Damn It! I Fell for the Hated Villainess Again! - Chapter 22

Haste makes waste, and anxiety clouds judgment.

Jiang Yao wandered aimlessly along the riverbank, finding nothing but sore feet. She reluctantly began to head back toward the campsite.

Everyone had already eaten and retreated to their tents for the night. The campfire still burned, with only Xiao He squatting on a wooden stump, smoking.

Jiang Yao nodded in acknowledgment as she passed, heading toward her own tent. But Xiao He, who rarely spoke to anyone, suddenly called out, “Jiang Yao, Da Cheng is scared to sleep alone. Would you mind keeping her company?”

Jiang Yao thought she must have misheard. She pointed at herself.

Me?

Sleep with your wife?

Are you into NTR?

But then she remembered that no one in the desert expedition group knew about her sexuality. It would be awkward to explain to a man that she was a lesbian. Jiang Yao patiently asked, “But you’re her husband. Wouldn’t it be more appropriate for you to keep her company?”

Xiao He exhaled a plume of smoke. “We’re in a divorce cooling-off period.”

Ah, oh.

Jiang Yao scratched her head, still struggling to understand heterosexual relationships. “Are you sure Da Cheng needs me to keep her company?”

“She’s terrified of sleeping alone. Xiuxiu and Lanlan are together, so I can’t ask them. Jiang Yao, I’m really counting on you.”

The old cigarette butt gradually went out in the darkness, and a new one was lit.

Jiang Yao glanced at the mess of cigarette butts scattered on the gravel, sighed, and reluctantly agreed.

After a quick wash, Jiang Yao, with a face mask on, found Da Cheng’s tent. Seeing the glow of a phone flashlight, she figured Da Cheng hadn’t fallen asleep yet. She politely tapped on the tent flap. “Da Cheng, Xiao He asked me to keep you company.”

After some rustling, Da Cheng, her eyes red-rimmed, pulled open the tent flap. Seeing Jiang Yao, she forced a smile. “He really shouldn’t have bothered you. I’m fine, don’t let me keep you up.”

Jiang Yao didn’t think her emotional intelligence was so low that she’d turn away from a crying woman. She crouched down and started taking off her shoes. “Sis, I already promised your husband. I’ll stay with you.”

Da Cheng really needed someone to talk to, so she didn’t argue further and pulled Jiang Yao into the tent.

“We’ve filed for divorce. The certificate will be finalized by the time this trip ends.”

Seeing Jiang Yao was still awake, Da Cheng didn’t hold back, sniffling as she recounted their story. “Sister, I regret it so much. Xiao He and I were classmates since middle school, close friends. But I mistook that friendship for love. I thought we’d be together forever, but…”

Jiang Yao’s heart skipped a beat, and she couldn’t help but think of herself and Yu Tanning. Her voice thick with emotion, she asked, “Did Xiao He cheat on you?”

“No,” Da Cheng said, wiping away tears. “Neither of us cheated. That’s why it hurts so much. But without love, there’s no love. Neither of us can live on friendship alone. Being bound by marriage for life would make us both miserable.”

“I’m going to miss her. After the divorce, we can’t go back to being friends.”

Jiang Yao stared at the nylon fabric hanging from the tent’s ceiling, Da Cheng’s words piercing her heart like a thin needle.

“Without love, we can’t be together,” she heard her own voice, muffled as if stuffed with waterlogged cotton. “Can friendship really never turn into love?”

“Sister,” Da Cheng said softly, her voice barely audible above the desert night wind’s mournful howl. “Friendship turning into love is an incredibly rare stroke of luck. Online relationships are often fake, with people pretending to love each other until even the friendship is worn away.”

Jiang Yao hummed in acknowledgment.

She felt the sheet mask had dried completely, but she was too lazy to remove it, letting it cling tightly to her skin like an unremovable cocoon.

In moments of mental emptiness, she would recall the mischievous glint in Yu Tanning’s eyes when she said at the café, “I’m still straight, you know.”

She found herself thinking of Yu Tanning’s cedarwood scent, sometimes strong, sometimes faint, of her slightly cool fingertips, and of the glimpses of her collarbone beneath her shirt…

Had there ever been a spark between them? Were those accidental touches and ambiguous probes merely the boundaries of friendship being tested, or were they foreshadowing something more?

Da Cheng had fallen asleep sometime ago, her breathing gradually evening out, but Jiang Yao remained wide awake.

She pulled out her phone and opened her chat with Yu Tanning.

Yu Tanning’s last message was from three hours earlier: “Be careful, don’t fall into the river.”

It ended with a fox emoji turning off the lights, wishing her goodnight.

Holding her phone, Jiang Yao’s thoughts were still lingering on Da Cheng’s story. After a moment, she replied with a cat emoji pulling up a blanket.

