Pretending to Be a Scumbag A, But Being Targeted by a Paranoid O - Chapter 19

When Yun Shu woke up, the first thing she saw was Xie Tang’s snow-white neck. She froze for a few seconds before abruptly sitting up, only to realize that someone had their arm around her waist.

 

Unable to stop her momentum, Yun Shu bounced back and landed heavily on top of Xie Tang.

 

Yun Shu: !

 

At the same moment, Xie Tang opened her ink-black eyes and met Yun Shu’s gaze calmly.

 

“I was just… turning over,” Yun Shu stammered awkwardly.

 

Xie Tang’s gaze drifted to the parts of their bodies pressed tightly together. She raised an eyebrow and released her hold on Yun Shu’s waist.

 

Yun Shu was mortified. How did I end up sleeping in Xie Tang’s arms? Did I do anything else?

 

She’d heard that this world had strict distinctions between Alphas and Omegas. Now, having woken up pressed against Xie Tang, would she think Yun Shu was a pervert?

 

Yun Shu’s eyes darted to Xie Tang’s neck, searching for any marks. Finding none, she guiltily justified herself: “See? Sleeping with me is dangerous.”

 

Unbeknownst to Yun Shu, she had spent the night clinging to Xie Tang, nuzzling against her, and occasionally burying her face in Xie Tang’s neck to take deep breaths.

 

Even when Xie Tang got up briefly, Yun Shu would whine in protest until Xie Tang pulled her back into her arms, only then settling back into peaceful sleep.

 

Xie Tang suppressed the smile in her eyes and nodded, her voice carrying a profound undertone. “It is quite dangerous.”

 

With that, she reached out and pulled Yun Shu’s hand, which was braced against the bed. Yun Shu tumbled onto Xie Tang once more, startled and trying to pull back, but Xie Tang’s firm grip around her waist held her immobile.

 

Forced to meet Xie Tang’s gaze, Yun Shu found herself staring into those dark, lustrous eyes that made her fair face appear even more striking.

 

“Yun Shu,” Xie Tang murmured, her voice dripping with an unyielding tenderness, thick with unspoken intimacy. “Won’t you come?”

 

Come?

 

Yun Shu’s hand trembled in panic.

 

No, no, no! I can’t come!

 

She had never been in a relationship before. Just a few days ago, she had held a girl’s wrist for the first time. She’d heard this was a skill-intensive affair, and if her technique didn’t meet Xie Tang’s standards, it would be immediately obvious.

 

Rumor had it that many relationships ended due to poor technique. If Xie Tang wasn’t satisfied, would their connection be completely ruined?

 

Moreover, while this might be commonplace for Xie Tang, it was Yun Shu’s first-ever opportunity to touch a girl she adored. She couldn’t afford to be careless.

 

Yun Shu didn’t want to touch Xie Tang with this tainted body.

 

But if she continued to stall, Xie Tang might see through her act. After all, the Original Host had been a monstrously depraved person—how could she have gone so long without touching Xie Tang?

 

When Yun Shu was thinking, she liked to furrow her brow, her gaze unconsciously fixed on some distant point in space, her expression utterly serious.

 

Xie Tang lay lazily on the bed, looking up at her.

 

What new scheme is Yun Shu cooking up this time?

 

Suddenly, Yun Shu had an idea!

 

That’s it!

 

“Never mind,” Yun Shu declared. “This Lady is going to find someone else.”

 

In that instant, Xie Tang’s eyes seemed to turn icy cold.

 

Yun Shu flinched, her bravado masking her inner unease. “What’s wrong?” she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

 

Xie Tang’s hand gently caressed Yun Shu’s waist, her voice utterly calm. “Who are you going to find?”

 

Yun Shu swallowed hard. “I haven’t decided yet.”

 

“Where are you going?”

 

Yun Shu hadn’t even learned her way around the Capital yet. Her daily routine consisted of nothing more than going straight to school and back—how could she possibly have noticed anything outside that narrow path?

 

She blurted out, her voice betraying her guilt, “A fancy hotel.”

