Pretending to Be a Scumbag A, But Being Targeted by a Paranoid O - Chapter 11

Host, why don’t you take a break?

 

The System had already watched four movies inside Yun Shu’s mind, yet she remained seated at her desk, frowning at the microeconomics textbook in her hands.

 

How strange.

 

Why were the words in front of her perfectly familiar, but when arranged together, they made no sense?

 

She glanced at her chat history with Xie Tang.

 

Her gaze lingered on her own message: “Of course, ask anything.” She wanted to slap herself.

 

Serves you right for pretending to be a genius!

 

Yun Shu hadn’t even grasped the basics of these courses, and Xie Tang was asking her incredibly tricky questions that required a thorough understanding of the entire subject to answer.

 

At first, she had even considered taking a photo and searching for the answers online, only to discover that the textbook had been written by the Dean of Capital University’s Academic Affairs Office himself, and there were no official solutions available.

 

She felt like crying.

 

Is this the difference between a top-tier university and a regular one?

 

But this was the first time Xie Tang had ever told her what she wanted.

 

No matter how difficult, Yun Shu was determined to succeed.

 

Having just graduated from high school, her mind was still relatively sharp.

 

Yun Shu’s previous lack of study time had prevented her from delving deeply into many subjects. Now, with ample time on her hands, she could finally immerse herself in focused and thorough learning.

 

Meanwhile, Aunt Shen was mopping the floor outside.

 

In the past, Yun Shu’s door had always been tightly shut, making it impossible for anyone to know what she was doing inside. But today, the door was slightly ajar.

 

Aunt Shen quietly snapped a photo through the crack and sent it to Yun Zhengyu.

 

Over the years, the relationship between Yun Shu and Yun Zhengyu had grown increasingly strained. As an outsider, Aunt Shen had repeatedly tried to mediate and ease the tension, but her efforts had proven futile.

 

“Madam, Miss Yun is studying diligently right now,” she texted.

 

Yun Zhengyu didn’t reply, likely busy with work.

 

Aunt Shen sighed softly.

 

Yun Zhengyu rarely responded to her messages, but Aunt Shen persisted in sending them anyway. If she could just get the mother and daughter to exchange a few words, it would be a small victory.

 

She had also noticed that since Yun Shu’s argument with her girlfriend, the young woman seemed to have changed entirely.

 

This is a good thing, Aunt Shen thought.

 

A faint smile touched her lips as she planned to prepare Yun Shu a nourishing meal that evening.

 

Throughout the weekend, Yun Shu felt like she was living in a dream.

 

When people are at their most desperate, they often fantasize about things that don’t exist.

 

She kept pestering the System: “Tongtong, do you have items like memory bread from those transmigration novels? Please let me exchange for one, waaaah!”

 

Yun Shu’s voice was sweet and sugary, and even the System couldn’t resist her when she was being so affectionate.

 

But it was still helpless: I’m not that advanced, Host.

 

Yun Shu pouted, looking like a dejected puppy, and endured her physical discomfort as she continued studying.

 

Midnight on Sunday.

 

Yun Shu finally understood all the problems Xie Tang had explained. She tilted her head back 45 degrees, gazing at the sky with a weary smile. “I never worked this hard even in high school.”

 

Yun Shu hadn’t always disliked math.

 

Her middle school math teacher was a stern woman who insisted that girls were inherently incapable of excelling in STEM subjects. Yun Shu, fiercely defiant, thought she was talking nonsense.

 

Then, on her first midterm exam, Yun Shu achieved the remarkable score of 37 points.

 

The crushing disappointment, combined with her resentment of the teacher’s prejudice, made Yun Shu even more unwilling to study math properly. It became a form of avoidance.

 

When her college entrance exam results came out, Yun Shu wondered if scoring just 50 more points in math could have gotten her into a top-tier university.

 

But dwelling on such hypotheticals was pointless. At the time, she had been accepted into the Chinese Language and Literature program at a second-tier university, meaning she would never have to deal with math again.

 

But now…

 

Yun Shu stared blankly at the piles of numerical problems before her.

 

I’m only a freshman. How am I going to survive the rest of this? she thought, tears welling up.

 

Is it too late to switch majors?

 

Perhaps sensing Yun Shu’s despair, the System couldn’t help but offer comfort:

 

Host, don’t worry too much. It’s normal to struggle with these problems. Just tell Xie Tang you don’t understand them if she asks.

 

“No,” Yun Shu said firmly, her lashes lowered as she gently chewed on the soft flesh inside her lip. “I can’t let her think I’m completely useless.”

 

Yun Shu had always understood that everything she possessed—her glamorous identity, her contract with Xie Tang, and the seemingly endless wealth—belonged to the Original Host.

 

Without these, she would be nothing more than a dusty, downtrodden little mouse, worn down by life’s hardships.

 

If one day she could stand before Xie Tang as her true self, she didn’t want to have nothing to offer.

 

First impressions mattered most between people.

 

If Xie Tang made a request of her for the first time and she failed to deliver, her credibility and reliability in Xie Tang’s eyes would plummet.

 

She had to excel, had to excel every time.

 

She genuinely wanted to become Xie Tang’s pillar of support.

 

By two in the morning, Yun Shu had reviewed everything one last time. Satisfied that nothing was overlooked, she put away her textbooks, quickly washed up, and fell asleep in bed.

 

The next day brought another delightful 8 a.m. class. Yun Shu, still half-asleep, threw on her clothes, grabbed a piece of bread, and rushed out the door.

