The Villainess is Too Clingy - Chapter 5

“Xiao Tan! Come help me pick the vegetables!”

Aunt Wei shouted from the courtyard. Tan Yin, who was busy hanging quilts to dry, hurriedly answered. She shook out a quilt, draped it over the line, and rushed over to help without wasting a moment.

She didn’t have to go out and beg for work today. Ever since her last tantrum, Aunt Wei’s attitude toward her had done a complete 180. Not only had the number of times she was sent out to beg for work drastically decreased, but her daily meals had also been upgraded.

Tan Yin wondered if Aunt Wei actually intended to raise her as a daughter. That would be too ridiculous. In her experience, a human trafficker’s conscience was smaller than a grain of rice. They had treated the original host as nothing more than a tool, and expecting any kind of genuine emotion from them was pure fantasy.

Still, having another point of leverage was a good thing. For example, Aunt Wei no longer hid when she took phone calls. Her phone leaked sound, so if Tan Yin stood close enough, she could hear the person on the other end. While picking vegetables, Tan Yin heard one of the voices unclearly mention City X. She instinctively held her breath and strained her ears to listen.

After Aunt Wei finished her call and started stretching, Tan Yin asked cautiously, “Mom, who was on the phone?”

“What’s it to you?” Aunt Wei shot her a glare.

Tan Yin’s tone was sincere. “I just think you work too hard, Mom. You’re always taking so many calls and managing so many people. And Dad too—you both work so hard.”

Aunt Wei paused, her voice softening. “What’s so hard about it? It’s all to make money and raise you little brats. Go make me two side dishes after you finish washing the vegetables.”

“Okay.”

Tan Yin swallowed her pride and played the part of the dutiful daughter. Maybe she really did have a talent for acting, because Aunt Wei was completely fooled.

At the dinner table, Tan Yin casually brought up City X. Aunt Wei’s stomach was full and happy, so she didn’t think twice about the topic.

With no one else around, Aunt Wei recalled her earlier call and remarked, “That buyer I was just talking to is in City X. It’s developing so fast now, and the people there are loaded. He wants a son, but unfortunately, we only have girls left. What a shame.”

Tan Yin’s voice was laced with envy. “A big city… I’d love to visit City X someday.”

“Want to go? Housing there is incredibly expensive now,” Aunt Wei said. “Your dad could only afford a small apartment there.” After she spoke, she paused, chewing over the words your dad. She used to say it without thinking, but sitting at the same table, it felt strange now. It was a peculiar feeling.

“Wash the dishes when you’re done. I’m going to take a nap.”

Tan Yin watched Aunt Wei’s departing back with a calm expression and began silently clearing the table.

Tan Yin had cooked dinner tonight. She was a good cook, and the large pot of preserved egg and pork congee she’d made was so delicious that even Aunt Wei couldn’t resist having two bowls.

Fang Huiling was still growing, and congee alone wasn’t enough for her. So, Tan Yin would secretly save some of the leftover rice from lunch for her, sometimes with a small chicken drumstick or half a flatbread. Thanks to this secret feeding, the girl had put on some weight, and she was now only half a head shorter than Tan Yin.

Fang Huiling still clung to her as always, her voice soft and sweet. She looked so considerate, adorable, and pitiful. Tan Yin truly couldn’t see a single hint of the future villain in the current Fang Huiling.

She asked the System, “Why is Fang Huiling the villain?”

The System replied, “Because the villain suffered greatly here as a child, which twisted her personality. When she was brought back to the Fang Family, they had already adopted two sons out of desperation to find their lost daughter. The villain was then oppressed by these adopted sons, making her even more gloomy and withdrawn. After seizing power, this personality began to lash out. She started abusing her power and did many wrong things. That’s why she is the villain.”

Tan Yin said, “But right now, she doesn’t look like she’s going to turn evil at all?”

The System paused for a moment before saying, “Self-diagnostic complete. No errors found.”

Tan Yin: “…” The System was just as useless as ever today.

Whatever, it doesn’t matter, she thought. Once the progress reaches 100%, I won’t be threatened by the System anymore. I can do whatever I want then. My memories will also be restored, and I’ll know which side I want to stay on.

*****

They moved to a new hideout again. Although the van was completely blacked out, Tan Yin had a faint feeling. Sure enough, shortly after they arrived, Aunt Wei pointed to a run-down house with a beaming smile. “This is the place I just rented in City X. It wasn’t cheap, you know. Go inside and tidy up. I’ll take you out for a stroll in a few days when I’m free.”

Tan Yin smiled shyly, but her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would leap out of her chest.

Here it is. The turning point from the story.

In the original novel, it took three years to reach this point. Now, they were here in less than two. The System hadn’t commented on the accelerated plot, nor had it tried to stop it. From her conversation with Aunt Wei, Tan Yin learned that the rent for this place was only paid for three months. This meant Fang Huiling had to meet her old acquaintance within this timeframe.

