I Don't Want to Be the Villainess Anymore - Chapter 18

The atmosphere was somewhat awkward. The Zhao family’s assistant and lawyer still wanted to negotiate further, attempting to persuade them to abandon this ridiculous idea.

“My sister just wants an apology. If this matter reaches my father, it won’t be resolved so easily,” Rong Xi said.

Qin Yuzhen didn’t know how Rong’s father would handle it, but personally, she felt that without additional leverage, the likelihood of him standing up for her was slim. Most likely, he would dismiss the apology to curry favor with the Zhao family in exchange for other benefits. Clearly, Rong Xi was still naive.

“You’re still young. There are things you don’t understand,” the Zhao family assistant said. “Miss Rong, the Rong and Zhao families have always had a good relationship. There’s no need to ruin it over something like this.”

“At most, we can have the young master and Miss Qin apologize. But expecting Chairman Zhao and his wife to apologize is impossible.”

“Host, this matter might not be easy to resolve,” the system remarked.

Qin Yuzhen smiled. “I never thought it would be.”

Rong Xi grew visibly irritated. Qin Yuzhen could feel her grip tightening slightly around her arm. “What do you mean, ‘something like this’? Is the Rong family’s young lady being assaulted just a trivial matter to you?”

“Our young master is still in the hospital too.”

“Wasn’t that deserved?” Rong Xi retorted, her voice laced with sarcasm. She had never heard anything so absurd. “It was just self-defense.”

“Little sister, the Zhao family is very powerful in City A, isn’t it? They don’t even take the Liang and Rong families seriously,” Qin Yuzhen said softly, her tone tinged with disappointment. “I thought coming to the Rong family meant I wouldn’t be bullied anymore… If this will cause trouble for the family, then forget it. I’ll be fine.”

While the argument was escalating, the Rong family assistant had already contacted Rong’s father. Qin Yuzhen’s words traveled clearly through the phone to his ears.

Rong’s father indeed had no interest in an apology from the Zhao family. To him, apologies were meaningless—he only cared about tangible benefits. He had no emotional attachment to Qin Yuzhen; he had brought her back solely because she was his biological daughter, an objective fact he couldn’t ignore. He couldn’t allow his bloodline to remain outside the family, and raising one more child was hardly a burden for the Rong family.

But he was also a man who valued face. When Qin Yuzhen subtly reframed the incident as a matter of the Rong family’s dignity, the situation shifted. Qin Yuzhen, as his biological daughter, had been cornered and beaten, and the other party refused to apologize—in a way, it was no different from slapping him in the face.

Even if those people hadn’t known her identity.

As Rong’s father was still deliberating, he heard Rong Xi’s voice from the other end.

“Sister! Mom and Dad will definitely stand up for us,” Rong Xi said firmly. “You have to believe in them. Besides, those who did wrong should apologize.”

Rong’s father rubbed his temples. “Do as Zhenzhen and Xixi wish. Tell them I support their decision. After all, Zhenzhen was the one hurt this time. The Zhao family still needs to respect our standing—they’ve gone too far.”

“Understood,” the assistant replied before hanging up. He then smiled at the Zhao family representatives. “I just spoke with Chairman Rong. He said everything will proceed according to the young ladies’ wishes.”

The Zhao family’s expressions darkened. Meanwhile, the Liang family, who had remained silent until now, chose that moment to voice their agreement.

Qin Yuzhen smiled.

“Host, did you plan this?”

“Mm.” Qin Yuzhen responded, using a prop card to ensure their voices would reach Rong’s father. She knew all too well his arrogance—he would never tolerate his daughter questioning him.

Once Rong’s father made his stance clear, the matter was settled. The Zhao family had no choice but to accept it without further protest.

After the three families finished their discussion, they left the principal’s office. On the way out, Zhao’s assistant kept glancing at Qin Yuzhen, prompting Rong Xi to step in and block his line of sight.

As they walked back together, Qin Yuzhen’s expression had returned to normal, though her eyes were still red.

“Host, you really are ruthless with yourself,” the system remarked with some admiration. That tug on her hair by Zhao’s lackey—she could have dodged it, yet she endured it. Just watching had been painful enough.

“I’ve always been ruthless with myself,” Qin Yuzhen replied nonchalantly. A little hair-pulling was nothing; she’d done far worse to herself before.

“Sis, are you okay? Do you need to go to the infirmary?” Rong Xi asked worriedly. Watching the surveillance footage and hearing those screams had twisted her heart.

“I’m fine,” Qin Yuzhen said, glancing at Rong Xi.

Beside them, Liang Xuzhou desperately wanted to shout at Rong Xi, to warn her not to be fooled by this woman’s act—it was all an act. But he didn’t dare. Qin Yuzhen’s earlier ferocity had genuinely frightened him. He had a feeling that if this hadn’t happened at school, she might have gone even further.

Just where had this woman come from?

“I’m glad you’re okay. Liang Xuzhou, thank you for helping my sister,” Rong Xi said, smiling at him.

Liang Xuzhou didn’t know how to respond, only managing a stiff, “No need.”