 

“How many people?”

 

Yun Shu was stunned. What kind of question is that?!

 

Her inner thoughts were always transparent to Xie Tang. Just a few questions had confirmed that this “someone else” was entirely fabricated.

 

In truth, Yun Shu had no experience with such matters. During those months of fierce resistance, the man had never actually touched her.

 

But Xie Tang found it amusing to occasionally tease Yun Shu like this.

 

She loved watching Yun Shu’s bewildered reactions, her face flushing crimson after realizing she’d been tricked.

 

“I… I haven’t decided yet,” Yun Shu said weakly. “Anyway, not today. My touch has been off lately. I need to focus on studying for a while.”

 

“Speaking of studying…” She turned to Xie Tang, her eyes gleaming, and lowered her voice conspiratorially. “You haven’t forgotten what day it is, have you?”

 

Xie Tang gazed at her thoughtfully for a moment before reaching to unbutton her shirt. Yun Shu quickly stopped her, her face flushed but trying to look stern. “I told you, I won’t touch you until after the final exams.”

 

Xie Tang withdrew her hand with a hint of disappointment. “Then…?”

 

Yun Shu cleared her throat. “Have you forgotten? Starting today, we only have two months left until the Band 4 exam.”

 

Xie Tang looked up at her, seemingly not understanding.

 

“As my woman, it would be a disgrace if you didn’t score at least 640 on the Band 4 exam.”

 

Xie Tang: “…”

 

She shouldn’t have expected Yun Shu to come up with anything worthwhile.

 

After all the build-up, Yun Shu finally revealed her true motive. “If you score 640 or higher, I’ll reward you with 500,000 yuan. What do you say?”

 

At this, Xie Tang understood.

 

So, she’s just trying to give me money in a roundabout way.

 

Xie Tang still vividly remembered the look in Yun Shu’s eyes yesterday—a mix of concern and pity.

 

Xie Tang didn’t want Yun Shu to look at her with that kind of gaze.

 

With a detached tone, Xie Tang replied, “It’s nothing special.”

 

Yun Shu froze for a moment, then asked, genuinely puzzled, “Why not?”

 

Seeing Yun Shu about to become a bundle of grievances again, Xie Tang quickly added, “Perhaps we could try a different approach?”

 

Yun Shu looked up at her, her beautiful eyes filled with confusion.

 

Xie Tang sat up, closing the distance between them considerably.

 

“Yun Shu, how about I tutor you?” she suggested, her voice soft as cotton candy.

 

When Xie Tang looked up, her eyes seemed to hold starlight, yet she deliberately blinked, her voice honeyed and alluring. “If I help you improve your grades, wouldn’t that be even better proof of my academic abilities?”

 

Yun Shu pondered for a moment.

 

That’s right!

 

Not only would this allow her to spend more time with Xie Tang, but she could also pay Xie Tang under the guise of tutoring!

 

A win-win situation!

 

But…

 

Yun Shu suddenly realized something else.

 

Her grades were currently poor. What if Xie Tang noticed her intelligence had declined significantly? Would she suspect that Yun Shu had been replaced?

 

Never mind, I’ll deal with that later. If things got too awkward, she could always claim she’d fallen down the stairs, hit her head, and become temporarily dumber, but had been too embarrassed to admit it publicly.

 

Yun Shu gritted her teeth. “Alright.”

 

“But let’s be clear, this isn’t covered by our contract. My tutoring fee is three thousand per session, and we’ll settle up weekly. Just give me your bank card number, and I’ll transfer the money directly to you.”

 

“No rush,” Yun Shu replied.

 

Xie Tang smiled warmly, coaxing her, “Then let’s start today, okay?”

 

Yun Shu couldn’t resist Xie Tang’s gentle tone, but she still feigned a haughty huff. “Fine. This Lady will reluctantly listen to you.”

 

“Then let’s start after breakfast?” Xie Tang asked.

 

Yun Shu suddenly felt like a newbie stumbling through the tutorial zone, only to be personally guided by a high-level player.

