Chapter 12 — From Collapse to Brilliance: I Don't Need You

Trịnh Ý Nhi stood at the back of the hall, quietly observing the ongoing seminar on gene editing technology. She came here not because she was interested in the technical content, but because a classmate accidentally mentioned that Tôn Diệu Kỳ would be present, representing the research team of the Dawn Institute.

Initially, Ý Nhi just wanted to stop by to see, partly out of curiosity, partly because she wanted to verify with her own eyes what she had heard - that Diệu Kỳ, after only a few months of changing majors, had made a strong impression on the institute's academic community. But when she witnessed with her own eyes the scene of Diệu Kỳ standing up and asking a sharp critical question, leaving a leading professor confused for an answer, an uncomfortable feeling began to rise in her heart, growing stronger each time.

Ý Nhi left the hall before the seminar ended, taking quick and decisive steps on the deserted road leading to the dormitory. In her mind, the image of Diệu Kỳ confident and radiant in the crowd lingered endlessly, arousing a familiar feeling that she had tried to bury for a long time - the feeling of being overshadowed, of being compared, of being pushed into the darkness by someone else's light.

Since childhood, Ý Nhi has lived in the shadow of a cousin who studied well and was always praised and compared by the whole family at every gathering. Even though she tries equally hard and always achieves good results in her studies, it seems that no matter what she does, she will never get the full recognition that others give to those who shine naturally, without trying. That feeling gradually took root in her mind, turning into an obsession with always being in the highest position, always being the one who gets the most attention, no matter what the cost.

When entering Professor Đoàn Khắc Tuấn's immunology laboratory, Ý Nhi quickly realized that Diệu Kỳ was the center of all attention - trusted by the instructor, loved by friends, always the leader in all group activities. Instead of trying to compete fairly with her own abilities — something she, deep down, didn't really believe she could do — Ý Nhi chose the easier but much more cruel path: silently destroying Diệu Kỳ's position from the inside, turning her from a bright star into a collective outcast.

That plan, in her previous life - even though Ý Nhi did not know about the existence of a previous life, simply repeating the exact nature and habit of manipulation that was ingrained in her - was a complete success. Diệu Kỳ was expelled, prosecuted, and finally completely disappeared from Ý Nhi's life, leaving her with a unique position in the lab, trusted by Professor Tuan with the most important responsibilities.

But this time, things turned out differently. Diệu Kỳ voluntarily left the lab, voluntarily ceding that position to Ý Nhi without any intervention. At first, this seemed like an easy victory, even more convenient than the plan that Ý Nhi often outlined. She quickly took advantage of that gap to strengthen her position, manipulating Thảo My and Đình Vũ according to familiar tricks, without encountering any significant obstacles.

But that feeling of victory, it turned out, was not as complete as she expected. Because Diệu Kỳ, even though she had left, continued to shine somewhere else — a place where Ý Nhi had absolutely no ability to interfere or control. The sight of Diệu Kỳ confidently standing in the middle of the auditorium, openly eyed by a powerful young lecturer like Nhan Bách Sơn, made Ý Nhi feel as if her victory in the old lab had become meaningless and small.

Returning to the room, Ý Nhi sat down on the bed, holding her head in both hands, feeling frustrated and uneasy. She didn't understand why she felt so uncomfortable. Diệu Kỳ had left her life and was no longer a direct rival. But precisely because Diệu Kỳ continued to succeed, continued to be recognized, that existence - even at a distance - still served as a constant reminder that, even if she destroys Diệu Kỳ's position in one place, that person can still stand up and shine in another place, with her true power that she can never reach.

That's what Ý Nhi couldn't stand. Not because Diệu Kỳ directly threatens her current position in the lab, but because Diệu Kỳ's existence and success, anywhere, is a living proof that Ý Nhi's victory never comes from strength, but only from tricks - and those tricks, no matter how sophisticated, cannot really destroy a person with real ability.

That evening, Ý Nhi opened her phone, looking for information about the research project that Diệu Kỳ was participating in at the Dawn Institute. She read some public information about the biotherapy project applying gene editing technology, about the large sponsorship from both the research budget and startup investment fund of Nhan Bách Sơn. The more she read, the more she felt an intense jealousy take over her mind — not only because of the academic achievement, but also because of the enormous commercial potential that the project promised, a life-changing opportunity that Ý Nhi knew she would never have had if she had relied solely on the conventional academic path.

A dangerous thought began to arise in her mind — if she was able to destroy Diệu Kỳ's position once in the medical lab, why can't she find a way to do the same here, at the Dawn Institute? If Diệu Kỳ was once again deposed, pushed out of that important project, not only will the jealousy in Ý Nhi's heart be appeased, but who knew, she may also find a way to step into that position, taking advantage of the opportunity left by Diệu Kỳ, just like what happened in the old lab.

But Ý Nhi also understands that this is not an easy task. She had no connection to the research team at the Dawn Institute, no place to start sowing suspicion the way she did in the old lab. She will need time, need to find a weakness, a loophole in the project, or in Diệu Kỳ himself, to begin her destructive plan.

She lay down on the bed, eyes staring at the ceiling, in her head she began to plot her first steps. In the immediate future, she will continue to strengthen her position in the medical lab, ensuring that Thảo My and Đình Vũ still completely trust her. At the same time, she will begin to find ways to gain access, albeit indirectly, to information related to Diệu Kỳ's project — perhaps through other students she knows at the Dawn Institute, perhaps through following public seminars and conferences in which that project participates.

Ý Nhi smiled alone in the dark, a cold, calculating smile. She was used to waiting, to patiently sowing little seeds of doubt until they sprouted into a storm of destruction. This time will be no different — it's just that the goals and context have changed.

She had no idea that, on the other side of the campus, the person she was secretly planning to harm was also silently preparing every day, with a vigilance and experience that no normal manipulator could foresee.

The next morning, Ý Nhi returned to the laboratory with her usual appearance — gentle, hard-working, devoted. She approached Đình Vũ, who was struggling with a data report, and skillfully started a conversation. "Mr. Vu, yesterday I met a classmate in the same class as Ms. Diệu Kỳ at the Dawn Institute. I heard that the project she is working on has received quite a large amount of funding, and is also being personally observed by Mr. Bách Sơn."

Đình Vũ just shrugged, not paying much attention. "Forget it, it has nothing to do with us."

"Yes, I think so too," Ý Nhi replied, her tone was light as if nothing was important. "It's just that I find it a bit strange, like, just a few months into changing majors and already being assigned such a big responsibility. She must have some special relationship."

That careless statement, even though Đình Vũ did not react immediately, was still intentionally planted by Ý Nhi - a small seed, waiting for the right time to germinate into doubt about the transparency of Diệu Kỳ's new career path. She knows that in order to reach the Dawn Institute, she needs time and patience to weave a network of information and public opinion that is wide enough and solid enough before she can act effectively.

She left Đình Vũ's desk, walked into the hallway, and stood looking out the green yard outside the window. Inside, the flames of jealousy and insecurity still smoldered, motivating her to plan a new war — a war that she was sure she would win again, as she had done once before.