The Villainess’s Darling [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 36

After interviewing Ning Xiao’s extravagantly “bold” parents, Xiao Li walked over to Ning Xiao and Yun Can’er with a look of dazed confusion.

Ning Xiao was holding an open slip of paper, while Director Wu and Director Qian stared at the small card in her hand with agonizing tension.

Xiao Li quickly signaled the cameraman to zoom in on the card, then stepped beside Yun Can’er, who appeared to be the least nervous person in the room—to begin the interview.

“Hello, you must be student Yun Can’er. Could you tell us what exactly they are doing?” Xiao Li asked, extending the microphone toward her.

Yun Can’er’s bright, obsidian eyes blinked as she faced the camera. “They are drawing lots.”

“Drawing lots? For what?” Xiao Li asked, puzzled.

Yun Can’er smiled. Her fair, delicate face seemed to glow under the lights, and her rosy lips parted to drop a bombshell: “Because we need to decide whether she’s going to Huada or Jingda.”

Xiao Li:

Cameraman:

What kind of terrifying flex was this?! Deciding between the nation’s top two universities based on a random draw?!!!

Xiao Li felt a bit breathless. Struggling to maintain her professional composure, she stiffened her expression and asked, “Shouldn’t the decision be based on the specific major or the score? Why resort to drawing lots?”

“Other people might choose based on majors or points, but Ning Xiao doesn’t need to,” Can’er replied, her dark eyes sparkling with a hint of mischief. “For her, it doesn’t really matter whether it’s Jingda or Huada, right?”

After all, the two universities are right across the street from each other. It’s just as easy to come find me at the Film Academy from either one! Can’er thought smugly.

Xiao Li: “Right.” Too right. It really is infuriating to compare oneself to others.

Suddenly, Director Qian let out a joyful shout. The results were in! Xiao Li immediately signaled the cameraman to swing the lens toward Ning Xiao.

Beside her, Director Wu looked utterly dejected, while Director Qian was beaming as if he’d won the lottery—which, in a way, he had.

“Director Wu, my apologies! You might be the better sweet-talker, but sometimes these things just come down to luck. And when luck comes knocking, you can’t turn it away! So sorry!” Director Qian’s voice was triumphant.

Director Wu rolled his eyes, hidden from the camera.

Xiao Li stepped forward to interview the winner. “Director Qian, you seem thrilled. I take it the result was favorable?”

“Of course!” Qian declared to the lens. “Student Ning Xiao has chosen our Huada! We will do our absolute best to ensure that such a talent flourishes and never goes to waste!”

After delivering a brief recruitment pitch for Huada, he laughed. “Now, interview Ning Xiao. She’s the real star here; don’t let me hog all the glory, hahahaha!”

Director Wu stood off to the side, stone-faced. He found Qian’s laughter incredibly grating. If he weren’t afraid of the reporter writing a headline like “Jingda Admissions Director Throws Tantrum After Losing Top Scorer,” he would have stormed out the moment the paper was unfolded.

Xiao Li held out the mic. “Student Ning Xiao, hello.”

Ning Xiao nodded. “Hello.”

“I learned from your parents earlier that your grades in middle school weren’t ideal, yet you suddenly became the top of your school in high school,” Xiao Li said. “How did you do it? Is there a study method you’d like to share?”

Ning Xiao’s eyes softened with a smile as she glanced at Yun Can’er. “Did my parents not tell you why?”

That look made Can’er’s cheeks feel warm, and a small smile tugged at her lips.

Xiao Li shook her head. “Mr. and Mrs. Ning said only you could answer that.”

Ning Xiao smiled at the camera. “The reason is simple. It was because of a person.”

Xiao Li’s journalistic instincts flared. This was front-page material! “What person? Someone you like?”

Ning Xiao looked at Can’er again and hummed thoughtfully. “It is someone I like, but don’t misunderstand, it’s not a boy.”

The hint was so obvious that Xiao Li reacted instantly. “It’s Yun Can’er! Isn’t it?”