The cold light of the screen was even more glaring in the darkness. Jiang Yao blinked, her eyes suddenly watering, and the screen’s image blurred through her tears. In her daze, she mistook the fiery red fox tail for a cold, stern exclamation mark.

A momentary panic seized Jiang Yao, and she forcefully turned off her phone.

She was afraid of losing Yu Tanning.

If the price of lasting friendship was a lifetime of cowardice, she would choose to be a coward forever…

The trip to the Northwest ended with Big Sister Da Cheng’s tear-reddened eyes and Little Brother Xiao He’s silent, retreating figure, like fallen leaves from the poplar forest completing their final farewell and rebirth in the wind.

Back at school, Jiang Yao had expected some awkwardness with Yu Tanning, but Yu Tanning immediately threw herself into an internship at Yu’s Muse branch, becoming so busy she practically lived online. Jiang Yao herself unexpectedly found herself swamped with work.

First, Xiuxiu and Lanlan posted on Red Potato, thanking her for punishing the misogynistic gay man. Then, just a day later, Jiang Yao received a collaboration email from a clothing factory in Beijing.

The factory owner’s daughter had once been obsessed with danmei novels, viewing real-life gay men through a heavily romanticized lens. She believed gay love was the purest and most beautiful emotion in the world, even demanding gender reassignment surgery in Thailand, which plunged her father into depression for half a year.

She had also been a devoted fan of the influencer Lin Sheng. Jiang Yao’s takedown of Lin Sheng shattered her illusions, revealing the true face of toxic gay men in reality. The girl woke up overnight, blocking every gay influencer she had previously followed.

The factory owner was deeply grateful to Jiang Yao and offered to buy the secondary creation rights to “Cunning Rabbit” for 100,000 yuan, with Jiang Yao overseeing the design modifications from runway pieces to everyday wear.

For a student, this price was practically a steal, a deal so good it felt like a friendship discount.

Jiang Yao was thrilled to see her work become part of everyday life, but she rationally declined the factory director’s offer. Her reputation hadn’t improved, and she feared any casual versions would face a boycott.

She was just too kind.

She couldn’t bring herself to sell someone else’s unfinished project for money.

And yet, despite her kindness, the number of mindless haters still outnumbered Antarctic krill!

Even after her heroic intervention with that trash Lin Sheng, public opinion remained: “Dog eat dog,” “Evil gets its comeuppance.”

It was utterly infuriating!

All the fault of that dog author’s plot!

But the factory director stood firm in her judgment. She repeatedly assured Jiang Yao that even if not a single revised piece sold, she would still buy the rights to Cunning Rabbit at that price.

Jiang Yao couldn’t resist any longer and reluctantly sold Cunning Rabbit, “tears” streaming down her face.

She sighed, “More money! Ahahaha!”

The 1.0 plan for the casual versions of Cunning Rabbit was quickly finalized. They would adapt key elements from the runway collection into three pieces: a PU leather rabbit-eared mini-skirt, a French-style tulle dress, and a puff-sleeved crop top.

Jiang Yao was extremely satisfied with the mock-ups for the three casual outfits. With a well-established clothing factory at her disposal, she quickly secured the official launch date for the three everyday styles: July 9th, which happened to be the last day of her final exam week.

With the launch date confirmed, Jiang Yao felt a weight lift off her shoulders. In her newfound free time, her thoughts drifted more frequently to Yu Tanning.

The agate stone she had promised Yu Tanning for a pendant had remained untouched on Yu Tanning’s desk, both of them too busy to work on it.

Returning to the dorm from the clothing factory, Jiang Yao sat at Yu Tanning’s desk, stroking the agate stone they had found together. A new idea sparked in her mind.

She wanted to design the pendant herself.

Using the theme of “Cunning Rabbit,” she could present the pendant and the matching outfit to Yu Tanning when the casual collection officially launched.

Wow, I’m really spoiling her, Jiang Yao thought.

Her hand froze mid-motion as her mind involuntarily drifted back to that night in the Northwest, and to the “lover” she had broken up with.

Ugh, bad luck!

Why am I thinking about all that? What’s wrong with spoiling a friend? Who says friends can’t be spoiled?!

Jiang Yao put down the agate stone, roughly rubbed her face, and forced herself to cheer up. Grabbing her tablet, she returned to the desk and began sketching the pendant design.

At two in the morning, Yu Tanning finally returned to the dorm.

This was the first time Jiang Yao had managed to catch Yu Tanning coming back late since her return from the northwest.

Jiang Yao had grown accustomed to sleeping alone in the dorm during this period, her sleep quality reverting to what it had been when she rented her own place in Lingdi—she seemed to be asleep, but any sound above 60 decibels would instantly snap her eyes open.

