Daily Life of a Villain at Work [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 29

Chapter 29: The Sixth Day the Protagonist’s Heart Fluttered Wildly~

The moment she felt her ear being bitten, Chu Ke jerked violently. Her hand squeezed so hard she nearly caused the bag of soy milk to explode.

“Ah? What?” Chu Ke’s mind went completely blank, with only one sentence flashing wildly across her brain like a scrolling marquee:

Wen Qingyun bit my ear! Wen Qingyun bit my ear!! Wen Qingyun bit my ear!!!

In less than three seconds, Chu Ke’s entire head turned beet red, her speed of color-changing rivaling that of a chameleon.

“I said, it’s not my fault, and it’s not your fault. The ones at fault are other people. Did you hear me, Comrade Chu Ke?” Wen Qingyun spoke right into Chu Ke’s ear.

Noticing that Chu Ke’s neck, ears, and face were all flushed, Wen Qingyun let out an unceremonious laugh. Her warm breath once again brushed against Chu Ke’s crimson ear.

“Why is your face so red, Comrade Chu Ke? You couldn’t possibly be shy, could you?” Wen Qingyun had no intention of letting her off the hook. After pulling back to create some distance, she even whipped out her phone to take a photo of the moment.

Hearing the undisguised sound of the camera shutter, Chu Ke blinked hard, struggling to force her dizzy brain back into a functioning state.

“N-No.” The power of language felt particularly weak at this moment. Chu Ke swallowed hard and used her last shred of logic to reply, “I know. It’s not our fault. It’s other people’s fault.”

“Exactly. That’s the spirit.” Wen Qingyun nodded in approval. She casually sent the photo she had just taken to her “File Transfer Assistant” for backup and future use.

Having finished teasing Chu Ke, Wen Qingyun pulled out her phone to surf the web, sparing the already “overheated” Chu Ke from any further critical hits.

Even so, Chu Ke couldn’t recover immediately. She could only take one bite after another of her unfinished bun, her mind a chaotic mess of emotions that she couldn’t untangle.

Wen Qingyun bit my ear! What does this mean? Does it mean she likes me even just a little bit?

If she didn’t like me at least a little, how could she bite my ear?

Chu Ke quickly finished the red bean bun and then unscrewed the two-yuan bag of soy milk, gulping it down.

Why did Wen Qingyun bite my ear? When she saw me blushing, did she see through the feelings I’ve hidden in my heart?

She teased me for being shy—does that mean she actually suspects something?

The 200ml bag of soy milk soon hit the bottom, but Chu Ke’s head remained a noisy mess. Countless guesses darted around her mind, making her emotions swing between lows and highs in a way that was truly torturous.

Fortunately, as she thought, the flush on her face gradually faded, sparing her from having to greet the school guards with a bright red face.

“Chu Ke, you’re here! I saved a parking spot for you right under the administrative building. You can drive straight in,” the guard greeted her with a smile.

Chu Ke replied politely and began directing the driver toward the spot. The inner turmoil of the previous night did not prevent her from handling the school logistics properly.

Before the car had even come to a full stop, two female teachers in blazers stepped forward to greet them. As soon as Wen Qingyun and Chu Ke stepped out, they were each handed a bouquet of fresh flowers.

“Ms. Wen, Ms. Chu, a very warm welcome to our school.” The younger-looking teacher was all smiles. “I am the Dean of Students, Wang Qian. And this is our Vice Principal, Principal Lu.”

“Hello, Principal Lu. Hello, Dean Wang.” Wen Qingyun also offered a smile, holding her flowers as she shook their hands in turn.

“I’ve arranged seats for both of you on the rostrum. If we head over now, we’ll be just in time for the opening ceremony,” Principal Lu said warmly.

The leadership of Hope Middle School was beyond thrilled by Wen Qingyun’s arrival. If Chu Ke hadn’t repeatedly emphasized that Wen Qingyun wanted to keep a low profile, they would have probably put up a massive banner in bold letters.

“Then I’ll trouble you two to lead the way.” Wen Qingyun’s smile remained constant; she was well-accustomed to this level of enthusiasm.

The uncomfortable one was Chu Ke. She had originally intended to stay in the back to continue adjusting her mood. However, Dean Wang was exceptionally proactive, insisting on pulling her along to walk side-by-side with Wen Qingyun, effectively blocking her path to retreat.

Hope Middle School had been established at the end of the last century. Half of its funding came from various kind-hearted donors, and the other half from local government grants. Most of the students here came from remote mountain villages, like Shishu Village and the surrounding areas, where parents owned no property in the county town.

Considering the distance between the students and their homes, the school provided dormitories. The housing fee per semester was a symbolic one hundred yuan. While the teaching resources were limited, the students here were hardworking and ambitious; more than half usually managed to get into the county’s key high schools.