“Exactly.”

The cameraman panned over to Yun Can’er. Seeing the girl’s blushing face and shy demeanor, he couldn’t help but offer a knowing smile. What a beautiful friendship, he thought.

Once the camera returned to Ning Xiao, she continued, “My grades at Boming Private High were originally middle-to-lower tier. At that time, learning was just a set of meaningless numbers to me. As you can see, my family is wealthy, and as an only daughter, I knew I could just go abroad if I didn’t get into a good domestic school. That mindset persisted until I met Can’er.

“Later, by a stroke of fate, we became friends. Her hard work and dedication were infectious. I realized that no matter your background, working hard is never a bad thing. Under her influence, I started taking my studies seriously. When I saw my grades rise, I understood the joy of seeing effort pay off—a feeling no amount of money could ever give me.”

Ning Xiao spoke with such sincerity that Xiao Li was visibly moved, nearly shouting “Long live friendship!” into her own microphone.

After Ning Xiao, it was Yun Can’er’s turn. Xiao Li had a long list of questions ready, including several she had added on the fly. Seeing Can’er looking a bit tense, Ning Xiao walked over and smoothed her silky black hair.

“Don’t be nervous,” Ning Xiao whispered warmly. “Just say whatever you feel like saying. I’m right here.”

Even if Can’er misspoke, the Ning family had plenty of ways to ensure the newspaper didn’t print it. Can’er took a deep breath, and her racing heart finally began to steady.

Xiao Li began, “I’ve heard all about your friendship from Ning Xiao. I also heard that you rarely went home during high school, often spending your holidays at the Ning residence instead. Could you tell us why?”

Ning Xiao stood to the side, her gaze cooling as she watched the reporter. Even the two Admissions Directors felt the question was a bit off—it felt more like digging for gossip than interviewing a top scholar.

But with the camera rolling, Can’er had to answer. Silence would only invite more speculation. Fortunately, she had practiced this with Ning Xiao.

Can’er’s dark eyes were earnest. “It’s not that I don’t go home. It’s just that Ning Xiao felt my home environment wasn’t ideal for focused studying. After discussing it with my family, they agreed to let me stay here.”

She smiled softly. “Ever since Ning Xiao surpassed me to become rank one, she’s been very concerned about my studies. She was worried the blow to my ego would make me give up, so having me stay here was her way of ‘supervising’ me.”

With the tricky question deflected, Xiao Li’s tone softened. “Having achieved such results, do you consider yourself a genius?”

Can’er laughed, glancing at Ning Xiao. “How could I be a genius? Ning Xiao is the genius. Back then, she only studied for a week before taking the top spot from me. I have to study every day and never slack off even during holidays to get these results.”

She tilted her head, revealing two cute dimples. “I think I’m just a ‘normally’ smart person. If average IQ is 80 to 120, I’m probably at 110. I haven’t reached genius levels yet.”

After several questions about her study habits, Xiao Li said, “Just two final questions…”

Can’er knew the “real” questions were coming and braced herself. “Please, go ahead.”

Her serious little expression made Xiao Li laugh. “Relax, it’s just a normal interview.”

Can’er didn’t believe her for a second—not after that first leading question. However, she “acted” out a relaxed posture perfectly. “Alright.”

“How many people are in your family, and what is your relationship with them like?”

It was a simple question. Deceptively simple. If answered poorly, it could become a stain on her reputation later.

Can’er’s long lashes fluttered as she looked down. “There are five people in my family including me: my parents and my two older sisters.”

She fell silent for a moment. Xiao Li didn’t rush her.

After a long pause, Can’er continued, “As for our relationship… well, I’m not sure how to describe it, because we’ve spent very little time together.”

