The Villainess’s Darling [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 40

On the Friday afternoon before her birthday, Yun Can’er found herself without classes. On a whim, she decided to head to Huada to find Ning Xiao.

They had already agreed to meet at the apartment on Saturday morning, but Can’er was certain that showing up early would be a wonderful surprise for Ning Xiao.

Back in her dormitory, she changed into a chiffon blouse paired with a plaid miniskirt. She tied her silky black hair into a high ponytail, revealing her fair, full forehead. Her long, thick lashes framed bright, spirited eyes, and her nose was dainty and cute. Her lips were as pink as flower petals; when she smiled, two adorable dimples appeared, but when she didn’t, she carried an air of cold, distant elegance.

Seeing her spend ages nervously fussing in front of the mirror, her roommate asked curiously, “Can’er, did you get a boyfriend, or are you going to a film set for an audition?”

Can’er finally tore her gaze away from the mirror. She shook her head, a shy smile tugging at her lips as her cheeks flushed. “Neither.”

“Going to see a girlfriend then?” the roommate teased. Seeing that lovestruck expression, she was certain Can’er was in a relationship. If it wasn’t a boyfriend, it had to be a girlfriend.

Can’er covered her blushing cheeks in surprise, her dark pupils shimmering with a bashful light. “How did you know?!”

The roommate cleared her throat. How else? She had guessed! She didn’t expect Can’er to admit it so readily. It was the first time she had seen Can’er look so simple and sweet. Straightening her posture, she continued her confident guessing: “I happened to see her when she came to visit you. Your girlfriend is quite beautiful.”

Can’er was beautiful herself, so it stood to reason her partner would be too.

Can’er’s eyes brightened even further, joy radiating from every feature. “Mhm, she has always been beautiful.”

She didn’t suspect for a second that her roommate was just taking a shot in the dark. Taking her phone, she prepared to leave. “I won’t be back tonight.”

The roommate gave her a suggestive look. “Then I wish you a very pleasant evening.”

**

Ning Xiao had a full schedule on Friday, including an evening class that didn’t let out until 8 PM. That was the only reason she had arranged to meet Can’er on Saturday; she simply wouldn’t have had time to pick her up from the Film Academy.

However, after the first afternoon class, a notification popped up in the class group chat: the evening professor had taken leave, and the class would be rescheduled for next month.

Ning Xiao walked into her current classroom, found a seat, and messaged Can’er.

Ning Xiao: My evening class was canceled. Do you want me to pick you up from the Film Academy?

Can’er replied almost instantly.

Yun Can’er: No need! I already promised my roommates we’d go out for dinner tonight. See you tomorrow!

Ning Xiao felt a faint pang of disappointment. She had never expected the day would come when Can’er would turn her down.

As class time approached, the room began to fill up. Feeling a bit listless, Ning Xiao pulled out her phone to play a game of Candy Crush. Just as she reached a critical move, someone sitting next to her bumped her elbow. Her finger slipped, her final move was wasted, and the level ended in failure.

Ning Xiao frowned inwardly, her mood souring further. Too annoyed to even look at who had sat beside her, she tapped “Replay.”

Yet, at the exact same critical moment in the next round, she was bumped again. Total failure.

Anger flared in her chest. She whipped around. “You! Can’er? What are you doing here?”

The fury in Ning Xiao’s eyes was instantly replaced by shock and delight. Her phone clattered onto the desk.

Can’er blinked her beautiful eyes and gave a radiant smile, her dimples practically dripping with sweetness. “I came to pick you up! Surprised? Shocked?”

“Surprised, shocked… everything.” Ning Xiao couldn’t take her eyes off Can’er’s face.

She had to admit the little girl who once needed her protection had truly grown up; she even knew how to pull off a surprise now. With Can’er by her side, Ning Xiao’s focus reached a new peak; she didn’t daydream once for the rest of the lecture. It was a habit from high school—whenever she was in the same room as Can’er, she felt the urge to work hard.

When the bell rang and the professor left, Ning Xiao stuffed her books into her bag and stood up. “Let’s go. Let’s go home.”

Can’er naturally tucked her small hand into Ning Xiao’s palm, her eyes crinkling with joy. “Let’s go home.”

