Stepping on the Demoness to become the strongest

Before the words were out, Lin Ning felt as if she had been violently pushed from behind, her body uncontrollably falling forward.

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In her first life, Lin Ning was born into an ordinary middle-class family.

Her elementary, middle, and high school experiences were rather unremarkable. She was a standard "Problem Solver," diligently following the path her parents laid out for her: study hard, and strive for exams.

In the second year of high school during the science and humanities stream division, she met a boy.

The boy's name was Yan Yu, he sat behind her and always liked to poke her in the back with the end of his pen, and she would angrily turn around to hit him with a book.

Yan Yu's science grades were better than Lin Ning's, which naturally added to his charm for the "Problem Solver" girl. Lin Ning forgave his frequent pranks and often stayed with him to discuss problems; occasionally, they would talk about other things.

In the second half of their senior year, Yan Yu confessed to Lin Ning.

"Sorry, our current task is to study," Lin Ning straightforwardly rejected him, "I don't want you to spend your time on other things. If it causes you to fail the college entrance exam, it won't be good for either of us..."

She went on and on for a full twenty minutes until Yan Yu couldn't take it anymore and gave up.

"Sorry," he said with a cheeky smile, "Alright, alright, I know. We should focus on the college entrance exam now. Anyway, we're still friends, right?"

Lin Ning puffed up with annoyance but didn't want to end the lecture. However, she soon couldn't help but laugh because of Yan Yu's antics.

"Yan Yu," she said softly, "your grades are better than mine. You must get into a prestigious university."

"Thank you, and you too," Yan Yu replied with a smile, "Let's do our best for the college entrance exam."

They exchanged smiles and then turned and left the classroom. Lin Ning walked half a step behind Yan Yu, quietly watching his back.

She suddenly had a feeling that she would always remember this scene: the setting sun filtering through the classroom window, casting a gentle golden glow on the teenager in his school uniform.

She could reach out and stop him at any time, but the faint emotions in the girl's heart soon turned into a silent blessing.

Let's both do our best for the college entrance exam!

Time flew by as a white colt passes a gap; both performed excellently in their final exams. Yan Yu ended up in Pingjing, while Lin Ning was accepted into Jiang University.

During their undergraduate years, the two maintained occasional contact. Lin Ning had decided to pursue a direct doctoral program, while Yan Yu planned to start a business right after graduation — teaming up with some senior students to start a software company.

Neither of them brought up the confession again.

Lin Ning would sometimes feel like she was waiting for him anyway. Since he mentioned it once, why couldn't he mention it a second time?

But knowing that the other party was busy preparing for entrepreneurship, and would be engrossed in his career for the coming years, it seemed inappropriate for her to disturb him with romantic matters, as it would go against the principles of friendship.

After all, we are friends now.

In the blink of an eye, several more years passed.

During her doctorate, Lin Ning achieved significant academic results. Her advisor recommended that she go abroad for further study, with plans to return through a national research project, thus securing a faculty position at a top domestic university.

She hesitated slightly, instinctively wanting to ask for Yan Yu's opinion.

Yan Yu's company had recently turned profitable, and his career was on the right track. During their leisure chats, Lin Ning could clearly sense that he had matured significantly, increasingly resembling the "successful businessman" often depicted in novels and TV dramas.

Opening the chat app, Lin Ning composed a message, just about to press send when a small program popped up in the chat window.

[We Got Married]

A slight pang hit her heart as Lin Ning awkwardly opened the invitation, and saw Yan Yu's bride: a petite girl, very pretty and cute, smiling sweetly while holding Yan Yu's arm. Her name was "Chen Lingyun."

Not knowing what to say, she silently deleted the composed message word by word.

Yan Yu seemed to have predicted her reaction, quickly sending another message, explaining that his company had hit a market ceiling in its business sector, unable to advance further.

The bride was introduced by a business partner, reportedly having a profound background as the daughter of an unspeakable big shot who could help him break through his career's existing limits. They spent a week getting to know each other, and both were satisfied.

Of course, his bride was a good girl too, who specifically had someone investigate Yan Yu's past, learning of Lin Ning's long-standing friendship with him and hoped she could attend their wedding.

Lin Ning bit her lip instinctively, explaining that her advisor had given her a very precious opportunity to study abroad, and she would be leaving for Miti next month.

This was, of course, a lie, given that it wasn't the start of the academic year abroad.

Yan Yu didn't question further, replying:

"Alright, then I wish you success with your exchange and significant progress in your studies. Win a Nobel Prize soon."

"Thank you," Lin Ning replied, "and congratulations on your wedding. Wishing you happiness and a family soon."

After sending the message, she permanently deleted Yan Yu as a friend, then collapsed onto the bed as if all energy had been drained from her.

Claiming to feel unwell, Lin Ning asked her advisor for leave and spent the following days holed up in her dorm room, not stepping outside. She had delivery left at the door by the staff and didn't want to see anyone.

She completely isolated herself, ignoring all messages and calls, occasionally glancing at her phone and watching short videos, but mostly lying in bed wrapped up in a quilt.

Sleeping through each day!

Unable to reach her, Lin Ning's parents, who were far away in Minyue, finally arrived at the university and opened her door with the help of the dorm manager. They found their daughter lying on the bed with vacant eyes, surrounded by leftover food containers on the floor. The air conditioner whirred above, set to the lowest temperature of 18 degrees.

Lin Ning, hiding under the quilt, was groggily pulled out by her parents. She couldn't hear what they were saying, felt like she had lost her soul, and reacted to nothing around her.

Her life spiraled downward afterward. Lin Ning withdrew from school and returned home to recuperate for nearly a year before gradually recovering mentally.

Thanks to family connections, she ended up working as a teacher at a kindergarten run by her elders, leading a leisurely nine-to-five life.

Her parents, afraid of triggering her heartbreak, never arranged blind dates or pressured her to get married. She didn't intend to rekindle any romance, choosing to stay with her parents, going to work, coming home, shopping for groceries, and cooking every day.

And so, she lived an uneventful life for decades. After her parents passed away, Lin Ning continued to live alone in the house they left behind, beginning to calmly live out her old age.

But something seemed amiss.

She often involuntarily thought of Yan Yu. Every time his face appeared in her mind, an instinct to avoid the pain promptly suppressed it.

However, a growing sense of incongruity became stronger in her heart.

Lin Ning had a subtle feeling that she shouldn't be a failure in love. Something felt wrong.

Sometimes she couldn't help but wonder if she had never really moved past that shadow, to the extent that her mental state had started to warp—imagining a different life where she accepted Yan Yu's confession back in high school, and endlessly beautifying the fantasy.

All to cover up today's sad reality, which she was unwilling to face and would regret forever.

She tried to convince herself to make peace with the past, but she could never comfortably accept the reality.

This inexplicable torment nearly drove her crazy, making her seek solace in gods and gods, hearing about any temple's efficacy and going to worship, hoping the immortals and Bodhisattvas could provide her with spiritual comfort.

At the age of ninety-one, while on her way to a temple in a certain city, Lin Ning suffered a heart attack and was rushed to the local hospital for emergency treatment.

In the emergency room, on the brink, wearing an oxygen mask, a strong thought emerged in Lin Ning's mind:

If there is a next life.

I don't want to be a Problem Solver again.