Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Senior, You’ve Changed—You Actually Fell in with Qian Qi

The gloomy classmate turned at her voice.

Then he saw Qian Qi’s “warm” smile.

His eyebrows twitched like they’d been shocked.

Oh no. Mom.

Qian Qi has noticed me.

In that instant, classmate Little Liu had already written his entire tragic life story:

Qian Qi would target him. His magic plant would get stomped to mush the moment it sprouted. He’d have to pay extra at every meal to buy Qian Qi food until he was broke. He’d leave Awakeners University with a failing planting report. To survive, he’d grit his teeth and enter dungeons. Awakeners would hire him to identify dangerous magic plants, then use him as a human shield. He’d die under a magic beast or magic plant, living out the rest of his life poor, short, and meaningless.

Was this really how Liu Da Bao—upright, low-key, minding his own business—was going to end?

Little Liu let a single tear slip down his cheek.

Qian Qi stared at him, baffled, and scratched her head. “What’s wrong with him? He looks… devastated.”

System Panel: […Can you pay attention to your expression?]

“My expression?” Qian Qi touched her cheek. “I’m smiling nicely.”

System Panel: […]

Qian Qi didn’t get it. But she got bored of thinking about it, so she patted Little Liu’s back in what she intended as comfort.

“Classmate, don’t be scared. I saw you looking miserable, so I came to see if you needed help.”

Little Liu snapped back to reality and shook his head like his neck was on fire. “No! I don’t! Really! Classmate Qian, you go ahead, don’t worry about me!”

“How could you not?” Qian Qi said, still sounding painfully sincere. “Look at your magic plant. It’s basically dying.”

“It must’ve been hard to raise it, right? You don’t want to rip it out, right? You want it to grow strong, don’t you?”

She leaned in, voice sweet as poison. “This affects your final exam. If you fail, you’ll need 4,500 yuan for next year’s tuition.”

The moment she said tuition, Little Liu’s face turned gray. “Yeah… if I fail, I’m finished…”

“I do have a way,” Qian Qi said, striking while he was weak. “Just depends whether you want it.”

“What way?” Little Liu asked despite himself, clinging to a thin strand of hope.

“Have you heard? Senior Li Shu Yun successfully grew Fire Qilin Lotus,” Qian Qi said smoothly, stacking her “evidence” first to build trust. “Not only that—she grew three Fire Qilin Fruit.”

“Huh?” Little Liu blinked. “Didn’t she grow it a long time ago? And it only bore one fruit.”

Two weeks ago, the entire Magic Plant Department had been buzzing. The teacher even mentioned it in class.

“Tsk.” Qian Qi clicked her tongue. “Your news is outdated.”

She lowered her voice dramatically. “A week ago, Senior Li’s Fire Qilin Lotus got chopped to pieces. The fruit got stolen too. Senior Li was heartbroken.”

Little Liu glanced at her, deeply suspicious that “someone” meant “you.”

Qian Qi didn’t notice his look. She leaned closer, as if sharing state secrets. “Then someone showed up and promised to replant it within a week. Want to know what happened?”

Without waiting, she announced, “It actually worked. Not only did it work, it produced three Fire Qilin Fruit. If you don’t believe me, ask Senior Li. Guaranteed.”

Little Liu scratched his cheek. Qian Qi was famous for talking nonsense.

So Qian Qi grabbed him by the back of his collar and dragged him straight to Li Shu Yun.

Luckily, Li Shu Yun was still working in the plot. Qian Qi called out cheerfully, “Senior! Tell him—was this Fire Qilin Lotus grown in the last week or not?”

Li Shu Yun looked up from her samples and saw Qian Qi hauling a terrified student like a captured kitten. The student’s face screamed forced against my will.

Li Shu Yun didn’t understand why Qian Qi was doing this, but she answered anyway. “Yes. It was grown within the last week.”

Little Liu trusted Li Shu Yun. Especially now, with his own eyes staring at three bright red Fire Qilin Fruit.

He turned to her, suddenly excited. “Senior—who did you hire to grow it? Can I ask them for help too?”

Li Shu Yun sighed and glanced at Qian Qi. “It was grown by Junior Qian Qi.”

Little Liu went very, very still.

Then he turned slowly to look at Qian Qi.

Qian Qi puffed out her chest. “That’s right. Me.”

Little Liu turned back to Li Shu Yun and gave her a look that said, Senior, you’ve changed. You’re actually in cahoots with someone like her.

Li Shu Yun pinched the bridge of her nose. “Junior, I didn’t lie. I didn’t see every step, but there’s no denying this plant was cultivated by Qian Qi.”

“She ruined the Fire Qilin Lotus I grew earlier. This is her compensation. And thanks to her, I got a lot of new data.”

With Li Shu Yun that firm, Little Liu’s brain started to wobble. Li Shu Yun was the dean’s granddaughter. She wasn’t going to lie out of fear like a poor student would.

“See?” Qian Qi patted Little Liu’s shoulder, beaming. “I told you. Anyway, I’m short on cash lately, so I’m offering paid tutoring. Give me 45 yuan and I’ll help you revive your magic plant.”

Little Liu’s expression instantly changed into: Of course.

He knew it. All that buildup was just to ask for money.

And if he paid once, there would be a second time. A third. A lifetime subscription.

“I don’t have money,” Little Liu said, straightening like a doomed hero. “Sorry, Classmate Qian. You should help someone else. I’ll handle it myself.”

Then he bolted.

Qian Qi stood there, stunned. After a long moment, she turned to Li Shu Yun.

“Senior… what kind of person was I before?”

In her memories, the original owner stole roommates’ toilet paper and shampoo without asking. Worse, she fought with guys sometimes.

But that was the first half of the semester. She didn’t remember much fighting lately…

Li Shu Yun studied her, still unsure if Qian Qi was playing dumb. After hesitating, she said carefully, “Um… you were probably someone who really hated magic plants.”

Qian Qi stared. “I hated magic plants? Why?”

“Didn’t you?” Li Shu Yun gestured toward Back Mountain. “You often destroyed other people’s magic plants in their plots. I thought you hated them.”

Qian Qi went blank.

Holy crap.

So “she” was that much of a jerk?

And the worst part was—Qian Qi genuinely didn’t know her smile looked terrifying.

Because since coming to this world…

She hadn’t looked in a mirror even once.