Damn It! I Fell for the Hated Villainess Again! - Chapter 16

Yu Tanning was equally bewildered.

Who is this person? Are they close to Jiang Yao? Oh, judging by Jiang Yao’s sour expression, probably not.

She nodded slightly in acknowledgment, picked up her lemon tea, and walked over. She gestured for Jiang Yao to scoot over and make room.

Yu Weixi watched as Jiang Yao occupied the seat she had reserved for Yu Tanning. A hint of disappointment flickered across her face.

Jiang Yao, however, felt a smug satisfaction. She accepted her drink without looking at Yu Weixi and stuck in a straw.

The drink wasn’t as refreshingly cold as she’d expected. Jiang Yao raised an eyebrow and asked Yu Tanning, “Help! Why is this room temperature?”

“Spare your stomach, friend,” Yu Tanning replied. “Getting them to make it room temperature took some serious convincing.”

Normally, Jiang Yao would have grumbled about Yu Tanning being overly fussy. But with Yu Weixi sitting nearby, driven by some inexplicable urge to show off, she kept quiet. Instead, she adopted a “how thoughtful of you” expression.

Yu Weixi watched the two interact as if no one else was around. A thought flickered through her mind. Unwilling to let it go, she seized the opportunity while Yu Tanning was on the phone. She mustered her courage, forced a smile, and nudged Jiang Yao. “Jiang-jie, do you have a moment? I need to talk to you privately about something.”

“It’s a bit urgent,” Yu Weixi added, blinking. “But I promise it won’t take up too much of your time.”

Jiang Yao paused, her straw still between her lips, and glanced sideways. “What could possibly need to be said in private?”

Remembering the dormitory transfer incident, Yu Weixi quickly reassured her. “Don’t worry, Jiang-jie. I have no ill intentions. I wouldn’t do anything to harm you.”

Yu Tanning, having finished her call, turned to look at them. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” Jiang Yao said quickly, instinctively blocking Yu Tanning’s gaze from Yu Weixi. “I’m just going to talk to this junior for a bit. I’ll be right back.”

“Don’t overthink it. It’s just college stuff.”

Jiang Yao, desperate to hide her inexplicable possessiveness from Yu Tanning, even managed a fake smile, mimicking Yu Tanning’s own practiced expression, as she followed Yu Weixi out of the stands.

Beneath the cherry blossom tree behind the stands, Yu Weixi’s knuckles turned white as she gripped the hem of her skirt. “Senior, are you and Senior Yu Tanning dating?”

Jiang Yao choked, caught completely off guard. “What are you talking about?! How could we possibly be together?!”

“Then… are you in the ambiguous stage?” Yu Weixi bit her lip. “Senior Yu Tanning looks at you differently.”

Facing the beautiful girl, Jiang Yao struggled to suppress her urge to snap. Gritting her teeth, she retorted, “Yu Tanning is straight—everyone knows that! Accusing us of being ambiguous is just spreading rumors about lesbians!”

“Senior, please don’t get so worked up,” Yu Weixi said. “I didn’t mean to slander you. At first, I also thought Senior Yu Tanning was straight, which is why I’ve never dared to confess my feelings to her since enrolling.”

Jiang Yao froze, momentarily thinking she’d misheard.

But Yu Weixi’s voice grew clearer. It gradually drowned out the wind and cheers around them.

“But ever since you and Senior Yu Tanning became roommates, she’s changed. She’s been acting very… gay.”

A cherry blossom petal landed on Jiang Yao’s nose, tickling her. She suddenly remembered the faint scent of cedar on Yu Tanning, and her throat tightened.

Yu Tanning is a lesbian?

Impossible. That “I know nothing” act—what else could it be but the cunning of a straight woman?

Recalling that detestable woman’s smooth, affectionate demeanor—even when looking at dogs—Jiang Yao ground her back teeth, turned away, and sneered, “After all this buildup, the point is you like Yu Tanning, right?”

Yu Weixi readily admitted it.

An inexplicable irritation surged through Jiang Yao. “Whatever. Are you done asking? I’m going back.”

As Jiang Yao turned to leave, Yu Weixi gasped and grabbed her sleeve. “Senior, wait! I need a small favor. I bought two tickets to Swan Lake and want to invite Senior Tanning, but I’m afraid she’ll refuse… But I believe if you go with me, she’ll definitely come!”

Jiang Yao’s ears rang. She gritted her teeth and yanked her hand free. “She’s straight! Straight! Why can’t you understand that?!”