Ning Xiao’s classmates were stunned. They were used to her being the “Ice Queen” high-cold, focused only on her studies, and never engaging in casual chatter. Most guys who admired her beauty didn’t dare approach, fearing a blow to their ego.

Seeing these two striking girls gazing at each other with such apparent affection (?), the surrounding students began to whisper as they packed their things.

“Beautiful people really do attract each other. I’m so jealous; I want to be their friend too.”

“Keep dreaming.”

“I could totally go for that petite beauty!”

“Even if you could, she wouldn’t look at you. Wake up.”

“Wait, something feels off… are you sure they’re just friends?”

“What else? Rivals?”

“What if they’re a couple?” someone suggested.

The people nearby froze, watching the silhouettes of Ning Xiao and Can’er walking hand-in-hand out of the classroom. “Actually… they really look like a couple!”

“I think so too! All the beauties are pairing up, what are we single guys supposed to do?”

A girl nearby said expressionlessly, “You could always try dating each other.”

Leaving the gossip behind, Ning Xiao held Can’er’s hand, feeling as though she were holding the entire world. She had made up her mind: tomorrow, once Can’er turned eighteen, she would confess. Can’er liked her too; she was certain the answer would be yes.

The two walked toward the bus stop outside the school gates, lost in their own sweet bubble. To Ning Xiao, the crowds were just a blurred background; only Can’er was in focus. Can’er was practically skipping, her ponytail bouncing playfully.

If they hadn’t run into a “familiar face,” Can’er was sure her good mood would have lasted forever. Unfortunately, reality had other plans.

“Ning Xiao! What a coincidence!” Yuan Wei greeted her first.

He knew he didn’t stand a chance with Ning Xiao and had given up his crush before the Gaokao. He had quickly found a girlfriend in university, and they were inseparable; Ning Xiao had run into them a few times.

“It is a coincidence. Where’s your girlfriend?” Ning Xiao asked, stopping.

Yuan Wei sighed. “She went home for the weekend, so I’m stuck hanging out with my single friend, Shang Shaotan.”

Shang Shaotan gave Yuan Wei a speechless look before turning to Ning Xiao and Can’er. He cleared his throat and addressed Ning Xiao. “How have you been lately?”

“Great,” Ning Xiao replied. It would be better if I hadn’t run into you, she thought.

But those two words made Shang Shaotan’s ears turn red. For some reason, since last month, the old feeling of annoyance toward Ning Xiao had vanished. Instead, he found himself dazing out while looking at her face, and his heart would race whenever she spoke to him.

After consulting his friends, he was certain: he had fallen for Ning Xiao. He was someone who followed his heart; if he liked someone, he pursued them—just as he had relentlessly pursued Yun Can’er in high school.

“Ning Xiao, a friend gave me tickets for a new movie. Would you be interested in seeing it with me?” Shang Shaotan asked with a gentle, shy smile.

Ning Xiao raised her hand, shaking the hand she was holding with Can’er in front of him. “No, thanks. I have plans tomorrow. I won’t have time for a movie.”

The moment they had run into Yuan Wei and Shang Shaotan, Can’er’s smile had vanished. Seeing Shang Shaotan’s obvious pursuit of Ning Xiao, her mood soured further, her dark eyes narrowing as she glared at him.

She knew Ning Xiao had once liked Shang Shaotan, and she was terrified that Ning Xiao might let bygones be bygones and rekindle those old feelings. Even though she heard Ning Xiao reject him, a cold sense of impending loss spread through her body.

Ning Xiao is mine. No one can take her.

Noticing Can’er’s abnormal silence, Ning Xiao exchanged a few more polite words with Yuan Wei before parting ways.

At the bus stop, Ning Xiao took Can’er’s cold, sweaty hands into her own, rubbing them gently. “It’s autumn now. No matter how warm it feels, you shouldn’t come out in a short skirt. Look at your hands; they’re like ice.”

“I won’t do it again,” Can’er whispered, her voice trembling. Her lowered lashes made her look incredibly pitiful, as if she had been deeply wronged.

Ning Xiao couldn’t bear to scold her further. “Can’er, I’m worried about your health, I’m not just trying to lecture you. You understand that, right?”

