LABMY CH81.2

Before heading to his room, Jian Yuanbai stopped him, “Did you finish looking at the photos?”

Lu Qianyun nodded, then shook his head. “But I didn’t see anything.”

“Now that it’s just the two of us, speak your mind.”

He really couldn’t find any clues from the photos.

Jian Yuanbai handed him a thin film storage chip. “Then stick this to your light brain and project it.”

Lu Qianyun asked, “What is it?”

Jian Yuanbai was too embarrassed to explain and vaguely said, “You’ll know when you watch it. Observe carefully.”

Lu Qianyun nodded seriously, “Okay.”

Taking the storage chip, Lu Qianyun returned to his room, attached it to the light brain on his wrist, and projected the video onto the wall.

The wide, white wall became the perfect screen, and the darkening sky provided the best lighting for the projection.

To ensure the best experience, Lu Qianyun drew the curtains, took out a notebook and pen, and tapped the play button on the translucent interface.

He didn’t believe he couldn’t find the information hidden within.

Lu Qianyun sat upright, pen in hand, staring intently at the screen. Amid his inexplicable tension, the screen slowly unfolded, and a face so familiar that it made him go black appeared before him.

With a numb expression, he watched the video of Jian Yuanbai battling a virtual Zerg. For ten whole minutes, he remained motionless.

It wasn’t until the final scene that Lu Qianyun’s gaze showed some fluctuation.

If he had to put this fluctuation into words, the term would be: unbearable to watch.

The enemy could have been defeated in one move, yet the battle was dragged on for ten minutes. Fine. But in the end, Jian Yuanbai leaped up using a tree trunk and suddenly descended from the shadows, delivering a precise and forceful elbow strike to the enemy’s head.

The move itself was flawless and even quite impressive. However, after knocking the enemy down, why did his arm, bent at a ninety-degree angle for the elbow strike, slowly draw an arc in the air before stopping beside his shoulder, posing like a bodybuilder showing off his biceps?

Lu Qianyun was the only one watching this video, yet he somehow felt secondhand embarrassment from Jian Yuanbai’s overly dramatic and flashy combat style.

Jian Yuanbai was the one in the video, so why was Lu Qianyun the one feeling awkward?

The battle dragged on for ten minutes. Was Jian Yuanbai implying that he was facing some kind of trouble? A difficult problem?

And that constant body display… Could it be that something had parasitized his body?

Lu Qianyun couldn’t figure it out and forced himself to rewatch the video from the very beginning.

…

At two in the morning, Lu Qianyun’s eyes had lost all light. As he walked down the empty hallway, he felt as if Jian Yuanbai was everywhere.

“Knock, knock, knock—” The knocking gradually grew from weak to forceful. Before the fourth knock, the door opened.

Jian Yuanbai, with messy hair and sleepy eyes, looked at him, “What’s wrong?”

Lu Qianyun slipped through the gap beside him, grabbed Jian Yuanbai, and dragged him all the way back to his own room.

Pointing at the still-playing video and the scattered photos on the floor, Lu Qianyun’s eyes were sore as he spoke in a trembling voice, “Tell me the truth. I can handle it. What exactly are you trying to tell me?”

Jian Yuanbai, woken up in the middle of the night and facing the mess of his own photos, couldn’t help but feel a bit awkward. He coughed lightly and said, “It’s just…”

Lu Qianyun urged, “Say it. I can handle it.”

Jian Yuanbai hesitated for a moment before confessing, “You’re about to undergo your second differentiation, right? I heard that watching high-level alphas before the second differentiation increases the chance of becoming an alpha.”

Lu Qianyun’s face grew increasingly blank as he listened. “That’s it?”

Jian Yuanbai nodded sincerely.

“Then why didn’t you just tell me directly?”

Jian Yuanbai explained, “Because you said you were anxious about it when we were on the alien star, and you were in a bad mood. I didn’t want you to overthink.”

Lu Qianyun took a deep breath. His bad mood stemmed from Jian Yuanbai reporting his location to others on a regular basis, with some random excuse as the reason. He never expected that one casual complaint would lead to this kind of suffering.

“Then why didn’t you show me other alphas?” If it were anyone else, he wouldn’t have watched for so long.

Or rather, he only watched because it was brought by Jian Yuanbai.

Jian Yuanbai righteously replied, “Showing you one half-naked alpha after another would be inappropriate.

“But I’m your uncle, so watching me is fine.”

Lu Qianyun pressed his lips tightly together and sat on the bed in silence.

In the uneasy quiet, Jian Yuanbai cautiously leaned closer, “What’s wrong?”

Lu Qianyun’s lips trembled, his emotions indescribable. He looked at Jian Yuanbai and softly said, “Can I beat you up?”