Yu Weixi insisted, “I trust my eyes. I want to try, so I won’t have any regrets.”

Heh… Why do you think you can use me as a cover just because you like her?!

Jiang Yao turned her back to Yu Weixi, desperately trying to bury her impulsive emotions in the shadows beneath her feet. Her voice was hoarse as she said, “Helping you pursue Yu Tanning is out of the question.“

Yu Weixi took a deep breath. “Senior, do you… do you like Tanning too?”

“No!”

“Then why won’t you help me?”

Jiang Yao stared at her toes for a long moment before slowly turning her head. “There’s no law in this world that says I have to help you. Besides…”

She steadied herself, letting her selfish desires surge to the tip of her tongue. “Do you think this is some kind of fairy tale? Even if you trick someone into going out with you, it won’t end well.”

She exhaled with relief, ignoring Yu Weixi’s protests behind her, and strode away.

Back in the audience seats, Jiang Yao suddenly felt a pang of guilt.

Refusing to help Yu Weixi pursue Yu Tanning was her right, of course.

But that last remark… that was her own selfish desire.

She wanted to crush Yu Weixi’s hopes. So, she took it upon herself to decide Yu Tanning’s feelings, sealing the fate of their relationship with a bitter conclusion.

If Yu Tanning knew about my selfish motives, what would she think…?

If Yu Tanning really is a lesbian, would she be drawn to Wei Xi? Would she uncover my malicious scheme and sever ties with me, turning us into bitter enemies?

Jiang Yao’s thoughts were in turmoil. Distracted, she missed a turn. The students around her, anxious to keep their seats, whispered that her “royal VIP seat” was around the next corner.

Shifting her gaze in the right direction, Jiang Yao spotted Yu Tanning’s figure in the distance.

Wow, this woman is really popular…

She had just fended off Wei Xi, and now several boys were crowding around, offering snacks and yogurt.

Perhaps because emotions also needed time to cool down, Jiang Yao didn’t feel the same irritation watching Yu Tanning surrounded by boys as she had when Wei Xi was around.

Maybe it was because, from those boys’ perspective, Yu Tanning was straight.

But in Wei Xi’s description, Yu Tanning was a lesbian who kissed women and had sex with them…

Jiang Yao likely just couldn’t accept that Yu Tanning was a lesbian who was also with other women.

Jiang Yao was startled by her own thoughts. She froze in place like a statue, her heart pounding uncontrollably.

Yu Tanning spotted her through the crowd. She waved away her admirers and gestured across the rows.

“Hey, busy bee! Come back already. I’m bored to death without you here.”

Jiang Yao’s throat felt like it was stuffed with waterlogged cotton, unable to produce a response. She silently shuffled back to her seat.

As soon as she sat down, Yu Tanning pointed to the snacks the eager men had brought. “Boss, anything you like?”

Jiang Yao shot a vexed glance at the treats and snorted coldly. “I don’t eat things given to me by men.”

Yu Tanning wasn’t embarrassed at all. She smiled at the group of guys and said, “Thanks, guys! You can have them yourselves. And please don’t bring any more in the future. My friend doesn’t like it, and I can’t hog them in front of her.”

“Aiyo, so pampered! Senior, are you getting into yuri?” someone called out sarcastically.

“Don’t talk nonsense,” Yu Tanning replied with a faint smile. “The next match is about to start. You should all get back to your seats.”

A strange figure, like a final boss, stood guard beside the goddess. The resentment in her glare practically pierced the sunshade. Seeing this, the boys lost all interest in further flattery and scattered with forced laughter.

Jiang Yao glanced after them and asked Yu Tanning, “So popular, yet still single?”

“Dating feels like a waste of time to me,” Yu Tanning said with a smile. “Boss, are you asking because you want me to date?”

Jiang Yao grabbed her sour lemon tea and took a long sip. “Your reading comprehension skills are truly terrible, Yu Tanning.”

Remembering their conversation under the cherry blossom tree, Jiang Yao paused. She then forced out a sentence through gritted teeth to compensate for her earlier awkwardness: “You’re better off staying single. I don’t think any of the guys at Beijing University are worth it. Don’t give them the satisfaction.”

As for the girls…

Jiang Yao lowered her gaze. Her ears were burning so fiercely they nearly went numb.

Yu Tanning, if you weren’t straight, could you at least not give them the satisfaction either…?

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