Su Wanli, looking troubled as she faced her three loyal subordinates, sighed silently and pinched the White Dumpling in her hand.
‘Um, although I think it’s unlikely, since this type of task was specifically arranged, the intention must be for me to pick one of these three to use to provoke Meng Wange, right?’
**[The System will not restrict the way you complete the Task, but based on the current situation, selecting one of the three of them would indeed be a more convenient and reasonable choice.]**
‘In that case, since they are my only three loyal subordinates, they must not be as useless as they appear on the surface. They each have a specialized skill of their own that would allow them to compete with Meng Wange, right?’
**[Apologies, Host, please do not have too many expectations for your three subordinates. After all, in the Original Work, they were merely background characters used to highlight your Villainess image and served as experience points for the Heroine in the early stages of the Plot. They do not possess any special abilities.]**
The System’s voice was like a bucket of cold water, instantly dousing the tiny spark of hope that had managed to ignite in Su Wanli’s heart.
That made sense. What was she even expecting? One was practicing feudal superstitions in class, one was sleeping through the lesson, and the other was doing transformative fan art in her textbook…
With these three pieces of work, let alone making Meng Wange feel a sense of crisis, the girl would probably suspect that she was the only competent person by Su Wanli’s side and become even more arrogant because of it.
…Even if the reality was indeed that Meng Wange was the only competent person by her side!
No, she couldn’t panic yet. She couldn’t give up so easily; she had to think more. Even if each of them couldn’t match Meng Wange, as long as there was some aspect where they weren’t completely crushed, it would be enough!
Some aspect where they could put up a bit of a fight…
Su Wanli bit her lip unwillingly and shifted her gaze back to the three girls in the back row.
Potato Thunder, Du Xinxin—judging by her performance over the past few days, this girl was at least quite accomplished in Occultism. If this were a magical fantasy world, she might have been naturally gifted in Black Magic, but there was simply no room for her to utilize that here.
Da Zhuang, Wen Manman—she had a top-tier physique and looked tall and sturdy. If she were a bodyguard, Wen Manman would indeed have a slight advantage over Meng Wange. At the very least, her surface-level intimidation factor would be a notch higher…
But she couldn’t exactly hold a bodyguard recruitment fair right here in the Classroom, could she? Besides, since she usually only moved around the Xue Xiao, why would she need a bodyguard? Meng Wange had only been placed by her side by Su Heng to assist her with her studies. Meng Wange wouldn’t feel a sense of crisis over something that trivial.
As for Xiao Fen, Zhang Shiyu…
Cough, looking closely, the characters Xiao Fen drew in her textbook were actually quite lifelike…
That was it! Although she usually seemed like the most unreliable of the three, Xiao Fen was at least serious when it came to drawing. During the last Art Class, the Teacher had even praised her for having solid basic skills.
As for Meng Wange, although she had produced a piece of work in that class that even amazed the Art Class Teacher, she had admitted herself that she had only been exposed to some basic sketching knowledge.
In that case, choosing the best out of a bad bunch… this time, Xiao Fen would serve as the key pawn to shatter Meng Wange’s composure!
As for the Method to make Meng Wange feel a sense of crisis…
With the candidate determined, a sinister plan began to take shape in Su Wanli’s mind.
***
At the same time, the brown-haired girl sitting beside Su Wanli was not feeling particularly calm.
Meng Wange appeared to be listening intently to Xiaohua Teacher’s explanation, occasionally nodding at the Teacher with a smile, but in reality, her peripheral vision never left the black-haired Eldest Miss beside her.
‘Strange, was my reaction just now too proactive?’
Since the bell rang for the start of class, Su Wanli had been uncharacteristically quiet. She didn’t lie on the desk to sleep out of boredom like she usually did, nor did she tap the tabletop impatiently with her fingertips. She didn’t even steal glances at Meng Wange with that seemingly casual gaze.
She was simply looking behind them with a subtle expression. To be more precise, she was looking at the three members of her small group behind her.
Meng Wange pretended not to care while slightly furrowing her brows, her slender fingertips gently sliding across the pages of her book.
‘Is Su Wanli communicating with them?’
Just like before, was she using eye contact and gestures that only they understood to carry out some kind of hidden communication that she didn’t want Meng Wange to know about?
Using the reflection on her metal stationery box, Meng Wange’s gaze inconspicuously swept over the three girls.
They weren’t looking at Su Wanli; they were just doing their own thing, like the other students in the class.
Du Xinxin was studying the leather-bound book in her hand; Wen Manman was already fast asleep on her desk; as for that pink-haired Zhang Shiyu…
She was focused entirely on drawing something, a faint smile hanging on the corners of her mouth.
It looked like… no effective communication had been established between them. In fact, they probably hadn’t even noticed Su Wanli’s gaze.
So, what exactly was Su Wanli looking at?
Meng Wange shifted her body back slightly without drawing attention, widening her field of vision.
It was true; Su Wanli’s gaze was indeed lingering among the three of them.
Her eyes were focused and her brows were slightly knit, but they didn’t hold negative emotions like annoyance. On the contrary, there was a kind of helpless tolerance in her gaze, looking almost affectionate.
…It made sense. After all, they had known Su Wanli much longer than she had.
So, when the novelty gradually faded and Su Wanli felt bored, she would subconsciously grow closer to the side she was more familiar with. That was unavoidable.
However…
For some reason, Meng Wange’s heart felt as if it were being gently squeezed by an invisible hand, sending a faint but clear sensation of constriction through her.
‘Am I envious? Or perhaps… jealous?’
Of course, Meng Wange understood that this was only a matter of time. As long as enough time passed, she was confident she could occupy a place in Su Wanli’s heart, and her status would not be inferior to anyone else’s.
Besides, Su Wanli had the right to choose to be friends with anyone. Her interpersonal relationships were never something Meng Wange could interfere with at will.
Zhang Shiyu and the others had indeed appeared in Su Wanli’s life earlier than she had, possessing shared memories she lacked and a longer time spent together.
But logic was one thing, and emotion was quite another.
The thought that Su Wanli might look at others with those sparkling eyes; the thought that she might share small stories of the past that Meng Wange had never heard; the thought that during some future break, Su Wanli would naturally bypass her to go to the back of the Classroom to laugh and play with them…
Meng Wange felt as if her chest were blocked by something, making it subtly difficult to breathe.
…
She slowly closed her eyes, forcibly suppressing the complex emotions churning in her mind.
Of course, this wasn’t out of shallow possessiveness, but based on a rational judgment—based on her duties as Su Wanli’s Personal Assistant.
Zhang Shiyu and the others had unstable temperaments and erratic thinking; they were easily influenced by the outside world. If Su Wanli became too close to them, it would be of no benefit to her future growth.
She needed to find a way to steer Su Wanli’s attention back onto the right track.
‘The right track?’
But she, who was about to lead Su Wanli into the Bai Family’s trap, what right did she have to call herself the “right track”?
Compared to someone like her, Zhang Shiyu and the others could actually be considered pure-hearted, couldn’t they?
Meng Wange opened her eyes again, looking at the Blackboard in front of her, and sighed softly.
‘That’s right, Meng Wange. Before pushing others aside, try your best to wash the mud off yourself first.’
She had to find the conspiracy the Bai Family might be hiding and do everything in her power to protect Su Wanli. Secondly, she had to demonstrate her value in front of the girl.
After that, as long as the value she displayed far exceeded the sum of everyone else around her, then this Eldest Miss’s gaze would never move away from her again.