My actions and whereabouts are in my own hands (3)

She hasn't fully figured out what her special ability is yet, but she's pretty sure the change in the status suffix is ​​related to her emotions.

Compared to the anger she felt when she first received the game chip, she was much calmer now.

So, was the previous state of anger, and is the current state of arrogance?

By the same token, if her mood changes in other ways, such as sadness or pain, will it also change the state of her superpower?

Shu Ningmiao tried to enter a state of sadness, but after thinking for a long time, she couldn't think of anything to be sad about.

Seeing an image of her future death should be a sad thing, but it was too far-fetched for her, so she didn't feel sad.

"Are you alright? Do you need to be taken to the infirmary?"

"Hmm..." The girl shook her head: "No need."

Shi Yu was still politely comforting the girl. Although the girl had her head down, tears were falling one by one and landed on Shi Yu's sleeve.

The terminal in Shu Ningmiao's hand started vibrating, as a game notification alerted her to a new change in favorability.

She instantly perked up and opened the character guide interface, but there were no new characters unlocked. The entire interface still only had Shi Yu's portrait, but the affection level pointer was dropping one by one.

-1

-1

-1

In just a few seconds, Shi Yu's favorability rating dropped from 0 to -3. What happened? What just happened?

Shu Ningmiao raised her head, her gaze returning to the girl in front of her.

There was no one else around, but Shi Yu's feelings towards the girl in front of him changed. Could this girl be the female lead?

What a coincidence!

Shu Ningmiao didn't speak rashly, but instead began to observe her silently. The girl's pinkish-brown curly hair hung down in clumps beside her snow-white neck. Her skin was very fair, her features were delicate, and her grayish-brown eyes were filled with tears, with redness around her eyes.

The girl pursed her lips, her fragile expression revealing a resolute yet somewhat flustered demeanor.

Even though she had been holding back her tears, she suddenly lost control for a moment after receiving such unprecedented kindness. She raised her sleeve, tears welled up in her eyes, and uncontrollably slid down her cheeks.

The terminal vibrated again, indicating that Shi Yu's favorability had decreased by 1.

This guy has such obsessive-compulsive disorder about cleanliness; he's disgusted with everything but still insists on maintaining his gentlemanly "prince" persona.

Shu Ningmiao's eye twitched, and she interrupted her tears by asking, "What's your name?"

Shi Yu withdrew his hand, crossed his arms, and turned his face to the side.

The girl paused for a moment, her gaze hesitant.

Although Shu Ningmiao's tone wasn't as warm and friendly as Shi Yu's, it wasn't sarcastic or malicious like the others' either. Rather, it was more like... treating everyone equally without regard for them.

She had noticed Shu Ningmiao long ago. Such a beautiful and dazzling person, like a princess, was hard to ignore even if she stood aside without saying a word.

“My name is Erici,” she said. “Are you also from Stringlight Academy?”

"Yes." Shu Ningmiao tapped her slender finger on her name tag, gesturing for her to look at the same words on it: "Why didn't you fight back?"

"Huh?" Erice didn't understand her sudden change of topic and looked stunned.

"Those people are just ordinary people." The girl twirled a strand of hair between her fingers, her chin slightly raised, and said casually, "You're a superhuman, why didn't you fight back?"

After awakening a superpower, the body's overall qualities will also be enhanced proportionally. Even if the awakened superpower is useless, it will still be no problem to beat up a few ordinary people.

Shu Ningmiao glanced over and knew that those men and women were just good-for-nothings. The protagonist let them laugh at him. Could it be that he had some brilliant idea?

What an arrogant tone, what a matter-of-fact statement.

Eric's chest suddenly sank, and he remembered the glamorous faces of these people who lived a life of luxury by plundering the fat from their bones. He couldn't help but clench his fingers and his expression changed slightly.

Eric bit his lip, his voice trembling slightly: "I can't afford to mess with them."

Even if she could teach these people a lesson, what could she change? The families and parents behind these people would not let her go. She had finally managed to leave the new place, carrying the expectations of everyone in the orphanage on her back. She couldn't... she couldn't mess all of this up.

Even though she knew the two men meant her no harm, the thought that they were also from wealthy, upper-class families made Erice feel an uncontrollable wave of nausea rise in her throat.

She took a deep breath, whispered goodbye, and without waiting for their response, strode past them and ran away.

Shu Ningmiao was baffled. They were also going to the Zhunti Pagoda. Why was she running so fast? In the end, wouldn't she still have to attend classes in the same place as them?

Shi Yu reacted indifferently, wiping his hands with a handkerchief.

Shu Ningmiao had known him for so many years and knew that he had a very serious case of mysophobia, but he almost never showed it in front of ordinary people. Looking at it this way, he was really good at enduring and good at pretending.

Someone like him is only good for decoration, a pretty ornament. If she were the female lead, she would never choose someone like him to spend the rest of her life with. Who knows if he would secretly lower his affection level during intimate moments?

Ever since she was able to see Shi Yu's favorability rating through the game (although it was for the female lead), she suspected that this guy might also be deducting points from her in his mind.

What she hates most is negative comments from others.

Shi Yu was used to being glared at, and simply smiled indifferently.

Kornunos covers an area of ​​490,000 acres and has complete facilities, comparable to a small city. If it weren't for the fact that the registration office is very close to the Zhunti Pagoda, one would even need an electromagnetic shuttle bus on campus.

Stringlight Academy is located in the best location in Kornunos. It can be said to be a school within a school. Only students of the academy are allowed to enter and exit. Ordinary students cannot enter. It is said that this is a measure taken by the school to avoid conflicts between people with superpowers and ordinary people. After all, people with superpowers may not be able to control their strength and may cause injury or death.

