After Teasing the Villain and Running Away - Chapter 6

A gentle breeze brushed softly against her cheeks. Jiang Ruosheng frowned and turned her head away—she had never liked being too close to others.

Yet, with Ruan Xin, the emotions surging within her didn’t seem like dislike. Hidden behind her curly hair, Jiang Ruosheng’s ears burned red as if painted by the hues of sunset.

With a beauty in her arms, her heart swayed uncontrollably. She inwardly cursed herself for being so shallow.

Ruan Xin, noticing Jiang Ruosheng’s sudden distraction, frowned deeply. Her gaze swept over the fine layer of sweat on Jiang Ruosheng’s forehead and the unnatural flush on her cheeks. Quickly, she loosened her tight grip.

Had she accidentally suffocated her?

The atmosphere in the room took an odd turn, but the two people outside grew increasingly restless.

Yang Yi had crouched so long her legs had gone numb, yet she still hadn’t found what she was looking for. Frustration turned into violent rummaging, the loud noises betraying the obsessive malice flickering in her eyes.

“Found it! Found it!” Another girl tugged excitedly at Yang Yi’s sleeve, waving a small bottle of medicine. “This is the one, right?”

Yang Yi finally relaxed, pressing her lips together in a nod. “Now that we’ve got it, let’s go. Remember to put the empty packaging in Ruan Xin’s drawer.”

The rustling sounds resumed. Jiang Ruosheng strained her ears, listening as the noise was followed by the click of a lock and footsteps fading away—silence settling once more.

Jiang Ruosheng: “Now, Ruan Xin, can you let me go?”

Ruan Xin took a step back, her expression icy as she opened the door and left without a word.

Jiang Ruosheng rubbed her nose, then massaged her numb legs before slowly standing up.

The stolen medicine involved the protagonist, Su Qi, and the malicious intent to frame Ruan Xin. Though Jiang Ruosheng hadn’t heard Yang Yi’s exact plan, she could roughly guess where the plot was headed.

Su Qi, born prematurely, had always been frail and prone to illness. Despite years of careful recuperation, she remained delicate, with a highly sensitive constitution—especially when it came to food.

In the novel, there was a scene where someone spiked her thermos with a nutrient solution containing allergens. After drinking it, she collapsed on the spot and had to be rushed to the hospital.

The classroom had no surveillance, so no one knew who had tampered with Su Qi’s drink.

But rumors spread like wildfire, all pointing fingers at Ruan Xin. Everyone believed it was her doing—an act of jealousy. Even the school’s disciplinary officer got involved, summoning Ruan Xin for questioning.

The stolen nutrient solution from the infirmary, combined with multiple classmates witnessing Ruan Xin visiting the infirmary before the incident, made her the prime suspect.

Ruan Xin insisted on her innocence, but without concrete evidence, the investigation was dropped.

Yet, the damage was done. Ruan Xin faced relentless ostracization and isolation, her situation growing even more unbearable.

And here, the first major clash between the female lead and the antagonist unfolded.

Xin Ran, absent due to her fever cycle, had no idea about Su Qi’s allergic reaction. When she returned and heard the vicious rumors swirling around the class, she flew into a rage—storming straight to Ruan Xin…

And beat her half to death.

It was Su Qi who finally pulled Xin Ran away, using her own pheromones to calm the enraged alpha.

Their bond deepened, sweetness overflowing—marking the beginning of their friendship’s transformation into something more.

When Jiang Ruosheng first read this part, she couldn’t help but fangirl. Who didn’t love a good “protecting the love interest while crushing the villain” trope? The more intense, the better.

But the premise was that Ruan Xin was the culprit behind Su Qi’s allergic reaction—that “scumbag.”

In all the readers’ interpretations and even the author’s own descriptions, Ruan Xin had been portrayed as the instigator. After all, she hadn’t yet developed feelings for Su Qi, so it seemed… normal for someone with a twisted mindset to do such things?

But now, the truth lay before her—Ruan Xin had been wrongfully accused.

