I am a PhD from a top university, and the "white moonlight" obsession of a powerful heir who couldn't have me. When Julian Thorne was at his lowest, battling depression, I used psychology to guide him out of the shadows. From then on, he fell madly in love with me. After reclaiming his status as the heir to the Thorne empire, he pursued me relentlessly. But my heart only had room for academia. Rejected and lovesick, Julian acquired my entire research team and brought us under his company's umbrella. He visited my lab daily, begging for my love every few days. I never responded. Frustrated, Julian started searching for replacements who looked like me. He found one—a social media influencer who bore a passing resemblance. Thinking she was the future Mrs. Thorne, she defied Julian's orders and snuck into the lab to see me. Her assistant fanned the flames: "I heard there's a fake academic girl pestering our Prince, trying to seduce her way to the top. We have to tear her apart!" The replacement smashed my lab with a whip and used fine needles to destroy my hands, peeling my fingernails off one by one, bloody and raw. She presented them to Julian like a treasure. "Baby, there was a green tea bitch imitating me. I taught her a lesson for you!" 1 I was held hostage by Julian Thorne for three years using my research team. He treated me like a precious jewel. As long as I accepted his pursuit, he was willing to lay the wealth of the entire city at my feet. This included the most advanced academic resources. I admit, I was tempted. But in the end, I refused. I simply didn't love him. Six years ago, Julian suffered severe depression due to family issues. He stood on the city bridge, ready to jump. I happened to be passing by, busy with my master's thesis experiments. I saved him. Using my psychology knowledge, I guided him step by step out of the darkness. After recovering, Julian fell uncontrollably in love with me. His family arranged many matches with women of equal status, but he wouldn't even look at them. He would lose millions on projects just to make me smile. But I was distressed. The 23rd time I rejected him, I reiterated my passion for academia. "Julian, stop wasting your time on me. I don't plan on marrying. I want to dedicate my life to science." A week later, Julian signed my entire research team, including my mentor, under the Thorne Group. He threatened me with the results of years of hard work by my mentor and me. "Nina, if you dare leave the team or run away from me, I'll make sure all your and your mentor's efforts come to nothing!" I couldn't gamble with my mentor's achievements. After years of research, a breakthrough was imminent. I had to yield and signed a five-year contract with the Thorne Group. One day, the whole team was on vacation. With nothing to do, I went to the lab to run some experiments. Suddenly, there was a commotion in the hallway. "Chloe, Mr. Thorne gave strict orders that no one is allowed near this team. Maybe there really are important secrets. Should we..." "What are you afraid of?! I'm Julian's girlfriend. I saw him secretly ordering an engagement ring a couple of days ago. Soon I'll be the young mistress of the Thorne family. It's just a small lab, why can't I enter?" "Besides, don't forget my influencer persona is 'Academic Beauty.' How can I not visit the new lab Julian signed?" The woman's arrogant voice drowned out the timid advice of the other. I frowned. A lab requires quiet; loud noises are prohibited. This woman, trespassing with her privilege, must be Julian's new influencer replacement, Chloe. I sighed. I had told Julian the lab needed quiet and no unauthorized entry. But that simple sentence turned into his extreme possessiveness. Last month, a bird flew in by mistake. Seeing it on the surveillance camera, the twisted Julian had it plucked and boiled alive. Thinking of that scene still made me shudder. Just as I was about to take off my lab coat and go out to warn her kindly, the lab door was kicked open. 2 The flashy woman saw me, shock flashing across her face, followed by rage. "Where did this plastic surgery monster come from? Why do you look like me?" Her assistant fanned the flames: "I heard there's a fake academic girl pestering our Prince, trying to seduce her way to the top. Today the lab is empty except for this scheming woman. She must be trying to copy your persona. We have to tear her apart!" Before I could react, a slap landed hard on my face. Chloe's face twisted with anger. "You slut! Of all places to seduce men, you run to my husband's lab! You really are scheming!" I realized she had misunderstood. Covering my face, I looked at her calmly. I wanted to fight back, but instinctively glanced at the surveillance camera overhead. "Forget it, I won't argue with you. You shouldn't be here. Leave quickly." Half