The library of the United Military and Political Academy was exceptionally vast, its towering walls lined with books, while massive clusters of lights hovered overhead like suspended jellyfish. The banners of the six academic departments were displayed in an intersecting arrangement, and sunlight refracted through the stained glass, casting dazzlingly vibrant hues across the space.
It was mid-afternoon, and the library was quiet. Students sipped tea and nibbled on snacks in the lounge area or browsed materials in the smart-device zone. In a corner booth on the first floor, Lin Zhiyan was cross-referencing data for her assignment, her head heavy with fatigue as the linked smart-brain projected page after page of information.
Ai Wen, meanwhile, kept organizing the data, yawning repeatedly from exhaustion.
"This should be enough," Lin Zhiyan said, rubbing her temples as she disconnected the link and reopened the terminal-to-smart-brain signal. "I’ll transfer it to my terminal. You can return these books first."
She didn’t own a smart-brain device, so she had to rely on her terminal for processing.
"Got it," Ai Wen nodded, gathering the books and standing—only to immediately sit back down. "Oh no, I just spotted Le Mang and his crew. Feels like they’re about to come stir up trouble again!"
Her face was tense with worry.
Lin Zhiyan paused, her expression calm. "If he wants to make trouble, he’d cross mountains and rivers to do it."
Her words were steady, but inwardly, she was even more anxious than Ai Wen.
Anxious that Le Mang wouldn’t come looking for trouble.
Lin Zhiyan had been lying in wait for Le Mang for days, but between her packed schedule, part-time job, and the sheer size of this damned school, she hadn’t managed to corner him until now.
Having grown up in District 16, she was no stranger to underhanded schemes—though seducing rich boys for favors wasn’t exactly her forte. With her elective course deadline looming and no sign of Le Mang, she’d been so stressed that two painful blisters had formed in her mouth. Fortunately, she’d learned yesterday that an exam for a Wealth Management Department course had been postponed to the start of term, prompting a sudden influx of students cramming in the library. Finally, an opportunity had presented itself.
Sigh. Even in the same school, people can live in completely parallel worlds, never crossing paths. Money, you’ve created reproductive isolation for so many.
Lin Zhiyan mused poetically in her head.
"Ai Wen."
A light, lilting voice called from a distance.
It was Le Mang.
Ai Wen sighed in despair and glanced at Lin Zhiyan.
Lin Zhiyan scrunched her face, mimicking Le Mang’s haughty, dismissive expression while crossing her arms. Ai Wen stifled a laugh. "You’ve got him down perfectly."
"I’m talking to you."
Le Mang’s voice was closer now.
He had reached their table, Li Siheng standing beside him.
It was strange—if looks alone were the measure, Li Siheng was undeniably the more conventionally beautiful of the two. Yet he always seemed like a gem veiled in dust and gauze, dulled somehow. Next to Ze Fei, his muted presence couldn’t compete with her opulent, radiant beauty, and beside Le Mang, he was overshadowed by the latter’s lively, arrogant charm.
Lin Zhiyan observed all this while admiring Le Mang’s deep-set features—his russet-brown hair, the faint smattering of freckles. She often imagined he ought to have a pair of antlers or goat horns hidden in that mane, ready to ram into someone whenever the mood struck.
Her gaze was so blatant that Le Mang grew visibly irritated, scowling. "What are you staring at? There’s nothing written on my face."
"Le Mang!" Ai Wen stood, clutching the books. "Don’t pick on her."
"Who has time to pick on her?" Le Mang tilted his chin up, his green eyes rolling. "I’m telling you to move. I want this spot for studying."
He slammed his book onto the table.
"Fine, take it." Ai Wen blinked in surprise before turning to Lin Zhiyan. "Let’s go, then."
Le Mang frowned, about to retort, but Li Siheng spoke first. "No need."
Le Mang shot him a look, but Li Siheng remained unreadable.
Li Siheng continued, "Stay. We’re taking the same course, and I have some questions for you two."
