Turns Out I’m the Villain They’re Supposed to Redeem? [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 32

As Huo Yuwan was pulled along by her little niece for an evening stroll through the town, she couldn’t shake a sense of unease. From time to time, she took out her phone to check her chat history with Li Xuzhi.

Their last exchange had been hours earlier, when Li Xuzhi mentioned she was going back to the Li family for dinner. Huo Yuwan had felt uneasy ever since reading that message, worried that Li’s father might say something harsh or upsetting, especially during the New Year period.

Anxious, she sent Li Xuzhi a message, but there was no reply, perhaps she was still at home and couldn’t use her phone freely. After a while with no response, Huo Yuwan glanced at her two older sisters and her niece, who were happily exploring the temple fair. Hesitating briefly, she approached Huo Yuqing to let her know she needed a moment, then found a quieter spot to call Li Xuzhi.

To her relief, the call went through. Huo Yuwan let out a breath and had just called out “Sister” when she heard Li Xuzhi’s gentle voice on the other end.

“Yuwan, I’ve missed you so much.”

Amid the howling winter wind and the distant calls of street vendors, Huo Yuwan heard those words clearly through the receiver.

“I’ve missed you too, Sister.”

Her heart thumped wildly, and the warmth of those affectionate words made her palms sweat even in the chilly night.

She thought she heard a soft chuckle.

“Why didn’t you tell me that you met my father?”

Li Xuzhi’s soft, low voice continued.

Huo Yuwan unconsciously pressed her lips together, inwardly grumbling about Li’s father’s big mouth.

“Because nothing important was said, I just didn’t…”

Scratching the back of her head, Huo Yuwan felt inexplicably guilty. How could she admit to her girlfriend that she’d bragged and made bold claims in front of her future father-in-law?

“You planning to study abroad, isn’t that important enough?”

Huo Yuwan froze for a moment, realizing that this was what Li Xuzhi was concerned about.

She chuckled, then began to explain seriously.

“I was planning to tell everyone in March, once I had the results. Professor Wen said that university is really competitive, lots of seniors from our school have been rejected in previous years. So, I…”

“I should have told you earlier. Sister, I’m sorry. I was wrong not to discuss it with you beforehand.”

Maybe it was because being in a relationship had made her more aware of her responsibilities, but Huo Yuwan had initially thought her explanation made sense. As she spoke, though, she realized something was off.

Wasn’t what she was doing now exactly the same as when Qi Qiuyuan secretly applied for overseas training behind her sister’s back?

So, she quickly changed her tone, lowering her voice to apologize sincerely, while inwardly scolding herself for acting like a detestable scoundrel.

Her earnest, almost groveling apology took Li Xuzhi by surprise.

That wasn’t what she had meant when she called…

“About studying abroad, did my father pressure you into it?”

Li Xuzhi asked hesitantly.

Blinking, Huo Yuwan laughed. “No, I started preparing the materials in October. I didn’t even know Dean Li back then.”

Huling, who had been silently observing the whole time, twitched its mouth. It knew better than anyone the exact timeline of Huo Yuwan’s application.

“Why don’t you mention that it was only after hearing Qi Qiuyuan threaten her…”

“You talk too much,” Huo Yuwan cut it off dismissively.

The fierce fox spirit, with its lips pouted, ran to a small corner and silently drew circles.

“So, he didn’t give you a hard time?”

Gazing at the girl’s figure in the distance, Li Xuzhi silently breathed a sigh of relief in her heart. Even if it was just wishful thinking, it was better than the thought of Huo Yuwan being pressured by her own father.

“Not at all. Sister, don’t you know that we law students are the best at dealing with people? I’m quite skilled at communicating with elders.”

“But… did your father mention anything else to you?”

Pretending not to understand the implication in Li Xuzhi’s words, Huo Yuwan skillfully steered the conversation elsewhere with a lighthearted laugh.

“What other things?”

Completely at ease now, Li Xuzhi slowly approached and responded softly.

“I… I told your father that after graduation, I want to marry you…”

Touching her burning earlobe shyly, Huo Yuwan had genuinely been thinking seriously about this matter.

“Ahhhh! Sister, just pretend you didn’t hear anything! Wait… I’ll formally propose to you later!”

Regretfully pressing her forehead against the wall, Huo Yuwan felt like crying but had no tears, convinced that the cold wind that night must have addled her brain.

Who would casually say such things to their girlfriend over the phone?

Suddenly, a gentle force wrapped around her waist, followed by a soft body leaning against her back.

Huo Yuwan stiffened slightly before turning around in surprise.

“Sister?”

She caught the familiar scent of cherry blossoms.

Resting her chin lightly on Huo Yuwan’s shoulder, Li Xuzhi tightened her arms around her waist.

“I heard you. You said you want to marry me after graduation.”

The gentle voice beside her ear was as soft as an orchid’s breath, causing Huo Yuwan’s cheeks to warm involuntarily.

With their bodies pressed so close, Huo Yuwan could even feel Li Xuzhi’s heartbeat.

“Yes, I want to marry you. So, will you?”

Turning around, Huo Yuwan gazed at her earnestly and nervously.

In the girl’s clear eyes, Li Xuzhi saw her own reflection.

Unable to resist, she wrapped her arms around Huo Yuwan’s neck, their breaths gradually mingling.

As her breath was stolen away, just before closing her eyes, Huo Yuwan heard Li Xuzhi’s soft, tender reply.

“I’ll wait for you to marry me.”

