The Villainess’s Darling [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 8

While Yun Can’er waited outside, Ning Xiao knocked and entered the Dean’s office.

Inside, Fang Lei sat behind his desk while He Yue stood with her arms crossed. The stagnant air between them began to circulate again upon Ning Xiao’s arrival.

Fang Lei stood up with an apologetic smile. “Xiao Xiao, I’m sorry to take up your lunch break.”

“It’s no problem, Director Fang.”

Ning Xiao waved it off and glanced at He Yue. “After all, you weren’t the one who wanted to see me; it was Teacher He.”

“Teacher He, you invited me here. Do you have any instructions for me?”

Ning Xiao’s eyes, clear as autumn pools, were now layered with ice. It was enough to make anyone’s heart turn cold.

He Yue, being the target of that direct stare, felt the impact most acutely. She couldn’t help but shudder as the hair on her arms stood on end.

“I’ll explain,” Fang Lei said.

Realizing that Ning Xiao and He Yue were truly at odds, he stepped in. “Teacher He feels that waiting for the monthly exam takes too long. She suggested a change to your agreement.”

“Oh? To what?” Ning Xiao asked, curious to see what kind of scheme He Yue had cooked up.

“Ahem!” He Yue cleared her throat. “We’ll change it to a recitation—specifically, the text you couldn’t recite in class today.”

“That’s it?” Ning Xiao found it nearly unbelievable. “Teacher He, surely you don’t think I have an intellectual disability just because I couldn’t recite it in class.”

It was as if He Yue were handing her a free pass. Why was she suddenly being so “merciful”?

He Yue frowned. “I don’t think your intellect is the problem. Therefore, this time you need to recite that text backward, with perfect fluency.”

Ning Xiao let out a visible sigh of relief. “I knew it. Teacher He isn’t the type to be ‘merciful’ or give out free passes. You want me to recite it backward fluently? May I ask how much time I have?”

Fang Lei stared at He Yue, his eyes warning her not to give an absurd answer.

He Yue uncrossed her arms. “I’ll give you one day. Twenty-four hours. Come back to the Dean’s office at this exact time tomorrow, and we’ll settle this once and for all in front of Director Fang.”

Ning Xiao: “…Fine.” Though “settling this” made it sound like they were about to get into a physical fight.

Hearing the timeframe, Fang Lei’s brow furrowed deeply. “Only one day? Teacher He, isn’t that a bit too harsh? I think a week would be more reasonable.”

For an average student, reciting a text forward in one day was difficult enough. Reciting it backward would be nearly impossible even if they stayed up all night.

Ning Xiao interrupted He Yue’s defense. “It’s okay. One day is enough. I can do it.”

In just a few hours, the side effects of the Memory Pill would vanish. She would then be able to utilize its full power and become a super-memorizer with a photographic memory.

He Yue was trying to challenge her with a recitation, which was essentially giving her a free win.

It seemed she was destined to stay in Class 1.

He Yue’s stern face relaxed slightly, looking as though she could already envision Ning Xiao’s failure.

Ning Xiao turned to Fang Lei. “Director Fang, was that all? If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going. I haven’t eaten yet.”

Fang Lei hadn’t expected Ning Xiao to agree so readily. He replied blankly, “Yes, that’s all. Go ahead.”

Ning Xiao pushed open the office door and walked out, coming face-to-face with a worried Yun Can’er.

Yun Can’er asked with a frown, “Ning Xiao, I was standing by the door and heard Teacher He’s voice. Did she make things difficult for you again?”

Ning Xiao patted the top of her head. “Just worry about yourself. She can’t bully me.”

Yun Can’er wanted to ask more, but Ning Xiao placed her index finger against the girl’s lips. “Talking too much makes you thirsty. Drink more white fungus and pear soup when we get to the cafeteria.”

Yun Can’er: “…”

Changing the subject was just another way of saying she wouldn’t tell her. She stopped asking and followed Ning Xiao obediently toward the cafeteria.

After their meal, they both returned to their respective dorms to rest.

During the afternoon break, the side effects of Ning Xiao’s Memory Pill finally wore off. She immediately headed to the front row to find Yun Can’er.

Yun Can’er was buried in her work. When her seatmate saw Ning Xiao approaching, the student immediately moved to sit elsewhere.

Ning Xiao sat down next to Yun Can’er and spent a long moment staring at her profile.

Yun Can’er had a good facial structure, though her skin was slightly sallow and her features weren’t exceptionally beautiful. Yet, strangely, she held a strong attraction for Ning Xiao.

When Yun Can’er focused on a task, she found it difficult to multitask.

Ning Xiao’s neatly manicured nails tapped lightly on the desk. “Yun Can’er.”

“Huh?” Yun Can’er looked up dazed. The moment her eyes met Ning Xiao’s face, a bright light sparked within them.

She said somewhat shyly, “I didn’t notice you come over. Ning Xiao, do you need something?”

“Yes. Something big. It concerns whether or not I can stay in Class 1.”

Yun Can’er grew tense. “Is it something you can tell me about?”

Ning Xiao’s red lips curled into a mischievous smirk. “Take out your Chinese textbook and read the text from this morning to me—backward.”

Yun Can’er couldn’t find it in her to refuse, even though she didn’t understand why she had to read a text in reverse.

She pulled the textbook from her small book rack and flipped to the correct page. “I’m starting now.”

She pursed her lips nervously and began reading the classical prose, starting from the very last character and working her way to the beginning.

Ning Xiao listened, her finger tapping a rhythm on the edge of the desk. Three minutes later, Yun Can’er finished reading the entire piece backward, including the author’s name and the title.

“Was that okay?” Yun Can’er asked.

Ning Xiao gave her an “OK” gesture. “Now I’m going to recite it. Watch the book and see if I make any mistakes. Correct me if I do.”

Yun Can’er’s mouth hung open slightly. “Recite it? Recite what?”

Ning Xiao chuckled. “Whatever you just read, I’m going to recite.”

Yun Can’er was stunned. Ning Xiao couldn’t even recite it normally this morning, and now she was going to do it backward?

Ning Xiao tapped the desk to get Yun Can’er’s attention, signaling her to start. She then began reciting the text in reverse at three times the speed Yun Can’er had just read it.

There wasn’t a single pause.

Ning Xiao finished the rapid-fire recitation without missing a single character.

Yun Can’er looked at her in awe. “Ning Xiao… You’re amazing!”

“Wait… you asked me to read it to you just now. Was that your first time hearing or seeing it today?”

“Yep.” Ning Xiao nodded without a shred of modesty, pointing to herself. “Right now, I’m a memory genius with a photographic memory.”

The surrounding students, who had been eavesdropping, all gasped.

They had seen people brag before, but never anyone who took it this far. A person who couldn’t remember a single line this morning was now claiming to have a photographic memory? They thought she was going to make a total fool of herself.

Even in Class 1, which was full of elite students, no one dared to claim they had a photographic memory.

Ning Xiao, a student ranked in the 200s, had a photographic memory?

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