"Senior, today it's my treat." Lin Siyun said sweetly.

"Oh, you actually look a bit like a junior today." Jiang Shuyi replied with a teasing tone.

Lin Siyun nodded, "Because I'm worried about you, Senior. If you end up crying your heart out, it would be great for me to be there to comfort you."

"..." Jiang Shuyi shot her a glare and pretended to be calm, saying, "I absolutely will not cry."

Although she did cry for a while in the lab when she received the notice about her delayed graduation yesterday, and even cursed the professor for being inhumane.

But she had already moved on.

Her sadness didn't last overnight.

Lin Siyun found it amusing and patted her shoulder, leading her to the restaurant they had agreed upon.

"Why are we at Qinghai Pavilion?" Jiang Shuyi looked at the Chinese restaurant and felt a bit frustrated.

Usually, she could tolerate coming here for gatherings, but today they were actually here.

Jiang Shuyi loved spicy food, and for her, a Shandong cuisine restaurant like Qinghai Pavilion was completely unappetizing.

"But Senior, don't you always book a private room here? I thought you liked the food here." Lin Siyun said, sounding a bit confused.

Jiang Shuyi looked at Lin Siyun with dissatisfaction, "That's because Professor Wen can't handle spicy food. As a lowly student, I can't drag someone who can't eat spicy food to have hot pot, can I?"

Mentioning Professor Wen made Jiang Shuyi's mood worse. She pounded her chest, "Tsk, it seems I'll have to deal with this Qinghai Pavilion for a while longer. I really want to eat hot pot."

Seeing Jiang Shuyi's unhappy expression, Lin Siyun bit her lip, "Then how about we go to the hot pot place across the street? I want to treat you to something delicious."

"No need, I've already made the reservation. We're eating here today. If you really want to show your appreciation, I'll pay the bill today, consider it my treat," Jiang Shuyi said as she walked in, pulling out her membership card. "You can treat me to hot pot next time."

"...Senior." Lin Siyun felt a bit touched.

The two of them walked to the front desk to check in.

At that moment, a person slowly approached them, "Hello, I reserved a private room..."

A male voice rang out beside them.

Jiang Shuyi found the voice particularly grating and frowned.

When she looked up, a well-dressed man with neatly combed hair was slowly handing his card to the front desk.

Jiang Shuyi quickly turned her face away.

"Ugh, what a bad luck."

She never expected to run into Xiao Jiayu while just trying to have a meal.

Xiao Jiayu was an associate professor in their department, and it was said that he had a bunch of Omega fans in the department and was quite respected by Alphas.

But Jiang Shuyi didn't like him and even secretly gave him a nickname that sounded like "Little Turtle."

As soon as she turned her face away, Xiao Jiayu chuckled.

"Hey? Jiang Shuyi? Are you out to dinner with your girlfriend?" Xiao Jiayu chuckled lightly, "Why are you hiding from me? Am I not your teacher anymore? Or do you think Professor Wen is the only one?"

"I'm not hiding from you..." Jiang Shuyi was about to speak when a cold voice came from behind her.

"Professor Xiao, let's go."

Hearing this voice, Jiang Shuyi's neck stiffened as she turned around.

An Omega in black high heels walked up to Xiao Jiayu.

The streamlined blue suit hugged her curvy figure, and a simple, elegant pencil skirt showcased her composed demeanor perfectly.

Professor Wen's expression was still as cold as ice today, but her usually pinned-up black hair was let down today, giving her a slightly softer appearance.

"Hello, Professor..."

Jiang Shuyi didn't expect that Professor Wen would also be having dinner with Xiao Jiayu.

This was not at all like the Professor Wen who usually worked overtime every day.

"Hello, Professor Wen." Lin Siyun quickly greeted softly.

Wen Yao noticed Jiang Shuyi and Lin Siyun and nodded expressionlessly, "Hello."

Xiao Jiayu waved his hand, "You two enjoy your meal. Professor Wen and I will head up first."

He gentlemanly gestured for Wen Yao to go ahead to the private room he had reserved.

Wen Yao didn't look back at Jiang Shuyi and Lin Siyun, saying nothing as she walked upstairs.

"Senior, what's going on with them..." Lin Siyun turned to look at Jiang Shuyi's face, suddenly falling silent.

Jiang Shuyi watched the direction they were going, her face filled with murderous intent.

It seemed that the senior still harbored quite a bit of resentment about her delayed graduation, Lin Siyun thought cautiously.

---

"..." Jiang Shuyi silently munched on the peanuts in front of her, as if treating the peanuts as her class enemy.

"Senior, do you think Professor Wen and Professor Xiao are together?" Lin Siyun asked curiously.

Jiang Shuyi recalled the matching figures of the two and felt a surge of anger, "Why are you asking me? It has nothing to do with me."

