I Could Never Fall In Love With A Villain - Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Go Fall in Love

Mu Yin’s expression contorted in a way that defied description.

What?

What is this trash book talking about?

It wants her to confess to Pei Che? And on top of that, Pei Che is going to reject her??

Excuse me, what kind of mandatory torture is this for a villainess? She felt like she could turn to the dark side right here, right now, without needing such a complicated plot.

Heh. Impossible. In your dreams.

She would absolutely never confess to Pei Che! Isn’t this just designed to disgust her? Who came up with this plot—someone thinking with their big toe? Let the world burn.

While Mu Yin’s face was still twisted in rage, Pei Che emerged from the dressing room, having changed into the new clothes. The simple T-shirt, typical of a university student, didn’t look out of place on him at all. Instead, it softened his serious, detached aura, making him look as refreshing as a bottle of sparkling water.

If he walked across campus like this, no one would guess he was a professor; they’d just assume he was a senior student.

Liang Yunxi couldn’t help but praise, “Yinyin, you have such good taste! This really suits Professor Pei!”

She swallowed the rest of her thought—she felt that Professor Pei had become much more approachable, no longer that ice-cold, “do not disturb” figure. And was it her imagination? His eyes seemed softer, carrying a hint of a smile.

As expected, everyone gets happier when they’re around Yinyin!

Mu Yin, still fuming, only gave a cursory glance and a plastic smile.

Pei Che checked the time. “The symposium is about to start. I need to head out.”

Liang Yunxi said quickly, “Go ahead, Professor Pei, don’t let us hold you up!”

Pei Che’s gaze landed on Mu Yin. “See you later,” he said softly.

Out of instinct, Mu Yin nodded mechanically. She felt her soul leaving her body, as if she were about to become a puppet controlled by the God of Plot.

This is agony…

No. She wouldn’t give in that easily. She still had plenty of life points to squander; she would change her destiny! If previous plot points could be altered, she didn’t believe she couldn’t fix such a ridiculous scenario!

…

The “Unintentional” Brothers

Walking out of the clothing store, the breeze helped Mu Yin clear her head. She and Liang Yunxi returned to the drink shop. Mu Yin asked casually, “So, what do you think of Professor Pei?”

Better test the heroine’s feelings first.

Liang Yunxi “uhm-ed” and “err-ed” for a long time before offering a verdict: “A very serious man.”

“…”

Mu Yin wanted to agree but felt it might be inappropriate. Why did this pair of leads have absolutely zero sparks? Were they hiding it too well?

She immediately dismissed the thought. Liang Yunxi was simple and honest; only a supporting female like herself had schemes. Maybe they just hadn’t spent enough time together?

This is my failure as a villainess. I must find ways to increase their “together time” (or at least make it bumpy).

Mu Yin noticed Liang Yunxi had calmed down and asked, “Was something bothering you today?”

Recalling the day’s events, a spark of anger returned to Liang Yunxi’s eyes. She started to speak, then hesitated, looking cautious. “Today at the office… I ran into Mr. Mu…”

Mu Yin blinked. “Which Mr. Mu?”

“Your… brother.”

“Mu Xuan?” Mu Yin was puzzled. “Aren’t you interning at Starlink Tech under the Song Group?”

“Yes. But the two companies have a partnership. Mr. Mu came for a meeting,” Liang Yunxi explained. “Actually, I found it strange… For a meeting like today’s, a CEO like him didn’t need to be there in person, but for some reason, he showed up.”

Mu Yin frowned in silence.

“As an intern, my job was to buy coffee and hand it out to everyone,” Liang Yunxi continued, gritting her teeth. “And then… Mr. Mu actually spilled coffee all over me!”

Mu Yin: “…”

Wait. Does that mean the Mu siblings, on the same day, both spilled drinks on the male and female leads respectively??

Mu Yin: “…” We siblings are truly terrible people.

Seeing Mu Yin’s sudden silence, Liang Yunxi quickly added, “Miss Mu, you’re different, yours was an accident. But Mr. Mu… I think he did it on purpose!”

Mu Yin rubbed her nose guiltily. Sorry for your trust, but I did it on purpose too.

However, she was more curious about one thing: “How do you know he was intentional?”

