Pretending to Be a Scumbag A, But Being Targeted by a Paranoid O - Chapter 3

As Xie Tang descended the stairs, she moved with deliberate slowness, carefully observing the scene below.

Only Aunt Shen was present; Yun Shu was nowhere to be seen.

Aunt Shen placed the dishes on the table and said respectfully, “Miss Xie, please eat.”

Xie Tang didn’t move. She asked calmly, “…Where is she?”

Aunt Shen looked up in surprise. This was the first time Xie Tang had proactively inquired about Yun Shu’s whereabouts.

After a moment’s thought, she replied, “In her room. She might not be feeling well.”

Yun Shu, that vile creature, feeling unwell?

Xie Tang should have felt a sense of satisfaction, but for some reason, she couldn’t shake off a nagging unease.

Yun Shu had been acting strangely since last night.

Previously, no matter how much Xie Tang resisted, Yun Shu had refused to remove the ankle chain. But now…

Everything felt too strange.

Aunt Shen had her own thoughts swirling in her mind.

In her view, Yun Shu’s imprisonment of Xie Tang stemmed from Yun Shu’s affection for Xie Tang, coupled with her inability to express it properly. The only way she knew how to keep Xie Tang close was to lock her up.

She cautiously asked, “Miss Xie, did you two have a fight?”

Xie Tang scoffed inwardly.

The power dynamic between Xie Tang and Yun Shu was so unequal that the idea of them having a “fight” was absurd.

“Who knows?” Xie Tang murmured softly.

She picked up her chopsticks and began to eat slowly.

The savory, fragrant food soothed Xie Tang’s stomach. At barely nineteen, she was still growing, but Yun Shu usually restricted her diet, forbidding her from eating too much.

“As an Omega, you can’t weigh more than 90 pounds,” Yun Shu often said. “Otherwise, you’ll look unattractive.”

At 175 centimeters tall, 90 pounds would leave Xie Tang practically skin and bones. Yet, to Yun Shu, this was the epitome of beauty.

The thought made Xie Tang’s stomach churn with disgust.

I must be crazy, she thought. I actually considered checking on Yun Shu just now.

That woman was probably planting traps, waiting for her to fall right in.

But Xie Tang couldn’t worry about that now. She planned to enjoy a quiet meal while Yun Shu was away.

In truth, Yun Shu was only slightly taller than her. But Xie Tang’s poor health and malnutrition made it impossible for her to resist Yun Shu’s control. Now that she had a chance to gain weight, she wasn’t about to let it slip away.

As she ate, Xie Tang remained alert to any sounds in the room.

In Xie Tang’s mind, Yun Shu would burst out of the room any second, her voice dripping with sarcasm: “You dared to start eating before I even arrived?”

But nothing happened.

Xie Tang slowed her eating to a snail’s pace, yet Yun Shu still didn’t emerge.

If not now, then… tonight.

A sudden realization struck Xie Tang, and her face paled.

Today was Sunday.

Every Sunday, Yun Shu would go out drinking with her friends, returning home in a drunken stupor. These nights were Xie Tang’s living nightmare.

Yun Shu would vent her rage by violently punching Xie Tang, snarling, “Stop pretending! You’ve been eyeing me since the first time you brought me wine, haven’t you?”

“You lowlifes only know how to sell your bodies for money and status.”

The memory churned Xie Tang’s stomach with nausea.

She put down her chopsticks and said to Aunt Shen, “I’m going back now.”

Xie Tang didn’t have a phone; her only entertainment in the villa was reading.

But tonight, she had no time for leisure. She paced the room, searching for any sharp object she could use for protection.

Once she found one, she sat rigidly on the sofa, waiting for Yun Shu’s arrival.

It was seven in the evening when Yun Shu finally woke up, still groggy.

She touched her forehead; it felt warm.

The System asked with concern, “Should you take some fever-reducing medicine?”

Yun Shu shook her head and replied obediently, “It’s okay, I’ll just cover up and rest.”

She wasn’t that delicate.

These minor aches and pains would pass if she just endured them.

Staggering to the bathroom, she tilted her head to examine the wound on her neck, her delicate brows furrowing in confusion.

“Why hasn’t it healed yet?” she wondered aloud.

System: ?

