The Villainess’s Darling [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 32

The matter regarding Zhao Mengting seemed to have ended without a resolution.

 

Two days later, Ning Xiao was sitting in class when the mechanical voice of System 13579 suddenly rang out: Ding! The fourth plot point will occur in three minutes. Host, please proceed to Zhao Mengting and Shang Shaotan and prepare!

 

Ning Xiao:

 

[In front of Zhao Mengting and Shang Shaotan? Together? They’ve already fallen out; how am I supposed to get them to stand next to each other?]

 

The Host needs to figure that out on her own. When the plot point arrives, the three of you must be within one meter of each other for the scene to trigger successfully.

 

Fuming, Ning Xiao slammed her hand on the desk, startling the person next to her.

 

“Ning Xiao, is something wrong?” her seatmate asked cautiously.

 

Ning Xiao’s face was like ice. “No. Thing!”

 

The seatmate: That does not look like “nothing”

 

Ning Xiao stood up, her expression frosted over. She walked over to Shang Shaotan in a few strides. “Hey, Shang Shaotan, come here for a second. I have something to say to you.”

 

[Xiao Qi, don’t forget the countdown.]

 

Got it! Remaining time: two minutes and thirty-five seconds!

 

Shang Shaotan frowned. “If you have something to say, say it here.”

 

“It’s about something private that you wouldn’t want others to overhear. If you don’t mind, I’ll just say it right here,” Ning Xiao said eerily. Her gaze fixed on him, making him feel inexplicably numb.

 

Hearing this, Shang Shaotan felt a pang of guilt. He started racking his brain for any dirt Ning Xiao might have on him, but he couldn’t think of anything. Since he was a child, he had been extremely careful about his image in front of girls—no embarrassing photos, no stupid mistakes. It was impossible for her to have leverage.

 

“Say it here!” he insisted.

 

His reaction was exactly as Ning Xiao expected. She crossed her arms, looking down at him with a flash of contempt in her eyes. “It’s not just about you; it involves Zhao Mengting, too. Are you sure you don’t want to know?”

 

Remaining time: two minutes and fifteen seconds!

 

The moment Ning Xiao mentioned Zhao Mengting, Shang Shaotan’s expression shifted. He nearly lost his cool facade. His first instinct was that Ning Xiao had found out he was using Zhao Mengting as her “stand-in,” but he quickly dismissed the thought.

 

He suddenly remembered what happened two days ago. Could what Ning Xiao wanted to say be related to that?

 

Shang Shaotan had been dying to find out what exactly happened that day but didn’t know who to ask. Now, Ning Xiao was delivering herself to his doorstep, claiming it involved both him and Zhao Mengting. His curiosity intensified.

 

After Zhao Mengting had been moved to a separate desk by He Yue, the teacher hadn’t approached him. This suggested he wasn’t involved… or maybe he was, and He Yue simply chose not to tell him. He bit his lip, debating whether to trust Ning Xiao.

 

“Are you going to listen or not?!” Ning Xiao urged impatiently.

 

Shang Shaotan suddenly had an epiphany. Clearly, Ning Xiao was the one in a hurry. It wouldn’t hurt him whether he listened or not, but it was obvious that Ning Xiao would be miserable if she couldn’t tell him.

 

Ding! One minute remaining!

 

Shang Shaotan started acting coy. “No rush. It won’t be too late to hear it over lunch.”

 

Ning Xiao narrowed her eyes. “Are you sure you want to wait until lunch? What if I don’t feel like telling you by then?”

 

He looked relaxed. “Then I won’t listen.”

 

He sneered internally: Heh, you think you can threaten me?

 

Yuan Wei tried to persuade him: “What if it’s something important and urgent? Just go listen to what she has to say.”

 

Shang Shaotan just stared at Ning Xiao without speaking.

 

Sitting in the front row, Yun Can’er habitually turned back to look for Ning Xiao, but she wasn’t in her seat. Her brows knit together as her eyes scanned the room, stopping abruptly at the back.

 

In the last row, Ning Xiao was standing in front of Shang Shaotan, saying something…

 

What could they possibly have to talk about? Had Ning Xiao’s old feelings for him reignited?

 

Yun Can’er’s heart tightened. She almost couldn’t stop herself from rushing over to drag Ning Xiao away, ideally to a place where no one else existed, just the two of them. Her dark eyes grew deeper, a flicker of flame burning within the bottomless shadows.

