That had to be it!

I remembered an incident not long before the eyebrow-cutting episode. Linda had taken me to the food street outside our school, saying her cousin was visiting and wanted to have barbecue with us.

Linda's so-called cousin had an unkempt beard, a sinister glint in his eyes, and a prominent scar across his face. He didn’t seem like a trustworthy person at all.

During our meal, I could feel his gaze on me, darting back and forth, making me so uneasy I could hardly breathe. I worried he might have some unsavory intentions toward me.

Fortunately, he did nothing inappropriate and left shortly after dinner.

At the time, I dismissed my discomfort as paranoia, thinking I was being too judgmental. But now, it was clear that this encounter was connected to the strange events happening to me!

I stayed awake all night, finally dozing off just before dawn.

Sherwood’s voice woke me. “Wake up, we’re almost arriving.”

"Okay."

Groggy, I sat up, grabbed a bottle of water from my bag, and took a few sips to wake up. Then, I gathered my things and followed Sherwood off the train.

I had a meeting with my client at 2 p.m. Initially, we planned to review the contract in the morning, but there wasn’t time now. Instead, we took a taxi straight to the plastic surgery hospital in the city center.

The scar at the corner of my eye was fresh and shallow, so the plastic surgeon recommended laser scar removal for quick results.

After the preparations, the procedure only took an hour, and the scar was completely gone.

Gazing at the smooth skin where the scar had been, I felt a wave of relief. I turned to Sherwood and whispered, “Is this okay?”

"Yes."

Sherwood nodded approvingly, “This should end your streak of bad luck. Your afternoon negotiations should go smoothly.”

Really?

Could it be that simple?

It turned out Sherwood was right.

In the afternoon, I arrived at my client's office as scheduled. I presented the remedial measures for the issues in our previous project, expecting some pushback. To my surprise, they agreed without hesitation.

If I completed this project successfully, I would be promoted to a full-time position!

But first, I needed to deal with Linda and the person behind her, reclaiming the good luck that was rightfully mine.

Linda had moved out of our dorm after she started dating her wealthy boyfriend and rarely came back unless it was necessary.

I was trying to figure out how to lure her back when I opened the dorm door and found her sitting in a chair, angrily muttering to herself with a fierce expression.

Seeing her filled me with the urge to slap her for all the harm she had caused.

But I needed to find the mastermind behind her actions, so I forced myself to stay calm. I bit my lip and smiled as if nothing was wrong.

“You’re such a busy person. What brings you back today?”

Linda, not even bothering to turn her head, snorted.

“My instructor’s stupid experiments are driving me crazy. I made a mistake with the data and got chewed out.”

Linda’s academic performance had always been mediocre. Even though she managed to continue her studies into graduate school, she frequently made mistakes. This wasn’t the first time.

Just by looking at Linda’s expression, I could tell that her mistake was serious, not some minor error.

Thinking of this, I had some thoughts in my mind, but I kept my composure and gently gave her some suggestions.

“The instructor values accurate data, so it’s normal for him to criticize when something goes wrong. Once he calms down, you should apologize.”

“Why should I apologize to him? I don’t even want to be a graduate student anymore," she snapped.

Ever since Linda started dating that wealthy guy, she had become increasingly arrogant and dismissive.

She paused, about to continue her rant, when she turned and noticed my face. She looked startled. “Yasmine, why is the scar at the corner of your eye gone?”

I decided not to reveal the truth. Casually, I replied, “That scar was small but annoying to look at every day. The beauty salon had a promotion, so I decided to have it removed with a laser treatment.”

As I spoke, a theory formed in my mind.

Could it be that fixing the scar had disrupted Linda’s ability to siphon off my luck? If so, it might explain why her own luck was faltering now.

If this was true, Linda wouldn’t be able to hold on to the graduate position she had secured through underhanded means.

Linda’s eyes widened in anger. They practically glowed with fury, and her voice turned harsh. “Why didn’t you tell me you were getting the scar removed?”

I knew exactly what she was worried about. Inside, I was laughing at her panic, but I replied evasively, “Oh, come on. It was just a little scar. It didn’t cost much. Do I need to ask for your permission or compensation?”

My vague response clearly frustrated her. She struggled to hide her anger, finally managing to calm herself down. With a forced smile, she spoke.