“Sis, I’m sorry. This time, it was my fault you got dragged into this,” Rong Xi sighed. She had only just learned about what that person had done. For so long, no one had told her—everyone had been too afraid of the Zhao family. People had come and gone around her, but she’d never noticed that those who left had reasons for doing so.

“The fault lies with the pervert. What does it have to do with you?” Qin Yuzhen shot her a look. “Do you just enjoy apologizing?”

Rong Xi pressed her lips together. “But it was still an undeserved misfortune because of me.”

“Mm, true. In that case, you owed me one favor before. Now you owe me another,” Qin Yuzhen said.

Rong Xi: “…”

“Host, you really love climbing the ladder when it’s handed to you,” the system said dryly.

“Just making the most of it,” Qin Yuzhen replied.

Liang Xuzhou, standing nearby, had no words. He could only marvel at Qin Yuzhen’s skill in wrapping people around her finger. Rong Xi didn’t seem like a fool, yet here she was.

When they returned to the classroom, everyone instinctively turned to look at the three of them. The incident had already spread among the students—after all, they’d all seen the person being carried out. But the discussions were all hushed.

“Are you okay?” Pei Jingyue asked.

Qin Yuzhen shook her head. “I’m fine. Thanks to the ‘top dog of Ninth High’ this time.”

Liang Xuzhou, who had just sat down, nearly stood up again. He gulped down some water and took a deep breath. He had a feeling this “top dog” nickname wasn’t going away anytime soon.

Pei Jingyue glanced at Liang Xuzhou and gave him a thumbs-up. “That was pretty ruthless. Consider it a service to the people this time. The boss is impressive.”

Liang Xuzhou: “…”

Liang Xuzhou was exhausted. After this incident, his reputation as the “boss of Ninth High” had spread, and he had no way to explain himself. Though Qin Yuzhen hadn’t explicitly warned him about the consequences of breaking their secret, he knew the outcome would be disastrous if he did.

“You won’t be able to keep this under wraps for long, right? The Zhao kid knows who beat him up,” Liang Xuzhou muttered under his breath.

“Who’d believe him?” Qin Yuzhen replied.

“He’s the one who got beaten. If he says it was you, why wouldn’t people believe him?”

“He’s already lost face. Admitting I was the one who did it would just make him look even worse.” Qin Yuzhen smirked. “And even if the Zhao family finds out, they’ll have to keep it quiet. After all, I’m just a slender girl, while their precious son has trained in martial arts. If he couldn’t even beat me, it’d just confirm he’s a complete waste of space.”

“Do you even know his name?” Liang Xuzhou asked.

“Do you?” Qin Yuzhen raised an eyebrow.

“No,” Liang Xuzhou admitted.

“Such a minor character doesn’t deserve a name in my book,” Qin Yuzhen said.

Liang Xuzhou: “…”

Where did she get the confidence to be this arrogant?

The Zhao cannon fodder had to rest in the hospital for a month, even losing consciousness once, though his life wasn’t in danger. When he woke up and saw his mother by his bedside, he immediately cried out, “Mom! Qin Yuzhen! Qin Yuzhen—”

“Qin Yuzhen demanded you apologize to her in front of the whole school, transfer out, and have our family personally apologize to her. We’ve already agreed,” Mrs. Zhao said, her expression grim. “You’re utterly useless. It’s just a little girl—was it necessary to go this far? If you liked her, you should’ve told me. We could’ve arranged a marriage alliance with the Rong family.”

“Apologize? She’s the one who beat me up! Why should we apologize?” Zhao cannon fodder shouted, then winced as his injuries flared up.

“What did you say? Who beat you?” Mrs. Zhao frowned.

“Qin Yuzhen! That b1tch Qin Yuzhen!” His face twisted with rage.

“She said it was that Liang boy who did it,” Mrs. Zhao said, gripping her phone tightly. “That girl is so frail—are you sure you’re not mistaken?”

“How could I be wrong? It was Qin Yuzhen! She said I pulled her hair, then stomped on my hand.” As he spoke, Zhao cannon fodder shuddered involuntarily, recalling Qin Yuzhen’s expression at the time. “Mom…”

“There’s nothing we can do. There’s no surveillance footage, and you’ve trained with coaches since childhood—yet you couldn’t even handle a little girl.” Mrs. Zhao’s face was cold as she glanced at him. When she had reviewed the surveillance earlier, she’d suspected the blind spot wasn’t something her son could’ve figured out on his own. Now it seemed Qin Yuzhen had planned it all. “Such a young girl, yet so vicious.”

“Mom, I want Qin Yuzhen to suffer,” Zhao cannon fodder said through gritted teeth. “I can’t swallow this.”

“Qin Yuzhen is under the Rong family’s protection. We can’t touch her. Just rest. And don’t you dare tell anyone she was the one who beat you. Keep it to yourself.”

“Why?”

“You may not care about face, but the Zhao family does.” Mother Zhao stood up, looking at Zhao Paohui with disappointment in her eyes. “When will you ever be as dependable as your brother? We gave you the best of everything, yet you don’t even measure up to half of what he is.”

“So that’s it? We’re just going to let this go?” Zhao Paohui asked, unable to believe it.

Mother Zhao didn’t respond. She turned and walked out of the hospital room.

“Mom!”