Watching Su Wanli’s back of the head as she stared out the window, Meng Wange sat upright beside her.
All the way from Furniture City back to the Su Residence, Su Wanli had maintained this posture. No matter what questions Meng Wange asked her, she only replied with a few simple words, looking quite depressed.
Why?
She had only been discussing some things about the future with Su Wanli… Logically speaking, she shouldn’t have brought up any sad topics.
Su Wanli… why did she suddenly start crying just now?
…I see. Su Wanli was worried about the future, wasn’t she?
Could it be that she had already realized something?
Meng Wange silently rubbed her temples, replaying the conversation she had just had with Su Wanli.
No, that shouldn’t be the case. She had no reason to know. Uncle Su had already made a promise with her; there was no way he would bring that up to Su Wanli on his own. That reaction just now… it was probably because she had accidentally touched on some other painful memory of Su Wanli’s.
Like her mother, who died young, or perhaps…
As she pondered, the pink-purple Maybach drove into the familiar manor, and the Su Residence came into view ahead.
“Miss Su, Miss Meng Wange, we’re home.”
“Mm, thank you for your hard work—”
Before Meng Wange could even respond automatically, Su Wanli immediately opened the car door beside her and fled up the steps to the house like a runaway. She pushed open the front door without looking back once.
Meng Wange let out a soft sigh, then prepared to follow Su Wanli out of the car.
“…Wait a moment, Miss Meng Wange.”
Just as Meng Wange was about to step through the Su family’s front door, the driver, who had remained silent the entire trip except to announce their arrival, suddenly called out to her.
“Are you planning to attend the Baiying Academy festival with Miss Su?”
“…Mm.”
Meng Wange paused and replied calmly.
“I see… Well, although Mr. Su probably wouldn’t mind giving you a couple more days, but…”
The driver hesitated, opened his mouth as if to say something else, then finally let out a soft sigh and nodded helplessly at Meng Wange.
“I’ll keep this to myself for now.”
“Thank you, Mr. Jin.”
Meng Wange gave a slight bow to the driver, who always wore sunglasses, and then walked straight up the stairs behind her.
Meanwhile, Su Wanli, who had returned to her room early, threw herself onto the bed and stared gloomily at the ornate crystal chandelier above her head.
…Sigh, that reaction was way too obvious. Meng Wange definitely knew she wasn’t just yawning.
What’s wrong with you, Su Wanli? You knew this was coming all along, didn’t you?
Why are you suddenly feeling so lost now?
Su Wanli and Meng Wange were only ever going to be connected at this moment. In the future, they would only walk down the path of enmity, and eventually, Meng Wange would defeat her, completing the main heroine’s revenge against the villainous eldest young lady…
Alright, stop being foolish.
The only reason she could have any relationship with Meng Wange was because of the role she was playing now.
After playing the villainess young lady for almost two weeks, if she suddenly started feeling dissatisfied about it, even the system would be puzzled…
No, of course not. That is a sign of your humanity. After all, spending a long time with the main heroine Meng Wange, it’s only natural to be unconsciously attracted by her charm.
However, I have noticed that your thoughts have recently fallen into a misunderstanding.
The system’s voice rang out naturally from inside Su Wanli’s pocket.
“…Sorry, Host, I didn’t mean to—”
“Whoa!? Don’t read my mind all of a sudden! What kind of pervert are you?!”
Apologies, Host, I did not mean to.
The system continued calmly:
In your previous judgment, you seemed to always treat the opposition between you and Meng Wange as an irreconcilable contradiction that would ultimately lead to a rift in your relationship, with no room for reconciliation in the future.
“…Huh? What nonsense are you talking about? That thought is perfectly normal, isn’t it? Where’s the misunderstanding? Isn’t that the idea you’ve been feeding me all along?”
On the surface, that is indeed the case. We are a traditional Villainess Young Lady Roleplay System. In theory, you should eventually be defeated by Meng Wange and serve as the pinnacle of her glorious life, a stepping stone under her feet. However…
The system paused deliberately before continuing:
Well, because you never asked about this before, and this idea seemed to help with your early roleplay, I never corrected it.
But in reality, the end of the plot does not mean you have to immediately leave this world. It only means that the system’s control over the plot has reached its end.
“…Only that the system’s control over the plot has reached its end, but it doesn’t mean I have to leave right away…”
As she listened, Su Wanli’s pupils slightly widened, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously dropped open.
“Wait, what you’re saying… does that mean…”
That’s right. What I mean is, as long as the Host diligently completes system tasks and walks step by step to the end of the plot, you will not only be able to bring all of the Su family’s assets back to the original world on a one-to-one basis, but you will also gain a period of free time that is out of the system’s control, and out of the Villainess Value’s control.
Su Wanli’s heartbeat began to accelerate as she immediately pressed on:
“How long will this free time be, exactly?”
Theoretically, as long as the final ending is not a predetermined death, every system gives its host a certain amount of time to say goodbye to others or handle other affairs.
According to past precedents, this time can range from a few hours to a few months. In fact, there have been cases of staying for several years or even over a decade, but the specific time depends on the mutual will of the host and the system.
The host’s and the system’s wills…
That means…
Su Wanli was silent for a moment, then sat up from the bed and solemnly took the white dumpling out of her pocket.
“…Then, then… are you willing to let me stay in this world for how long after the plot ends?”
Well, since one system can only bind to one host, after the plot ends, the previous host becomes useless to the system. So we should end the transaction as soon as possible and look for the next host, which is why we set a time limit. As for this system’s will…
For some reason, even though the system’s voice sounded as emotionless and cold as ever, Su Wanli could detect a hint of smugness in it.
Speaking of which, Host, how are you enjoying the stress relief toy I gave you? Do you need me to add any other functions?
“…No, no need. Ah, come to think of it, this white dumpling is actually soft to the touch and looks pretty cute. I think I was a bit too harsh on this toy before.”
Oh? Were you? After all, the system is here for you to vent your emotions. There’s nothing wrong with doing that. It just requires me to occasionally let out some meaningless screams. I don’t have such emotional functions, so saving a bit of energy doesn’t mean much to me.
“…Sorry! Villainess Young Lady Roleplay System! I know I was wrong! From now on, I’ll wash this dumpling every morning and hang it in the sun to dry. I swear I won’t throw it in the dirt anymore!”
Su Wanli silently placed the white dumpling on the bedside table, then clasped her hands together and shook them up and down at it.
“So please, let me stay by Meng Wange’s side for a little longer after the finale.”
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