When Yue Ling entered the classroom, the noisy chatter inside gradually quieted for a moment.
Many students turned their heads.
Some stared openly.
Others whispered among themselves.
But Yue Ling ignored them as if she didn't notice anything.
She calmly scanned the classroom and searched for her seat according to the memories of the original owner.
Her desk was in the middle of the last row.
A girl was already sitting there.
Yue Ling walked over casually and placed her bag on the desk before sitting down.
The girl beside her immediately looked surprised.
"Lingling!"
Her voice was soft but filled with worry.
"Where have you been? Why didn't you come to school this week?"
Yue Ling turned her head slightly.
From the memories of the original owner, she quickly recognized the girl.
Qingqing.
Her deskmate.
A shy and gentle girl who often talked with the original owner.
Although the original Yue Ling wasn't very expressive, Qingqing still stayed by her side.
She could be considered one of her few friends.
Yue Ling replied calmly,
"I wasn't feeling well."
"So I didn't come to school."
Qingqing's expression immediately filled with concern.
"Then… are you okay now, Lingling?"
"If you're still sick, you should go home and rest."
"I can talk to the teacher for you."
Then she hesitated before speaking again.
"And Lingling…"
"Please don't mind those things people say."
"I know you're not that kind of person."
Her voice sounded sincere.
But Yue Ling frowned slightly.
"Wait."
"What happened?"
"Why do I feel like I missed something?"
Qingqing immediately waved her hands nervously.
"No no!"
"It's nothing."
"It's actually good that you don't know."
Yue Ling narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Hmm?"
But Qingqing quickly changed the topic.
"Anyway, you've been absent for almost a week."
"There's a lot of class material you missed."
"I can show you the schedule later, okay?"
Yue Ling leaned back in her chair lazily.
"Sure."
"Whatever."
Seeing Yue Ling agree so easily, Qingqing sighed in relief.
Meanwhile, Yue Ling slowly rested her head on the desk.
She squinted her eyes slightly.
Her mind drifted through the original owner's memories.
In this academy, because she was the daughter of the powerful Shen family, no one had openly bullied her before.
At least not directly.
But Yue Ling knew something very clearly.
Power and status did not mean peace.
It only meant the enemies were more careful.
Her lips curved slightly.
"Let's see…"
"Who will make the first move…"
"…and when.
Yue Ling rested her chin on her hand, her eyes half-closed as if she were bored.
"Hey, System."
"Yes, host?" the system replied.
"Tell me about yourself."
There was a brief pause.
Then the system appeared in front of her virtual panel with a proud expression.
"I am the Goddess System."
Yue Ling raised an eyebrow.
"Goddess system?"
Her eyes lit up slightly.
"So does that mean I'll get beauty beyond words? Or maybe cultivation powers? Flying swords? Breaking mountains? Crossing seas?"
The system immediately panicked.
"No! No! What nonsense are you thinking?!"
"This world doesn't even have aura or spiritual energy. How are you supposed to cultivate?"
"That would be completely against the laws of this world!"
Yue Ling looked disappointed.
"So boring…"
Then she tilted her head.
"So that means in other worlds cultivation is possible?"
The system hesitated.
"I… don't know."
"That question is beyond my authority."
"And besides, I still haven't told you something important."
Yue Ling narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"What is it?"
Seeing the system's strange expression, she crossed her arms.
"If you're making that face…"
"…then it definitely isn't something good."
The system coughed awkwardly.
"Well… host…"
"You need to complete missions in order to continue living on Earth."
Yue Ling instantly rejected it.
"I don't want to."
"Let's go to another world instead."
"Preferably somewhere where I can just lie down and do nothing."
The system sighed helplessly.
"Host…"
"Master once said that everything in the universe follows cause and effect."
"Your arrival in this world has already disturbed certain destinies and events."
"So in order to balance those changes, you must complete missions."
Yue Ling frowned slightly.
"And if I don't?"
"You will lose your life very quickly."
Yue Ling clicked her tongue.
"Tch."
"So troublesome."
Then she asked again,
"And what do I get from doing these missions?"
"Merit points," the system replied.
"What are those for?"
