After Teasing the Villain and Running Away - Chapter 15

After a week of careful care, Ruan Xin’s injury had finally healed completely, though a faint scar remained on the side of her foot—a raised, pale line of excess tissue that was barely noticeable.

Seeing it marring the soft, fair skin of Ruan Xin’s foot, Jiang Ruosheng couldn’t help but think that Chen Hui had gotten off too lightly with just one stomp that day.

Still, Chen Hui now had a black mark on her work record, making it nearly impossible for her to land similar jobs in the future.

Ruan Xin reacted sensitively when Jiang Ruosheng touched her foot, kicking her away. The lingering warmth on her skin was impossible to ignore, clinging stubbornly to her awareness. Her ears flushed slightly, and she instinctively tried to hide her foot afterward.

Jiang Ruosheng rubbed her nose. “It left a scar. I’ll ask Dr. Jiang for some scar removal cream.”

Ruan Xin’s eyes flickered briefly before she replied, “No need. It’s not on my face, and it’s barely visible anyway. Let it be… just let it stay.”

If it could be removed, why keep it?

At first, Jiang Ruosheng was puzzled, but the more she dwelled on Ruan Xin’s last words, the more a chill crept up her spine, as if a cold breeze had swept over her.

Friendly reminder: She holds grudges.

Was this her way of refusing to forget the “torment” she endured at the Jiang family’s hands?

This wasn’t just a scar—it was hatred.

In that case, Jiang Ruosheng had to help Ruan Xin get rid of it. At the very least, she couldn’t let the future big villain be reminded of an un-“sharked” cannon fodder every time she saw that scar.

After Xin Ran returned, Su Qi’s visits to chat with Ruan Xin noticeably decreased.

No surprise there—Xin Ran was always watching. During class, after class, on the way to school, on the way home. Every time Su Qi tried to talk to Ruan Xin, the conversation would be cut short within three minutes as Xin Ran found some excuse to drag her away.

Su Qi was furious and vocal about it, but she was no match for Xin Ran’s domineering ways, forced to accept the restrictions on her friendships.

As for Ruan Xin, she seemed equally displeased with Xin Ran’s behavior. She had tried to call her out several times, only to be met with dismissive looks, as if Xin Ran was a love-struck villain powerless to change her fate.

Jiang Ruosheng found the whole thing amusing. She knew it was immoral to take pleasure in others’ misfortunes, but watching this dramatic love triangle unfold added a splash of color to her otherwise monotonous school life.

She was beginning to understand why her past classmates had been so obsessed with gossiping about other people’s love lives.

During a leisurely weekend, Jiang Ruosheng rode her bike to a nearby bookstore.

Becoming a top student wasn’t an overnight achievement—she needed to catch up on all the foundational knowledge from her first year of high school.

Faced with shelf after shelf of cram books and workbooks, Jiang Ruosheng could only silently steel herself. She had to trample those failing test scores underfoot and reclaim every shred of lost dignity.

Luckily, she had her cheap second brother at home to tutor her. Though she had to endure his condescending “are you stupid?” looks, the tangible progress was undeniable.

Maybe she was actually suited to this kind of humiliating, pressure-filled education (not).

Warning: The villain’s personal safety is at risk. System predicts villain’s corruption level will rise to 100%. Host must take immediate action.

Just as Jiang Ruosheng was comparing a few workbooks, the system’s alert rang in her ears.

Ever since the foot injury incident, Ruan Xin’s corruption level had steadily dropped back to its baseline of 50%.

Though puzzled as to why Ruan Xin’s corruption index didn’t start from zero but from 50%, Jiang Ruosheng asked the system but received no response.

She could only attribute it to her late transmigration into the novel—the original body’s actions and unavoidable circumstances had already inflicted psychological trauma on Ruan Xin, increasing the difficulty.

Even just reducing it back to 50% made Jiang Ruosheng happy. At least it wasn’t skyrocketing. On the day Xin Ran returned to school, triggering the three-way standoff, hearing the index surge nearly made her heart stop.

Fortunately, Ruan Xin’s outburst seemed to last only a brief moment. Later encounters with Xin Ran’s provocations didn’t cause much fluctuation—a relief.

But this time, it shot straight to 100%?

