Chapter 15: The True and False Heiress

Hua Ying’s expression instantly turned cold.

“Who told you to touch my things?”

She snatched the bag back forcefully.

The person before them was an elderly man well into his sixties, his face filled with excitement as he looked at Hua Ying.

Behind him stood Hua Ying’s homeroom teacher, who spoke with displeasure, “Bai Hua Ying, how can you be so rude? Apologize to Elder Tan immediately.”

“My sister’s bag was touched by someone else. Why should my sister apologize?” Bai Jinwei replied with a displeased look.

“Is this how you act as a teacher?” the homeroom teacher glared angrily, about to retort, but the old man interrupted.

“I was wrong in this matter. I apologize to you,” the elderly man said with kind eyes and a sincere attitude.

Bai Jinwei’s expression remained cold as she responded sharply, “If an apology were enough, why would we need the police?”

“You seem to be well-educated. How could you just casually touch other people’s belongings?”

“That is indeed my fault,” the old man admitted awkwardly, never expecting that one day he would be scolded by a youngster.

“Can we talk?” the old man looked nervously at Hua Ying.

Hua Ying wanted to ignore him and was about to leave.

The homeroom teacher grew anxious and glared fiercely.

“What kind of attitude is that? Do you know who Elder Tan is? You wouldn’t dare—”

Elder Tan waved his hand and turned to the teacher, his expression darkening, his gaze warning.

“You may go back for now. I will contact you if I need anything.”

“Elder Tan,” the teacher called reluctantly.

It was a rare opportunity for him to accompany this influential figure, but seeing the elder’s displeased look, he had no choice but to leave.

Turning back to Hua Ying, Elder Tan resumed his cheerful demeanor.

“Child, what you’ve made is impressive and shows talent, but there are flaws. Shall we discuss them?”

Flaws? Impossible.

Hua Ying’s first reaction was disbelief.

Taking the opportunity, Elder Tan listed several flaws one after another.

Finally, he sighed, “Actually, what you’ve made is very good, just some details you overlooked.”

Hua Ying suddenly understood. With a hint, she realized the world’s technology was too backward.

Even after researching relevant information, some aspects had still been neglected.

“But there’s one thing I want to ask you, young friend: what do you intend to do with this?”

Elder Tan’s face remained smiling, but a deep meaning lingered in his eyes.

---

“If you take this out, you’ll probably end up behind bars for a long time.”

The atmosphere immediately stiffened.

Mu Jinnian’s face changed; his worst fears were coming true.

Bai Jinwei was puzzled, her heart filled with questions.

What exactly was in that bag?

“Illegal trading of prohibited items, manufacturing dangerous goods — those are serious charges,” Elder Tan said bluntly, scrutinizing Hua Ying.

Given his status, he naturally had heard about the underground laboratory.

The moment he saw the bacterial bomb, he realized that the person who appeared at the night market that day and saved people was none other than Hua Ying.

Curiosity surged within him.

Why would a minor girl go to the black market?

What abilities did she possess to send messages in such a place and walk away unscathed?

And she had even developed a bacterial bomb and brought it to school.

One mystery after another perplexed him.

Little Hong’s heart climbed into her throat; she nervously watched Hua Ying.

Knowing her nature, she doubted Hua Ying could lie.

This person before them was obviously a big shot. Saying you want to destroy the world in front of such a figure was like courting death.

Not to mention Hua Ying’s current actions were skirting the edge of the law.

“Of course, it’s out of curiosity,” Hua Ying answered.

Mu Jinnian stepped forward, “She’s young and doesn’t understand the gravity of these matters.”

“I hope Elder Tan will consider her kind nature and the fact that she has saved many lives and not hold it against her.”

“As for this item, if you need it, you can take it.”

“No,” Hua Ying objected firmly.

She had worked so hard to create it.

It hadn’t even been used yet; how could she just hand it over?

“This is mine, and I still need to use it.”

“Use it?” Although Elder Tan had prepared himself, his brow still twitched at those words.

“Do you know how destructive this thing is? If you use it outside, it will harm many people.”

“You can’t become a mad scientist just because you’re obsessed with research.”

He was convinced Hua Ying was a young scholar longing for scientific exploration.

Quietly, he proposed, “How about this? Join my research institute. You can study however you want.”

“We have special facilities for experiments, where you can test the power of your bacterial bombs.”

“Once you join, what you’ve done so far will be forgiven. I won’t let anyone know.”

“Whether you want to go to university or work later, your path will be smooth. Child, I truly admire you.”

Before Hua Ying could respond, Little Hong grew excited, flipping and leaping in the air, almost dancing for joy.

---

“Big shot, hurry, hurry, accept him! Smooth sailing all the way! It’ll be so easy for you to pass civil service exams and get stable jobs.”

“Unlike me, struggling so hard. Big shot, you don’t know how tough it is these days to get government jobs.”

“I really envy you.”

“I’m not interested in those things,” Hua Ying still insisted.

“This is mine.”

“Elder Tan, taking this from her now is impossible. How about this: I’ll try to persuade her. Can you give us some time?” Mu Jinnian sighed, watching Hua Ying clutch the bag tightly.

“Are you from the Mu family?” Elder Tan frowned.

“No wonder!”

He continued, “But I need to know what she intends to do with it. This is too dangerous.”

“If I hadn’t guessed correctly that she saved someone at the black market, I would have had the guard squad arrest her by now.”

“You must understand that.”

Though Hua Ying’s bacterial bomb was crude, its destructive power was enough.

What’s more, his intuition told him the contents of that bomb should not be underestimated.

He couldn’t risk everyone’s lives.

Mu Jinnian also understood Elder Tan’s insistence; it was indeed a difficult situation.

“Hua Ying, give it to him for now.”

He could only turn to Hua Ying and persuade her with a stiff heart.

Hua Ying could be stubborn in some matters, impervious to persuasion.

Though Bai Jinwei was confused, she also spoke up.

“Hua Ying, this seems dangerous. It’s better to let professionals handle it.”

“If you give it to them, I’ll treat you to hotpot, okay?”

Seeing this, Little Hong anxiously stomped her feet.

Soon, she came up with an idea.

“You’re the big shot who created the apocalypse bacteria. This thing is too rough and doesn’t match your taste and ability. You should toss it to these ordinary folks.”

“If you agree to join the research institute, you’ll have access to the most advanced technology and can perfect your work.”

“The bacterial bomb you’ve made now can’t destroy the world and might even harm your life. Are you really willing to let it end like this?”

“Alright, I’ll give it to you.”

Hua Ying finally relented and handed it over.

Ridiculous — she was someone capable of creating apocalyptic pathogens.

How could she settle for such a flawed piece?

No matter what she did, it had to be done to perfection.