Can’er bit her lip and said nothing. She thought she understood Ning Xiao’s heart, but now she wasn’t so sure. Do I really know her?

They took the bus back to the apartment. By the time they arrived at their stop, Can’er’s smile had finally returned. Ning Xiao breathed a sigh of relief and flicked Can’er’s forehead. “You’re so young, but you overthink so much. You’re only hurting yourself.”

“Then what should I do?” Can’er asked, her dark eyes fixed on Ning Xiao.

Without thinking, Ning Xiao replied, “Just follow your heart.”

Can’er nodded, looking thoughtful. Follow my heart… is that it?

Back in the apartment, Ning Xiao headed straight to the kitchen to cook, worried that Can’er might get a stomach ache from hunger. The apartment was cleaned by a maid daily, and fresh groceries were stocked every Friday.

“Dinner will be ready in an hour,” Ning Xiao told Can’er. “Why don’t you go for a walk outside and see if the maple leaves have turned red yet?”

Can’er nodded and left the apartment without a word.

An hour later, as the food was ready, Can’er returned. Ning Xiao brought the dishes out and asked Can’er to serve the soup. Can’er brought the bowls out and set them neatly on the table.

Ning Xiao had made a pork rib, corn, and seaweed soup. In Ning Xiao’s bowl, there were three pieces of sweet corn, a rib, and some seaweed. In Can’er’s bowl, there was only a single piece of corn.

“Can’er, don’t you love sweet corn?” Ning Xiao asked, puzzled. “Why did you give it all to me?”

Can’er tilted her head. “I want to give you all the best things.”

Ning Xiao felt a surge of sweetness and took a sip of the soup.

“Is it good?” Can’er asked immediately, a trace of tension deep in her eyes.

Lost in the “sweetness” of the gesture, Ning Xiao didn’t notice Can’er’s expression. “Can’er served it for me, of course it’s good.”

Can’er lowered her lashes, her lips curving into a tiny smile. “That’s… wonderful…”

Ning Xiao’s head felt heavy and dizzy. She struggled to open her eyes, realizing the sky outside was pitch black. A small nightlight on the bedside table cast a warm, dim glow over the room.

She tried to raise her hand to rub her forehead, only to find her wrist bound by a thin cord. She could rub her arm against her forehead, but her fingers couldn’t reach it.

What was happening? Was she being tied up? Had she been kidnapped? Where is Can’er?!

Panic flared as she thought of Can’er. She tried to struggle, but her limbs were all bound. Though the cord was thin, it was incredibly strong; there was no breaking it.

“Ning Ning… do you really want to leave me that much?” a soft, haunting voice spoke from the shadows.

Ning Xiao jumped. Looking over, she saw a petite figure standing in the darkness. Who else could it be but Yun Can’er?

“Can’er, what is this? Why are my hands and feet tied?” Seeing that Can’er was safe, Ning Xiao calmed down enough to ask.

Can’er didn’t answer. She walked silently to the bed and sat down gently. Her slender fingers traced Ning Xiao’s elegant features. “Ning Ning, I like you so much. Why can’t you like me back?”

“I… I do like you. I’ve always liked you,” Ning Xiao stammered.

This was a massive misunderstanding. Can’er must have spiraled into some dark thoughts, imagining Ning Xiao was leaving her, and decided to tie her up. Ning Xiao tried to soothe her: “I like you too, Can’er. I’ve liked you for a long time. I was planning to confess to you on your birthday tomorrow…”

Can’er’s expression suddenly shifted. “Stop it! I don’t want to hear your lies.”

She crawled closer to Ning Xiao, a paranoid, obsessive light gleaming in her eyes. “Ning Ning, I love you so much. Can’t you give me just a little bit of your love in return?”

“I will,” Ning Xiao said without hesitation.

But Can’er was beyond listening. A dark glint flashed in her eyes as she leaned into Ning Xiao’s ear, whispering in a cooing, possessive tone: “Ning Ning… don’t like Shang Shaotan anymore. Otherwise… I might not be able to stop myself from killing him with my own hands”

“You can only be mine.”

As Can’er’s cheek pressed against hers, Ning Xiao’s heartbeat like a drum.

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