: Rebirth

2

I surveyed the lab. Everything in it was very familiar to me.

Four years of undergrad, two years of grad school—I spent most of my campus life in the lab.

I was my Professor's last and most treasured disciple, and I held his life's work in my hands.

In my past life, the research specimens were destroyed in an explosion, and my Professor's hair turned white overnight from the shock.

I lay in the hospital, looking at my severely burned body and listening to them discuss how I needed an amputation. I lost the will to live.

Devastated by the immense blow, my Professor staggered over to encourage me. "You have to get better. When you're out of the hospital, we'll continue our research. We can start everything over!"

I nodded, my eyes brimming with tears. "Professor, I'll definitely keep living."

Unfortunately, no sooner had I promised my Professor I would fight to live...

...than Raina Ashwood posted lies on the campus forum, claiming I had intentionally blown up the lab and destroyed the research specimens.

She claimed she hadn't wanted to expose me, but she couldn't bear to see everyone's future ruined by my selfishness.

The Seniors couldn't complete their theses without the research specimens, so they had to delay their graduation.

One of the more radical Seniors ran me over with his car and killed me on the day I was discharged from the hospital.

After I died, I became a vengeful spirit. I watched my fiancé act heartbroken in public, only to use my research to win Raina Ashwood's favor in private.

I watched my brother console my parents, who were heartbroken over my death, while he used his own body to "console" Raina Ashwood—who ranked dead last in her exams—in my own bedroom.

I was dead.

Dead men tell no tales, so they slandered me, cursed me, and took what was mine for themselves.

I never knew. I never knew that my fiancé's voice could be filled with such disgust when he mentioned my name.

And I never knew my brother believed my birth had stolen my parents' affection from him.

Fortunately, the wicked always get their comeuppance, and heaven let me be reborn.

Raina Ashwood and Ethan Stratton were still pressed against each other as if no one else was there, completely ignoring me watching from behind.

After all, they used to say, "This is just a normal distance for conversation."

'Yeah, right. They're already at the point of intimate contact, and they still call it normal.'

I took out my Phone and deliberately started recording their shameless flirting, then tucked my Professor's research into my pocket.

Ethan Stratton's phone rang. He pulled his arm away from Raina Ashwood's chest and said, "I'm stepping out to take a call."

Only Raina Ashwood and I were left in the lab.

Raina Ashwood walked toward me like a triumphant victor. "Juliana Valerius, what's the point of working so hard? Men don't like women who are too smart or too aggressive."

"Everything that's yours, I'm going to take it all."

I reached out and stroked Raina Ashwood's smooth, pale face. "Tsk, tsk," I said. "I wonder, do they like you for your face, your body, or your completely empty head?"

: Lab Explosion

3

Raina Ashwood extended a long nail and poked my arm. "They love everything about me, just like they dislike you—for no reason at all."

I laughed. "Alright then, shall we wait and see?"

'I'd like to see just how long this bond between the three of you will last.'

After leaving the lab, I saw a reporter from the school's publicity team taking pictures all over campus.

I proactively led them over to our lab. "We happen to have a student conducting an experiment right now. You can film her."

The reporter glanced inside and said with a sigh, "It would be a shame if we couldn't get a shot of the experiment in progress. This is slated for national publication."

Raina Ashwood, who had been listening in the whole time, immediately made a show of grabbing two nearby test tubes and began mixing the liquids inside.

'That was the formula I'd so carefully prepared just for her. She wouldn't even have a chance to escape.'

'The moment the two liquids touched, the test tube in her hand would explode, and the entire lab would be obliterated.'

I even started a livestream and a screen recording. 'See, everyone?'

'Raina Ashwood did this to herself.'

In my past life, this same reporter was bought off by my brother and my fiancé. He took the money and disappeared.

This life, I wasn't about to give him that chance.

Raina Ashwood angled her face for the camera, meticulously crafting the perfect, graceful curve with her lips. She even deliberately loosened a few strands of her bangs.

Then, she squeezed the dropper.

After squeezing the dropper, she even lifted her head to flash a smile directly at the camera.

At that exact moment, the lab exploded with a deafening BANG! The terrified reporter immediately turned and ran.

I feigned terror and fled as well, suppressing a smile as I heard the lab door rattle in its frame.

As I ran, I called to notify the school's professors and administrators. I even made a point to thoughtfully call my brother and my fiancé.

'Your precious little princess is in trouble. Better go rescue her!'

Half an hour later, I returned to the lab entrance, accompanied by a professor and visibly trembling.

"Professor, I was so scared. My legs gave out on me as I was running downstairs."

"I was yelling for everyone to get away while I ran, worried there might be a bigger explosion."

"It doesn't matter if the research belonging to the professors and seniors was destroyed. The most important thing is that everyone is safe."

The professor comforted me, handing me a piece of dark chocolate.

Turning to the principal with a pained expression, the professor said, "Juliana Valerius is my star student. Look how frightened she is—it's turned her into a chatterbox."

Seniors kept rushing over, wanting to charge into the blast site to check on their own research projects.

The professor stopped all of them.

"The site is still under investigation. You can't go in. What if there's another explosion?"

One senior's face flushed with anger. "Professor, if we lose our projects, we won't be able to graduate!"