floor and aimed it at Lin Jianheng, wanting to strike but fearing it would damage its master’s vessel.
“My master! Where did you drive her off to! Come back, my master, master…”
The AI Butler’s voice grew sharper and louder.
Like an annoying siren.
“So noisy!” The thread of Lin Jianheng’s restraint finally snapped. A cluster of brilliant crystals instantly pierced through the hand the AI Butler was pointing at her.
“Your master? You say she’s your master? What is your relationship with her? Do you know her background?”
Lin Jianheng hadn’t gotten a clear look at the soul she’d driven out, but she could feel it was still nearby, gathering strength for another attack.
So annoying… could she please just die?
A person like that, who disdained life and interfered with her own, why shouldn’t she die!
“I, I don’t know, I don’t know anything… You’re crazy, you, you’re a lunatic!”
The AI Butler was still screaming, seemingly paying no mind to Lin Jianheng’s words.
Lin Jianheng’s biggest regret now was not having noticed the AI Butler’s abnormality, assuming it was just a harmless AI after she transmigrated.
After all, the original owner had used this AI Butler for a long time without any incidents.
It turned out the original owner and the AI Butler were in it together.
Lin Jianheng grabbed the AI Butler’s broken limb, yanked it in front of her, and seized its throat.
“You have a chip, a place where memories are stored, right? It’s fine if you don’t talk.” Another cluster of crystals pierced the AI Butler’s throat.
“If you don’t want to talk, then don’t!” Having consumed too much spiritual power, Lin Jianheng was gradually losing her grip on reality.
She didn’t know what she was doing, much less what she was about to do.
She only knew that she seemed to possess a new power.
A power sufficient to destroy everything in her way, to change her unvalued life, her dreary day-to-day existence.
Countless crystals erupted from the ground.
Layers upon layers of blue hues overlapped in the room, forming a transparent ocean.
Light and shadow were refracted into countless shapes, heavy shadows falling across Lin Jianheng’s face, leaving only a close-up of the smile on her lips.
She was even more crazed than the original owner, like a child with a new toy, utterly unrestrained.
Cluster after cluster. The unknown crystals grew wildly. Grass, trees, now a forest, a mountain.
Glass, crystal, diamond… it didn’t matter what they were.
They converged into mountains, bursting through furniture and appliances.
Wantonly destroying everything, and of course, completely killing the struggling AI Butler.
“It’s, you…” The AI Butler’s final words never reached Lin Jianheng’s mind.
She had lost her reason, only her special ability running rampant.
Shaking the entire building.
【Warning! Warning! S-rank special ability user losing control in Sector A!】
【Warning! Abnormal special ability readings, excessive energy fluctuations!】
【Warning! Energy fluctuations have reached S+ level!】
【Warning…】
In the Imperial Guard headquarters, Li Zhaoge put down her teacup and looked toward Sector A.
“Captain Li…” Her subordinate was sweating profusely, extremely nervous.
Their location was Capital Star, Sector A.
Very close to the special district where the royal family resided.
In theory, all special ability users were registered and accounted for.
With the Princess’s birthday celebration imminent, no stowaway had been so bold as to challenge the Capital Star’s increasingly strict security recently.
Could it be a newly awakened special ability user?
The timing was too sensitive. The subordinate was terrified that if the royal family held them accountable, getting dismissed would be the least of their worries.
“Form up. Move out.” Li Zhaoge didn’t hesitate. She instantly changed into her Imperial Guard uniform, her sword hanging at her waist.
“Yes, ma’am!”
At the same time, Jian Lingxuan jumped out of her vehicle. Feeling the ground tremble, she frowned, instinctively knowing something was wrong.
She had been worried about Lin Jianheng and had followed her, not expecting to be a step too late.
The Imperial Guard arrived faster than she had expected. Ten neatly uniformed guards disembarked from their flyer in unison. Upon seeing Jian Lingxuan, they saluted her.
“Heir Jian. We came immediately upon receiving the report. May I ask…”
On the surface, the Imperial Guard was one of the Empire’s highest powers.
But in reality, their status and authority were not as great as that of a noble family like the Jians.
If Jian Lingxuan said they weren’t needed here, they could not question or complain; they would have to leave immediately.
Jian Lingxuan swept her gaze over them. The quality of the Imperial Guard members dispatched this time was high, with an average spiritual power of A+.
“Follow me.” Jian Lingxuan took over as the squad’s leader, leading them swiftly toward Lin Jianheng’s room.
They had just reached the floor when the group was stopped in their tracks by a terrifying spiritual pressure.
Even Jian Lingxuan couldn’t help but let out an exclamation as she looked at the blue crystals protruding from the door.
“Save people first. The neighbors next door, upstairs, and downstairs—evacuate all non-essential personnel.”
Jian Lingxuan took the captain and vice-captain with her. The three people with the highest spiritual power present pushed through the pressure of Lin Jianheng’s spiritual power and walked to the door.
The captain cut the door open with a laser.