Despite Yu Tanning’s careful efforts to unlock the door quietly, she still startled Jiang Yao awake.

At that moment, Jiang Yao’s senses were drifting between dream and reality. The click of the lock tongue snapping open pierced the night’s silence.

Her eyes flew open, her thoughts yanked into the “Friends Who Often Kill Know…” short video by an invisible hand. A cold sweat broke out on the back of her neck, the chill sliding down her spine and into the collar of her pajamas.

She could hear her own heartbeat pounding deafeningly in her chest, drowning out even the deliberately softened footsteps outside the door.

For half a minute, her heart raced as she tried to identify the person by sound alone before she finally sat up abruptly.

“You scared me half to death! Why didn’t you text me you were coming back? I wouldn’t have locked the door if you had!”

No matter the time, Jiang Yao was always irritable when woken up.

“What time is it?!” Jiang Yao grabbed her phone, her voice sharp with irritation. She gasped, “Holy crap, it’s already two?! Will the dorm supervisor even open the door for you at this hour?”

“The supervisor’s pretty chill.”

“You Student Union types always abuse your power! Hey! Aren’t you scared coming back this late? I thought some creep had broken into the women’s dorm to attack someone!” Jiang Yao’s hair spilled over the edge of the curtain, making her look like a freshly unearthed vengeful spirit.

Yu Tanning casually draped her suit jacket over the desk, her laughter carrying a night-fogged weariness that cut through the darkness with surprising clarity.

“Well, the creep’s already broken in, Miss. How are you going to handle it?”

“You’re nuts!” Jiang Yao muttered, flopping back down to sleep.

As she tugged the curtain closed, a faint whiff of alcohol hit her nostrils. She snapped awake. “You’ve been drinking?”

“Just a little,” Yu Tanning replied.

“Bullshit.” Jiang Yao couldn’t sleep now. She slid out of bed and into her slippers. “If I can smell it, it’s definitely not a little. This is ridiculous! An intern having to go to business dinners? What kind of messed-up internship is this?!”

“Not like that, Boss,” Yu Tanning said with a soft laugh, opening her arms to wrap them loosely around Jiang Yao’s waist as she approached.

“We haven’t had a proper heart-to-heart since we got back from the May Day holiday.”

It sounded like a playful tease, like a gentle complaint.

But Jiang Yao didn’t dwell on the nuances. The sudden intimacy sent her blood rushing to her head.

She jerked back, but Yu Tanning tightened her grip, holding her firmly in her embrace.

The scent of cedarwood mingled with the lingering alcohol rose around her. Jiang Yao saw the fan-shaped shadows cast by Yu Tanning’s lashes and heard her own heart pounding like a drum.

Aaaah! Why is this woman suddenly hugging me?!

This is so awkward, pressing against my stomach like this!

Thank goodness I used that fragrant body wash today. And thank goodness I didn’t eat too much tonight—my stomach isn’t sticking out…

Damn it! Why am I thinking about this again?! This is a test of friendship, Jiang Yao! You can’t make a mistake that will haunt you forever, like Sister Da Cheng!

Jiang Yao gritted her teeth. “Y-you’re drunk! Go wash up and go to bed! We can talk another day!”

Yu Tanning pressed her cheek against the kitten’s soft belly, shaking her head. “No, I’m a little tired. Let me lean on you for a bit.”

Her peripheral vision caught the tablet on the desk and the agate stone that had been moved. Yu Tanning narrowed her eyes and smiled. “Boss, missing me already?”

The evidence of Jiang Yao’s occupation of Yu Tanning’s desk was right there in plain sight. Jiang Yao, mortified and annoyed, wanted nothing more than to crawl into a crack in the floor. “Stop being so conceited! I was just being nice, keeping your things from getting dusty. I should be charging you maintenance fees!”

“Soon…” Yu Tanning murmured.

“Soon what?” Jiang Yao asked.

“Soon I won’t be so busy. I’ll have time to spend with you.”

“Ha! That’s so touching, I should give you an award.”

Yu Tanning rubbed her chin against Jiang Yao’s stomach. When she looked up, her eyes shimmered like ripples on water, her warm breath spraying against Jiang Yao’s abdomen through the thin fabric of her shirt.

“I miss you so much. Do you miss me too?”

Is this still some kind of friendship test? Jiang Yao thought, grinding her teeth. This woman is pure seduction!

“Don’t say such nonsense when you’re drunk,” Jiang Yao snapped. “I’ll record this and send it to the Student Union group chat.”

“Go ahead and record. I’m not drunk, and it’s not a crime to speak my mind.”

“Yu Tanning, you’re being ambiguous.”

“Huh? Can’t friends tell each other they miss them?”

Jiang Yao: ……

Yu Tanning: “You’re such a meanie.”

