chapter 14: Child’s Play

Xia Lan turned her back on the door, ignoring Shen Wu's angry shouts echoing from the outside.

Without another word, she walked toward her bedroom, shutting the door behind her. Her room was dim and quiet—just how she liked it. She took a deep breath and let the silence wash over her, drowning out the noise of the world outside.

She didn't care what Shen Wu had to say.

The Next Morning

The first rays of sunlight slipped through the curtains as Xia Lan tied her hair back and finished her early training routine. Her limbs moved fluidly, Even though she had left that life behind, the habit was ingrained in her.

After a quick shower and change, she slipped on her school uniform and grabbed her bag.

Today was the final exam.

After this, she would officially move into the 12th grade,

With one last glance in the mirror, she headed out the door,

As Xia Lan entered the school and made her way to the exam room, she quietly slipped into her seat. Almost immediately, she felt a gaze burning into her back.

Turning slightly, she caught sight of Shen Li sitting behind her—eyes locked on Xia Lan with barely concealed jealousy.

Shen Li's fists were clenched tight, knuckles white, her thoughts clearly elsewhere— still replaying the moment her adopted parents found out their real daughter was alive. Her father had remained cold, barely reacting… but her mother—her mother had been on the verge of tears.

As Xia Lan looked at Shen Li, a gentle tug on her sleeve pulled her attention away. She turned and saw Lu Zhi sitting beside her, gazing up with concern.

"Xia Lan, what's wrong? You seem lost in thought. The exam's about to start."

"I'm fine. Just distracted for a moment," Xia Lan replied calmly. "Go back to your seat and focus."

Soon, the teacher entered the room with a stack of exam papers and began distributing them. As Xia Lan glanced down at her paper, she frowned slightly.

"This level of difficulty? Child's play."

Within an hour—despite the exam being scheduled for three—Xia Lan had completed every question with ease. Stretching slightly, she glanced over at Lu Zhi, who was still hunched over her desk, scratching her head in frustration.

With two hours left on the clock, Xia Lan leaned back in her chair, eyes already fluttering shut. She had finished the entire exam in less than an hour, and now she simply crossed her arms and drifted off into sleep, head resting lightly on her arm.

The exam room was silent, filled with the quiet rustle of papers and the soft scratching of pens. The invigilating teacher, a woman with sharp features and thin glasses, paced slowly between rows of desks, keeping a watchful eye on the students.

When she reached Xia Lan's desk, she paused, slightly frowning at the sight of a student sleeping during such an important test. With a soft sigh, she adjusted her glasses and bent over to glance at the exam paper.

Her expression shifted almost instantly.

Her eyes scanned the sheet quickly, then lingered on the last page.

The final question.

A problem meant as a challenge, not something students were expected to solve—it was a university-level question, far beyond the scope of high school curriculum. Most students wouldn't even attempt it.

But this girl…

The teacher blinked, reading the solution twice to be sure. Everything was neatly written, logical, and perfectly correct.

Straightening up, she stared at Xia Lan's sleeping form for a moment, a flicker of admiration in her eyes.

"…It seems we've found a genius in this class, huh," she murmured under her breath, a faint smile tugging at her lips.

As the clock ticked past the one-hour mark, Xia Lan slowly opened her eyes. She glanced up at the wall clock, yawned lightly, then stood and stretched. Without a word, she picked up her completed exam paper and walked calmly to the front of the room.

"Teacher, I'm done," she said quietly.

The teacher looked up, her expression unreadable, and took the paper with a nod. "Alright. You may leave."

Xia Lan gave a polite nod in return and turned to walk out of the classroom, her pace unhurried.

In the back row, Shen Li's eyes narrowed. A sneer tugged at her lips as she watched Xia Lan go.

"She didn't even write anything. She just slept the whole time. I bet she left it blank," Shen Li muttered to herself with glee. "Once Mom and Dad see her exam scores, they'll realize I'm the better daughter. And my brothers… they'll hate her even more. Hehe."

But as her mind wandered to Shen Wei—their powerful older sister and the CEO of Shen Corporation—her smile faded.

Shen Wei had recently returned to China, and for some reason, her attitude toward Shen Li had grown colder. She never praised her. Never even smiled.

A trace of bitterness passed over Shen Li's face.

"Why is it only Shen Wei who hates me?" she whispered to herself. "What did I ever do to her…?"

As Xia Lan left the school grounds, the warm sunlight brushed against her skin. She tied her jacket around her waist and began to jogged toward her apartment.

The streets were quiet, save for the occasional sound of birds or distant chatter. But as she approached the familiar corner near her building, her steps slowed.

A sleek black car was parked near the entrance—one that hadn't been there before.

Her eyes narrowed instantly.

Without thinking, her right hand instinctively reached behind her back, fingers brushing her waistband where a pistol used to be.

Empty.

She froze for a second before remembering—there was no pistol anymore. She wasn't Viper.

Still, the tension didn't fade from her shoulders.

Xia Lan remained in place, watching the car like a wolf eyeing unfamiliar prey. The windows were tinted too dark to see who was inside.

"…I don't have enemies here," she muttered under her breath. "Except that perverted agent—but he's still in the emergency ward."

Even so, her instincts whispered that something was off.

She glanced around for anything suspicious—no signs of surveillance, no obvious threats. Just the quiet hum of the city.

Still wary, she slowly circled toward the back entrance of the building,