 

Ning Xiao didn’t notice Yun Can’er’s gaze. She was focused on completing the plot point to earn points for beauty products from the system mall for Yun Can’er.

 

Thirty seconds remaining!

 

“Fine. If you won’t talk, I’ll assume you don’t want to know. Forget it.” Ning Xiao scoffed and turned to leave.

 

Shang Shaotan was surprised she gave up so easily.

 

But the moment she turned, she suddenly reached out and grabbed him by the collar, hauling him out of his seat with brute force. Before anyone could react, she seized his wrist with one hand and pressed down on his shoulder blade with the other, twisting his arm back. In pain, Shang Shaotan was forced to stumble forward following her lead.

 

She marched him right up to the teacher’s podium and slammed him down, forcing his face against Zhao Mengting’s desk.

 

Zhao Mengting: What is this? I’m not even looking for trouble, and you bring it to me?

 

The emotions Zhao Mengting had been suppressing for two days nearly boiled over. Inside her desk, her hand gripped a sharp utility knife, nervously clicking the blade in and out, imagining the sensation of it piercing soft skin.

 

Yun Can’er was equally stunned, the fire in her eyes vanishing instantly.

 

Countdown: Three, two, one!

 

The moment she lost control of her body; Ning Xiao released her grip. Shang Shaotan straightened up, his face flushed with rage. “Ning Xiao, you”

 

Before he could finish, he was interrupted by a tearful “Ning Xiao.”

 

“Shang Shaotan, how could you do this to me!” With a newfound fragility, “Ning Xiao” pointed at him in a mix of anger and grief.

 

Shang Shaotan: What did I even do to you?!

 

Yuan Wei, who had caught up, immediately looked at Shang Shaotan with reproach. “Shaotan, what on earth did you do to hurt Ning Xiao?!”

 

Seeing her on the verge of tears, the surrounding students opened fire on him.

 

“How can a guy bully a girl like Ning Xiao?”

 

“She hasn’t even been talking to you lately, what more do you want?”

 

“Shang Shaotan, you have no heart!”

 

The barrage of accusations left him in a daze. He almost started believing he had done something wrong, even though he hadn’t had the chance to do anything!

 

“I didn’t…”

 

He tried to explain, but “Ning Xiao” cut him off again: “Explanations are useless now! I see you for who you really are!”

 

She blinked, and a tear rolled down her snowy cheek. “I liked you once. At first, you ignored me, then you rejected me, then you turned around and confessed to Yun Can’er. I accepted all of that. But look at what you’ve done since! You claim to like Yun Can’er while secretly cultivating a ‘special relationship’ with Zhao Mengting. You thought you were being seamless, but I saw through both of you long ago. Shang Shaotan, you are a total jerk!”

 

Ding! Plot point completed! Reward: 30 points. Total points: 30.

 

Ning Xiao regained control of her body. She blinked her damp eyes and wiped the tear from her cheek. “Shang Shaotan, from now on, you and I have absolutely nothing to do with each other.”

 

She walked over to Yun Can’er and said earnestly, “Can’er, it’s a good thing you never liked this scumbag.”

 

Yun Can’er stared at her in shock. Everything had happened so fast she could barely keep up.

 

“I wish the two of you a long life together. May you grow old in ‘perfect’ harmony,” Ning Xiao added coldly to Shang Shaotan and Zhao Mengting, her eyes still rimmed with red.

 

Shang Shaotan was left speechless. When had he “hooked up” with Zhao Mengting? He wanted to, but he hadn’t succeeded yet! How could Ning Xiao just throw dirt on him like that?

 

Since the school was owned by the Shang family, the Class 1 students didn’t push it too far; they simply gossiped privately as they returned to their seats. Shang Shaotan couldn’t out-argue her and wasn’t as strong as her, so he had to swallow his anger for now.

 

He slammed his hand on Zhao Mengting’s desk. “You just sat there? Why didn’t you explain?”

 

Zhao Mengting looked at him like he was an idiot. “Everything Ning Xiao said was true. What did you want me to explain? That you didn’t try to charm me? Be a man—if you did it, admit it. Or do you want people to think you’re a coward too?”

 

“You!” Shang Shaotan was flabbergasted.

 

What was going on? Every girl he came into contact with was starting to lash out at him. And the worst part? He couldn’t win an argument against any of them!

 

“Wait, I’ve spoken to you maybe ten times total. How is that ‘cultivating a relationship’? Why would I even want to do that with you?” He was determined to get to the bottom of this today; he wouldn’t let his reputation be ruined.

