I Don't Want to Be the Villainess Anymore - Chapter 22

After dropping Mian off at her apartment building and watching her go inside, Qin Yuzhen finally let the driver leave.

“Seems like you’re quite happy?” Rong Xi noticed the smile on Qin Yuzhen’s face.

“Happy, why wouldn’t I be?” Qin Yuzhen tilted her head to look at Rong Xi. “Isn’t helping a junior something to be happy about?”

“Indeed, it is.” Rong Xi tossed Qin Yuzhen’s backpack to her. “But what if Liang Xuzhou hadn’t followed her?”

“I wouldn’t have rushed over.”

Rong Xi fell silent and sat to the side.

Qin Yuzhen glanced at Rong Xi several times and poked her shoulder.

Rong Xi didn’t respond or look at her.

Qin Yuzhen poked her again. Rong Xi took a deep breath but still ignored her.

“Host, I feel like you have no authority over Rong Xi anymore. It’s only been a few days,” the system gloated.

“This is still better than before.” Qin Yuzhen yawned and closed her eyes.

Noticing Qin Yuzhen hadn’t moved for a while, Rong Xi couldn’t resist glancing over and saw that she was almost asleep. Rong Xi narrowed her eyes.

The car stopped, and the two got out together.

They were back later than usual today, but no one questioned them. Qin Yuzhen took the late-night snack prepared by the household staff upstairs. Rong Xi had expected Qin Yuzhen to say something, but she remained silent, which only made Rong Xi angrier.

Rong Xi returned to her room, dropped her backpack on the floor, and checked the time—it was already past eleven.

She pulled out her diary, opened it, and stared at the blank page for a long time.

Today, Qin Yuzhen once again took matters into her own hands and did something dangerous. There are so many ways to handle a situation—why must she always put herself in harm’s way? And Qin Yuzhen seems to get overly familiar with people too quickly, already calling that girl “junior” like they’re close. Proper people like us just call them “classmates.”

Not that there’s anything improper about calling someone “junior,” but coming from Qin Yuzhen’s mouth, it just doesn’t sound right—kind of like when she says “little sister.”

Qin Yuzhen is definitely hiding something from me. And I get the feeling Liang Xuzhou and that girl we met today both know about it—only I don’t.

Rong Xi put the diary away before realizing she’d forgotten to write about Gu Si, but she couldn’t be bothered to take it out again.

Back in her room, Qin Yuzhen played with her phone while eating her late-night snack.

“Rong Xi seems a bit upset,” the system remarked.

“She’s always upset,” Qin Yuzhen said. “I already tried to cheer her up.”

“When did you do that? I didn’t see it.”

Qin Yuzhen paused. “Didn’t I poke her twice? She ignored me.”

“If you used the same attitude you use to cheer up other girls, I bet she’d respond,” the system couldn’t help but say.

“No.” Qin Yuzhen refused outright. “I can’t do it.”

“Host, your halo has gotten much brighter than before.”

“Really?” Qin Yuzhen was surprised but smiled. “That’s normal. After all, I’m the protagonist wherever I go.”

System: “…”

Its original intention had been to suggest Qin Yuzhen tone it down a little, but who could have guessed…

“It shouldn’t be long before my halo surpasses Rong Xi’s.” Qin Yuzhen wiped her mouth contentedly.

System: “…”

Rong Xi was still working on her homework and didn’t go to bed until almost 1 a.m.

Meanwhile, Qin Yuzhen’s room was empty, with the window left open.

Although Qin Yuzhen had already deduced from the reactions of those small-time thugs that the person behind it all was the cannon fodder character Zhao, the system still confirmed it. However, due to the intermittent permissions, not much information was retrieved—only that there had been contact, but the content of the conversation remained unknown.

Holding an invisibility card, Qin Yuzhen swaggered into the hospital where Zhao was staying, took the elevator to the 17th floor, and stood outside his VIP room.

Zhao hadn’t been able to sleep since receiving the news that the people he hired had been beaten up by Qin Yuzhen. Whether out of anger or fear, he wasn’t sure. This whole scheme had been his own doing—his family knew nothing about it.

When he heard a noise at the door, he instinctively turned to look.

At 1 a.m., the hospital was quiet, with everyone resting, so the sound of the door opening was crystal clear.

He saw the doorknob turn, the door open—but there was no one outside. Then, the door closed on its own.

Zhao’s eyes widened in shock. He tried to scream but found himself completely mute.

He couldn’t see anyone, but he could sense someone approaching him.

“If you trouble my sister again, I will definitely kill you.”

Qin Yuzhen’s voice was sweet and gentle, but to Zhao, it sounded like it had crawled straight out of hell.

“You can’t see me, right? So if I kill you here, no one will ever know.” Qin Yuzhen laughed.

Zhao’s face turned deathly pale before his eyes rolled back, and he fainted.

System: “…”

“Host, you’re truly wicked,” the system complained. “He probably won’t die from fright, right?”

“I know my limits. He won’t die.” Qin Yuzhen stood by the bed, looking at the unconscious Zhao. “I thought he’d be tougher. Turns out his nerves are made of paper.”

“Host, anyone would be terrified in a situation like this—it’s basically seeing a ghost,” the system said. Observing Zhao’s awkward fainting posture, it concluded that he’d definitely wake up with a stiff neck tomorrow. The system sighed inwardly—why did this guy have to provoke Qin Yuzhen, of all people?