“I’m just in a bad mood today. Don’t take it personally. By the way, my cousin Garret’s visiting tonight. Let’s go out for dinner together!”

I had expected Linda to act, but not so quickly.

Her impatience could work to my advantage, giving Sherwood a chance to meet the man sooner and break whatever spell was affecting me.

With a deeper smile, I agreed.

“Sure, I haven’t had a decent meal or good sleep in days because of the project. Now that it’s over, I’m ready for a nice dinner.”

“The project that was about to collapse... you managed to save it?”

Linda’s anger, simmering earlier, now boiled over.

Her eyes blazed with fury. If looks could kill, I’d be dead.

“Yeah, if everything goes well, I’ll be a full-time employee by graduation.”

Feigning fear at her intense reaction, I took a step back and asked softly.

“Linda, what’s wrong? Are you upset that I managed to negotiate the deal?”

“No, of course I’m happy for you.”

Linda was cunning. She quickly recovered from her outburst and forced an awkward smile, biting her lip.

“Rest for a bit. Let me ask when Garret will arrive.”

Okay."

I ignored Linda and started unpacking my things, then texted Sherwood, inviting him to join us for dinner.

His response was quick and to the point: [OK.]

With Sherwood’s confirmation, I felt a wave of relief. Pretending to scroll through my phone, I kept a close eye on Linda.

Linda was fixated on ruining the luck I had just regained, furiously tapping away at her phone with a fierce expression.

But her bad mood didn’t last long. Whatever was said on the other end of the conversation, it transformed her face from anger to cold calculation.

As I wondered if she had been given new instructions to plot against me, she broke the silence, “Yasmine, are you still wearing that jade pendant I gave you?”

Ah, so that was her angle!

I recalled how Sherwood had extracted the Parasitic Insect from the pendant. The memory sent shivers down my spine.

Trying to maintain my composure, I pinched my thigh to avoid reacting and then pulled the pendant from under my shirt, joking.

“Of course I am. You’re not planning to take it back, are you?”

“Of course not.”

Linda replied, clearly relieved. She walked over and sat next to me, holding my arm affectionately.

“I got this jade pendant especially for you. It’s meant to bring you good luck. You should keep wearing it.”

Ha, nice try.

It seemed that she wanted to do something with the Parasitic Insect.

Gratitude flooded me for Sherwood’s quick action in dealing with the pendant. Without him, that cursed insect might already be inside me.

“Is it so magical?”

I smiled sincerely, suppressing my disgust, and handed the pendant to Linda.

“Actually, I think you need it more than I do. You’ve had a run of bad luck lately. Maybe it will help you.”

It was not possible for it to turn around her luck.

There was no way I was going to repay evil with kindness. Linda needed to feel the consequences of her actions.

Linda looked taken aback by my quick move. She had no time to refuse.

The moment I placed the pendant in her hand, she recoiled as if it were a hot coal, flinging it away and jumping up from the bed in horror.

Up until that moment, I had harbored a sliver of hope that Linda might not be fully aware of the evil behind the jade pendant.

But her reaction confirmed that she knew everything.

She had been willing to drain my luck and let the Parasitic Insect slowly bleed me dry.

My hands clenched into fists, but surprisingly, my anger gave way to a cold calm. I raised an eyebrow and asked, “Linda, what’s wrong?”

"Nothing... nothing."

she stammered, her eyes wide and fixed on her palm, as if checking for any sign of the insect. Slowly, her face regained some color.

Trying to sound natural, she said, “I got this for you. It only works if you wear it.”

"I see."

I casually picked up the pendant and toyed with it, watching Linda’s reaction.

“Maybe I’ll get one for you sometime, so you won’t keep making mistakes and blaming your bad luck.”

Linda was speechless.

Linda didn't seem to expect that I would hit her sore spot so bluntly, but she needed me to change her luck urgently, so she couldn't get angry. She just said coldly, “Garret will be here soon. Let’s get ready to go.”

“Sure.”

I agreed easily, checking my phone. “What a coincidence, my cousin’s coming too. Why don’t we all have dinner together?”

Linda, preoccupied with her schemes to improve her luck, barely registered my words. She agreed without hesitation, “Alright, let’s go out first. Your cousin can meet us there.”