"They extend your life."
"For example, if you save someone or perform a good deed, you will gain merit points."
"Those points can be exchanged for many things in the system store."
Yue Ling's interest finally rose a little.
"Oh?"
"So I can buy things?"
"Yes."
"With enough points, you can purchase various skills, items, and knowledge."
Yue Ling nodded slowly.
"Hmm… interesting."
Then she suddenly remembered something.
"Oh right."
"What about those domains you mentioned earlier?"
The system answered,
"There are many domains within the system."
"Each domain represents a different field of knowledge or ability."
"For example, medical domain, social domain, poison domain, and many others."
"Each domain has different levels."
"How do I unlock them?" Yue Ling asked.
"You must either trigger them through missions…"
"…or through certain external events."
"And once unlocked, you can train in them inside the virtual learning room."
Yue Ling leaned back lazily in her chair.
"So in simple words…"
"You want me to study again."
The system said firmly,
"It's called self-improvement, host."
Yue Ling closed her eyes and sighed dramatically.
"What terrible luck."
"Even after dying and reincarnating…"
"…I still can't escape studying."
While Yue Ling rested her head on the desk with her eyes half-closed, faint whispers from nearby students slowly reached her ears.
"Hey… have you heard the news?"
"What news?"
"It's about our Ice Queen."
"Yue Ling?"
"Yes, her!"
One student leaned closer and lowered his voice dramatically.
"There are rumors saying she is not the real daughter of the Shen family."
"What?!"
Several students gasped.
"Really?!"
"Oh my god! That's a bombshell!"
"I have to tell the others!"
Another student quickly stopped him.
"Wait! Don't spread fake news everywhere. Are you sure this is real?"
"Yes! I guarantee it!"
"Someone told me personally."
But another student frowned.
"Then how do you explain this morning?"
"I clearly saw Yue Ling arriving in the Shen family's car."
"If she isn't their daughter, why would she still live with them?"
The first student hesitated but quickly replied,
"You probably don't know what happened last week."
"What happened?"
"Last week Yue Ling suddenly fainted and was sent to the hospital."
"The doctor discovered something strange while doing tests."
"What?"
"The blood group didn't match the Shen family."
A shocked silence spread through the group.
"Is that true…?"
"Yeah."
"I heard the same thing."
Another girl sighed softly.
"Still… I feel bad for our goddess."
"Why?"
"She's beautiful, elegant, and always ranks in the top students."
"Yes!"
"And her etiquette is perfect."
"Not to mention she plays the piano amazingly well."
"Haven't we all seen her perform in the Arts Club?"
Everyone nodded in agreement.
One boy whispered thoughtfully,
"You said she's a fake rich girl…"
"But honestly… she looks more like a real noble lady than most rich daughters."
Another student glanced toward the back of the classroom where Yue Ling was resting.
"Look at her now."
"Even when she's sleeping, she looks graceful."
"Her aura is completely different from ordinary people."
"Exactly."
"I'm totally impressed."
But suddenly another boy smirked.
"So what if she's not the Shen family's daughter anymore?"
Everyone turned to look at him.
"Yuxan… what are you saying?"
He crossed his arms arrogantly.
"Previously I confessed to her."
"She rejected me immediately."
His eyes narrowed.
"Now that she's not a Shen family daughter anymore…"
"…let's see how proud she can remain."
The students exchanged awkward looks but didn't say anything.
Meanwhile, at the back of the classroom…
Yue Ling slowly opened one eye.
Although she appeared to be resting, she had heard every single word clearly.
Her thoughts quietly moved.
So… rumors already started.
She thought calmly.
In these few days since arriving in this world, she had noticed something strange.
The Shen family members were always busy.
They rarely appeared at the mansion.
In fact, since she came to this world…
She had never even seen them once.
Which meant something important.
The news about her identity spread far too quickly.
The Shen family had not announced anything yet.
Hospitals also wouldn't casually reveal such private information.
Yue Ling's lips slowly curved into a faint smile.
"So…"
"…someone is intentionally spreading rumors."
Her eyes gleamed slightly with interest.
"Interesting."
"It seems someone is eager to cause trouble."