Unfilial disciple, do not ruin your master's dream of ascension and peaceful life.

"Exams are over~~~!"

Two days later, in the milk tea shop, Qianmo stretched and smiled broadly, but Xin Wenyue, who was sitting opposite her, had a gloomy expression.

"Xiaoyue, why do you look so troubled?"

"I've been having strange dreams lately."

"Nightmare?"

"It's not exactly a nightmare, it's more like... I can't quite put my finger on it, it's all bizarre and fantastical things... but without exception, they all have a strong sense of déjà vu... like... 'copying'."

"What are you copying?"

"Imitating myself."

"I'm a little confused. Have you suddenly developed an artistic flair lately?"

"I don't really understand it myself... Ah, it's time, my parents are calling me, so we won't be going out together tonight."

"Okay, goodbye!"

"Xiao Qiu, no matter what happens, we'll always be best friends."

Xin Wenyue suddenly said this.

"What does it mean?"

Qianmo was full of questions, but Xin Wenyue didn't linger and walked away quickly.

……

……

Night falls, Lujiazui, Wangjiang Hotel.

Five people were seated in the VIP room. Xin Wenyue and her family sat at one end of the table, while opposite them sat President Liu, the president of a long-established internet company in Haijing, and his son Liu Rui. Next to them were waiters serving the dishes.

Xin Wenyue's parents were dressed to the nines, their faces beaming with obsequious smiles as they bowed and scraped before President Liu, exchanging pleasantries. "Disgusting people"—Xin Wenyue forcibly suppressed this rude thought and tried her best to smile along.

As for Mr. Liu's son, Liu Rui? He's slick-back and greasy-looking; even a fly landing on his face would probably fall flat on its face. His gaze was especially annoying to her; he stared at her intently from the moment she entered, making her feel extremely uncomfortable.

...By the way, isn't his makeup a bit too thick?

And his gaze—it wasn't a lecherous look, but rather... a more monotonous, more empty, even somewhat hypocritical gaze.

How eerie.

(Did he take something?)

Xin Wenyue was lost in thought, but it seemed that only she noticed that her parents were desperately trying to sell their daughter to the other party.

"I've long heard that Young Master Liu Rui is studying in England; he truly is an outstanding figure among his peers. My daughter, Wenyue, has always admired him... Isn't that right, Wenyue?"

Her mother was poking her frantically under the table, and she could only subtly look away.

Liu Rui nodded somewhat mechanically, opened his mouth, and rattled off:

"...Did you know? Lazarus Technology went bankrupt, and my dad is currently negotiating an acquisition with them. If all goes well, I'll be the new head of Tigerfish TV! You know, this is..."

He talked on and on, constantly mentioning "how great my dad is," "how great my family is," and "how powerful our connections are in the business and political world," which made her feel physically uncomfortable.

This certainly fits the image of a spoiled brat, but his tone was flat, like a radio, and his gaze was unfocused, making him seem even more hypocritical. When he opened his mouth too wide, cracks appeared in the thick foundation on his face, revealing faint, bloodless skin underneath.

"This guy definitely inhaled something he shouldn't have"—Xin Wenyue was now certain and could only try to find another topic to talk about.

"By the way, what's that hanging around your waist?"

"A Swiss Army knife, custom-made, with a carbon fiber handle, and made of Damascus steel! Isn't it beautiful? Come take a look!"

Liu Rui seemed eager to show off, but his movements as he took off the Swiss Army knife and handed it to her were stiff, and his expression was even stiffer.

"My son loves these things; this is a birthday gift I gave him," Mr. Liu said with a hint of pride.

However, as soon as Xin Wenyue took it, she subconsciously said:

"It's unbalanced, the hammering is uneven, and it looks good but is useless."

"What?"

"Ah... I'm sorry!"

For some reason, Xin Wenyue could immediately sense the knife's flaws just by touching it, as if she were very familiar with weapons like "knives" and "daggers".

No, we can't delay any longer.

She was determined to ruin this boring dinner; she really didn't want to entertain these so-called high society figures.

She had previously struggled with whether she had an obligation to sacrifice her future happiness for her parents' business, given that she had grown up in a privileged environment provided by them. After talking with Qianjing, she made up her mind: she would just hate what she hated.

Make sure to clarify things with both sides now that the dinner has just started!

"I'm sorry! I'm really not interested in that!"

She suddenly stood up and said loudly:

"""……ah?"""

Both sets of parents were stunned.

"What...did you say?"

Mr. Liu's brows immediately furrowed.

"Xiaoyue, what are you doing?" "Don't talk nonsense!"

Her furious parents tried to pull her down to sit, but she remained adamant. She took out her phone, opened a photo in her album, a picture she had taken of her and her brother Qianjing and Qianmo during high school.

"I don't want to enter the so-called upper class, and I already have a boyfriend, this guy! We have a great relationship! Thank you so much for your kind offer, but forced relationships don't work, and I really don't want to—"

Clang!!!

Liu Rui suddenly sprang up and pounced on the dining table like a fat walrus! The impact shattered the already cracked foundation on his face, revealing his pale, stiff true skin!

His eyes had completely lost their luster, there were ulcers at the corners of his eyes, and there were bloodstains on the corners of his mouth under his foundation. He wasn't breathing through his mouth and nose; he was basically a corpse that had been dead for some time!

"ah!?!?"

Xin Wenyue screamed in terror at the horrifying scene! "Liu Rui" crashed through the table and lunged forward, his rotting yet strangely powerful hands grabbing Xin Wenyue's slender neck! The instant feeling of suffocation made her vision blur, and she was completely stunned, not understanding what was happening!

"Ugh... Let go... Save me..."

She made intermittent sounds from her throat, while the three adults collapsed onto the dining table, unconscious and unresponsive to her struggles!

The corpse named "Liu Rui" lifted her up with astonishing strength, clamped her arm, and slammed her against the wall! The huge impact from behind almost made her faint, and the phone in her arms fell to the ground!

At that moment, the door to the private room opened, and a blonde, blue-eyed waitress walked in. Xin Wenyue immediately screamed for help to her!

However, the waiter just gave a strange smile, swaggered over, and instead of helping her, picked up her dropped phone.

"Excuse me, my name is Josh Priest, let me see..."

The guy zoomed in on the photo and asked in a mocking tone:

"Are the two people in this photo people you know?"

"...???"

"Could it be that one of them was the murderer who killed Ellen? -- Ah no no no, you don't need to answer. I know just by 'seeing'. The thread of cause and effect... tsk tsk, although it's very faint, it's definitely connected. Lin Zhiyu's superpower is really troublesome. It's been a long time since I found her."

A foreign woman who called herself Josie snapped her fingers, and one after another, rotting corpses filed in, surrounding the private room.

"Well then, little beauty, would you like to get to know me?"

~~~~~~Ascension Guide~~~~~~

Name: Josh Priest

Hometown: Comstock, the Dieselpunk World

Superpower: The Line of Following

In detail: It can see the causal connections between things. Although it cannot interfere with cause and effect, it can easily find the cause of a certain event through the causal connections. It is very suitable for tracking down the real culprit of an event and the people related to the real culprit.

~~~~~~~~~~~