The Villainess’s Darling [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 23

There was no time to rest after returning to school; everyone had to head straight to the classroom for evening self-study.

Ms. He Yue read out the newly printed exam seating chart. At Bo Ming Private High School, students were assigned to examination halls based on their previous rankings. Naturally, Yun Can’er was at the very first desk in Exam Hall One, with Shang Shaotan sitting right behind her.

After finishing the list for the rest of the class, He Yue looked toward Ning Xiao with a meaningful, somewhat mocking glint in her eyes. “Ning Xiao: Exam Hall Nine, Seat 20. Invigilator: He Yue.”

The mockery in her tone was barely veiled. Except for Ning Xiao, every student in Class One was assigned to the first three halls. He Yue was originally supposed to invigilate Hall One, but she was so convinced Ning Xiao would try to cheat that she had specifically requested Hall Nine just to keep a personal eye on her.

Ning Xiao, still preoccupied with Yun Can’er’s “Blackening Level,” couldn’t be bothered with He Yue’s petty antics. It had only been a few days, yet the level had already climbed to 80%. Her absolute priority was finding a way to bring that number down.

The next day, Ning Xiao entered Hall Nine armed with nothing but a black gel pen and a 2B pencil. Before the start, her three best friends. Wu Qing, Xu Yiyi, and Zhen Meng managed to track her down. They had heard about the bet with He Yue and had come to cheer her on.

“Xiao Xiao, don’t worry,” Xu Yiyi said. “You’ll definitely stay in Class One.”

Zhen Meng patted her shoulder. “We understand. There’s someone very important to you in that class, which is why you’re fighting so hard to stay.”

Wu Qing was even more direct. “Even if your grades are rubbish, it doesn’t matter. I’ll talk to my family. He Yue only dares to challenge you because the Shang family currently holds more shares in the school than the Ning family. If our two families join forces, our combined shares will dwarf theirs. Then, you can stay in whichever class you fancy!”

Facing the pitying, sympathetic, yet fiercely loyal gazes of her three friends, Ning Xiao was at a loss. What on earth has happened? Why have my friends suddenly turned into this?

“Er. I actually think I’ll do quite well,” Ning Xiao said tentatively. She might not take the top spot in the entire year, but she was fairly confident about making the top ten.

To her surprise, her words only made the trio’s gazes even more pitying. “Xiao Xiao, you don’t have to put on a brave face for us.”

Ning Xiao: 

The “original” Ning Xiao had always been a mediocre student. Her family never pressured her, so she had coasted along, relying on her natural wit to stay somewhere in the middle of the school rankings. She was bright, yes, but far from a prodigy. Ning Xiao could already envision the look of utter shock on her friends’ faces when she actually placed in the top ten.

A few minutes before the exam, He Yue arrived with another invigilator. Seeing Ning Xiao and her friends huddled at the door like they were plotting a heist, she frowned deeply. “The exam is about to begin. Don’t loiter, everyone, back to your own halls.”

Wu Qing and the others shot He Yue cold, dismissive glares recognising her as the teacher who was giving Ning Xiao a hard time before strutting away.

He Yue’s face flushed with anger, but since Wu Qing’s family was also a major shareholder, she didn’t dare call them back for a lecture. Instead, she turned to vent to her colleague. “Honestly, Mr. Mi, do you know how difficult my job is? People are always trying to make things hard for me.”

Mr. Mi, noticing Ning Xiao’s cold gaze directed at He Yue, maintained his usual “good-natured” smile. “They’re just children, a bit impulsive in their teens. As teachers, we ought to be a bit more broad-minded.”

“I knew you’d feel the same…” He Yue started, assuming he was on her side. She had a whole speech prepared, but halfway through, she realized Mr. Mi wasn’t actually agreeing with her. Her face turned white, then red, then white again. She felt humiliated, as if she were being roasted over a fire with no way down.

Fortunately, the bell rang. He Yue composed her face into a frosty mask and walked into the classroom. Ning Xiao followed slowly, taking her seat at the very back by the window.

