Pretending to Be a Scumbag A, But Being Targeted by a Paranoid O - Chapter 10

When Yun Shu woke up, the peach scent that belonged to Xie Tang seemed even more pronounced in the air.

 

She slowly opened her eyes and realized she had unconsciously fallen asleep, the cushion beside her deeply indented from her weight.

 

Yun Shu suddenly snapped awake. She sat up abruptly and saw that the movie was still playing on the screen. Xie Tang was sitting beside her, her gaze fixed on the screen as if she hadn’t even noticed Yun Shu had been asleep.

 

Yun Shu quietly exhaled in relief.

 

Thank goodness she didn’t notice. Otherwise, I’d be utterly humiliated.

 

Clearing her throat, she feigned alertness and said, “This movie is so boring, I almost fell asleep.”

 

She noticed Xie Tang’s delicate eyebrows twitch slightly after she spoke, as if she wanted to say something but restrained herself for some reason.

 

Yun Shu’s eyes darted around nervously.

 

I’m dying of anxiety.

 

Did she see through my meticulously crafted, high-difficulty camouflage sleeping posture?

 

Just then, the System stammered, Host, you were talking in your sleep just now.

 

Yun Shu’s face drained of color.

 

She immediately demanded, “What did I say?”

 

The System pondered for a moment before deciding to reveal the brutal truth: Xie Tang noticed you were asleep. When she approached you, you…

 

Its hesitant manner only deepened Yun Shu’s unease. “What did I do?”

 

The System decided to demonstrate.

 

It took a deep breath, then chuckled stupidly, saying in a silly voice, Mmm, you smell so good.

 

Yun Shu: “……”

 

She managed to ask, “You’re making this up, right?”

 

I even have a recording, Host. Want me to play it in your mind?

 

Yun Shu quickly stopped it. “No, no, no!”

 

I believe you! Is that not enough?!

 

If Yun Shu hadn’t known about this, she might have stayed a little longer to watch the movie with Xie Tang. But now that she did, the air around her felt increasingly thin, making it hard to breathe.

 

So embarrassing! I want to run away!

 

Just then, the movie ended, and the room fell into a deathly silence.

 

Yun Shu shifted sideways, cleared her throat, and said, “Let’s call it a day. This Lady has other matters to attend to.”

 

As she spoke, Yun Shu didn’t dare glance at Xie Tang.

 

Xie Tang’s gaze deepened. She placed her right hand behind Yun Shu, leaned closer, and spoke with her usual calm, restrained tone: “But the contract stipulates that I must spend the entire Saturday with you.”

 

The distance between them was so close that Yun Shu could smell the faint peach fragrance emanating from Xie Tang.

 

Yun Shu sprang to her feet, her pale face flushed crimson. Her voice involuntarily rose, betraying her guilt: “I… I don’t like overly assertive women. You’re not allowed to get this close to me without my permission in the future.”

 

Her words became increasingly incoherent as the scent of Xie Tang grew stronger in her nostrils.

 

“Why?” Xie Tang tilted her head. “Didn’t you set that rule yourself?”

 

As she spoke, she stood up and moved toward Yun Shu.

 

Despite her slender frame, so delicate she seemed as if a gust of wind could blow her away, Yun Shu found herself pinned against the wall, barely daring to breathe.

 

“Yun Shu,” Xie Tang said softly, “you seem to have forgotten a lot of things lately.”

 

A chill ran down Yun Shu’s spine.

 

Yun Shu had the strength to push Xie Tang away, but she faltered under the other woman’s overwhelming presence. Through Yun Shu’s blurred vision, she could only see the girl’s fair, delicate face, and… her slender fingers unbuttoning the top button of her shirt, revealing a glimpse of pale, tender skin.

 

Yun Shu felt her bl00d rushing to her head.

 

Despite her best efforts to suppress her pheromones, Yun Shu still hadn’t learned how to control them.

 

Xie Tang merely standing a little closer, her clothes slightly disheveled, was enough to shatter Yun Shu’s composure. The scent of mugwort filled the room, intertwining with the lingering fragrance of peach blossoms.

 

Just as Xie Tang was about to unbutton the second button, Yun Shu quickly turned her head away, her neck and cheeks flushed crimson.

 

This can’t go on!

 

Yun Shu couldn’t guarantee what would happen next.

 

She had managed to restrain herself the first time, but that was because Xie Tang had disliked her then.

 

But if Xie Tang were to initiate contact, speaking to her in such a tender, lingering tone, Yun Shu couldn’t trust her self-control.

 

In a flash of inspiration, she blurted out what she thought was a brilliant excuse:

 

“I… I just bumped my hand yesterday. My fingers hurt.”

 

She deliberately emphasized the word “fingers.”

 

To her surprise, Xie Tang didn’t let her off the hook. With a gentle smile and soft voice, she said, “It’s alright, I’ll do it.”

 

Yun Shu’s eyes widened in shock.

 

Why isn’t the plot unfolding as expected?

 

Shouldn’t Xie Tang hate me by now?

 

How could she possibly offer to do this for me?

 

“No!” Yun Shu blurted out, her mind clearer than ever. With righteous conviction, she declared, “Final exams are just around the corner!”

 

The abruptness of her shift was almost comical.

 

Xie Tang met her gaze, blinking as if she didn’t quite understand.

 

Yun Shu pressed on, her tone unwavering: “Indulging in pleasure harms the brain.”

