Deviant: No Longer Human

"This is good!"

Behind the wheel sat a girl, her lips curled in a slight, knowing smile. Her face seemed to glow in the soft morning light—radiant and ethereal, like a lotus blooming at dawn, untouched by the world's dust.

Yet Wang Xiao, seated beside her in the passenger seat, could not share her excitement.

He cast a glance at her, noticing how striking she looked today. Her attire, though modest with full sleeves, seemed to cling in all the right places, forming her graceful curves. It wasn't revealing, but it drew attention nonetheless.

Something about it was… uncharacteristic.

She was never one to seek eyes on her.

At that moment, they were on their way to Wang Xueying's university—or more accurately, she was driving herself, eager to flaunt the new sports car.

The first they'd ever owned.

She handled the vehicle with an ease that belied her usual calm demeanor, taking swift detours and racing down less-traveled roads.

Wang Xiao, brow furrowing, finally spoke. "Aren't you running late for work?"

Wang Xueying's lips tightened briefly, her long lashes fluttering as if lost in thought.

Then, she smiled—a smile so effortless it seemed to melt the air around them. "Isabelle isn't coming in today," she said lazily yawning. "She's off for a week. I could skip work, and I'd still get paid..."

The faint scent of peonies clung filled the car interiors.

It was intoxicating, and combined with her radiant charm, it made Wang Xiao uneasy. He studied her once more. "When did you start... studying?"

More accurately, what in the world had changed her?

When Wang Xiao first learned she was working as a researcher, it had struck him like a thunderbolt out of a clear sky.

As far as he remembered, Xueying had always struggled with the simplest of exams. Yet now she was a researcher in nanobiotechnology, a field that sounded far too refined and advanced for someone who once fought to stay awake in class.

Moreover, a position in a global lab wasn't something you simply 'fell into.' One needed skill—serious skill.

He couldn't help but ask.

"Hm?" Wang Xueying turned, her gaze sharp but playful, a single brow arched in suspicion. "How much do you really know?"

Wang Xiao blinked, his confusion deepening.

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Her eyes sparkled with amusement as she leaned closer, her voice dropping to a soft whisper. "You think you can leave me behind, bother? Let me tell you, that's impossible."

Wang Xiao sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Impossible? What's the point of even trying? I'd have to start from middle school again..."

He wasn't exaggerating. Even Xinyue Zhilan had told him to relax, enjoy life, spend his family's wealth, and live like any other second-generation heir.

He had been stunned by how leniently life seemed to be treating him.

Wang Xueying smiled with a quiet smugness, her beauty almost otherworldly as she spoke. "Even if you started now, ten years wouldn't be enough to catch up. By the time I'm famous, I'll 'support' you—"

Her voice faltered, a sudden blush rising to her cheeks, as if she had spoken more than she intended.

"Then what?" Wang Xiao's eyes darkened, his gaze sharp enough to pierce through her.

His stare was a silent threat—if she dared utter another word, he wouldn't hesitate to put her in her place.

'Support him?'

The sheer audacity!

That was a phrase men of wealth used when they kept women under their wings, treating them like fragile, ornamental treasures.

And here she was, throwing it back at him, brazen and unrestrained.

Commendable? Perhaps. But she had no idea who she was dealing with.

Wang Xueying's confident façade cracked for a moment, her smile turning awkward as a light flush crept up her cheeks.

Her thoughts scattered like leaves in the wind, and her tongue, usually sharp, fumbled.

She coughed softly, trying to regain control of the situation. "Even so," she began, her voice smoothing out, "you'll never catch up. I received the 'Golden Scholar Award', the first in the academy's history. And I have three bachelor's degrees. Face it, brother, unless you start working harder, there's no way you'll ever close the gap."

"..."

Wang Xiao cast a sideways glance at her, his lips twitching slightly. The look in his eyes said it all: 'What a joke.'

"You don't believe me?" Wang Xueying's expression shifted, her delicate brows knitting together in irritation. Her small fists clenched in her lap, and her smile became strained, as if barely holding back her desire to knock him off his high horse.

Wang Xiao sighed, dismissing her as if swatting away a bothersome fly. "Try harder next time."

"..." Wang Xueying stared at him, stunned by his indifference. Her frustration simmered beneath her calm exterior.

'Where's the praise?'

Shouldn't he be surprised?

Maybe even a little disappointed that she had raced so far ahead?

That would have been her chance to offer him comfort, suggest *private tutoring* like in those romantic dramas she secretly indulged in.

The genius girl tutors the clueless guy, and, naturally, they fall in love!

The thought alone made her heart hug itself with excitement, but this guy—

He wasn't following the script at all!

Wang Xiao wasn't being cruel, but after years of seeing women like Ericka win every prestigious award and Freya—her equally fearsome daughter—outshine the competition, his standards were impossibly high.

But he wasn't about to give his smug sister the satisfaction she craved.

You want to show off?

Nice try.

Seeing him ignore her so blatantly, Wang Xueying was struck dumb.

'A beauty like me, sitting right beside him, and he's scrolling through his phone?'

She might not be the next Yang Guifei, but she had held the title of campus beauty for four consecutive years!

That had to count for something, right?

'At least do something evil… maybe a hand on my thigh, just a little?'

But no.

Wang Xiao remained unmoved, as righteous as a mountain monk who'd sworn off worldly temptations.

'What kind of purification retreat did he attend?'

It was giving her a headache.

But even so, Wang Xueying was not one to give up easily!

"Who are you texting~?" She pouted, switching the car to lane assist with a flick of her slender fingers.

With a sly grin, she leaned in closer, her perfume swirling like a seductive spell around them.

Surely, this would catch his attention, right?

Wang Xiao, catching the subtle wave of fragrance, remained as stoic as ever, not even bothering to lift his gaze.

His voice came out flat, as if he were lecturing a child. "Focus on the road."

"!"

Wang Xueying's face burned with both embarrassment and frustration.

'H-He ignored me. Again!'

'Is this guy made of stone?'

She had practically draped herself over him, served up on a silver platter, and all she got in return was a cold rejection.

'Is this man blind?'

But no, this couldn't be right.

He couldn't be immune to her charms.

She didn't believe it for a second!

He had to crack eventually.

She was sure of it.

Of course, she had no idea her behavior was falling into the realm of the classic "licking dog."

And for people like her, there was one sacred mantra: If you tell them, stop licking the other party, the more you lick, the harder they get.

They would confidently reply, 'If you lick hard enough, wouldn't it soften one day?'

With that in mind, Wang Xueying steeled her resolve and shamelessly peeked over his shoulder, her curiosity piqued by his phone.

Her eyes landed on the screen, and suddenly, the universe tilted off balance—

Little Cotton Ball?

"..."

'What in the world is this?!'

'I'm right here, about to gift-wrap myself, and this guy's texting to... t-to some cotton ball?!'

She leaned in closer, squinting at the most recent message.

And when she saw it, her soul nearly left her body:

'Good morning, Daddy~'