Crystals fell to the floor, unshattered by the laser.
The grave expressions on the three women’s faces were all different.
The only fortunate thing was that the special ability’s rampage had stopped.
It was unknown if there was an external force involved, but it was a blessing that the crystals hadn’t overgrown the entire building.
The bad news was that the weapons they brought were useless.
This proved that the special ability user’s level was at least S-rank.
Likewise, the room’s interior was already filled with crystals, in shades of light and dark blue, truly resembling a seascape.
Coupled with the oppressive spiritual power that pulsed intermittently, the three of them felt as if they were in the deep sea, waves of suffocation washing over them with the shimmering reflections of the crystals.
“…Who has a special ability?” Jian Lingxuan looked at the two people behind her.
“I’m wind-type. I can only try,” the captain said, activating her ability.
She managed to clear a small path with great effort. Jian Lingxuan used her spiritual power to protect her, and the three of them finally entered the cocoon formed by the crystals.
Behind the splendid halo of the blue crystals, everyone could finally see clearly.
Jian Lingxuan stood frozen. The two Imperial Guard members covered their mouths.
They saw the remains of the AI Butler, sliced to pieces by the growing crystals.
They saw that not a single spot in the entire room had been spared.
Yet two people were enveloped, covered by the crystal cocoon.
As if it were their gentle amniotic fluid.
The two were holding each other tightly, like a pair of lovers.
Ignoring the color red, the sea-blue scene was beautiful and intimate.
But reality was not so beautiful.
The loss of control during a special ability awakening did not distinguish between friend and foe.
And Lin Jianheng was kneeling in the heart of the cocoon, covered in blood, her arms outstretched.
Using herself to shield the woman in her arms.
The three of them had been clearing a path for five minutes when someone else stepped onto the road they had made and entered the heart of the cocoon.
Li Zhaoge and Jian Lingxuan exchanged a look.
Jian Lingxuan retreated with her people, watching as Li Zhaoge simply raised a hand.
The aftershocks of the out-of-control ability ceased.
The crystals shattered in the air, turning into snow and water, scattering across the floor.
Li Zhaoge rushed to Lin Jianheng’s side and, before Jian Lingxuan could stop her, injected her with a dose of medicine.
Without a word, Jian Lingxuan drew the sword from the person beside her and directed her spiritual power to press down on Li Zhaoge.
“Calm down.” Li Zhaoge spread her wings, struggling to block the attack. After pushing Jian Lingxuan back, she picked up Lin Jianheng.
“By Her Majesty’s order.”
Jian Lingxuan’s pupils contracted. She stood rooted to the spot.
“Go and calm the residents.” Li Zhaoge’s rank was higher than any other Imperial Guard member present.
Jian Lingxuan didn’t speak, and everyone followed the order. Some stayed to clean up, while others went downstairs to calm the frightened residents.
The ambulance also arrived. Fortunately, the building had its own protective shield that had automatically activated upon sensing the crisis. Aside from the scrapped AI Butler and Lin Jianheng herself, there were no other casualties in this incident.
Li Zhaoge carried Lin Jianheng onto the ambulance.
Jian Lingxuan took the unconscious Yan Su.
Unlike Lin Jianheng, Yan Su was clean. Even if there was blood on her, it wasn’t hers; at most, she had some scrapes and stains.
Li Zhaoge glanced at her.
“Looking for a fight?” Jian Lingxuan rolled her eyes, ignored her, and jumped onto the ambulance.
Li Zhaoge could only pretend not to notice her sleight of hand, allowing Jian Lingxuan to move Lin Jianheng to Lu Yuanchen’s medical vehicle.
In any case, there was a person lying in the vehicle sent by the royal family. The job was done.
Dampness.
Heavy moisture pressed down on Lin Jianheng, weighing down her eyelids.
A clamor rose from all around, like the crossfire of cannons, like surging electrical currents.
Lin Jianheng couldn’t move. She had lost control of her body and could only feel herself being jostled up and down.
It seemed someone was holding her, running at high speed.
The speed was too fast, the terrain uneven. Lin Jianheng was shaken several times before she finally opened her eyes.
She saw her own tiny hand, clutching a lock of reddish-brown hair.
Looking up, she saw a woman with a blurry face holding her tightly.
The woman was wounded, her back a mottled mess. Above them, machines circled, crisscrossed by beams of electricity and lasers.
The woman was fleeing with her. Lin Jianheng became aware, slowly realizing she seemed to be in her own spiritual space.
So this was… a past memory of this body?
Or, her own past memory?
Lin Jianheng helplessly let go of the hair. The woman held her even tighter, saying nothing, paying no mind to the occasional attacks that rained down.
Running, running. It was the only action left in her life.
She had to get Lin Jianheng out.
Lin Jianheng looked around and realized she was lying in an eggshell.
Only her head was sticking out. Looking closer, she saw only her hand had broken through the shell.
“Little Highness, don’t make a sound. I will get you out.” The heavily scarred woman finally spoke, pushing her panicked, flailing hand back inside.
