After Teasing the Villain and Running Away - Chapter 3

The Promise of Childhood Sweethearts is a yuri ABO novel that tells the story of two female leads who, after growing up together, suddenly develop budding romantic feelings for each other upon entering adolescence.

The book was recommended to Jiang Ruosheng by her deskmate, ostensibly to help her relieve stress before the college entrance exams.

After all, Jiang Ruosheng, who burned the midnight oil solving practice problems until 3 a.m. every day without rest, had even their usually hyper-motivated homeroom teacher urging her to prioritize her health.

Despite being a shoo-in for a prestigious university, she pushed herself relentlessly, earning her the title of “Queen of Overachievers.”

Jiang Ruosheng was a fast reader, and within a single lunch break, she was nearly finished with the book. The general plot followed a pure, sweet romance—a bittersweet tale of mutual pining, unspoken anxieties, and the angsty turbulence of youth that practically leaped off the pages.

The author’s delicate prose made it easy to immerse oneself in the story, and some of the more poignant moments could genuinely bring tears to one’s eyes.

The only thing that made her bl00d pressure spike was the novel’s villainous top Alpha, Ruan Xin.

Dark, obsessive, ruthless, and domineeringly possessive, she was the epitome of a “beautiful psycho.”

In the school arc of The Promise of Childhood Sweethearts, she haunted the two female leads like a specter, constantly scheming to drive a wedge between them—the quintessential “sh1t-stirring” antagonist in every story.

Because of her, misunderstandings piled up between the protagonist Alpha and Omega. Because of her, the sparks of love that should have ignited were thoroughly doused.

She was both the pitiable figure the protagonist Omega wanted to save and the romantic rival the protagonist Alpha despised with a passion—a master of feigned vulnerability and deception.

Jiang Ruosheng frowned as she read, barely enduring the school arc, only to realize she’d been naive to think the villain would exit the story afterward.

Because the villain went off the deep end.

Though the book didn’t delve deeply into it, readers could infer that Ruan Xin came from a single-parent household and a modest background. Despite her stellar grades landing her in an elite aristocratic school, she was acutely aware of the class divide.

Bullied and ostracized, with the person she adored in love with someone else, she grew extreme, convinced everything boiled down to wealth and status—especially her seething resentment toward the protagonist Alpha.

By the mid-to-late story, when the two female leads finally confessed their feelings and got together, the villainous Alpha struck. Not only did she effortlessly dismantle the protagonist Alpha’s company, but she also kidnapped the protagonist Omega during their engagement party, imprisoning her on a secluded island for three whole years.

Yeah… that’s a felony.

Jiang Ruosheng couldn’t help but curse: Get lost, you criminal!

It seemed that whenever the villain was involved, the story took a sharp turn into absurdity.

Fortunately, the antagonist didn’t reign for long. The protagonist Alpha arrived belatedly and put a bullet through her head, leading to a happy ending where love triumphed.

After finishing the book, Jiang Ruosheng exhaled in relief, returned it to her deskmate, and plunged back into her mountain of practice problems.

Solving problems was paramount. Improving her scores was paramount. The college entrance exams were paramount.

Holding onto this belief, Jiang Ruosheng—who stayed up all night cramming vocabulary on the eve of the exams—suddenly died.

At the tender age of eighteen.

Life often catches you off guard like that. You never know how big a joke fate will play on you or which window it’ll open after slamming the door in your face.

A sharp, wrenching pain in her chest. Her consciousness slipped away, as if swallowed by an abyss of darkness that lasted an eternity.

Then, abruptly, Jiang Ruosheng woke up.

Her mind was still buzzing with a disconnected busy tone. She blinked rapidly as the mosquito-like black spots on her retina quickly faded, swaying slightly before steadying herself with effort.

After waiting about two or three seconds, she finally regained her composure and began surveying the unfamiliar surroundings.

The damp post-rain air carried the scent of soil and grass beneath her feet—a muddy stretch of sand dotted with puddles of varying depths. This seemed to be the back of a school building, connected to a small grove of trees on the other side.

And most importantly—

A girl stood right in front of her. The moment Jiang Ruosheng’s gaze met hers, the girl tensed up defensively, glaring back with eyes that seemed to burn with fire.

She was a full head shorter than Jiang Ruosheng, her petite frame giving the impression of a malnourished little sprout.

An oversized school jacket hung loosely over her white blouse, the hem reaching down to her thighs, while the sleeves had been rolled up several times, revealing slender, delicate wrists that looked almost fragile. Below, she wore the standard plaid skirt, exposing round knees tinged with a faint pink and legs so pale they seemed to glow like fresh tofu.

