Chapter 1

My junior, Jessica Quinn, always loved to compete with me.

Every time I published a research paper, she would follow suit. If my paper received more recognition, she would accuse me of plagiarism.

Whenever I designed an experiment, she'd start her own right next to mine. If her experiment failed, she'd get angry and try to disrupt my work.

Even when I started dating a boyfriend, she'd dig up all the details and then find someone even better to flaunt in front of me.

Eventually, I decided to go abroad for further studies to completely escape her presence.

Without me around, everyone flocked to Jessica, and she thought she had finally won.

But then the headlines hit: I had collaborated with leading industry figures to achieve a groundbreaking discovery; I had even gotten engaged to one of them. My reputation soared overnight.

Suddenly, everyone turned their attention back to me, showering me with compliments.

Unable to handle it, Jessica stormed into my press conference and stabbed me to death.

In this new life, Jessica swore she would become the center of attention.

But what she didn't realize was that no matter how many times trash traveled through time, it was still trash.

*****

"We've been focusing on whether the steel structure is sound and if there are any material defects.

"But the materials for Sunrise Platform 188 were thoroughly checked before it was launched, so the chances of a problem there are pretty slim," Jessica said, her voice clear and confident.

At the academic conference, Jessica's sharp, capable presence drew everyone's attention.

She pulled up the simulation results on the screen.

She explained, "I ran a hydrodynamic analysis on Sunrise Platform 188.

"As you can see, at a frequency of 3.28, the RAO value for the structure hits its peak. And that frequency just happens to be the most common in the waters where Sunrise Platform 188 operates.

"So, the steel structure failure on Sunrise Platform 188 isn't about faulty materials. It's all because of the ocean conditions."

Everyone's eyes widened in surprise.

Our team just got assigned a new project. Sunrise Platform 188, an offshore structure, had suffered a fracture, and the client wanted us to figure out why.

We finally made some headway yesterday, so the school organized this academic conference just to share our findings.

Jessica's results were spot on, no doubt about it.

She was just repeating everything I'd said in my previous life.

No one would've thought, the very first thing she did after coming back to life was rip off all my work from before.

The conference host, Alexander Grant, the prince of Jinlesburg's academic scene, shot her a look of genuine admiration.

He used to look at me just like that in my previous life, too.

"Your approach is game-changing," Alexander said.

Alexander seldom handed out compliments, but this time, he was honestly impressed.

"We've been hung up on the steel structure and missed the fundamentals. Jessica, your insight is really something."

The other seniors nodded along. "Yeah, after spending so much time on the advanced stuff, it's easy to forget the basics. Jessica, it's pretty impressive how you managed to think of it all."

Jessica gave a shy little smile.

She said, "Oh, these are just my own thoughts. When it comes to hydrodynamics, Lucille's the real pro in our team. Maybe we should let her share her opinion?"

As she said that, she glanced over at me, her eyes full of mischief.

Alexander looked over at me in the corner, his eyes soft.

He said, "Lucille, don't sit so far away. I've heard you're one of the best. Care to give us some insight on what happened?"

I glanced at my laptop, seeing that Jessica's presentation was a carbon copy of mine, and could only smile wryly.

"I've got nothing to say," I replied.

Everyone froze for a moment, caught off guard.

My senior scratched his head. "Lucille, just say a few words, maybe add something."

Alexander shot me a surprised look.

It was impossible for me not to speak at an academic conference.

Every time I was in this kind of setting, I'd deliver a long, impressive speech and leave everyone in awe.

I wouldn't even be here if I didn't have something to say.

Just as I was searching for the right words, Jessica came up behind me and started clicking through my presentation.

"Lucille, you must be hiding something good. Let me help you find it," she chirped, her voice dripping with fake sweetness.

Noticing my presentation was a carbon copy of hers, she curled her lips into a smirk and leaned in close, speaking so only I could hear.

She said, "Alexander couldn't take his eyes off me just now.

"Lucille, looks like Alexander's into me, not you. This lifetime, I'm the one getting all the support, not you."

I was taken aback.

She really thought I owed all my success to Alexander.

I just smiled.

I said, "Jessica, what kind of elements did you use for the truss section in your model? And how did you set up the mooring system?"

She froze for a second, totally stumped.

I stood up, walked over to the projection screen, and circled a few spots with the touch pen.

I asked, "These sections are a nightmare to simulate, and the errors can get pretty wild. Jessica, how exactly did you handle these?"

Jessica's eyes darted away, unable to meet mine.

She'd been back right before the conference, and the first thing she did was export my PPT while I was out. She barely had time to skim through it, let alone really get it.

These questions were issues I'd only caught myself after my previous life's presentation. No one else knew about them.

"Don't you know it?" I pressed, raising an eyebrow.

I leaned in, pointing at the slender parts. "Jessica, what elements did you use for these?"

"I." Jessica hesitated, sweat starting to bead on her forehead.

I chuckled. "Morison, right?"

She nodded frantically. "I—uh, yes. It just slipped my mind for a second."

The seniors glanced at each other, their eyes wide with disbelief.

This was hydrodynamics 101. If she'd actually done the simulation herself, she couldn't possibly forget something so basic.

I rapped my knuckles on the screen.

"Jessica, you made some good points, but that's only part of the story. Check out these areas here, and over here," I added.

I circled the key spots. "Sure, ocean conditions play a role, but the real culprit is the stress concentration from marine corrosion."

Back in my previous life, the client was totally sold on my simulation results.

But when it came time to put things into practice, new issues cropped up.

Sure, the ocean conditions played a part, but they weren't enough to break the structure. It was only after more digging that we realized the marine corrosion was the real reason.

Without hesitation, I sat down, fired up the simulation software, built the model, tweaked the parameters, and ran the stress analysis, all in one go.

When the stress concentration popped up on the screen, Alexander slammed his hand on the table. "That's exactly where the break happened. You nailed it," he exclaimed.

I nodded. "Now, if I factor in the ocean conditions."

I hit enter, and sure enough, the simulation matched the damage on Sunrise Platform 188 perfectly.

The whole room erupted in admiration.

Alexander looked at me, his eyes seemed to light up, that same gentle look he used to give me in my past life.

"Lucille, you never disappoint," he said.

While everyone else was still in awe, Jessica's face was livid.

I just smiled.

She could steal a PPT, but she couldn't steal talent.

"No way," someone blurted out.

Suddenly, a voice rang out from the corner.

Everyone turned to look.

Jessica, jaw clenched, threw my presentation up on the big screen for everyone to see.

"Lucille, do you really get a kick out of stealing my work?" she snapped.