The Villainess is Too Clingy - Chapter 3

Fang Huiling was about to speak, but Tan Yin stopped her. She worried that Huiling might say something impulsive and attract the human traffickers. Just as she was about to take over the conversation, Huiling suddenly burst into tears.

“I don’t have a mom or dad anymore. It’s just me and my sister. I’m so hungry… sob…”

The young woman’s expression softened with sympathy. She rummaged through her bag for a while before pulling out two small buns and handing them to the girls.

“How about I take you somewhere to get a proper meal?” she offered.

Just then, a man approached. Tan Yin recognized him—he was one of the traffickers’ accomplices. He pretended to be a passerby, tossing a coin into their bowl. While the young woman couldn’t see, he shot the girls a threatening glare, warning them not to say a word.

Tan Yin understood the message and quickly regained her composure. She bowed deeply to the young woman and said, “No, thank you, Big Sister.” She then tugged at Fang Huiling’s sleeve. Huiling was a beat slow, but she quickly followed suit and thanked the woman in a clear, bright voice.

The young woman left, her face full of regret.

The girls unwrapped the buns and ate them in a few bites, then went back to quietly waiting for time to pass.

After the woman in the denim skirt left, the man assigned to watch them decided to squat down beside them, pretending to be their uncle.

Two more people brought them snacks, and a young man even asked if they needed any other help, but Tan Yin declined all their offers.

She had considered what would happen if she tried to call the police, but the original host’s memories held a grim warning. A child who had arrived only a few days earlier had tried to run away while begging. He was caught and brutally punished to serve as a warning to the others. Another child had even managed to call the police, but the traffickers claimed to be their legal guardians. The crowd of onlookers had played their parts perfectly, and the poor child was sent back, becoming another example of what happened to those who disobeyed.

There were no successful escapes in the original host’s memories.

Besides, this city was remote and underdeveloped. If things truly spiraled out of control, they would simply be dragged away and moved to another city.

In Tan Yin’s view, the safest course of action was to follow the plan and wait for three years. She was too cowardly to gamble with her own life.

That night, they were stuffed back into the car and driven back to the hideout.

Aunt Wei’s expression had been sour ever since they returned. It seemed business was bad again. She and her accomplice locked everyone up securely before bringing out tonight’s dinner: vegetable porridge with minced meat.

Most of the children had been starving all day. Their stomachs were empty, and they began to wolf down their portions the moment they received them.

As Tan Yin took her own bowl, the System’s voice rang in her mind: Ding! Host, please prevent the Villain from eating tonight’s dinner. Success will grant a 10% progress reward. Failure will result in an electric shock punishment and a 10% deduction in progress.

What?! Tan Yin’s breath hitched. She nearly roared in her mind, Why this mission? She’s been starving for three days!

The System ignored her protest and simply repeated the mission. Though its tone was neutral, the words sounded like a death sentence to Tan Yin.

Fang Huiling, who had been at the end of the line, just received her small bowl of porridge. Instead of eating it right away, she looked around for Tan Yin. Seeing her sister’s pale face, she shuffled over with a worried expression and asked softly, “Sister, what’s wrong? You don’t look well.”

Tan Yin turned her head stiffly to look at her.

Please prevent the Villain from eating tonight’s dinner. Success will… The System had already repeated the prompt four times.

She had no points left to lose. If they were deducted, she would die. It’s just one meal, she told herself. The kid ate a little something earlier to tide her over. It’s fine. Missing one meal won’t hurt…

“Sister?”

Clang!

Tan Yin didn’t even realize what she had done. She only felt her hand strike something, and then hot liquid splashed over her feet. The aluminum bowl rolled twice on the floor before landing upside down with a jarring thud.

The room fell silent. Then Aunt Wei’s sharp voice cut through the air. “What the hell are you doing, you little lunatic!”

Tan Yin flinched at the shout. “I’m sorry, Mom! I’ll clean it up right away!”

There were no extra portions of porridge. Since this one was spilled, Aunt Wei wouldn’t offer her anything else. After all, going hungry was a common occurrence here. Tan Yin wanted to give her own portion to Fang Huiling as compensation, but the System, which never interfered, suddenly chimed in.

[Please note: The Villain cannot eat any food tonight.]

The warning repeated three times.

