Chapter 276: Missed Opportunity

‘W-well, I’m done for.’

Listening to the sudden sound from her stomach, even though Su Wanli maintained her closed eyes and expressionless face, her heart had quietly shattered into dozens of pieces.

‘Why did my stomach have to make such an undignified noise at a time like this?’

‘Wasn’t it just that I accidentally skipped lunch and rode around South City several times on an empty stomach?’

‘It hasn’t been that long since my last meal, right!?’

‘But… the situation is already a done deal. No matter what excuse I come up with, there’s no going back to that ambiguous atmosphere between Meng Wange and me…’

‘Huh? Wait, instead of calling it “over,” shouldn’t I call it “saved”?’

‘After all, I’m supposed to be the villainess in this story. Leaving it at this point is the best outcome. If Meng Wange really… you know, brought her lips toward mine, who knows how much my Female Villain Value would drop because of that!?’

‘Who knows, the System might see this as a major plot deviation and then permanently revoke my villainess privileges for life!?’

Su Wanli quietly comforted herself in her heart, but at the same time, she felt a faint sense of loss.

‘…But compared to ending things anticlimactically like this, as a human being, I really want an answer, don’t I?’

‘For instance, what exactly was Meng Wange planning to do when she got that close to me? What was her reason for getting so near?’

‘It can’t be that she was just reminding me that my lips were dry, right?’

‘If that were the case, she could have just touched them to indicate it. She didn’t need to come any closer.’

‘I remember before I closed my eyes, the heat in Meng Wange’s gaze made her look like some kind of hungry predator, about to take something from me…’

Recalling the scene just now, the fire within Su Wanli, which had been ready to die down, surged again.

‘…Hmph, since things have come this far, I might as well just ask!’

‘That’s right, I’ll grab Meng Wange by the collar, lock eyes with her in my usual haughty and venomous way, and then provocatively ask her what exactly she wants to do to me. Could it be that she’s really been seduced by my beauty and wants… you know, to steal a kiss from me or something…’

Just picturing that dialogue in her mind made Su Wanli’s earlobes redden, and her brain began to radiate heat.

‘…No, that won’t work, will it?’

‘Even if I ask, Meng Wange will definitely brush me off with her ambiguous attitude. Unless the earlier process hadn’t been interrupted by my stomach growling, and I had just let things continue…’

‘…Huh? Wait?’

‘Isn’t it still happening right now?’

‘Meng Wange’s body is still a few centimeters away from me, exuding a faint warmth. Though she doesn’t seem to be making the next move, she hasn’t retreated either.’

‘Could it be that Meng Wange doesn’t want to stop either, but the atmosphere in the room has become awkward, so she can’t make up her mind?’

‘…Or maybe, the sound from my stomach just now wasn’t that loud. It might have only seemed clear because of bone conduction. Maybe Meng Wange didn’t even hear it!?’

At that thought, Su Wanli’s heart, which had grown quiet, became active again.

‘Oh, right! It’s not really over. Even at worst, there’s still the possibility that Meng Wange doesn’t have the confidence or courage to continue, isn’t there!’

‘Mm-hmm, even though she seems emotionally stable and mature, Meng Wange is still just a young high school girl after all. Even though she can say something like “You’re as beautiful as a fairy” without changing her expression, and then come so naturally close to me, in the end, it might be up to me to take that final step, right?’

‘After all, feelings are mutual. Meng Wange has already taken ninety-nine steps. Now it’s my turn to step up!’

With final hope, Su Wanli took a deep breath, slightly raised the corners of her lips, braced herself, and leaned forward slightly…

…And missed, completely missed?

‘Huh? No way? Meng Wange was just a few centimeters in front of me. How could I have missed?’

‘Is it because I haven’t fully adjusted my mindset? Did I think I leaned forward a few centimeters, but actually stayed in place?’

‘Then this time, I’ll be bolder and make up the last bit of distance…’

Su Wanli gritted her teeth, moved her waist away from the wall behind her, and objectively leaned forward ten… no, ninety centimeters.

‘…Nothing. I still didn’t touch anything?’

By this point, she could no longer care about maintaining her image. Su Wanli directly cracked open her eyes to try to find the brown-haired girl in front of her.

Then she saw—

Meng Wange had her hand resting on her own shoulder, looking into her eyes with a half-smile.

After five full seconds of deathly silence, the Main Heroine’s Aura, who was usually calm and self-possessed, indifferent to everything in the world, finally couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“…”

At first, she just covered her lips with her palm, trying to suppress the laughter. But when Su Wanli’s cheeks began to uncontrollably flush and her brow started to twist, Meng Wange no longer cared about elegance or restraint. She straightened up, one hand on the edge of the bed, the other over her stomach, and let out a hearty, unrestrained laugh.

“Pfft, hahahahaha—”

She laughed so hard she swayed back and forth, even a few crystalline tears appeared at the corners of her eyes. The perfectly tied ponytail at the back of her head flew messily, and strands of light brown hair clung wantonly to her slightly flushed cheeks.

It was as if she were releasing all the fatigue, anxiety, and other negative emotions that had accumulated inside her for a long time in that single moment.

Facing such a Meng Wange, Su Wanli could only quickly cover her own face.

No, rather than fleeing, Su Wanli now wanted revenge more than ever.

She rapidly stepped forward, grabbed Meng Wange’s shoulders with her fingertips, and pressed her thumbs into her collarbone hollows.

“…Meng, Meng Wange!! What are you laughing at?! You better stop laughing!!!”