It’s over. It’s completely finished.
In those last fleeting moments before Su Wanli’s consciousness was cut off from the System, her heart didn’t feel any panic or unwillingness.
On the contrary, she even felt a little amused.
Sigh, she should’ve realized it long ago—since she had been recognized by the System as the main culprit, how could she expect to get away with just a harmless little punishment reported to the whole school?
Of course, they would take the chance to conveniently erase her math grade as well!
Ha, she was truly too careless, not even realizing this, still thinking that reporting herself would merely be a minor deviation from her character setup, yet now she stood utterly defenseless before Meng Tuoge.
With the last remnants of her willpower, she forced herself to steady her body against the desk behind her, refusing to let herself actually collapse in the middle of the Experimental Class Two classroom.
Right before class ended, she had still been ruminating on her interactions with Meng Tuoge at the banquet, never expecting that she hadn’t even reached the most basic achievement…
Now it’s all over. Forget the banquet—she wouldn’t be attending any more classes today either.
If the main mission wasn’t completed, it would seriously impact her evaluation. She might even drop straight down to the bottom of the Female Villain Value.
The words the System said to her on the very first day kept echoing in Su Xiaoli’s ears.
So, was her life as a villainess truly ending here?
These past days, the seemingly dreamlike beautiful life—just like that, without a ripple, ended with no warning.
Beautiful…? Was it really beautiful? She felt like every single day was filled with missions, every task leaving her puzzled, and no matter how hard she tried, she only barely managed to succeed…
Only during the rare lulls between missions, when she could stare at Meng Huange’s face without any burdens, did she finally feel a moment’s peace.
Ah, no matter what, her fate with Meng Huange had come to an end.
Heh, thinking back, when Meng Huange was helping her do her makeup this morning, she’d been secretly imagining a future with Meng Tuoge. She never expected the finish line would actually be today…
Even though the Female Villain Value hadn’t changed much yet, that was probably just because the System hadn’t reacted yet. In a few more minutes, the System would declare her mission failed, and she’d disappear from this world without a trace…
Only a few minutes left.
As Su Wanli stepped forward, Meng Huange also rose and came over to stand beneath the Grade List.
After glancing lightly at her, Meng Huange curved her lips into a gentle smile, as if she wanted to say something.
“Be careful, looks like we…”
“Meng Huange—”
“Hm?”
Facing this smiling, long-haired girl, Fan Chunli also tried to imitate her, tugging up the corners of her own mouth to look more easygoing.
If there really was only this little bit of time left between them, then anything she wanted to say, she should say it now—so as not to leave any regrets in her own memories.
Looking back, during those days together with Meng Huange, she’d always been following the System’s commands, doing all sorts of nasty things to Meng Tuoge. Though Meng Huange was clever enough to resolve every trap with her wits and courage, she herself had indeed done every bad thing she could—setting up traps, spreading rumors, verbal bullying, forced embarrassment… she was, in short, thoroughly villainous.
Yet Meng Tuoge never retaliated right away; instead, she always tried to earn her favor, patiently enduring everything.
Now that she thought about it, perhaps the reason Meng Huange had so carefully dressed her up today was to settle all these scores during tonight’s banquet.
Ha, what a pity. She wouldn’t make it that far.
Su Wanli smiled faintly, forcing herself to hold back the tears welling at the corners of her eyes—she wanted to leave Meng Tuoge with a perfect impression in the end.
Taking a deep breath, she flicked her hair back, then flashed Meng Huange a radiant smile.
“…Thank you, Meng Huange. If it weren’t for you, I couldn’t have made it this far.”
[Female Villain Value drops to 83.]
What the heck!? Don’t come out and mess up my mood! The mission’s already failed, why should I care about that now!
Clearly, Meng Huange was surprised by her sudden change in attitude, but she still smiled and nodded.
“No need to thank me, it’s mostly thanks to Miss Xiaoli herself. You worked really hard these past few days…”
“Heh, at a time like this, don’t bother with those polite phrases. I don’t want to hear them now.”
Not knowing when her will would be taken away by the System, Su Wanli lightly patted her own chest, calming her frantic heartbeat, then smiled at Meng Tuoge and reached out her hand.
“Meng Tuoge, maybe you can’t tell, but these days with you have honestly… been really, really happy for me.”
[Female Villain Value drops to 80, Extra Villainess Value Compensation Mechanism activating~]
Ignoring the System’s persistent chattering, Su Xiaoli gazed seriously at Meng Tuoge’s expression.
One scene after another from the past flashed before Su Wanli’s eyes.
The Meng Huange who helped her secure victory in the logic showdown, the Meng Huange who made a wish with her on the Ferris wheel, the Meng Huange who worked together with her in the Class 1, Second Year Experimental, and the Meng Huange who shone brightly under the snake-themed decorations at the party.
Meng Tuoge, perhaps… I’ll never forget you in this lifetime.
Thank you for all these memories, and for all the experiences you’ve given me.
Though Meng Huange was a little confused, seeing Su Wanli’s outstretched hand, she didn’t hesitate at all, reaching out quickly to hold it.
“…Su Xiaoli, after this, I’ll always stay by your side.”
Hearing these words, Su Wanli, who should have been deeply moved, could only let out a bitter laugh and lower her head.
After this? But… there won’t be any “after” for us.
She gently raised her head, looking at Meng Tuoge’s slightly anxious but still softly smiling face.
Honestly, even when she was being this open, Meng Tuoge still kept her composure—seeing that just made her even more annoyed.
We probably won’t ever see each other again. At least show me a more genuine expression.
With her mind working more nimbly than usual, Su Wanli pondered for a moment, then thought of a simple and direct way to act.
A hug, then—let this be my final gesture. If it’s an offense, then let it be the last time.
Su Wanli took a deep breath, then stepped forward twice, stopping less than two tens of centimeters from Meng Tuoge.
In the next moment, she softly lowered her head, spread her arms wide, and tightly hugged Meng Tuoge’s body.
The System prompt echoed emptily in the classroom.
[Extra Villainess Value exhausted. Female Villain Value drops to 76, debuff activated.]
So, Meng Tuoge’s body was even colder than she’d imagined.
Clearly, though Meng Tuoge always looked like she could do anything, deep down she must be just as fragile.
“Su… Xiaoli?”
Even Meng Tuoge was stunned for a moment. She stiffly lowered her head, gently patting Su Xiaoli on the back.
“Um, is this…?”
Heh, is this not allowed? If I say something strange, what kind of face will you make then?
Letting go of that ridiculous idea, Su Wanli gently loosened the embrace, raised her head, and met Meng Tuoge’s clear, shining eyes.
“…Meng Tuoge, though it may sound strange to say this now, but actually, I…”
She took a moment to steady her feelings, then smiled radiantly.
“…I actually, really like—”
But before she could finish, a sudden shriek rang out behind her, startling Su Wanli.
“Whoa, Old Boss, you actually got twentieth place in the whole school!”
“Amazing! And you kept telling us you didn’t study at all—if you actually worked hard, wouldn’t you become… I mean, number one in our grade!?”
From the sound, it was obviously Xiao Ke and Da Zhuang, those two clowns. Even now, at this moment, they were chattering in her ear—she really had no time for them.
“…What did you just say!?”
Su Wanli’s eyes widened. She immediately shoved Meng Tuoge aside and scanned down the names on the Grade List.
Su Xiaoli: Chinese—82, Math—72, English—72, Overall Ranking—20th.
Su Xiaoli silently compared the Fan Chunli at 50th place and the Su Wanli at 20th.
No way.
How… how could there be two Su Xiaolis on one Grade List!?