a month ago, a girl deliberately bumped into me and pushed me down. I thought it was minor, but Julian saw it on camera. That same day, he had her hands chopped off. That's when I knew Julian's methods of torture were unusually cruel. Even perverted. This girl seemed ignorant. I didn't want trouble, so I urged her to leave. But hearing my words, Chloe sneered and became even more aggressive. "We're both playing the game, stop pretending! Don't think I don't know. You want to take advantage of everyone's absence, dress up as an academic beauty, and seduce Julian!" "Any woman who puts in effort knows the Prince doesn't like glamorous women. He likes cold women in lab coats." "I worked hard to build my academic streaming persona to get where I am today. In a few days, I'll be Mrs. Thorne. I won't let you make trouble under my nose!" Chloe grabbed my hair violently and threw me to the ground. She pulled a forearm-length whip from behind her back and lashed it viciously across my face. The whip had tiny barbs. Each strike brought not only searing pain but also thin trails of blood. "Don't think plastic surgery to look like me will get you into Julian's eyes. Today I'm going to ruin your face and tear your clothes. Let's see if you dare pretend to be an academic beauty then!" 3 I couldn't help but cry out in pain. Before the next lash could fall, I gritted my teeth and caught the barbed whip with my bare hand. My gaze was dark. "Before you hit me, did you investigate who I am?" The barbs dug into the flesh of my palm. Chloe yanked it deliberately. Sharp pain shot through me as my right palm blossomed with blood. Chloe looked arrogant, sneering with disdain. "I don't care who you are. Just a fake academic green tea bitch putting on airs in the lab! Knowing Julian likes this type, you rushed here to throw yourself at him!" My tone deepened. "I am a PhD, not whatever 'academic beauty' you're talking about." As soon as I spoke, Chloe stomped on my face. Her high heel tip ground hard into my nose bridge. "You? A PhD?" "Don't think I don't know. You read those online guides and snuck in through a doggy door, wanting to play a more realistic game, right?" "Actually, I should learn from you. My style of pretending to do experiments on stream is outdated. Maybe I'll copy you and do a lab play session. Julian will be obsessed with me!" Dust from her sole fell into my eyes, forcing me to close them. Since I saved Julian, he indeed developed a fetish. He liked watching me do academic work expressionlessly in my lab coat. I thought he would stop at a reasonable point, but he got worse, searching the whole city for replacements who looked like me. Not just in looks, but in the demeanor of doing experiments. Chloe had strategized for a long time to become the most famous influencer in the "academic beauty" niche, finally catching Julian's eye. Now she mistook me for a competitor. How could she let me go? "Julian has been pursuing me..." I pointed with difficulty at the surveillance camera overhead. "If you don't believe me... look up. Julian often watches me through the camera. If you don't leave, you might never get the chance..." 4 Chloe laughed maniacally, not believing a word. "Do you think I grew up scared?" "Not just this lab, but the entire research center nearby will be mine in the future!" Her assistant chimed in. "Exactly! You scheming woman, look who's in front of you! She's the future young mistress of the Thorne Group!" "So many influencers waiting for the Prince to choose, and he picked our Chloe. What does that mean? True love!" I wanted to roll my eyes, but my face hurt too much. Seeing Chloe ordering her assistant to smash the lab to punish me, I panicked and struggled to get up. "No!" The lab contained my mentor's life's work. I couldn't watch this woman destroy it! I lunged forward like a madwoman but was whipped to the ground by Chloe. "I knew you were a shameless schemer! If Julian really knew you, smashing a mere lab wouldn't matter. You're scared because you can't explain the mess you made, right?" "I'm going to teach you a lesson today! Jenny, smash it!" The assistant named Jenny grabbed a tool and smashed the lab equipment to pieces. I protected my mentor's research results with my body, refusing to let go no matter how they tried to snatch them. Chloe got interested. She threw down the whip. "Jenny, tie this academic bitch up!" "I want to see what treasure she's protecting! Maybe it's a secret guide to seducing men!" Battered and alone, I couldn't fight two of them. Jenny looped the barbed whip around me and shoved me into a corner. Chloe flipped through the file casually. "I thought it was something precious. Just boring words. Must be props for your act." Saying this, she tore the manuscript to shreds!
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