 

Xie Tang’s academic record at Capital University was top-tier. With her help, Yun Shu might actually have a chance at cracking the top 50%.

 

After breakfast, the two began studying indoors.

 

Xie Tang started by helping Yun Shu with math, a subject where quick improvement was possible.

 

But Yun Shu looked like she was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders.

 

With a score of 130 in English, Yun Shu should barely be able to keep up with the bottom-tier students at Capital University. Math, however, was her Achilles’ heel.

 

She didn’t want to drag Xie Tang down right from the start.

 

Xie Tang pulled out a practice exam to assess Yun Shu’s baseline knowledge.

 

“One hour. Do as much as you can.”

 

Yun Shu stared at the exam paper, which looked like an alien script to her. Her mind went blank; she couldn’t make heads or tails of it.

 

She pursed her lips, thinking, I’m done for, I’m done for. They’re definitely going to see through me now.

 

In her mind, she pleaded with the System, “Tongtong, can you help with this?”

 

The System tried to decipher the problem, but its response was pitifully weak and helpless: Host, I don’t understand.

 

“Then can you connect to the internet? Use something like ‘Little Monkey Question Search’ to find the answer for me!”

 

The System, usually lazy and complacent, realized at this critical moment that it was utterly useless.

 

I’m sorry, Host, it said guiltily. I can’t connect to the internet either.

 

Sensing the System’s remorse, Yun Shu quickly reassured it, “It’s okay. This question is easier for me than drinking water. Just watch.”

 

But as Yun Shu stared at the problem, she felt like she was trying to swallow frozen ice cubes.

 

Impossible to swallow.

 

Xie Tang moved a chair and sat beside her, pulling out her textbook and circling and underlining passages.

 

Noticing Yun Shu’s furrowed brow, Xie Tang said gently, “Don’t worry. Just do your best. This exam is unusually difficult.”

 

Hearing this, Yun Shu tilted her head to look at Xie Tang, her voice filled with obvious doubt. “Really?”

 

At that moment, she didn’t care about maintaining her “cool” persona. This was just a struggling student asking a top student for help, pure and simple.

 

Xie Tang glanced at the set of questions, which were challenging but still considered basic, and nodded without a change in expression. “Really.”

 

Xie Tang’s words were like a calming tonic to Yun Shu. If she said it wasn’t too difficult, then it must be manageable.

 

Yun Shu felt her anxiety ease slightly.

 

She frowned at the questions and began to think.

 

At first, Yun Shu was too agitated to focus on the problems.

 

But when she glanced at Xie Tang, she saw her sitting calmly, her slender, elegant hand holding a pen as she wrote.

 

For some reason, Yun Shu’s heart grew still.

 

She began to concentrate on the questions on the exam paper.

 

But she soon realized a harsh truth: while effort often yields results in many areas, mathematics was different. If you didn’t understand it, you simply didn’t understand it.

 

After an hour, Yun Shu had only managed to solve a few problems.

 

When her phone alarm rang, Yun Shu felt like Satan had come to claim her soul.

 

With a pained expression, Yun Shu placed her exam paper in front of Xie Tang.

 

“I managed to write a little,” she said sheepishly. “Could you take a look?”

 

Xie Tang set down her pen and accepted the paper.

 

Yun Shu’s fingers twisted nervously as she anxiously watched Xie Tang’s expression.

 

She had imagined Xie Tang would react with surprise, a frown, or disbelief, but none of that happened.

 

To her surprise, Xie Tang didn’t even furrow her brow. She calmly took a red pen and began grading the paper, marking only the correct steps with checkmarks.

 

“Not bad,” Xie Tang said without a change in expression, glancing at the few scattered checkmarks on the paper. “You’ve grasped the basic formulas.”

 

Yun Shu rested her chin dejectedly on the table, muttering, “Don’t bother comforting me.”

 

She knew her own limitations.

 

Even the Original Host’s worst grades were still the worst grades at Capital University, a far cry from what a second-tier university student like her could achieve.