A wave of spiritual power washed over her. Lin Jianheng fell into a deep sleep.
…and then, she awoke.
She woke up in her spiritual space and saw a ball of white mist.
Lin Jianheng immediately realized that the mist was the original owner who had seized her body earlier that day.
“Who are you?” Lin Jianheng spoke, her voice accompanied by the pressure of her spiritual power.
She spoke without hesitation, her words directly striking the white mist and causing it to partially disperse.
The white mist let out an inhuman shriek, a mechanical sound flowing within it.
“Answer me!” Lin Jianheng intensified her spiritual power.
This was her spiritual space; no one else was allowed here.
Especially not an enemy who threatened her very existence.
“Hehehe…” The white smoke, under Lin Jianheng’s attack, still had the strength to let out that nauseating laugh.
“It’s you, it’s actually you!” It no longer had a human face, just a ball of gas—a manifestation of spiritual power.
But Lin Jianheng could sense its ecstasy and immediately pressed down with another attack.
“You know me. Let me guess, you’re not the original owner of this body. I am.” Lin Jianheng stated it as a fact, not a question.
If she wasn’t, then whose memory was that just now?
And who had spoken those words before she transmigrated?
The white mist didn’t answer, merely “looking” at her silently under her assault.
“If you won’t talk, then you die.” Lin Jianheng had no intention of letting it stay.
If her guess was correct, she would find out eventually anyway.
The white mist showed a moment of panic, as if struggling to resist. “I’ll talk, I’ll tell you everything I know! Don’t—”
The final attack had already landed.
The white mist completely dissipated. The “original owner” was declared dead.
Lin Jianheng remained silent in her spiritual space for a while, organizing her thoughts.
She had found it strange a few days ago.
Why did she feel so natural when interacting with Jian Lingxuan?
Her personality was vastly different from the original owner’s, and her actions were worlds apart.
Jian Lingxuan’s reputation as a genius was well-known and well-earned, not just an empty title.
It was impossible that she wouldn’t have noticed that the soul inside this body had changed.
Yet, she had said nothing. Not only did she transfer money to her and continue to joke with her, but she also taught her about business.
This wasn’t how a caring older sister would act after discovering her younger sister’s body had been possessed by another soul.
This was the root of Lin Jianheng’s suspicion.
She just couldn’t figure it out. Her memories of her original world were too clear, and aside from Jian Lingxuan, she was a stranger to this world.
How could she be Jian Heng?
If she couldn’t figure it out, she wouldn’t think about it. That was her way. Lin Jianheng chose to focus on building a good relationship with Yan Su, cuddling with her every day, and giving up on pondering her own origins, taking things one step at a time.
Until today, when she fainted after her special ability awakened, her spiritual space gave her what was practically concrete evidence.
A memory that the “original owner” didn’t have, but she did.
Judging by the firepower, technology level, and method of reproduction, that memory could only have taken place in this world.
Only then did Lin Jianheng bluff the “original owner.”
The “original owner’s” reaction all but proved her guess was correct.
Sigh.
Lin Jianheng sighed.
She had been rescued from a war. And that person had called her “Little Highness.”
What a troublesome background…
Lin Jianheng still remembered the wish she’d made before she died in her last life.
Just let her be a rich second-generation kid who didn’t have to know anything. If she really had to be some kind of demon lord, she wouldn’t be up to the task.
Now, her origins were shrouded in mystery, the reason for her transmigration was even more mysterious, and someone had called her “Little Highness.”
Lin Jianheng let herself laze about in her spiritual space for a while before waking up with a troubled heart.
She could finally hear the sounds of the outside world.
Jian Lingxuan was sitting by her bed, tapping her on the head and sighing.
“You little brat. I still have to clean up your messes.”
Lin Jianheng didn’t want to open her eyes.
How do I get rid of my older sister? Online, waiting, urgent.
“…Your eyelashes are moving. If you’re awake, you’re awake. You don’t want to see me, right? I’ll leave.”
Jian Lingxuan withdrew her hand and stood up to leave the room.
Lin Jianheng reluctantly opened her eyes and cleared her throat.
“Sister…” Lin Jianheng looked around but didn’t see Yan Su.
Jian Lingxuan at least stopped, waiting for Lin Jianheng’s thanks.
“Where’s Yan Su? My Succubus Sister.”
Her own sister wouldn’t be so unkind as to save her but not her succubus, right?
“…Jian Heng, you’ve gotten bold, haven’t you? If you’re so capable, go clean up your own damn mess!” Jian Lingxuan’s hair practically stood on end.
This was definitely her sister.
“Hey, Sister, Sister, I was wrong. Sister, sister, my dearest sister.”
Lin Jianheng laughed, but a pain in her chest turned the laugh into a cough.
Jian Lingxuan’s resolve softened. She turned back, worried, only to see Lin Jianheng suppressing a smile.
“You little rascal, you dare to trick your sister?” Jian Lingxuan swung her bag, almost hitting Lin Jianheng with it.