Last year, of the three students in the county who got into Tsinghua University, one had attended middle school here at Hope. Principal Lu shared all of this in less than five minutes, her voice brimming with pride when mentioning the students.

Wen Qingyun listened intently. She felt a sense of familiarity from the two teachers. To some extent, they were the same type of person as Chu Ke—all working hard for their beliefs and ideals.

When they reached the rostrum, Wen Qingyun shook hands with the Principal, the Party Secretary, and several other grade deans before being invited to sit in the central seat. She made a polite gesture of refusal once, but seeing their sincere attitude, she sat down gracefully in the center position.

There was originally a seat for Chu Ke on the rostrum as well, but she was too embarrassed. She felt that since the supplies donated to the students didn’t come from her own pocket, she should just stand to the side.

The opening ceremony was simple. The classes entered in order, marching in formations while shouting their unique class slogans as they passed the rostrum. This was followed by the flag-raising ceremony and the national anthem. The host introduced the various school leaders, followed by the oath-taking by the referee and student-athlete representatives.

Wen Qingyun’s popularity was immense; she frequently topped the trending searches. She was quite well-known even among middle schoolers. Consequently, during the host’s introduction, they skipped a detailed bio and simply referred to her as “Ms. Wen, here to observe the games.”

However, most of the students who had received the donated supplies guessed her identity. They looked excited, eagerly anticipating their meeting with her after the ceremony.

To be honest, such an opening ceremony was a bit boring for Wen Qingyun, but she was in a comfortable position to be generous. Plus, the children’s innocent faces were quite cute, so she held out for over half an hour until the ceremony ended.

This hour finally allowed Chu Ke to return to her normal state. She successfully took over from Principal Lu, filling Wen Qingyun in on the specific situations of some of the students.

There were 103 students at Hope Middle School receiving aid, accounting for about one-eighth of the total student body.

“There are 875 students in total: 509 girls and 366 boys,” Chu Ke said. “Some students have events today. To avoid disrupting them, we’ve scheduled two meetings—one around 10:00 AM and the second at 3:00 PM.”

“Would you like to walk around elsewhere first? It’s exactly 9:00 AM, about an hour before the meeting,” Chu Ke asked.

“If Ms. Wen doesn’t mind, you could sit in the library for a bit, or visit the teaching building. The latest round of blackboard newspapers is being judged,” Principal Lu added.

“Around 9:30, there’s the 4x100m relay. You could watch that too. We have a few kids this year with exceptional stamina—their form is great and they’re very fast,” Dean Wang suggested.

Wen Qingyun nodded and turned to Chu Ke. “Chu Ke, where do you think I should go?”

Chu Ke’s fingers tightened slightly at her side. “How about we check out the blackboard newspapers in the teaching building first?”

“Sure.” Wen Qingyun agreed instantly.

Noticing that Chu Ke was about to create a one-meter gap between them, Wen Qingyun stepped forward and grabbed her wrist.

“Principal Lu, Dean Wang, I’ll just wander around with Chu Ke for a bit. We’ll meet again at ten,” Wen Qingyun said with a smile.

The two teachers naturally had no objection. They had been following along purely out of concern that a meager welcome might slight Wen Qingyun. Once she expressed her desire to wander alone, they left promptly to give her the best experience.

Xiao Si and the other bodyguards had received their orders before departing. Since getting out of the car, they followed at a discreet distance, keeping their presence minimal.

Thus, after the teachers left, it became “alone time” for Wen Qingyun and Chu Ke. For a moment, it felt as if they were the only two people on campus.

After the “critical hit” of the ear-biting, the simple hand-holding didn’t make Chu Ke blush, though it did make her steps slightly stiff. As they reached the second floor of the teaching building, Chu Ke couldn’t wait to start her introduction to mask her inner nervousness.

“The theme for this issue of the blackboard newspaper is National Defense Education. It introduces the army, navy, and air force, and also has sections commemorating history and honoring martyrs.”

“The second floor is for Grade 7, the third for Grade 8, and the fourth for Grade 9. Each grade has five to six classes.”

“During the two days of the sports meet, students are generally not allowed to stay in the classrooms. They are required to take their stools to the playground to watch the games.”

Wen Qingyun listened patiently for a while. Noticing that Chu Ke’s speech was becoming more fluent, she suddenly stopped walking. Chu Ke, held by the wrist, also stopped and reflexively looked back.

“Chu Ke,” Wen Qingyun called out in her usual tone.

“Yes?” Chu Ke’s body stiffened, her nerves instantly on edge. “What is it?”

“I feel like you’re being a bit strange today,” Wen Qingyun said, looking troubled. “Did I do something inappropriate?”

