"Wait, so he really is a fraud!?" Mike's initially furious expression suddenly revealed a hint of delight.
He glanced at the twins. "If we report this to Father and he finds out Evelyn brought some shady man back to parade around as a fraud, he’ll be utterly disappointed in her."
"That’s right," Laney nodded with a smile. "The reason Father always brings up Evelyn in front of you, using her to belittle you, isn’t because her talent or potential are that impressive. It’s just lingering guilt over what happened back then."
"Of course, she’s not that great," Mike scoffed. "At best, she’s only slightly better than me."
As he spoke, he shot a resentful glare at Evelyn. The earlier fight hadn’t gone in his favor at all, and the thought of Father constantly comparing him to her only darkened his expression further.
Laney smiled at Mike, her lips curling slightly.
"So, if you want Father to truly acknowledge you, you need to shatter that bias. Make him see that she’s nothing but a fraud, unworthy of competing with you."
"I get it now," Mike narrowed his eyes. "I’ll go find Father soon. Heh, I can’t wait to see that arrogant woman get scolded by him."
Laney and Lairs exchanged a glance, both wearing knowing smiles.
"Are you two coming with me? To back me up?" Mike suddenly turned to them.
Laney’s smile faded as she shook her head worriedly. "You know how Father barely pays us any attention. This generation’s spotlight is only on the two of you—we don’t have much sway in his eyes."
"Fine," Mike nodded. "I won’t put you in a tough spot. I’ll go alone."
While the three whispered among themselves, Monica watched everything unfold, her eyes gleaming with mockery.
"I suggest you go now," Lairs urged with concern. "If she gets to him first and twists the story, it’ll be trouble. That woman’s full of schemes."
"Right!" Mike grew eager, but paused when he noticed guests approaching.
"Wait a second... Huh? Isn’t that Father’s friend, Master Denton?"
Everyone turned to see Master Denton curiously making his way toward them.
"Ah, you’re all here?" Master Denton greeted them warmly as he approached Luo Wei and Evelyn.
"Headmaster," Luo Wei and Evelyn greeted him with smiles.
Master Denton glanced around in confusion. "I heard some commotion earlier and came to check. Didn’t expect to find you all here. Did something happen?"
Luo Wei gestured toward the group of four. "Nothing much. Professor Evelyn just isn’t very welcome at home."
"I see," Master Denton frowned, quickly piecing things together.
He studied Evelyn’s calm expression and sighed. "I was surprised to hear you were returning to the family. Honestly, you don’t need to come back. Why not stay at Callen University and continue shining there?"
Evelyn immediately clarified, "Who told you that, Headmaster? I’m not rejoining the family—I cut ties with them long ago. I’m only here for his birthday."
She crossed her arms with a huff. "He practically begged me to come. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have bothered."
Master Denton burst into laughter. "That sounds more like you. The stubborn girl who fought tooth and nail to stay at Callen University hasn’t changed a bit."
"Headmaster..." Evelyn groaned. "That was ages ago..."
"What was Professor Evelyn like as a student?" Luo Wei couldn’t resist asking. He’d never heard much about her past.
Master Denton reminisced with a nostalgic smile. "Even after all these years, I remember it clearly. We got word that a vampire was posing as a human student, and it sent everyone into a panic. We were about to call the Church Knights to arrest her, but after they clashed, they nearly demolished the entire lecture hall..."
Luo Wei listened with the glee of someone uncovering a scandal, while Evelyn buried her face in her hands.
"Headmaster, must you embarrass me in front of him? This is so awkward..."
"Don’t listen to her, Headmaster. Keep going," Luo Wei insisted, grinning.
Master Denton chuckled and continued, "But when we realized this young vampire was genuinely here to learn, it was quite a shock—especially when we found out she was Duke Victor’s daughter."
"Still, seeing her determination moved me," Master Denton said, looking at Evelyn. "It aligned with my mentor Gould’s philosophy—that knowledge should be shared equally with all seekers, regardless of nation or race."
"I’ll always be grateful to you, Headmaster," Evelyn said sincerely. "After leaving my family, I wandered for so long without purpose. Callen University gave me direction."
"No need for formalities," Master Denton waved it off. "I never expected you to excel so quickly—graduating, becoming a professor, even publishing groundbreaking research. The university owes you just as much."
"Professor’s research?" Luo Wei perked up. "Which paper was it?"
"A Study on the Living Conditions of Non-Human Species within the Empire," Master Denton replied. "Due to longstanding conflicts, academia had little understanding of non-humans, often relying on absurd misconceptions. Evelyn’s work documented every hidden community, pioneering an entirely new field of study. The university even introduced new courses because of it."
"It wasn’t that impressive," Evelyn feigned modesty, though her lips betrayed a proud smirk. "Just a small contribution."
Luo Wei teased, "I assumed your paper was Skincare Secrets: How to Look Even Better Tomorrow."
Evelyn rolled her eyes dramatically. "Is that really what you think of me?"
Luo Wei grinned. Wasn’t it obvious?
"Hmph!" Evelyn pouted. "I’m an academic at heart, you know. I take my work seriously!"
"Sure..." Luo Wei gave her a once-over. The "serious professor" act only lasted during lectures.
At home, who’d believe the woman sprawled on the couch, barefoot and snacking lazily, was the same poised and profound scholar?
Still, he’d seen her stern teacher persona plenty. Now, he couldn’t help but wonder—what was Evelyn like as a young, earnest student? The thought alone sent a thrill through him.
"Teacher, did you ever take photos when you were a student?" Luo Wei asked quietly. "Preferably ones where you looked really youthful, wearing a school uniform skirt with white knee-high socks!"
Evelyn shot him an exasperated look. "No! Keep dreaming!"
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
world slacker. But a genius female disciple just had to get clingy, insisting that he take her as a disciple. Not only that, she was always making advances on him, thoroughly disrupting his peaceful slacker life...
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