“Lingxuan, calm down. Xiao Heng’s wounds just healed,” Lu Yuanchen said, pushing an examination device into the room. Her few words calmed Jian Lingxuan down.
Jian Lingxuan managed to restrain herself and sat down beside Lin Jianheng.
But she didn’t look at her. She just kept her head turned to the side.
Lin Jianheng thought her sister was actually quite amusing.
She had realized she was back, but hadn’t said it directly, instead repeatedly testing her with the business proposal.
Yet her attitude had already changed.
From what she could remember, Jian Lingxuan’s attitude toward the “original owner” was nothing like this.
Still teasing, still fond of retorting.
But she wouldn’t have done so much for her, much less expected her to respond to those convoluted feelings.
Lin Jianheng tugged on Jian Lingxuan’s sleeve.
“Sister, I’m back.” This was the final test.
Jian Lingxuan froze, slowly turning her head to look into Lin Jianheng’s eyes.
“I don’t think I’ll be leaving this time,” Lin Jianheng said with a wink.
Tears welled up in Jian Lingxuan’s eyes.
“Don’t say that…” She turned her face away, raising a hand to cover her eyes, but the tremble in her voice betrayed her.
Lin Jianheng leaned back, finally relaxing completely.
She let Lu Yuanchen examine her, the faint unease in her heart finally gone.
She hadn’t possessed someone else’s body.
She had simply returned.
The original owner had been temporarily killed by her; there shouldn’t be a next time.
She could slowly get used to this world and get her life back on track.
After five minutes of silence, Lin Jianheng suddenly spoke. “Sister, can you help me bring Sister Yan to my room?”
The “original owner”—or rather, the usurper—had appeared so suddenly. It must have been a terrifying experience for Yan Su.
Lin Jianheng didn’t dare to imagine how upset Yan Su must be.
The usurper’s words had practically trampled the trust Yan Su had painstakingly built.
The relationship between them had probably regressed to how it was when they first met, or even worse.
What could be more painful than having your trust established, only to have it shattered by the same face, to have all that kindness crossed out, one by one?
It was a cruel, soul-crushing act.
Lin Jianheng didn’t understand the usurper’s motive.
Yan Su’s identity… even if she was the king of the Demon Clan—that was doubtful. After all, Lin Jianheng now knew she herself was from this world.
So, was the original world real or fake? How much of the information from that world was true? Was it some kind of misdirection? It was impossible to know.
Lin Jianheng just felt that if Yan Su were truly the king of the Demon Clan, the people around her, the people who auctioned her off, shouldn’t have failed to recognize her.
It was even more unlikely that only that wild ghost who had possessed her body could have discovered it.
So why treat Yan Su like that?
Was it just to spite her?
If so, then congratulations to the usurper. Her goal had been achieved.
Lin Jianheng felt disgusted right now.
That damned ghost had occupied her body, thrown her life into chaos, and hurt someone she had just started to build trust with.
Lin Jianheng thoroughly cursed the usurper in her mind and finally felt a bit better.
She would have to see what Yan Su’s attitude was now.
In any case, she had signed a contract with her. Yan Su was still undocumented and in poor health.
She had to take good care of her.
Jian Lingxuan rolled her eyes at Lin Jianheng. “She doesn’t want to see you.”
“She’s awake?” Lin Jianheng was stunned.
“She woke up once, struggled a lot, and couldn’t cooperate with the examination, so we gave her some sedatives. She’s asleep now,” Jian Lingxuan said, also rather exasperated.
This succubus… she didn’t know what her sister had brought her back for.
She seemed to be providing her with good food and drink, even calling her “sister” all the time. It was strangely intimate.
But whatever.
At least her sister was finally back. If it made her happy, then she could keep her.
“She’s in the room next door. Rest a bit more before you go see her,” Jian Lingxuan said without elaborating.
“I’ll tell you about your physical condition later. The AI Butler that attacked a living being has been taken into custody by the Imperial Guard. They’re examining its devices, chips, and so on. This is a major incident. You might have to go to the Guard’s bureau in a while.”
She stood up and left the ward with Lu Yuanchen on her arm.
Lin Jianheng lay in the hospital bed for a while before finally getting up.
She didn’t yet know that she had been seriously injured today; she thought she had just awakened her special ability and been knocked out by the shock.
She had fainted, Yan Su had fainted, and they had been brought to the hospital together.
Something felt a little strange. Did someone call the authorities?
Lin Jianheng scratched her head, put the question aside, and quietly slipped into the next room.
Yan Su was lying in the middle of the bed.
Her eyes were tightly closed, her hair in disarray. She was still wearing the loungewear Lin Jianheng had given her, and a few scratches were visible on her arms.
She was hurt.
Lin Jianheng pulled up a chair and sat down, quietly reaching out to touch one of the marks.
Did I accidentally hurt Yan Su when my ability awakened?
Lin Jianheng broke into a cold sweat.
She had to ask her sister exactly what had happened.