“No, you didn’t do anything wrong.” Chu Ke’s throat moved. “It’s just that my own state isn’t very good. I’m sorry.”

“What are you sorry for?” Wen Qingyun let go of Chu Ke’s wrist and spoke with a hint of dissatisfaction. “I’ve noticed that whenever we meet, you’re either apologizing or saying ‘sorry’.”

“Is it that our vibes don’t match? Do you always make mistakes as soon as I show up?” Wen Qingyun complained. “Back in Shishu Village, you weren’t like this.”

“I…” Chu Ke opened her mouth, wanting to explain but not knowing what to say.

In Shishu Village, Chu Ke had simply treated Wen Qingyun as a public figure to be coddled. It wasn’t until the other was about to leave that Chu Ke realized she had different feelings for her. And now? Chu Ke knew exactly what those feelings meant. How could she go back to the way things were?

“What’s wrong? Did I say something wrong?” Wen Qingyun tilted her head, waiting for an explanation.

“I’ve been busy with work lately, and I’m just not in a good state. I’m very…” Chu Ke swallowed the word “sorry” and then fell silent again.

“You’re not still hung up on yesterday’s matter, are you?” Wen Qingyun’s tone softened as she comforted Chu Ke. “I told you, it’s not your fault. You don’t need to blame yourself.”

Wen Qingyun: “Besides, I’ve already thought about this carefully and came up with a good solution.”

“What solution?” Chu Ke asked instinctively.

“You’ll find out soon. It’s a secret for now.” A relaxed smile returned to Wen Qingyun’s face. She stepped forward and draped an arm over Chu Ke’s neck in a friendly manner. “Alright, forget about that. Just walk with me around the school.”

“You’ve been to this school many times, haven’t you?” Wen Qingyun asked.

“Yes. Many children from the village go to school here. I come to see them whenever I’m free, and sometimes I help the parents deliver things to them,” Chu Ke replied properly as she was led forward.

Wen Qingyun gave an “oh.” “Do you know every student here?”

Chu Ke shook her head. “Not quite. I recognize about a hundred. Occasionally, I still get their names mixed up.”

“That’s still impressive. A class only has about fifty students. If you know a hundred, that’s two whole classes worth of students.”

Wen Qingyun took the initiative to change the subject, and Chu Ke played along, talking about other things. They chatted back and forth, and things seemed to be going well. Even when meeting the students, Chu Ke was able to stand beside Wen Qingyun with a smile, cooperating for photos.

Only Chu Ke knew how much trepidation and unease filled her heart during all of this.

Why hasn’t the paper window that is almost pierced been broken? Is the person outside resisting seeing the scene inside?

Is Wen Qingyun seeing through me but staying silent? Is she tactfully rejecting me?

Or am I overinterpreting? Perhaps the person outside the window has never even had such a thought. Maybe she doesn’t care at all about what she’d see after piercing the paper?

That made sense. Wen Qingyun was a superstar. Countless people loved her. Under any random post, there would be crowds clamoring to be with her.

Chu Ke’s mind was in total disarray, but she stopped showing any clues. Instead, she entered her professional work mode, completing the tasks step-by-step as she had rehearsed in her mind.

Accompanying Wen Qingyun around the school, meeting students, listening to school leadership meetings, and viewing the school’s wall of honor.

It wasn’t until she heard Wen Qingyun announce a one-million-yuan donation in both their names that Chu Ke snapped out of her daze and looked at her in confusion and shock.

“What did you say?” Chu Ke’s gaze was vacant.

“I want to donate one million yuan to Hope Middle School in both our names, to be used for purchasing teaching supplies,” Wen Qingyun repeated patiently.

Turning to meet Principal Lu’s ecstatic gaze, Wen Qingyun smiled. “In a few days, I’ll post some photos with the students on my personal social media. This shouldn’t interfere with the school’s teaching work, right?”

“No, no, of course not! I will coordinate with the students. It won’t affect us.” Principal Lu’s eyes were shining as she excitedly grabbed Wen Qingyun’s hand. “Thank you so much, Ms. Wen. On behalf of all the students, I thank you!”

Principal Lu started to bow, but Wen Qingyun reacted quickly, catching her by the shoulders to pull her up.

“When I post the photos, I’ll mention the custom stationery I sent the students previously.” Wen Qingyun’s smile remained steady. “Yesterday, I wandered near other schools and saw some scenes I didn’t want to see.”

“Those were prepared for specific children. I hope they use them well and don’t let my heart go to waste.”

Principal Lu froze for a moment, then quickly understood the meaningful look in Wen Qingyun’s eyes. “I will emphasize this point. The children here are all good; they won’t do anything thoughtless.”