The hall was vast, holding only twenty widely spaced desks. It was impossible to even catch a glimpse of a neighbour’s paper. As the papers were distributed, Mr. Mi took his seat at the front while He Yue began prowling the aisles. She wore soft-soled shoes, moving as silently and ominously as a ghost.

Ning Xiao calmly filled in her details and then switched to her pencil. Propping her chin on one hand, she scanned the questions with half-lidded, lazy eyes, filling in the answer sheet as she went.

He Yue drifted over. Seeing Ning Xiao’s relaxed posture contrasted with the speed at which she was shading the bubbles, she let out a silent huff of contempt. At that speed, there’s no way she’s thinking. She’s probably just guessing. He Yue felt a sense of relief; clearly, Ning Xiao had realized she was out of her depth and had given up.

Over the next two days, every time He Yue checked, Ning Xiao was writing furiously. In the time it took others to read a passage, Ning Xiao had already finished the comprehension questions.

The exams ended, and classes resumed. By the third day, results began to trickle in. Chinese was the first subject marked, and the class representative mentioned that the papers would be handed out before the next lesson.

Shang Shaotan scoffed toward Ning Xiao’s desk. “If Ning Xiao actually does well, there’s definitely something fishy going on.”

He didn’t care how good her memory was; a few days wasn’t enough to catch up on a month’s worth of coursework. Besides, Chinese wasn’t just about rote memorisation—the reading and essay portions would surely be her downfall.

Yuan Wei disagreed. “Don’t be like that. My goddess said she could do it, so I believe her.”

Shang Shaotan rolled his eyes. He had no patience for “face-dogs” like Yuan Wei, who were blinded by beauty.

At lunch, Shang Shaotan and his circle of friends were back at it. Luo Kaide chimed in, “Ning Xiao isn’t even as smart as I am. If she makes the top forty, I’ll be the first to report her for cheating!” The others laughed in agreement.

Yuan Wei rolled his eyes secretly. These people are blind. Ignoring Ning Xiao’s world-class beauty just to suck up to Shang Shaotan? No ambition at all.

Shang Shaotan smiled, satisfied. “Just you wait. The Chinese results are out this afternoon. Ning Xiao. tsk!”

As Yun Can’er walked past the group of wealthy heirs, she happened to catch Shang Shaotan’s comment and shot him a glance. Since she was a frequent target of their teasing, Luo Kaide couldn’t resist hooting, “Young Master Shang, look! Your little girlfriend is here!”

His tone was so oily it made one want to slap him.

Yun Can’er stopped in her tracks. She looked around—she was the only girl there. Because of Luo Kaide’s comment, the surrounding students were already looking at her with judgemental eyes.

She pursed her lips and walked straight up to Luo Kaide. “Who exactly are you calling Shang Shaotan’s girlfriend?”

After class, Ning Xiao had been cornered by her three friends for “ten minutes,” so Yun Can’er had taken Ning Xiao’s meal card to the canteen to buy her some fried chicken before it sold out. She hadn’t expected to hear these people talking behind her back and then insulting her to her face.

It was clear they didn’t respect her; she was just a punchline to them. And the catalyst for all of it was Shang Shaotan. She had no idea where he got the audacity to think she’d ever like him. Was it his lack of respect, or his sheer shamelessness?

Luo Kaide maintained his cocky, playful grin. “Whoever asks is the one, obviously~”

Yun Can’er stared at him with dark, brooding eyes, saying nothing. For some reason, Luo Kaide’s grin faltered. He cleared his throat and was the first to look away, unable to maintain eye contact.

Good lord, since when did her gaze get so terrifying?

Yun Can’er didn’t want to waste time; she still had chicken to buy. Before leaving, she addressed Shang Shaotan with cold solemnity. “Shang Shaotan, aside from being in the same class, we have absolutely no connection. Please ensure that you and your friends stop discussing me.”

She turned and walked away before he could get a word in. Cold, sharp, and confident for a moment, Shang Shaotan saw a flash of Ning Xiao in her.

He was left speechless. The others swapped awkward glances. Since when did Yun Can’er get so much backbone? Wasn’t she supposed to be a pathetic little thing waiting to be rescued?

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