 

The driver was already waiting at the entrance. Yun Shu munched on her bread while studying math problems with her head bent low.

 

Today, Xie Tang had only one morning class as well—Advanced Calculus, a required course—and, coincidentally, they were in the same classroom.

 

Yun Shu’s eyes sparkled at the thought of seeing Xie Tang soon.

 

Her steps were light and springy as she walked, humming softly to herself.

 

Passing a convenience store, she bought Xie Tang’s favorite breakfast: a cheese strawberry cream cheese bun and peach-flavored juice.

 

As Yun Shu walked toward the teaching building, she rounded a corner and unexpectedly ran into two people.

 

One of them was Xia Yan.

 

Her eyes were red and swollen, suggesting she hadn’t had a good weekend.

 

Yun Shu stopped in her tracks.

 

After a long silence, Xia Yan’s gaze fell on Yun Shu’s scabbed-over wound. Reluctantly, she asked, “Your head… is it okay?”

 

The joy Yun Shu had felt at the prospect of seeing Xie Tang faded considerably at the sight of Xia Yan. Her voice remained calm as she replied, “It’s fine.”

 

Though she didn’t want to linger, Yun Shu politely said, “I have class. I should go.”

 

She turned to leave, but Xia Yan suddenly grabbed her wrist.

 

Yun Shu instinctively shook off her hand.

 

Xia Yan stared at her in disbelief.

 

She had never imagined Yun Shu would reject her so vehemently.

 

Yet she decided to swallow her pride and give Yun Shu another chance.

 

Her gaze dropped to Yun Shu’s hand, and she tilted her chin slightly. “Is that for me?” she asked, extending her palm as if expecting Yun Shu to hand it over.

 

Yun Shu looked puzzled. “No, it’s not.”

 

Xia Yan’s face flushed crimson, like a suddenly activated heating pad.

 

She had once scorned Yun Shu’s breakfast offerings, but now that she had finally swallowed her pride to accept Yun Shu’s gesture, she was met with this humiliation.

 

Yun Shu glanced at her watch. Three minutes until class started.

 

She didn’t want to waste another second on Xia Yan.

 

Her tone was cool and detached as she said, “If you came to apologize, you don’t need to. I was foolish before. I’m sorry for causing you trouble.”

 

In the past, Yun Shu had always laced her conversations with Xia Yan with flirty banter, which Xia Yan found utterly repulsive.

 

But now, stripped of her usual flamboyant attire and makeup, and speaking in a normal, straightforward manner, Yun Shu’s clear and refreshing presence made Xia Yan feel strangely uneasy.

 

“I’ve realized my mistake. I’m giving up. Let’s pretend we never knew each other from now on.”

 

Having exhausted her last shred of patience with Xia Yan, Yun Shu turned and jogged toward the classroom.

 

After Yun Shu left, the girl beside Xia Yan looked at her with concern and whispered, “Yan Yan, are you okay?”

 

Xia Yan pulled out a tissue and gently dabbed around her eyes to avoid smudging her makeup.

 

“Good riddance,” she muttered. “Who cares?”

 

Yun Shu slipped into the classroom just as the bell rang.

 

Every eye in the room turned to her, and Yun Shu nearly had a social anxiety attack.

 

She scanned the room with a blank expression, then brightened when she spotted an empty seat next to Xie Tang.

 

She hurried over and sat down, whispering, “Why are you sitting so far back today?”

 

Xie Tang, who was focused on solving practice problems, replied tersely, “Overslept.”

 

Yun Shu let out a soft hmph, but it sounded more like a gentle whine than a reprimand—almost like she was pouting. “I knew it.”

 

Xie Tang glanced at her sideways.

 

Yun Shu placed the breakfast she’d bought at the convenience store next to Xie Tang’s hand, urging, “Eat it quickly.”

 

Xie Tang froze for a moment, surprised that Yun Shu had brought her breakfast.

 

Though she wasn’t in the habit of eating breakfast.

 

Clutching her black pen tightly, Xie Tang lowered her gaze back to her practice problems. “You should eat it yourself.”

 

Yun Shu insisted softly, “No, you have to eat it.”

 

She then launched into her practiced threat: “Skipping breakfast makes you dumber.”

 

And she’d already told Xie Tang she only liked cultured women!

 

Feeling the girl’s burning gaze beside her, Xie Tang reluctantly put down her pen, tore open the packaging, and slowly took a bite.

 

The strawberry jam and cream cheese blended perfectly, creating a sweet and tangy flavor with a hint of coolness, as if it had just been taken out of the refrigerator.

 

She remembered the nearest convenience store wasn’t close to the school. Had this girl really run all the way here?

 

Yun Shu’s eyes held an unspoken anticipation as she stared at Xie Tang and asked, “Is it good?”

 

Xie Tang nodded slightly. “It’s alright.”

 

Truthfully, she had never been particularly fond of sweets, but occasionally indulging seemed nice.

 

“The two students in the back row,” the calculus teacher finally couldn’t resist, her tone teasing. “Supervising your girlfriend’s breakfast is very heartwarming, but could you show some respect for the teacher?”

 

In an instant, everyone’s eyes locked onto Yun Shu and Xie Tang again.

 

They watched as Miss Yun, the wealthy heiress known for her rebellious streak and constant entourage of different omegas, suddenly flushed crimson, her cheeks burning like sunset clouds.