Chuyao had really been doing her best to act like a good girl. But as the saying goesโfree will cannot be caged.
In other words, sometimes, you just canโt help it.
And if you canโt help it, then you just canโt. Xu Chuyao figured that after behaving for so long, a little bit of mischief wouldnโt hurt. But in reality, she barely had time to laugh a few times before Shen Ning tackled her onto the bed.
Sheโd been sitting right at the edge, so one push had her flat on her back. A pair of fluffy white bunnies bounced along with gravity and inertia, swaying gently as their dazed owner tried to process what just happened.
Xu Chuyao had no idea what was going onโuntil she looked up and saw Shen Ningโs crimson eyes glaring at her. Then, the fog began to clear.
โYouโre not mad, are you?โ
Right after she asked, a new system alert popped up in her mind:
[Villain Points +500]
…So yeah, she was definitely mad.
But what Xu Chuyao didnโt know was that the angriest person in the room wasnโt even Shen Ning.
It was the reflection.
Only now did the reflection realize: every time sheโd dressed like that in the past, and Shen Ning had responded with seemingly sincere praiseโit was all a lie?! That thought nearly made her faint from rage.
โAAAAHHHHH! Screw her! I swear, someone better screw her for real!!!โ
No need to say itโShen Ningโs fury was already boiling over. Her left hand clamped down on Xu Chuyaoโs thigh, fingers sinking into the soft, pale flesh, while her other hand swung down like a scythe in harvest season.
SMACK!
โMMNPH!โ
Usually when she got hit, it was on her buttโwhile face-down. She could live with that. But today, Xu Chuyao had been pinned on her back.
She fell completely silent. Her curvaceous little figure trembled, as if something had been switched on. Her eyes lost focus, her brain blanked out. It wasnโt until Shen Ning landed a second slap that she jolted back with a whimper:
โS-stop, stopโdonโt hit me! I have work tomorrow!โ
Chuyao had official duties tomorrow morning, okay?!
But Shen Ning wasnโt done. She slapped again before asking coldly, โStill feeling โanemicโ?โ
โAhh! Not anymore! Not at all! I feel great now!โ
โDo you love me?โ
โYes yes yesโtotally! So much! I love you to death!โ
At that moment, Shen Ning realized she mightโve stumbled upon the solution to her mission. She pressed further while the iron was hot:
โLove who?โ
โYou you YOUโI love you, Shen Ning!โ
โWho loves me?โ
SMACK.
โME! I do! I love youโI love youuuuuu!โ
Several minutes later, Xu Chuyao wobbled her way out of the room, one hand on the wall, the other clutching the hem of her skirt, walking like a penguin after an earthquake.
โUuugh… sheโs not even human…โ
Chuyao was devastated. But the reflection? Ecstatic. That was a long-overdue exhale of righteous fury. Sure, the slaps hadnโt been all that hard, nor particularly skillful, but the hit rate? Flawless. Every single one was a direct hit.
โThat said, you still have some problems with your technique,โ the reflection commented. โYou wonโt get far with just slapping. Once you get a phone in a few days, Iโll teach you how to look up tutorials. Youโll thank me later.โ
And with that, the reflection disappeared from the little mirror on the desk.
The reflection came and went like a ghost, leaving Shen Ning sitting on the edge of the bed in silence, finally able to breathe.
The reflection said her technique was offโand Shen Ning could feel it too. After all, if she were doing it right, why did she just end up angrier after each hit?
Granted, it wasnโt the same kind of anger as before… But still. If this kept going, she might just snap somedayโwait a second. Could this be how her future repressed self came to be?
Yeah. Sheโd definitely get a phone in a few days. Study hard. Learn well. No way was she ending up like the future her.
As for right now, Shen Ning found a distraction:
[Ding! Congratulations, Host! You have completed 1-Star Milestone Mission: First “I Love You.”]
Reward: Spiritual Power Boost โ Now Mid-Tier Stage 2. This power is derived from your future self 14 months later.
Shen Ning blinked in pleasant surprise. So her future self had reached mid-Stage 2 in 14 months? That was one of the fastest examples from the cases Mr. Hu listed in class.
[All 1-Star Missions Completed. Achievement Point +1 Earned.]
[Special Reward: Skill โ Moonlight Rite]
[Effect: ???
Note: You will fully master it once you understand the meaning behind its name.]
A completely unexplained skill. Shen Ning had no clue what it did, or even what category it fell under. But since it came bundled like a “buy-one-get-one-free” reward, she didnโt worry too much.
[All 1-Star Missions Complete. 2-Star Missions Now Unlocked! The higher the star level, the better the rewards. Come and try!]
โNot today. Next time.โ
The boost in power did wonders to extinguish her simmering rage. Shen Ning glanced at the mess in her room, stood up, and began tidying. First, she put the scattered clothes back in their bags. Then, she grabbed a few tissues and wiped her hands. The black tights she had bought were also a bit smudgedโnot something you could fix with a tissue. Time for a wash.
Well, people do say you should wash new clothes before wearing them.
The quilt, which sheโd folded and placed aside earlier, was completely unharmed. Thank goodness. As for the bedsheetโฆ Shen Ning tried wiping it down with a towel, but then made a decision:
Time to change it.
Meanwhile…
Xu Chuyao limped back to her dorm room, looking like sheโd just survived a tragic historical drama. Mi Xiaolu was terrified when she saw her and rushed over.
โWhat happened? Did she really screw you?!โ
โNot quiteโฆ but close enough.โ
Xu Chuyao collapsed onto her cozy bed and began tearfully recounting Shen Ningโs atrocitiesโdramatic language, beautiful metaphors, impeccable structure. It was a story that could move grown men to tears.
Mi Xiaolu listened sympathetically, but still had questions: โSo… what did you do to piss her off that badly?โ
โHow would I know?! I was on my best behavior, even on the way there!โ Xu Chuyao wiped away her imaginary tears, only to find her hand sticky. She grabbed a wet wipe and cleaned up before muttering, โWell… maybe at the very end I couldnโt resist and said a few honest thoughts.โ
She explained Shen Ningโs rather creative outfit choice and her innocent comment about how the “white tongue” thing looked kinda weird. โRight? It was weird, wasnโt it?โ
After hearing the whole story, Mi Xiaolu paused thoughtfully before saying, โHonestly, considering everything, Shen Ning just slapping you a few times instead of stabbing you is probably proof that she does love you.โ
โLove, my butt! That girl wouldnโt know love if it slapped her!โ Xu Chuyao flopped onto her bed. โShe slapped me for ages and didnโt even manage to knock off my panties.โ
โโฆYou donโt sound that heartbroken.โ
Mi Xiaolu finally realized her roommate had been fake-crying the whole time.
โI was crying! Just a minute agoโtears and everything!โ
Although to be fair, they might not have been tears of sadness. More like the kind that show up when youโre slapped really hard. But that didnโt matter, becauseโ500 + 200 = 700!
Including the few hundred from earlier, her Villain Points balance was now at 1250. Not far off from her next ten-roll!
When you think about it that way, this whole โFeast at Hongmenโ turned out to be quite a bargain. If there were a next time… Chuyao would definitely attend again.
After all, that dummy of a heroine still had no idea how to properly operate.
โTime for bed,โ the thunder girl yawned. โIโve got official duties in the morning.โ
She’s such a bottom omg ๐ญ