[Congratulations, Host, for successfully completing the hidden side quest: Hallway Encounter with Meng Wange.]
[By snatching away the only keepsake left by Meng Wange’s mother, you’ve successfully earned her disgust. Current Disgust Level: 50 (She unconsciously clenches her fists when she thinks of you).]
[Villainess Roleplay Level: Perfect.]
[Rewards will be issued after the series quest is complete.]
***
“…”
Su Wanli silently stared at the simple flower-shaped hairpin in her hand, the corner of her mouth twitching slightly.
“Okay, but… what if I say I just picked something that looked worthless without meaning to poke at her trauma? Would anyone believe me?”
[The heroine Meng Wange has returned to her room and is packing up for the upcoming welcome banquet. It’s recommended you repeat your earlier mockery during the banquet for maximum impact.]
“I’m not mocking her! I genuinely thought it was just some ordinary hairpin! It’s not even worth anything! I can give her a better one later. How was I supposed to know it was her mom’s keepsake?!”
But what was done was done.
Even if it was unintentional, she had undeniably offended the heroine…
Just imagining having to live in the same mansion with a beautiful girl who now hates her made Su Wanli’s fragile little heart ache.
She had always avoided conflict since childhood.
Soft-hearted and passive by nature, ‘could she really keep up this villainess act?’
Besides, with that disgust level shooting so high, it was obvious that hairpin meant the world to Meng Wange.
She probably believed Su Wanli had deliberately chosen the most precious item she owned.
And because she didn’t want to stir up trouble in the Su family, she had obediently handed it over.
She was probably sitting in her room right now, plotting her grand comeback with a cold smile.
‘Thirty years of fortune turn like a wheel… don’t look down on a poor girl.’
For a moment, Su Wanli felt like she wasn’t just holding a hairpin in her palm, but the combined weight of Meng Wange’s mother… and her own future ashes.
‘Yikes. Once this plotline ends, I really need to find a way to return the hairpin to her.’
As if sensing her despair, the system gave her a kind reminder—
[There are 50 minutes left before the welcome banquet begins. It is highly recommended that you address your attire and appearance immediately. Failure to complete your public-facing tasks could severely impact your rating and potentially drop you below the minimum villainess threshold.]
Only then did Su Wanli remember what her main quest was supposed to be.
“Hey! That lady just now—no, I mean, the low-ranking servant responsible for dressing me—come back here and do my makeup!”
Her voice echoed throughout the vast mansion.
No response.
She had no idea how much blood and sweat the Su family had exploited to afford this absurdly oversized house.
Just looking at the endless spiral staircase made Su Wanli feel dizzy.
‘Seriously? First day after transmigrating, and I’m about to be defeated by makeup?!’
No. She couldn’t give up.
At the very least, she had to try.
Su Wanli darted back into her room and sat down in front of the lavish vanity.
She opened the lower drawer.
‘Okay, this one’s round. That one’s square. This looks like something you spray. That probably goes on your face…’
‘Wait, my hair’s a mess. Better deal with that first.’
‘Ugh, my eyes! All rich girls have that sleek eyeliner look… and curled lashes…’
‘Oh no, the dark circles! I can’t show up with these!’
‘Lipstick! Yes! Once I put on lipstick, everything will fall into place!’
***
Two minutes later, Su Wanli stared at the mirror, horrified by the ghostly witch who looked like she’d just eaten a child.
Without hesitation, she flung the lipstick aside.
‘Nope. There’s no way I can learn makeup in such a short time.’
Still, in a house this big, surely someone had to know how to do makeup! She could run around and find a few maids—
[Kind reminder: To make Meng Wange feel more at home, the Su family head gave all the servants the day off today to create a warm, family-like atmosphere. Only the chef and your personal makeup artist remain on-site.]
“Then where the hell is my makeup artist?! I’ve been yelling for ages and no one’s answering!”
[Just now, that maid you kicked out changed clothes within a minute, went downstairs, and took a cab to a KTV in the city center.]
“Then I’ll just—”
[Her phone is turned off. She even removed the SIM card. Emergency contact won’t work either.]
‘…I’m doomed. Absolutely doomed.’
‘Now, in this entire house, there’s probably only me, that cheap excuse for a father, and maybe a few chefs left. How the hell am I supposed to make a grand entrance at Meng Wange’s welcome banquet like this…?’
‘I just wanted to at least do my makeup, wear something decent. Any normal woman would—’
At that moment, Su Wanli suddenly recalled a flash of soft chestnut-colored hair.
Ah. Meng Wange.
She didn’t know if this supposedly orphaned girl knew how to do makeup, but Meng Wange had at least been a girl for over a decade longer than her.
‘She should know some basics, right? And maybe how to do something with her hair… hopefully?’
‘But… for the villainess to go ask the heroine—someone she just bullied—for help with her makeup? That had to be wildly off-script.’
Like it was reading her doubts, the system chimed in—
[You can play the villainess however you want. Please pay attention to your Evil Value fluctuations.]
Alright then. If even the system isn’t stopping me, I’ll just go with it.
Sure, I did just snatch away the last thing she had from her dead mother… but social death is still better than total mission failure and losing all my Evil Value.
Su Wanli carefully set the white hairclip—her last hope—next to the vanity table.
Then she stood up and walked toward the direction Meng Wange had gone.
Meng Wange’s room had the same layout as Su Wanli’s and was just next door.
Aside from a nameplate on the door that read “Meng Wange,” it looked pretty much identical.
Most likely, the head of the Su family had arranged it this way deliberately—putting a “model girl” by his daughter’s side to stir up some sense of competition in her.
‘With this kind of comparison, any spoiled princess would be boiling with jealousy, right?’
Su Wanli gave a small, crooked smile and stood in front of Meng Wange’s door.
Taking a deep breath, she raised her hand to knock.
But just as she formed the motion to knock, her Evil Value dropped subtly from 95 to 94.
“…”
‘Fine, so being a villainess means I can’t even knock politely?’
‘No problem. Before humans learned to walk upright, we crawled on all fours.’
I can adapt.
***
Inside the room, the rustling of fabric could be heard.
Meng Wange was probably tidying up by herself.
And meanwhile, here I am, about to—
‘I’m sorry. But we’re on opposite sides now. If you want to blame someone, then blame this twisted world that keeps putting obstacles in your way.’
Su Wanli cleared her throat at the door, then lifted her right leg and kicked it hard.
BANG!
“…”
Inside, Meng Wange had just hung up her school uniform and was now in a simple white shirt, standing by the bed.
She was slightly bent over, seemingly fixing the covers.
When she heard the door slam open, she straightened up and looked at Su Wanli with a calm, emotionless gaze.
Her smile remained politely in place.
“Miss Su, is there something else you need?”
Even after having her mother’s keepsake snatched and her door kicked open, Meng Wange showed no visible displeasure.
Not bad—for a modern-day heroine.
Su Wanli coughed twice and ran her fingers through her bangs, avoiding Meng Wange’s frosty gaze.
“Uh… cough, you, um…”
‘Nope. No way to say it out loud! Asking someone who already hates you—someone you just met—for makeup help? Impossible!’
‘But… 12 billion. It’s all for that 12 billion…’
Su Wanli closed her eyes, gave in, and said with complete resignation—
“Meng Wange. Come to my room.”