’So what’s going on now?’

Not only was his inner core still there, but his aura was far more powerful than before. Clearly, he had advanced a rank!

"What nonsense are you spouting? Jun Yao’s inner core is perfectly fine! I’m warning you, stop spreading rumors!"

Jiang Yunnuan blurted out anxiously, glaring furiously at the white-haired young man. She was determined to deny it to her death.

The matter of an inner core being dug out and then restored was too heaven-defying. No one in the Empire was currently capable of such a feat. Once word got out, it would undoubtedly cause a huge sensation. Some organizations might even kidnap and interrogate her. Therefore, the fewer people who knew, the better.

Besides, apart from her, Si Xie, and Jun Yao, no one else had witnessed it. As long as she refused to admit it, they had no proof.

After speaking, she turned and shot Jun Yao, Si Xie, and Fu Yuan a look, warning them not to say a word out of line.

The three of them: "..."

’Great. Now they could finally be sure. Her claim that she ’only did those things because she was under Ling Ze’s Control’ was also a complete lie!’

’This woman was a pathological liar, a complete and utter fraud. How ridiculous that they had almost believed her bullshit.’

"How is that possible? Ling Ze clearly said..."

The arrogant-looking young man frowned and started to argue, but he was cut off as soon as he opened his mouth.

"Why would you rather believe Ling Ze’s nonsense than your own eyes? Jun Yao is standing right in front of you. Can’t you tell what’s real and what’s fake?"

"That’s right. Didn’t you want to fight? Let’s go."

Jun Yao astutely played along, not exposing her. The moment he finished speaking, he balled his fist and smashed it toward the young man before him. Bai Luo immediately raised his hands to block.

Beastmen were too destructive. To avoid injuring residents and damaging infrastructure, the use of Beast Souls and Talent Skills was forbidden in residential areas. Violators would be punished according to the Empire’s laws.

Therefore, fights relied entirely on physical strength and hand-to-hand combat skills.

Jun Yao’s Fighting Technique was far superior to Si Xie’s. After his genetic evolution, his bones and muscles were as if forged from steel. In just two rounds, the young man who had single-handedly crushed Si Xie was already struggling to cope, making Jiang Wanwan frown.

"Sister, having two of your Contractors fight Bai Luo one after the other is too unfair. Hurry and tell Jun Yao to stop."

"Sorry, Jun Yao doesn’t listen to me. Why don’t you have Bai Luo stop instead?"

Jiang Yunnuan let out a scornful laugh. ’When two people are fighting, whoever stops first has to be prepared to take a hit. This female lead wants Jun Yao to stop first? Does she think I’m an idiot?’

Jiang Wanwan: "..."

"If you insist on being this way, Sister, then I’ll have Yanchen make a move too." 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Hearing this, Jiang Yunnuan’s brows knitted together. That Wen Yanchen was no pushover. Fu Yuan probably wouldn’t stand a chance against him. Suddenly, the image of Ming Ye flashed through her mind.

Just as she thought of him, the tall, imposing, and coldly handsome man strolled out from inside. His chilly eyes swept over everyone before finally landing on her.

’No wonder he didn’t reply to my message. So he had company,’ a flicker of understanding crossed Ming Ye’s eyes.

"Ming Ye, come here."

The woman’s voice reached his ears. He lifted his gaze and saw her waving him over, a mischievous look on her face.

He pressed his lips together, hesitating for a moment, then started down the steps toward her.

Jiang Yunnuan pointed at Wen Yanchen and said to him with a wide grin, "Keep an eye on him. If he tries to make a move on Jun Yao, you go have a ’spar’ with him, got it? There’s a reward if you win!"

Ming Ye: "..."

"Sister, how could you do this? I came to give you a birthday invitation, not to bring them here to fight."

Jiang Wanwan looked deeply upset as she pulled a light purple, gold-stamped invitation from her handbag.

The invitation was inlaid with expensive gold thread and rhinestones, making it look incredibly lavish, exquisite, and high-end. It ostentatiously proclaimed the noble status of its owner.

"You might not remember, Sister, but my birthday is next month. Mother started preparing for the party two months in advance. She’s worked herself to exhaustion."

"You haven’t seen Mother in a long time, have you, Sister? I was originally planning to bring you to see her on my birthday, but I never expected something so unpleasant would happen..."

She put on a look of self-blame and guilt, which made Jiang Yunnuan click her tongue in amazement.

’The female lead of this world isn’t just a ’green tea,’ she’s also scheming, vicious, and a great actress. Isn’t this totally out of character?’

’Just listen to the things she’s saying!’

’She claims she came to deliver an invitation, but in reality, she’s just blatantly showing off.’

Not receiving their mother’s affection and being abandoned at a young age had always been the original owner’s greatest pain. It was what she cared about most, and it was why she had been insanely jealous of Jiang Wanwan, convinced that Jiang Wanwan had stolen the love that should have been hers.

Jiang Wanwan knew this perfectly well, yet she still shamelessly flaunted how good their mother was to her, twisting the knife in the original owner’s heart.

’No wonder the original owner became so twisted and perverse after being deliberately provoked for so long.’

’If the original owner had heard these words today instead of her, she probably would have been driven mad with rage long ago.’

"System, why do I feel like there’s something off about this female lead?"

Jiang Yunnuan frowned, communicating with the System via her thoughts.

[Host’s feeling is correct. After encountering this female lead, the System has unlocked a new plotline. It has been transmitted to Host. Please view it at your convenience.]

Jiang Yunnuan: "..."

’So there really is a problem?’

She accepted the plotline and mentally clicked to view it. A large chunk of story flooded her mind, and Jiang Yunnuan froze, subconsciously looking toward Jiang Wanwan.

Meanwhile, Jiang Wanwan was still putting her ’green tea’ skills on full display.

"It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have brought people here to disturb you, Sister. You don’t like me, so it’s only natural for you to be angry after seeing me..."

"Tsk. As expected of our Empire’s number one goddess. Her acting is top-notch. I’ve never seen anyone who can act better than her!"

Si Xie winced in pain, forcing a mocking grin as he spoke, then looked at Jiang Yunnuan.

"You damn woman, see that? That’s real skill. You should take some notes for the future."

Jiang Yunnuan: "..."

’Is my acting not good enough?’

At this, the expressions on both Jiang Wanwan and Wen Yanchen’s faces changed. Wen Yanchen narrowed his eyes, his face turning grim, looking as if he was about to strike someone.

Seeing this, Ming Ye took a step forward, positioning himself in front of Jiang Yunnuan and Si Xie.

Jiang Wanwan’s lips trembled. She looked at Si Xie, her expression aggrieved and humiliated.

"I genuinely wanted to invite Sister to my birthday party. How could you say that about me?"

’Putting on a fucking act, are we?’

Si Xie, unable to bear it any longer, cursed furiously in his mind. On the surface, however, he still wore a faint smile, but his voice was dripping with sarcasm and contempt.

"If you just wanted to invite Jiang Yunnuan to a birthday party, you could have just sent the invitation. Why did you have to repeatedly embellish how well the Empress treats you?"

"Admit it. You did it on purpose. You deliberately came here to flaunt what Jiang Yunnuan can’t have, intending to provoke her."

"Miss Lin—oh, my mistake. Now that you’ve climbed to a higher branch, I should call you Miss Jiang. Please don’t take all of us for fools!"