 

“Heh,” Zhao Mengting sneered. “You should ask your guardian about that.”

 

She ignored him after that, burying her face on the desk. In her desk drawer, her hand moved even faster, clicking the blade. She was afraid that if she kept talking to him, she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from cutting him.

 

Hurting him was a small matter, but being expelled and forced back home by Zhao Tangsheng was a huge problem. She wasn’t about to lose her freedom over someone like Shang Shaotan.

 

Shang Shaotan’s confusion only grew. The events of the past two days were like a massive puzzle; on the surface, they had nothing to do with him, yet everyone who knew the “secret” insisted he was involved.

 

With a darkened expression, he walked back to his seat.

 

During lunch break, he didn’t go to the cafeteria with Yuan Wei. Instead, he went back to the dorm and called home. After three rings, the call was picked up.

 

“Hello? Who are you looking for?”

 

Recognizing the nanny’s voice, he said, “Auntie Zhang, it’s me, Shaotan. Is my mom home?”

 

“Oh, Shaotan! Yes, she’s here. I’ll go get her.”

 

A minute or two later, a much gentler voice came through. “Tan Tan, why are you calling Mama?”

 

The Shang family tradition was “men lead outside, women lead inside.” The father worked, and the mother enjoyed life at home. Since his father was rarely around, Shang Shaotan had spent most of his youth with his mother, Zhang Liyun. Naturally, she was the first person he turned to.

 

“Mom, I need to ask you something.” He wasn’t sure if she knew, but even if she didn’t, she could ask his father for him.

 

“Go ahead, Tan Tan.”

 

“Mom, do you know a girl named Zhao Mengting?”

 

“Zhao Mengting? That name sounds familiar… let me think.”

 

The silence stretched on. When his mother said she recognized the name, Shang Shaotan’s heart sank. Maybe what Ning Xiao and Zhao Mengting said was true…

 

“Ah! I remember now! Tan Tan, Zhao Mengting is the daughter of the Zhao family your father mentioned recently. She’s lovely and pretty. The two families want to set the two of you up. Didn’t she just transfer to Bo Ming? Are you in the same class? How do you feel about her? Do you like her?…”

 

Her voice seemed to drift further away as Shang Shaotan’s heart filled with disbelief and humiliation. If his father had told him earlier, he wouldn’t have looked like such a fool today!

 

“Mom, I have to go. Bye.”

 

He hung up and immediately called his father’s office. The assistant answered. Shang Shaotan had calmed down by then. “Hello, this is Shang Shaotan. I need to speak to my father.”

 

His father took the phone and laughed. “Kid, how do you have time to call me?”

 

“Dad…” Shang Shaotan’s voice was dripping with resentment. “Did you forget to tell me something?”

 

“Why the sudden question?”

 

“Zhao Mengting.”

 

“Ah! You found out! Hahaha! So, what do you think? The girl your dad picked for your marriage alliance—she transferred to your class, right? Do you like her?”

 

“Thanks, but I really can’t like her.”

 

“I’ve seen her photos,” his father said. “She’s so cute. Don’t you like the cute ones?”

 

“I don’t. It’s impossible for me to ‘cultivate feelings’ for her.” Shang Shaotan was petty and held grudges; he would never forget being humiliated by her today. “Dad, next time something like this happens, can you tell me in advance? Don’t leave me so vulnerable…”

 

“What happened? Did you confess and get rejected?” his father asked, concerned.

 

“No…” Shang Shaotan explained the events of the last two days. “I think there’s something wrong with her. Also, all of this happened right after the school’s mental health screening. Dad, help me look into it. See if she has issues, or if the Zhao family is hiding something. Given their status, I can’t think of any other reason they’d want an alliance with us.”

 

His father fell silent for a moment. “Fine. Don’t worry about anything at school. Just act like you don’t know. I’ll have someone look into it immediately!”

 

With his father’s promise, Shang Shaotan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

 

 

After receiving her points, Ning Xiao browsed the system mall. She only had enough for the “Lustrous Black Hair Coating Treatment.” Since the next plot point was far off and Yun Can’er’s transformation couldn’t wait, she spent her 30 points on the hair treatment.

 

After the second monthly exams, Ning Xiao was still rank one, though the gap between her and Yun Can’er had narrowed significantly. Shang Shaotan remained in third place.

 

There was a two-day break after the exams. Ning Xiao accompanied Yun Can’er back to the Yun household, used her family’s influence to “intimidate” them a bit, and then whisked Yun Can’er away to the Ning house.

