Damn It! I Fell for the Hated Villainess Again! - Chapter 20.1

“I’m curious, how did you realize you were a lesbian?”

The afternoon sun, like melted butter, streamed through the café’s lattice windows onto the back of Jiang Yao’s hand, as scorching as Yu Tanning’s gaze.

Jiang Yao curled her fingers. “My whole family is gay. I grew up around it, so of course I’ve liked women since I was a kid.”

Yu Tanning zeroed in on the key point. “So, you’ve liked women before.”

Jiang Yao paused.

“Yes, I have. So what? Are you interrogating me?!” Jiang Yao angrily stabbed at the coffee art with her spoon.

“Was it me?”

Jiang Yao rolled her eyes. “Do you think you’re the only woman in the world?”

The corners of Yu Tanning’s smiling lips dipped imperceptibly. “Then who was it? Care to tell me?”

Jiang Yao glared at her. “You brought me here just to talk about my dating history? How boring!”

“Don’t be mad,” Yu Tanning said, her voice sweet as the hot chocolate she was stirring. “I just want to hear more about you. Maybe it’ll help me figure out my own orientation.”

What your orientation is has nothing to do with me, Jiang Yao thought, but her mind kept replaying scenes from those steamy novels. Her face flushed. “It was when I was studying in France,” she blurted out.

“A teenage romance?” Yu Tanning chuckled. “Boss, your youth sounds wild.”

Jiang Yao bit her lip. “Teenage romance, my ass! We just liked each other. We never even dated!”

“Then why didn’t you get together?”

“My family didn’t approve,” Jiang Yao said coldly. “They gave her a sum of money, and she transferred schools without hesitation.”

“Why didn’t they approve?”

“Because she was mixed-race,” Jiang Yao said, her voice tinged with helplessness. “Half-man, half-woman. Ridiculous, right?”

Yu Tanning thought of Feng Lin’s manipulative tactics and fell silent. She lowered her head, stirring her latte. The milk foam shattered into starlight at the edge of the porcelain spoon, reflecting her dimly lit eyes.

“Why are you asking about this?” Jiang Yao tilted her head, belatedly realizing the question. “Are you trying to get a sky-high breakup fee too?”

Yu Tanning smiled. “Is that not allowed?”

“Dream on!”

“So fierce,” Yu Tanning sighed dramatically, her spoon carving a crescent moon into the perfect cake. “Fine, I don’t want money. I want you.”

“What choice do I have, Miss Yu?”

Jiang Yao’s head snapped up, her gaze colliding with the mischievous glint in Yu Tanning’s eyes.

Outside the window, the wind rustled the broad leaves of the pothos, casting swaying shadows on the glass like the chaotic thoughts swirling in Jiang Yao’s mind.

Between them on the small square table, the sweet caramel, crisp cedar, and rich cheese mingled in the sunlight, fermenting into a heady mojito that made even the air feel thick and soft, like the anticipation of a kiss.

“What… what are you saying? What do you mean?” Jiang Yao’s heart pounded as violently as it had the night before, her face flushing crimson.

“Exactly what I said,” Yu Tanning replied, her gaze unwavering. “I’m quite possessive. Seeing Li An’an leaning on you at the celebration banquet made me jealous. So, I don’t just want you to maintain a polite distance from other female friends—I don’t want you to have a girlfriend at all.”

“I’m not opposed to those fanfics online. We could try it.”

Jiang Yao’s mind exploded. “You… you’re asking me out?”

Yu Tanning narrowed her eyes. “Boss, you’re moving too fast. I’m still straight, you know. How can a straight girl date another girl?”

Jiang Yao blinked.

“Are you messing with me?” Jiang Yao’s voice was icy enough to kill.

“No, I’m serious,” Yu Tanning said. “My family is pretty conservative. We have one gay cousin who was sent to conversion therapy and hasn’t been released yet. I’ve never been in a relationship, let alone with another woman. You could help me figure out how I feel.”

“And if you turn gay?”

“Then you can chase after me,” Yu Tanning chuckled.