Jian Yuanbai: ……

He quietly took a step back. “That’s not a good idea.”

In the end, Jian Yuanbai promised to stop sending his location updates to Fan Youjin in exchange for Lu Qianyun’s smile.

“Actually, I think sending location updates is quite helpful. Didn’t it help us get rescued this time?”

Jian Yuanbai tried to defend himself before canceling it.

Lu Qianyun smiled at him, “We won’t run into that kind of accident again. Trust me.”

The starlight outside the window formed a delicate band of light, and the moonlight seeped through the gap in the curtains, casting a soft glow on Lu Qianyun’s face as he smiled with curved eyes.

The moonlight seemed to turn gentle.

Not to mention, he was sitting on the edge of the bed, surrounded by scattered photos of Jian Yuanbai.

It was like… a beautiful fawn had accidentally wandered into his territory.

By the time Jian Yuanbai realized it, he had already blacklisted Fan Youjin.

…

The next morning, Jian Yuanbai left early. Not only did he fail his mission, but he also went missing for a while. It would be unreasonable not to report back to his superior.

He went early to show his sincerity.

Since he had already negotiated terms with the military, and the mining planet he visited was his own, there wasn’t much to say. He briefly explained the situation and was dismissed by his superior.

Even his previous patrol mission was reassigned to others.

Back in his office, Jian Yuanbai picked up the scattered photos and examined them one by one.

The photos were clearly well taken, so why didn’t Lu Qianyun keep any of them?

Even keeping one would be fine.

What if it actually helped with his differentiation?

Jian Yuanbai didn’t think much about why Lu Qianyun would want to keep his photos. He just felt a bit disappointed.

If Lu Qianyun took so many photos of him, Jian Yuanbai thought, he’d definitely frame them all.

A sudden knock interrupted his idle daydream. He quickly put the photos away and said, “Come in.”

A man in a formal suit entered and got straight to the point, “Sorry, boss.”

“We lost the lawsuit against the First Imperial Academy.”

Jian Yuanbai’s brows furrowed, “Why did we lose?”

The lawyer explained, “The students in Lu Qianyun’s class refused to testify that Teacher Wang attacked him with pheromones. The surveillance footage could only capture the scene, but there’s no way to prove whether pheromones were released.”

This legal team didn’t handle external cases; they exclusively served Jian Yuanbai’s mining company. Losing the rare lawsuit their boss filed made the lawyer feel guilty.

“I’m truly sorry. Should we continue with the lawsuit?”

Jian Yuanbai waved his hand, “The students are afraid to offend the First Imperial Academy, that giant beast. Without their testimony, continuing the lawsuit is pointless.”

Suddenly, something occurred to him. “Isn’t the Empire’s Academy Tournament about to start?”

“Yes, in one month,” the lawyer confirmed.

Jian Yuanbai’s expression turned meaningful. “The academy’s ranking depends on the results of the Academy Tournament, right?”

“Every year, during student enrollment, the First Imperial Academy flaunts its top ranking on its website,” the lawyer added.

Jian Yuanbai smirked, “And all the applicants nationwide fill out their choices on the unified education website.”

“The most prominent section on the website shows the academy rankings, clear as day.”

The lawyer was confused, “So?”

Jian Yuanbai’s smile deepened, “So… let’s see how long they can stay at the top.”

Jian Yuanbai snorted with laughter, “Of course, I’m signing up for the Academy Tournament.”

“But first, I need to register an academy. I refuse to believe I can’t vent this anger for Lu Longlong.”

The lawyer, who had been practicing for over thirty years, was shocked, “The Academy Tournament is for students. Boss, you’re not a student anymore.”

“Besides, the Academy Tournament is a serious matter. To prevent fraud, all participants must undergo a bone age test.”

Jian Yuanbai looked at him with affection, “Just register an academy, then enroll myself. Problem solved, right?”

“The requirement is for students under twenty-five. I’m twenty-three. What’s the issue?”

In this era, with an average lifespan of 150 years, the age classifications were quite different from ancient Blue Star.

A forty-year-old was still considered a young adult. So, at twenty-three, Jian Yuanbai was fully qualified to participate in the Academy Tournament.

The lawyer closed his mouth, pushed up his glasses, and calmly asked the final question, “Boss, what will you name the academy?”

“Let’s call it…” Jian Yuanbai thought for a moment, “‘Fifty Pieces of Trash, Lie Down and Rot.’”

Everyone knew that the First Imperial Academy had dominated the Academy Tournament for fifty years straight.

The lawyer’s face turned pale, “Boss, this is really too much.”

Jian Yuanbai waved his hand, “Stop calling me ‘Boss.’ Don’t try to talk me out of it.”

