When the Villain Falls Madly in Love with Me - Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Confession

Back in her room, Jiang Le had just finished washing up and was lying down when her phone started vibrating wildly, like a pot boiling over. It was Li Yan.

She tapped the screen and saw that it was filled with messages she had sent and then recalled, the main intention being to leave no trace. Consequently, only one isolated message remained.

【Reply quickly, hurry, hurry, hurry!】

Jiang Le calmly replied: 【B, B, B, B, B.】

Instantly, Li Yan’s barrage of complaints surged in like a tide. After being forced to revisit the secret she already knew, Jiang Le’s gaze stopped at the soul-searching question in the chat box.

【So, what do you think of her?】

Jiang Le’s smart little brain was running at high speed, her CPU nearly overheating. Finally, she cautiously typed out a reply.

Jiang Le: 【Typo?】

“Huh?” Li Yan, on the other end of the screen, blinked her big eyes, her face full of question marks, and her fingers flying: 【No! Tell me quickly! Are she and I a good match? Does she like me? If not, why did she stuff a schoolbag full of gold bars for me? Why does she constantly feed me? Why does she always drag me to the restroom? Why…】

A barrage of “whys” made Jiang Le dizzy; she almost forgot what the three letters meant.

It took her a while to finally connect the name “Chen Ting” with the memory of the short-haired girl who was always carrying a bag of snacks, was burning with enthusiasm for Li Yan, but was cold as ice toward her.

Jiang Le: 【She is a girl.】

Li Yan: 【????】

【?????????】

The phone screen was instantly submerged in huge question marks. Li Yan held her phone, her face etched with “you actually didn’t know” shock, as if Jiang Le had missed the world’s most important news headline.

Jiang Le: 【Should I know?】

Li Yan: 【Chen Ting! Chen! Ting! Shouldn’t you know? We were in the same class in Grade 10! She even sat next to you!】

Li Yan: 【Frustrated.emoji】

Li Yan was heartbroken. She strongly felt that Jiang Le should go to the hospital for a brain check-up. Being face-blind was one thing, but now her memory was failing, too.

That brief month of being classmates before the arts and science streams were divided in the first year of high school had long been blurry in Jiang Le’s memory, which was focused on studying.

Li Yan: 【Forget it, forget it. You wouldn’t understand even if I told you.】

Jiang Le: 【You are both girls.】

Jiang Le typed this sentence plainly.

Li Yan: 【Tell me something I don’t know.】

Jiang Le fell into thought. 【I have never received a love letter from a girl.】

Li Yan: 【Hehe, should I give you an ‘Best Straight Girl’ award then?】

Jiang Le: 【Don’t keep using these terrible memes.】

Li Yan: 【Are the memes you use all politically correct then?】

Li Yan: 【Rolls eyes.emoji】

Jiang Le: 【Is that how it’s used.】

“…” Li Yan smacked her phone onto the bed, closed her eyes, and stopped bantering with Jiang Le.

There’s no reasoning with this person.

Jiang Le, lying on the bed, fell into another round of contemplation. Clearly, Jiang Le, who usually only focused on books and considered herself knowledgeable about everything from astronomy to geography, had now touched upon a blind spot in her knowledge.

She lowered her head and typed a few more words on her phone: 【How can you two be together?】

Ding-dong. Li Yan “popped” up, looked at the screen, and replied with disappointment and exasperation: 【Why not? You’re more old-fashioned than my mom, and even she understands freedom in love. Too lazy to talk to you about it.】

Jiang Le tried to salvage the conversation: 【Is there something special about ‘love’?】

Li Yan: 【Hehe, special? It’s about being in the right place at the right time, about destiny, about fate, and definitely not about selflessly sacrificing yourself for the continuation of the human race.】

It felt like she was being mocked, yet maybe not. Her wording seemed normal and reasonable. Jiang Le pressed her tongue against her cheek, having almost convinced herself.

Li Yan: 【Scoff.emoji】

Jiang Le froze. Okay, she was definitely mocking me.

Jiang Le seemed naturally lacking in this department.

Jiang Congyue had no biological children, and she, Jiang Le, was a randomly chosen lucky heir. Whether it was fate or destiny, since she was given everything luxurious, the only thing she needed to do was study hard and ensure the Jiang family’s legacy continued.

