After Dumping the Female Lead, It's My Turn to Cry - Chapter 25

“Were you pleased by my efforts to curry favor?”

The voice was soft and melodious. The faint steam rising from the clear tea beside her hand slowly curled into the air, seemingly misting over the cheeks of the girl sitting opposite, creating a hazy veil of moisture.

It should have been a somewhat ambiguous conversation, but Ruan Yubai was so startled she practically gave herself a double chin.

Good heavens, what kind of terrifying death note announcement was this!

Based on Ruan Yubai’s years of experience reading melodramatic novels, every protagonist who clawed their way out of the mud and rose to become a powerful figure inevitably had one essential plot point:

Revenge on the scum.

During the protagonist’s painful period of struggle, there was always some despicable, slimy scum who would use countless crude methods to bully, oppress, and trample all over the protagonist, ordering them to sing their praises.

At such times, the protagonist would inevitably grit their teeth, their heart filled with venomous hatred potent enough to rival a cobra’s, yet on the surface, they would still speak softly and gently: “My lord, are you satisfied with what I have done?”

Alas, Ruan Yubai quickly took a big gulp of tea to calm her nerves. How long had it been since the start of this novel, and she had already accumulated such a high level of hatred?

She frowned as she recalled: From their first meeting, she had given the female lead a disdainful look, thrown the female lead’s new clothes into the trash right in front of her, secretly copied and distributed the female lead’s exam video to the entire school, and openly declared that she liked Nan Zhudi and would be the female lead’s rival in love.

And just a few hours ago, she had even dragged the passing female lead into a cubicle and used her own clumsy hand to cover the president’s mouth.

If that wasn’t enough, after bringing the female lead home with her, she not only prepared nothing but also lounged around like a grand lady, waiting for the female lead to cook, serve the dishes, and even bring tea to her lips playing the role of a tyrant to perfection.

Who would have thought she wasn’t a good-for-nothing? Truly, as the teacher said, everyone has their own unique shining qualities. It seemed all of Ruan Yubai’s skill points had been allocated to playing the role of a malicious villain.

Ruan Yubai: From now on, I’m no longer the slacker Ruan. Please call me the permanent holder of the Oscar for Best Villain!

The steam from the tea had vanished into Ruan Yubai’s mouth. She subconsciously rubbed her now-rounder little belly, almost able to envision the future scene where the female lead, having regained her power, would join forces with the male lead seeking revenge for his girlfriend, locking her in a room without food or water, leaving her to beg pitifully without even a grain of rice.

Revenge is one thing, but how could they not let her eat!

Shaken, Ruan Yubai pulled herself out of her desperate imagination and tentatively said to the female lead, “Next time, let the robot handle it. There’s a pre-set cooking program; it can make whatever you want.”

After a long silence, Qing Ling pushed her chair back and walked over, asking softly, “Was the food I made really that bad?”

The faint scent of freesia wasn’t strong, but amid the lingering aromas of the homely meal, it felt uniquely solitary and cold. Ruan Yubai felt like crying.

The problem was, the female lead’s cooking was delicious! Even the plating was exquisitely beautiful. Just thinking about it now made her want to shed tears of happiness, if only she hadn’t read the novel beforehand.

The simplest ingredients often require the most refined cooking methods to breathe soul into them.

Ruan Yubai: I hate this greedy pig mouth of mine!

But she couldn’t say these words directly to the female lead. Ruan Yubai raised her head and glanced at the other’s slender, elegantly curved shoulders and back before mumbling vaguely, “I’ve been eating too much lately and have a tendency to gain weight. I’m almost unable to fit into my school skirt.”

She then subtly added a compliment: “Maybe there’s something wrong with the recipe’s ingredients. The food made by our household robot is more suitable for weight loss.”

In other words, the food you, the female lead, make is delicious super delicious, incredibly delicious, so delicious that even Mr. Krabs would smash all his Krabby Patties to bits in frustration. The only problem was that she, a mere cannon-fodder supporting character, didn’t dare eat any more of it!

Hearing this, Qing Ling paused for a moment, seemingly not expecting such an answer, then let out a soft laugh. Her usually cool and distant features softened and relaxed, like a flower quietly blooming on a solitary mountain sprouting new buds, or ice melting into a meandering stream, tenderly spilling over with the warmth of spring.

Even Ruan Yubai, seeing her like this, momentarily forgot the life-and-death predicament she was facing and was utterly captivated.

The sight of this noble and radiant young girl smiling with genuine emotion was truly a heart-stirring scene. Ruan Yubai could only sigh in admiration, thinking how incredibly lucky the male lead must be to have won the heart of such a beauty.

Unfortunately, this pure appreciation was shattered by the beauty’s next words.

“You have indeed gained a little weight.”

Ruan Yubai: Damn female lead, so clueless! Don’t you know that when someone says they’ve gained weight, you’re supposed to immediately deny it three times and shower them with compliments about how cute they are?

Ruan Yubai: If telling me I’m not fat at all is just a lie, then please let me live in that false world forever!

Her puffed-up cheeks and expression of suppressed anger were simply too amusing. Qing Ling couldn’t resist the urge to reach out and pinch them. After all, pinching cheeks was one of those addictive pleasures, right up there with bubble tea and soda once you start, you can’t stop.

