Of course, Su Wanli, always devoted to her Villainess Persona, was fully immersed in playing her part with fear and caution.
She had no idea that the intimate moment she shared with Meng Huange on the car, held within the driver’s compartment with Ju Ye, was about to be relayed directly to Su Heng’s ears through the driver’s words.
Just as Meng Huange had said, when the two of them stepped onto the third floor of the Classroom building, the clock’s minute hand pointed precisely to 7:54, leaving enough time to spare.
“Enough already, let go here. If we move any further, someone in the class will see us.”
Su Wanli let out two light sighs and, just as she was about to step through the Classroom door, slowed her pace and gently withdrew her fingers from Meng Huange’s hand.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to grip so tightly. My fingers were about to get pinched.”
“Don’t worry, Miss Su.”
Hearing Su Wanli’s words, Meng Huange smiled politely and then lowered her head to glance at Su Wanli’s chest, as if faintly sighing.
In reality, Meng Huange’s grip was quite light—actually, it was Su Wanli herself who, halfway there, had subtly increased her strength just to avoid being left behind.
That said, Su Wanli was quick to clarify this did not mean she liked holding hands, nor was she questioning Meng Huange’s sincerity. The real reason she hadn’t let go in time was because the Main Female Protagonist Halo was just too perfect—her footsteps were fast, and a subtle fragrance emanated from her that made it impossible to easily break away. This scent was so faintly pleasant it was almost intoxicating, and an ordinary Villainess without the System’s aid simply couldn’t pry Meng Huange’s hand loose.
It was clear that throwing herself into Meng Huange’s arms was the only choice left, and her frightened resolve was firm.
Not only for her Villainess Persona, Su Wanli felt that even the Good Girl Persona should get bonus points for pulling off such a feat!
[…]
“Hey, did you hear that? That thing that only knows how to protest with six dots—this System? If I don’t have some kind of external cheat, how am I supposed to keep up with Meng Huange’s level of Main Female Protagonist intensity? My Villainess Persona is about to collapse!”
[Relationship note, Host: Just as the System wisely advised, you may now proceed as you wish. The System will not interfere excessively with your actions. Apart from mission objectives, everything else is your free time.]
What’s going on? Who are you? Do you even remember your own name? Give me your version number.
[Of course I remember. I am your Villainess System. Because I’m not some trivial software, I have no version number or related info. Please understand.]
The System responded with its usual cold and indifferent tone.
This is strange—have you really been given some kind of mysterious power to hold me back? You’ve come this far…
[Don’t worry, Host. The System will only assign new missions when the time is right. Please maintain trust in the System.]
Saying something so diplomatic just made it even more suspicious.
Su Wanli frowned thoughtfully.
… Well, if the System won’t explain, I can’t imagine any reason why it’s doing this.
Better to focus on what I can do and prepare for the exam before it starts. I’ll sit down and study a bit more.
Speaking of which, those three subordinates from this morning were gossiping nonstop about me and Meng Huange’s scandal. I wonder if they later helped clear things up.
If I get even the slightest hint of trouble today, I really will have to use my authority as Su Heng’s daughter to teach them a harsh lesson.
Su Wanli snapped her fingers cruelly and pushed open the Classroom’s back door.
That was right—except for those two or three people who glanced her way at first, no one else seemed to react much. Everyone was focused on reviewing or getting ready—a peaceful scene indeed.
That’s how it should be—students should concentrate on studying and not waste time on rumors or gossip. There’s no dignity in that.
“Good morning, Su Wanli, Meng Huange.”
Xiaohua Teacher, the homeroom teacher, was already standing at the podium. Seeing them, she forced a smile and greeted them.
Su Wanli didn’t even look at her, merely nodding slightly before heading straight to her seat.
The Villainess Persona was especially useful at moments like this—no need to say much. A few cold nods were enough to keep others from provoking her. Perhaps some would even feel honored to get a response.
Settling into her seat by the window, she casually glanced at the Notebook Meng Huange had prepared for her while waiting for the exam to begin.
Meng Huange followed closely behind, hanging Su Wanli’s schoolbag on the back of the chair, then pulling out the corresponding Notebook for the exam subject and placing it on Su Wanli’s desk.
She gently flipped open the Notebook’s first two pages and leaned in close, whispering by Su Wanli’s ear—
“Miss Su, according to my guess, this exam’s content should overlap significantly with the one from three years ago. I’ve placed that portion within the first few pages. You can focus on reviewing and making notes.”
Though it was a simple gesture, the warmth of the young girl’s breath caused Su Wanli to instinctively shiver.
… The Classroom is quiet now. I already practiced yesterday. If there were more people around, every movement I make would have consequences, and if Meng Huange’s current actions got noticed, my Villainess score would definitely drop again.
“Alright, alright, I’ll look at it myself. You should worry about yourself more.”
Su Wanli turned slightly toward Meng Huange and then lightly pushed her away.
“Who says the Chinese exam can get nearly full marks? No one knows what the real level is—better not mess it up.”
“So, this is part of your plan?”
Looking at Su Wanli’s back, Meng Huange raised her eyebrows and gently brushed her chestnut hair behind her ear but hesitated before simply pulling it back into a ponytail.
“I understand, Miss Su. I’ll do my best.”
As Meng Huange returned to her seat, Su Wanli finally exhaled and tapped her own temple by the window.
This tendency to flush so easily—how long will it take to fix? I probably haven’t done enough desensitization training, and I wonder how long before the System unlocks the feature that lets me imitate Meng Huange’s voice.
[Note: The System requires a lot of Villainess points to install the function that mimics voices currently in use in the real world. But I believe that with the Host’s diligence, enough points can be earned in a few years to exchange for the item that can break through the Four-Faced Seal function. Best of luck!]
I’m working hard for years just so you can say that others can hear me? Am I crazy or what?
Maybe I’d be better off spending the points on a health upgrade or something more meaningful.
Before Su Wanli finished her thought, Xiaohua Teacher suddenly stood up from the podium, holding the exam papers in her hands.
“All students, if you’re done reviewing, please tidy your desks. We’ll be distributing the exam papers in less than ten minutes. Please pay attention to the time.”
Su Wanli quickly cleared the items on her desk and then opened the Notebook Meng Huange had given her.
[Host, you actually have one more…]
Quiet! Say what you need to later! Don’t you see I’m still reviewing?
Su Wanli gritted her teeth and forced herself to memorize the first few pages of the Notebook into her mind.
… Meng Huange is thorough; she even remembers how long it takes me to memorize things clearly.
When the teacher announced to collect the review materials and hand out the exam papers, Su Wanli had already finished looking over the content Meng Huange had marked in red.
Along with a nervous sigh from a fellow student nearby, a fresh, white exam paper was placed in front of Su Wanli.
… Reading comprehension questions, classical poetry reading questions, some punctuation problems, and classical poetry translation…
Good! Very familiar! The classical poetry reading is exactly the original questions Meng Huange had written down in the Notebook, and I remember them well! The answers are BACDAI.
There were also five short essay questions—all fully recorded by Meng Huange. The recall isn’t perfectly precise, but as long as the meaning is correct, that’s fine.
Um, famous phrases to write… spring flowers first bloom, the green of fresh grass… The poetry history is… is… hmm, I saw it just recently—how could I forget so fast?
Forget it. I’ll write down as much as I can remember.
Come on, Su Wanli, once you get through this hurdle, nothing will be difficult for you anymore.
Taking a deep breath, Su Wanli bent over the exam paper and started writing seriously.