After Transmigrating into a Book, I Was Marked by the Beautiful Mad Villain - Chapter 28

When Su Mi woke up the next day, she habitually clicked on the Blackening Level.

The dark reddish-black numbers remained unchanged, still sitting at 80%.

Su Mi stared at it for a while, feeling as though the leading “8” had wobbled slightly.

She blinked; the number 80 showed no change at all.

Su Mi: An illusion?

Could it be that the system’s Blackening Level display was quite intelligent—like those old mobile phones where the app icons would tremble in fear when you were about to delete them?

Only then did she remember to check the messages on her optical computer.

…Okay?

Okay!

Su Mi hopped on the spot.

So, it wasn’t that she didn’t want to reply, but that she had been busy with work until that late hour.

Su Mi was deeply moved and replied with a teary-eyed “Okay.”

After resting for two days, the day for the graduation excursion arrived.

Loran Public School gave the graduates a very broad window for the activity, and the Anhe Mountain scenic area had been booked exclusively for two days.

Su Mi had done her research in advance.

Anhe Mountain wasn’t high. There were paths climbing up from all four sides; the main route was a wide and gentle winding mountain road, and there was also a steeper sightseeing path that followed a stream and waterfalls upward.

There were many options for activities at the summit; it was practically a large-scale entertainment club.

Looking at the reports from previous graduates, most chose the relatively gentle winding road. Even at a slow pace, it only took two or three hours to climb.

Xu Nanqiao had a tutoring job in the morning. The two of them discussed it and decided there was no need for Xu Nanqiao to reschedule. Once the tutoring ended, Su Mi would pick her up and go to Anhe Mountain together, and they would climb the mountain in the afternoon.

Once they had finished chatting, Xu Nanqiao suddenly asked, “Didn’t that classmate Ren Yue say she was coming with us too?”

Su Mi: “…”

What should I do? I already forgot.

And it seemed she didn’t have her contact information?

Thinking that Shen Han would also be going up the mountain, Su Mi’s mind went blank for a short while.

She tried hard to recall Shen Han’s behavior toward Mrs. Zhang and Ren Yue during the parent-teacher meeting a few months ago.

Actually, Shen Han seemed to treat Ren Yue alright.

Yesterday, when Shen Han saw them walking with Ren Yue, she didn’t say anything and acted as usual.

Ren Yue also said she was very familiar with Shen Han in the past and even called her “Sister Xiaohe,” so their relationship should be quite good.

Su Mi recalled Ren Yue’s mother’s somewhat philistine and overbearing attitude and guessed that Shen Han likely resented Mrs. Zhang and her attitude.

It’s just climbing a mountain… I’ll ask first.

Fortunately, she could find the traces of the deletion. After psyching herself up for a while and taking several deep breaths, she bravely pressed the “Add Friend” button.

The request was accepted very quickly.

Su Mi: Hi, I’m so sorry TAT, I think I accidentally deleted you by mistake before…

Ren Yue: [Cute Greeting Emoji]

Ren Yue sent a voice message.

In the audio, the girl’s voice was soft and slightly raspy as she said, “It’s fine as long as we’re added back. I have very few friends in my contacts, so when I got home, I was wondering if I had subconsciously deleted you myself.”

Ren Yue had a unique way of speaking; the ends of her words always trembled slightly as if she didn’t have enough breath, matching her timid personality.

Hearing the voice message, Su Mi felt even more guilty.

She proactively sent over her and Xu Nanqiao’s schedule and asked: Ren Yue, do you want to join us?

After a while, Ren Yue replied with another voice clip.

“Sure. I’ll wait for you at the foot of the mountain then, is that okay?”

So… so soft.

Su Mi became even more proactive: Where do you live? I’ll just come and pick you up.

Ren Yue sent a crying emoji.

This time in the voice message, her voice was tiny: “I live quite far away. I’ll just take the school shuttle over; there’s no need to trouble you.”

