Damn It! I Fell for the Hated Villainess Again! - Chapter 25.1

Drying Yu Tanning’s hair was pure manual labor.

First, Yu Tanning’s hair was incredibly thick. Second, the sofa was positioned awkwardly, causing the hairdryer’s plug to keep getting yanked out.

Finally, after drying that brat’s head, Jiang Yao’s entire arm ached and trembled, completely drained of strength and patience.

“I’m exhausted! Don’t torture me anymore!”

Jiang Yao grabbed the ends of Yu Tanning’s hair, tossed the hairdryer aside with relief, and collapsed onto the bed, closing her eyes heavily.

This time, Yu Tanning was surprisingly considerate. She didn’t tease Jiang Yao, changed into her pajamas, turned off the light, and climbed into bed.

The other side of the large bed dipped slightly, bringing with it the warmth of another person’s skin.

Jiang Yao blinked faintly, but she was too tired. The unfamiliar sensation lingered only for a moment before a wave of drowsiness washed over her, overwhelming all her senses.

In her hazy state, Jiang Yao felt a hand settle on her shoulder.

Before she could fully wake up, fingers began kneading downward from her shoulder, gradually increasing the pressure. They worked the stiffness out of her forearm, leaving it much more relaxed and comfortable.

“Mmm… harder…”

Jiang Yao had no intention of refusing the free massage. She mumbled something indistinct in her sleep, unconsciously curling further into Yu Tanning’s arms.

The soft flesh pressed against Yu Tanning’s palm, making her even more endearing.

She really is a delicate little kitten.

Yu Tanning chuckled, though a faint ache lingered in her heart.

Earlier, while drying Jiang Yao’s hair, her arm had been trembling from exhaustion, yet she stubbornly insisted, “Almost done,” refusing to stop.

Jiang Yao was just that kind of childish yet stubborn little angel cat.

Yu Tanning carefully cradled Jiang Yao in her arms, her fingertips tracing upward along the lines of Jiang Yao’s forearm. She gently massaged the tense muscles in small circles, feeling Jiang Yao’s body gradually relax. Her own heart began to race.

I want to hold her even tighter, to make her my cat alone.

As the night deepened, unspoken feelings, long locked away in a Pandora’s box, were finally released.

Remembering Jiang Yao’s earlier awkwardness, Yu Tanning leaned close to her ear, her voice as soft as a feather’s brush: “Don’t get angry over silly things anymore, okay?”

“You’re not allowed to run away from me again, Yaoyao.”

“If you don’t say anything, I’ll take that as a yes.”

“Yaoyao… Why won’t you let me call you that? In this world, I’m the one who truly cares for you…”

As her thoughts grew heavier, Jiang Yao suddenly turned over without warning, wrapping her arms around Yu Tanning’s waist and burying her face against her chest.

The warmth of Yu Tanning’s body seeped through the fabric, startling her into stillness. Yu Tanning froze, staring at their tangled hair, her throat tightening until she couldn’t speak.

How could someone like this exist…?

Without needing to pose deliberately or calculate any flirtation, every smile and frown of Jiang Yao’s carried no ulterior motive, yet they lingered in the mind, unforgettable.

Thanks to Yu Tanning’s massage, Jiang Yao slept soundly through the night.

Yu Tanning barely slept at all. Anxious to avoid Jiang Yao waking up in her arms and causing an awkward scene, she carefully unlocked her human lock early in the morning, slipped out of bed, and went to the sofa to work.

So, when Jiang Yao woke up, she only saw Yu Tanning buried in her work, completely unaware that she had been cuddling her all night.

Jiang Yao stretched languidly in the shimmering morning light, glancing at her phone—July 9th.

Huh?

Yesterday, she’d been so preoccupied with avoiding the “main female lead” that she’d completely forgotten about her plans to go out with Yu Tanning.

Jiang Yao jolted upright, but then remembered the School Belle incident and deliberately flopped back down, muffledly calling for Yu Tanning from under the covers.

Yu Tanning set down her documents and came over. Jiang Yao said, “There’s a small box in my bag—a little gift. Can you give it to last night’s Yu Technician for me?”

“The Yu Technician was repaying Jiang Tony. Should we find someone else to deliver the gift?”

Yu Tanning found the box Jiang Yao mentioned. Its weight suggested it contained the agate from the Northwest. She guessed what the gift was, and a warm feeling welled up in her heart.

Jiang Yao had mentioned carving a pendant for her earlier, but Yu Tanning had assumed she’d forgotten in her busy schedule.

“You’re all talk and no action, always pushing your luck. Take it or leave it.”

Jiang Yao propped herself up in bed, her messy hair and koala-patterned pajamas softening her usual sharp edges. Though her sharp tongue remained, Yu Tanning found her even more playful and endearing.

Yu Tanning opened the box and saw a small fire fox lying on the velvet lining.

The fox’s body had been carved from a raw agate stone, its tail wrapped in gold wire to create a fluffy appearance, and its eyes inlaid with tiny diamonds—a truly meticulous design.

