“You…”
After Meng Wange finished speaking, Su Wanli, who had been feeling a bit dazed and tired, suddenly widened her eyes.
“You… You, you, you, what did you just say?”
Meng Wange blinked gently, smiled at Su Wanli, and repeated herself softly.
“Miss Su, I want you.”
“It’s not like I didn’t hear you clearly!”
Wh-what is going on?
The story’s heroine suddenly, on a romantic night, with the Ferris wheel behind her, smiles at me and says something that sounds just like a confession?
Could it be… could it be that the bottle of Luck Potion the system gave me hasn’t expired yet? Did I really have to fall three, four, five, six, seven, eight times just to save up luck for this moment?
But I can’t accept this! The system is still watching me from the side!
Right, right? My Villainess Roleplay System…
[Host, today’s tasks have all been completed. From now on, it is your free activity time. Please maintain your villainess persona. Be careful not to fall into the heroine’s trap by accident and let your Villainess Score drop below 80, or you may receive an unexpected debuff.]
Huh? That’s it? Just those two lines? Aren’t you usually so chatty? Why aren’t you saying more now? At least help me think about what I should do in this situation!
[Detected system version update in progress. Estimated duration: twelve hours. Goodbye, host. See you at tomorrow’s task.]
The system’s signature electronic voice delivered its message in a businesslike tone. Then, in Su Wanli’s mind, there was a crackling sound, as if something had powered down.
System? System!?
To think it would run away at the very moment I need instructions the most!?
“You, I, this…”
In her fluster, Su Wanli stood frozen, while Meng Wange maintained her earlier posture, smiling softly at her, quietly waiting for the girl’s response.
Right, right! Villainess persona! I’m the noble, icy eldest daughter of Sujia, and she’s just an ordinary… well, a rather pretty, heroine!
That’s right, I just need to play my part. As a dignified young lady, I have nothing to fear. I just need to face her boldly!
Su Wanli’s lips twitched mechanically. Then, stiffly, she straightened her legs, her fingertip pointing directly at Meng Wange’s nose—
“Ahem, haha, do you even know what you’re saying? I am Sujia’s eldest young lady. How could I be so easily taken away by you?”
However, Meng Wange only tilted her head slightly. Her light-colored pupils reflected the warm orange glow from the carousel nearby.
“…Not even for one hour?”
“Not even half an hour, let alone an hour…”
“Then, ten minutes should be fine, right?”
Before Su Wanli could finish, Meng Wange walked up to her and, in one swift motion, grabbed Su Wanli’s wrist.
Just as Su Wanli had pulled her off the car earlier, Meng Wange now held her hand and resolutely led her in a certain direction.
“Even ten minutes is no good! Let go of me! Where are you taking me—”
“Oh? I thought Miss Su would never go back on her word. Since you promised to give me a reward, how could you renege now?”
“But—but you were the one who didn’t want it first! How can you blame me for that!”
“That’s true, I was the one who refused at first. But I’m just your little tool, at best a rather incompetent strategist.”
Meng Wange’s eyes narrowed into slits, like a sly, beautiful fox.
“As the young lady, you can’t go back on your word. But as a tool, I can.”
How can she be like this! Isn’t the heroine supposed to be the epitome of light, greatness, and justice!?
“Despicable! Sly! If you don’t let go, I’ll kick you out of Sujia! Let go right now—”
Just as Su Wanli finally decided to seriously struggle free, Meng Wange suddenly let go obediently, then lightly stepped back two paces.
“Miss Su—”
With the massive, rainbow-colored Ferris wheel behind her, Meng Wange bent gracefully at the waist, placed her left hand over her heart, and extended her right hand toward Su Wanli.
“Please, could you spare me ten minutes of your time and accompany me to the top of the Ferris wheel?”
So that’s all it was? I thought it was something else… She just wants me to ride the Ferris wheel with her…
But she had to use such a misleading tone! Saying things like, “I want you”! Who wouldn’t be scared by that!
Breaking free from the panic of being confessed to by the heroine, Su Wanli finally calmed down and looked up at the Ferris wheel in front of her.
Come to think of it, I’ve never ridden a Ferris wheel before.
I wonder what it feels like, being lifted so far off the ground, so close to the sky.
Su Wanli quietly raised her gaze, looking up at the very top of the Ferris wheel.
One by one, the square cabins were carried by the giant ring to the highest point, then slowly descended, until they nearly touched the ground…
In my impression, things like roller coasters and pirate ships are what define an Amusement Park, but now that I think about it, a Ferris wheel this tall is pretty impressive too?
And, most importantly, standing beside me is Meng Wange, a beauty of this level. Of course I wouldn’t resist riding the Ferris wheel with her. In fact, it’s something I’d been hoping for before.
It’s just, I wonder how much my Villainess Score will fluctuate because of this…
But since the system already said this is my free time, and it’s off somewhere updating itself, what can it do to stop me?
Even if it wants to settle the score later, I can always do something villainous then to raise my score back up!
“Sigh, I really don’t get what’s so great about this thing. It just takes people up, then brings them down again. It’s basically a slow elevator. Only a country bumpkin like you would get so excited—”
Su Wanli curled her lips, shot a glance at the steel giant slowly turning ahead, and feigned helplessness as she waved her hand at Meng Wange with a sigh.
“Fine, since you’ve never been on a Ferris wheel before, I’ll accompany you just this once. Remember my kindness and make sure to pay me back later.”
As she said this, Su Wanli walked toward the staff at the base of the Ferris wheel.
“I’ve ridden things like this countless times since I was little. It’s just a bit higher up, but otherwise it’s a complete waste of time…”
Su Wanli stopped at the bottom of the Ferris wheel and waved at the staff.
“Hey, when’s the next stop? Are there any empty seats now? How much to cut the line?”
A kind staff member reminded her,
“Miss, the Ferris wheel doesn’t stop. There are empty cabins right now. Just stand at the boarding spot and get on when the time comes.”
Su Wanli’s cheeks flushed red, and she quietly turned her head—only to meet Meng Wange’s smiling face.
“…What are you laughing at! It’s just been too long since I last rode a Ferris wheel, so forgetting how to board is perfectly normal!”
“Yes, you’re absolutely right.”
Meng Wange nodded with a smile, following Su Wanli’s steps as they walked to the Ferris wheel’s boarding platform together.
Then, she took Su Wanli’s hand and nimbly hopped onto the next cabin.
That’s a bald faced lie. Ferris wheels absolutely stop. I’ve been on the Seattle one a few times and it pauses for a few moments during a single cycle for everyone to get on and off before then doing a couple rounds of normal spinning.