Su Mi frowned. She remembered the school shuttle’s pickup time—wasn’t it in the morning?

She asked exactly that.

Ren Yue sent an ellipsis, seemingly admitting via text with great embarrassment: I’ll be there in the morning anyway. I’ll wait for you at the foot of the mountain, and once I’ve rested enough, we can climb together. It’ll be nice :>

Su Mi processed this sentence and was suddenly incredulous.

Did Ren Yue mean that she would take the school shuttle to Anhe Mountain in the morning and wait at the foot of the mountain for them for an entire afternoon before climbing?

No… surely not?

Confused, Su Mi dithered over the keyboard for a while before tremblingly sending: Wait that long…?

Ren Yue: I promised you guys, hehe. I really want to hang out with you.

Su Mi felt as if a sword had pierced her heart.

Ren Yue was being so sincere, yet she had deleted her contact info and almost forgotten her promise to bring her along.

It was simply… simply a betrayal of trust!

Su Mi repented deeply for her actions.

But regardless, she couldn’t let such a good girl actually wait for them at the foot of the mountain for a whole morning.

She tried to coordinate, but Ren Yue seemed to have her own insistence, saying her family rules were strict and she had to take the school shuttle to Anhe Mountain.

Xu Nanqiao’s tutoring also couldn’t really be rescheduled.

Ultimately, Ren Yue took a step back, saying that perhaps she could climb up first when she arrived in the morning and choose a good camping spot on the mountain to wait for them.

Filled with guilt, Su Mi agreed.

She was already thinking about how she should compensate Ren Yue.

Although Shen Han was also going, in Su Mi’s heart, Shen Han had only agreed to participate in this graduation excursion for Xu Nanqiao’s sake.

Once they reached the mountain, she would leave some private space for Shen Han and Xu Nanqiao, and she would take Ren Yue elsewhere to play—and perhaps gather some information while she was at it.

Su Mi was clicking away on her mental abacus.

On the day of the excursion, Su Mi rested and built up her energy all morning. She changed into a light hoodie and a skirt and carried a small bag.

Inside were emergency supplies like inhibitors and some snacks for energy.

It felt like a spring outing.

After picking up Xu Nanqiao and heading to Anhe Mountain, Su Mi remembered Shen Han, who would be arriving from an unknown starting point, and said casually, “I wonder if Sister has set off yet.”

Unexpectedly, Xu Nanqiao said, “She has. She should arrive a bit earlier than us.”

Su Mi: Oh?!

These two! Private contact?!

She was hit by a wave of pleasant surprise and really wanted to ask how they had started talking about this.

Was it Shen Han who took the initiative? Or Xu Nanqiao?

She pursed her lips and glanced at Xu Nanqiao, trying hard to suppress the corners of her mouth that wanted to curl upward.

It seemed her mission progress was very good!

Su Mi was extremely satisfied.

After parking the car in the lot at the foot of the mountain, the two walked toward the entrance of the scenic area.

While registering student information at the entrance, Su Mi asked again as if unintentionally.

“Did Sister go in?”

Hearing this, Xu Nanqiao checked her optical computer and said, “Yes, she went in ten minutes ago.”

Su Mi: Excellent!

Constantly reporting coordinates—when did the villain become so proactive?

The corners of her mouth rose frantically as she said, suppressing her excitement, “Then let’s go in. We shouldn’t keep her waiting.”

There was a park-like rest area at the foot of the mountain. Xu Nanqiao even knew where Shen Han was waiting and led Su Mi toward the rest area.

Walking into the center of the rest garden, surrounded by the shade of trees, they turned a corner and saw two figures—one standing and one leaning—under a large tree.

…Wait? Two?

Su Mi blinked, looked again in disbelief, and suddenly went a bit stiff.

Why did Shen Han bring Li Zhao along too?

Under the shade of the tree, the two tall women were dressed very casually.

