After replying to Gu Nian, Jiang Qingli used the excuse of being "too tired" to ask Yi Nuo to leave the room.
Once she was alone, she took out the camera that had been in her pocket.
It was the size of a thumb and exquisitely crafted.
'Who's spying on me? And with military-grade equipment, no less...'
Jiang Qingli toyed with it, trying to find clues within the original owner's fragmented memories.
But it was as if there was a barrier in her mind.
Whenever she tried to recall anything from more than three years ago, a sharp, stabbing pain shot through her head.
Jiang Qingli collected herself, pulled out the original owner's terminal, and began to carefully sift through the traces she had left behind.
Unfortunately, it only contained official textbook materials from the Imperial Academy and some photos of handsome male Beastmen.
The memo app, synced with the terminal, was full of information, but it was all related to her former Beast Husbands.
It contained detailed records on them—their ages, preferences, zodiac signs, personality traits, and more. It was like a character guide for an otome game.
Jiang Qingli found nothing of interest while scrolling through the chat history.
Until she tapped on the blacklist.
The blacklist was densely packed with names.
Bai Yiyi was on it, as were members of the Jiang family and even a few teachers from the Royal Empire College.
Seeing the teachers' names gave Jiang Qingli a headache.
The original owner was the same age as her, a third-year student at the Royal Empire College. But she had spent the last month living near a film set while shooting with Ling Qing, so she hadn't been to school in a month.
A message from her advisor from last month sat in the trash folder: [Miss Jiang, you have been absent without cause for one month. Your GPA for this semester will be forfeited. Please consider this carefully.]
Jiang Qingli glanced at the date. It was already late May. 'If I don't go back now, I'll actually get expelled...'
There was still no word from the system. She needed to lead a normal life for now. Besides, going to the Imperial Academy was a good way to learn more about this world.
Jiang Qingli replied to the message, stating that she would report to the academy tomorrow.
After reviewing the files for a while, Jiang Qingli started to feel drowsy.
Perhaps the Spiritual Healing from last night had been too draining. Jiang Qingli began to feel groggy and, before long, she collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep.
In a daze, she thought she felt a hand gently stroking her hair and cheek.
She tried to open her eyes to see who it was, but instead sank into a deeper dream...
A blurry image wavered, then sharpened into focus.
Beneath a lush apple tree stood a young man with a blurry face and strikingly white hair. His long fingers tilted her chin up as he leaned in to kiss her lips.
It was a cautious, feather-light touch.
After a few seconds, he pulled away and chuckled by her ear. "Our Xiao Li, getting shy? I'm truly flattered..."
Jiang Qingli's eyes fluttered open, her expression vacant.
'Was that dream one of the original owner's memories?'
Jiang Qingli's fingers lightly brushed her lips. She lowered her gaze, her eyelashes trembling.
'Why...'
'...did it feel so real?'
-
By the time Jiang Qingli went downstairs to the dining room, the sky had already darkened.
In the dining room, Baili Jing sat at one side of the long table, his eyes downcast, seemingly lost in thought.
When he saw Jiang Qingli, a pleasant surprise flashed in Baili Jing's eyes. He stood up and walked over. "Qingli, did you rest well?"
His white hair reminded Jiang Qingli of her dream, and she nodded, a little awkwardly.
"Fine," Jiang Qingli said. "Haven't you eaten? Where's Qin Muye?"
"I was waiting to eat with you, female master," Baili Jing said. "He seemed to be in a bad mood, so he went out to eat."
Jiang Qingli didn't catch the subtle jab at Qin Muye, and simply said, "You don't have to wait for me next time. It's too much trouble."
The main reason was that she didn't want to spend too much time with Baili Jing.
The dream had left her with a heavy feeling in her chest, and she subconsciously wanted to avoid getting too close to Baili Jing.
"Alright, whatever you say." Baili Jing paused, his voice gentle.
Jiang Qingli discreetly sighed in relief.
She didn't notice Baili Jing, who was sitting across from her, give a slight, bitter smile.
-
The next morning, Jiang Qingli arrived at the Imperial Royal Academy.
In the Interstellar Era, civilization had advanced at high speed, and lifespans had been extended as well.
Generally, females had longer lifespans than males, typically living for three to five hundred years.
A male's lifespan was tied to his Superpower Level; an S Level Beastman could live for up to five hundred years.
With longer lives came longer schooling.
University lasted for six years, from the age of eighteen to twenty-four.
