I Don't Want to Be the Villainess Anymore - Chapter 6

Qin Yuzhen responded thoughtfully, then pulled out her Chinese textbook and began to half-heartedly participate in the morning reading session.

The person next to her remained motionless, sound asleep. Qin Yuzhen glanced at him and couldn’t help but yawn as well.

She was just too exhausted.

“System, keep an eye out for me.”

The System: “…”

“Fine.” The System was used to this—it had already done this dozens of times.

Qin Yuzhen activated a card that lowered her presence, then slumped onto the desk. This card made ordinary NPCs overlook her, though its effect was weaker on protagonists, especially those who were particularly observant.

At the front of the class, Rong Xi kept glancing back at Qin Yuzhen. She noticed immediately when Qin Yuzhen laid her head down to sleep.

Rong Xi frowned slightly, feeling a mix of frustration and disappointment. How could Qin Yuzhen sneak in a nap on her very first day of school?

“Rong Xi?” The teacher walked over and tapped on her desk. “Focus on your reading. No distractions.”

Rong Xi pressed her lips together and stole another glance at Qin Yuzhen. The teacher followed her gaze.

“Host! Host! Wake up! The teacher saw you!”

Just as Qin Yuzhen was about to drift off, the System’s urgent voice jolted her awake. Blinking groggily, she saw “Old Wang” standing right in front of her.

Old Wang stared at her expressionlessly.

Qin Yuzhen: “…”

“Teacher, what’s wrong?” she asked, feigning innocence.

“You’re asking me?”

“Huh?” Qin Yuzhen continued playing dumb, rubbing her eyes. “Did I fall asleep?”

“What do you think?”

“Sorry, teacher. My deskmate was sleeping so soundly that I couldn’t resist either.” Qin Yuzhen bit her lip.

The boy beside her turned his head to look at her. When the teacher had approached, he had already flipped open his textbook and pretended to be studying.

“Both of you, take your books and stand in the back. Clear your heads properly,” Old Wang said with a cold smirk.

Qin Yuzhen: “…”

The two of them got up and moved to the back of the classroom.

“Do you have a grudge against me?” the boy muttered, annoyed. They had almost gotten away with it.

“You did influence me. I was just telling the truth.” Qin Yuzhen shielded her face with the book.

The boy scoffed again.

“System, how did I get caught?”

“Rong Xi kept looking at you, so the teacher noticed her, and then you got noticed,” the System explained.

Qin Yuzhen: “…”

“So we’re just naturally incompatible, huh?” she said, exasperated.

She glanced at the boy next to her—he had actually closed his eyes again and was now standing while asleep.

“This guy’s impressive. Is he a Tasker?” Qin Yuzhen asked.

“Nope. Let me check his profile.” The System skimmed through the data. “Liang Xuzhou, a background NPC. Perpetually ranked fourth from the bottom in Class 1. Zero interactions with the female lead.”

“The advanced class has a rule—the bottom three scorers get demoted to the regular class, while the top three from the regular class move up.”

Qin Yuzhen raised an eyebrow. “That’s actually pretty impressive.”

“True,” the System agreed.

Qin Yuzhen glanced at Liang Xuzhou again. His body was starting to sway—it wouldn’t be long before he toppled over. She inched away from him. At roughly 185 cm tall, if he collapsed onto her, she wouldn’t be able to handle it.

“Qin Yuzhen, what are you doing?” Old Wang, still at the front, noticed her movement and called out again.

“Teacher, he fell asleep again. I was afraid he’d fall on me,” Qin Yuzhen said.

The next second, Liang Xuzhou staggered to the left. Qin Yuzhen immediately jumped aside. He nearly did fall, but thankfully, he reacted quickly and regained his balance, drawing loud laughter from the class.

Old Wang: “…”

“Liang Xuzhou, come out and talk with me. Qin Yuzhen, return to your seat.”

“Okay, teacher.” Qin Yuzhen flashed her well-behaved, angelic smile again.

Liang Xuzhou tossed his book aside—whether intentionally or not, it flew straight toward Qin Yuzhen’s head. In full view of everyone, Qin Yuzhen smacked the book right back, and it landed with a smack on Liang Xuzhou’s face before dropping to the floor.

The class fell silent for two seconds before someone muttered, “Damn, that was badass.”

Liang Xuzhou’s lips twitched slightly as he picked up the book and, this time, placed it carefully on the desk.

Old Wang, who had already stepped out, poked his head back in. “Liang Xuzhou, what are you doing? Do I need to carry you out myself?”

Liang Xuzhou: “…”

Qin Yuzhen crossed her legs and sent a message to Rong Xi.

Qin Yuzhen: Little sister, focus on class instead of staring at me. I know I’m good-looking, but try to control yourself.

Rong Xi never looked at her phone during school—after all, phones were strictly forbidden—but this time, when it vibrated, she couldn’t resist checking.

Of course, it was Qin Yuzhen.

Reading the message, Rong Xi pressed her lips together.

Rong Xi: I didn’t mean to… I didn’t realize the teacher was there.

Qin Yuzhen: If you want to look at me, I can sit in front of you at home and let you stare all you want.

