In the end, Su Wanli still couldn’t muster the courage to extend her spoon towards Meng Wange under the watchful eyes of hundreds of students in the cafeteria.
There was no helping it.
After that scene earlier, almost every student passing by would subconsciously glance in their direction, a subtle curve playing on their lips. Just sitting in the cafeteria already made her feel like she was sitting on pins and needles, let alone making any intimate gestures with Meng Wange.
‘Damn it. I was hoping to press the advantage and keep going, to further increase Meng Wange’s favorability towards me…’
Well, if that’s how it is, then I’ll just shift the target to this afternoon.
Even though being watched wasn’t the result she wanted, because of it, all of today’s Villainess Tasks were already complete. The remaining time was entirely her own.
Watching the brown-haired girl in front of her eat her meal unhurriedly, Su Wanli gently rubbed her chin a couple of times.
So far, the methods she’d used to increase Meng Wange’s favorability were still too limited. Relying solely on desserts and fireworks would surely hit a wall very quickly. She had to think of more ways…
“What’s wrong, Miss Su? No appetite?”
Meng Wange noticed her expression and smiled, picking up a chicken wing from her own plate and placing it into Su Wanli’s bowl.
“Hmph, it’s all because someone annoyed me. Just look at how arrogant you were this morning.”
“My apologies.”
Meng Wange awkwardly touched the tip of her nose, thinking for a moment.
“Well then, as a small compensation… or perhaps a way to take your mind off things… Miss Su, would you like to go to the water park near the school with me this afternoon?”
“…Water park?”
“That’s right.”
Meng Wange chuckled softly, taking out the “Nancheng Surrounding Tourist Attractions Recommendation” booklet from her pocket.
“After the fireworks ended last night, I spent a long time thinking about how to repay your kindness, so I’ve been browsing this for a while. Although, as the Eldest Miss of the Su family, you’ve probably experienced most of Nancheng’s entertainment venues, this water park was only recently built. Perhaps it could still be a new experience for you.”
…
Although Su Wanli really wanted to set off right after lunch, Meng Wange, using the excuse of “not wanting Miss Su to neglect her studies because of my invitation,” stubbornly dragged her through two more classes.
“Miss Su, I already requested leave from Teacher Liu this morning. The last two classes on Friday are self-study sessions, so it won’t have much impact. Until then, please be a little patient.”
Recalling Meng Wange’s smiling face, Su Wanli pursed her lips impatiently, spinning the ballpoint pen in her hand forcefully.
‘Damn it! After receiving an invitation like that, who would still be in the mood to listen to lectures!?’
‘Go faster, go faster already! Studying or whatever doesn’t matter! Every second wasted now is one less second to play with Meng Wange later!’
Perhaps it was her glare, several times fiercer than usual, that did the trick, or maybe the teachers simply didn’t want to bother.
After finishing the lesson’s content, the history teacher simply said, “Everyone, preview the next section,” then packed up his teaching materials and left the classroom.
There were still over ten minutes left until the end of class, but the students of Class Three were already starting to get noisy, with some even running out into the hallway to look around.
In that case…
Su Wanli took a deep breath, slapped her palm on the desk, stood up, and turned towards Meng Wange beside her.
“Alright, Meng Wange, today’s classes are pretty much over. Let’s go now!”
However, despite her impatience, Meng Wange didn’t immediately cooperate. Instead, she lightly pursed her lips, looking thoughtfully at the history textbook for a moment.
“…Just a moment, Miss Su. I’m a bit unclear about the content the teacher just covered. Do you remember which year the power separation system was established?”
“Huh? How would I know that? Isn’t the answer right in the textbook? Just flip through it yourself… Fine, whatever, let me see… It’s 1784! There, satisfied? Now pack up and let’s go!”
“Hmm? Is that the year?”
Meng Wange rested her chin on her hand, looking up at the ceiling in thought.
“If I remember correctly, 1784 was just the year it was proposed. The actual establishment should be a few years later, right?”
‘Damn it, this overachiever, why is she hung up on a question like this…’
Su Wanli restrained her temper and flipped through the textbook, pointing at a page.
“It’s 1787! It was formally established after the constitution was ratified! Are you satisfied now? Hurry up and contact the driver!”
“I see. Thank you for the clarification.”
Only then did Meng Wange smile, close her book, and shoulder her backpack.
“Let’s go, Miss Su. The next period is self-study. I’ve already requested leave in advance. We can set off now.”
Watching her series of smooth actions, Su Wanli narrowed her eyes slightly, her tone suspicious.
“Just now… were you stalling for time?”
“Absolutely not, Miss Su.”
“Then why did you have to make me answer those history questions?”
“Because the teacher hadn’t left the classroom yet.”
“That makes it even more obvious you were stalling!”
“…The driver just sent a message. By the time we reach the school gate, he should be almost there.”
“Don’t change the subject! Let me see your phone!”
…
The students of Class Three watched as the two left the classroom, then one by one pulled out their phones to start a new round of “embellishing the story.”
As for rumors like “Meng Wange is using all sorts of methods to discipline Eldest Miss Su again today,” that was a headache for the future Su Wanli to deal with.
Right now, although she was physically sitting in the pink-purple Maybach, her thoughts had already flown to the water park in the travel guide.
Sunshine, swimming pools, water slides, and Meng Wange in a swimsuit…
Su Wanli flipped through the booklet while secretly sizing up the other girl.
Meng Wange still had that composed, unruffled look. Could it be she thought she would be the one to get shy?
‘Heh, of course not.’
Ever since her first day at the Su household, she had already… ahem. Anyway, how could she possibly get shy over something as trivial as a swimsuit now?
Just you wait and see!
…
“Strange… According to the location marked in the guide, this water park should be within two kilometers of Baiying Academy, right? Why haven’t we arrived after driving for so long?”
Looking at the scenery outside the window that hadn’t changed much, Su Wanli frowned.
The driver hesitated for a moment before turning his head to speak.
“Apologies, Eldest Miss Su. The water park is just about six hundred meters ahead. However, the road is quite congested right now, and the pedestrian traffic is heavy… To be honest, you might get there faster on foot.”
“Heavy pedestrian traffic…”
That short phrase instantly snapped Su Wanli out of her daydream.
Even though they hadn’t reached the park yet, she could already faintly hear the clamor of a crowd and the shrieks of children.
…Right. This is a newly opened water park, and it’s Friday afternoon, just when elementary and middle school students are getting out of school.
The clear, bright picture in her mind instantly transformed into a steaming pot of “human soup.”
Crowds, noisy brats, plus piercing shrieks… Even just one of those would significantly downgrade the experience, let alone having all three.
As the car got closer, the noise became more pronounced.
Meng Wange noticed Su Wanli’s impatience and let out a soft sigh.
“Sorry, Miss Su. I didn’t prepare thoroughly enough. The water park is indeed too crowded at this time; the experience probably won’t be very good. Should we go somewhere else instead?”
“Somewhere else…”
Su Wanli frowned, idly flipping through the travel guide in her hand.
After the water park came things like underwater tunnels, aquariums, marine animal shows—none of which looked particularly interesting.
More importantly, in those places, she definitely wouldn’t get to see what she was most looking forward to—Meng Wange in a swimsuit!
Was there anywhere else where you could swim or surf…
She continued flipping through the pages.
The local Nancheng attractions were pretty much covered. Further back was a small county town called “Yunsheng County.”
It had a long coastline, a traditional snack street, a seaside bathing beach, and…