Although one of Lin Mowei’s main goals for this trip was to find Qin Wuyue, hearing her voice suddenly ring out behind her still caught her off guard.
Instinctively, she reached out and pulled her younger brother closer, maintaining a subtle distance between the two of them and the newcomer.
Facing her reaction, Lin Yu and Qin Wuyue each showed different expressions.
The former thought his sister’s protectiveness was a bit excessive, so he gave a helpless smile.
The latter, however, looked surprised at first, then regarded the siblings before her with great interest.
Qin Wuyue hadn’t forgotten Lin Mowei’s behavior during her “Overload.”
An ability user’s behavior during “Overload” was often drastically different from usual.
Because when in “Overload,” subconscious thoughts from the mind would surface—things one might never have consciously thought of, but even the tiniest notion would be infinitely magnified in that state.
As for Lin Mowei’s behavior during that time…
“Heh, Mowei, you’ve gotten pretty sloppy. You didn’t even notice someone sneaking up behind you.”
To Lin Yu, this sounded just like a teacher scolding a student.
But to Lin Mowei, she could sense a strange hint of mockery behind those words.
This left her somewhat puzzled. She had never openly shown her hostility towards Qin Wuyue, so why was she—
Could it be…
Lin Mowei’s pupils widened slightly. She also knew about her own “Overload” incident. Did Qin Wuyue perhaps discover something then?
But why hadn’t she said anything? Logically, if her rebirth had been exposed, Qin Wuyue would at least test her, wouldn’t she? Why hadn’t she done so?
Lin Mowei realized she might have underestimated herself. Was rebirth really the key issue?
It was, but compared to something else, it wasn’t that important after all.
Something felt off. Forget it—she’d just play it by ear.
Thinking this, she put on a humble look. “Mm, maybe I’ve just been tired lately. Teacher, you’re right. I’ll be more careful next time.”
Qin Wuyue curled her lips, a mysterious light in her eyes.
“I know. You did well in your last mission. That brood nest usually takes at least three days to handle, but you managed it in one. Next time, though, think carefully about your limits, got it?”
Lin Mowei’s smile froze. “…Understood.”
At this point, Lin Yu finally understood—Qin Wuyue was clearly mocking his sister.
Then Qin Wuyue turned her gaze to Lin Yu. “By the way, what are you two doing here? Did Yanran come with you?”
Lin Yu wasn’t sure what had happened between these two, but he was definitely going to side with his sister. It was a good chance to lower Qin Wuyue’s favorability anyway—a win-win.
Lin Mowei was just about to reply when Lin Yu beat her to it: “We stopped by to see Yanran before we left, but she seemed down about last night and wasn’t in the mood to hang out.”
Lin Mowei: “?” Last night? What happened last night?
Qin Wuyue: “…?”
You little brat, you dare bring up last night? Are you provoking me? I say a couple of things about your sister and you’re unhappy? I treated your sister and even got punched by her. So what if I say a few words?!
A rush of thoughts flashed through Qin Wuyue’s mind. Her mood grew very complicated—anger, embarrassment, and even a touch of grievance.
Lin Mowei was still puzzling over last night’s events, but then she noticed the two across from her seemed ready to lock horns.
Her teacher’s expression was shifting rapidly, her already impressive chest heaving—clearly, she was quite worked up.
Meanwhile, her brother looked calm and collected, even wearing a slight, triumphant smile, as if he had the upper hand.
This discovery made Lin Mowei pause in disbelief.
Am I dreaming? How could I be dreaming of Xiaoyu taming Teacher?
And what on earth happened last night? I need to find a chance to make Xiaoyu explain everything!
Out of the three, Lin Mowei was the first to regain her composure.
After smoothing things over, the three of them headed to a reception room.
Now that the Lin siblings were just idle members, they could only get into a place like this thanks to Qin Wuyue’s connections.
Lin Mowei sat between the two. Normally, she should unconditionally side with her brother.
But since she needed Qin Wuyue’s help with her brother’s school, she couldn’t side with him now.
She wanted to, but she couldn’t, which left her feeling conflicted.
Luckily, that feeling didn’t last long, because someone unexpected showed up.
“Director Lan, you wanted to see me?”
Lan Lan seemed quite eager to see Lin Mowei, showing great enthusiasm as she reached out for a handshake.
“Section Chief Lin, I’ve long heard of you. Having a subordinate like you is a point of great pride for me.”
“No, no, having a superior like you is my honor.”
Judging from Lan Lan’s demeanor, Lin Yu figured this woman was either an incredible actress or genuinely meant what she said.
His sister was outstanding, but not so much that the Director would personally praise her like this.
He shot a questioning glance at Qin Wuyue, who was also looking at him—only to roll her eyes as soon as their gazes met.
“…” This woman really holds a grudge. Focus, this is official business, you…
For his sister’s sake, Lin Yu decided to swallow his pride and play along.
He smiled warmly at her, even blinking playfully.
The result: Qin Wuyue shot him a glance, looking quite pleased, as if to say, “Beg me.”
Lin Yu took a deep breath. Fine, I’ll beg if I have to—a real man knows when to yield.
Seeing the boy give in, Qin Wuyue felt satisfied. She stood up and said:
“I’ll leave you two to talk. I’m taking this kid out for a walk.”
Without bothering to consult Lan Lan, she led Lin Yu out the door.
Lin Mowei wanted to protest, but it was clear the Director had something to discuss with her. She couldn’t get away.
Xiaoyu, as soon as I finish here, I’ll come find you. Be careful!
As for Lan Lan, she watched Lin Yu leave with a look of curiosity. The subtle exchange of expressions between Qin Wuyue and Lin Yu hadn’t escaped her notice.
She was well aware that her old friend had always had high standards and never spared any man even a polite word.
So why was she acting differently towards this boy? Was it just because he was a student’s younger brother?
No, that didn’t explain it. There had been similar situations before, but Qin Wuyue never acted any differently then.
Forget it. I’ll deal with the main issue first.
“Section Chief Lin, please sit.”
Lan Lan was very polite, leaving Lin Mowei a little unaccustomed. In her previous life, she’d never had much interaction with this Director—why was Lan Lan reaching out now?
“Oh, may I ask what the Director needs from me?” she asked directly.
It was clear that Lan Lan was not one to beat around the bush. She hesitated only briefly before getting straight to the point.
“Section Chief Lin, I was the one who decided to suspend you and send you to Dome Academy as a combat instructor this time.”
Lin Mowei didn’t understand—was she really being called out like this?
“What do you mean?”
Lan Lan’s eyes shone with admiration. “Don’t misunderstand, Section Chief Lin. Using this round of public opinion to transfer you was mainly because you’re exceptionally talented. I wanted you to personally mentor someone.”
“Who?” Lin Mowei frowned.
“A girl whose talent is no less than yours. If properly nurtured, she’ll definitely become an outstanding ability user. Her name is… Ye Ling.”