Rong Xi: …

Rong Xi: That won’t be necessary.

Rong Xi tossed her phone back into the drawer, waited a few seconds, then couldn’t help but pull it out again. She had expected Qin Yuzhen to reply, but there was nothing. Her lips pursed in inexplicable disappointment.

Qin Yuzhen was always casual in conversations—once she said what she wanted, she stopped responding. As for messages from others, she replied purely based on her mood.

As the system put it, even though Qin Yuzhen was no longer a princess, she had stubbornly held onto her princess attitude for five hundred years.

Qin Yuzhen yawned, propping her chin on her hand. The system warned her that Old Wang was returning, so she straightened up.

Liang Xuzhou walked back into the classroom, pulled out his chair, and sat down, shooting Qin Yuzhen a cold glare.

Qin Yuzhen sat primly in her seat, unmoving.

“If you tattle on me again, don’t blame me for what happens next,” Liang Xuzhou muttered.

Qin Yuzhen gave him a sidelong glance. “Come talk to me after the red mark on your face fades.”

Liang Xuzhou: “…”

“Host, he’s upset because you exposed him. That’s understandable.”

“I’ve never been reasonable—you know that.”

System: And you’re proud of that?

“Besides, he already threw a book at me. That was his revenge. Now we’re even.”

System: …

Qin Yuzhen slumped onto the desk again. Rong Xi, afraid of being caught staring once more, resisted turning around for the rest of class, successfully making the teacher forget about the corner seat.

The moment class ended, Old Wang left—right on time.

Rong Xi immediately turned her head and looked at Qin Yuzhen, only to find her sleeping on the desk with a sigh of resignation. She walked over and carefully poked Qin Yuzhen’s arm.

“What?” Qin Yuzhen tilted her head to look at Rong Xi.

“Next period is math, and the teacher is really strict. If you get caught sleeping, you might be kicked out directly,” Rong Xi said softly.

“As long as you don’t turn around to look at me, the teacher won’t notice.”

Rong Xi bit her lip. “We’re already in our senior year of high school. You need to study seriously.”

“Alright, alright, I got it, little sister.” Qin Yuzhen finally sat up, glancing at Rong Xi’s face before scanning the classroom. While she was observing the others, they were also watching her—mostly with harmless curiosity, though some gazes carried disdain or displeasure. Qin Yuzhen ignored those.

“I’ll go now.”

“Mm.” Qin Yuzhen nodded. After looking around, she noticed that aside from herself, Rong Xi was the prettiest in the class, followed by the girl sitting in front of her.

That girl didn’t seem to like Rong Xi very much—she had initially turned to speak to Qin Yuzhen, but when Rong Xi approached, she turned back and didn’t look over again.

Qin Yuzhen activated her “halo vision” and confirmed it: a classic supporting female character halo.

She pulled out a pre-prepared lollipop from her pocket and tapped the girl’s shoulder.

The girl turned after a moment, her expression slightly impatient.

“Want some candy?”

“No.”

“How about cookies?” Qin Yuzhen took out a small bag of cookies from her pocket.

Having attended high school over eighty times, Qin Yuzhen knew that snacks, stationery, novels, TV shows, celebrities, and pretty accessories were the bridges to building friendships between girls.

The girl hesitated for two seconds.

“You’re really pretty,” Qin Yuzhen complimented, her expression sincere and unaffected.

The girl pursed her lips, took the cookies from Qin Yuzhen, and said primly, “Thanks. I’m Pei Jingyue.”

“I’m Qin Yuzhen.”

“Old Wang’s voice is loud enough—I already heard your name.” Pei Jingyue tore open the cookie bag and glanced at Rong Xi nearby. “Are you close with her?”

Qin Yuzhen propped her chin on her hand. “Why? Don’t you like her?”

“No. She’s all delicate and fragile—clearly a white lotus. Once, the guy her best friend liked suddenly confessed to her. Who knows what she did behind the scenes.”

Qin Yuzhen paused for a moment before shaking her head. “Not likely. Rong Xi’s pretty dumb.” It was just the protagonist halo at work.

Pei Jingyue gave her a knowing look. “Only you think she’s dumb. To me, she’s clearly scheming. You’d better stay away from her.”

“Can’t. I’m living at her place now.”

Pei Jingyue: “…”

Qin Yuzhen looked at Pei Jingyue with a sympathetic expression.

“That’s rough,” Pei Jingyue said after finishing the cookies, pulling out a tissue to wipe her hands.

Rong Xi, the math class representative, had gone to deliver homework to the teacher’s office. When she returned, she saw Qin Yuzhen and Pei Jingyue chatting while snacking, their conversation seemingly lively and harmonious.

She pursed her lips. Though she knew Qin Yuzhen wasn’t prickly with everyone, seeing her interact so smoothly with others still made her feel a pang of sadness.

Qin Yuzhen took a bite of a biscuit and looked up, immediately catching Rong Xi’s resentful gaze.

Picking up a lollipop from the table, she tossed it toward Rong Xi.

Startled, Rong Xi still managed to catch it deftly, then stared back at her in flustered surprise.