Long hair cascaded down her back, soft strands resting against straight yet delicate shoulders. Beneath slightly overgrown bangs was a delicate, heart-shaped face—youthful in contour but undeniably beautiful.

Yet at this moment, half of that pretty face was swollen and red. Against her fair skin, the contrast was startling, adding a pitiful vulnerability to her otherwise innocent appearance.

Jiang Ruosheng, who had a soft spot for pretty faces, felt a pang of sympathy. Looking at this small, pitiful figure, she instinctively asked, “What happened to your face?”

The “little sprout” seemed momentarily stunned before her eyes welled up with tears. “You hit me.”

Jiang Ruosheng froze, a bad feeling creeping in. Her gaze flicked to the obvious muddy shoe print on the girl’s skirt, and she tentatively asked, “And that footprint on your skirt…?”

The girl pouted, looking aggrieved. “You stepped on me!”

Huh?! What was going on?

Jiang Ruosheng lowered her eyes, about to search her memories, when fragmented recollections suddenly flooded her mind.

A completely different family background and life experience—aside from sharing the same name, Jiang Ruosheng had nothing in common with the original owner of this body.

And the key details extracted from those memories made Jiang Ruosheng realize something:

She had transmigrated into a novel.

St. Thomas Noble Academy, ABO dynamics, Ruan Xin, trash from the slums…

?!

She seemed to have ended up in The Childhood Promise…

Jiang Ruosheng’s gaze darkened as she studied the “little sprout.” And the person the original owner had just bullied was that psycho villain, Ruan Xin?

Cold sweat broke out on her back. Jiang Ruosheng remembered this minor character who shared her name—the number one cannon fodder who bullied Ruan Xin, appearing for no more than three lines in the book.

Her final fate? Kicked into a lake by the villain, never to resurface.

…I deserve to die, I’m guilty—is it too late to apologize now?

A slow, friendly smile spread across Jiang Ruosheng’s lips as her mind raced for the right words.

The next second, she heard—

Ding! New character unlocked.

Character Profile:

Name: Ruan Xin

Personality: Ruthless, vengeful.

Darkening Index: 50%

Friendly Reminder: She holds grudges.

Before Jiang Ruosheng could react, the mechanical voice spoke again, “The villain’s darkening index is currently high. For the host’s personal safety, the system recommends immediately turning left and fleeing.”

Perhaps the shock of transmigrating into a book had already been overwhelming, so the sudden appearance of a system seemed… somewhat expected.

But turn left and flee? Jiang Ruosheng looked at the seemingly harmless girl before her and asked uncertainly, “Is that really necessary?”

During high school, Ruan Xin had been nothing but a pitiable figure—constantly bullied yet too afraid to speak up, forced to endure silently because she couldn’t fight back.

Over time, this had only deepened her gloomy temperament, her eyes always seeming to carry an unshakable mist, as if perpetually overcast.

But her true descent into madness seemed to begin after graduation…

The system seemed displeased with Jiang Ruosheng’s skepticism. “Please do not question the system’s accuracy. Detected villain threat level is high. Host is advised to evacuate the area immediately.”

As if she’s about to commit murder or something…

Urged again by the system, Jiang Ruosheng instinctively shrank back, her feet unconsciously shifting sideways. “…I just remembered something urgent. I have to go now…”

Ruan Xin, still covering the right side of her face, watched Jiang Ruosheng prepare to leave. The previously subdued look in her eyes suddenly surged with an inexplicable intensity, starkly different from moments ago.

The sharpness and resilience emanating from her very bones evoked the image of solitary clouds drifting high in the sky.

“Jiang, don’t rush off. You’ve dirtied my skirt. If the other students see, they’ll surely laugh at me again,” Ruan Xin said leisurely, taking a step forward. Her gaze swept past Jiang Ruosheng, lips curving into a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

Unaware, Jiang Ruosheng hesitated, unsure of her meaning, and glanced down at her own skirt. Does she want me to give her mine?

Well, it’s not impossible. After all, it was “her” who caused this—she couldn’t exactly refuse to shoulder the original body’s mistakes.

“Shall we swap in the restroom? Though I’m not sure if your size would fit me…”

Nearby, Ruan Xin frowned at Jiang Ruosheng’s rambling. The girl before her, benefiting from an alpha’s natural height advantage, stood out even among peers.

Her striking, straight nose and clear, light-colored glass-like eyes gave her a cold, aloof appearance, yet those eyes held a gentle warmth.

Memories from her past life blurred like reflections. Ruan Xin tightened her jaw in confusion—had Jiang Ruosheng always looked like this?

But the moment of doubt passed quickly. Ruan Xin suddenly lunged forward, shoving Jiang Ruosheng without hesitation. “Of course, if your skirt ends up dirtier than mine, no one will laugh at me anymore.”

