Unintentional Acts Yield Unexpected Success

The short-haired girl stared intently at the black-and-gold ring on the literature-loving girl’s ring finger. After calming herself, she changed her approach: "Excuse me, where did you buy that ring?"

This ring bore an uncanny resemblance to the one that had mysteriously appeared on her young mistress’s finger—not just in design but even in material. The only difference was that this ring didn’t belong to her mistress.

It belonged to a so-called "literature-loving girl."

The term alone conjured an image of a pure and beautiful maiden, and the girl before her fit the description perfectly. Jet-black bangs draped over her snow-white forehead, while long, straight hair cascaded from her shoulders down to her waist. Her fair skin made her hair, pupils, and eyelashes appear even more striking.

Overall, she exuded an air of grace, elegance, and serene gentleness.

That is, if one ignored the utterly indifferent expression on her face. Otherwise, she might have truly seemed as tender and tranquil as she appeared.

Upon closer inspection, it was clear this girl showed no emotion whatsoever.

She didn’t answer the question, merely casting a fleeting glance at the ring in her hand before slipping it into her skirt pocket—as if she had no intention of discussing it.

Noticing this, the short-haired girl curled her lips into a faint smirk and spoke in a light, airy tone: "Seems like you really do know the origin and purpose of this ring?"

The literature-loving girl frowned slightly, finally shifting her gaze to the short-haired girl. Her expression remained impassive. "Senior, what exactly are you trying to say?"

Though the short-haired girl appeared calm on the surface, excitement simmered inside her. Two days ago, her young mistress had outright forbidden her from testing the ring’s effects, no matter what method she tried.

Not only that, but she had also sternly ordered her to stop "reading nonsense."

Now, faced with an identical ring, how could she let this opportunity slip? If the other girl knew its purpose, she’d coax the information out of her. If not, she’d use this ring as a test subject.

Either way, it was a win-win for her.

With that in mind, the short-haired girl immediately put on a warm smile, sidled up to the literature-loving girl, and looped her arm through hers in a friendly manner. "Junior, I never expected you to have this ring too! What a coincidence~ I’m Liu Qingyue."

After hearing the introduction, the literature-loving girl’s delicate brows knitted slightly, as if displeased by the other’s demeanor. Still, she didn’t push the arm away or show any overt disgust.

After all, she also wanted to know the ring’s origins and effects.

"Li Guanqi."

The literature-loving girl coldly stated her name before freeing herself from Liu Qingyue’s grasp. Her tone turned serious. "Senior Liu, if you have something to say or ask, be direct. No need to beat around the bush."

Liu Qingyue blinked in surprise, but far from being offended, her smile only brightened. "You don’t know where your ring came from either, do you?"

A flicker of something—perhaps recognition—passed through Li Guanqi’s icy eyes. Having previously seen an identical ring on Senior Gu’s hand, she wasn’t overly shocked. Still, her voice remained frosty. "So, what’s your point?"

Seeing Li Guanqi’s unyielding indifference, Liu Qingyue pouted inwardly. This junior was proving difficult to manipulate, refusing to follow her lead…

Fine. She’d fish for information first.

Putting on an air of nonchalance, Liu Qingyue said, "Oh, nothing much. I was just curious about the ring’s effects since we have the same one."

Effects and purpose…

"What effects could a mere accessory have?"

Hearing this, Li Guanqi fell silent for a moment before turning on her heel and walking away, her black-stockinged legs carrying her off without another word—leaving Liu Qingyue standing there, stunned.

"Hey—Li Guanqi! Wait!"

Liu Qingyue hurried after her, grabbing her sleeve in desperation. "Hold on, tell me… just tell me already! Don’t be like this…"

Li Guanqi halted, feeling the grip on her sleeve tighten. A pang of tension shot through her, but she betrayed nothing on her face.

"Senior, not everything can be blurted out as noisily as you’d like," Li Guanqi said flatly, her voice laced with warning.

Liu Qingyue froze, taking a second to process the words before releasing her sleeve with an apologetic look. "Ah… sorry, Junior Li. I might’ve gotten too excited and lost control for a moment… My bad… really, my bad…"

Li Guanqi remained expressionless and continued walking. Liu Qingyue trailed behind, babbling explanations. "I was just too hyped up… Uh, I didn’t mean anything by it… I’m just really curious about your ring’s effects."

She rambled on, but Li Guanqi didn’t interrupt, listening quietly until they reached a deserted corridor. Only then did she lift her gaze to meet Liu Qingyue’s. "Before answering your question, may I see your ring first?"

Damn. She’s sharp.

Liu Qingyue cursed inwardly. This girl was shrewd enough to anticipate her moves—even leading her to the student council building, as if preparing for any extreme behavior. The precautions were airtight.

At this point, one shout from her would probably summon the entire student council.

Resigned, Liu Qingyue put on a breezy front and shook her head. "I don’t have it on me. It’s with a friend of mine. If you don’t believe me, we can go find her."

Li Guanqi’s eyes flickered. There was no way she’d follow this girl anywhere—not after the strength she’d just displayed. Escaping her grasp seemed unlikely.

"Then what’s your friend’s ring’s purpose?"

She posed the question again, though her guard was now fully up. At the slightest sign of trouble, she’d call for her sister.

Yet, to her surprise, Liu Qingyue didn’t hesitate before answering. "You might not believe this, but hers has a storage function. You could call it a spatial ring."

"…What?"

Li Guanqi stood frozen, unable to process the claim for a long moment. This defied all logic.

