After Dumping the Female Lead, It's My Turn to Cry - Chapter 41

By the time she reached home, Father Ruan was squinting while applying a sea silt mud mask and humming a little tune from the “Song of the Hulk.” He stopped in surprise when he saw Ruan Yubai return. “Who bullied you? Dad will go settle the score with that bastard right now!”

The girl’s eyes were swollen like peaches. Because her cheeks were so delicate, one could see the dried tear stains without even looking closely. She looked incredibly pitiful.

Ruan Yubai shook her head. She did not speak to her father, who had failed his Hulk transformation, and slipped back into her room like a soulless mummy. She felt immense regret.

Actually, this emotion had not just started when she got home. It began before her anger had even faded as she looked at the female lead, earlier than when Qing Ling coldly left the tea house, and prior to her sitting dejectedly back in her seat. She had felt remorse the very moment those out of line words left her mouth.

It was, in truth, a case of displaced anger.

Ruan Yubai did not need anyone to counsel her. She knew she had allowed bad emotions to pile up for too long. As a result, she had used the innocent female lead as a vent for her frustrations by saying such ice cold words.

Even though Ruan Yubai did not want the slot for the Super A Games, she would have to be incredibly dense not to realize how precious the opportunity was after all the recent chaos. To say that Qing Ling had just randomly assigned the slot rather than intentionally giving it to her was a claim so bold that Ruan Yubai might as well sign herself up for the Interstellar King of Humblebragging competition.

No matter how bad her mood was, how could she use such sharp words to accuse the female lead? The taste of shrimp dumplings had not even faded from her mouth, yet it was likely that no one would ever be willing to pick up a dumpling for her again.

Thinking of the crystal clear skin and tender filling of the shrimp dumplings, Ruan Yubai propped up her face defeatedly and began to cry even harder. Even the waiter who had been annoyed with her earlier could not help but feel a bit of pity, bringing her a glass of sparkling water. “It is okay. We all know you did not mean it.”

Other people knew, but the female lead did not. If there were a God of Villains in this world, Ruan Yubai would have knelt on the spot and piously begged her ancestors to manifest and plug the female lead’s ears. She was truly the trashiest villain in the world to have made such a mess of herself. Unfortunately, there is no medicine for regret in this world.

While Ruan Yubai was weeping in secret, there was a knock at the door. Father Ruan, who had washed off his Hulk mask and returned to being an ordinary human, walked in holding ice cubes to soothe her eyes. “What happened?” he asked.

“Did the usual book stall not set up today?” “Is your favorite melodramatic romance novel sold out?” “Is the grocery store stopping its stock of gummy worms?” “Did the ice cream shop run out of vanilla chocolate swirl?”

It must be said that parents know their children best. These questions were like ice picks stabbing into the heart of the Great Villain. When she heard Father Ruan tentatively ask if the shrimp dumplings at the tea house had run out, Ruan Yubai finally broke down. She wailed, “I have always wanted to ask you something.”

“Go ahead.” “Are you actually my biological father?”

Father Ruan lovingly stroked her head. “Did I not tell you long ago? Your mother and I were experiencing the rural scenery when we picked you up from a pigsty.”

Ruan Yubai’s sobbing paused. She said expressionlessly, “Last time you said it was a buy one get one free deal when you were taking out the trash.”

“Is that so?” Father Ruan scratched his head and laughed heartily. “Our family has always been quite democratic. You can choose your own place of origin.”

Ruan Yubai remained silent. Fortunately, Mother Ruan’s arrival interrupted the awkward father daughter conversation. She took the ice cubes Father Ruan had intended for Ruan Yubai’s eyes and skillfully dropped them into a glass of whiskey, which she swirled. “For the sake of our blood relation, I will give you five minutes to state your case. Speak, what is going on?”

Ruan Yubai thought to herself that she was definitely not their biological daughter.

Perhaps influenced by Mother Ruan’s calm aura, Ruan Yubai wiped her face with a tissue and forced herself to calm down. “I have a friend,” she began.