Li Zhao was leaning against the tree, wearing her usual wide-strap tank top and cargo pants, with her short hair tied in a small tuft. She had her arms crossed and was smiling, looking up as she talked to Shen Han.

Hearing footsteps, Shen Han turned around and looked at the two of them.

Usually, she dressed strictly in formal wear or suits, but today for the mountain climb, she was rarely dressed casually. She wore a loose shirt over a tight tank top, with the hem tied in a knot. Below, long pants covered her sneakers, making her legs look exceptionally long.

Su Mi couldn’t help but look a few extra times.

The villain usually didn’t show it… but she was actually quite well-endowed…

Wait, what was she thinking?

Her original plan was to move away after they met to leave some space for Shen Han and Xu Nanqiao to interact.

But Li Zhao was here.

Su Mi remembered how this person had teased her last time and couldn’t help but feel a bit fearful. As they approached the two, she subconsciously leaned behind Shen Han.

Only then did she greet them along with Xu Nanqiao.

Li Zhao said with a smile, “Little sister, long time no see~”

Su Mi: “…Hello, Dr. Li.”

Steeling herself, she moved back a bit further.

Li Zhao looked at her, then at Shen Han, and surprisingly didn’t say anything more. She patted the bag she was carrying. “Let’s go. If we don’t set off now, the sun will be scorching.”

They headed up the mountain along the wide winding road.

Since it was midday, there was shade all along the way. The sun wasn’t too intense, and there weren’t many people on the mountain path; the main body of graduates had already reached the summit in the morning.

As they walked, their formation became: Su Mi – Shen Han – Xu Nanqiao – Li Zhao.

At the very beginning, Xu Nanqiao was between Su Mi and Shen Han.

Shen Han was closer to Li Zhao, chatting about trivial things like the weather.

But before long, Li Zhao took a few steps forward, looked over at them, and asked with a smile, “Nanqiao, how is your mother these days? Does her head still hurt?”

So Xu Nanqiao moved closer to her and told her about Xu Rou’s condition.

Su Mi eavesdropped with her head peeking out. Li Zhao didn’t say anything specific about the illness; she just spoke simply about how to manage daily life.

She caught a few keywords: Li Zhao said she had also sent messages to Xu Rou, teaching her how to regulate her body.

Xu Nanqiao said yes, her mother had been eating according to the dietary recipes Dr. Li had given her these past few days.

Both of them had good stamina. Xu Nanqiao worked part-time frequently, and Li Zhao clearly looked like someone who enjoyed exercise. As they chatted, their pace quickened a bit.

On the other hand, Shen Han remained walking beside Su Mi.

Su Mi looked longingly at the two in front, then turned to look at Shen Han beside her.

Her own physical foundation was poor; her current steady pace of climbing already required her to constantly stabilize her breathing.

Observing Shen Han’s state, it was clear she wasn’t struggling at all.

Yet she still walked neither fast nor slow beside Su Mi, hands in her pockets, her gaze idly scanning the surrounding scenery.

Su Mi hadn’t been looking at her for long before Shen Han turned to look at her and asked, “Can you keep going?”

Su Mi: ! Of course.

It had only been half an hour. Even though she was a weakling, she wasn’t that weak.

She was just panting a little, that’s all—just a tiny bit!

She pointed at the two who were already quite far ahead and asked tentatively, “I can do it, Sister. Why don’t you walk a bit faster to catch up with them?”

After all, with Li Zhao’s personality…

They might have started by talking about Xu Rou, but who knows where the conversation would go.

Compared to her own stamina, Su Mi was more worried for Shen Han.

Although it seemed that in her interactions with Shen Han, Li Zhao was still at a disadvantage.

But Shen Han’s personality—calm as water on the surface but with surging waves beneath—was too easily undermined by someone with a personality like Li Zhao’s!

Shen Han, however, misunderstood her meaning. She paused and asked, “Should I tell them to slow down?”

