I Don't Want to Be the Villainess Anymore - Chapter 12

The evening meal passed by peacefully.

The main reason was that Rong Xi ignored Gu Su’s provocations, and with Gu Su unable to stir up any drama on her own, Qin Yuzhen was also preoccupied with thoughts about that cannon fodder Zhao, barely speaking a word.

Thanks to the system’s reminder, she became aware that Zhao was watching them from a distance.

Qin Yuzhen glanced at Rong Xi sitting across from her, then leaned over to tuck a stray strand of hair behind Rong Xi’s ear.

Rong Xi froze for a moment before looking up at Qin Yuzhen. “What’s wrong?”

“I thought the loose hair might bother you while eating,” Qin Yuzhen replied.

Rong Xi found Qin Yuzhen’s behavior a bit odd but didn’t dwell on it. Noticing Gu Su’s expression, she flashed a bright smile. “Thank you, sis.”

“Host, when you tucked Rong Xi’s hair behind her ear just now, that guy nearly jumped out of his seat,” the system remarked.

“Tsk, a rat lurking in the gutter.” Qin Yuzhen smirked.

Unfortunately, this rat couldn’t be dealt with this week—because it was the weekend.

When leaving the cafeteria, Qin Yuzhen got a clear look at the cannon fodder’s face.

Sure enough, he had shifty eyes and an overall sleazy aura that made Qin Yuzhen want to vomit. Zhao was from the international class but had followed them all the way to their classroom building. If Rong Xi hadn’t turned around to look, he might have even tried to follow them upstairs.

“Is it just me, or did I feel like someone was staring at me just now?” Rong Xi pursed her lips, frowning slightly.

“There was,” Qin Yuzhen said. “That guy’s probably a creep, so be careful. Don’t go anywhere alone—stick with me.”

At the word “creep,” Rong Xi shuddered. She glanced around before lowering her voice. “There are creeps in our school?”

“Yep, and he’s only targeting you,” Qin Yuzhen said.

Rong Xi pressed her lips together. “Only me? Are you trying to scare me on purpose?”

“No.” Qin Yuzhen shot her an exasperated look. “Why else would I tell you to stay with me?”

Rong Xi studied Qin Yuzhen’s face. The system, observing the flicker of gratitude in Rong Xi’s eyes, wished it had hands so it could shake her shoulders and scream: Don’t be fooled by this façade!

It’s all fake! Every last bit of it!

“But… you can’t really protect me, can you?” Rong Xi said, still worried.

Qin Yuzhen laughed. “Who are you looking down on, little sister?”

“Did you see his face? Maybe we should tell our family.”

“I can’t be sure. What if he just happened to be walking behind you, just happened to look shifty, and just happened to be staring at you?” Qin Yuzhen countered.

“You are trying to scare me!” Rong Xi stomped her foot lightly and swatted Qin Yuzhen’s arm—only realizing what she’d done after the fact.

The two locked eyes.

“Rong Xi, you actually hit me!” Qin Yuzhen widened her eyes in exaggerated disbelief.

Rong Xi: Somehow, I saw this coming. Not surprised at all.

“Sorry, sis, I didn’t mean to.”

Luckily, they had already reached the classroom door. Rong Xi quickly retreated to her seat, avoiding any further nagging from Qin Yuzhen.

“I used to think Rong Xi was pretty dumb,” the system mused.

“And now? You think she’s not?”

“From how quickly she returned to her seat, she’s clearly not stupid. Look, after just a few days together, she already knows what kind of person you are—ahem,” the system remarked.

“Huh? What do you mean by ahem?”

“Can’t say.”

Evening self-study sessions in senior year lasted until 10 PM.

Qin Yuzhen couldn’t understand why this Mary Sue novel had to make senior year of high school so painfully realistic.

“Host, it could be worse. Some schools used to hold classes on Saturdays and Sundays too,” the system consoled her.

Qin Yuzhen didn’t feel like talking. Propping her chin on her hand, she worked on her assignments.

Six subjects, each with its own homework. She was moving much faster than she had during the day.

Beside her, Liang Xuzhou finished one assignment and turned to find Qin Yuzhen already working on her second.

Her handwriting was still neat, her signature still elegant, and her paper still free of any corrections.