Tan Yin felt a wave of genuine grief and wanted to cry.

She was hungry, too, but now she couldn’t bring herself to eat the hot porridge. Instead, she handed it to Tingting and the others.

Tan Yin kept her head down, unable to look at Fang Huiling. But Fang Huiling moved closer, gently taking her hand. “Sister, are you okay? Did you hurt your hand? Let me rub it for you.”

Unable to hold it in any longer, Tan Yin abruptly turned her head away and covered her face with her hands, soon drenched in tears.

“I’m sorry…”

“It’s okay, I’m not that hungry. Are you blaming yourself, Sister? You really don’t have to, I don’t mind. You should eat something. I’ll go ask Tingting for her portion.”

“Ah, she already drank it all! What should we do? Sister is still hungry.”

Muffled sobs escaped from between Tan Yin’s fingers, and Fang Huiling’s voice trailed off at the sound. After a moment, Tan Yin felt a tight embrace around her waist. Fang Huiling had burrowed back into her arms, silently nuzzling her head against her as if to offer comfort.

How can there be such an obedient child? How could I ever personally… Tan Yin dared not finish the thought.

The next day, Tan Yin was woken by the sound of a progress notification.

Ding! Congratulations, Host, on completing the mission. You have received a 10% progress reward! Current total progress: 15%. Keep it up.

Tan Yin’s face remained expressionless. She got out of bed numbly, washed up, and untied the ropes for the other children. Then, they were all stuffed into a truck and transported to another location.

Fang Huiling watched as Tan Yin kept her face numb and silent all day, and it left her with a heavy heart. It was just one meal she knocked over. Why is Sister Tan so upset? She even went hungry with me, which was completely unnecessary. Fang Huiling couldn’t understand it, and she didn’t want to try. All she wanted now was for Tan Yin to go back to being her usual self.

That night, after Tan Yin finished reading a bedtime story to the children, she went to lie down on another bed. Just as she was settling in, Fang Huiling, who had been pretending to be asleep, grabbed her.

Tan Yin’s pupils constricted. She silently mouthed, “What’s wrong?”

“Sister is avoiding me,” Fang Huiling said, her tone leaving no room for doubt.

“I’m not,” Tan Yin replied.

Fang Huiling looked into her eyes. “Will Sister still cuddle me to sleep tonight?”

Tan Yin’s gaze flickered. “Um…” It was unclear if she was agreeing or just hesitating.

Regardless of the answer, Fang Huiling scrambled out of her own bed, grabbed Tan Yin’s hand, and pulled her toward the other one. Only two smaller children were sleeping there. Fang Huiling carefully lifted a corner of the blanket, then turned and tugged Tan Yin’s hand, gesturing for her to get in first.

Unable to resist such a direct plea, Tan Yin slipped under the covers. A moment later, a fluffy little head snuggled into her arms.

“Sister isn’t allowed to ignore me.”

“I’m not ignoring you,” Tan Yin said softly. She just didn’t know how to face her.

“I only accidentally knocked over a meal, and now you’re ignoring me. I’m so sad,” Fang Huiling murmured, her eyes shining. Tan Yin could only see the back of her head as she snuggled closer. “Shouldn’t you make it up to me by being extra nice?”

It wasn’t an accident…

Fang Huiling didn’t know about the System. She had no idea why Tan Yin had done it.

Tan Yin fell silent. She gently stroked the warm, fluffy head in her arms. “You’re right. It’s my fault. I’ll try my best to be good to you from now on.”

Fang Huiling had no way of knowing the torment Tan Yin felt as she spoke. Tan Yin had grown to dread the System, that entity that forced her to do whatever it demanded. She feared the uncertainty of its next task. She feared that at any moment, while she was with Fang Huiling, that voice would suddenly echo in her mind, assigning her a cruel task she couldn’t refuse. And she would have to obey, just to survive.

I’m so tired. So incredibly tired.

She even wondered if the System was just a figment of her imagination. What if she defied it? What if nothing happened? Maybe she had just gone mad from being trapped in this suffocating environment for too long.

Tan Yin tried to convince herself that none of this was real. The thought that it might all be a hallucination brought her a strange sense of relief.

Their days were a dull, guilt-ridden blur, passing one by one, until a newcomer suddenly arrived.

