"Bro, what are you looking at?" Zhou Yan had just returned from the nearby school clinic with some medical supplies for his wounds when she saw her brother staring in one direction. "Hurry and treat your injuries."
As she spoke, she instinctively followed Zhou Jin’s gaze. She thought she saw a familiar figure, but before she could get a clear look, it vanished around the corner.
"Do you know her?" Zhou Jin lowered his red-eyed gaze and asked out of the blue.
Zhou Yan hadn’t seen clearly at all. She paused, confused, and asked, "Who?"
"It’s nothing." Zhou Jin snatched the medical supplies from Zhou Yan’s hands. "Alright, you can go back. I’ll deal with my wounds myself later. Next time someone bullies you, I’ll be there to beat them up for you."
His handsome face was bruised, with purplish-blue marks at the corners of his lips and eyes.
After he spoke, Zhou Jin vaulted over the wall and left.
His cronies all said goodbye to Zhou Yan and left as well.
Zhou Yan left, too.
Their major course that afternoon was also in the same classroom.
Jiang You was heading to the classroom with her three followers trailing behind her.
She hadn’t even reached her seat, and she was already thinking about how to waste time.
The moment she stepped into the classroom, Yu Lin exclaimed in surprise, "Sister You! Look at your desk! There are so many love letters!"
Jiang You’s thoughts came to a halt. Her gaze fell upon her desk, where she saw a pile of letters, along with many little snacks and candies.
’Did the villainess in the novel ever get love letters? I don’t think so!’
She walked over and sat down, her three followers gathering around her.
Jiang You picked up a love letter, then set it back down. Her brow furrowed. ’How am I supposed to handle this?’
’As the malicious supporting character, of course I can’t be considerate of other people’s feelings.’
She ordered her followers to take the love letters and snacks and throw them out.
"Get rid of this trash," Jiang You commanded.
Yu Lin hurriedly complied, helping Jiang You clear her desk by throwing out all the love letters and snacks.
The little incident passed just like that, seemingly unnoticed by anyone.
Only the people who wrote the letters probably cared.
Class began.
The teacher walked in, followed by the class academic representative, Xu Che.
Xu Che was tall, thin, and neat, with a cool, detached air about him. He was holding a cage full of white mice. The mice were all injured, covered in different wounds, and were so still they looked almost like tiny corpses.
"Academic Representative, please distribute the mice," the teacher said slowly. "Today’s lesson is to heal the wounds on these white mice."
Xu Che replied, "Yes, Teacher."
With that, he carried the cage around. His long, slender fingers, clad in white gloves, picked up a blood-stained mouse and placed it on a student’s desk.
"Ugh, my God, my hemophobia is flaring up."
"Oh my God, this is so disgusting..."
"I can’t take it..."
"Wait, wait, let me get a piece of paper to put the poor little mouse’s body on."
"My beast form is a white mouse. This is a little hard to watch."
...
The classroom filled with various noises—panicked gasps, groans of disgust, and more.
"When you go on to work in the medical wards, you will see things far more horrifying than this. It’s best to get used to it now," the teacher said flatly.
The Healing System major in this interstellar society was a lot like the clinical medicine track for medical students in her past life.
In addition to understanding fundamental medical knowledge, they also had to use their Healing Beast Souls to practice treatment.
They also had to learn how to nurture and evolve their Healing Beast Souls.
Xu Che arrived at Jiang You’s desk. Chen Yu, who sat in front of her, turned around and handed Jiang You a stiff piece of white cardboard. "Sister You, use this."
Jiang You nodded.
The nearby Xu Che said nothing. He treated her no differently than any other student as he reached into the cage, took out a grievously injured mouse that was on the brink of death, and placed it on her desk. His gaze merely swept over her face for a fleeting, almost imperceptible moment.
Jiang You’s attention was fixed on the mouse, so she didn’t notice Xu Che’s glance. She looked at the injured creature with a calm expression.
Xu Che continued distributing the mice to the other students. He paused for a second, his eyes landing on the automated trash receptacle in the corner. A single letter was caught in the opening.
He connected this to the fact that the girl’s desk was now empty of love letters.
’She must have thrown them all away.’
Xu Che had arrived earlier than everyone else that afternoon, so he had already noticed the pile of love letters on Jiang You’s desk.
’She’s so beautiful. It’s only natural that so many people like her.’
The mice were all distributed.
"Healing Soul Beasts are different from Combat Soul Beasts. Healing Soul Beasts can’t be summoned to fight alongside you; they can only appear behind you like a phantom," the teacher began to speak slowly. "Now, try to summon your Healing Soul Beasts and heal these white mice. As for how to do it, I went over it in our last theory lesson. If you don’t remember, open your books."
[Task Fifteen has been issued.]
Jiang You’s lip twitched when she heard the task notification.
One by one, students in the classroom began to summon their soul beasts.
As each person summoned their soul beast, it would manifest as a phantom-like image behind them.
Jiang You quickly summoned her soul beast as well!
The phantom of a huge, pink cat appeared behind her.
She raised her palm, and a stream of illusory pink light shot from it, landing on the mouse. The creature, which had been as still as a corpse, slowly began to stir.
"Whoa!" exclaimed Lin Xuelai from beside her. "Sister You, you’re amazing! Your soul beast is huge!"
"That’s our Sister You for you! Her Healing System level must be the highest in the entire class!" Yu Lin also turned around, her gaze a mixture of envy and excitement.
"Oh my God, Sister You is so powerful!" Chen Yu chimed in, looking over in awe.
The larger the phantom of a summoned soul beast, the higher its Healing System level.
The surrounding students also stared at Jiang You in amazement.
Jiang You wore a very smug expression, but inwardly she was lamenting. ’The more my followers praise me now, the more humiliating it’s going to be when I get put in my place in a moment.’
"Gods!" a voice suddenly cried out. "Look at the class monitor’s soul beast!"
All eyes turned to the female lead, Zhou Yan.
A massive, illusory shadow had appeared behind her—a black carp, several times larger than Jiang You’s soul beast.
Jiang You’s three followers stared in astonishment at the enormous phantom.
The female lead instantly became the center of attention, making Jiang You look like a joke.
[Task Fifteen complete.]
’So the task was just for me to be upstaged by the female lead.’
Jiang You’s lips twitched. ’The female lead is a Level 3A in the Healing System. Of course her level is high.’
’I’m only A-level. There’s no comparison.’
The people around them looked at Zhou Yan’s soul beast with complicated expressions.
They hadn’t expected her level to be so high.
And as the malicious supporting character, this incident was supposed to deepen Jiang You’s hatred for the female lead. According to the plot, she would now start twisting things to target the protagonist, only to be humiliated every single time.
She could already feel her own cheeks starting to sting.
’The melancholy is setting in.’
Everyone was looking at the female lead, the center of attention.
But there was one person whose gaze remained on Jiang You.
’She’s just like that big, pink phantom cat behind her,’ Xu Che thought. ’Both so proud and adorable.’