The moment the five minutes were up, Mother Ruan finished her last sip of whiskey and nodded. “So, because of your own emotions, you said some unpleasant things and hurt the feelings of someone who actually cares about you.”

Ruan Yubai corrected her. “It was a friend of mine.” Mother Ruan replied, “Fine, it was your friend.”

Looking into Mother Ruan’s sharp eyes, Ruan Yubai knew her friend theory was not fooling anyone. She sighed softly and hesitated. “I know I have done her wrong and should apologize, but,” she bit her lip and lowered her head, falling silent.

However, Mother Ruan did not press her. She said calmly, “Then do not apologize.”

“What?” Ruan Yubai’s eyes widened in shock.

“Your father and I taught you from a young age to apologize sincerely when you are wrong, not because of some traditional virtue, but because we hope you can please yourself. Doing something wrong creates guilt. Whether you use words to apologize or money to compensate, the essence is to eliminate your own inner guilt. If you feel you have not done anything wrong and only want to back down because of outside judgment, and the resulting unhappiness far outweighs the pleasure, then do not apologize,” Mother Ruan said placidly. “Child, do not follow the rules others have taught you. Your own happiness is the most important thing.”

Ruan Yubai swallowed. “According to that logic, if a murderer does not feel guilty and thinks killing is the right thing to do, should they also be exempt from punishment?”

Truthfully, while Ruan Yubai wanted to be a villain, she had never considered proactively killing anyone. She thought dejectedly that she really was a disqualified villain and that her mother was better suited for the role.

Mother Ruan shook her head. “If a person kills someone according to their own principles, then others can use that same motto to erase his existence. Live the way you like and be willing to bear the consequences of every choice you make. That is what your father and I expect of you.”

At this time, Ruan Yubai did not quite understand, but she was deeply shaken. “If you say things like that, are you not afraid I will actually kill someone one day?”

Although the current Ruan Yubai would not choose to do so, the progression of the novel’s plot had pushed her to the brink of collapse. Sometimes at night, she could not help but think that if the day came for her to die, she might as well take a watermelon knife and perish together with the male and female leads.

But Mother Ruan did not show any irritation. She gave a rare, gentle smile. “You are my child. Of course I know what kind of person you are.”

Ruan Yubai curled her lip. She did not even know what kind of person she was. After today, she realized she was just a silly goose. “I think I will choose to apologize,” she whispered.

Mother Ruan and Father Ruan looked at each other and smiled. They stood up and went downstairs.

Lying in bed, Ruan Yubai rolled ice cubes across her face. How was she supposed to apologize? Was she supposed to carry birch branches on her back and beg for forgiveness? Unlike the magnanimous characters of history, the female lead was actually capable of whipping her. Recalling Qing Ling’s pensive gaze, Ruan Yubai shuddered and buried herself in the covers.

The next morning was agonizing. Looking at her slightly pale reflection in the mirror, Ruan Yubai touched her head awkwardly. She picked up a blush brush but then decisively took the makeup remover and wiped away her rosy complexion. She used a lipstick shade that did not suit her to make herself look even more haggard. She told herself this was not a tactic, she just did not want to waste cosmetics.

As Ruan Yubai walked toward the student council office, she was worried she would face obstacles. To her surprise, the members stepped aside to let her through. “The President is in her office. Just go straight after reaching the top floor,” one said.

Ruan Yubai thanked them and stepped into the elevator. She felt an even more indescribable sense of guilt. The female lead truly was the eldest Miss of the Qing family. Even after how Ruan Yubai had treated her, she did not make things difficult.

Holding onto a light fantasy, Ruan Yubai gently knocked and entered the room. However, the moment she saw the girl sitting there quietly, her heart sank. The President on the top floor and the Ms. Qing in her home were two different entities. The girl in the uniform looked elegant and pure. Ruan Yubai felt the urge to retreat.

Qing Ling seemed not to notice this. Her expression was flat. “Sit,” she said.