Wen Qingyun smiled. “With Principal Lu’s words, I’m relieved. I hope every child here can have a better future.”

“They certainly will. They are all good kids,” Principal Lu emphasized.

Once the donation plan was settled in a few sentences, Chu Ke finally reacted. She spoke weakly, “I didn’t contribute to this. There’s no need to include my name.”

“Of course there is. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be here.” Wen Qingyun let go of Principal Lu’s hand and patted Chu Ke’s shoulder.

“By the way, I actually have another task here. I want to see the specific files of those five hundred children,” Wen Qingyun said, not caring that others were present.

“If they meet the criteria for the Wangyue Charity Foundation, the foundation is willing to sponsor them one-on-one, potentially up to their university graduation.”

“I’ve already coordinated with the foundation. There will be five hundred such slots.”

Chu Ke was stunned, as were the school leaders. Sponsoring a child until graduation is no small expense, let alone five hundred children.

“Wangyue Charity Foundation… is that the one founded by Ms. Wen Feishi?” Dean Wang suddenly spoke excitedly. “The famous patriotic entrepreneur who brought back a massive amount of foreign exchange to the country when it was needed most! The head of the Red Stone Group!”

Dean Wang grew more excited as she spoke. “When I was in high school, I was a recipient of that foundation! My tuition and living expenses for my first year of university were sponsored by them!”

“Originally, the foundation was going to support me until graduation, but I had a part-time tutoring job then, plus national scholarships and subsidies…”

Recollecting the most respected figure in her heart, Dean Wang’s eyes grew brighter as she looked at Wen Qingyun. A guess close to the truth surfaced in her mind.

“Ms. Wen, may… may I ask what your relationship is to Ms. Wen Feishi?” Dean Wang asked expectantly.

“Well, she’s my mother. We’re mother and daughter.” Wen Qingyun blinked. She hadn’t expected to find a superfan of her mother among the school leaders.

“That’s wonderful! Truly a child of Ms. Wen Feishi. You really have inherited her spirit.” Dean Wang’s eyes were full of tears.

“Sorry, I lost my composure.” Dean Wang quickly wiped her tears with her sleeve. “How is Ms. Wen Feishi lately? I’ve always wanted to express my gratitude to her, but never had the chance.”

Wen Qingyun hurried to reply: “She’s in great shape! She has a very regular routine, her health is excellent—her medical check-up stats are healthier than mine, and she even has abs!”

After calming down, Dean Wang belatedly started to blush, but she insisted on staying. She treated Wen Qingyun with an even softer, gentler attitude, speaking quietly as if afraid a loud voice might scare her away.

Seeing the “maternal” look in the eyes of Dean Wang (who was only five years older than her), Wen Qingyun gave up on teasing Chu Ke. After getting the school’s official bank account, she led her group away at high speed.

Once the car left Hope Middle School, Wen Qingyun let out a long breath and wiped non-existent sweat from her forehead.

“Wen Qingyun.” Chu Ke, who had been silent until now, spoke in a small voice.

Wen Qingyun, whose hearing was sharp, easily caught it, but she pretended not to hear and kept looking out the window.

“Wen Qingyun,” Chu Ke repeated, louder this time.

“Yes?” Wen Qingyun turned back this time and looked at Chu Ke.

“Why did you donate to the school in my name? I clearly did nothing.” Chu Ke looked up slightly as she asked.

Wen Qingyun raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t I say it already? Because you are the one who brought me here.”

Chu Ke seemed to summon all her courage and asked, “Is the only reason you came here is because of me?”

“Yes, only because of you.” Wen Qingyun smiled.

Chu Ke: “Then… can I believe that I am a special existence in your heart?”

“Hmm?” Wen Qingyun played dumb, looking puzzled. “What counts as special? Among my friends, only you live here. Does that count as special?”

“No. I want to know if I am an even more special existence.” Chu Ke looked like she was going all out; she couldn’t stand the agony anymore.

The feeling of the person you love being right in front of you while you have to pretend to be a friend was far, far too terrible. Not to mention the other party frequently giving hints and doing things that caused misunderstandings, making delusions and cravings constantly sprout—making her feel that as long as she took the initiative, a story would happen.

Chu Ke thought her self-control was decent, but she had reached her limit. Her disguise was completely shattered. She wasn’t sure if there would be another chance to see her after this goodbye.

If she didn’t seize the time to do something now, would she lose something forever?

Chu Ke staked all her courage on these words: “Wen Qingyun, I like you. Can you give me a chance to pursue you?”

Then, in the next second, she lost her nerve and pleaded humbly:

“I’ll be very obedient. I’ll do whatever you want. I don’t need the relationship to be public, and I don’t need you to do anything. Just… just allow me to like you.”

“That would be enough. Is that okay?”