The girl’s cheeks were delicate and soft, perhaps because of her youth, covered with extremely fine, almost invisible fuzz. Paired with her faintly pink cheeks, she looked like a sweet and fresh peach, as if a gentle squeeze would release sweet, juicy nectar.

Ruan Yubai grew even angrier from the pinching and slapped the female lead’s hand away, warning, “So what if I’ve gained a little weight? I’m perfectly healthy! Look at your skinny arms and legs are you just jealous of my beauty?”

Of course, to be fair, Qing Ling’s figure was absolutely flawless slender and tall, with smooth lines and an athletic grace.

In contrast, while the female lead had well-defined abs, Ruan Yubai herself had a soft, pudgy belly. It was no exaggeration she often secretly pinched it at night, sighing in admiration at how every piece of meat she’d eaten had faithfully contributed to its existence.

Qing Ling wasn’t angered by having her hand slapped away. Instead, she laughed even more joyfully, unconsciously rubbing her fingertips. “Just cut back on the snacks, especially the honey dates. Don’t treat them as a meal just because they’re good for replenishing blood.”

Ruan Yubai’s hateful glare froze instantly. After a moment of confusion, it quickly turned into suspicion.

Ever since she started following the plot of that ridiculous novel, Ruan Yubai had indeed coughed up quite a bit of blood. During that period, she often felt dizzy while walking. Fortunately, since she usually walked slowly, her family and friends never noticed anything unusual.

She really was worried about becoming anemic, so she made a habit of eating honey dates regularly.

Of course, at first she treated them as medicinal supplements to nourish her blood and boost her energy. But later on, they simply became sweet little snacks. Besides, the recent novel plot had little to do with her, a mere cannon-fodder side character, so the frequency of her coughing up blood had significantly decreased. Coupled with the female lead’s occasional treats, her complexion had indeed returned to a healthy, rosy glow.

However, these were naturally not Ruan Yubai’s main concerns.

The real question was: how did the female lead know she was anemic?

Someone capable of becoming the student council president was indeed meticulous. Just by noticing the slight change in Ruan Yubai’s expression, she could guess what she was thinking: “Did you forget? I went with you for your physical exam last time.”

That explanation made sense. Ruan Yubai scratched her head, but for some reason, she still felt something was off.

Before she could figure it out, Qing Ling continued, “Or you could join me for training. Even if it’s not for the exams, you could treat it as daily exercise to improve your fitness.”

That statement instantly scared away all of Ruan Yubai’s thoughts, and her Garfield-like double chin seemed on the verge of making a comeback: “No, absolutely not!”

How do diligent people come into existence? Of course, it’s because of slackers like her serving as contrasts! If everyone in the world were hardworking, brave, and even exercised daily, how could the female lead’s all-around excellence in morals, intellect, physique, aesthetics, and labor stand out?

With so many outstanding people around, she, Ruan Yubai, would bravely sacrifice herself and willingly remain an ordinary denominator among the masses!

Unfortunately, it was clear the female lead hadn’t taken her words seriously. Instead, she raised an eyebrow and asked, “Then why do you come to the training ground to find me every day?”

That left Ruan Yubai speechless.

But come to think of it, this question reminded her of something else. Seizing the opportunity, she asked, “Would you mind if I recorded a video of you during training?”

To be honest, given Ruan Yubai’s clumsy skills, Qing Ling had noticed her secretly recording since the first time she filmed the entrance exams.

In fact, anyone with a mental strength level above B probably wouldn’t miss such a clumsy attempt. If Qing Ling hadn’t covered for her, Ruan Yubai would have long been invited to the principal’s office for a “chat.”

So Qing Ling casually replied, “Isn’t it because you like me?”

Ruan Yubai widened her eyes in shock, unable to believe someone could be so narcissistic. But when she met the female lead’s smiling gaze, she suddenly remembered her own outburst of anger in class, where she had made bold claims without thinking.

She had thought the female lead hadn’t heard. Turns out, that was the fourth great misconception of life.

Thinking of this, Ruan Yubai swallowed her words resentfully and pitifully lowered her head.

Her expression amused Qing Ling once again. Seriously, Ruan Yubai had never realized the female lead had such a strange sense of humor. But whenever she laughed, it usually meant she was in a fairly good mood.

“Just kidding,” Qing Ling subtly moved the now empty teacup aside. With the obstruction gone, her view became clearer, making the girl’s expression even more discernible. “It depends on what you want to do.”

Ruan Yubai, of course, didn’t know the details behind this, but since it had nothing to do with her villainous ambitions, she answered honestly: “Because someone didn’t believe that you and I are engaged, so I wanted to use something like this to prove it to her.”

Qing Ling’s faint smile faded slightly. “Is it because of Nan Zhu Di?”

Why does the female lead keep bringing up the male lead in every other sentence?

Ruan Yubai sighed softly. Of course, it was because of Sister Lin Yi.

However, she couldn’t exactly say that outright. When she met Qing Ling’s dark, beautiful eyes, she inexplicably didn’t want to lie.

So Ruan Yubai spoke vaguely.

“It’s because of someone I like.”

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