If she didn't reply, Ji Tingzhou would be upset and would question why he, as her father, wasn't good enough to acknowledge.
In the end, she chose to reply to that one message: Yes.
Then she ignored the flood of reactions that followed.
["Ugh... I don’t want school to start."]
She wished she could stay in the lab every day, resting her eyes with beautiful men and women whenever she got tired.
["Princess, you seem really busy lately."]
The system suddenly spoke up.
["You haven’t watched Desperate Dad 2 in days."]
Ji Nian rolled three times from the left side of the bed to the right.
"Yeah, I’ve been busy selecting people. Didn’t you see the documents he was reviewing when I asked him to film a video earlier?"
"He said he’s investing in a lab."
Ji Nian had a rough guess—he was probably working for "that person," conducting research that couldn’t exactly be made public.
Personally, Ji Nian didn’t support Mu Xiu’s research philosophy. Instead of creating another body, why not focus on extending the lifespan of the original one?
In her previous world, someone had already developed that technology—though the clientele wasn’t just the wealthy, but the ultra-rich with considerable power and status.
But Ji Nian had no intention of interfering.
She only knew the basics, far from being qualified to step into a lab.
Besides, just being able to make a few potions had already drawn "that person’s" attention. If they found out she had even slight knowledge in this field, Ji Tingzhou wouldn’t be able to save her this time.
Lost in thought, Ji Nian drifted off to sleep.
She didn’t even hear the system asking when Ji Tingzhou would be free to watch Desperate Dad 2 with it.
...
"Morning, Nian Nian."
Seeing Chen Mo at the breakfast table didn’t surprise Ji Nian much.
He had texted her yesterday, saying he’d personally take her to her temporary new school today.
"Morning, Mo Mo."
"Sleeping well lately?"
Ji Nian sat down in her usual spot and took a sip of warm water.
Chen Mo nodded. "The aromatherapy you gave me works great. I’ve been sleeping really well."
After Mu Xiu’s death, Chen Mo had gone to Chen Yueling’s grave and sat there all night. According to No. 2’s retelling, he had looked utterly defeated when he arrived, but when he returned, his expression was like someone who had finally relieved a decade-long constipation.
More than Chen Mo’s expression at the time, Ji Nian wanted to ask No. 2 who had taught him such a comparison.
Now, Chen Mo was thriving—collaborating with major hospitals, schools, and research labs professionally, while enjoying a harmonious family life with his niece.
He was practically glowing, looking even younger than before.
Sure, there were still unanswered questions in his life, but for Chen Mo, things were pretty good.
And it wasn’t just Chen Mo—the assassin housekeeping team had come too.
"Don’t worry, Miss. If anyone dares to threaten you, we guarantee they won’t leave our sight alive."
Ji Nian: "………We live in a society governed by law."
The assassins hung their heads.
"But you can beat them up in a sack. Just avoid the cameras."
The assassins perked up, instantly cheered.
"Want me to walk you in?"
After dropping Ji Nian off at Hainuo, Chen Mo glanced at her, still wearing her S High uniform.
Hainuo and S High were polar opposites. For a moment, Ji Nian felt like she was looking at her old school—the students here seemed much more lax. One student wore only the uniform pants, with a completely casual top, striding right past the teachers checking appearances, who pretended not to see.
"No need, I know the way."
Ji Nian thought about it and politely declined.
Right now, quite a few students were sneaking glances their way.
It couldn’t be helped—Ji Nian’s looks and outfit already made her stand out, and now with the tall, striking Chen Mo beside her, the duo was even more eye-catching.
Not to mention…
Behind her stood a group of people lined up neatly, each looking dark and murderous.
But not everyone had the sense to keep their distance.
Out of the corner of her eye, Ji Nian saw a student actually trying to approach Chen Mo for his number.
[Isn’t this a middle school? Are kids this precocious now?]
The system thought she was underestimating modern children—some elementary schoolers even knew R-rated content.
Seeing Ji Nian’s insistence, Chen Mo didn’t push further.
But after watching her enter, he pulled out his phone and made a call. "Hello, Principal Liu? Yes, it’s me."
...
"Don’t worry, Teacher. We’ll make sure the new student gets here safely."
A few students crowded around the homeroom teacher, volunteering to escort Ji Nian.
The teacher, remembering the dean’s repeated reminders to give her the best experience, figured students would feel more at ease with peers than teachers. Sending classmates might help her integrate faster.
To his surprise, even the troublemakers were showing unexpected camaraderie. Pleased, he nodded in agreement.
The two girls grinned and dashed off. As they passed the classroom, Ma Xiaofei, sitting by the window, glanced their way.
They flashed her an ‘all good’ sign.
Ji Nian had just arrived at the meeting spot when she saw two Hainuo students hurrying down.
Their eyes swept the area, quickly landing on her—the only one not in their uniform.
From a distance, they couldn’t see clearly and started whispering.
"This is my first time seeing S High’s uniform up close. It’s so elegant."
"But skirts aren’t practical. Pretty, though."
After a brief exchange, they rushed over. But the moment they got a good look at Ji Nian’s face, they froze, exchanging glances.
Holy crap!!
She’s this gorgeous?!
"Green eyes…"
One of them muttered.
Ji Tingzhou had once appeared on a livestream, so many knew what he looked like.
Normally, kids their age wouldn’t care, but he was just too stunning—young, accomplished, the kind of man even dogs would drool over, let alone middle school girls in their most appearance-obsessed phase.
"Ma… didn’t she say it wasn’t her?"
One of them panicked slightly.
No way.
She’d watched Ji Tingzhou’s TikTok video a hundred times yesterday and even set a screenshot as her phone wallpaper. At the peak of her familiarity with his features, how could she not recognize Ji Nian’s face?
"Can I help you?"
Ji Nian tilted her head slightly as the two stood dumbfounded before her.
"Holy crap, even her voice matches that video!"
If they still believed Ma Xiaofei now, they’d have to be brain-dead!
"Um… are you Ji Nian?"
The two girls, who had approached with boldness moments ago, suddenly deflated.
"Teacher Gao asked us to take you to get your uniform and show you to the classroom."
Hearing it was Teacher Gao’s request, Ji Nian nodded. "I see. Thank you."
The girls waved their hands hastily. "No problem, no problem!"
Whatever ideas they’d had earlier vanished the second they saw that face—identical to Ji Tingzhou’s.
Damn Ma Xiaofei for feeding them lies!
With these thoughts in mind, Ji Nian arrived at the place to collect her uniform and frowned at the packaging in confusion.
The Hainuo school uniform had a sporty design—a gray-blue jacket paired with gray shorts.
But the set Ji Nian received clearly included a pair of pants that were far too long for her size.
The two girls realized too late—
Oh no!
To mess with this exchange student from S High, they had swapped out the uniform for a male version in advance.
Ji Nian was no fool. She immediately glanced at the two students beside her, whose expressions practically screamed, "This was us."
Understanding that this was likely a power move to put her in her place, Ji Nian sighed.
Well, no helping it. She’d just have to wear it.
As an outsider and an exchange student, there was no harm in strutting around the principal’s office in a mismatched, gender-inappropriate uniform, right?
