Of course, on the surface it might’ve looked like Su Wanli had randomly gotten up in Meng Wange’s face just to talk tough—but that didn’t mean she’d suddenly developed a habit of picking fights for no reason overnight.
She had a perfectly rational motive: considering Meng Wange’s cooking skills were most likely far superior to hers, if she charged in and provoked her only to end up losing… her Villainess Points would take a major hit!
So, before she officially started that reckless provocation, she figured she should squeeze in a bit more value while she still had the chance.
Su Wanli braced herself and forced down the last bits of shame she should’ve already discarded.
She rose on tiptoe and leaned in close to whisper in Meng Wange’s ear—
Too close. Way too close.
She could practically feel Meng Wange’s body heat!
Before the rising tide of embarrassment could catch up to her, Su Wanli blurted out the provocative line she’d memorized, then quickly distracted herself by checking her Villainess Points.
Nice! That line alone had pushed her points to a new record high of 98, giving her plenty of buffer for what was to come.
Seeing that nearly maxed-out bar glowing brightly, Su Wanli nodded to herself in satisfaction and was about to step back from Meng Wange and get started on today’s lesson…
But in the very next second, Meng Wange—who usually brushed off her provocations with a smile—suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist.
‘Wait, what? Was she actually mad this time?’
Su Wanli’s heart jumped.
She panicked and instinctively took two steps back, trying to shake off Meng Wange’s grip.
“Wh-What are you doing, Meng Wange?! I knew you had ulterior motives! Let go of me!”
She threw out an accusation on reflex, struggling harder—but Meng Wange, despite her delicate and bookish appearance, had a surprisingly strong grip.
No matter how much Su Wanli squirmed, she couldn’t break free.
Meng Wange stayed silent.
Still gripping Su Wanli’s wrist tightly, she took a step forward, closing the distance Su Wanli had just created.
Now they were barely five centimeters apart.
She leaned down slightly and stared straight into Su Wanli’s eyes.
Su Wanli stood at around 160cm, while Meng Wange was nearly ten centimeters taller.
Her shadow loomed over Su Wanli completely, enveloping her entire presence.
Meng Wange might’ve looked like a slim, quiet girl—but at this moment, the height difference made her unexpectedly intimidating.
“…Miss Su, it seems you have a bit of a misunderstanding about me.”
As she spoke, Meng Wange’s long lashes fluttered slightly.
Her pale irises gave off a chilling, detached indifference.
“—I’ve never been a righteous person.”
Gulp.
Looking up at Meng Wange’s elegant face, Su Wanli swallowed hard.
For the first time, a trace of fear bubbled up inside her.
“You… what’s that supposed to mean?”
Sensing the fear in Su Wanli’s voice, Meng Wange’s lips curled into a faint smile.
She gently ran a fingertip down Su Wanli’s cheek and brushed a stray lock of hair from her forehead.
“Exactly what it sounds like, Miss Su.”
Meng Wange finally let go of her wrist and stepped back, stretching lazily as her tone shifted to something almost casual.
“I just wanted to let you know—I’m not someone who sticks to conventional methods. Whatever it takes to help you achieve your goals, I’m willing to try.”
***
In an instant, all that frightening pressure she gave off vanished without a trace.
“So… that’s all you were trying to say?”
Finally able to breathe again, Su Wanli patted her chest and shot Meng Wange a vicious glare.
“Hmph, so what you’re saying is—you don’t actually have any confidence that you can bring me up to mid-tier in the class within the next few days! And yet you had the nerve to claim you could definitely do it.”
Meng Wange lightly tapped her temple with her index finger and gave Su Wanli a polite smile.
“I simply chose the method I believe to be the most efficient. But if you insist, I can certainly try to teach you some basic theoretical knowledge, so that you can face the test with your own strength.”
“…”
For some reason, Su Wanli felt like Meng Wange had changed a little.
Her gaze had returned to that same polite, distant look she wore when they first met in the hallway.
‘Wait… wasn’t that exactly this time yesterday? So basically, she hasn’t changed at all!’
Su Wanli shook her head, brushing away the strange thoughts.
She gave Meng Wange a sharp snort—
“There’s no need. Just use whatever method you think is most efficient. I’m not interested in starting from scratch.”
Meng Wange nodded, as if she had expected that answer all along.
“Understood, Miss Su.”
Honestly, it didn’t matter what method was used—Su Wanli had no real interest in the integrity of the exam anyway.
If it were under normal circumstances and someone had offered her a custom-made workbook like this, Su Wanli might’ve already called them “Godfather” out of gratitude.
The only reason she provoked Meng Wange earlier was for the sake of the mission!
And yet, for some reason, Meng Wange had such a strong reaction.
‘Why was she suddenly treating Su Wanli like that…?’
Rubbing the wrist that had turned a little red from being gripped, Su Wanli turned her back to Meng Wange, quietly stuck out her tongue, and gave up on further provocation.
She flung a clean, sharp view of her back in Meng Wange’s direction.
Outside the window, the weather remained bright and sunny.
Birds chirped among the fragrant flowers.
The neatly organized desk held only one item: the notebook Meng Wange had prepared.
It lay open under the sunlight, revealing page after page of beautifully neat handwriting.
The whole scene gave Su Wanli the illusion that this was a perfect place for studying.
But she knew herself too well.
If no one was watching, even in the most perfect environment, she’d probably last two minutes before ending up in front of her computer, waiting for her game to load.
Still, even if this wasn’t the fantasy scenario of a cute girl tutoring her that she had imagined, it had been a long time since anyone supervised her like this.
It made Su Wanli feel unexpectedly… young again.
All she had to do was memorize some answers—’how hard could that be? Just watch her finish it in no time!’
***
Watching Su Wanli head toward the desk step by step, Meng Wange suddenly added a line behind her, for no apparent reason—
“Of course, if we had more time, I’d be happy to spend it with you, Miss Su.”
“If you ever want to learn—anything at all—so long as I can teach it, I’ll give you everything I’ve got.”
Su Wanli, who had just been reminiscing about her high school days, felt like something inside her had been struck.
Her breath caught for a moment without her realizing it.
But almost immediately, she snapped into character.
She did what any proper villainess would do—she spun around dramatically—
“What kind of nonsense are you spouting! Your job is to do whatever I say, when I say it—ah, ah-CHOO!”
She had meant to turn around and shoot Meng Wange a smug, taunting grin, but the sudden sneeze hit her mid-spin.
She lost her balance and plopped down clumsily in front of the desk.
“…”
To make matters worse, the back of her head hit the edge of the desk with a loud clang.
Her villainess points, which had just reached a glorious 98, immediately plummeted.
The meter dropped all the way to 92—lower than when she first started at 95.
Holding her aching head, Su Wanli finally looked at Meng Wange with a trace of true resentment in her eyes—
‘It’s all her fault… going around saying weird stuff all the time!!!’