She knit her brows, looking fragile. “I don’t look much like my parents, and I wasn’t as lively or likable as my sisters. My parents were a bit cold toward me. I was ‘slow’ back then and didn’t know how to please them, so my childhood wasn’t very happy…”

“But things got better in middle school,” her tone brightened. “My grades improved, and when I won my first scholarship, my parents were very happy. They praised me and even gave me ten yuan in pocket money. After that, I entered more competitions and brought home more prize money and honors. After the middle school entrance exams, Principal Sun wanted me to attend Boming. He granted me a 500,000 yuan scholarship and waived all my fees. My two sisters were also able to transfer to Boming because of it. I’m truly grateful to Principal Sun.”

Can’er spoke with complete sincerity, but the more Xiao Li listened, the more unsettled she felt. Disliked because she didn’t look like them… only given a smile when she brought home money… and the sisters were ‘packaged’ into a top school on her coattails…

“May I ask,” Xiao Li said, her voice strained, “how much scholarship money have you earned over the years? Did you spend it yourself?”

Can’er shook her head with an air of naive innocence. “No, I gave it all to my parents for safekeeping. I haven’t calculated the exact amount, but between middle and high school, I participated in maybe twenty or thirty competitions. If the prizes averaged two thousand yuan, that’s about sixty thousand. Plus the initial 500,000, so around 560,000 yuan.”

Xiao Li suddenly noticed Can’er’s clothes. They were clearly cheap, “street stall” items. Because of Can’er’s beauty and the luxurious surroundings, Xiao Li hadn’t looked closely earlier, assuming she was wearing designer brands.

“Is that money… being saved for you by your parents?” Xiao Li asked tentatively.

Can’er shook her head. “No. My mother said we are a family and shouldn’t keep things so separate. It was mostly used to buy clothes, bags, and makeup for my sisters. Mom said my sisters are beautiful and should dress up, while I… I don’t look good, so dressing up wouldn’t help anyway.”

The room went silent. Everyone was shocked. Is that something a biological mother would actually say?

Mother Ning, who had been trying to stay out of the camera’s way, couldn’t take it anymore. She rushed over and pulled Can’er into a hug. “My child, you’ve suffered so much.”

With red-rimmed eyes, Mother Ning turned to the camera. “Can’er is the sweetest, most sensible, and hardworking girl. Ever since Xiao Xiao brought her home, our whole family has loved her. She never once told us about these things.”

Xiao Li asked, “Student Yun Can’er, to you, are your own parents better, or are Ning Xiao’s parents better?”

Can’er frowned. “I don’t think they can be compared. My parents gave me life and raised me. Uncle and Auntie have given me care and love. In my heart, they are all good.”

The cameraman, a man nearly six feet tall, was crying so hard he could barely hold the camera steady. How could Can’er be so kind? Her family is so biased, yet she doesn’t hold a single grudge.

Because the cameraman was so overcome with emotion, the interview had to be paused for ten minutes. Can’er brought him a glass of warm water. “Thank you, but please don’t cry for me. I feel like I am happy enough already.”

The cameraman choked out, “I had a daughter your age. After my son was born, her mother and I focused all our energy on him. we neglected her, and she grew distant. In the tenth grade, she developed severe depression because of school bullying. Last year, while we were at the supermarket, she jumped from our building. We only found her diary after she was gone… we realized she was being bullied… it’s our fault. If we had just cared a little more, maybe she would still be here.”

He was still blaming himself, which was why hearing about Can’er’s parents had triggered him so deeply. Can’er patted his shoulder but didn’t offer empty platitudes. The person he needed to apologize to was gone; what use was regret now?

When Ning Xiao heard the words “school bullying,” her brow furrowed. She walked over. “Which high school did your daughter attend?”

“The City No. 3 High School,” he replied, eyes red.

City No. 3 was a prestigious key school. Many children of high-ranking officials and wealthy families were sent there. Locally, it was known as the “Prince’s Academy.”

A look of realization dawned on Can’er’s face. She looked at Ning Xiao for confirmation. Ning Xiao nodded. They were so in sync they didn’t need words.

Ning Xiao asked, “What were the names of the people who bullied your daughter?”

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