But Lin Siyun was restless, "I heard from a senior that Professor Xiao and Professor Wen seem to have known each other for a long time. It seems Professor Xiao liked Professor Wen back in school, but for various reasons, they separated... and then Professor Xiao came to our school specifically for Professor Wen. It's such a beautiful love story."

Beautiful my foot.

I stayed in school because of Professor Wen.

Jiang Shuyi snorted.

She took a sip of her drink and slowly listened to Lin Siyun talk about the school gossip. She would laugh at the funny parts, but anything related to Professor Wen made her increasingly uncomfortable.

For some reason, this Omega seemed to be able to trigger her sensitive and fragile nerves today.

Jiang Shuyi swallowed another sip of her drink.

An hour later.

Jiang Shuyi sat at the restroom door, crying, "I really must have been cursed for eight lifetimes!"

"What did she say that I didn't hear? I went to the student council, I went abroad to run errands, I've revised the data dozens or even hundreds of times, right? If I had a chance to do it all over again, I would absolutely not choose this course! And choosing her as my advisor means I'm brain dead!"

Lin Siyun sighed, feeling a bit like crying herself, "Senior, you should go home. Hurry up and finish throwing up and get out of the restroom..."

"I... ugh!"

After Jiang Shuyi was done venting, Lin Siyun reluctantly carried this clueless Alpha who didn't understand romance out of the restaurant.

Lin Siyun smiled as she looked at Jiang Shuyi's face, "Forget it, I'll forgive you since you're good-looking."

"Senior, where should I take you back to?"

"As long as it's not the lab, it's fine." Jiang Shuyi said with red eyes.

"Then, can we go to my house?"

Jiang Shuyi was taken aback for a moment, feeling somehow that the cold light hitting Lin Siyun's face made this Omega, who was a few years younger than her, seem much more mature than usual.

Jiang Shuyi knew she couldn't agree to this. Just as she was about to refuse, a white SUV stopped in front of them.

Lin Siyun felt the car looked familiar when the window slowly rolled down.

"Get in." Professor Wen said coldly.

"..." Lin Siyun took a deep breath and quietly patted Jiang Shuyi.

She looked at Jiang Shuyi as if seeking help.

Clearly, Jiang Shuyi didn't hear her silent plea and stared straight at Professor Wen, who was in the driver's seat.

"Ah, isn't this a bit troublesome for you? I'm sorry to trouble you." Lin Siyun said with a business-like smile in an attempt to save herself.

"You're all my students. If something happens outside, it's my responsibility." Professor Wen said in a businesslike tone.

"Ah, that's great, then thank you, Professor Wen."

Lin Siyun, supporting Jiang Shuyi, felt a bit at a loss.

She didn't know where she should sit.

If she sat in the back with Jiang Shuyi, then Professor Wen driving would feel like a chauffeur...

That wouldn't do.

But if she sat in the passenger seat, then she and the professor would have to engage in a heart-to-heart talk.

She didn't want that either.

Just as she was thinking this, Jiang Shuyi opened the car door and confidently sat in the passenger seat.

Jiang Shuyi glanced at Lin Siyun, "This is my seat."

"Then Lin Siyun, you sit in the back." Professor Wen said to Lin Siyun blandly.

"Okay." Lin Siyun happily closed the door Jiang Shuyi had just opened and sat in the back.

"Jiang Shuyi," the professor said, fastening her seatbelt, "buckle your seatbelt."

"..." Jiang Shuyi stared blankly ahead, making no move.

"I'm sorry, Professor, it seems my senior is a bit out of it from drinking. I'll help her buckle up..." Lin Siyun quickly tried to get out of the car.

"It's fine, I'll do it." Professor Wen said, glancing at the dazed Jiang Shuyi. She unbuckled her own seatbelt, turned, and fastened Jiang Shuyi's seatbelt.

As soon as she clicked it in, Jiang Shuyi grabbed her wrist.

The car fell into sudden silence.

Professor Wen quietly raised her gaze, her tone slightly warning, "Jiang Shuyi, I'll give you three seconds to let go."

Jiang Shuyi's eyes were red, like an angry child, "Are you a devil? How can you treat me like this?"

"..." Professor Wen said nothing.

Lin Siyun sensed the tension and felt Jiang Shuyi had reached her limit, "Professor, my senior is drunk..."

The professor remained silent, confirming that Jiang Shuyi's seatbelt was fastened before silently pulling her hand back and buckling her own seatbelt. "Tell her to come to my lab tomorrow."

Lin Siyun suddenly felt she couldn't speak. She sensed that Jiang Shuyi had been sentenced to an indefinite term by Professor Wen.

Professor Wen silently started the car, the orange-yellow lights flashing one after another from the roof.

Soon, the car stopped at a red light.

Professor Wen halted, her fingers lightly tapping the steering wheel, the sound of the air conditioning loud in the car.

Lin Siyun felt like she was suffocating from the cold air in the car.

"Are you and Jiang Shuyi dating?" Professor Wen's peripheral vision swept toward the Alpha beside her.