Qin Yuzhen left the room, closed the door behind her, and then strolled out of the hospital as casually as she had entered. By the time she returned to her own room, it was past 2 a.m. She lay down and fell asleep within seconds.

The next morning, as expected, she was in a terrible mood. Even though she had used a mental clarity card, it didn’t change the fact that she was still exhausted and wanted to sleep.

Rong Xi glanced at Qin Yuzhen several times, assuming she had stayed up late studying and that was why she looked so worn out.

“What time did you go to bed last night?” Rong Xi asked.

Qin Yuzhen glanced at her. “Guess.”

“I know you really want to beat me, but you still need to get enough rest and sleep early,” Rong Xi said.

Qin Yuzhen realized Rong Xi had misunderstood. “It wasn’t because of studying. Don’t overthink it.”

“Oh.” Rong Xi took a sip of milk and made a face of disgust.

When they arrived at school, Qin Yuzhen immediately noticed a box placed on her desk.

“That’s from that guy—what’s his name again—Cong something,” Liang Xuzhou said.

“Cong Mian,” Qin Yuzhen corrected, glancing at him.

Liang Xuzhou: “…”

“You seem happy about it?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Qin Yuzhen opened the box to find a small container of cookies inside. “Aren’t you happy? Or are you just jealous?”

“I’m not jealous.” Liang Xuzhou pointed to his drawer. “People give me these little things every now and then.”

“Only because you’re riding on my coattails.”

“Can I choose not to ride on them?”

“Obviously not,” Qin Yuzhen replied.

Liang Xuzhou sighed. “I don’t even know who keeps sending these things. I don’t even like eating them.”

The boy sitting in front of Liang Xuzhou turned around and gave him a look, his eyes filled with disdain. “You don’t appreciate the blessings you have.”

Liang Xuzhou: “…”

“You wouldn’t understand.”

“Hmph.” The boy in front shoved his desk forward slightly.

Liang Xuzhou’s lips twitched, but before he could say anything, the boy sitting two rows ahead suddenly exclaimed.

“Why’d you suddenly push your desk forward? You’re squishing me!”

The boy had no choice but to silently pull his desk back.

Qin Yuzhen couldn’t help but laugh.

The boy turned to glare at her, his gaze dark and unreadable.

Qin Yuzhen only laughed harder.

“Qin Yuzhen, the moment I walked in, I saw your eight gleaming white teeth. What’s got you so happy? Care to share?” Old Qian walked in and shot her a look.

Qin Yuzhen: “…”

“Didn’t you hear the bell? Hand in your test paper—let’s see how you did on last night’s final question.” Old Qian paused when she didn’t move. “Did you not do it?”

“I did.” Qin Yuzhen sighed. She had initially thought she was being reprimanded for laughing too loudly, but now it seemed the teacher had been planning to call on her all along.

Rong Xi glanced at the last question from the previous night and frowned slightly. It was challenging, and he felt a twinge of concern.

Qin Yuzhen, however, remained composed as she handed in her paper.

Lately, Old Qian and the other teachers had been observing Qin Yuzhen closely, gradually accepting the idea that she had been “hiding her talents due to some past difficulties.”

The teacher placed Qin Yuzhen’s test under the projector. “Let me show you all what a truly pleasing paper looks like.”

Though they were only supposed to review the last question, Old Qian displayed the entire test.

“Holy crap,” someone blurted out.

“I’m not asking all of you to reach this level. I just want your handwriting to be legible enough that I don’t strain my eyes trying to read it.” Old Qian scanned the room. “Liang Xuzhou, why are you ducking your head? I’m talking to you.”

Liang Xuzhou: “…”

Rong Xi was also stunned. She knew Qin Yuzhen had nice handwriting, but she hadn’t expected her homework to resemble a calligraphy masterpiece. Comparing answers, she found they matched almost perfectly, with only a few discrepancies.

She took a deep breath, suddenly feeling uneasy. Clearly, Qin Yuzhen’s arrogance was backed by real skill.

Qin Yuzhen’s final question was answered with a complete, neatly written solution—detailed yet effortlessly readable. Old Qian went through it step by step, and Qin Yuzhen’s work aligned flawlessly with the standard answer.

Those who had once believed Qin Yuzhen had gotten in through connections now fell silent.

“This time, the top fifty students in the science class’s math monthly exam can participate in the math competition training. I hope everyone seizes this opportunity,” Old Qian said. “You’re all from the advanced class—I don’t expect everyone to make it, but at least eighty percent should qualify. Otherwise, where would that leave my reputation?”

Old Qian then glanced pointedly at Liang Xuzhou.

Liang Xuzhou wanted to ask who he had offended, but instead, he turned his head slightly and shot a look at Qin Yuzhen.

“What are you looking at me for? Want to fight?” Qin Yuzhen raised an eyebrow.

“No.” Liang Xuzhou averted his gaze.

Old Qian continued lecturing, showing no intention of returning Qin Yuzhen’s test paper. Anyone could tell Old Qian was unusually pleased with her—he ended up using her paper as the reference for the entire lesson.

Rong Xi noticed that Qin Yuzhen hadn’t gotten a single question wrong. Was she even human?

After class, Rong Xi lingered near Qin Yuzhen’s desk. “You’re actually this good?”

“I thought you already knew how good I was,” Qin Yuzhen replied.