“You always hide your true feelings behind those thorns…”

Damn it!

Jiang Yao’s heart pounded wildly. She awkwardly pursed her lips, utterly unable to utter such sappy words.

So, the one in the wrong quickly changed the subject.

“Alright, alright, enough with the nonsense. Are you free on July 9th?” Jiang Yao’s face practically screamed, “Say you’re busy and you’re dead!”

Yu Tanning nodded with a smile.

The corner of Jiang Yao’s lips lifted by a pixel: “Then we’re going out. I’ll make the plans.”

“I’ll be free starting July 1st. Can we go earlier? It’s been ages since we hung out.”

“July 9th it is!”

“Oh, is July 9th our anniversary?”

Jiang Yao manually shut Yu Tanning up. “Just July 9th. If you keep nagging, you’re not playing anymore!”

“Fine, QAQ”

The two women bickered softly, their voices drowsy. Yu Tanning, feeling sleepiness creeping in, slowly released Jiang Yao’s waist and got up to wash up.

“Then I’ll give you a surprise on July 9th…”

As Jiang Yao slipped behind her bed curtains, she heard a soft sigh from the bathroom, like drunken mumbling.

Yu Tanning had a surprise for her too?

Jiang Yao froze mid-motion, her heart itching with curiosity. She desperately wanted to ask what Yu Tanning was planning, but she feared asking first would make her seem too eager. So she suppressed her curiosity, pretended not to have heard, and gently lay back down.

The sound of dripping water faded as the bedside lamp went out, leaving the room in complete silence.

Yu Tanning, still groggy from the alcohol, fell asleep quickly.

Her even, shallow breaths plucked at Jiang Yao’s heartstrings, like a gentle lullaby urging her to sleep, or like the seductive song of a siren stirring her emotions.

Jiang Yao suddenly felt a strong urge to cheat in this game of “pretending to be friends.”

After days apart, Jiang Yao missed Yu Tanning deeply, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it aloud. She feared that even a whisper of her feelings would shatter her carefully maintained composure. Instead, she could only confess her longing to the darkness, to the shadows that cloaked her.

Afraid of making a sound, Jiang Yao rose stiffly from the bed, like an amphibian newly accustomed to its limbs. She cautiously parted the curtains.

The single bed across the room had never had blackout curtains, only a sheer mosquito net that shimmered like moonlight on water. Through the filter of her longing, it seemed dreamlike and ethereal.

Jiang Yao had always imagined Yu Tanning, with her impeccable poise, would even sleep with perfect composure.

But tonight, perhaps because of the wine, Yu Tanning’s sleeping posture was unexpectedly casual.

Her smooth, snow-white leg lay curled outside the blanket, the hem of her short nightgown slipping down to barely cover her hips—a vision both pure and alluring.

Jiang Yao watched as Yu Tanning, like a snake, tightly wrapped her arms and exposed leg around a giant plush cat. She held it so tightly, as if trying to meld it into her body, the intimate scene searing her eyes.

Lost in the sensual tableau, Jiang Yao momentarily forgot her voyeuristic purpose. She bit down hard on her lip, then fled in disarray from the intoxicating scene.

Jiang Yao hurriedly lay down, burying herself under the covers. The rustling of fabric and hair against her ears drowned out the faint sounds of Yu Tanning shifting across the room.

As night deepened, it concealed all her guilt and scheming.

By the time the alarm clock heralded the new day, Yu Tanning had already slipped out silently to start her construction work.

In the quiet of the morning, the previous night’s chaos felt like a vivid dream. But the suit jacket left carelessly draped over the desk yanked Jiang Yao back to reality.

Now practically suffering from PTSD, she couldn’t even bring herself to look at Yu Tanning’s bed. Instead, she grabbed the copy of Uniform Fetish she’d bought earlier and began reading aloud with venomous intensity.

That damn vixen! That damn vixen! That damn vixen!

It’s not even hot! Would it kill her to wear pants to bed?!

Clutching the book, Jiang Yao felt, for the first time in her life, a burning hatred for the concept of “freedom of choice in clothing.”

That damn vixen wouldn’t wear that even when sleeping outside, would she?!

Fuck!!!!!

Her anger mounting, Jiang Yao snatched her phone and immediately ordered a one-piece pajama jumpsuit.

The seller, as if anticipating her impulsive move, shipped the order instantly. By the time Jiang Yao realized her rashness, it was too late to cancel.

Staring at the shipping notification, Jiang Yao sank into deep thought.

So, what reason could she possibly give for sending this conservative nightgown?

Even if she had prepared a gift, this nightgown was clearly out of sync with the other items! It just looked completely wrong!

Wear more because it’s getting hot?

Or… wear more because you’re trying to seduce me?

Support Damn It! I Fell for the Hated Villainess Again!