His eyes locked onto Lin Zhiyan as he spoke.
Lin Zhiyan smiled, moving a book aside. "Sure. We haven’t talked since the freshman banquet, anyway. I’ve been curious—how’s your 'project' coming along?"
Li Siheng took the seat beside her.
Le Mang arched a brow and sat next to Ai Wen.
The atmosphere grew palpably tense.
"I’ll attend the required lectures," Li Siheng said after a pause. "And if you need it, my offer from that night still stands. Just ask."
Le Mang’s eyebrows shot up, his green eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Since when did you turn into such a saint?"
"I got the elective course schedule yesterday," Li Siheng replied smoothly. "Noticed we’re taking several of the same classes. The reading lists are expensive, and since your relationship with her isn’t as hostile now, I figured helping out wouldn’t upset you as much."
Wow. Zero-frame setup for sowing discord. Lin Zhiyan marveled inwardly. His words subtly implied that Le Mang’s past harshness had forced him to keep his distance, while simultaneously hinting to Le Mang about her financial struggles.
Seems he’s really hung up on not being ranked first.
To her surprise, Le Mang’s first reaction was bafflement. "You needed the course list to figure out she’s broke?"
Li Siheng’s brow twitched.
All that subtext, wasted on an idiot. Lin Zhiyan nearly laughed.
She decided to play along. "So how exactly are you helping me? Wiring money? Cash or card? Starting now?"
Li Siheng’s expression flickered again, as if he hadn’t expected her to engage. Ai Wen looked stunned, but Le Mang’s reaction was even more pronounced—his eyes narrowed, voice laced with disbelief. "Funny how someone who refused a cab fare on some holier-than-thou principle is suddenly fine taking handouts. Must be some pricey books."
Li Siheng turned to Le Mang. "Cab fare?"
But Le Mang kept his gaze on Lin Zhiyan, clearly annoyed. If she was willing to accept money now, why had she made him go out of his way to take her home days ago?
"I refused the cab money because I had nothing to give you in return," Lin Zhiyan said, smiling at Li Siheng. "But if you pay me, I can repay you—with my papers, grades, assignments, even the top rank. Or just erase my name entirely. Like you and Ze Fei asked that night, right?"
Ai Wen’s eyes widened. "Is that why they approached you?" she whispered.
Le Mang’s lips parted slightly as he stared at Li Siheng.
After a beat, Li Siheng said, "That was Ze Fei’s demand, not mine."
"What a relief. You’re so generous." Lin Zhiyan grinned. "Maybe we can be friends. Maybe if we get close enough, you’ll find yourself in a crisis—one only I can fix. Maybe I’ll see your struggles and rush to your aid without a second thought."
She glanced at Le Mang. "Seems like I have nothing to offer him in return, so I’ll have to refuse his money too. Now, I’ll continue pretending to be noble and decline sitting with you all to listen to your little act. Goodbye."
Lin Zhiyan picked up her book and walked out.
Le Mang called after her, but she didn’t turn back. For a moment, he turned to Li Siheng and said, "You didn’t discuss this with me."
"I never had such intentions, and she refused. It’s not worth mentioning," Li Siheng replied, his eyes lowered.
"Oh? So the person who acted like Ze Fei ruined him because of her in front of me a few days ago wasn’t you? Now it’s all about how Ze Fei treated you too harshly, and I’m just jumping to conclusions and humiliating a commoner?" Le Mang’s tone turned sharp, his eyebrows raised high. "Seems you really did lose to her back then—no wonder the Cabinet faction didn’t bother pulling strings for you. Useless."
The United Military and Political Academy was divided into numerous factions, but the two main ones were the pro-royalist faction and the pro-Cabinet faction.
The royalists supported restoring the monarchy’s power, returning to an era where the military answered only to the crown, and where wealthy families could enter the royal council through royal appointments. The pro-Cabinet faction, on the other hand, advocated for reclaiming military authority, imposing heavy taxes on the wealthy, and diminishing the monarchy’s influence.
