Xia Jiuwei, now with snow-white hair, soon appeared once more before the parents and students.
This time, however, the only thing left on their faces was fear.
“Don’t look so terrified,” Xia Jiuwei said with a light laugh, casually pulling out a contract sheet. “I missed you all so much my hair turned white.”
20% Mental Strength — Remaining confinement reduced to two years.
30% Mental Strength — Reduced to one year.
40% Mental Strength — Reduced to six months.
50% Mental Strength — Reduced to one month.
60% Mental Strength — Immediate return.
Everyone’s eyes locked onto the words Immediate Return.
Clinging to what little sanity they had left, almost no one hesitated.
They all chose the final option.
The moment the transaction was completed—
a strange sense of clarity swept through their minds, like cold air clearing away suffocating fog.
Xia Jiuwei smiled faintly.
“Pleasure doing business.”
The instant her words fell, everyone was teleported back to the real world.
Meanwhile, she turned and walked back into the little villa before summoning Lili once more.
“Lili, the Under-Reality Management Manual should have some kind of administrator status screen, right?”
“Yes, Master.” Lili nodded. “After completing the A-Rank mission, all basic administrative functions of the Under-Reality Management Manual were unlocked.”
Xia Jiuwei immediately flipped the book open.
《Under-Reality Management Manual》
【Administrator Status】
Xia Jiuwei
Identity: Owner of the Under-Reality
Spouse: Lu Nian’an
(Child, you now possess eternal life. Forming an Under-Reality Bond with a partner was a wise decision.)
Age: 17
True Age: 19
Physical Condition: Healthy (Not Yet Quantified)
Mental Strength: 1585 / 1645
Negative Status: Whispers of Resentful Souls
— Resentment continuously affects mental stability.
The moment Xia Jiuwei saw the word Spouse, she froze completely.
“…Lili, you little scammer. So bonding in your manual meant that kind of bonding?”
Lili’s innocent voice immediately echoed in her mind.
“But Master… you never asked Lili.”
“Then what about the sentence underneath?”
“That was written by Master herself.”
The moment those words left its mouth, Lili seemed to realize it had slipped up and instantly fell silent.
A brief pause followed.
Xia Jiuwei’s gaze flickered slightly.
…If she herself had written it, then trusting her own judgment seemed perfectly reasonable.
Then, all of a sudden, an overwhelming sense of delight surged through her chest.
—First, secure the title.
The corners of her lips slowly lifted.
Even if you refuse…
you’re not getting away anymore.
Just as she was busy acting out an entire drama in her own head—
“Xiao Jiu.”
Lu Nian’an’s voice pulled her back to reality.
“I think… it’s time for me to go back.”
Her tone was calm, but firm.
“I’m already happy enough here.”
“It’s time for me to return and face reality… and face my own life.”
Xia Jiuwei paused for a moment before pulling out a thick stack of prepared documents from her coat.
“These are for you.”
She handed them over one by one.
“These are winning lottery numbers from previous years. Pick any set you want for startup capital.”
“These are development reports on different industries. I already marked all the companies with high potential.”
“And this…”
She continued explaining item after item, her expression serious enough to make it sound like she was arranging her final will.
Lu Nian’an quietly watched her.
And suddenly, her heart sank.
—So this happiness… really was going to end.
Her eyes dimmed unconsciously.
Xia Jiuwei twitched slightly when she noticed the look on her face.
“…What’s with that expression?”
She couldn’t help but complain.
“Why do you look like you’re mourning me or something?”
“It’s not like we’ll never see each other again.”
Lu Nian’an froze.
Then her expression brightened almost instantly.
Xia Jiuwei, meanwhile, scratched her head awkwardly.
“Actually… I do have one tiny request.”
Lu Nian’an nodded immediately.
“Anything.”
“Well…”
For once, Xia Jiuwei actually looked a little nervous.
She lowered her head and handed over a small note.
“I want you to… come pick me up from school that day.”
Written neatly on the paper was a precise time—down to the minute.
Location**:** Zhishan Building, Second Floor, Multipurpose Classroom.
Lu Nian’an stared at her for a second.
—This side of her felt different from the usual composed, slightly unhinged Xia Jiuwei.
Almost—
cute.
Unable to help herself, she let out a soft laugh and shook her head helplessly.