Jiang Yao was speechless.

She had thought Yu Tanning meant, “If I turn gay, we’ll be together.” Wasn’t that it? Is this even right? How thick was the skin Nuwa gave this woman when she created humans?!

“I chase after you?! Are you even speaking human language?!” Jiang Yao nearly crushed her glass.

Yu Tanning blinked innocently. “Isn’t that how relationships start? You chase someone first to confirm your feelings. I’ve never liked anyone before, so you have more experience. This is important, so I’m leaving it to you.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not one to play hard to get. If you pursue me, you’ll have me within a day, tops.”

Jiang Yao remained speechless, grabbed her bag, and headed for the door.

The whirring of the grinder faded behind her, followed by the urgent jingle of wind chimes. Yu Tanning quickly caught up, gripping Jiang Yao’s wrist tightly.

“Don’t ignore me…”

What a straight girl, acting all coy! My lesbian soul is about to float away.

Jiang Yao stopped, Yu Tanning’s grip turning her around.

They stood so close their noses nearly brushed.

The scent of cedar and its cool touch only made Jiang Yao feel more deflated. She couldn’t bring herself to ignore Yu Tanning. With a long sigh, she lowered her head. “Yu Tanning, things have moved too fast between us. If it weren’t for those fanfiction writers and CP fans, we’d still be just friends, right?”

“We both acted impulsively today. But feelings aren’t born from impulsiveness. We can’t just act on what others say. You’re a wonderful friend, and I don’t want to ruin our friendship over a fleeting moment of passion.”

“So, let’s calm down. Let’s pretend those fanfics and CP fans don’t exist, okay?”

She wasn’t asking a question; it was a firm, almost pleading, admonition.

Jiang Yao stared at her wrist, reddened by Yu Tanning’s grip, the scent of cedar still lingering on her sleeve.

The lingering chime of the wind chimes felt like a tiny needle piercing her heart.

“Okay,” Yu Tanning’s voice came from above, unusually docile.

Jiang Yao let out a silent sigh of relief and looked up. She saw the shadow cast by Yu Tanning’s lowered lashes, fluttering like butterfly wings in the breeze.

Yu Tanning squeezed her hand. “Good friends don’t separate either,” she added.

Why does her tone sound so strange?

Jiang Yao blinked in confusion but simply hummed in acknowledgment, refraining from asking further questions.

Time seemed to have stumbled into a parallel universe, the two of them reverting to their usual bickering, teasing friendship. Yet Jiang Yao couldn’t shake the feeling that something had shifted between them, like an extra 0.1 kilopascals of pressure—barely perceptible at first, but growing heavier with each passing moment.

It felt as though something restless, something that had been deliberately suppressed, was about to break free.

A week flew by, and May Day arrived. Although the five-day holiday was cut short by the weekend, it couldn’t dampen the students’ enthusiasm for traveling far and wide.

Jiang Yao’s prize money from the design competition had just been deposited into her account, so she naturally didn’t want to skimp on herself. As soon as she got back to the dorm, she eagerly started checking flight prices.

Yu Tanning’s Student Union activities had been canceled at the last minute. After dinner, she returned to the dorm and began packing her luggage.

Hearing the commotion outside, Jiang Yao peeked out from behind her bed curtains and asked in surprise, “Why are you packing already? Weren’t you planning to stay at the Student Union and be a workaholic even during the holiday?”

“The Student Union’s outreach and welfare activities were canceled at the last minute,” Yu Tanning replied, looking up from the pile of clothes and meeting Jiang Yao’s gaze. “So I’m not being a workaholic anymore. I’m going home.”

Jiang Yao remembered Yu Tanning mentioning before that her family lived in Beijing City too.

Your home is in Beijing City, your university is in Beijing City, and you’re staying in Beijing City even during the holiday? Did Beijing City save your life in a past life or something?! Jiang Yao grumbled inwardly before asking, “Why waste such a great holiday at home? Going out would be so much better! I’m looking at flights to Jeju Island. Want to come with me?”

