Chapter Fourteen: Senior Sister, You've Changed—How Could You Collude with Qian Qi?

A classmate, his face full of worry, turned around at the sound. When he saw the rather terrifying, sinister grin on Qian Qi’s face, his tightly furrowed brows twitched uncontrollably.

“I’m doomed. Mom, Qian Qi has set her sights on me!”

“I might not make it to second grade!”

In that instant, young Liu had already envisioned his bleak future: once Qian Qi targeted him, every magical plant he grew would be trampled to death as soon as it sprouted; every meal would cost extra to buy Qian Qi’s favor; until he was completely penniless, clutching a failed cultivation report as he left Awakener University. Then, out of desperation, he’d be forced into dungeon runs, hired by Awakeners to identify weak points in dangerous magical plants, only to be used as a shield and meet a tragic end under the claws of beasts or plants—leading a rough, impoverished life until the very end.

Was this the tragic fate awaiting Liu Dabao, a man who had lived honorably and modestly all his life?

A single tear rolled down young Liu’s cheek in sorrow.

Qian Qi stared at the classmate, scratching her head in confusion. “What’s wrong with him? He looks so hopeless.”

[... Could you please be mindful of your expression?]

“What’s wrong with my expression?” Qian Qi touched her face. Wasn’t she smiling warmly?

[...]

The system’s silence left Qian Qi momentarily puzzled, but she quickly dismissed it. She gently patted young Liu’s back in a comforting manner. “Don’t be afraid. I saw you looking so troubled, so I came to see if you needed help.”

Young Liu came to his senses and quickly shook his head. “No, really, I don’t need any help. Qian, you should focus on your own work.”

“How could you not need help?” Qian Qi said sincerely. “Look at your magical plant—it’s about to die.”

“Cultivating it must be hard. It would be so frustrating to have to uproot it, right? You really want it to thrive, don’t you?” Qian Qi coaxed gently. “After all, this affects your final exam. If it’s not up to standard, you’ll have to pay 4,500 yuan in tuition next year!”

Mentioning tuition made young Liu’s face instantly cloud over. “Yeah… if it fails, I’m doomed…”

“Well, I do have a way,” Qian Qi seized the moment, “but I’m not sure what you think about it.”

“What way?” Though skeptical of Qian Qi, young Liu still clung to a faint hope as he asked.

“Have you heard that senior Li Shuyun successfully cultivated the Fire Qilin Lotus?” Qian Qi, a master of persuasion, led with her own notable achievement to build trust. “Not only that, she even produced three Fire Qilin fruits!”

“Huh?” Young Liu was bewildered. “Wasn’t that done a while ago? And only one Fire Qilin fruit at that.”

This incident had been common knowledge among all the magical plant students two weeks prior; even the teacher had specifically mentioned it in class.

“Tsk, tsk, looks like your information’s outdated!” Qian Qi put on a mysterious look. “A week ago, someone destroyed senior Li’s Fire Qilin Lotus and took the fruit, which really upset her!”

Young Liu glanced at Qian Qi, feeling that it was just like her.

Unfazed by his gaze, Qian Qi lowered her voice intentionally. “Then someone appeared and promised to help her replant the Fire Qilin Lotus within a week. Guess what?”

Before young Liu could reply, she dramatically continued, “It actually worked! She even grew three Fire Qilin fruits! If you don’t believe me, you can ask senior Li. This is absolutely true!”

Young Liu scratched his cheek. Qian Qi was always spouting nonsense; he didn’t buy it.

Seeing his doubt, Qian Qi dragged him over to Li Shuyun. Fortunately, Li was still tending the Fire Qilin Lotus in the field. Qian Qi called out happily, “Senior! Tell him, wasn’t this Fire Qilin Lotus grown just within the past week?”

Li Shuyun, busy collecting samples, turned around and saw Qian Qi holding a student by his collar. The student looked terrified and reluctant, clearly forced along.

Li Shuyun didn’t quite understand Qian Qi’s question but answered, “Yes, it was grown just within the past week.”

Hearing this, young Liu believed her, especially since he had witnessed the three bright red Fire Qilin fruits in the experimental field with his own eyes.

He brightened immediately. “Senior, who helped you grow it? Could I learn from them too?”

Li glanced at Qian Qi and sighed. “It was cultivated by junior sister Qian Qi.”

Young Liu: ...

Young Liu: ???

He turned to look at Qian Qi.

Qian Qi puffed out her chest proudly. “That’s right, it was me!”

Young Liu turned back to Li Shuyun, giving her a look that said, “Senior, you’ve changed. How could you be in cahoots with someone like Qian Qi?”

Li Shuyun: ...

“Junior, I’m not lying.” Though she hadn’t witnessed the entire process, there was no denying that the Fire Qilin Lotus was cultivated by Qian Qi.

“She had damaged the Fire Qilin Lotus I originally grew. This is her way of making amends. Thanks to her, I obtained a lot of new data.”

With Li Shuyun’s firm confirmation, young Liu grew confused. After all, she was the granddaughter of the dean of the Magical Plant Department and wouldn’t lie out of fear that Qian Qi would ruin her fields like some poor student might.

“See? I didn’t lie,” Qian Qi said with a smile as she patted young Liu’s shoulder. “I’m a bit short on cash these days, so I’ve decided to charge for tutoring on cultivation assignments. If you give me 45 yuan, I can help you save your magical plant!”

Young Liu’s confused expression instantly turned into a resigned “I knew it.” He realized Qian Qi’s lengthy setup was just to get money!

And once there’s a first time, there will be a second, a third!

“I don’t have money,” young Liu said, feeling trapped by fate. With resolve, he declared, “Sorry, Qian Qi, you should help someone else. I can manage on my own.”

With that, he dashed away.

Qian Qi stood frozen for a while. Then she turned to Li Shuyun and asked, “Senior, what kind of person was I before?”

In her memories, the original owner often used her roommates’ toilet paper, shampoo, and detergent without asking—and on worse days, got into fights with some guys.

But that was only in the first half of the semester. She hadn’t fought much in the latter half, right?

Li Shuyun looked at Qian Qi’s bewildered face, unsure if she was pretending to be clueless. After hesitating, she finally said cautiously, “Well... you were probably someone who really hated magical plants.”

Qian Qi was even more confused. “I hated magical plants? Why would you say that?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Li Shuyun glanced toward the back mountain. “You often destroyed the magical plants others painstakingly grew in the experimental fields. I thought you really hated magical plants.”

Qian Qi: ...

Qian Qi: ???

Damn, so “she” was such a terrible person!