Su Mi: “No, no, no, I really can keep up!”

She immediately quickened her pace a little.

After another two bends in the winding road, Xu Nanqiao and the other girl happened to stop to drink water at a rest pavilion.

After a while, Su Mi and Shen Han caught up.

Su Mi leaned on her legs and panted for a while, deciding that she must exercise her body during the summer break before university.

A bottle of water appeared before her eyes.

Looking up, Shen Han, with her cold and clear features, was looking down at her, her shirt cuffs neatly buttoned. “Take a few sips before continuing.”

Su Mi drank the water and caught her breath, and Xu Nanqiao also came over.

“We’re more than a third of the way up. This mountain isn’t high; Susu, can you still hold on?”

Su Mi: “I can.”

She smiled at Xu Nanqiao and asked, “What were you and Dr. Li talking about just now?”

Xu Nanqiao: “She was telling me about funny things that happened during past graduation excursions. Let’s walk slower in a bit so you can listen too.”

Su Mi immediately felt a pang of regret.

If only this scene of a senior student educating a junior about past anecdotes were happening with Shen Han.

Turning her head to look, Shen Han was standing silently to the side, looking at the mountain scenery.

Her profile was set against the layers of distant peaks; she was as beautiful as an ink-wash portrait.

Clutching the water bottle in her hand, Su Mi suddenly dazed off into a thought: she seemed to understand why Ren Yue wanted to call her “Sister Xiaohe.”

Looking at her appearance alone, she truly resembled a solitary, high, and cold ink crane under the brushstrokes of an ink-wash painting.

However, the villain had been strangely silent this whole way.

Could it be…

Su Mi’s gaze flicked over to Li Zhao, who was standing leisurely next to Xu Nanqiao.

The latter received her gaze and immediately sent a wink her way.

Su Mi: …Inexplicable.

She looked away and thought calmly.

Could it be that Shen Han is jealous?

After all, Shen Han had never participated in a graduation excursion, didn’t know the details of Xu Rou’s illness, couldn’t join their conversation, and still had to look after her slow-climbing “younger sister.”

She had hesitated for a long time before finally squeezing out time from her busy work to participate in this graduation excursion for a bunch of kids.

She must have been looking forward to leaving some memories with Xu Nanqiao.

But she hadn’t expected the friend she casually brought along to steal Xu Nanqiao’s attention?

The more Su Mi thought about it, the more it made sense.

Then… that was a good thing!

Jealousy was a great opportunity for Shen Han to realize the depth of her own feelings.

The only downside was that Shen Han’s internal Blackening Level was relatively high, and her heart might be fragile. If she got too jealous, would her Blackening Level increase?

Looking at Shen Han’s current silent state, she must have had enough “vinegar.”

Next, she should find an opportunity to let her and Xu Nanqiao be alone.

Thinking of this, Su Mi’s scalp felt a bit numb.

There were only four of them here.

To let Shen Han and Xu Nanqiao stay together, the only way was… to go find Li Zhao herself.

Now, here was the problem.

Last time, Shen Han had told her to stay away from Li Zhao.

If she went to Li Zhao right in front of her, would Shen Han understand her painstaking efforts to leave a world for two for her and Xu Nanqiao?

Or would she kill her?

Su Mi decided to take a gamble.

Everyone had rested enough. Shen Han stood at a corner of the pavilion and asked, “Shall we go?”

Su Mi nodded.

Then, emboldened, she moved toward Li Zhao’s side as she walked out, acting as if nothing were wrong.

She steeled herself, and her mouth had just opened to say the word “Li” when a cold fragrance approached from behind.

The hood of her clothes was caught by a force that brooked no refusal, and she was lightly pulled to one side.

Shen Han stood before her, still cold-faced and cold-eyed.

Her voice was low, but very clear.

“What did I say before?”

Su Mi: “…”

You… you have a really good memory, Sister.