But Liu Qingyue wasn’t done. "I suspect the ring is a product of the future, based on advanced physics principles. Its interior contains a dimension called ‘hyperspace,’ far exceeding our known three-dimensional space. Through the wearer’s mental interaction, the ring can connect to hyperspace, transporting objects into it and retrieving them when needed."

"That’s why I’m certain it’s from the future."

Pausing, Liu Qingyue fixed Li Guanqi with a bright-eyed stare and rapid-fired, "After all, this kind of technology could only stem from future breakthroughs in high-energy physics, quantum mechanics, or other cutting-edge sciences."

Her words were a mix of truth and lies, carefully crafted to persuade. But the most crucial detail was the implied connection between the ring and the wearer’s mind.

That was the key.

Because her young mistress could indeed communicate with the ring.

With this crucial piece of information, she believed that whether Li Guanqi understood the ring's function or not, it would count as passing the test—after all, this matter should be equally important to her.

As expected, Li Guanqi raised her hand, staring at the ring in her palm, her mind roiling with shock like a tidal wave, unable to calm down for a long time.

Such a sci-fi-like object…

"Junior, it's your turn now."

Liu Qingyue urged her again when she remained silent for too long. Though the ring's effects sounded unbelievable, given that it had appeared out of thin air and even established a mental connection, it was already absurd enough.

The concept of spatial abilities was something she could digest.

"Senior, I'm from the Li Family of Yancheng."

However, Li Guanqi wasn’t swayed by her words. Instead, after a few seconds of silence, she suddenly asked warily, "Senior, what exactly is your goal?"

Liu Qingyue froze, then showed a flicker of irritation. "Ah…" She sighed before saying, "How could you think of me as some greedy, shameless person… Fine, I admit, I am very curious about the ring."

At this point, she deliberately adopted a serious tone. "But what fascinates me even more is the ring’s origin and symbolic meaning, because what lies behind it is far more intriguing."

"Then I’ll be honest with you—I don’t know what the ring does, nor its exact functions. However… if you plan to take it by force or make it public, you’d better consider whether you can handle the pressure from the Li Family first…"

Li Guanqi spoke slowly, making her stance clear.

She rarely leveraged her family’s influence, but the stakes with this ring were far too high. She had to tread carefully.

Liu Qingyue frowned, realizing that the other party was signaling for a mutual understanding—or rather, demanding her to declare her position. After weighing the options, she finally relented.

"That friend of mine is Ji Qingyi."

Yet, upon hearing this, Li Guanqi turned to leave immediately, as if she knew exactly what the Ji Family represented and had no desire to negotiate further.

This outcome was something Liu Qingyue had anticipated. She quickly intercepted, but before she could react, Li Guanqi opened her mouth to shout. Acting fast, Liu Qingyue covered her mouth.

"Mmph—"

"Junior, calm down."

Liu Qingyue whispered soothingly while patiently explaining, "If I wanted to harm you, you’d already be a corpse."

Her words made Li Guanqi steady herself, though her expression remained stern, clearly still resentful of Liu Qingyue’s actions and unwilling to compromise.

"Junior, I genuinely just want to talk to you normally." Liu Qingyue softened her tone and continued, "Besides, this collaboration is a win-win. I can offer you a lot of help. I think it’s a fair deal."

Li Guanqi stayed silent, her face still tense.

"Fine, I won’t push you."

Seeing this, Liu Qingyue had no choice but to back down. She released Li Guanqi’s mouth and said gently, "How about this—I’ll tell you how to activate the ring."

Hearing that activating the ring required a specific method, Li Guanqi finally relaxed slightly. Her resistance faded as she asked coolly, "Then what’s the method?"

Liu Qingyue took a deep breath and solemnly replied, "Ancient texts mention it. That’s how my family’s young mistress activated her ring."

"Hmph. I’ve long heard rumors that the Ji Family has eyes everywhere in the school. Seems like their reputation is well-earned."

Li Guanqi straightened her clothes before retorting, "Tell me the method. If it’s legit, we might still have room to talk."

"Blood. Drip your blood onto the ring, and it’ll awaken this spatial ring."

Liu Qingyue explained softly.

"Blood?"

Li Guanqi furrowed her brows, hesitating briefly before asking, "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely certain!"

Liu Qingyue assured her.

Li Guanqi nodded. "I’ll trust you this once."

"Junior, you really are decisive."

Pleased, Liu Qingyue smiled and said, "Then proceed however you see fit."

Without suspicion, Li Guanqi unpinned the brooch from her chest and pricked her finger. A drop of crimson blood immediately welled up and fell.

Under their rapt attention, the blood landed on the ring’s surface, forming a droplet before sliding off and hitting the ground. The ring showed no reaction whatsoever.

Silence—

Nothing was more unnerving than the sudden quiet.

Li Guanqi lifted her head with a dark expression, and Liu Qingyue felt an inexplicable panic under that gaze.

So she blurted out, "It worked! Try putting something inside now."

Having confirmed that the blood method was useless, she prepared to bolt—there was no point staying any longer.

But in the next instant—

Something happened that the two would remember for the rest of their lives, a sight so shocking it nearly made them leap out of their skins.

Because—

Li Guanqi’s brooch had vanished into thin air!

Liu Qingyue stood frozen, her mind buzzing.

Li Guanqi, meanwhile, widened her beautiful eyes, her pupils contracting sharply, disbelief flooding her gaze.

"Wha—?!"

"Huh—?!"