Jiang Ruosheng set down her book, exasperated. “Are you kidding me? ‘Personal safety under threat’—what does that mean? Ruan Xin is the antagonist, the third most important character in the original novel. How could she be in mortal danger?”

The saying “the wicked live a thousand years” exists for a reason. Ruan Xin’s life experiences would be an inescapable torment for anyone—someone with weaker mental resilience might have collapsed under the weight.

To endure such burdens without breaking was already remarkable, yet Ruan Xin not only became corrupted but also rose to a status she could never have reached before.

Even as a villain, not just anyone could achieve that.

Thinking of Ruan Xin’s misty eyes, Jiang Ruosheng panicked. She pulled out her phone to call Ruan Xin, only to realize her contact wasn’t in the list.

What the hell?

She immediately left the bookstore, hopping onto her bicycle and rushing toward the Ruan residence.

Jiang Ruosheng, “What exactly happened? Will I make it in time?”

System, “Cannon fodder Lu Ran hired thugs to teach the antagonist a lesson, resulting in permanent disability to her left leg. Corruption index has reached 100%.”

Lu Ran’s doing?

Now that she thought about it, Lu Ran hadn’t approached her in a while. Since the last incident, the two had stopped speaking in class, becoming like strangers.

The whole class knew Jiang Ruosheng and Lu Ran had fallen out.

Jiang Ruosheng called Lu Ran, who answered after a long pause, her tone smug.

Lu Ran, “Finally remembered to call me? Don’t think an apology will make up for last time. I’m not that easy to—”

Jiang Ruosheng cut in: “Did you send people after Ruan Xin?”

Lu Ran, “…Yeah. Surprised? I was going to tell you the good news once they finished.”

Jiang Ruosheng, “Good news? More like an obituary. Why target Ruan Xin? Call them back now.”

Lu Ran’s voice was eerily calm. “Too late. They’re already on their way to her place. I did all this for you…”

Jiang Ruosheng nearly swerved in anger. “Lu Ran, wake up. This is a crime.”

Why did characters in this novel always flirt with the edge of the law?

Lu Ran’s voice cracked. “I just told them to rough her up a little. Nothing serious will happen.”

Jiang Ruosheng, “Do you even know who you hired? Do they understand restraint? What if they beat her to—”

Before she could finish, Lu Ran hung up.

Cursing under her breath, Jiang Ruosheng immediately dialed the police.

The bike ride from the bookstore to Ruan Xin’s place took about ten minutes. As Jiang Ruosheng arrived at the residential building, she spotted a group of scruffy-looking delinquents crossing the street toward her. They didn’t seem much older than teenagers.

Had she barely made it in time?

But there were five of them—all alphas—armed with clubs, clearly prepared for trouble.

1v5? What a joke. With her combat skills ranking a pitiful five, showing up would be pointless!

Jiang Ruosheng, who had been a model student from elementary through high school, proudly declared her love for academics and aversion to fighting.

Despite her intimidating “school bully” appearance, she was actually a total weakling.

Jiang Ruosheng: “Where’s Ruan Xin? I’ll just take her and leave.”

System: “Ten meters northwest of the host. Estimated time until confrontation: thirty seconds.”

Jiang Ruosheng stiffened, squinting to the left. Sure enough, Ruan Xin was approaching in the distance, carrying a large bag of groceries.

Without hesitation, Jiang Ruosheng sprinted toward her.

The leader of the delinquents had already spotted Ruan Xin and was pointing in her direction when Jiang Ruosheng suddenly barged in, swatting his hand away.

The delinquents stared in shock at the stranger blocking their path. “Who the hell are you?”

Sweat trickled down Jiang Ruosheng’s back, but she maintained a cold, aloof expression. “I’m your mom.”

“You crazy b1tch!” one of them snapped, their attention instantly diverted.

Jiang Ruosheng smirked. “Don’t thank me. I’m just the righteous savior here to redeem your miserable lives.”

With that, she kicked a few of them in the shins and bolted in the opposite direction.

Delinquents: “???”

Insulted and assaulted out of nowhere—how could they let that slide?

Their original mission was instantly forgotten in a surge of rage as they cursed and chased after Jiang Ruosheng.