'A nightmare. This is an absolute nightmare!'
Jiang Qingli wailed internally.
Fortunately, the school administration understood that many students came from wealthy or noble families and might also be working or even serving on the battlefield. As a result, the coursework was light, with only one or two classes a day.
As soon as she stepped into the classroom, Jiang Qingli felt countless eyes on her. Among them were several familiar faces.
Many of them immediately turned to whisper to their neighbors after seeing her.
Jiang Qingli: "..."
'This must be the price of fame,' she thought.
Jiang Qingli found a seat.
Just as she sat down, another female slid into the seat beside her, flashing a fawning smile.
Jiang Qingli thought for a moment and recognized her as the original owner's number-one lackey at the academy, Du Xixi.
"Qingli, I heard you gave those Beast Husbands back to Bai Yiyi?" Du Xixi asked, her voice low.
Jiang Qingli nodded. "Yes."
"How could you be so stupid!" Du Xixi looked utterly heartbroken. "How could you give them back to her! We're talking about five S Level men! You just handed over such amazing resources. Now Bai Yiyi will definitely have the upper hand over you. Just you watch!"
Jiang Qingli didn't say anything, only letting out a theatrical sigh.
Seeing this, Du Xixi grew anxious. "There you go, getting all down again. They don't really like Bai Yiyi, they like you! I'm serious! Especially Ling Qing and Chi Yun. They treat you differently from everyone else..."
Hearing this, Jiang Qingli almost failed to maintain the sorrowful expression on her face.
'Yeah, they're different, all right,' she thought. 'They're much crueler to me than to anyone else.'
Jiang Qingli glanced at Du Xixi beside her.
It was true that the original owner had shamelessly fawned over those five, but she'd always believed they had feelings for her too.
And the ones who gave her this grand delusion were the sycophants who surrounded her, never telling the truth and only offering praise.
Du Xixi, in particular, detested Bai Yiyi and did her utmost to stir up conflict, hoping to use Jiang Qingli to get rid of her rival.
Jiang Qingli had no intention of keeping someone like that around, let alone as a friend.
However, Du Xixi was an excellent source of gossip, so she might be useful for gathering information.
Du Xixi had no idea that Jiang Qingli was a completely different person now. She stuck to the old script, desperately trying to convince her of the "chemistry" between her and the guys.
A few rows behind them, a male Beastman teased the person next to him. "Quite the charmer, aren't you, Chi Yun? The engagement's off, but Miss Jiang still can't get you out of her head."
Male Beastmen had excellent hearing, so Chi Yun heard every word of the two females' conversation.
The moment he saw Jiang Qingli, the image of her slapping him yesterday flashed through Chi Yun's mind.
And... the love bite on her slender, pale ankle.
Chi Yun frowned unconsciously.
But then he heard Jiang Qingli say, "Don't mention them again. I've fallen for someone else."
"You mean those five F Level losers?" Du Xixi laughed in disbelief. "You can't be serious! Let's just talk about Qin Muye. He's the first Prince in history to fail a class! He's supposed to be in this lecture with us any minute now!"
She waggled her eyebrows. "Even if Ling Qing is too arrogant for you, what about Chi Yun? You used to say he was cute!"
Behind them, Chi Yun froze.
'She... called me cute?'
He didn't notice that two rows behind him, Qin Muye lifted his gaze, his eyes fixed on them.
Then he turned away, letting out a disdainful scoff.
Jiang Qingli was oblivious to the fact that she was being watched. She just answered coolly, "Did I say that? Let me rephrase—"
"Of those five, the one I hate the most now is Chi Yun."
It was as if he'd been struck in the back of the head with a blunt object. Chi Yun's ears were ringing.
'I'm the one she hates the most?'
'But Ling Qing is usually the one who gives her the most trouble...'
Chi Yun's thoughts were a complete mess.
Lost in his frustration, the class flew by.
After class, Du Xixi pushed Jiang Qingli towards Chi Yun, urging her to go talk to him.
Jiang Qingli ignored her completely, glanced at her terminal, and then walked out the door, turning right.
As if possessed, Chi Yun followed her.
He didn't notice that someone was following him, too.
The girl walked without stopping, heading deeper into the building.
As she passed a classroom, a hand with long, well-defined knuckles shot out from inside and yanked her in.
Through the glass window, Chi Yun saw it clearly—
A male Beastman was bent over, hugging Jiang Qingli. He buried his face in the crook of her neck in an incredibly intimate gesture.