 

Xie Tang: “……”

 

Seizing the moment of Xie Tang’s silence, Yun Shu slipped away. As she reached the door, she added, “So I need to study today. You should go home. Uncle Li is waiting outside; have him drive you back.”

 

The words barely left her lips before Yun Shu was hurrying away, looking every bit the diligent student desperate to study, as if missing even a second of study time would be a grave regret.

 

Xie Tang expressionlessly buttoned her shirt back up.

 

After a long silence, she let out a short, dry laugh.

 

Indulging in pleasure harms the brain.

 

What a ridiculous excuse.

 

But…

 

Xie Tang’s gaze deepened.

 

Yun Shu wasn’t after her for her looks.

 

Then why is she being so nice to me? What does she want?

 

What else do I have that’s worth exploiting?

 

Yun Shu finally let out a quiet sigh of relief after watching Xie Tang leave through the window.

 

That was close.

 

I almost got caught.

 

The System chimed in, smugly: Host, you’re truly the most impressive batch I’ve ever guided! Xie Tang’s Blackening Value is down to just 40%!

 

Yun Shu chuckled, a little embarrassed. “Really? How many batches have you guided?”

 

The System fell into an awkward silence.

 

One.

 

Yun Shu: “…”

 

The System scrambled to save face: I’m still just an intern, you know.

 

A nagging question began to swirl in Yun Shu’s mind.

 

“But didn’t you say this was our last chance? If it’s the last chance, shouldn’t they have sent an experienced veteran?”

 

The System hummed in agreement. Previously, the task was always handled by senior agents, but they all seemed to fail. The Main God appears to have given up.

 

Yun Shu’s brow furrowed slightly. “Given up? What does that mean?”

 

The System explained: It means they’ve abandoned this world. If the protagonist’s Blackening Value can’t be reduced to zero this time, the Main God will no longer intervene, no matter how badly the world collapses.

 

This meant that if the mission failed and Xie Tang succumbed to her darkness, no future System would reset the timeline to save her.

 

The System added, If the world collapses, Host, you…

 

It didn’t finish the sentence, but Yun Shu understood its meaning.

 

She might be tortured to death by the blackened Xie Tang.

 

Yet, Yun Shu’s mind inexplicably conjured the image of Xie Tang’s faint smile from earlier.

 

She couldn’t imagine what Xie Tang would be like when blackened.

 

Yun Shu pursed her lips and, for the first time in days, proactively opened WeChat on her phone, aside from checking it for class updates.

 

As soon as she went online, a barrage of messages flooded in, nearly crashing her phone.

 

A quick glance revealed that most were invitations from the Original Host’s friends to hang out or go drinking.

 

Some even made crude jokes: Haven’t replied to your girls in days. Been busy helping your impoverished Omega through her Heat Period?

 

Yun Shu’s lips tightened. She deleted all the frivolous contacts from her address book.

 

Much cleaner now.

 

But staring at the remaining four contacts—Aunt Shen, Uncle Li (the driver), Yun Zhengyu, and Xia Yan—she wondered silently if it was too clean.

 

Did the Original Host have no real friends?

 

Just as she finished judging, Yun Shu suddenly remembered that she herself didn’t have many friends either.

 

Yun Shu suddenly thought of Xie Tang.

 

Yun Shu had even helped Xie Tang set up her phone number, a number she had memorized by heart.

 

If I add Xie Tang, will she reject me…?

 

Despite her doubts, Yun Shu honestly searched for and added her.

 

Xie Tang’s WeChat profile picture was a blank white square, and her username was simply “T.”

 

So cold, Yun Shu thought, pursing her lips.

 

Just a few minutes later, Xie Tang accepted her friend request.

 

Still playing her role, Yun Shu typed, “As your patron, I need to conduct a routine check to ensure you’ve arrived home safely.”

 

Xie Tang replied promptly, “I’m home.”

 

Remembering the System’s earlier warnings, Yun Shu continued haughtily, “Do you need anything recently? Send me an Excel list.”

 

A long silence followed.

 

Finally, Xie Tang replied, “No, thank you.”

 

Yun Shu remained skeptical. “Really?” she pressed, adding a veiled threat: “I dislike dishonest women.”

 

The very next second, Xie Tang sent a voice message.

 

Yun Shu instinctively tapped to play it.

 

Xie Tang’s voice was devoid of emotion, sounding almost like a smile but also like a casual inquiry: “Aren’t you supposed to be studying?”

 

Yun Shu’s face flushed. “Can’t I think of you while studying?” she retorted immediately.

 

Yun Shu glanced at her stack of barely touched textbooks and continued typing, “Are you really going to be picky when your sugar daddy sends you a message?”

 

Xie Tang replied with another voice message: “Not at all.”

 

“As for what I need, I do have something in mind.”

 

Yun Shu’s eyes lit up. “What is it? Just tell me, and I’ll make it happen.”

 

She had already imagined what Xie Tang would ask for.

 

After all, the Original Host had plenty of money. Yun Shu could give Xie Tang a fortune.

 

Since she was leaving eventually, giving all her money to Xie Tang would be the best outcome.

 

But when Yun Shu finally saw Xie Tang’s message, she was completely stunned.

 

Xie Tang had sent her screenshots of textbook exercises.

 

Xie Tang said:

 

“I don’t think I know how to do these.”

 

“Could you come teach me next week?”