She pushed over a cup of freshly brewed tea. Ruan Yubai was stiff. After drinking the tea, she pushed her homework forward. “It is very good, thank you.”

Qing Ling took the papers and uncapped her pen, saying no more. Ruan Yubai observed her silently but then awkwardly shifted her gaze. She felt restless and drank cup after cup of tea until she had finished the water in the pot.

“Um,” Ruan Yubai spoke up softly. Qing Ling stopped her pen and looked over. Her dark eyes were like obsidian. Seeing Ruan Yubai avoid eye contact, she pursed her lips. “If being in the same room with me is so uncomfortable, you can go back first.”

“Can I use your restroom? I really cannot hold it anymore. I drank too much tea just now,” Ruan Yubai interrupted.

Three minutes later, Ruan Yubai was pacing in the restroom. Her physiological problem was solved, but her psychological problem had worsened. She splashed her face with cold water to calm down. When she walked back, she did not dare look the female lead in the eye.

Qing Ling’s expression had softened a bit. She pushed the graded papers back. “Based on your current grades, entering Class B after the placement exam will not be a problem. I can guarantee that.”

“That is the other thing I wanted to talk to you about.” Qing Ling pulled out a file folder. “I used my authority to look at your papers from that year. Not just Class B, your scores would have been among the top even in Class A.”

Ruan Yubai looked at the test paper. She did not know whether she should be more surprised by the score or the nonchalant way the female lead described using her authority.

Qing Ling continued calmly, “Your grades were tampered with. While I cannot guarantee it one hundred percent, I can do my best to help you investigate this matter. Ms. Ruan, do you need me to?”

Her words carried a slight hint of enticement. Ruan Yubai fell into deeper guilt. Is the female lead being a bit too good to her? Ruan Yubai decisively shook her head. “I am already very thankful that you were able to investigate this much for me. Since we are having a new placement exam anyway, I do not plan to pursue what happened in the past.”

She said those words while her heart was bleeding. She wanted to investigate, but she also understood that such a result implied a student with a deeper background had tampered with things. She did not want the female lead to cough up blood on her account again.

“Yesterday afternoon,” Ruan Yubai hesitated.

Unexpectedly, Qing Ling replied flatly, “Yesterday afternoon was indeed an intrusion on my part. It was inappropriate to comment on your relationship from an outsider’s perspective. I did not respect you, and for that, I am sorry.”

“Like you said, we will dissolve the engagement after graduation. Is that acceptable?” Qing Ling asked. She even politely handed over the papers. “I will speak with your mother and have her help you restore your forum functions. You have worked hard during this time.”

Logically speaking, Ruan Yubai should have felt relieved. But looking at the female lead, Ruan Yubai felt unhappy. She curled her lips into a smile that looked worse than crying.

Ruan Yubai did not want to trouble her anymore. “Also, about the Super A Games slot, I want to transfer it to a student who needs it more. It would be a waste if I went.”

“Who do you want to give it to? Student Lin Yi?” Qing Ling asked.

Ruan Yubai froze. She had originally wanted to give it to Tu Xinyao, but she suddenly remembered the other person no longer needed it. To Qing Ling, that stunned expression was an undeniable admission.

Qing Ling closed her eyes slightly. When she opened them again, she had returned to her former indifference. “The rules for the Super A Games were decided by the committee. As an ordinary friend, I do not suggest you do this. If you insist, then I am sorry. From the perspective of the President, I can only report this matter to the committee.”

Ruan Yubai was completely stunned.

Qing Ling turned her gaze back to her documents. Her posture was even colder than when they first met. “Please close the door on your way out. Thank you.”

Ruan Yubai walked out as if sleepwalking. It was not until she was in the elevator that she furrowed her brows. If she remembered correctly, that signature pen in Qing Ling’s hand belonged to her.

That bastard female lead was using her pen to threaten her! All emotions like guilt and remorse vanished. Her fur was now standing on end from anger.

If you will not let me swap it, then fine! She would use her own wisdom to mock the female lead in the jungle. She would let this bastard female lead see what a real Great Villain looked like!

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