“What? Want to copy?” Qin Yuzhen stuffed the completed assignment into her desk and glanced at Liang Xuzhou. “Don’t even think about it.”

“Who’d want to copy yours?” Liang Xuzhou turned away, shielding his messy work.

Though he didn’t want to admit it, comparing his paper to Qin Yuzhen’s made him feel a little ashamed.

By the end of two self-study sessions, Qin Yuzhen had finished all her homework. She activated a prop card and flopped onto the desk to sleep.

Rong Xi, still preoccupied with the pervert incident, had little patience for homework. When she turned and saw Qin Yuzhen sleeping again, she frowned slightly. She noticed that Qin Yuzhen really disliked studying and seized every opportunity to slack off.

When school ended that evening, Qin Yuzhen noticed Rong Xi was unusually quiet. She didn’t say anything either, closing her eyes again as soon as she got in the car—she still wasn’t fully awake.

Rong Xi watched Qin Yuzhen resting beside her, her expression full of exasperation.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Qin Yuzhen felt Rong Xi’s intense gaze and opened her eyes.

Rong Xi pressed her lips together. “Why don’t you take studying seriously?”

“Huh?” Qin Yuzhen yawned. “Who says I don’t? Don’t just make accusations, little girl.”

“I saw you sleeping during self-study.”

“Because I was done. That’s called balancing work and rest,” Qin Yuzhen replied.

Rong Xi stared at her. She had seen Qin Yuzhen’s past grades—they weren’t great—and couldn’t understand why she was so confident.

“I think you should study a bit more,” Rong Xi said stiffly.

Qin Yuzhen laughed. “You’re so nosy, little sister.”

“Even though the Rong family could send you abroad, it’s not that simple… I’m just reminding you. Don’t find me annoying.” Rong Xi’s voice grew quieter. She didn’t know why she was meddling—Qin Yuzhen clearly didn’t appreciate it.

Qin Yuzhen glanced at Rong Xi’s expression. “Why do you think my grades are bad?”

Rong Xi looked up, opening her mouth but ultimately saying nothing. She didn’t want to hurt Qin Yuzhen’s pride, nor could she bring herself to be so blunt.

“We’re home. Let’s go.” Rong Xi quickly got out of the car.

Qin Yuzhen sighed. “Why run so fast? You can’t escape me.”

Rong Xi slowed her steps and turned back. Qin Yuzhen strolled leisurely behind her, her backpack swaying empty—clearly, she hadn’t brought anything home.

Upon entering the villa, Rong’s mother sat on the sofa and waved at the two of them. “Remember, we agreed to go shopping together tomorrow. Get up by nine in the morning, and we’ll have lunch out.”

“Got it,” Qin Yuzhen nodded, flashing a perfectly measured excited smile.

Rong Xi clenched her fists slightly and glanced at Qin Yuzhen. She felt it would be better if she didn’t tag along. “Mom, I think I’ll just stay home tomorrow…”

“Does little sister have something else planned?” Qin Yuzhen tilted her head to look at her. “Come with us. It’ll be better that way, especially since it’s my first time shopping around here.”

Rong Xi: “…”

“That’s right, Xi Xi, come along. We’re all family—there’s no need to feel awkward.”

In the end, Rong Xi still nodded in agreement.

Back in her room, Rong Xi tossed her backpack onto the sofa and let out a long sigh before pulling out her diary.

October 5th, Friday, Sunny

Though it’s only been a day, it feels like so much has happened.

Gu Suo showed up again, as expected. I don’t understand why she’s always so interested in the people around me—it’s so annoying.

Today, she even got to laugh at my expense, all because of Qin Yuzhen. I don’t get how those two became so close so quickly. Qin Yuzhen actually seems to like her.

Qin Yuzhen really is terrible—I can’t win an argument against her. But she won’t even let me argue back, which is just unfair. Still, she’s not as hard to get along with as I thought she’d be.

She really hates studying. If she ends up in the regular class, she’ll probably cause a scene.

Rong Xi wrote whatever came to mind. She wanted to document all of Qin Yuzhen’s awful behavior, but in the end, she decided against it. If Qin Yuzhen ever got her hands on this diary, she’d probably just laugh at her.