Chapter 5

University life progressed even more smoothly than I had originally anticipated.

Leveraging the memories of my previous life, I began layout preparations early for the exact same scientific research project that had won me the prestigious international award. Equipped with prior experience and ample funding, my progress this time around was a full twice as fast as before.

Yet, during this process, I unexpectedly crossed paths with someone.

Galen Herbert.

He was the eldest son of the Herbert family—and my designated partner for the marriage alliance. In the competition during our past life, he had been my fiercest rival, ultimately losing to me and taking second place. We barely had any interaction back then, but this time, he suddenly called out to me in the hallway.

“Are you the adopted daughter of the Barrington family?” he asked.

The man was tall with sharp, deeply defined features and a cool demeanor. A pair of narrow, deep blue eyes fixed intently upon me.

I couldn’t quite fathom why he was suddenly striking up a conversation. Was it because of that looming marriage alliance?

“Yes, I am Hill,” I replied politely. “And you must be Mr. Galen Herbert?”

Galen didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he simply stared at me for a long moment.

It was only then that a sudden realization struck me. Why couldn’t I hear this specific man’s inner thoughts at all?

“I’ve heard that your grades have consistently ranked first in the academy,” Galen said, breaking the silence. “My current project has run into some resistance. I wonder if I could trouble you to take a look at it for me?”

I found myself completely bewildered by his sudden invitation. We had attended the exact same university in our past life, yet we hadn’t exchanged a single word.

“Mr. Herbert, your project is also meant to compete in the upcoming international competition, isn’t it?” I questioned, keeping my guard up. “Is it really appropriate for you to invite a direct competitor to assist you?”

I caught the corners of Galen’s lips curving slightly upward into a faint smile.

“Scientific research isn’t done for competitions, much less for fame or wealth,” he countered smoothly. “The true essence of research is to drive societal progress. I believe you understand that point as well.”

I fell silent. He was entirely correct. Competitions were ultimately secondary; the core purpose of scientific research was the advancement of human society.

“Alright,” I agreed. “I accept.”

From that day forward, it became a natural routine for me to travel back and forth between our two laboratories.

One day, while on my way to the lab, I ran into Serena yet again. She appeared to be working on a project of her own lately, but her lack of progress had clearly left her frustrated. Seeing me only seemed to aggravate her further.

“Hill, why are you soaking in the laboratory all day long anyway?” Serena complained, rolling her eyes. “You’re already so wealthy, what’s the point of wasting your time on these things?”

Before I could even open my mouth to respond, Galen’s deep voice echoed from right behind me.

“Hill, I reviewed that set of data,” he called out. “There’s still an issue with one specific section.”

He lifted his head, his eyes landing squarely on Serena. For some reason, I caught a brief flash of displeasure in his expression. Then, to my surprise, he walked right over and naturally draped an arm around my shoulder, sliding the file into my hands.

Witnessing our intimate display, the fake smile on Serena’s face froze instantly.

“Oh, Hill,” she sneered, her voice dripping with sudden malice. “Now I see why you run to the lab every single day. It turns out you’re just here to hook up with men!”

She crossed her arms, looking at us sideways. “Well, I suppose it makes sense. Sucking up to your fiancé now will keep you from living too miserably in their household in the future.”

I raised my eyes, fixing her with a freezing glare.

“He and I are not in a romantic relationship. We are merely normal classmates,” I stated firmly. “Furthermore, whoever I choose to date is my own absolute freedom.”

“Is that so? Then it seems I must have misunderstood,” Serena replied.

While she maintained an innocent, harmless facade on the outside, her inner thoughts were viciously cursing me to high heaven.

Serena thought maliciously to herself, “Keep putting on an act! Just wait until your older brother gets kidnapped and you’re forced to drop out of school. Let’s see what kind of freedom to date you’ll have then!”

Galen had clearly run entirely out of patience with her presence.

“If you have no actual business here, please refrain from wandering around the laboratory building,” he commanded coldly. “We still have serious matters to attend to.”

Serena glared at both of us, managing to squeeze out one last tense smile.

“Fine then. I won’t disturb you any longer, Hill,” she said through gritted teeth. “I wish you the best of luck in the competition!”

Her eyes radiated pure venom as she walked away. A faint, terrible premonition crept into my heart, but she had already drifted too far for me to catch any more of her inner thoughts.

On the actual day of the international competition, my phone suddenly rang. I picked it up, only to hear an unfamiliar voice on the other end.

“If you want your brother to stay alive, withdraw from the competition immediately,” the voice threatened coldly. “Bring your company’s core confidential data files and come to the back mountain alone.”

My heart plummeted like a stone.

I had taken precautions long ago, explicitly ordering the head butler to deploy extra security to protect Owen. How on earth had he still managed to get kidnapped?

If I rushed to rescue him right now, it meant completely abandoning the very competition I had spent so long preparing for.

I could always enter a competition again, but I only had one older brother!

Without a single shred of hesitation, I turned right around and forced my way through the crowded venue, sprinting out the door against the flow of the crowd.