X University was obsessed with “comprehensive student development.” They made liberal arts students take calculus and science students take advanced Chinese literature. They even mandated an integrated experimental course for liberal arts majors, with weekly lab sessions.
“…Make me the TA for that lab course, and I’ll agree.”
Bai Ran’s decision to leak the news of the voice acting project to Old Master Ji had indeed caused significant trouble for Ji Yan.
However, Bai Ran had miscalculated one thing. The Ji family’s excessive indulgence of Ji Yan stemmed from a sense of guilt—specifically, the trauma Ji Yan suffered due to Xiao Lin’s mental illness.
Ji Yan used the incident where Xiao Lin had hidden razor blades in an attempt to kill her as leverage for a negotiation. Both sides reached a compromise.
The collaboration on Improper Thoughts with Xu Yinian would continue, but it would be Ji Yan’s final project before retiring from the industry. Afterward, she could only participate in Monologue’s affairs as an investor. Furthermore, the Ji family demanded control over the narrative to ensure Ji Yan’s identity was never exposed.
As punishment, however, Ji Yan was still placed under house arrest for several days according to family rules.
This meant her plans to investigate Xu Yinian’s past and retaliate against Bai Ran were severely restricted.
To mend her relationship with Ji Yan—and because she was equally curious and concerned about Xu Yinian—Lu Zhou took it upon herself to handle the legwork.
In the face of the threat posed by Shen Ruoshuang and Bai Ran’s schemes, dealing with Lu Zhou was no longer a priority for Ji Yan. Instead, Lu Zhou would serve as a perfect tool while Ji Yan was confined.
Their “plastic friendship,” built on mutual hidden agendas, continued.
[I found it.]
At 9:00 PM that night, Ji Yan received a message from Lu Zhou.
The Lu family’s influence went far beyond business. Whether through family connections or Lu Zhou’s own network, digging up someone’s history was easy.
Besides, Lu Zhou herself was deeply invested. Why had Xu Yinian’s emotions been so transparent during Truth or Dare when “the person she liked” was mentioned?
Xu Yinian’s files were just like her: clean and thin.
Born in the small town of Yuanwu. A natural stutterer. Her mother was a math teacher at Yuanwu No. 1 High School. Her father had contracted a rare disease when she was five and passed away two years later after seeking treatment across the country, leaving the family in debt. She had grown up in a single-parent household burdened by medical bills.
Reading this made Lu Zhou’s chest feel tight. Xu Yinian’s life had been harder than she imagined. It was a world completely removed from their glitzy, indulgent lifestyle.
Soon, her eyes landed on a familiar name in the roster for Xu Yinian’s tenth-grade class: “Shen Ruoshuang.” A spark of realization ignited in her mind.
Lu Zhou couldn’t help but consider a possibility. Could the person Xu Yinian likes be…
She didn’t have time to process it fully before she called Ji Yan to discuss the findings.
“Shen Ruoshuang transferred to Yuanwu in October of her tenth-grade year. She was in the same class as Xu Yinian. They attended the X University Winter Camp together during the winter break. On February 18th, Shen Ruoshuang withdrew from Yuanwu No. 1 High School.”
“You didn’t find out what happened?” Ji Yan’s brow furrowed. Shen Ruoshuang’s withdrawal was too abrupt. Her choice to join the same dormitory as Xu Yinian at the start of the year was clearly a long-term calculation.
Lu Zhou sounded exasperated on the other end of the line. “Sister, do you realize it’s only been a few hours? If you want to know the gritty details, give me a few days to find an informant to interrogate.”
“Did they date? Xu Yinian and Shen Ruoshuang.”
Ji Yan thought back to their interactions since the start of the semester. Shen Ruoshuang seemed driven by a long-repressed obsession, pushing closer with every step, while Xu Yinian avoided her like a plague.
Xu Yinian didn’t seem to have feelings of love; rather, it was a mix of reluctance, fear, and… a deeply buried grudge.
“Impossible,” Ji Yan said firmly, though she could feel her heart growing increasingly uneasy.
Her own connection with Xu Yinian over the past eighteen years was a total blank. She didn’t even have a grudge to share with her. Shen Ruoshuang and Bai Ran had both pursued Xu Yinian to this specific dormitory; only she had stumbled into the girl’s world by chance.
And now, if she hadn’t intentionally tried to trap Xu Yinian within her own constraints time and again, they would still be two parallel lines that never crossed.
What could she possibly do to make up for such a massive head start? How could she bridge a gap where her starting point was so far behind it was practically a regression?
“Find an informant as soon as possible. Wait for me when you question them; I want to know everything the moment you do.”
A layer of cold, ruthless violence flickered in Ji Yan’s eyes.
Don’t let Niannian find out.
Or… destroy it entirely.
“How do you plan to get back at Bai Ran?” Lu Zhou asked, changing the subject.
Hearing her tone, Ji Yan asked coldly, “Why? Do you have a lead?”
“Want to form an alliance? Let’s team up to kick the craziest one out of the game first.”
Lu Zhou’s background and network were indeed powerful assets. She wanted to use Ji Yan as a proxy, and Ji Yan wanted a high-profile “eye for an eye.” It was a win-win.
Seeing her silence as consent, Lu Zhou gave a gentle, predatory laugh. “My older brother is currently being considered for an arranged marriage with her. It’s the Bai family’s idea, and the results should be out by the end of the week. If Bai Ran agrees, she’s definitely out of the running for Xu Yinian. If she refuses… then that’s your problem to handle.”
Ji Yan’s expression did not lighten. “She’s dangling such an obvious weakness in front of us? That doesn’t sound like her style.”
Usually, there was an unspoken agreement among them to protect Xu Yinian and keep her hidden. They would drag their sexual orientation in front of their respective families before they ever exposed Xu Yinian. A girl that fragile couldn’t survive even a fraction of that chaos.
![Welcome to the World of the Strong [Unlimited Flow]](https://i1.wp.com/dobytranslations.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/21240336806.png?resize=151,215 "Welcome to the World of the Strong [Unlimited Flow]")