Lin Jianheng smoothed Yan Su’s hair, arranging the rose-petal-like red strands for her.
She vaguely realized that she felt Yan Su was different from others.
But after thinking it over, Lin Jianheng could only conclude it was because Yan Su was the first person to know her secret about transmigrating.
Even Jian Lingxuan didn’t know that she had once lived in another world, one completely different from this one.
There were two genders there, the technology wasn’t as advanced, and the world was divided into many countries.
Here, she had only seen women, and it seemed the entire planet consisted only of women. Many planets formed a single country.
These were things Jian Lingxuan didn’t know, but Yan Su did.
They shared a secret, which was why she felt Yan Su was different.
In the ten-odd days since she had transmigrated, or rather, returned to her own body, Lin Jianheng had always been closer to Yan Su.
For the first time, she wanted to stay for Yan Su’s sake.
And she wanted Yan Su to stay by her side.
This time, it wasn’t to avoid the death ending from the “original novel,” but for her own selfish reasons.
Lin Jianheng knew she wasn’t a particularly good person, but she wasn’t particularly bad either.
She had many desires.
As a child, she wanted all of her parents’ attention, wishing they would focus on her more.
In middle school, she wanted her younger brother, who stole everyone’s attention, to disappear.
In college, terrified of being dragged down for life by her gambling-addicted father, she wanted to achieve the impossible: to escape her family of origin.
She had done many things for these desires.
The most memorable was probably pushing her brother into the water.
Fortunately, and unfortunately, her brother didn’t die.
Later, she ran away, resolutely leaving a bloody mess for her family, becoming a dead person in the family, an unspeakable symbol.
The memories of her past life were about to dissolve into illusory bubbles.
Lin Jianheng buried them all and faced her new desire.
It was at this moment that her desire slowly opened its eyes.
As her eyes darted around, taking in the unfamiliar ceiling, confusion filled Yan Su’s gaze.
Then she turned her head and saw Lin Jianheng’s face. Her pupils contracted sharply.
“Sister Yan.” Lin Jianheng was sitting by the bed, maintaining a certain distance.
She hoped Yan Su would see through the usurper’s trick. Hoped Yan Su would recognize her.
They were so different. The tone of their voices, the things they did.
Even their spiritual power was different, and the scent of their pheromones was not the same.
But Yan Su’s gaze still made Lin Jianheng sad.
It held none of the previous soft, push-and-pull reluctance, none of the gentleness that wanted to get closer, none of the trust of a cat showing its belly.
There was only fear and coldness.
“…I’m sorry.” It was indeed her fault for overlooking the AI Butler’s abnormality, for failing to protect her own body and letting it be taken.
The knife cut had left a tiny scar on Yan Su’s face. It had been treated but hadn’t fully healed yet.
The sight of the tender new flesh struck Lin Jianheng’s eyes, stinging both them and her heart.
Lin Jianheng could say nothing but “sorry.”
“I’m sorry, Sister Yan.”
Yan Su gripped the bedsheet.
Is it starting again?
Pretending to be a good person again.
Coming to deceive her foolish heart, her idiotic feelings again.
What does this person want this time?
To mark her again? To record a video again? To lord over her, making an example of her, breaking her spine, crushing her self-respect, and then mocking her, saying all this pain was what she deserved?
Yes. It was all her fault for being so gullible, so stupid. To actually be deceived by that small, staged act of kindness.
She… would not be fooled again.
She was her master, of course.
She would serve her master well… until she found a chance to strike back.
“What do you want?” Yan Su suppressed her emotions, her expression becoming placid.
That lifeless, emotionless gaze once again fell on Lin Jianheng.
Even Lin Jianheng found it hard to bear. A sour sense of grievance welled up in her heart.
“I, I’m not her.” Lin Jianheng looked up, a tear sliding from the corner of her eye.
“I… I’m sorry. I never hurt you. Those words were all lies, she was deceiving you. I… I just wanted to say I’m sorry.” She needed to calm down.
Lin Jianheng stood up and hurried away, leaving Yan Su alone in the ward, stunned.
The same words again.
Yan Su closed her eyes, shaking away the image of the tear in Lin Jianheng’s eye. Her heart felt heavy, but not pained.
She would not feel anything for this person again.
“So dejected. Aren’t you an anti-marriage advocate?” Jian Lingxuan leaned close to her sister, deliberately poking at her sore spot.
“Without this one, don’t you still have ten lovers, twenty canaries, and fifty fish to play with?”
As if suddenly remembering something, Jian Lingxuan slapped the table. “That’s right, you still have a fiancée. She even came to see you today. What, not going to connect with your fiancée?”
“…Sister. You’re my own sister.” Lin Jianheng was truly impressed.
Only Jian Lingxuan would tease her like this.
A kind of teasing that disregarded whether she lived or died.
She really was a little sad.
There were so many holes in what the usurper had said.
Lin Jianheng thought, she had never drugged Yan Su. They ate together, slept together. If there was poison, wouldn’t Yan Su have been able to tell?
