I Don't Want to Be the Villainess Anymore - Chapter 9

Qin Yuzhen sat at her desk, propping her chin on her hand as she stared at the freshly distributed test paper. The thought of endless future exams weighed on her mind. She glanced at Liang Xuzhou beside her—somehow, he had already finished half of it. Noticing her gaze, he deliberately exposed his paper, almost as if showing off.

“What? Want to copy?”

“Even if I used my hands to think, I’d still get more answers right than you. Why would I copy yours?” Qin Yuzhen gave his paper a disdainful once-over. “Never thought I’d see handwriting uglier than yours in this world.”

Liang Xuzhou: “……”

After roasting Liang Xuzhou, Qin Yuzhen suddenly felt her mind clear up. She lazily crossed her right leg over her left and started working on the math problems—no scratch paper needed, since she had a built-in calculator.

“Host, I think this counts as cheating,” the system whispered. “And if the teacher sees you doing homework in this posture, you’ll definitely get scolded.”

“This is just midday homework, not an exam. How is it cheating? Besides, didn’t I use an item card? What, are you trying to sabotage me again?” Qin Yuzhen replied unhurriedly. Just as the lunch break bell rang, she finished the last question. She skimmed through her paper with satisfaction—neat handwriting, no corrections, and her name signed with a flourish.

This wasn’t just homework—it was a work of art.

“Host, your paper looks like it was copied,” the system said, baffled by her inexplicable perfectionism.

Qin Yuzhen ignored it. Systems like this had no appreciation for beauty.

“What the hell is this?” Liang Xuzhou caught sight of her paper and was visibly shocked.

“What, never seen such a flawless test before?” Qin Yuzhen raised an eyebrow.

Liang Xuzhou: “……”

“Hah, let’s see if all your answers are actually wrong,” he scoffed.

“My answers are the standard answers,” Qin Yuzhen retorted with a light hum. “You think I’m like you? Ugly handwriting and full of mistakes.”

“Yeah, sure. I almost believed you,” Liang Xuzhou said with a fake smile.

System: “……”

Truly, a slacker like her had an innate talent for bickering with people she’d just met.

When the group leader came to collect the papers, she was also taken aback by Qin Yuzhen’s work. She quickly skimmed through it, likely comparing it with others’ answers, then shot Qin Yuzhen a glance. Since they weren’t close, she didn’t say anything, but her expression screamed volumes.

“Host, you didn’t have to make such a flashy debut.”

“Sorry, but the word ‘low-key’ doesn’t exist in Qin Yuzhen’s dictionary.”

Lunch break meant returning to the designated dormitory for an hour-long nap, with two people sharing a room. Though Qin Yuzhen was new, her dorm assignment was already settled—she’d be rooming with Rong Xi. As the treasured young miss of the Rong family, Rong Xi had always had a room to herself before.

“Let’s go.” Rong Xi packed her books and placed them on the desk before reluctantly shuffling over to Qin Yuzhen. The thought of spending an hour alone with her every day from now on was unbearable.

“Why are you acting so awkward?” Qin Yuzhen shot her a look.

Rong Xi took a deep breath. “I’m not being awkward!”

“None at all?” Qin Yuzhen reached out and tugged on Rong Xi’s ponytail. “Even your hair is being coy.”

“I think you’re just deliberately picking a fight,” Rong Xi muttered, touching her hair.

“Mhm.” Qin Yuzhen nodded.

Rong Xi took a deep breath. “And making conversation for no reason.”

“Fine. Since little sister finds big sister’s words annoying, big sister won’t speak another word from now on.”

Rong Xi’s expression stiffened again, and she glanced at Qin Yuzhen several times.

She had thought Qin Yuzhen was just saying it, but from the classroom building to the dormitory, not a single word was spoken. Even when she stopped walking midway, Qin Yuzhen wouldn’t ask a single question, just standing to the side waiting for her.

Because the two of them standing dumbly in place looked so much like idiots, many passersby couldn’t help but glance their way.

“You really aren’t going to talk?” Rong Xi whispered as she entered the passcode.

They entered the room, which was quite spacious—larger than the typical four-person dorm in most schools. It had beds, desks, bookshelves, everything, and even a private bathroom.

It truly lived up to being a prestigious school.

Rong Xi sat on her bed, nervously swinging her legs and stealing glances at Qin Yuzhen. “I was just saying it… It’s not fair if only you get to tease me and I can’t tease you back…”

Qin Yuzhen sat on the other bed, noticing that Rong Xi had reverted to her behavior at home once they entered the room. Still silent, she took off her jacket and lay down on the bed.

The system sighed. “Host, Rong Xi looks so pitiful. Why do you always tease her?”

“She’s the female lead.”

“Huh?”

“I’m also the female lead,” Qin Yuzhen emphasized. “How can a romance novel have two female leads?”

System: As if you’d tolerate a male lead anyway.