Jiang Ruosheng gazed with complex emotions at the sickly beauty’s flawless profile, her guilt deepening.

“Ruan Xin, I’ll testify for you. You didn’t do it—they’re trying to frame you.”

Ruan Xin tilted her head, eyes narrowing slightly. “You know what they’re planning?”

Jiang Ruosheng shook her head. “No, but it can’t be anything good. We can report them to the teacher right now for stealing the medicine.”

Ruan Xin arched a brow, her tone sly. “…I stole some too, you know. Should you report me as well, Jiang Ruosheng?”

Her deep eyes shimmered with a calculated glint, the usual cold detachment replaced by a lethally concealed scheme.

Had anyone else been present, they would have noticed the subtle shift in Ruan Xin’s demeanor.

Like a sword unsheathed, its chilling edge gleaming under the light, its brilliance impossible to conceal.

But Jiang Ruosheng, having transmigrated into this world, remained oblivious to the change in Ruan Xin’s aura—missing yet another chance to uncover the truth.

Jiang Ruosheng insisted, “It’s different. You heard them—they’re definitely planning something bad. We need to stop them beforehand.”

Ruan Xin feigned surprise. “‘We’? I never thought Jiang Ruosheng would stand up for justice.”

Catching the sarcasm in her tone, Jiang Ruosheng didn’t argue.

Ruan Xin studied her with an unreadable expression. “I checked. What they took were just ordinary supplements, nothing dangerous. Nothing will happen. Save your rare kindness for another time.”

So it really was just supplements. Jiang Ruosheng frowned at Ruan Xin’s indifferent expression, her frustration gnawing at her. Nothing will happen?

It’ll be a disaster.

Ruan Xin had no idea what was coming—that was why she lacked any sense of urgency.

Jiang Ruosheng had to prevent this.

In the original story, this incident was what made Ruan Xin despise Xin Ran, setting her on the path of a villain opposing the protagonist at every turn.

If she wanted to save the antagonist, she had to start by keeping her away from the main characters.

Noticing Jiang Ruosheng zoning out again, Ruan Xin frowned. “If you report them now, they’ll just apologize and get off easy. It won’t lead to anything serious, but it might expose us instead.”

She had a point. Stealing supplements was a minor offense—even if they caught Yang Yi this time, there was no guarantee she wouldn’t try again.

It’d be better to catch her red-handed and expose her true nature.

Jiang Ruosheng nodded. “You’re right. Let’s not tell the teacher.”

Ruan Xin smiled faintly and extended a hand. “Consider this our little secret.”

Jiang Ruosheng stared, stunned, at the delicate hand offered to her. Was this… a gesture of goodwill?

The touch of Ruan Xin’s palm was cool and smooth as jade, so soft it was almost addictive.

Jiang Ruosheng nearly teared up.

This is too hard-earned.

The two of them slipped back into the classroom just as the bell rang—having skipped the entire P.E. period.

This was a physiology class. The teacher adjusted her glasses, looking at the two students who had nearly been late with a stern expression, clearly on the verge of anger.

“I believe I’ve made it clear that tardiness is unacceptable in my class?” Her tone was heavy as she swiftly wrote something in her record book. “One point deducted from your usual grades each. If this happens again, don’t bother coming in—just stand outside.”

Jiang Ruosheng frowned slightly and took her seat.

In this world, physiology was as important as any core subject, complete with monthly and major exams, plus an additional assessment of daily performance. This evaluation mainly focused on an individual’s control over their pheromones and the stability of their heat cycles.

Though the base score for daily performance was only ten points, falling below the passing threshold of six by the semester’s end could be more severe than failing an exam. It would trigger a mandatory pheromone evaluation.

The test results would be recorded in personal files—like a disciplinary mark. The more frequent these records, the worse one’s control was deemed, suggesting potential pheromone instability or underlying health issues.

Naturally, no one wanted to be labeled as problematic, so students tread carefully in Teacher Chen’s class, where daily performance scores were strictly tied to classroom behavior.

