I Don't Want to Be the Villainess Anymore - Chapter 31

This was the best-looking guy Qin Yuzhen had seen since entering this world, and among all the worlds she’d experienced, he could easily rank near the top.

If she had to give him a score, she’d rate him “S+.”

Qin Yuzhen glanced at his aura—just an extra, a nobody.

“Hello,” Qin Yuzhen nodded, offering a slightly warmer smile than usual, purely because of his looks.

System: Hopeless simp for pretty faces.

“Are you also a high school student?” he asked, his voice oddly pitched.

“Yeah.” Qin Yuzhen only now noticed he was wearing a school uniform.

He was from No. 13 High, one of City A’s prestigious schools, with a college admission rate of 99%. A fierce rival to her own No. 9 High—the two schools generally looked down on each other.

“I’m from No. 9 High,” Qin Yuzhen said.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Huo Yaoxu, a senior.”

“How old are you?” Qin Yuzhen couldn’t help but ask.

His voice still sounded like it was in the middle of changing.

“I’m fifteen.”

Qin Yuzhen: “…”

Tsk. Host, he’s still a kid.

“I wasn’t planning to do anything,” Qin Yuzhen retorted irritably.

“I’m Qin Yuzhen, also a senior.”

He blinked. “Oh, I know you. You topped your school’s last monthly exam—full marks in math and science. Impressive.”

“You didn’t get full marks?” Qin Yuzhen asked.

“I usually get full marks in English too.”

“Oh, then I’ll get full marks next time too.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

“The midterms are a six-city joint exam. Looking forward to competing with you.”

Qin Yuzhen suspected he’d recognized her before even approaching. Tsk, this kid… got some nerve.

“Big sis, can I get your contact info?” Huo Yaoxu flashed a sweet smile, though Qin Yuzhen could see the arrogance in his eyes. That “big sis” probably left a bad taste in his mouth.

She clicked her tongue again. “Don’t call me ‘big sis.’ Just use my name.”

She opened her WeChat and let him scan her QR code.

“I think ‘big sis’ sounds more polite,” Huo Yaoxu said, only putting his phone away after she accepted his request. “I’m contestant fifteen—they’re calling me soon, so I’ll go get ready. See you later, big sis.”

Qin Yuzhen nodded.

“Hope you pass the prelims smoothly.”

“Likewise, hope to see you in the next round.” She leaned back in her chair, exuding absolute confidence in her prelim performance.

Huo Yaoxu didn’t reply—his number had just been called.

By the time Qin Yuzhen’s turn came, it was past seven. Inside the interview room sat five judges.

The moment she entered, all five simultaneously lowered their heads to jot something down.

“Please introduce yourself.”

“Hello, everyone. I’m Qin Yuzhen, seventeen, a student at No. 9 High. I excel in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. I’m skilled in all forms of martial arts and well-versed in both astronomy and geography.” Her introduction, paired with her smile, could only be described as arrogant.

Even the system fell silent.

“Miss, despite what you say, your actual credentials are… quite ordinary.”

“Being ordinary is what sparks conversation,” Qin Yuzhen said. “After all, this is a show, isn’t it? My good looks and camera presence will draw attention, while my ordinary background will make people question how I got on the program. Doesn’t that instantly create buzz?”

“Moreover, my abilities won’t disappoint anyone. You can even prepare a ‘humbling the doubters’ script in advance. After the interview, there’s still the written exam for the preliminary round. If I’m not up to par then, you can always eliminate me if you’re unsatisfied.”

The panel exchanged glances and whispered among themselves for a moment.

Qin Yuzhen’s face was undeniably appealing to them. Those seated here were variety show producers and directors, not academics. For them, engagement was what truly mattered—and Qin Yuzhen offered plenty of material for scripted drama.

“Alright, you can go home and wait for our notification.”

“Thank you.” Qin Yuzhen nodded slightly, the corners of her lips curling up.

“Host, are you sure this will work?” The system couldn’t shake the feeling that this was unreliable.

“Isn’t an interview just about highlighting your strengths?” Qin Yuzhen smirked. “Producers love contestants who can stir up drama. A peaceful, harmonious competition might attract some attention, but trending on social media? Hardly. Besides, what’s the harm in having one more person take the written exam?”

“I have the skills, and I’m good-looking. They’ll definitely want me.”

Exiting the building, Qin Yuzhen checked the time—7:45. She rubbed her stomach and found a random spot to slurp down a bowl of noodles. By 8:30, she detoured to Rong Xi’s favorite dessert shop to pick up two small cakes, arriving back at school by 8:50.

The evening training session ended at nine.

When Rong Xi stepped out of the classroom and spotted Qin Yuzhen leaning against the hallway railing, she froze in surprise.

“Sis, didn’t you leave already?” Rong Xi sidled up to her.

Qin Yuzhen handed her the bag. “Just went out for a bit.” She paused. “You’re really sticking to your word.”

“Of course! Now I’ve memorized that I have to talk like this around you,” Rong Xi chirped. “Wow, thank you, sis! It’s my favorite strawberry mousse. You’re the best!”