Crashing onto the damp, muddy ground, Jiang Ruosheng’s mind spun. As she shifted to sit up, a sharp pain shot through her. A searing ache radiated from the side of her neck. She reached up—her fingertips came away smeared with glaring streaks of bl00d.

Ruan Xin calmly withdrew her hand. Where Jiang Ruosheng had fallen lay a small, inconspicuous rock, its jagged edge sharpened by mud. Had her aim not been slightly off, it wouldn’t have just grazed Jiang Ruosheng’s neck—it would have struck her head.

Jiang Ruosheng gingerly checked the wound, relieved to find only superficial cuts.

The muddy water had splashed all over Jiang Ruosheng’s back, her hair soaked and clinging to her slightly heaving chest through the drenched shirt.

A complete mess.

Jiang Ruosheng hadn’t expected to brush so close to death. She lowered her head dejectedly, staring at her hands covered in yellow mud, and silently asked the system, “Does this count as… settling the grudge?”

The system replied, “Detected excessively high hostility from the antagonist toward the host. Prioritize survival.”

Ruan Xin stood with her arms crossed, watching coldly. The revenge for the footprints was done—now only the slap remained.

But seeing Jiang Ruosheng acting so uncharacteristically, not exploding in rage or hurling insults, but instead looking utterly miserable, she found it both pitiful and amusing. She reconsidered.

There would be plenty of chances to retaliate later. Pushing her too hard now wasn’t wise.

Her eyes flickered with a fleeting, complicated emotion before she turned and walked away.

The opportunity “Jiang Ruosheng” had seized to call Ruan Xin over and bully her was during gym class.

Because the outdoor field was slippery, the lesson had been changed to free activities in the indoor gym.

The locker room for changing into gym clothes was on the first floor of the sports hall. The side door was locked, meaning Jiang Ruosheng would have to cross the entire gym to get there—exposing her current state to the entire class.

She first rushed to the sink, rinsing her neck until the bleeding stopped, then did her best to wash off the mud stains before steeling herself to head to the locker room.

Water alone couldn’t clean everything. The white uniform remained soaked, large patches of yellowed water stains spreading across it. Her hair, streaked with mud, clung in wet strands, making her look like she’d just been fished out of a pond—hardly any better than before.

When Jiang Ruosheng entered the gym, clutching the cut on her neck, all her classmates stared in shock—including Ruan Xin, who was watching with amusement.

The gym teacher asked, “Jiang Ruosheng, what happened to you?”

Jiang Ruosheng’s gaze briefly met Ruan Xin’s in the crowd before she calmly explained, “Fell into a ditch. Just climbed out. I’ll go change now.”

Her tone was remarkably composed, even carrying a hint of absurd nonchalance.

Ruan Xin looked away. She had expected Jiang Ruosheng wouldn’t report this to the teacher. An alpha’s inexplicable pride would demand she seek revenge privately.

And that revenge would undoubtedly be far worse than a cut on the neck.

In the locker room, Jiang Ruosheng changed out of her dirty clothes and stood in front of the mirror with a bandage.

The foggy reflection showed a familiar face. To her surprise, the original body’s appearance was nearly identical to her own—just with more mature features and a taller frame.

Very fitting for an alpha’s growth traits.

Her eyes shifted to the slender neck, where a faint pink gash ran along the side.

As she held up the bandage, she realized the cut was too long—one strip wouldn’t fully cover it, leaving a bit exposed.

“Since when did Ruan Xin get so bold? She actually dared to hurt you?” A crisp voice spoke up.

Jiang Ruosheng turned to see a girl leaning against the locker room doorway, her uniform shirt tied at the waist to accentuate her slender figure. This was Lu Ran, the original’s best friend.

Hmm… also one of the cannon-fodder characters doomed to die, though her role in the novel was minor—so minor she didn’t even get a name.

Jiang Ruosheng replied, “I hurt her first, after all.”

Lu Ran frowned, then relaxed, looking at Jiang Ruosheng in surprise. “Why the sudden change of heart?”

“Nothing much, I just had a realization. Bullying her like that wasn’t right. From now on, I’m turning over a new leaf and being a better person.”

“Have you lost your mind?!” Lu Ran walked over and plopped down beside her. “I get it—Ruan Xin tattled to your parents again, didn’t she? That little snitch, what else is she good for besides running her mouth?”

“Ruosheng, don’t worry. I’ve got a way to make sure Ruan Xin never dares to pull this again.”

Jiang Ruosheng froze. “Don’t do anything unnecessary…”

Lu Ran flashed her a mysterious smile, patting her shoulder with exaggerated weight.

“Relax, I’ve already set things in motion. After this lesson, Ruan Xin won’t even dare to squeak.”