Chapter 17: As You Command, My Queen

Because of the video from the night before, Liang Jinshang spent the whole night trapped in nightmares.

In her dreams, she was running through an alleyway, with the henchmen sent by the bearded man chasing close behind. No matter how fast she ran, when she reached that abandoned factory, what awaited her was always the aftermath of a disaster. Again and again, she saw the young Liang Xizhou’s spine shattered, crawling through his own blood toward the girl whose body was mangled beyond recognition.

In her dream, she wore heavy makeup smeared by tears, and Liang Xizhou screamed at her in anguish and rage.

“Fang Jiabao was your best friend! Yet you pushed her out to take the fall! You’re just a delinquent—if people ruin you or kill you, you deserve it! She should never have come to save you! You ruined her life! You don’t deserve a good end!”

A sudden, shrill ring from her phone yanked Liang Jinshang back to reality. Her pajamas were soaked in cold sweat, and for a moment, she couldn’t tell if she was still dreaming. Only when she felt the wetness of tears on her face did she realize—it had all just been a dream.

Because when she was awake, she no longer cried.

And because Fang Jiabao no longer existed in this world.

There were more than a dozen missed calls on her phone, all from the college office. Her already unsettled heartbeat skipped a beat, a premonition of something bad to come.

When she answered, a furious voice exploded from the other end, “Liang Jinshang, you faked your research? Are you trying not to graduate?”

Impossible!

Five minutes later, Liang Jinshang received a pair of research papers from the administrative office for comparison.

On the left was the paper she’d submitted to EI, and on the right was the one she was being accused of plagiarizing. The frameworks differed, but the arguments and even the data were nearly identical—irrefutable proof of plagiarism.

To be accused of academic fraud in such a major journal—losing her degree would be the least of it.

Even if she could still become an architect one day, this would forever be a stain on her life.

Sitting in her chair, Liang Jinshang trembled. She knew she hadn’t plagiarized.

But the other paper had been published before hers.

She sat there for a long time, motionless. So long that her roommates noticed something was wrong. “Liang Jinshang, are you feeling all right?”

It was Le Quan, one of her roommates.

He Huan also sat up on her bed. “Yeah, what’s going on?”

Liang Jinshang turned to He Huan and asked softly, “Do you really not know what happened?”

Her voice was quiet, but carried a chilling undertone.

He Huan met her gaze and suddenly fell silent.

Liang Jinshang stood up abruptly, kicking her chair aside with a loud bang. “What happened? Why don’t you tell me what happened?!”

Liang Jinshang was usually busy and kept to herself with her studies, but she was always composed and pleasant around them. They had never seen her lose control like this.

Especially He Huan, who stared back in disbelief, her eyes wide and red.

Liang Jinshang let out a cold laugh, her voice sharper than ever. Her pale face accentuated the darkness and brilliance in her eyes. “My paper was stored in an encrypted file on the D drive. Only you two have used my computer. Would plagiarism really be that stupid?”

“If both of us used it, why are you only suspecting me and not Le Quan?” He Huan’s teeth chattered under the icy glare.

“That’s the classic guilty party’s defense—just makes you look more suspicious.” Le Quan, now understanding what had happened, added fuel to the fire.

Liang Jinshang saw no need to explain why she’d singled out He Huan.

Right now, it felt as if boiling water surged in her chest. If she didn’t do something to release it, she’d fall apart.

Le Quan saw the dangerous look on her face and tried to intervene, but it was too late.

Though He Huan cowered on the upper bunk, Liang Jinshang’s movements were quick and precise. She climbed the ladder, grabbed He Huan by the hair, and yanked her down—intent on dragging her off the bed and onto the floor.

Le Quan rushed over and blocked Liang Jinshang’s arm. “Liang Jinshang, calm down! Do you want another mark on your record for fighting?”

Liang Jinshang ignored her, face blank as she attacked. He Huan wailed, clutching her head.

Today, Liang Jinshang was a stranger—a lunatic.

Le Quan was unnerved, but forced herself to intervene. Using her height, she managed to restrain Liang Jinshang’s actions.

She hadn’t expected someone who looked so slender and frail to be this strong.

Only now, up close, did Le Quan notice that sweat soaked the hair at Liang Jinshang’s temples, her face was deathly pale, and her eyes burned with madness. She seemed like a completely different person.

Le Quan found the whole situation bizarre. She couldn’t shake the feeling that Liang Jinshang’s transformation wasn’t just about a stolen paper.

What had really happened?

…

Under Le Quan’s coaxing, He Huan clambered down, stumbling and sobbing. Her face was streaked with tears and snot, mottled with bruises from Liang Jinshang’s blows during the struggle.

She should be grateful that Liang Jinshang hadn’t fought in years and had lost her old ferocity.

Liang Jinshang pointed at her from across the room, then turned to check her D drive.

As long as she could find the original file and prove she’d written it first, she could clear her name.

And if the original had been deleted, there were ways to recover it.

She tried every method she could find online, but nothing worked.

Resolute, she picked up her laptop and prepared to seek professional help.

He Huan kept crying.

As Liang Jinshang was about to leave, she cast a look over her shoulder that made He Huan’s blood run cold. But she only spoke to Le Quan: “Keep an eye on her. If she’s not here when I come back, I’ll come looking for you.”

Le Quan scoffed, unfazed by her icy demeanor, almost amused by the chaos.

She drawled lazily, “As you wish, Your Majesty.”