 

Both of Ning Xiao’s parents were home. They were incredibly warm and welcoming to their daughter’s “best friend.” Yun Can’er had received more care in one day at the Ning house than she had in her entire life.

 

At nine o’clock, they returned to Ning Xiao’s bedroom. “Your parents are so kind,” Yun Can’er said.

 

Ning Xiao smiled and patted her head. “I don’t think they’d mind having another daughter.”

 

“Huh?” Yun Can’er was stunned.

 

“I can ask them to adopt you as a goddaughter. Then we wouldn’t just be friends—we’d be sisters. How about it? If you agree, I’ll go tell them right now. They probably aren’t asleep yet…”

 

Ning Xiao stood up to leave, but Yun Can’er quickly stopped her. “No, don’t say anything.”

 

She didn’t want to be “just friends,” and she certainly didn’t want to be sisters!

 

“Ning Xiao, today was the first time I met your parents… and if my family found out, they’d shamelessly cling to yours like leeches. I don’t want to bring trouble to your family because of me.”

 

Ning Xiao reluctantly accepted her reasoning. “Fine. But I’ve always wanted a sister. If you ever change your mind, I’d be a great big sister.” She winked.

 

Yun Can’er looked down, afraid to meet her eyes. If Ning Xiao knew about her “delusions,” she might not even want to be friends anymore…

 

She blinked away the moisture in her eyes and looked up with a smile. “I know.” But I can’t be your sister.

 

Just let my delusions last a little longer.

 

Ning Xiao ruffled her soft hair. “I’ll go run the bathwater for you. Soak for a while; it’ll help you sleep better.”

 

Yun Can’er nodded and went into the bathroom. Ning Xiao knew her routine was to wash her hair last. After waiting about twenty minutes, she knocked on the door. “Can’er, open up. I have something for you.”

 

Yun Can’er, who was just about to start on her hair, jumped. She scrambled out of the tub, threw on a white bathrobe, and opened the door flusteredly. “Ning Xiao, what’s wrong?”

 

She had sounded so urgent, yet when the door opened, Ning Xiao was just smiling.

 

“The ‘urgent’ matter is… I’m helping you wash your hair.” Ning Xiao slipped into the bathroom and closed the door, showing her the hair treatment. “I bought this mask from abroad. It’s perfect for thin, dry hair. You’ll see results in one use. Let me try it on you.”

 

Yun Can’er was stunned. “You bought this specifically for me?”

 

“Of course,” Ning Xiao teased. “Who else do I know with hair as fine and light as yours? Sit over here. I’ll wash it first, then apply the mask.”

 

Yun Can’er froze. “You’re… you’re going to wash it for me?”

 

Ning Xiao flicked her forehead. “Why are you blushing? It’s just washing your hair, not giving you a bath. Don’t be shy. Sit down.”

 

Speechless, Yun Can’er found she couldn’t bring herself to refuse. She slowly moved to the designated spot, her face burning.

 

“Head down.” Ning Xiao pinched the back of her neck.

 

Yun Can’er’s neck turned red instantly. She obediently leaned forward, trying to hide her embarrassment by making conversation. “Be gentle… I’m afraid of losing hair…”

 

Ning Xiao chuckled. “Don’t worry. I’ll be careful not to hurt you.”

 

Under the warm stream of water, Ning Xiao’s fingers moved gently through her strands. Every time those slender, soft fingers brushed against her scalp, Yun Can’er’s body gave an involuntary shiver.

 

Ning Xiao playfully flicked Yun Can’er’s bright red ear. “Relax. I’m just washing your hair.”

 

A wave of heat rushed to Yun Can’er’s face. She kept her head down, her entire body beginning to flush from nerves.

 

“Ning Xiao, stop teasing me.” She tried to sound serious, but her voice came out soft and airy, sounding more like a pampered pout.

 

Ning Xiao’s hands faltered. Her fingertips seemed to catch the heat from Yun Can’er’s body, and a tingle of electricity traveled to her own heart.

 

She realized that if she kept teasing, she might be the one in trouble, not Yun Can’er. She focused silently on the task. The bathroom fell quiet, save for the sound of the water. Shampoo, lather, rinse—she performed every step with professional care.

 

Yun Can’er couldn’t tell if she felt more disappointed or relieved. Her complex emotions were reflected immediately in the system’s announcement:

 

Ding! Female Lead’s Blackening Value: 90%!

 

Ning Xiao: “???”

 

Wait, I literally just washed her hair?