Lin Siyun glanced at Professor Wen in front of her and simply replied, "No."

"I see." The professor's tone remained cold.

Lin Siyun, trembling with fear, looked at Professor Wen through the rearview mirror and saw the professor's gaze on Jiang Shuyi.

For some reason, she felt that those eyes were unusually gentle.

---

Beep beep beep—

A groggy Jiang Shuyi reached for her phone on the bedside table.

"Hello?" Jiang Shuyi yawned, "Speak."

"Jiang Shuyi," Li Roujia's voice was gentle on the other end, "Where are you?"

"...Where am I?" Jiang Shuyi paused, looking at the ceiling, and replied lazily, "I'm at home."

"Oh, it's good that nothing happened. But why aren't you at school?" Li Roujia tried to keep her tone calm, suppressing her anger.

Jiang Shuyi immediately jumped out of bed, checking her phone for the caller ID and date.

It was still October, eighteen years ago.

"School? Isn't it National Day today?"

"..." The person on the other end took a breath, and Jiang Shuyi sensed her trying to control her emotions.

Li Roujia sighed on the phone "Didn't I say before the National Day? You're already in your third year of high school, the holiday ended on the fourth, and it's already the fifth today. You haven't come to school yet. Do you really want to drop out? Jiang Shuyi, you still need to get your high school diploma, right?"

"..." Jiang Shuyi's expression froze, and she suddenly became much more alert, "Oh, I'll be at school right away."

"Good to know—"

The person on the other end seemed surprised at her compliance, gave a few more words of advice, and hung up.

Jiang Shuyi stood in front of the bathroom mirror, feeling a bit exhausted.

Looking at the face in the mirror that was not much different from her own, Jiang Shuyi squeezed out some toothpaste and started brushing her teeth.

She hadn't been a high school student for six years, and when she found herself in the body of this Jiang Shuyi with the same name, she was initially bewildered.

Just adapting to the need for early bedtimes and early rises was difficult for her.

However, similarly, there were aspects she adapted to quickly.

Even though the Jiang Shuyi she inhabited was a school bully, they shared the same name, the same appearance, and she even had access to this person's past memories...

Jiang Shuyi opened the wardrobe in her room, skillfully took out the school uniform shirt, and tied her tie.

Looking at herself in the mirror, Jiang Shuyi couldn't help but be lost in thought.

"We do look quite alike..." Her tone was not exactly happy.

---

When Jiang Shuyi arrived at school, it was during the third period.

There was no one in the classroom, and the blackboard read, "Third period, go to the lab building."

She slowly walked down the stairs, passing by the first and second-year teaching buildings, where many juniors and seniors walked past her, whispering.

"That's Senior Jiang."

"But she looks better than I imagined."

"She likes to fight, it's best not to provoke her."

Jiang Shuyi ignored the group, pretending not to hear as she walked to the lab.

As soon as she stepped inside, the bell rang for the end of class.

"Skipping class again?" The chemistry teacher looked at her and nodded, "Then help the class monitor wash the equipment."

The teacher pointed to the white plastic basket on the podium, "Some of the instruments have already been moved over, you can take the rest and wash them with her."

"Oh, okay."

Jiang Shuyi clicked her tongue, rubbed her sleepy eyes, and carried the instruments to the cleaning room.

A slender figure stood at the counter, washing equipment, the October sunlight creating a beautiful contrast with the person's back.

However, a gentle breeze brought a familiar scent.

Jiang Shuyi hadn't attended many classes this semester and didn't know who the class monitor was, so she called out, "...Hey."

"I brought the instruments over, the chemistry teacher asked me to wash them with you."

"Then please put them on the lab counter." the class monitor, who was washing the instruments, ordered without turning around.

Although the tone was commanding, the person's voice was pleasant, revealing a sense of coldness that felt oddly familiar.

Jiang Shuyi shook her head, placed the instruments on the cleaning table, and then noticed a plastic bottle filled with water leaning against the door.

"...Why is there a bottle here?"

Jiang Shuyi yawned as she picked up the bottle.

The person washing the instruments seemed to sense something and quickly turned around. "Don't move."

Upon hearing that familiar commanding tone, Jiang Shuyi instinctively froze.

As the breeze blew, the door behind Jiang Shuyi slammed shut.

Jiang Shuyi subconsciously turned to pull the door, the cold metal doorknob feeling icy in her hand, but it wouldn't budge.

"Why can't this door open?" she asked in confusion.

"This door can only be opened from the outside, the bottle is to prevent it from closing." the girl said coldly.

Jiang Shuyi turned around in despair, trying to cover her embarrassment, "Why didn't you say so earlier?"

"I said 'don't move.'" the girl replied, looking at her coldly.

When Jiang Shuyi finally saw the face that was as cold and distant as it had been eighteen years later, the bottle in her hand slipped and landed right on her foot.

Jiang Shuyi didn't know if it was the pain or the shock, but she coughed violently.

"Shit."

---