Damn It! I Fell for the Hated Villainess Again! - Chapter 2

The next day, the internet, which had been eagerly awaiting for Jiang Yao’s downfall, was greeted with a new trending topic:

#YoungMasterShen’sSpecialAssistant’sSon

The domineering CEO’s attempt to protect his wife turned into a farce, sending his fans into orbit. The once-popular account lost 3 million followers overnight, nearly resulting in contract termination by the MCN.

In contrast, while Jiang Yao’s reputation remained mired in scandal, her live-streaming account gained a staggering 5 million followers. Over thirty trending hashtags emerged on Weibo, including the hashtags;

[#JiangYaoDidSheDieToday]

[#BoycottJiangYao]

[#JiangYaoRegardlessOfCharacterPurelyAestheticBot].

Many even falsely claimed to be Jiang Yao’s secret accounts to gain followers, treating her like the latest internet fad.

*******

Everyone hated her, wanted to crush her, yet shamelessly rode her coattails for clout.

Didn’t their faces hurt from the hypocrisy?

Jiang Yao scoffed at the whole spectacle.

More than the relentless online vitriol, she worried about her dwindling quality of life.

Her family had already cut off her allowance for secretly changing her major. Yesterday’s livestream ban meant her fastest source of income would be cut off for three months. Now, freelance design work on the platform barely earned her 3,000 yuan a month—not enough to cover rent, let alone basic necessities like food and water.

And then there was the competition she had to prepare for.

In fashion design, you needed money to create truly exceptional work.

With her finances stretched thin, she couldn’t afford to stay at the Yunque Lingdi Complex, dine daily at Qiehe Private Kitchen, or indulge in impulsive shopping sprees for bags and clothes.

The thought of the school cafeteria’s greasy, cheap meals and her cramped, spartan dorm room made Jiang Yao dizzy. She longed for a cup of Blue Mountain coffee brewed with Perrier water to comfort herself, but had to bow to her meager savings, ruthlessly suppressing her shopping urges.

She leaned against the window, a look of bitter resentment on her face, for most of the day. Only after the housekeeper finished cleaning did Jiang Yao finally sigh deeply, drag out her Louis Vuitton suitcase, and numbly pack for her return to campus life.

“Yu Tanning, you’ll lead the dormitory inspection team for Building A6 this week.”

Seeing Yu Tanning’s composed and reliable demeanor, the Student Affairs Office teacher felt completely at ease. She handed Yu Tanning the dormitory information sheet for Building A6 and added carefully, “A student from Room 707 is moving back in tonight. I heard she’s been through some online bullying and might be emotionally fragile. Yu Tanning, please keep a close eye on her and report any issues to me immediately.”

“Of course, Teacher,” Yu Tanning replied with a bright smile, accepting the folder. She withdrew from the Student Affairs Office with perfect courtesy.

Inside the slowly closing door behind her, several Student Union members were arguing heatedly about whether Yu Tanning or Zhang Ke would be the next president. Yu Tanning turned away calmly, as if she hadn’t heard a word, her mind fixed on that name. A glint of confident cunning flashed in her eyes.

Jiang Yao.

She’s really making me wait.

In the stairwell of Building A6, several freshmen were chatting and laughing as they descended the stairs. When they saw Yu Tanning approaching, they quickly greeted her.

One of the office assistants, noticing the familiar folder in Yu Tanning’s hand, asked in surprise, “Senior Yu, are you starting room checks already at noon?”

Yu Tanning smiled warmly. “No, I’m here to discuss some work matters with Zhang Ke.”

A junior sister immediately chimed in, “Then you’ve come at a bad time, Senior Yu! Senior Zhang is really busy right now. There’s a troublemaker on the seventh floor… a student is harassing her and the dorm supervisor. Senior Zhang’s voice is already hoarse from arguing.”

“Why didn’t you call the counselor?” Yu Tanning frowned in feigned concern. “How long has this been going on? Is it disturbing your afternoon rest?”

The junior sisters exchanged glances before laughing it off. “Oh, it’s nothing really. They’re in room 707, far away from us.”

Yu Tanning nodded slightly. “Alright, you all go ahead and get back to work. I’ll go check on them.”

As she turned to walk upstairs, the warm smile vanished from her face, replaced by a hint of disdainful mockery in her clear, refined eyes.

The oblivious underclassmen continued to whisper among themselves: [Senior Yu is so much more considerate.]

[Senior Yu is beautiful, has a great personality, and is so capable. I’m so jealous of the students in her department.]

The faint praise gradually faded, replaced by the rhythmic click of her heels, which was soon drowned out by the growing commotion. Yu Tanning slowly ascended to the seventh-floor corridor and spotted Room 707 around the corner.

Inside, the person involved was in an emotional frenzy. Students from the eighth and ninth floors had also gathered to witness the spectacle.

After navigating through a gauntlet of insincere greetings, Yu Tanning pieced together the situation. She stopped at the dormitory door and knocked firmly but not too loudly.

Zhang Ke opened the door, her expression shifting from surprise to awkwardness as she cleared her throat. “Tanning, what are you doing here?”

Yu Tanning didn’t answer, her gaze fixed on the student inside who was sobbing uncontrollably. “What happened?”

The student, seeing Yu Tanning, rushed forward like a beggar spotting a bodhisattva, bursting into tears. “Yu Tanning! Please help me! I need to switch dorms! I absolutely can’t live with Jiang Yao! She’ll kill me tonight!”

