“Um, well… I guess it’s so-so?”
Su Wanli’s cheeks flushed pink.
She cleared her throat and looked off to the side, doing her best to keep Meng Wange from seeing her face.
‘Too close! Way too close!’
‘Why is the heroine so shameless?! Always leaning in like that! Doesn’t she know that even girls should keep a proper distance?!’
Meng Wange seemed to have anticipated Su Wanli’s reaction.
She simply shrugged, smiling as she packed away her makeup tools, then glanced at the time on her watch.
“If you don’t mind, I’ll go back to my room to freshen up. Shall we head to the dining hall together in two minutes?”
“…Fine. Ahem—I mean, get lost.”
“As you wish.”
As Su Wanli turned her head away, Meng Wange casually glanced at the hair clip on the table.
She subtly nudged it toward the corner of the vanity, making it less noticeable, before stepping out of the room.
“See you shortly, Miss Su.”
Su Wanli didn’t look back.
She just waved her hand dismissively in Meng Wange’s direction.
“Less talk, more walking—get out!”
Only when she heard the soft click of the door closing did she finally slump forward onto the vanity with a heavy sigh.
“…Phew. Finally, it’s over.”
‘Damn it, this job sounded easy—just act like a villainess—but doing it is anything but relaxing!’
She’d only been stuck in this role for less than an hour, and Su Wanli already felt completely drained.
And the real mission was still ahead—she had to attend Meng Wange’s welcome banquet soon…
“System, you never said this job would be this exhausting…”
[Technically speaking, the banquet will be your first official encounter with Meng Wange. Before that, your only task was to let the maid help you get dressed.]
“…Guh!”
Sure, it sounded reasonable, but that just made her even more frustrated.
She slammed her palm against the vanity in exasperation.
“Whose fault do you think that is?! You threw me into the middle of the story before I even had a chance to say a word! And then you docked my villainess points right away! I had to act like a proper villainess!”
“The maid was gone, so I had no choice but to ask Meng Wange to do my makeup. Then guess what? She gets a 13.0 score and takes MVP, and I end up looking like a lazy freeloader!”
[Understood. I apologize.]
The system responded in its cold, robotic monotone.
“…”
‘Why am I even getting mad at a dumb AI…?’
Su Wanli buried her face in her arms and let out another long sigh.
‘Damn it. I never even wanted to be the bad guy.’
All she’d tried to do earlier was avoid conflict.
That’s why she took Meng Wange’s hair clip.
‘So how did things spiral out of control so quickly?’
‘Sigh… she probably hates me already. How am I supposed to live with her from now on? I thought I could take it slow, step by step…’
Now the only option left was to get used to it—to make it a habit.
If she could train herself to blurt out villainous lines without thinking and stop caring about how others saw her…
Then maybe… just maybe… life as a villainess might start getting easier.
She rubbed her temples, stood up from the chair, and stretched lazily before glancing at her reflection in the mirror.
Although the dress was randomly chosen, anything that made it into Su Wanli’s wardrobe was nothing short of carefully selected luxury.
The exquisite tailoring and the ruby nestled at her collarbone lent her a refined elegance, while the lace at the hem looked like rippling waves, making one imagine just how stunning it would be if she were to sway in it.
But paired with the makeup Meng Wange had done for her, Su Wanli now looked more like a young girl playing dress-up in an adult’s clothes, trying her best to appear more mature.
‘So she even considered the contrast between outfit and makeup? What a terrifying woman…’
Hmm, if she did the math, it was just about time to head to the welcoming banquet. Why hadn’t Meng Wange come back yet?
Fine then, she’d just go to Meng Wange’s room and kick down her door again.
It could be part of her character-building as the villainess.
Might as well get used to this kind of wicked behavior.
Su Wanli curled one side of her lips at the mirror, practicing a smile that was both seductive and cruel.
Then she pushed open her door only to find a brown-haired girl in a perfectly pressed school uniform standing stiffly at her doorway.
Su Wanli’s sinister smile froze on her lips, turning into a cramp-like expression of shock.
“Ah! You scared me half to death! What are you doing standing at my door like that?”
For some reason, Meng Wange remained frozen in place, hand still raised as if to knock, her expression unusually serious, as if she were deep in thought.
“…?”
Su Wanli blinked in confusion and waved her right hand in front of Meng Wange’s face.
“Hey, hey, Meng Wange? Are you listening to me? Hello?”
Su Wanli had to raise her voice before finally snapping Meng Wange out of her daze.
Meng Wange shot her a quick, wary glance before forcing a polite smile back onto her face.
“…I’m sorry, Miss Su. I just felt a little dizzy all of a sudden. It’s nothing serious. Let’s go.”
“Hmph, and what does your dizziness have to do with me? Don’t talk like I actually care about you.”
Though Su Wanli was clearly puzzled, she kept up appearances, letting out a cold snort and flicking her hair with an air of arrogance, as if delivering her villainess catchphrase.
“Lead the way.”
“Yes, Miss Su.”
Meng Wange didn’t question why she was the one being ordered to lead.
She simply turned around, quietly tapping her forehead with a curled finger, then took a deep breath.
***
Back at the door just moments ago, she could have sworn she heard Su Wanli muttering something like, “I don’t want to be the bad guy at all…”
And something else about only taking her hair clip to avoid conflict…
A hallucination.
It had to be a hallucination.
She was just nervous about being in a new environment and letting her imagination run wild.
But still, that voice… it felt too real, like it had genuinely come from Su Wanli.
“What are you spacing out for? Want me to kick you down the stairs?”
Su Wanli’s sharp voice rang out from behind Meng Wange.
“Move it. If I miss the banquet because of you, don’t think you’ll be welcome in this house for much longer.”
“…Sorry.”
Meng Wange shook her head forcefully, trying to rid herself of those strange thoughts.
‘Let it go, Meng Wange. That’s Su Wanli—only heir to the Su Group. You’ve heard all the stories: domineering, reckless, spoiled, and utterly uneducated.’
‘She stole your mother’s keepsake right out of your hands and even dragged you to her room just to humiliate you.’
Meng Wange turned her head slightly—and happened to catch a glimpse of something faint in Su Wanli’s eyes.
A trace of fatigue.
‘No way… could it be?’
YEAA, FIND OUT PLS FIND OUT