As for spiritual power, she had no past memories; she had truly just transmigrated to this world.
If she hadn’t beaten that wild ghost possessing her body with her spiritual power today, how would she have known how to use it?
That day, she had tried for a long time just to connect to Yan Su’s spiritual space. She had stumbled through repairing it and then left. Now, she couldn’t even connect to the bit of spiritual power she had left in Yan Su’s space. She had truly just been helping Yan Su sort it out.
As for the monitoring app on the phone, Lin Jianheng really didn’t know how to explain it.
She had specifically checked it when she bought it; there was no strange software. To prevent Yan Su from being monitored by others, she had deliberately not connected to the Jian Corporation’s internal network.
She would just have to explain this point properly to Yan Su. Perhaps there was a problem with the phone manufacturer.
But… why wouldn’t Yan Su believe her?
Lin Jianheng wilted like a withered flower, sitting backward on her chair, utterly limp.
Jian Lingxuan clicked her tongue at the sight.
“Sis, it’s not that I’m nagging you. You didn’t sign the contract with this succubus, you can just abandon her,” Jian Lingxuan said, lowering her voice.
Her suggestion was sincere and reasonable.
Lin Jianheng buried her head in her wide sleeves.
“Yeah, yeah, and then she’ll be out there suffering alone with my contract, without official Imperial citizenship, forced to do dirty and tiring work.” Setting aside her desires, Lin Jianheng’s conscience wouldn’t allow it.
“…I didn’t realize you had such a conscience,” Jian Lingxuan said, a little surprised.
Lin Jianheng glared at her. “Did I not have one before?”
Jian Lingxuan fell silent and didn’t speak for a long time.
The atmosphere became very oppressive.
Lin Jianheng slowly realized that there might be something strange about her past as well.
…Fine, she didn’t want to know. Just let her rest for a bit! Lin Jianheng simply closed her eyes.
“Let’s not talk about that. Your test results are out.” Jian Lingxuan changed the subject abruptly.
Lu Yuanchen entered the room at that moment, having taken off her surgical gown.
It seemed Jian Lingxuan had put her to work right after she finished her duties.
Her dear sister exploited her girlfriend and younger sister equally. Lin Jianheng felt slightly better.
“Xiao Heng’s secondary development is better than I expected,” Lu Yuanchen, the doctor, said more professionally.
Jian Lingxuan sat beside her pouring tea, handing a cup to Lu Yuanchen.
She skipped her own sister.
Lin Jianheng couldn’t be bothered to snap at her.
“Currently, your spiritual power level has risen to S-rank. Your pheromone level is at A+. Both are unstable and will go through another period of development. I’ll give you a way to train them later, you can follow that.”
Lu Yuanchen’s voice was gentle, just like the stereotypical doctor in Lin Jianheng’s mind.
Her impression of her improved considerably, though she still found her very suspicious.
But recently, Lin Jianheng found her fiancée even more suspicious.
Especially after hearing that it was her fiancée, Li Zhaoge, who had brought her out today.
Lin Jianheng had just asked her sister for the recording of today’s events. She hadn’t finished watching it when she saw Li Zhaoge’s figure.
How strange.
“You were injured quite a bit today. Don’t do any strenuous exercise for a while, especially sex. Although your gland needs that kind of stimulation, you can’t risk it before your body has recovered.”
Lin Jianheng nearly spat out a mouthful of water, choking so hard she was now coughing violently.
“…Your emotions, too. Don’t let them fluctuate too much.” Lu Yuanchen thought she had hit on the young girl’s little secret and took a sip of her tea.
“I, cough cough cough, I haven’t…” She hadn’t done it! And she didn’t want to!
Why was this place full of people of the same sex? She was going to be an anti-marriage advocate in this world full of lesbians!
In the proper sense of the word!
Oh, the term was something like platonic, or asexual. Whatever, she just wouldn’t do it.
Lu Yuanchen just assumed she was shy. “You’ll recover in about a week to half a month. Don’t worry, it won’t affect your future. Your gland is very healthy.”
Lin Jianheng lowered her head, the tips of her ears as red as persimmons.
“Yes, so healthy she could mark ten Omegas a day without a problem,” Jian Lingxuan said, knowing just how to laugh at her sister.
Lin Jianheng didn’t react.
She thought about it. It was just marking, what was the big deal? Maybe she really would mark ten Omegas a day.
A certain desperate straight girl had skipped the physiology lessons when catching up on common knowledge.
“Now, about your special ability. We focused our tests on it. We found that it doesn’t match anything in our existing database. It could be because it hasn’t fully awakened yet and needs further development. Or it could be that you’ve awakened a new type of ability, different from all previous categories.”
Lu Yuanchen pulled up a projection.
It detailed Lin Jianheng’s physical data, a hexagonal chart of her special ability, and so on.
Lin Jianheng didn’t quite understand it, but she saw that her ability was a hexagonal warrior.