“You’ve mostly covered the previous unit’s material. Today’s lesson will be a quiz—no whispering, or points will be deducted.”

Chen Zhen’s catchphrase was “points deduction.” She could say it up to twenty times in a single class, earning her the nickname “Deducting Chen” among students.

“Deducting Chen” handed out the quiz papers and sat at the podium, her sharp eyes scanning the room like searchlights, notebook and pen always at the ready.

Between two different worlds, many concepts varied significantly, especially in physiology.

Jiang Ruosheng had mentally prepared herself. As a self-proclaimed top student, she believed adapting her existing knowledge to this new system wouldn’t be too difficult—just a matter of time and effort.

But as she stared at the quiz questions—words that seemed familiar yet incomprehensible—her confidence dissolved into confusion.

“(1) Xiaocui used two omega suppressants of the same concentration during her heat cycle. After two days, the pheromone monitor still showed 34.5%. With one suppressant left, how long should she wait before using it to restore normal levels? (Assume pheromone growth rate γ per second.)”

“(2) What was the concentration of the suppressant she used?”

“(3) If temporary marking is employed, how many times would an alpha with 68% compatibility need to mark Xiaocui to ensure she safely passes her heat cycle?”

“One day, alpha Xiaoming experienced a sudden pheromone surge, with levels rising 32% within two hours. Omega Xiaohong was walking 20 meters away. How many meters must she run in ten minutes to escape the effects of the alpha’s heat?”

Jiang Ruosheng: …At this moment, a top student lost her soul.

She desperately sifted through the original host’s fragmented memories, but the knowledge section was entirely blank.

Well, the original host was an academic failure anyway. Submitting a blank quiz… probably wouldn’t be a big deal?

After enduring a class that felt like sitting on pins and needles, Jiang Rusong finally relaxed, her eyes still firmly fixed on her target—Su Qi.

To be more precise, she was staring at the thermos cup on Su Qi’s desk.

Sitting in the last few rows gave her a convenient vantage point to observe the entire class.

After several classes, she had familiarized herself with everyone based on the original body’s memories.

Yang Yi sat right behind Su Qi, and her deskmate was the girl who had accompanied her to the school infirmary—Jiang Huihui.

The three of them seemed very close, chatting and laughing during breaks without any hint of conflict.

As the afternoon classes neared their end, Jiang Rusong anticipated that Yang Yi would soon make her move. While keeping a sharp eye on her, she also reminded Ruan Xin to watch Jiang Huihui.

“Rusong,” her deskmate Qiao Nan suddenly nudged her with an elbow. “You’ve been staring all afternoon… I suggest you tone it down. Even though Xin Ran is on leave at home right now, if she finds out you’re still hung up on Su Qi, she’ll come after you again.”

Jiang Rusong paused, recalling the original body’s attempt to pursue Su Qi at the start of the semester, and replied indifferently, “I’m not interested in her.”

Qiao Nan didn’t believe it—those intense eyes couldn’t possibly be faked.

In her past life, Jiang Rusong had never been one for small talk, especially with strangers. When she lowered her gaze and stayed silent, she exuded an air of unapproachable elegance—like an icy academic prodigy radiating coldness.

She wasn’t putting on an act; she simply disliked socializing and idle chatter, preferring to immerse herself in studying. Her furrowed brows over difficult problems and her distant, vacant expression gradually formed an invisible barrier that kept others at bay.

Jiang Rusong found this arrangement ideal—it kept the world quiet.

But now, with Qiao Nan chattering endlessly in her ear, irritation churned in her chest. Her expression darkened, her clear eyes turning frosty, lips pressed tightly together.

When Jiang Rusong didn’t respond at all, Qiao Nan grew puzzled. “What’s up with you today? Not saying a word—are you going for the aloof persona now? Let me tell you, Su Qi probably doesn’t like that. You should—”

Before she could finish, Jiang Rusong abruptly stood up.

Qiao Nan: “Where are you going?”

Jiang Rusong replied coldly, “To get water.”