Qin Yuzhen shot her a sidelong glance. “Eat it when you get back.”

“But eating this late will make me gain weight. I don’t want to get fat—ugh, so annoying.”

“Fat where?” Qin Yuzhen pinched Rong Xi’s arm. “Never mind, just give it back to me.”

Rong Xi immediately clutched the cake protectively. “You already gave it to me! You can’t take it back now!”

A boy trailing behind them nudged Liang Xuzhou. “Take notes. This is how you’ll have to talk from now on.”

Liang Xuzhou remained expressionless. “What if I outscore her?”

“Well, it’s not impossible,” the boy said, patting his shoulder. “Good luck—I’m rooting for you.”

Back home, Rong Xi pulled out her diary and jotted down the date.

Today, Qin Yuzhen exposed our bet during her speech. But it’s not a big deal—after midterms, Liang Xuzhou will have to talk like this too, and a few other guys will have to cross-dress. Me talking like this isn’t so strange. Besides, I only have to do it around her. After embarrassing myself in front of her so many times, I’m used to it by now.

Qin Yuzhen… felt a bit off today. At first, I thought she didn’t like the way I was talking, but it didn’t seem like that. Those suspicious silences—I probably need to be a little thicker-skinned.

She said she went out for a walk today, but I don’t know where she went. Could she have gone out with Gu Su? I think that’s very possible. But she did bring me a strawberry mousse, so I guess she still has some conscience left.

Tomorrow was a holiday, and Qin Yuzhen slept in until 11 a.m. When she woke up, she saw a message from the knowledge competition program informing her that she had passed the interview, with the written test scheduled for 1 p.m. the following Saturday.

She checked WeChat and saw a message from Huo Yaoxu, sent around 6 a.m. The 13th High School had classes even on Sundays. Their senior year had already started with a schedule of one day off per month. Honestly, if the Rong family parents had forced her to attend that school, she might have run away on the spot.

Huo Yaoxu: Did you pass the interview, sis?

Qin Yuzhen: Yeah.

After getting ready, she went downstairs. Rong Xi was sitting on the sofa reading a book and looked up at her with a smile. “Sis, I thought you’d sleep until the afternoon.”

“Had lunch yet?” Qin Yuzhen asked.

“About to eat.” Rong Xi closed her book and looked at Qin Yuzhen. “I was just wondering whether I should go wake you up, but you happened to get up on your own.”

Qin Yuzhen felt like there was something strange about Rong Xi. She went to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water and noticed Rong Xi was still smiling at her when she came back.

“Act normal.”

“Sis, am I not normal right now?” Rong Xi put on a puzzled expression.

Qin Yuzhen downed the entire glass of water. “Let’s eat.”

“Okay.”

Lunch was just the two of them again.

“I heard that tomorrow during the flag-raising ceremony, that guy from the Zhao family is going to apologize to you,” Rong Xi said.

Qin Yuzhen paused—she had almost forgotten about him.

“Yeah,” she nodded. “Almost slipped my mind.”

Qin Yuzhen mused internally: Zhao the Cannon Fodder recovered pretty fast.

In truth, Zhao the Cannon Fodder hadn’t fully recovered yet. But ever since Qin Yuzhen had scared him that day, he had been having nightmares every night, unable to sleep at all. When he told others about it, everyone said he was just overthinking—no one believed him.

He figured that apologizing sooner would put an end to all this.

“Sis, where did you go for your walk yesterday?” Rong Xi glanced at Qin Yuzhen.

“Just wandered around, nothing special,” Qin Yuzhen replied.

Rong Xi pursed her lips. “I thought you went out with Gu Su or that junior girl.”

“Nope.” Qin Yuzhen shot her a look.

“Who knows?” Rong Xi huffed.

Qin Yuzhen: “…”

“But that junior invited me to her birthday party next Sunday,” Qin Yuzhen said, sipping her soup before glancing at Rong Xi. “You wanna come?”

“She didn’t invite me. Why would I go?” Rong Xi poked at her rice.

“She said I could bring family. Aren’t you my family?” Qin Yuzhen said casually.

Rong Xi froze. Usually, when young people said “bring family,” they meant bringing a boyfriend or girlfriend… not a sister.

“That might be awkward.”

“Why? You two got along well last time, didn’t you? If you don’t want to go, that’s fine too.”

“Oh, then I’d better go. After all, you’re unfamiliar with this place, and I don’t think it’s good for you to go out alone,” Rong Xi said. She had a feeling that if Qin Yuzhen went by herself, her phone might end up with ten or eight new junior sisters’ WeChat contacts.

“Mmm, then when you’re preparing gifts, help me prepare one too. I don’t know what to give.”

“Okay.” Rong Xi nodded. “Sis, what do you think about a full set of Five-Year College Entrance Exam books?”

“I’d like to keep in touch with this junior sister for a while longer—I don’t want to cut ties just yet,” Qin Yuzhen replied.