After all, she could control crystal growth from a distance, it had high stealth, considerable attack power, and because they were crystals, they were very hard and could even be used as shields.
That was the good news. The bad news was that although it was a hexagon, each point was far from the vertex, making it a shrunken version of a hexagon.
Lin Jianheng was a little disappointed, but she quickly adjusted.
Her original world didn’t have cool things like special abilities. Who hadn’t fantasized about having superpowers as a teenager?
Now she not only had super-wealth, but also superpowers. The best of both worlds.
As for whether the superpower was a bit weak, that didn’t matter to her. One had to learn to be content.
Lu Yuanchen waited for her to finish looking before speaking. “Your special ability is also still in its growth stage. We’ve tentatively named it ‘Crystal Control.’ Although your power erupted at S-rank or above when you lost control, the stable test data is only A-rank.”
“Does that mean I don’t need to wear a watch?” Special ability users of S-rank and above also needed to be monitored by Imperial agencies, just like with spiritual power.
Of the three things that didn’t exist in Lin Jianheng’s original world, only pheromone levels above S-rank were not monitored.
“…Why do you think I mentioned your fiancée?” Jian Lingxuan patted Lin Jianheng’s head with a hint of pity.
Lin Jianheng felt it was the look one gives to an idiot.
“Your highest ability level during your outburst today reached around SS-rank. Taking that into consideration, the Imperial Guard has decided to give you a custom-made control device. Besides, your spiritual power level also qualifies.”
Lu Yuanchen gave Lin Jianheng an apologetic look.
“It should be given to you in the next few days. Captain Li is still busy with the AI Butler matter. Xiao Heng, you should rest for now. Lingxuan and I will come see you again later.” Lu Yuanchen closed the projection.
Lin Jianheng waved her hand wearily, seeing the two out of the ward, muttering to herself.
Hello? I’m the patient. I’m injured, right?
Why am I the one seeing Jian Lingxuan out?
Clearly, overthrowing my sister’s tyranny is a matter of utmost urgency!
Alone again, Lin Jianheng’s thoughts couldn’t help but drift back to Yan Su.
She was very depressed. Right now, she wanted to go talk to Yan Su properly, but she also didn’t want to face Yan Su’s cold gaze.
Logically, she could understand Yan Su’s pain and even felt very sorry for her, otherwise she wouldn’t have been in such a hurry to explain.
Emotionally, Lin Jianheng just felt wronged and sad.
She licked her lips, thinking of how close they had been just last night.
Her heart sped up for a moment, then instantly grew cold.
Lin Jianheng let out a breath and gritted her teeth.
Tonight, she would go see Yan Su one more time.
At least to bring her food. Her Sister Yan didn’t like to eat, and she was so thin. That wasn’t a good habit.
Putting her tangled emotions aside, Lin Jianheng reviewed her own situation.
It was now known that her spiritual power was S-rank, her pheromones were currently A+, and her special ability had stabilized at A-rank.
Considering that 90% of the Empire was below A-rank, she was completely “superior.”
That was more like it.
The great Jian Corporation couldn’t possibly produce a little good-for-nothing like her.
Lin Jianheng thought that Jian Heng’s previous stats were off probably because the usurper was terrible.
Perhaps it wasn’t compatible with her body, or perhaps these values were tied to the soul.
Just looking at these stats should have been enough to show that she was she, not that trashy ghost.
Lin Jianheng kicked a stool in a huff, stewing in her own anger until dinner time.
She snatched the lunchbox from Jian Lingxuan’s hand and skipped lightly to Yan Su’s ward.
She even slammed the door shut with a thud, forbidding her sister from peeking.
“…I think she’s asking for a beating.” Jian Lingxuan’s fists clenched.
Lu Yuanchen took her hand. “Alright, the child has finally returned. Shouldn’t you be happier?”
“You’re right, but…”
The ward was well soundproofed.
Lin Jianheng burst into the room, leaned against the door to catch her breath, and looked up to meet Yan Su’s eyes.
Her heart tightened again.
“Sister Yan.” Lin Jianheng straightened her posture, her heart pounding uncontrollably.
Yan Su also composed herself, not as distant as before.
“Master.” But her tone was as indifferent as ever.
Lin Jianheng was finally untroubled by this, though she was still a little nervous. She brought the lunchbox over and sat down in front of Yan Su.
“Want some? It’s not poisoned.” Lin Jianheng opened it, scooped up a spoonful, and swallowed it herself.
Yan Su’s expression didn’t waver.
Her sea-blue eyes were as calm as glass, like Lin Jianheng’s own crystals.
Her vibrant red hair had also dulled, becoming like dried rose petals.
Lin Jianheng sighed inwardly, her heart aching for her.
“Eat something. It’s been a long day, and you were frightened. You must be hungry. If you’re worried, I’ll have someone test it to guarantee it’s not poisoned.”
Her tone softened considerably, losing its earlier awkwardness.
Her almond-shaped eyes held a light that was familiar to Yan Su, yet one she dared not touch.