The area was packed with residential buildings and a maze of winding alleys. Though Jiang Ruosheng couldn’t fight, her stamina was top-notch. Even after biking earlier, running an extra eight hundred or a thousand meters was no problem.

Tall and long-legged, she dashed with effortless grace.

The delinquents struggled to keep up and soon split up to cut her off.

But Jiang Ruosheng’s unfamiliarity with the layout became her downfall. After running in circles, she found herself cornered in an alley by the furious gang.

“You’ve got some nerve,” the leader, a guy with bleached hair, sneered. “Do you even know who you’re messing with?”

Jiang Ruosheng frowned. “Aren’t you just a bunch of delinquents? Do I need to know your names?”

If “delinquent” wasn’t enough to describe them, were they aspiring to be full-blown criminals?

“You’re young, but you’re already experts at stirring up trouble. Did Lu Ran send you to rough up Ruan Xin? How much did she pay you? I’ll double it.” Jiang Ruosheng crossed her arms, her lofty, indifferent demeanor making her seem anything but the underdog.

But her words… every syllable was practically designed to provoke.

The bleached-haired leader took it as an insult. “What money? Sis Lu is our friend—we help her for free. So you’re with that Ruan Xin? Fine, we’ll beat you up first, then her.”

Jiang Ruosheng’s frown deepened. “This is a crime. Think carefully—once you cross this line, there’s no going back.”

Bleached Hair scoffed. “Nice try. We’re not scared of empty threats.”

Jiang Ruosheng, “So it’s a fight, then?”

Blondie: “No fight… Holy sh—”

Without waiting for him to finish, Jiang Ruosheng—utterly disregarding martial ethics—landed a swift, vicious punch right to his face.

The explosive fight ignited instantly. Jiang dodged while striking hard, her ruthless, life-risking style intimidating the others.

But she wasn’t unscathed—bruised eyes, a bleeding lip…

Would she really go down here?

The thought had barely crossed Jiang Ruosheng’s mind when someone suddenly burst through the encirclement, joining the chaotic brawl.

Dizzy, Jiang barely registered the newcomer before watching her attackers drop one after another, only to be knocked down again the moment they tried getting up. Their howls of pain sounded like heavenly music to her ears.

She looked up gratefully at her savior.

Only to see Ruan Xin standing there, face blank, groceries in one hand, staring down at her with disdain.

“This weak? And you tried picking fights?”

Jiang nearly coughed up bl00d.Who did I do this for, if not you?!

But… why is Ruan Xin so strong?

Wasn’t she supposed to be weak? Frail? Constantly bullied?

As if sensing Jiang’s burning confusion, Ruan Xin condescended to explain, “Learned some self-defense. More than enough for a few punks.”

In her past life, she’d trained rigorously for revenge. Handling street thugs was overkill—though this body’s frailty limited her strength.

Her gaze fell on Jiang Ruosheng, slumped against the wall in disarray: that stunning face bruised, ink-black hair tangled over her chest, too battered to move.

Ruan Xin’s fingers twitched. Her pulse stuttered.

She’d followed Jiang the moment the thugs surrounded her. Though unclear why they’d targeted Jiang, watching her get beaten had been satisfying.

Until their taunts revealed the truth—Jiang had lured them away to protect her.

Impossible.

Her first thought: This is an act. Dark suspicions surged as she coldly watched Jiang take the hits.

Her choice. Her suffering. Not my problem.

Besides, hadn’t she endured worse? This was just payback.

Yet when someone swung a bat at Jiang’s head, Ruan Xin moved without thinking.

No one touches her before I do.

Now, eyeing Jiang’s pathetic state, she sneered, “Useless.”Sirens wailed as five burly officers arrived, surveying the groaning “corpses.” The lead cop eyed Ruan Xin. “You called it in?”

“Just passing by.”

“Then who reported a gang war?”

Ruan Xin, “…”

From the corner, Jiang weakly raised a hand. “My bad. Misread the situation.”

The officer nodded. “All of you, station. You too—statement.”

Jiang’s head dipped in agreement—then didn’t rise. She’d passed out.

The police officer had no choice but to turn to Ruan Xin, who was “passing by”, “You’re a witness who happened to be passing by, right? Please come with us to give a statement.”

Ruan Xin, …