As for everything else, it wasn’t important.

Based on an accurate analysis of Chen Ting’s behavior, Jiang Le offered a conclusion and a warning: 【She likes you. But she is the daughter of a bank president. Your relationship will face a lot of opposition.】

Li Yan, who was eagerly awaiting Chen Ting’s reply, felt her heart sink. Her own parents were open-minded, but what about Chen Ting’s?

【But, it doesn’t matter.】 Jiang Le typed out the sentence calmly.

Li Yan: 【Sad puppy.emoji. Do you have a solution?】

Jiang Le: 【My family is richer than the Chen family.】

“!!” Li Yan’s eyes widened suddenly, and she nearly dropped her phone. This overwhelming “wealthy” aura! This simple and crude logic! This arrogant confidence!

But damn, she liked it!

However, this was the first time she had heard Jiang Le use the phrase “my family.” She knew Jiang Le was adopted, so she usually carefully avoided the topic to keep from upsetting her.

Why did Jiang Le suddenly bring this up today?

After a few more exchanges, the two reached a consensus: rest well, and get up early tomorrow for the big event!

–

The next day, as soon as Jiang Le’s alarm went off, she shot up and tumbled out of bed.

She had an important mission today; she couldn’t slack off!

After a quick wash-up, she grabbed her bag and went downstairs, where Jiang Congyue forced a few bites of breakfast into her.

“Have fun.” Jiang Congyue put down her cup, the corners of her lips slightly curved.

Jiang Le frowned, quickly moved her coffee away, and called out, “Auntie He, give her a cup of hot milk instead,” then turned to scold playfully, “Don’t drink this. Did you hear me?”

“Yes, yes, yes,” Jiang Congyue raised her eyebrows and put up her hands in surrender.

Looking at Jiang Congyue, who resembled a playful old child, she sighed and shrugged helplessly, “I’m leaving now.”

“Bye-bye~” Jiang Congyue’s voice was full of laughter, and she even blew her a kiss across the air.

The car Li Yan chartered was on time and parked right outside the gate. She leaned half her body out the window, waving, “Jiang Le, hurry up!”

But the next second, she was pulled back into her seat by a force. Li Yan frowned, saw Chen Ting’s cold gaze, and immediately smiled, “Why are you tugging me?”

Chen Ting spoke, her voice flat, “It’s dangerous, and she can get in without your greeting.”

“Hey, I think you have a huge problem with Jiang Le!” Li Yan pouted, complaining.

Jiang Le ran and got into the car, just in time to catch Chen Ting throwing a frosty look her way. She raised an eyebrow and returned a challenging smile.

When Li Yan shifted her butt to look over, the two of them, as if nothing had happened, tacitly looked away from each other.

“Jiang Le, sit here with me! Li Yan, you sit in the front.” A girl in the back seat nudged Li Yan beside her, glaring at Li Yan with an “uncooperative” look.

Why would you sit in the back when there’s such a good opportunity?

Before Li Yan could react, Jiang Le had calmly taken a seat directly opposite Chen Ting. Li Yan could only retreat sheepishly to the front.

Jiang Le glanced sideways. The veins on the back of Chen Ting’s hand, which was gripping a thermos, were taut. She then turned to look at the still-giggling Li Yan and shook her head with a smile.

That look in Chen Ting’s eyes, practically ready to devour me, only an idiot like Li Yan wouldn’t notice.

The car had four girls and two boys. With Li Yan and Xiao Lexin’s chatter and jokes, there was hardly a dull moment. Everyone laughed and joked all the way.

Upon reaching the destination, the six people filed out of the car. The two boys gallantly carried most of the heavy equipment.

“Chen Ting! What do you want to eat? I brought so much…” Li Yan, like a happy puppy, clung to Chen Ting, counting the treasures in her backpack on her fingers.

Before Li Yan could swing the backpack onto her shoulder, Chen Ting had already reached out and effortlessly taken it, the movement so smooth it was as if she were picking up her own belongings.

“Hey! Chen Ting, you grabbed the wrong one! That’s my bag!” Li Yan shouted, quickly snatching it back and putting it on, like a small animal protecting its food.