There wasn’t much Tan Yin could do in a situation like this. She could only leave it up to Fang Huiling’s own fate.

The first day passed without any incident.

Fang Huiling had definitely recognized this as the city where she used to live. Her facial expressions had diminished, and she practically wore the words “I have something on my mind” on her face. She must have had a lot of thoughts and plans, but she didn’t share any of them with Tan Yin. At night, she still clung to Tan Yin’s arm, pretending nothing was wrong while listening to her tell stories.

Since she didn’t speak, Tan Yin didn’t ask.

The same routine continued the next day, and the day after that, and the day after that…

Until one day, a month later, Fang Huiling suddenly asked, “Sister, if you ever get out of here, what would you want to do?”

Tan Yin replied that she didn’t know either.

“When that time comes, will you come to my house? We can live together, and I’ll be very, very good to you.” Fang Huiling’s eyes shone with such intensity that Tan Yin found it hard to look directly at her.

Tan Yin neither agreed nor refused. She pretended to have fallen asleep, ignoring the question. Fang Huiling, of course, didn’t wake her to demand an answer, and the conversation ended there.

Tan Yin knew that Fang Huiling must have encountered something to ask such a question. It wasn’t a mere hypothetical; it sounded more like an invitation.

At first, she thought Fang Huiling clung to her because her status was slightly different from the other children. She was seen as a reliable benefactor, which earned her special treatment. Later, she thought perhaps her occasional acts of kindness had touched the girl, leading to this continued favoritism. Either way, it was clear that Fang Huiling liked her.

But Tan Yin was bound by the Transmigration System. In the future, it would surely force her to do more terrible things to Fang Huiling, something she absolutely wanted to avoid.

She even concealed her true thoughts to prevent the System from detecting them. She had a plan—a cowardly one, perhaps, but one that might actually work.

*****

Aunt Wei’s temper had been flaring up again lately. Even with a door between them, Tan Yin could often hear her and Uncle Zhang shouting at the top of their lungs. Occasionally, the sounds of heavy objects falling or breaking would crash through, creating a scene of absolute chaos.

Fang Huiling grew even more silent and withdrawn. Tan Yin didn’t push her to speak.

She was waiting too.

After an agonizing wait of countless days, the moment finally arrived. In the dead of night, while everyone else slept, a violent crash erupted outside. Then came the shrill wail of sirens and the roar of voices, their shouts nearly piercing the sky.

The children all woke up. Tan Yin silently threw on her clothes. Fang Huiling, however, was already pressed against the window. Her gaze was cold and still, like a young wolf waiting for its moment to strike.

The sound of metal chains snapping echoed through the room. The door was kicked open, and several armed police officers burst in. Seeing the situation, they immediately sprang into action, untying the ropes from the children’s necks and beginning to comfort the hostages while counting their numbers.

A young man and woman stood out from the crowd. Dressed elegantly and carrying themselves with grace, they were straining to see inside the room. The moment they spotted Fang Huiling, their eyes welled with tears.

“Huiling!” “Ling’er!” they cried out, stumbling forward to pull her into a tight embrace.

The three of them clung to each other. The parents sobbed uncontrollably. Fang Huiling tried to keep her composure, but her nose stung and her vision blurred.

“Dad… Mom…”

“Ling’er! You’re back! You’re really back! I missed you so much,” the woman sobbed, her entire body trembling.

“Huiling, you’re safe. That’s all that matters,” the man murmured. He gently stroked his daughter’s hair, took a deep breath, and turned to thank the SWAT officers nearby.

“My poor Ling’er, you’ve suffered so much,” the woman said, her face a mix of tears and smiles. “Look at how much weight you’ve lost! We’ll make sure you eat well when we get home.”

Fang Huiling reached out to wipe her mother’s tears, her heart aching with guilt. It was her decision to run away that had caused all of this. She had to take responsibility.

“Mom, I’m sorry for making you worry,” Fang Huiling apologized earnestly. “Mom, there’s a sister here who’s been taking care of me. Can we take her back with us? She’s an orphan, and she was trafficked here too. She’s so pitiful, I want to leave with her.”

“Really? Someone was taking care of you here?” The woman wiped her tears and said gratefully, “Of course we can. Which sister is she?”

“It’s—” Fang Huiling turned to look for Tan Yin. However, the small, dilapidated room was fully visible, yet she couldn’t find the figure who should have been there. Fang Huiling’s pupils shrank, and she suddenly began searching frantically, asking the accompanying police officers.

“Ah? Just a moment ago, a young girl said she needed to use the restroom and had been holding it for a long time, so we let her out. She hasn’t come back yet.”

No. Fang Huiling had a feeling, though she didn’t know why.

She went to the restroom, searched Aunt Mei’s bedroom, and checked every single room in the place. They were all empty.

That person had simply vanished, just as cruelly as “before.”

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