A chorus of disgruntled voices rose from the crowd outside. “Who would want to switch with you? No one wants to live with her!”

“Exactly! If you don’t want to live with her, neither do we! You can’t just throw your roommate under the bus to save yourself!”

Zhang Ke quickly pulled Yu Tanning into Room 707 and shut the door, trying to calm the student. “You haven’t even lived with Jiang Yao yet! How can you be so sure she’ll bully you? No amount of complaining will change anything. School policy is clear: dorm switches require valid reasons.”

“I haven’t lived with her, but I’ve been in her classes!” the student screamed. “She used to lord it over everyone in the School of Pharmacy, always making me do her lab work! She always had this nasty look on her face, like we all owed her a fortune!”

“And did you see what she did online? She’s made so many enemies! What if they come after me too? All those news stories about roommates getting caught in the crossfire—that could be me!”

Zhang Ke looked bewildered. “What trouble? Who did she offend?”

Yu Tanning chuckled softly and stepped forward, shielding Zhang Ke behind her. “Beijing University has excellent security. They don’t just let anyone in. There’s no need to overthink this.”

“I don’t care! Aren’t you guys in the Student Union? Shouldn’t you be looking out for the students? You’re the office director and the head of external affairs—you can’t just sit around doing nothing! You two have to petition the school to let me switch rooms!”

This was completely unreasonable.

Zhang Ke’s face flushed with anger, but she kept repeating the same line: “School policy states that dormitory changes are only permitted with valid justification.” The more she repeated it, the more she fueled the fire. The student, who had been ranting and raving, suddenly threatened to jump from the window. The dormitory supervisor, her voice cracking with panic, grabbed the student tightly and yelled at Yu Tanning to call the resident advisor immediately.

Yu Tanning lowered her head to dial, her tone casual. “Jiang Yao is moving in tonight, right? Calm down first. I’ll be doing room checks around six. If there’s a real conflict, you can bring your evidence to us then.”

She deliberately emphasized the words “conflict” and “evidence.” The student, who had been on the verge of hysterics, paused, as if struck by a sudden thought, and gradually quieted down. “You’re really doing room checks? Then can you come to 707 first?”

Zhang Ke protested, “Room checks have to follow procedure…”

Yu Tanning cut her off with a smile. “Sure.”

Having secured Yu Tanning’s agreement, the student put away her phone and gave Jiang Yao’s roommate a meaningful look. “You should calm down. If Jiang Yao really did bully you, the school will handle it fairly. You won’t have to stay another day with your bully.”

Finally reaching a human representative, the student abandoned her tantrum and lowered her chin in silence.

Zhang Ke glanced at the student, then at Yu Tanning, sensing something off about the atmosphere but unable to pinpoint what it was. As she was about to say something, Yu Tanning gently patted her shoulder, her smile not reaching her eyes. “Ke Ke, I need to discuss something with you for work. Are you busy right now?”

Zhang Ke nodded without hesitation. After exchanging a few polite words with the dorm supervisor, she prepared to leave with Yu Tanning.

Yu Tanning offered a standard, fake smile as she said goodbye. Just before leaving, she added to the supervisor, “Oh, by the way, Teacher, there’s a loose step on the fourth-floor staircase. It looks a bit dangerous.”

“Ah, yes, I’ve already called maintenance. They said they’ll fix it tomorrow. Thank you for the reminder, Xiao Yu! You’re such a thoughtful girl,” the supervisor replied with a warm smile.

Zhang Ke suddenly realized something. “The seventh floor? You didn’t take the elevator? You walked all the way up here?”

Yu Tanning opened the door, her voice flat. “Mm-hmm. The elevator was too crowded.”

Jiang Yao remained completely oblivious to the commotion unfolding in her dorm. She paid little attention to the curious glances from others in the building. Dressed in designer brands from head to toe, down to her manicured nails, she strutted through the campus, her six-figure suitcase trailing behind her like a status symbol. Reaching Room 707, she paused before opening the door, first spraying the handle twice with disinfectant.

The girl from the neighboring dorm had just opened her door to wash up. Seeing Jiang Yao, she slammed the door shut and retreated inside.

Jiang Yao didn’t even spare her a glance. With a cold snort, she pushed open the door.

Her roommate—also a former classmate—stood in the doorway, looking as if she’d been waiting for hours. Her face was as dark as if Jiang Yao owed her a fortune.

“Not letting me in?” Jiang Yao asked coldly.

“The room’s a mess. Let’s talk outside.”

“Talk about what?”

The girl’s voice trembled. “I know who leaked your personal information online yesterday.”

“If you want to know, come outside and tell me.”

Jiang Yao raised an eyebrow.

This girl must have a crush on me, she thought. How else would she be so well-informed? Even after the search results were taken down, she still managed to get the scoop firsthand.

In the past, Jiang Yao would have dismissed such petty drama.

But now she needed money.

If someone’s offering compensation for emotional distress, why refuse?

Under the watchful eyes of onlookers, Jiang Yao followed the girl, her head held high, into the stairwell.

Five minutes later, a scream echoed through the corridor: “Someone fell down the stairs! There’s so much blood!”

Just as everyone was convinced Jiang Yao was about to unleash her bullying tactics, her roommate came rushing upstairs, her lips trembling as she murmured, “I didn’t push her! I didn’t push her! She fell on her own!”

The crowd: [???]

That familiar line… Could this be…?

The Jiang Yao Chronicles?!

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