After the establishment of the constitutional monarchy, the monarchy’s power should have been weakened.
But in reality, following the global AI rebellion that triggered a world war, the Ringstar Alliance formed the Global Technology Restriction Organization, collectively signing agreements to curb and regulate developed technologies worldwide.
The organization stipulated that government leaders must submit proposals for approved technologies before they could be implemented. At the time, the monarchy, as the head of state, signed the agreement. Later, domestic political reforms took place, but the monarchy remained the only Ringstar member recognized by the organization with the authority to attend meetings—a fact that still unsettled the Cabinet government.
As a royalist, Le Mang’s first instinct was to blame the Cabinet faction. Now, realizing not only that Li Siheng was incompetent but had also manipulated him into acting as a pawn, his green eyes burned with fury as he stood and stormed out.
He resolved to vent his anger by chopping down a few trees in his garden when he got home.
But as soon as he stepped out of the library, he spotted Lin Zhiyan.
She stood at the entrance, staring at her terminal as if waiting for someone.
Le Mang walked up to her and snapped, "Hanging around Ai Wen all day won’t make her spend money on you. The moment I catch her secretly helping a poor wretch like you, I’ll report her immediately!"
"What, just because I refused your money, I can’t take Li Siheng’s or Ai Wen’s either?" Lin Zhiyan could tell there wasn’t an ounce of seriousness in his words. She smiled faintly and said, "That’s a bit too tyrannical, don’t you think?"
Hearing this, Le Mang almost laughed but caught himself. "Why are you acting so familiar? Didn’t you just accuse me and Li Siheng of putting on an act to pressure you?"
"I did think so at first," Lin Zhiyan admitted seriously. "But—"
Le Mang cut in, "But what?"
"But I was curious about how the cat’s been doing, so I decided to drop the noble act and wait for you here."
"You were waiting for me?" Le Mang asked. A few seconds later, he added hastily, "Who cares who you were waiting for? Alexander’s fine. I’ve been feeding him fresh meat—his fur’s shinier now."
He paused, then added, "I didn’t know he proposed that kind of deal to you, and I don’t care. Go ahead and keep pretending to be noble!"
Lin Zhiyan nodded. "Alright."
With that, she turned to leave.
Watching her walk away, Le Mang felt an inexplicable frustration. "Where are you going? I said I didn’t know—believe it or not!"
Lin Zhiyan turned back. "I believe you."
After a moment, she added, "If you had known, you’d probably have slapped me with the money directly."
"Even if I look down on poor wretches, I don’t have that kind of hobby," Le Mang scoffed, stepping closer to her. "Right now, I only have one question for you."
His green eyes were intense. "Why do you have that deck of cards?"
Before this, he’d assumed she had backing from the Cabinet faction—the cards were evidence. But Li Siheng and Ze Fei’s attempts to recruit her proved she had real skill. Yet she was still this poor—how did she get the cards? Why hadn’t she sold them?
What was so special about that deck? It wasn’t easy to explain, and she couldn’t exactly drag Jiang Yi into it. But the question clearly mattered to Le Mang—his green eyes were fixed on her, like a snail cautiously extending its antennae to test the air.
He was waiting for a good answer.
Lin Zhiyan thought for a moment, then lowered her eyes and said softly, "This school has more than one Li Siheng."
Le Mang’s green eyes flickered.
A few seconds later, he said, "Then your magic trick was spot-on. Too bad you didn’t throw it in his face."
Lin Zhiyan’s lips curved slightly. "Alright, young master, stop following me. This poor wretch has to go earn some money."
"Hold it. I didn’t say you could leave." Le Mang pressed a hand on her shoulder. "Follow me. Work for me, and I’ll pay you."
Lin Zhiyan raised an eyebrow. "What?"
Le Mang released her and walked ahead. "If you want money, then keep up!"