 

Xie Tang tilted her head, raising an eyebrow. “I’m not comforting you. It really is impressive.”

 

Yun Shu’s ability to master math to this extent in just half a month, after scoring 59 on the college entrance exam, was truly remarkable progress.

 

Yun Shu puffed out her cheeks, looking utterly dejected.

 

Xie Tang simply pulled the textbook to the table, took out a blue pen, and tilted her head toward Yun Shu. “Come on, let me explain the problems to you.”

 

Yun Shu instinctively wanted to avoid studying, but she didn’t want Xie Tang to think she was lazy or incapable. So she obediently leaned in to listen to Xie Tang’s explanation.

 

Xie Tang’s voice was calm and gentle as she taught.

 

The textbook’s difficult concepts seemed less daunting under her pen, but Yun Shu’s mind felt like it was tied in knots. Even though the problems were the same, she couldn’t solve them when they were grouped together.

 

The more she listened, the more discouraged she became, and she kept making mistakes.

 

Yun Shu bit her lip and asked cautiously, “Xie Tang, am I just too stupid?”

 

The System weakly reminded her: Character persona.

 

This time, Yun Shu tearfully retorted, “I haven’t forgotten! But the Original Host was still human and had moments of vulnerability too, right? I’m just playing up her vulnerable side right now!”

 

The System was stunned to find itself speechless.

 

“It’s okay,” Xie Tang said gently.

 

Xie Tang’s voice was soft, like a warm, gentle breeze brushing against Yun Shu’s heart.

 

“You’ve barely kept up with the lessons for two months. It’s perfectly normal to struggle at first. Take your time,” Xie Tang said. “If you can finish this entire topic today, I’ll grant you any one wish.”

 

Her gaze was clear and direct, yet her words carried an undeniable ambiguity.

 

“Anything at all,” she promised.

 

Yun Shu blinked, cautiously confirming, “Really?”

 

Xie Tang smiled. “Of course.”

 

The offer was too tempting for Yun Shu to resist. She immediately perked up. “Alright!”

 

At that moment, Xie Tang’s phone rang.

 

She glanced at the screen and saw that her application for school accommodation had been approved.

 

The school explained that the standard dormitories were full, so they were upgrading her to a deluxe suite, with all accommodation fees waived due to her exceptional academic record.

 

Xie Tang couldn’t help but glance at Yun Shu, who was diligently recording her mistakes beside her.

 

She wasn’t naive. There was no way such a stroke of luck could have come her way.

 

As expected, this was undoubtedly Yun Shu’s doing.

 

By afternoon, Yun Shu had finally managed to complete an entire topic’s exercises with perfect accuracy.

 

Yun Shu’s eyes sparkled as she tossed the perfect-score test paper in front of Xie Tang, her slender fingers tapping each bright red checkmark.

 

The message was clear.

 

Xie Tang played along, saying, “Very impressive.”

 

Yun Shu tilted her chin. “Of course. My hand’s even sore from all that writing.”

 

It was just an exaggeration, but Xie Tang took it seriously. She raised an eyebrow. “Shall I massage it for you?”

 

Yun Shu’s face flushed crimson, like a ripe tomato.

 

Her ears burned as she hesitated, unsure whether to withdraw her hand or let Xie Tang hold it.

 

Before she could refuse, Xie Tang’s warm palm had already enveloped her slender wrist.

 

Yun Shu was certain her palms were sweating from nervousness.

 

But Xie Tang seemed oblivious, her gaze lowered as she diligently worked to relieve the ache in Yun Shu’s hand.

 

“Feeling better?” Xie Tang asked, looking up.

 

Caught off guard, Yun Shu’s ear tips flushed a suspicious red as she averted her gaze and pulled her hand away. “…It’s not sore anymore.”

 

“Then…”

 

Xie Tang leaned closer, and Yun Shu instinctively retreated until her back pressed against the chair, completely trapped.

 

“I promised you could ask for one thing,” Xie Tang murmured softly. “Yun Shu, tell me… what do you want?”