With a hint of anticipation, she added, “I could reluctantly cover your hotel expenses.”

Yu Tanning hummed a series of saccharine notes. “Boss, you’re so stingy! I thought you’d at least cover flights and accommodation.”

“Who do you think you’re talking to? Are you in or out? If you dare to come, I’ll dare to pay,” Jiang Yao retorted, glaring at her.

“Sigh.”

“Too bad my grandfather’s birthday is coming up. I’m really stretched thin…” Yu Tanning’s voice trailed off, her tone fading as she thought of her grandfather’s stern, cold face, a wave of disgust washing over her. “Have fun, though. Send me lots of pretty pictures later.”

“Boring.”

Jiang Yao retreated behind the bed curtains, suppressing her disappointment as she flopped back onto the pillow and resumed browsing flight tickets.

Her earlier excitement had now turned to dull boredom.

She randomly scrolled through every app on her phone, then tapped into WeChat to scroll through her handful of “alive” contacts. Her finger hovered over Li An’an’s profile picture for a moment before she reluctantly backed out.

She didn’t want to hang out with anyone else.

But she didn’t want to be alone either…

Ugh, I hate Yu Tanning so much.

Bored, Jiang Yao switched off her phone, hugged the blanket beside her, and squeezed it tightly, imagining she was pinching the person she hated until they begged for mercy. Slowly, she closed her eyes.

In the end, Jiang Yao didn’t go to Jeju Island.

Instead, she bought a random plane ticket, ending up in a small city in the northwest where sandstorms raged daily.

Outside the airport’s floor-to-ceiling windows, the clouds seemed to rain sand, the landscape a monotonous gray. Jiang Yao stared blankly at the yellow dust swirling outside, only realizing after a long moment that she had impulsively come to this unheard-of town.

No itinerary, no purpose. But since she was already here, she might as well do something.

Jiang Yao slowly exhaled and walked a few steps to a local specialty shop to buy a silk scarf.

The airport’s specialty shop rarely saw customers. Jiang Yao spent a long time browsing the shelves before two young girls entered, also looking for silk scarves to shield themselves from the sand.

The scarves seemed to be the only thing selling in the shop. The clerk quickly grabbed a sign: “Ladies, buy three long silk scarves and get a 40% discount! Why don’t you combine your purchases?”

The two girls glanced at the price tag on the silk scarves, both tempted by the idea of splitting the cost. After a few shy hesitations, the slightly bolder of the two stepped forward and politely asked, “Miss, I think splitting the cost would be great. Can we join you?”

Jiang Yao turned to reply, but before she could speak, the other girl recognized her face and exclaimed in shock, “You’re Jiang Yao?!”

Have I run into a hater? Jiang Yao thought, pulling at the corner of her lips in a wry smile. “So, are you still splitting the cost?”

The two girls exchanged a glance, then looked back at the ridiculously high price tags on the rack. “C-can we still split it?” they asked in a small voice.

“Then let’s split it,” Jiang Yao said, cutting to the chase. She grabbed a pale gold silk scarf and headed to the cashier. “I’ll pay first. You two pick out your scarves and then send me your share.”

“Ah, okay, um, thank you! Thank you!”

After their stammered thanks, the girls fell into a low murmur.

“Is she the vicious, universally hated woman you were talking about?”

“Yeah, I’ve seen online how she bullies people.”

“But she seems really nice and pretty.”

“Could I have mistaken her for someone else?”

“Enough talk. Let’s pick something out first. We don’t want them to think we’re trying to get out of paying.”

The three silk scarves came to 338.40 yuan after the discount. Jiang Yao, not wanting to deal with the hassle, rounded it up to 340 yuan and told them to split it evenly at 110 yuan each.

The two girls were even more embarrassed, their faces flushed crimson. They timidly offered to buy Jiang Yao a milk tea.

Where in the airport sells milk tea for 8.40 yuan? Jiang Yao thought to herself. She didn’t accept their offer, offering a few perfunctory words before dragging her suitcase away.

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