…

She had come in such a hurry that she hadn’t brought any luggage. Even the ID she used to buy the ticket was a temporary one issued at the high-speed rail station. Li Xuzhi sometimes found herself ridiculous, it was hard to imagine that in this day and age, an adult’s documents could be withheld by their own family. What difference was there between that and imprisonment?

Huo Yuwan had initially wanted to take her back to her own home, but Li Xuzhi felt too embarrassed.

Showing up empty-handed for a sudden visit, and for the first time at that, the thought alone made Li Xuzhi blush. She didn’t want to leave a bad impression on Huo Yuwan’s family.

“Let me prepare some gifts tomorrow before visiting your parents. Today… let’s just forget it.”

Biting her lip as she looked at Huo Yuwan, Li Xuzhi truly didn’t want to show up in such a rushed and disheveled state.

Huo Yuwan knew she had come for her sake, thinking she had been wronged or pressured by her father, which had driven her to impulsively rush over overnight to see her.

“My parents go to bed really early. If we go back a bit later, they won’t notice.”

“Besides, the inns in our town are in pretty poor condition, sister.”

Squeezing Li Xuzhi’s hand tightly, Huo Yuwan suggested softly, her heart filled with both tenderness and gratitude.

“But…”

Lowering her gaze to her hand tucked inside the girl’s down jacket pocket, Li Xuzhi still felt a bit hesitant.

“It’s quite late today. Let’s wake up early tomorrow, and I’ll go with you to the mall to buy gifts. Then we can pretend it’s our first visit, no one will know.”

Huo Yuwan patiently dispelled her doubts step by step.

“Alright.”

Under her thorough consideration, Li Xuzhi reluctantly gave in.

…

The night market in the small town was still bustling with activity. Huo Yuwan held Li Xuzhi’s hand as they strolled from one end of the street to the other, nearly bumping into her two older sisters who were also wandering around.

But seeing how flustered Li Xuzhi was, trying to hide, Huo Yuwan dutifully wrapped an arm around her girlfriend’s waist, swiftly turned around, and ducked into the crowd at another stall.

Noticing that her sisters had already wandered off into the distance, Huo Yuwan suppressed a laugh and said, “Sis, we’re acting like we’re having an affair.”

Li Xuzhi shot her a reproachful and embarrassed glare. “Stop talking nonsense.”

“Alright, alright, I won’t say anymore.”

Raising her hands in surrender, Huo Yuwan smiled apologetically before leading her to a drink shop to sit and rest.

They waited until almost 11 p.m., when the streets had nearly emptied and the drink shop was about to close, before Huo Yuwan finally took her hand and headed home.

“It’s so late, my parents must be asleep by now.”

They entered the house quietly, and Huo Yuwan locked the door while whispering reassurance.

Li Xuzhi didn’t reply, only nervously tucked her cheeks deeper into her scarf.

Passing through the yard, Huo Yuwan noticed the lights in her parents’ room were off. She curved her eyes and mouthed to Li Xuzhi, “See? I was right.”

Treading softly, Li Xuzhi was reminded of the cheeky remark Huo Yuwan had made earlier on the street.

It really did feel a bit like that.

In the dim evening light, her cheeks flushed pink.

…

The two made it safely to the second floor without incident, and Li Xuzhi finally let out a sigh of relief.

Entering Huo Yuwan’s bedroom, she sat at the desk and looked around curiously.

Huo Yuwan fetched a set of her own pajamas, then looked somewhat awkwardly at Li Xuzhi.

“I don’t think I brought any new underwear, but we have a dryer at home. If we wash them now, they’ll dry quickly…”

Li Xuzhi’s ears grew warm as she took the pajamas and stood up, her eyelashes fluttering slightly as she murmured a soft acknowledgment.

Fortunately, there was a bathroom upstairs, right next to Huo Yuwan’s bedroom. But to avoid being noticed by Huo Yuqing in the other room, Huo Yuwan followed her into the bathroom, standing just outside the glass door.

The rustling sound of clothes being removed was clearly audible even through the door, and Huo Yuwan’s cheeks flushed silently.

She gently tapped on the glass door. “Sis, pass me the clothes you’ve taken off. I’ll put them directly into the washing machine.”

There was a brief pause inside before Li Xuzhi softly thanked her and handed out the sweater, coat, and other items she had removed.

Huo Yuwan stuffed the clothes into the washing machine, then hesitated before speaking again.

“And your underwear too, sis…”

Li Xuzhi, who was adjusting the water temperature, blushed deeply. “I can wash those myself.”

But Huo Yuwan remained firm. “There’s no detergent in there. If I wash them now and dry them, you can wear them right after.”

Her reasoning was both serious and logical. With no other choice, Li Xuzhi bit her lip and handed over the remaining two pieces of clothing.

The washing machine was already running, so Huo Yuwan carefully hand-washed two pieces of clothing separately in basins of water. If not for her fair neck flushing bright red, one might have described her as completely focused.

After washing, drying, folding, and neatly placing the clothes aside, she handed them back to Li Xuzhi, who had just finished bathing. Throughout the entire process, Huo Yuwan kept her eyes averted, her back turned to the glass door of the bathroom, not daring to even glance over.

By the time Li Xuzhi had changed and stepped out, she saw Huo Yuwan obediently squatting on a small stool, waiting.

Wearing Huo Yuwan’s long-sleeved fleece pajamas, Li Xuzhi bent down and crouched in front of her.

“Thank you.”

Leaning in, Li Xuzhi gently kissed the corner of her lips, her expression soft and smiling.

“You’re welcome.”

Gazing at Li Xuzhi’s delicate, rosy face, Huo Yuwan tried to suppress the flutter in her heart but couldn’t resist leaning in to kiss her back.

“You smell so good, sister.”