He was an eight-year-old boy named Xiao Dong, wearing a plaid shirt. Aunt Wei had snatched him from an amusement park. From the moment he was thrown into the dilapidated room, he cried without stopping, his sobs so frantic he could barely catch his breath. It was as if he hoped his loud cries would bring someone to rescue him. When Tan Yin tried to step forward and calm him down, he pushed her away with surprising strength for such a small child.

The other children stared blankly, shaken by the noise. Tingting, unable to see, cowered behind Tan Yin, her small hands gripping the fabric of Tan Yin’s clothes.

In a place like this, drawing attention with loud crying was never a good thing. Tan Yin tried everything to quiet him down. She even tried to cover his mouth, but the boy bit her hard, nearly drawing blood.

His screams soon alerted Aunt Mei and the others. When the door swung open again, Aunt Wei and her husband, Uncle Zhang, stood outside.

Faced with the imposing stranger, Xiao Dong’s voice died instantly. He could only glare at them, his eyes brimming with tears.

“Tsk, this one’s no good,” Uncle Zhang said, glancing at Xiao Dong.

Tan Yin, who had inherited the original host’s memories, knew exactly what that meant. Ignoring the injury on her own palm, she scrambled to her feet and pleaded with Uncle Zhang, “Dad, he’s just scared. He’ll be fine in a couple of days. I’ll take care of him.”

“Xiao Tan, do you remember where my cane is? Go get it for me.”

“Dad… Daddy…” Tan Yin’s mind went blank.

“Hmm? Or do you want to join him?” The man’s voice turned grim.

I can’t fight back. I can’t fight back.

Resistance was useless. The original host’s body was only sixteen. They were all just children, and there were more than two adults here. If she didn’t bring the cane, she would be beaten. If she did, Xiao Dong would be beaten. No, no matter what she did, Xiao Dong couldn’t escape the darkness. All she had to do was…

In the end, Tan Yin handed over the cane. As the boy’s heart-wrenching pleas and screams echoed from outside, she slumped against the wall, her strength gone. Her throat tightened, and she began to retch.

This was how the original host had been pushed, step by step, into becoming a perpetrator. And now that she had inherited the original host’s place, she had to inherit everything that came with it.

She couldn’t understand what she had done wrong to deserve this. If the next two years were going to be like this, she would rather be annihilated by the System. She would be sorry to the person waiting for her in her original world, but she truly felt she couldn’t endure it anymore…

Tan Yin never saw Xiao Dong again. The child had vanished without a trace. Aunt Wei had been in a good mood lately, humming songs as she gave them extra food. Occasionally, they even got to eat hot meat buns.

Ever since that incident, Tan Yin’s appetite had been poor. She also ran a low-grade fever, leaving her body feeling much weaker.

After a day’s work, Fang Huiling helped the unsteady Tan Yin back to their room. The chore of washing the younger children, which usually fell to the second-oldest child, now rested on her shoulders.

Fang Huiling gave the kids a quick, rough scrub, and that was enough. When one of the children asked Tan Yin if she would tell them a story today, Fang Huiling snapped, “Sister Tan is sick, and you’re still asking her to tell stories?”

The scolded child apologized in a low voice.

Fang Huiling declared, “You all squeeze onto that bed today. I’m taking care of Sister Tan.”

Tingting, a tiny girl, stepped forward. “I want to help take care of Sister Tan too!”

“No, you can’t. You’re all just little kids. Only I can take care of her. Alright, that’s settled. Now go to sleep!” Fang Huiling waved them off, giving them no chance to object before she slid into Tan Yin’s bed.

Tan Yin’s head was still spinning. Hearing Fang Huiling assert her dominance, a smile touched her lips. But then, a thought struck her, and she pressed her lips together.

The room was dim, with only the paper-covered windows letting in a faint, soft light.

On the neighboring beds, the little ones’ breathing gradually steadied, and one even started snoring. Tan Yin lay on her side with her eyes closed, her consciousness drifting.

Fang Huiling whispered from behind her, “Sister, are you asleep?”

“Mm… what is it?” Tan Yin’s voice was thick with drowsiness.

“Sister, do you want to leave?”

“Leave… where?”

“Go outside. Go to school. Just… get away from this place.”

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