“I’m not an idiot! It was too obvious! He doesn’t have a motor disability; how could an entire cup of coffee land on me just like that?” Liang Yunxi huffed. “But I don’t know what his real goal was. After spilling it, he acted all high-and-mighty saying he’d buy me new clothes, but I refused. I don’t want a ‘slap followed by a sweet.’ I may be an intern, but I won’t accept being disrespected.”

Mu Yin felt more and more guilty. Liang Yunxi was scolding Mu Xuan, but she felt like she was being scolded too.

At the same time, Mu Yin pondered Mu Xuan’s motive. He was a businessman; he didn’t do useless things. Considering he had mentioned Liang Yunxi several times before…

Mu Yin’s heart skipped. Does Mu Xuan know something?

“Then I just fled the meeting room and left the company,” Liang Yunxi said dejectedly. “I know I was impulsive. I should have just endured it… this is the company I’ve always wanted to join.”

Mu Yin pulled herself out of her thoughts. “Why do you want to be there so badly?”

“I want to help develop a real product. Even if the company is too commercial, it’s close to my dream and I can learn a lot.” Liang Yunxi’s eyes lit up as she spoke of her dream.

Mu Yin listened patiently and nodded. “First, if Song Jinxun was there and Mu Xuan really had an ulterior motive, Jinxun must know. They’ll feel guilty; they won’t fire you over something like this. Second… there are many ways to achieve a dream, aren’t there?”

…

The Brotherly Warning

Back at the Mu house, the auntie told Mu Yin that Mu Xuan wanted to see her in the study. Mu Yin’s eyelid twitched.

She knocked and entered. Mu Xuan looked up from his screen, his eyes sharp and dark—as if he were in a boardroom preparing for a negotiation rather than at home.

“Sit.”

“What is it? Just say it,” Mu Yin said, standing with her arms crossed.

“I thought you said you just met Liang Yunxi. You got close fast enough to have lunch together.”

Mu Yin laughed. “Brother, who are you spying on? Me or her?”

“Not spying, just a coincidence.”

“Oh? What is a CEO doing near a university? Are you going to tell me you were personally scouting for the next big star?”

“…” Mu Xuan didn’t know when Mu Yin had become so good at sarcasm. He countered, “A friend said they saw the family car at the Jiabei University parking lot. I just went to see if my idle, truant sister was busy chasing university boys.”

“Chasing university boys… I haven’t considered that. Maybe I’ll try it next time.”

Mu Xuan rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Don’t do anything out of line.”

“I know, I know,” Mu Yin backed toward the door. “If that’s all, I’m leaving.”

“Wait, I’m not finished.” Mu Xuan’s tone turned serious. “Liang Yunxi is just a student. Mu Yin, don’t do anything that makes things difficult for the Mu family.”

His gaze was like a dark sea harboring a storm. Mu Yin froze.

Wait… does he think I’m planning to do something cruel to Liang Yunxi?

Given the original Mu Yin’s background and the toxic family environment, it wasn’t an unreasonable assumption for him to make. Seeing her silence, Mu Xuan assumed he had caught her. “You don’t need to do anything unnecessary. I won’t let Liang Yunxi get close to the Mu family.”

Mu Yin stepped closer to the desk, leaning in toward him. “What exactly have you found out?”

The distance between them vanished. Because she was so close, Mu Xuan could smell a faint scent on her—not perfume, but a natural floral scent from being outdoors all day.

Mu Xuan dithered for a moment. Realizing he was distracted, he suddenly pushed his chair back until it hit the bookshelf.

“Who told you to get so close? Stay away from me!” he barked. “We’re siblings, but we’re both in our twenties. Don’t you know about boundaries between men and women?”

Mu Yin: “…” She hadn’t even thought of anything, let alone done anything, yet she got a lecture for it.

Mu Yin’s lip curled into a half-mocking, half-teasing smile. “Mu Xuan, I’m being serious—even if you change girlfriends every day, it won’t hide the fact that your EQ is zero.”

She grinned brilliantly. “Stop working so much. Go fall in love.”

“…”

Mu Xuan’s face went through a kaleidoscope of colors, turning dark before flushing red from the neck up. Mu Yin really wanted to take a photo, but she didn’t want to actually make him explode.