And in that moment, she decided.
If Xia Jiuwei was willing to become her support within the Under-Reality—
then she, too, had to become stronger.
Strong enough to stand beside her in the real world.
After casually transferring over a portion of Mental Strength through their Bond, Xia Jiuwei simply said goodbye.
No dramatic farewell.
No lengthy promises.
Because both of them already understood—
this kind of separation would never be the end.
After Lu Nian’an left, the Under-Reality fell silent once more.
Xia Jiuwei summoned Lili and began learning how to control this world with greater precision.
At her current level of Mental Strength, the Whispers of Resentful Souls could no longer truly affect her.
Even so, she still spent part of her power sealing those whispers away completely.
And then—
for a very, very long time—
Xia Jiuwei remained inside the Under-Reality.
Time in the Under-Reality was strange—unpredictable.
Other times, a day passed in the blink of an eye.
She learned many things.
How to make the shadows obey.
How to silence resentment.
How to wield power without relying on emotion to drive it.
She learned countless things.
And little by little—
she also began forgetting how to be human.
At the end of the thirtieth year, Xia Jiuwei took out her pocket watch and checked the time.
“…Guess it’s about time to go back.”
She walked toward the students and teachers who had remained trapped there for decades.
Years ago, their minds had already collapsed completely.
Their eyes were hollow.
Their bodies barely more than empty shells.
Looking at them now, Xia Jiuwei knew—
this time, she could simply take what she wanted.
She extracted sixty percent of each person’s Mental Strength in one sweep.
Afterward, she sent every last one of them back to their original point in time.
“Can’t let you end up older than me,” she murmured quietly.
She calculated her true age.
Forty-nine.
Then compared it to Lu Nian’an’s.
Also forty-nine.
Satisfied, she nodded to herself.
“I’m really looking forward to this.”
The next instant—
her figure vanished from the Under-Reality.
The real world.
Zhishan Building. Second-floor multipurpose classroom.
Half-dead teachers.
Parents and students sitting in dazed silence.
Together, they formed a lifeless, grotesque scene that stood in stark contrast to what should have been an ordinary disciplinary meeting.
Xia Jiuwei lay sprawled across her desk lazily, making no effort to break the eerie silence.
Until the principal and several teachers gradually regained their senses.
And then—
rage exploded.
They pointed at Xia Jiuwei furiously, screaming accusations at the top of their lungs, completely oblivious to the hollow expressions surrounding them.
Spit flew.
Voices shrieked.
Xia Jiuwei frowned slightly.
—Too noisy.
Right as her patience was about to run out—
BANG!
The classroom door slammed open.
Everyone froze.
A young woman stood at the entrance.
She looked youthful, elegant even, but there was an undeniable pressure in her presence that instinctively silenced the room.
“Everyone present here,” she said calmly, her voice carrying absolute authority,
“I will be formally filing legal charges regarding your treatment of Xia Jiuwei.”
“If you have any objections, please contact my lawyer.”
The moment she finished speaking—
four bodyguards and a lawyer entered behind her, instantly suppressing any possibility of chaos.
The atmosphere reversed completely.
“Xiao Jiu. Let’s go.”
Xia Jiuwei looked at Lu Nian’an standing before her and, for a brief moment, almost failed to recognize her.
—She had changed.
Once they were inside the car, Lu Nian’an looked at Xia Jiuwei, who appeared almost no different from fifteen years ago, and visibly relaxed.
The strange sense of distance between them quietly disappeared.
“Xiao Jiu… I missed you so much.”
“Me too.”
Time had left no marks on Lu Nian’an’s appearance, but it had sharpened her.
Made her calmer.
Stronger.
More dangerous.
And yet—
at this moment—
the familiar, gentle version of her had returned.
“What are you planning to do now?” Lu Nian’an asked softly.
“I want to find my grandfather and ask him about a few things,” Xia Jiuwei replied with a nod.
“Nia, I’m not in a hurry. You don’t need to rush things for my sake.”
Lu Nian’an fell silent for a moment before gathering her courage.
Then, quietly—
“…Do you want to stay at my place?”
Xia Jiuwei barely hesitated.
—This was a perfect opportunity.
A sly smile flashed through her eyes.
“Sure.”