The lawyer immediately changed his tune, showing flexibility, “How about I call you Dad? Dad, I’ll definitely win the case. Just give me some time.”

“The First Imperial Academy holds an unshakable status. Saying something this provocative will offend a lot of people, especially those who graduated from the First Imperial Academy over the past fifty years. They’re all elites in various fields.”

He earnestly advised, “Especially the royal family. Every member of the royal family graduated from the First Imperial Academy.”

“If you call the First Imperial Academy trash, aren’t you insulting everyone?”

“And the Academy Tournament is broadcast live nationwide. By then…” The lawyer suddenly paused, realizing the most crucial point, “You won’t win, right, Boss?”

“Then it’s fine.”

The lawyer looked at Jian Yuanbai and made a small request, “When you get laughed at and go viral, can you not mention you’re the president of Jian Mining Group?”

“We have employees too. We need some dignity.”

Jian Yuanbai leaned on the desk and looked at him, “I am your boss, after all. How come you’re not afraid of me at all?”

“You dare to say anything.”

The lawyer chuckled, “Anyone who knows the boss wouldn’t be afraid. The boss is a good person.”

Two years ago, he met Jian Yuanbai after winning a difficult case. The opposing party was rich and powerful, and he only forced the bribed judge to convict the defendant through public pressure.

But after the trial, the defendant’s family hired thugs to break his leg. Because of the defendant’s influence, no law firm dared to hire him. He had no evidence to fight back.

To make things worse, his mother was so frightened by his situation that her health rapidly deteriorated.

It was Jian Yuanbai who helped him out of his predicament.

He was grateful and admired Jian Yuanbai even more after understanding his character. Not everyone could maintain a pure heart in a world of power and wealth.

Jian Yuanbai didn’t forget his goal despite the praise. He said seriously, “I will win.”

“So you’d better help me come up with a name that mocks the First Imperial Academy without offending everyone too much.”

He bluntly added, “If you really can’t, then let’s just offend everyone.”

The lawyer’s expression froze, “I take back what I just said.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Jian Yuanbai brushed him off, “Make sure to look into the procedures for founding an academy.”

“Handle the paperwork for me. I’ll register the school under… under my missing dad’s name.”

“If I register it under my own name, you guys will be cursed to death.”

Since he was going to become a student, he naturally couldn’t put the academy under his own name.

The lawyer gave him a deep look, “Thank you.”

If Jian Yuanbai said he’d put the academy in the lawyer’s name, he’d resign on the spot.

Though unwilling, the lawyer had no choice but to follow his unreliable boss and go handle the paperwork.

Jian Mining Group had a unique advantage. Its mineral resources were privately owned, and the planet itself was under Jian Yuanbai’s name. No one could touch it, not even the royal family—unless they amended the empire’s laws.

On top of that, besides the royal family’s private mines, Jian Yuanbai monopolized nearly the entire empire’s mining industry.

So, even if he offended countless people, there were few who could do anything to him.

A mining tycoon could afford to be this arrogant.

The lawyer sighed deeply again. But offending too many people… that was still tough to swallow.

Jian Yuanbai didn’t think that far ahead. He had almost forgotten about suing the First Imperial Academy until the lawyer brought it up.

Using pheromone suppression to harm a student who had just had his gland removed — in severe cases, Lu Qianyun could have gone into shock. Yet the teacher refused to apologize.

Since donating a building in exchange for an apology was rejected, and the lawsuit was lost, Jian Yuanbai no longer needed the First Imperial Academy’s apology.

The First Imperial Academy was so arrogant, wasn’t it? A teacher could harm a student and still act high and mighty.

Well, he’d see how arrogant they could be when the name “Fifty Pieces of Trash, Lie Down and ” hung over their heads for a whole year.

When he returned home and shared his plan with Lu Qianyun, he was met with a stunned expression.

What’s going on?

Jian Yuanbai lost his memory, yet he still managed to steal his “protagonist moment”?

If he remembered correctly, participating in the Academy Tournament was supposed to be his thing.

According to the plot, he was supposed to participate in the Academy Tournament five years later, after being trapped on an alien planet for five years and finally returning.

How did Jian Yuanbai go to work for a day and come back claiming he’d participate in the Academy Tournament first?

In the original storyline, Lu Qianyun’s goal was to dominate the Academy Tournament and humiliate the First Imperial Academy for kicking him out after he lost his gland.

But now, Jian Yuanbai went straight for the kill with “Fifty Pieces of Trash, Lie Down and Rot,” planning to hang that name over the First Imperial Academy for a whole year.

At this point…

Who’s the true protagonist here?

Him or Jian Yuanbai?