Damn It! I Fell for the Hated Villainess Again! - Chapter 17

“Why don’t I want my friend to date?”

“What’s wrong with not wanting my friend to be gay?”

“How to tell if a straight girl is actually a closeted lesbian?”

“Are bisexuals really that awful?”

The search bar filled with words, only to be deleted and rewritten repeatedly. Yet, no clear question was ever successfully sent.

Jiang Yao stared blankly at the search bar. Her fingers mechanically typed and deleted. Her wrist was growing stiff.

Ever since the fun sports day, Jiang Yao had regressed to her teenage years. Her mind swirled with vague yet intense curiosity about “love.” Whenever she had a moment to spare, her thoughts were filled with pink bubbles.

She couldn’t understand her own feelings, especially her feelings for Yu Tanning.

Do I like Yu Tanning?

Probably not. I’m just too possessive.

Jiang Yao knew herself well enough to admit that her possessiveness had reached an unhealthy extreme.

Whether it was family, friends, or pets, she needed to feel like the “only one” in their affections. If she couldn’t have that, she’d walk away.

Her childhood dog had learned this the hard way. After fawning over a guest for too long and accidentally learning to shake hands—a trick it had never mastered in eight years—Jiang Yao packed up the dog and its bed that very night and gave it away to someone else.

Jiang Yao simply couldn’t tolerate any form of “third party” in her life.

Online jokes about “the eldest daughter of the family” being possessive were just that—jokes. But Jiang Yao couldn’t play the role of the eldest daughter in friendships; she was the real deal, the kind who would actually turn dark, the kind who would crawl into the shadows.

After graduating from elementary school, to avoid the cliché of a love triangle, Jiang Yao became a loner. Her personality grew increasingly withdrawn. That is, until she met the relentlessly persistent Yu Tanning.

For Jiang Yao, the queen of contradictions, Yu Tanning was the perfect friend: always orbiting her, impossible to push away, with a clear sense of boundaries yet strong and capable in her own right.

Jiang Yao was perfectly content with their existing relationship. Yu Tanning was the only person she had ever truly connected with. Sharing Yu Tanning’s attention with anyone else felt like forcing her to end their friendship.

“Not getting” something was always easier to accept than “losing” it.

What would happen if Yu Tanning got a boyfriend? Could they still be friends like before?

Jiang Yao could temporarily dismiss a boyfriend as irrelevant. But a girlfriend…

She would feel like a ten-thousand-volt “best friend bitch,” clinging to Yu Tanning’s side.

Deliberately maintaining distance was the beginning of estrangement.

Jiang Yao didn’t want their friendship to end so poorly.

But she knew she was being selfish.

A heavy pat on her back jolted Jiang Yao out of her reverie. Professor Peng broke through her pensive mood. “Hiding out here? The models are about to go on stage. Shouldn’t you be checking the final details of the outfits?”

Jiang Yao’s eyelashes fluttered as she pressed the power button on her phone, turning off the screen.

Today was the opening day of the Beijing City University Fashion Design Competition. Whether she could escape poverty and achieve success depended entirely on the compatibility of her birth chart with the judges’ and whether she would clash with them.

Jiang Yao had already inspected Li An’an and the outfits countless times, leaving no detail overlooked. But whenever she had downtime, she was tormented by a whirlwind of emotions. Reluctantly, she yielded to Professor Peng’s nagging and rose to move toward the models’ lounge.

Professor Peng called out worriedly from behind, “Jiang Yao, you’ve been so distracted lately. Are you worried about the online voting?”

The online voting, as the name suggested, was a public vote that accounted for 30% of the competition’s total score. While the percentage wasn’t overwhelming, a significant gap between her score and her competitors’ could still sting.

Jiang Yao wondered which troublemaker on the judging panel had come up with this idea, as if deliberately targeting her, the most hated and universally despised figure on the internet.

She shook her head, then nodded quickly, as if afraid of giving herself away. “Ah, yes, that’s it. I’m terrified the online voters will give me negative points.”

Your expression clearly shows you’re not afraid at all.

Professor Peng was speechless, but also relieved. “If anyone dares give you a negative score, I’ll tie up the judges myself to clear the way for my beloved disciple!”

“Alright, stop wearing that bitter gourd face like you’ve just been dumped. If you keep looking like that, the gold medal will run the other way!”

“That’s not true!”

Professor Peng narrowed his eyes. “Could it be that girl from the Department of Finance? Oh, right, why didn’t she come to watch your competition? Are you upset about that?”

Jiang Yao’s trigger words had been activated, and she immediately exploded. “Professor, you can’t tease your students like that! Do you even want your end-of-semester evaluations?!”

“Aiyo, you’re bringing up the evaluations now? My dear disciple, you can’t take a joke, can you? I’m scared of you now.”

Professor Peng knew Jiang Yao’s stubbornness well. Seeing her reaction, he understood everything perfectly. He left with a knowing, aunt-like smile.

Spring has truly arrived. Even the Queen of Stubbornness is falling in love! How rare! I’ll have to exchange intel with my colleagues at the School of Economics and Management when I get back!

As thunderous applause erupted, the fashion competition officially began.

Spotlights pierced the darkness, transforming the runway into a flowing river of stars. Models glided onto the stage to the rhythm of the drums, showcasing dresses and gowns of wildly diverse styles.

Eight live-streaming cameras surrounded the runway, capturing every flutter of fabric and transmitting it in real-time to nine million viewers.

The competition’s live stream also featured a comment section.

Amidst the awe and admiration, viewers didn’t forget to take jabs at Jiang Yao.

[These designs are all so incredible! Oh my god, please don’t let such brilliance come from that annoying Jiang Yao!]

