Chapter 155 - 154: Moving Out of the Villa

Pei Yin finished braiding the last few small bells onto the ends of his hair, then left the laboratory, jingling as he went.

Flapping his large black wings, he contacted one person after another while airborne.

"I’m done with Yan Qin. If you still hold out hope for her, if you think she can Awaken, then you can handle it yourself."

The words were harsh, essentially pronouncing the matter dead.

"Alright, I get it." Duan Feiye disconnected, his mood souring.

The research he and the others were conducting on commoners’ Awakening wasn’t about rebelling against the aristocracy. It was primarily about strengthening their own families.

He, Sheng Yue, and Xi Yu were the ones most invested in Yan Qin’s Awakening, as the three of them had the highest proportion of commoners among their close relatives.

The research had been going on for some time, and Yan Qin was the only one to show any signs of Awakening.

There was also Xu Jianjuan, who had successfully Awakened. Unfortunately, no matter what benefits they promised, she remained completely unmoved.

More than just unmoved, the woman was practically dead—listless and devoid of energy, as if already in her twilight years.

Yan Qin sent a message: Can you come back today? I have something to tell you.

Duan Feiye had been sleeping in District Four recently and rarely came back. Upon receiving her message, he decided to go back and deal with things.

It was time to settle this.

The door opened.

Yan Qin was wearing a thin nightgown, kneeling on the carpet.

Her eyes were downcast, her gaze dark and troubled.

’Ever since my rebirth, I’ve been running away. To think I’d still end up becoming the very person I hate the most.’

Duan Feiye was taken aback for a moment but quickly composed himself.

The door closed.

Duan Feiye’s calm gaze raked over Yan Qin’s greedy face. "What are you doing?"

Yan Qin’s heart pounded wildly, and her hands trembled uncontrollably.

At his question, her long lashes fluttered as she slowly raised her face.

Timid and with eyes rimmed in red, she knelt there like a delicate white flower, shyly waiting to bloom.

Duan Feiye instinctively thought of Jian Yu, and once the thought surfaced, it became overwhelming.

He was surprised to find he could recall the details of that day with perfect clarity.

The way the corners of Jian Yu’s eyes were red and downcast, the curve of her back when she bent over, and the shy embarrassment in her tightly clenched fingers at the hem of her skirt.

Even though she was at someone else’s mercy and had a pitiful look in her eyes, her expression had remained utterly calm.

"I want to stay at Weis Lan." Yan Qin stood up and reached out to touch his shoulder.

Duan Feiye sidestepped her touch, snapping back to the present.

’Different.’

’Jian Yu lacks this worldly, sullied air, and her eyes don’t hold such a desperate need to please.’

Duan Feiye’s brow furrowed, but his tone remained even.

"Your transfer paperwork has already been processed. No one is forcing you to leave."

Yan Qin thought she had succeeded.

She sneered inwardly. ’Men really are all the same.’

’They all want to grind away my pride, to break my spirit and make me their exclusive possession.’

For some reason, Yan Qin loathed herself for acting this way.

She lowered her head, her fingers finding the ribbon on the shoulder strap of her nightgown and pulling it taut.

Her tone, losing its earlier coquettishness, grew stiff. "I want to remain by your side. You can command me as you wish."

"But I have no need for someone without value."

Duan Feiye’s voice wasn’t loud, but to Yan Qin’s ears, his words struck her heart like hailstones.

"The academy will arrange new accommodations for you. Seeing as you’ve been reasonably cooperative, I’ll have them prepare a private, single-floor apartment for you."

Yan Qin’s expression froze. "You’re kicking me out?"

As their eyes met, she finally saw the cold, scrutinizing gaze he held.

There was no desire in his eyes, none of the indulgence he’d shown when he favored her. It was as if he were watching a clown’s performance.

The color drained from Yan Qin’s face, as if her very blood had frozen in her veins.

"You can’t do this! I cooperated with you for so long, I even..."

"Cooperated?" Duan Feiye scoffed, a chilling smile on his face.

"You demanded something from us for every blood sample you gave and every dose of medicine you drank. You call that cooperation?"

"Abusing my privileges to throw your weight around, doing favors for others in exchange for personal gain... Do I need to list out everything you’ve done recently?"

"The transaction between us began the day you made your first exorbitant demand. And since it is a transaction, it was bound to end eventually."

Duan Feiye straightened his sleeves, the harsh aura around him gradually receding.

His expression softened into a gentle one again. "We wanted to study you, but you wanted to Awaken, too. From start to finish, we were the ones helping you, weren’t we?"

Yan Qin’s legs gave out, and she collapsed to the floor.

At first, she had been wary of Duan Feiye, not daring to be too brazen with the privileges he afforded her.

But when she found that Duan Feiye paid no mind and never questioned her, she assumed her underhanded dealings had simply been too discreet.

"I..."

Yan Qin choked on her words, unable to speak. The color drained from her flushed face, then rushed back, then drained away again.

Her lips trembled as she tried to form an explanation, but not a single word would come out. Her face was a mask of shame.

"If you want to stay at Weis Lan, then behave yourself. Stop causing trouble using my name, or else."

Duan Feiye paused for effect.

"I don’t mind making you give back every single thing you took from me, piece by piece."

He lowered his voice. "I know you can’t give it back, so be quiet. Or would you rather go on kneeling and begging for pity everywhere, just like you did today?"

Yan Qin’s eyes reddened, and her gaze filled with terror.

"Pack your things. Move out tomorrow."

His retreating back was resolute.

Yan Qin watched him leave, grinding her teeth in hatred.

’It must have been Jian Yu who put him up to this! She’s just a little luckier than me, that’s all. So what if she successfully Awakened? Once they get tired of their new toy, I’ll show her!’

A sharp pain throbbed in her head.

Yan Qin realized it was latching onto her again.

’But I’m just a commoner who failed to Awaken. What would a Soul Ghost Body want with my body?’

[You’re useless. You can’t hold on to them.]

[Jian Yu is more valuable than you. Xu Jianjuan is more useful than you. They both successfully Awakened, so why couldn’t you?]

[Something must have happened with those two that you don’t know about.]

Yan Qin closed her eyes and covered her ears, forcing herself to calm down.

’To be blessed with something as wonderful as a rebirth, only to end up fighting a Soul Ghost Body for control of my own body.’

’How ridiculous.’

’I can’t listen anymore, or I’ll really die.’

After a long-drawn-out battle, Yan Qin believed she had gained the upper hand.

What she didn’t know was that, in reality, there wasn’t a single trace of a Soul Ghost Body’s aura around her.

As the shrill voice in her ears faded, resentment once again crept into Yan Qin’s heart.

’My looks are no worse than Jian Yu’s. Even if I’m down on my luck and unloved by my family, I still hold the status of a noble from a Middle-class Planet.’

’By what right does Jian Yu get to come from behind and surpass me?’

’That’s right. They must have given all the medicine to Jian Yu. That’s why my Awakening failed.’

’They used me to get their research data, but they never applied the fruits of their labor to me.’

’Xu Jianjuan’s partial Awakening was the result of their experiments.’

’Jian Yu’s Water Jelly Soul Beast, and her ability to pacify Alien Beasts—all of that should have belonged to me, Yan Qin!’