The brilliant neon lights streamed through the half‑open car window and landed directly on Meng Wange’s delicate profile. The evening breeze gently lifted her hair, carrying a faint scent of flowers.
Even though the colors on her face kept changing with the lights outside, she still wore that calm, indifferent expression—making her seem even more unfathomable.
Su Wanli silently pressed her lips together, staring intently at Meng Wange’s eyes.
‘That’s right—even I’ve heard so many rumors. Meng Wange is too sharp not to be aware of all the gossip.’
‘Still, she was willing to perform in the play with me, to climb up to the rooftop where it was just the two of us…’
‘No, actually, I was the one who suggested going to Yunsheng County for the fireworks festival. But at the time, Meng Wange didn’t show any sign of resistance. Not only that, she even went to Yunsheng a day early just to make sure my trip went smoothly.’
‘Hmm… so that means Meng Wange knows we’ve become the hot topic at Baiying Academy. She hasn’t tried to clear it up, hasn’t deliberately kept her distance from me—instead, she’s been messing around with me, staying by my side the whole time, smiling that soft, warm smile…’
‘Could it be that in Meng Wange’s heart, she actually…’
‘No, no, no, no. Even though she hasn’t denied the rumors, she hasn’t confirmed any romantic relationship between us either, right?’
As she thought, Su Wanli couldn’t help grabbing her hair in frustration and then angrily pounded her own thigh.
“Damn it, I’m overthinking this way too much. My head is a tangled mess. I can’t even feel the pain in my leg anymore…”
“…Were you calling me?”
“Ah, sorry, Miss Su. I was spacing out for a second. I…”
Meng Wange suddenly turned her head. She looked down at her own thigh, then raised her eyes and blinked at Su Wanli.
Su Wanli silently blinked back, staring at her own fist hovering above Meng Wange’s thigh.
‘…I hit the wrong person!?’
She quickly pulled her arm away, moving her fist off Meng Wange’s soft skin, then gave a light cough and calmly shifted her gaze out the window—
“I just wanted you to scoot over a little. I wanted to see outside too.”
“I see.”
Meng Wange nodded, then obediently leaned back against the seat, giving Su Wanli plenty of room.
“Is this distance okay? If you need, I can switch seats with you, or move to the front passenger seat.”
“This is fine. It’s not like I really want to look at these sights I’ve seen a hundred times.”
After brushing it off with a lame excuse, Su Wanli quietly sighed and pinched her own palm.
‘Meng Wange… she still looks completely unruffled.’
‘Even though my excuse just now was so flimsy—any outsider would think I was deliberately bullying her—she hasn’t shown a hint of impatience.’
‘But that makes sense. I’m the employer. What employee would show dislike toward their boss? After all, I’m the one who signs her paycheck. Even if she doesn’t grovel or act nervous, she still has to give me basic respect…’
‘…But is my intuition really that bad?’
‘I feel like in some moments, Meng Wange has truly opened her heart to me, shown that she likes me!!’
‘Like that time on the Ferris wheel, or what she said in the equipment room that day, or when she confided in me during the fireworks festival…’
‘After all, Meng Wange is still just a high school girl, right? She hasn’t lived nine years longer than me!’
‘Is all of this just her acting? Is that even possible? No matter how…’
‘Damn it. How am I supposed to figure it out?’
‘What exactly is Meng Wange’s attitude toward me!?’
“Miss Su, Miss Meng Wange, we’re home.”
‘Is it affection? Is it dislike? Or just indifference?’
“Good night, Miss Su. See you tomorrow.”
‘We’ve already lived together for almost two weeks, right? At the very least, we should have some kind of relationship by now.’
‘If we’re acquaintances, then there’s bound to be an emotional bias. So does she lean toward the good side, or the bad side?’
Caw, caw, caw—
‘That’s the exact same question as before! If I keep this up, it’ll never end.’
‘Calm down, Su Wanli. Analyze properly.’
‘Think about everything Meng Wange has done recently, try to figure out her thought process…’
Coo, coo, coo—
‘She likes me, right? There are so many clues! She must like me!!’
Beep, beep, beep—
[Good morning, Host.]
‘No, after all that, I still can’t be sure. As long as there’s a strong vested interest between us, she’ll never show her true feelings toward me…’
[…Detected that you are currently quite mentally exhausted but your thought frequency is abnormally active. For the sake of your health, this System recommends you reduce time spent on video games.]
Su Wanli opened her heavy eyes, silently staring at the ceiling above.
‘…It’s morning.’
She rubbed her temples, leaned back against the headboard, and covered her face with both hands—
“Who’s playing video games?! I’ve had it! You call yourself a loyal system? I think you’re completely useless!”
[Hmm? Which aspect do you mean? If your request is reasonable, the System can apply for it at any time, you know?]
Hearing this, Su Wanli paused slightly. A distant memory suddenly came back to her.
“Hey, come to think of it, can the System read minds?”
Not only read her mind—it had also once given her an analysis of Meng Wange’s state of mind, the favorability changes after a certain task, and even Su Heng’s satisfaction with Meng Wange…
With that in mind, Su Wanli quietly turned her gaze to the white dumpling in her hand.
“Um, do you…”
‘No, better forget it.’
‘On the first night Meng Wange came to Sujia, the System said something ridiculous like “An embarrassed and angry Meng Wange wants to restore her confidence by tutoring you.” Even if it gave me a real favorability number, I wouldn’t trust it.’
‘Besides, lately the System has rarely brought up that kind of info. Maybe those earlier data were all fabricated…’
[Hmm? You misunderstand, Host. The System has merely chosen to ignore that data. After the first few tasks, the System classified the heroine’s favorability toward you and the emotional analysis as redundant factors.]
“…Redundant factors?”
[Exactly. As a legendary Villainess with strong subjective initiative, you only need to diligently complete the tasks issued by the System and play your role well. Any information beyond that is meaningless to you.]
“…Heh, you say meaningless, but is it really? If I could see Meng Wange’s aversion level skyrocket, then I could easily figure out how to act next time to provoke her, couldn’t I?”
A moment of silence.
Su Wanli had just been casually complaining, not expecting the System to actually answer her. Yet the System really did pause for a moment—
[…Hmm, you do have a point. Even as a Villainess Young Lady Roleplay System, I should keep up with the times. In this day and age, the ability to display certain parameters of the heroine in real time should be a standard feature.]
Hearing this, Su Wanli’s eyes widened.
“…R-really?”
[Of course it’s true. As your faithful Helper, the System will fulfill all your wishes as best it can. Then, let’s consume all the points you’ve recently accumulated, and the System will purchase a brand new framework for you.]
“Hey?! What do you mean by all the points? Leave me at least a little—”
Before she could finish, nine colorful horizontal bars suddenly appeared before Su Wanli’s eyes. In front of the bars hung three familiar symbols—
??: 45
Ing
71.
08
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