Chen Ting’s hand froze in mid-air, her fingertips slightly curling. “…”

“…” Jiang Le, who witnessed the entire thing, couldn’t help but let out a short, cold laugh. Hopeless. Looking at these two, she couldn’t tell whose path to love was bumpier.

The group climbed over a small hill, and the view suddenly opened up. A flat stretch of grassland, with a clear stream flowing nearby.

“This is it!” Xiao Kexin announced with a smile.

Everyone felt immensely relieved and rushed to the stream, scooping up the cool water to splash on their faces, washing away the heat from the journey. A mountain breeze blew in at the right time, bringing the fresh scent of grass and wood. Everyone sighed in unison with satisfaction.

“Awesome!” Someone shouted, and everyone burst into laughter.

Xiao Kexin was the leader this time, assigning tasks to everyone. They were all excited and eager to help.

However, to give Li Yan and Chen Ting some alone time, they were sent to wash vegetables by the stream, while the remaining people tacitly paired up for other tasks.

The two boys were responsible for setting up the tent, and Jiang Le and the other girl sorted the luggage and set up the barbecue grill.

“Hey, Jiang Le, look.” The girl who had offered to switch seats in the car earlier nudged Jiang Le and quietly pointed to the two people by the stream.

Jiang Le looked up. The two figures were very close, by the stream, under the sun, bumping and shoving each other, playing a childish game of pushing that they clearly enjoyed.

“Hey! Are you two going to wash those vegetables until the end of time?” one of the boys setting up the tent looked up and teased with a smile.

Li Yan turned her head at the sound, her cheeks flushed, and she glared at him playfully. Everyone laughed kindly.

Jiang Le watched them from the side with curiosity. The teenagers’ thoughts were as clear as the mountain wind. A small thing could make them smile brightly.

The inner voices she heard were also full of kindness, just like the smiles on their faces.

A thought flashed through her mind. Was it really necessary for them to gather six people? Was someone deliberately trying to let her experience this liveliness that she usually kept herself away from?

Her gaze fell on Li Yan, who was splashing water and laughing toward them. The corners of her mouth subconsciously curved up as well.

She shouldn’t cut herself off from all the thorny flowers just because she was hurt by the thorns that grew in a confined place. Their fragrance was so refreshing.

The group spent a lively afternoon, eating and drinking until they were full, all secretly anticipating the big event that night.

The sky gradually darkened, and stars began to light up the inky blue canopy one by one.

Everyone excitedly checked the meteor shower forecast on their phones, holding their breath in anticipation.

However, Jiang Le felt a leaden heaviness in her hands and feet, all her energy drained. A sharp ringing hissed in her head, and her head throbbed as if pricked by countless needles. Waves of nausea surged up.

She strongly suppressed the discomfort, not wanting to spoil the atmosphere, and quietly retreated to the tent side. She squatted down and found the spare heatstroke medicine, swallowing a few tablets. Feeling a little better, she took a deep breath and walked back out.

“Hey? Where did you go, Jiang Le? Hurry, come on!” Li Yan, who emerged stealthily from the other side, excitedly grabbed her arm, nearly pulling her off balance.

“The news said it’s coming soon! What do I do, what do I do? I’m so nervous!” Li Yan’s palms were sweating profusely.

Jiang Le’s head was still swimming, and her face was pale. She managed to force a comforting smile: “Be calm. You… will definitely succeed.”

“Ah! Look! Make a wish quickly!” one person yelled.

A dazzling streak of light tore through the deep night sky, trailing a long silver tail, instantly lighting up everyone’s eyes.

“Chen Ting! I like you! Be with me!” Li Yan, clutching a large bouquet of flowers she had hidden God knows where, rushed toward Chen Ting, who was closing her eyes and making a sincere wish, like a small cannonball.

Chen Ting’s eyes snapped open, reflecting the starlight and the figure rushing toward her.

The next second, she embraced the pouncing Li Yan almost fiercely, her hot breath brushing past Li Yan’s ear, her voice carrying an imperceptible tremor: “My wish… came true.”

“Be together! Be together!”

Amidst the cheers and shouts of the crowd waving their hands, Jiang Le’s raised hand trembled. Her vision gradually blurred, and the surrounding voices slowly faded away.

“Jiang Le!”

Someone screamed, and then the sound of a heavy object crashing onto the ground resonated.

…

Jiang Congyue: 7