She had a light, elegant fragrance, not the acrid smell of smoke.
Yan Su couldn’t help but want to get closer to her. More than ten days of intimacy had brought longing and palpitations that couldn’t be stopped overnight.
But she was truly afraid of the person before her. A stabbing pain pulsed in her chest, a pain that gave rise to a terrifying fear.
Yan Su couldn’t stop herself from reaching out and shrinking back a little.
Lin Jianheng just watched her, like a dejected puppy looking at its best sister.
Yan Su subtly exerted force, gripping the bedsheet tightly.
“Even if Master poisons it, I will eat it.” She pulled at the corners of her mouth, giving Lin Jianheng the smile she least wanted to see.
It held a hint of mockery. It was filled with indifference.
It wasn’t just distrust.
It was complete disregard. As if the person speaking was a stranger who would have no impact on Yan Su’s life from now on.
“I, I didn’t mean that…” Lin Jianheng shrank back.
She thought that when they first met, Yan Su’s attitude had been quite good.
Not like now, so cold and icy.
More indifferent than a machine.
No, even a machine like the AI Butler had feelings for the usurper, capable of erupting with emotions that surpassed ordinary people, even taking extreme actions.
The Yan Su of now was like a pool of still water without wind or rain.
Dead.
Her heart was dead, killed by the usurper, yet again.
“I’m not forcing you to eat, nor am I trying to use my status to coerce you.” Lin Jianheng placed the lunchbox to the side.
“I just want you to be able to live well. As an equal…” But what was an equal status?
A friend? A roommate?
For a rare moment, Lin Jianheng was lost, not knowing what to say to Yan Su.
Yan Su just curled her lip and took the lunchbox.
“Master, I’ve told you, you don’t need to do this. If you want me to do something, you can just give the order directly.”
What equality, what no coercion, no forcing.
Her sitting here, facing Lin Jianheng, was not of her own will.
What was there to say?
Couldn’t they just go on as before: she would be responsible for being abused, beaten, scolded, imprisoned, and punished.
The master would be responsible for abusing her, bullying her, and humiliating her.
There was no need to put on such a kind facade. They could continue to “get along.”
After all, she couldn’t resist. She was bound by a contract to Lin Jianheng, wasn’t she?
Yan Su picked up the lunchbox and took a bite without hesitation.
Lin Jianheng bit her lip, wanting to take Yan Su’s hand.
Her hand rose halfway, but she lacked the strength to extend it further. She finally couldn’t hold back.
The afternoon’s emotions collapsed. The accumulated grievance, unwillingness, and the resentful fear of having her body stolen, all turned into streams of tears.
And words that were hard to make out.
“I’m not, her, I’m not her… Why can’t you tell? The difference between her and me is so obvious.” Even my sister could tell.
Lin Jianheng thought, Jian Lingxuan had seen it, and perhaps the people around her understood as well.
Why wouldn’t Yan Su, the one she trusted most, the first one she told, believe her?
Then a sour bitterness turned into a searing heat that cut through her heart.
That’s right. The usurper might not have done anything to them. But she had truly hurt Yan Su.
Twice.
She was unwilling…
What could she do to win back Yan Su’s trust?
Yan Su had only taken one bite of food.
Succubi were more sensitive to all sorts of things, especially poisons.
Whether it was poisoned or not, of course she could tell.
This meal was safe.
The last one was too. The ones Lin Jianheng had made for her, ordered for her, they were all safe.
She was just…
She didn’t dare to trust anyone again.
Be it Lin Jianheng or Jian Heng.
No amount of kindness was worth her trust.
Otherwise, there would only be the day that trust was broken, and then her heart would be trampled and completely destroyed.
Yan Su put down the food.
She saw Lin Jianheng’s ceaseless tears.
She saw Lin Jianheng’s pained brow, her throat that was struggling for air.
She heard the pathetic, pitiful sobs, and her muffled words.
—I’m not her. Can you believe me?
Yan Su shrank back.
No. I can’t trust so easily. I can’t be fooled again.
Master, Lin Jianheng, Jian Heng, must be tricking her.
So… what was the master after?
Was it her body? It must be.
Otherwise, why would the master bring her home, make a contract with her, and drug her?
Yan Su gritted her teeth, ignoring Lin Jianheng’s sobs.
Slowly, she lifted the blanket.
She moved her leg next to Lin Jianheng’s. Her long, slender leg looked even fairer under the cold hospital lights, its lines graceful and alluring.
Then, Yan Su unbuttoned the collar of her pajamas.
One, two.
What the master wanted, wasn’t it this?
She didn’t want to be reserved or refuse any longer.
As long as her heart wasn’t hurt.
She would give it. Anything was fine.
The pajamas slipped off completely.
Yan Su sat before Lin Jianheng, slowly tying up her hair.
Until she even revealed her gland.
Yan Su didn’t know if this counted as seduction.
She just wanted her master to stop crying.
And to stop hurting her.
Get instant access to all the chapters now.