Yu Tanning genuinely praised, “This pendant is so beautiful! Did you design it yourself, Boss?”

Jiang Yao huffed, “You have good taste.”

Though both clothing design and jewelry design shared the word “design,” the intricacies of each field were worlds apart.

Jiang Yao must have poured tremendous effort into transforming that rough, unpolished stone into this exquisite little fox.

Imagining the stubborn cat-like woman studying the cutting angles with such focus, Yu Tanning’s eyes deepened with amusement, yet a pang of tenderness tugged at her heart.

“Thank you, Boss. I absolutely love it.”

“If you could personally put it on for me, I’d love it even more.”

Jiang Yao rolled her eyes dramatically. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll strangle you while I’m at it?”

“Then I’ll haunt you like in Ghost.”

“Go die! What are you saying?! Friends don’t say that to each other!”

With Ghost fresh in her mind, Jiang Yao thought “Go die!” was giving Yu Tanning too much credit. She quickly corrected herself, “Pah, pah, pah! You’d better stay alive. If you become a ghost, you’ll be even more annoying!”

She’d be clinging to me every second!

Yu Tanning took Jiang Yao’s words as concern, her lips curving into a secret smile. “Alright, alright, I won’t tease you anymore. Just help me put it on, Boss~”

Jiang Yao couldn’t resist her. She scooted closer and took the ends of the platinum chain.

Her fingers brushed through Yu Tanning’s hair, occasionally grazing the nape of her neck. It was Jiang Yao’s own heart that felt ticklish.

“Yesterday, someone called me the School Belle. Why were you so upset?” Yu Tanning asked suddenly as the clasp clicked shut.

Jiang Yao’s heart pounded wildly. Flustered, she blurted out, “School Belle? What’s that? I’ve just been stressed lately and needed to clear my head.”

“But you said before that if I became the School Belle, you’d stop talking to me.”

“Ah, did I say that? Oh, I must have been in a bad mood and just said it without thinking.”

“You disappeared right after that ridiculous conversation yesterday. Don’t tell me there’s no connection between the two?” Yu Tanning turned her head, meeting Jiang Yao’s panicked gaze. “Friends shouldn’t keep secrets like this from each other.”

Jiang Yao bit her lip hard, and after a long pause, she finally made up her mind to speak. “Yu Tanning, promise me first that you won’t give me any weird looks while I’m talking.”

Yu Tanning was completely baffled but nodded anyway.

Jiang Yao: “Don’t you think the world we live in is… strange?”

Why is she suddenly getting philosophical?

Yu Tanning didn’t understand, but she tried to look like she completely understood. “Yeah, it’s pretty strange.”

Strange is normal.

“Exactly! It’s like our world is all pre-programmed.”

“You mean… there really are gods in this world?”

“Not gods! Authors! Yu Tanning, the world we’re in is just a trashy novel! We’re all trapped by the characters the author created for us!”

Yu Tanning couldn’t resist reaching out to touch Jiang Yao’s forehead.

She doesn’t have a fever…

Jiang Yao jerked away from Yu Tanning’s touch. 

“You! What do you mean by that? Do you think I’m sick or something?”

Yu Tanning desperately wanted to say yes, but seeing Jiang Yao’s utterly serious expression, she couldn’t bring herself to pour cold water on her. Instead, she agreed, “I didn’t mean to offend you, Boss. It’s just… all of this is so sudden. I need some time to process it.”

Jiang Yao froze for a moment, then lowered her gaze, feeling awkward.

Yu Tanning was right.

After all, unlike Jiang Yao, who had awakened her character consciousness and suddenly learned that the world she’d lived in for twenty years was a novel, Yu Tanning would naturally find it difficult to accept such a revelation immediately.

“I’m sorry,” Jiang Yao said, her cheeks flushing slightly. “I got too emotional.”

Yu Tanning pinched her earlobe. “It’s okay. Keep talking. I’m listening.”

Jiang Yao hesitated. “Really? You don’t think I’m crazy?”

“Of course not,” Yu Tanning replied with a smile, though she had already mentally decided which hospital to book an appointment for Jiang Yao. “If it weren’t for you, I’d be living in ignorance forever.”

Completely unaware of Yu Tanning’s act, Jiang Yao felt a wave of tenderness wash over her. “Yu Tanning, I promise I’ll never be so harsh with you again.”

Yu Tanning chuckled helplessly. “Harsh? You designed a pendant for me yourself. If that’s harsh, what would you do if you were being nice? Offer yourself in marriage?”

Jiang Yao immediately retracted her promise, glaring fiercely at Yu Tanning. “Go to hell with your ‘offer myself in marriage’!”

“Hmm? Weren’t you just saying you’d treat me better?”

“Do you even deserve it?” Jiang Yao gritted her teeth, but her heart softened as she added, “You’re a School Belle now, you’re too good for me.”

Yu Tanning asked, “Why are you so sensitive about the term ‘School Belle’? Is it because of the novel’s setting?”

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