[Why can’t this competition have a background check and just disqualify Jiang Yao?]

[Didn’t they say there would be an online voting phase? Why aren’t the designers’ names being displayed? This is just making it easier for Jiang Yao!]

[The judges said some designers have too much online fame, which could bias the voting, so they’re hiding the names…]

[Jiang Yao really lucked out! I hate it! I want to vote her out, but I’m afraid of accidentally hurting my friends.]

[Don’t panic, fellow Daoist! I’ll cast a divination array and figure out which design is Jiang Yao’s!]

[Haha, hurry up and calculate! Don’t let Jiang Yao get away with this!]

********

The live stream chat scrolled furiously. Suddenly, a mysterious purple flashed across the screen. As the “Rabbit” model tore off her mask, stepping to the drumbeat to reveal her sharp edges, waves of excitement rippled through the audience and the live stream chat alike.

[Holy shit! Holy shit! Is that Little Tanhua? Meibao! Aaaah! She’s so cute and badass! I’m dying! Camera, please focus on Meibao!]

[Who had the vision to pick our Meibao as the model?! Oh my god! I’d call this designer “Mother”!]

[This outfit is incredible! It perfectly captures Meibao’s aura while boldly showcasing the strength of a powerful woman! Who said rabbits are just symbols of docile wives? This is clearly a cunning, top-tier predator!]

[I’m not watching the rest. I’m voting for this one!]

[Count me in! Voted!]

[Same!]

[Um, sisters… what if Jiang Yao designed this…?]

[“Impossible! A mere decorative vase couldn’t have such a cutting-edge design concept. If she designed this, I’ll livestream myself washing my hair upside down!”]

[“Vote with confidence. It can’t be Jiang Yao. She was jealous of Meibao and tried to break them up. How could Meibao ever collaborate with someone like that? Jiang Yao could beg on her knees and still never get a chance to work with Meibao!”]

The numbers on the electronic voting screen surged wildly.

When Li An’an glanced back at the finish line, the entire venue erupted into a frenzy. The judges in the front row unconsciously removed their glasses to wipe them. They then quickly put them back on, desperate not to miss a single detail of the garment. The audience’s cameras flashed incessantly, creating the illusion of a film queen receiving an award. Online votes shattered the electronic screen’s limit, freezing at 999,999 and blinking incessantly. This perfectly complemented the thermal-reactive fabric’s absence in the Cunning Rabbit’s open-back design.

The crimson rabbit eye totem seemed to breathe and blink, intimidating every covetous gaze behind it.

A stroke of divine inspiration.

******

The scene far exceeded Jiang Yao and Professor Peng’s expectations. Jiang Yao stared blankly at her creation on stage. Her nails dug deep into her palms until Professor Peng grasped her trembling wrist. Only then did she realize her entire body was as taut as a fully drawn bow.

“Jiang Yao!” Professor Peng’s voice cut through the deafening applause. His eyes behind his glasses shone with extraordinary brilliance. “Do you see this? This is heaven’s gift to you! Perfect timing, perfect place, perfect people! You were born to be a designer!”

“This… this far exceeds our expectations! Truly, far beyond!” Professor Peng removed his glasses, then put them back on. His movements were more frantic than those of the judges in the front row. His voice choked with emotion. “The narrative power of this design, the dynamic visual effects… You’re a credit to me, Jiang Yao! You make me so proud!”

The bustling noise of the crowd filled Jiang Yao’s ears.

On the stage, Li An’an’s figure overlapped with Jiang Yao’s memories of those design sketches she had revised until dawn—the crumpled draft paper, the repeatedly tested fabric folds, the droning hum of the sewing machine… Now, all of it had transformed into the frantically flashing “999999” on the digital screen, reflecting a blinding light from within the shadow of the hollowed-out rabbit eye emblem.

Jiang Yao’s mouth hung open in excitement. She chased after her own voice through the rows of flashing cameras, until she finally managed to let out a joyful shriek. Her thoughts snapped back into focus.

She grabbed her phone and recklessly charged out of the exhibition hall. Her trembling fingers stabbed at the number. She couldn’t wait to fly back to school and dump all her joy on Yu Tanning’s head.

The dial tone gradually synced with her racing heartbeat. Jiang Yao couldn’t stand the wait, pacing restlessly as if the floor were burning her feet.

The cacophony around her drowned out any awareness of the person approaching from behind.

Suddenly, a slightly cool hand snatched the phone away. Jiang Yao first caught the familiar scent of cedarwood before whirling around, her eyes widening.

The two women stood so close their noses nearly brushed.

“Surprise!” Yu Tanning shoved a huge bouquet of sunflowers into Jiang Yao’s arms. “Didn’t expect to see me here, huh? How could I miss your big moment? Boss, congratulations on winning in advance!”

This was one of life’s happiest moments: her hard-earned masterpiece was receiving widespread acclaim, the person she wanted to see was right beside her, and the sunlight, gentle breeze, and fresh flowers were all perfect.

Jiang Yao was already basking in the joy of her record-breaking vote count. Now, confronted with this dreamlike, fairytale-esque scene, she felt her excitement surge to overwhelming heights.

For once, she didn’t tense up or say anything to dampen the mood. Her eyes crinkled into crescents as she smiled. Her cheeks flushed crimson, and her overflowing joy seemed about to burst forth. For a fleeting moment, she imagined herself back in France, reliving those rare moments of carefree bliss during her studies.

In this moment, all rational thought and logic seemed meaningless.

Acting on instinct, Jiang Yao leaned in and pressed her lips against Yu Tanning’s left cheek, leaving a lingering, suggestive kiss.

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