“If she weren’t so pretty, I would’ve already gotten rid of her and taken her place,” Qin Yuzhen yawned. “The fact that I’m just teasing her now is already being nice.”

The system felt that if it were standing in front of Qin Yuzhen…

Rong Xi remained seated on the edge of the bed. “Big sister…”

Qin Yuzhen stared at the ceiling, exasperated, then turned her head to look at Rong Xi. “Little sister, it’s already 12:40. We wake up at 1:20, which leaves us forty minutes. I’m going to sleep.”

“Oh.” Rong Xi let out a sigh of relief. As long as Qin Yuzhen wasn’t truly angry, it was fine.

Qin Yuzhen quickly fell asleep. Rong Xi, however, couldn’t sleep. She wanted to turn over but didn’t dare, afraid of waking the other girl. She could only shift slightly, carefully turning onto her side. When she saw Qin Yuzhen lying more than two meters away, she froze—she hadn’t expected Qin Yuzhen to be sleeping facing outward.

Her expression while asleep was blank, like a slumbering ice beauty, even more unapproachable than when awake. The room was quiet, but Rong Xi still couldn’t hear her breathing. If she closed her eyes, it would feel no different from being alone in the dorm.

Qin Yuzhen was a light sleeper and rarely entered deep sleep in unfamiliar places. Moreover, her senses had been modified, making them extremely sensitive. So when Rong Xi stared at her for more than five seconds, she woke up.

Rong Xi was startled when Qin Yuzhen suddenly opened her eyes.

“I thought you were asleep?”

“Why are you feeling guilty?” Qin Yuzhen yawned. “I felt my face burning, so I woke up.”

“I just couldn’t sleep and happened to be spacing out when you woke up,” Rong Xi explained, though her words lacked conviction.

“Oh, what a remarkable coincidence,” Qin Yuzhen laughed.

Rong Xi: …

Qin Yuzhen turned over. “Go to sleep, little sister. If you keep staring at me, I might start suspecting you have ulterior motives.”

“I don’t. I’m about to sleep,” Rong Xi muttered, then quietly burrowed under the covers. As long as she couldn’t see Qin Yuzhen’s expression, she could pretend she hadn’t woken up yet.

Hearing Qin Yuzhen’s soft chuckle, she bit her lip. Why did she have to wake up now?

By the time the lunch break was nearly over, Rong Xi finally emerged from under the covers for air. When she got up, Qin Yuzhen was still lying in bed. Even after the deafening class bell rang outside, the other girl remained motionless.

“Qin Yuzhen, time to get up.”

Remembering Qin Yuzhen’s grumpiness upon waking, Rong Xi didn’t approach and instead called from the doorway, “We’ll be late if we don’t go now.”

“What’s the punishment for skipping class?”

Rong Xi froze. “How can you skip class? Hurry up and get ready!”

“You go ahead. As long as you don’t mention me, the teacher won’t remember I exist.”

Rong Xi sighed. “That’s just wishful thinking. You’re a senior—how can you not take your studies seriously? Skipping class… that’s just unacceptable!”

Qin Yuzhen propped herself up on the bed and looked at Rong Xi. “You talk too much.”

She slipped on her shoes, grabbed her jacket, and followed Rong Xi out, her entire demeanor radiating laziness.

“Three minutes left—we’re definitely going to be late. First period is physics, and the teacher is strict.” Rong Xi checked the time and glanced at Qin Yuzhen.

“You can go ahead. Don’t worry about me,” Qin Yuzhen said.

“No way. If I leave you, you’ll just go back to sleep.” Rong Xi’s voice was quiet, but her expression was resolute.

The dormitory building was empty, and there was no one outside either.

“It’s over, everyone’s gone…” Rong Xi felt like crying. In three years of school, she had never been late. And now, today of all days, she was going to be tardy.

Qin Yuzhen glanced at Rong Xi, activated a tool card, and grabbed her hand.

Rong Xi froze for a second before Qin Yuzhen pulled her into a sprint. Her mind hadn’t fully processed what was happening—everything around her blurred into unreality, as if the world had dissolved. Only the warmth of Qin Yuzhen’s hand in hers felt real.

They reached the classroom door just as the bell rang.

Rong Xi looked around, then at Qin Yuzhen.

“I—”

“What ‘I’? Are you two coming in or not? Cutting it this close and still chatting at the door?” The physics teacher glared at them.

Qin Yuzhen smiled at the teacher. “Rong Xi must still be half-asleep. Don’t scold her, sir.”

With that, she casually walked to her seat.

Rong Xi: …

“Host, Rong Xi isn’t an idiot,” the system said, exasperated by Qin Yuzhen’s reckless behavior. “You’re just creating trouble for yourself. What are you going to say if she asks about it later?”

“I’ll brush it off. Does she seem like the type to press for answers?” Qin Yuzhen raised an eyebrow.

System: ……

“Host, your arrogant demeanor makes people really want to punch you.”

“Many have wanted to do that over the years, but have you seen anyone actually manage to hit me?”