Centered around the Zhunti Pagoda, the area is surrounded by lakes and parks, with rows of small villas serving as student dormitories.

The Zhunti Pagoda has been under construction for who knows how many years, probably the same age as the University of Cornuños. It is a very classical building, with square windows on the exterior and openwork rose windows at the intersection of the ribs, allowing sunlight to filter through beautifully.

When she slowly walked to the Zhunti Pagoda, almost everyone had arrived. The first floor was where they had their classes, a circular lecture hall with about twenty or thirty people sitting sparsely.

The Pinheid National Research Center can only detect its own citizens. When foreign superhumans awaken their abilities, they apply through a special national agency if they want to learn them. Although superhumans are rare, the number gathered from all over the world is still astonishing.

Besides this class, there should be several other classes led by other instructors. Shu Ningmiao estimated that there were about a hundred students in each class, and if they fought, they could destroy half of Kornunos.

Among these people, she also saw Erice sitting alone at the back, her head seemingly buried in a book.

Most of the students in the classroom had already chosen their seats. A few girls who recognized her, who were also direct-entry students from the main school of Cornunos, exchanged glances and tacitly gave her the best seat in the middle.

Many people were subtly observing her.

Shu Ningmiao gave Shi Yu a look, and the two separated. She sat down gracefully in the center, and the girls surrounded her like butterflies, whispering and talking to her.

This is the second young lady of the Aowei family, and this is the only daughter of the Lin family. Shu Ningmiao took the names out of her mind and pasted them onto their faces one by one, replacing their facial features, and returned the same warm yet elegant smile.

Shu Ningmiao didn't think there was anything impolite about it. Anyway, they came over for the same reason as her: socializing is about exchanging business cards, and the business cards must carry something of value.

She could feel the intense gaze behind her. With graceful poise, she supported her face with her hand and glanced at the protagonist behind her, who was staring at her with complicated expressions. She found it amusing.

Chris Ovie reached out to show her her freshly done manicure. Her skin was smooth and brown, like a glossy black pearl, and each finger was like a display case, inlaid with at least one or two pieces of jewelry.

After showing off her nails from every angle, she affectedly tossed her black curly hair and sighed softly, "I really envy you. You can still be with your boyfriend even after you've awakened your powers. My boyfriend hasn't awakened his powers yet, I'm so sad."

"It's just a few steps away; we'll see each other as soon as we leave the academy." Lin Chuxu, twirling his pen beside her, casually retorted, "Aren't you tired of always being together?"

“Then you should ask Miss Shu if she’s tired of it.” Chris winked at Shu Ningmiao mischievously. “But if I had a boyfriend as handsome as Young Master Shi, I would never get tired of him.”

Shu Ningmiao raised her hand to cover her face with a book, and chuckled coldly. Her relationship with Shi Yu was far from being cloying, but there was no need to discuss this with others.

“Honestly, I can’t imagine how you two get along in private.” Chris stretched out her arms, her soft arms affectionately linking with hers. “Imagining you two kissing is as sinful as imagining a god going to the toilet.”

"Stop talking, or she'll throw up too." Shu Ningmiao changed the subject: "Do you know who the new mentor is?"

The Ovi family is a well-known metal supplier in the Pinne Lingtian District, and someone from the Lin family is a member of the Pinne Central United Council. Both of them are involved with the research center. In comparison, Shu Ningmiao really knows too little about this teacher from the National Research Center.

“I know, ah… that famous genius, right?” Chris said listlessly. “His name is Weston or Westin, I think he was elected the youngest member of the Joint Council last year. Does he really have the heart to teach?”

Shu Ningmiao had heard of this person, but she didn't quite remember his name. This genius who climbed up from the bottom had risen to the position of chief researcher at the research center at an astonishing speed, but to Shu Ningmiao, it was just a small topic of conversation in the afternoon.

Lin Chuxu was much clearer: "It's not anymore. He was expelled from the National Research Center and the Joint Parliament due to a major mistake."

Shu Ningmiao pinched her chin, just about to ask what kind of mistake it was, when she heard a soft cough from somewhere in the classroom, and the surroundings suddenly became quiet.

The dull footsteps stopped on the podium in the center of the classroom, and a slender, tall man walked in.

The man wore a monocle over his left eye and a long robe with silver trim over his collar. From Shu Ningmiao's angle, she could see a well-fitting black long shirt underneath, with the top button fastened.

Completely different from his refined appearance, his narrow eyes behind his glasses held an indescribable coldness.

"Wow," Chris couldn't stand it. "That's so gloomy."

Shu Ningmiao vaguely sensed the gazes sweeping over her from below the podium and tightly shut her mouth.

“Weston.” The man’s expression was gloomy and cold, his disdainful gaze sweeping over everything around him: “If nothing unexpected happens, I will be your mentor for the next four years.”

"As adults as defined by law, I will not require you to complete any assignments or meet any standards."

When he spoke, the surroundings fell even quieter: "I have only one requirement for your performance in class."

Weston squinted, casting a small triangular shadow from his high nose bridge, and as he finished speaking, he slightly raised his hand.

Shu Ningmiao felt a chill on her arm as an unpleasant airflow brushed past her. Although the doors and windows were tightly closed and there was nothing around, she still instinctively turned her body to the side.

Chris, who was next to her, suddenly seemed to be possessed, her limbs twitching unnaturally, as if she were being pulled up by something invisible in the air.

Everyone stared in surprise at Chris, who suddenly stood up from her seat. Under the gaze of many eyes, her brown skin slowly warmed up, turning a scorched red.

"Just keep quiet." Weston adjusted his glasses, a cold smile slowly creeping onto his lips. "Miss Chris Ovie."