After a moment of silence, it replied, Wounds don’t heal that quickly, Host. You need to apply some ointment.

Based on the mark on Yun Shu’s pale neck, the System made a preliminary assessment: Your wound appears to be infected.

“Infected?” Yun Shu asked.

She leaned closer to the mirror, her beautiful eyes blinking in confusion. “Where’s the infection?”

System: …???

Its mechanical voice wavered slightly in astonishment: You don’t know what an infection is?

Yun Shu: QAQ

Her face flushed crimson. “No, I don’t.”

No one had ever taught her.

From childhood, Yun Shu had learned all her life’s common knowledge from outsiders’ shocked reactions: “You don’t even know what XXX is?”

The System’s voice carried a hint of exasperation: Your wound is red and swollen—that’s inflammation.

Yun Shu examined the area carefully and realized the gland was indeed swollen and inflamed beyond recognition. Xie Tang had bitten deeply and fiercely, revealing the depth of her hatred.

Yun Shu shook her head, trying to clear her mind of these thoughts.

She deliberately changed the subject: “Tongtong, can you check Xie Tang’s current Blackening Value for me?”

The System was caught off guard by her nickname. If it had a human face, it would have flushed crimson.

85%

“It’s gone up again…” Yun Shu murmured softly. “Just as I suspected.”

What do you mean?

Yun Shu calmly analyzed the situation: “Look, I haven’t done anything lately, yet her Blackening Value has fluctuated so dramatically. It’s clear she deeply distrusts me, believing I’ll still hurt her. Her mind is likely simulating countless scenarios that fuel her hatred toward me.”

Yun Shu paused, then delivered her conclusion: “So what I need to do now is lower her guard against me. That way, even if I do nothing, her Blackening Value will decrease.”

The System listened intently to her analysis, finding it increasingly logical.

It couldn’t resist asking, “Then what’s your plan now?”

Yun Shu lowered her delicate, beautiful eyelashes and pondered for a moment. “First, I need to make her hate me less.”

At first, the System didn’t understand what Yun Shu meant. It only saw her sit down at the desk and turn on the computer.

Yun Shu’s posture was impeccable, her back ramrod straight, giving her an inexplicably obedient air.

The System couldn’t help but wonder if this world’s mission was too harsh for such a well-behaved child. After all, even when Yun Shu tried to sound fierce, her voice trembled.

Yun Shu, oblivious to her System’s thoughts, focused entirely on the computer.

The original owner’s computer was the smoothest she had ever used.

Yun Shu remembered that when she had previously visited the computer lab, the computers took long enough to boot up for her to do a full eye exercise routine.

Back in high school, she had desperately wanted to learn Photoshop and start freelancing to earn money. But without the proper equipment, her plans ultimately fell through.

Yun Shu wasn’t completely devoid of the original owner’s memories; she still remembered that there was a backup on the original owner’s computer.

A backup of the contract.

The original owner’s computer was a chaotic mess, filled with everything imaginable. Every image and document she opened was related to food, drink, and entertainment, and there were even numerous photos and videos she had secretly taken of other Omegas.

Yun Shu grimaced as she scrolled through the files, swiftly deleting all the offensive content.

Finally, after much searching, she managed to find the draft contract in a hidden corner of the hard drive.

Yun Shu opened the contract, reviewed its terms, and systematically deleted all clauses that were unfavorable to Xie Tang. She then printed out the revised version.

The System exclaimed in shock: You’re… modifying her contract?

Yun Shu nodded. “If I don’t make these changes, she’ll remain constantly wary of me.”

Of course, the best outcome would be to terminate the contract outright and restore Xie Tang’s freedom.

But that would be detrimental to Yun Shu.

It would mean losing all opportunities to interact with Xie Tang.

According to her analysis, Xie Tang’s Blackening Value stemmed from two sources: her grandmother’s illness and Yun Shu herself.

Yun Shu wanted Xie Tang to gradually lower her guard through repeated interactions. However, given Xie Tang’s complete loss of trust in her, Yun Shu needed to first demonstrate her sincerity by making changes that would allow Xie Tang to let down her defenses.

Yun Shu handled this matter with remarkable composure.

Even when momentarily confused or frightened, she would quickly regain her composure and move forward.

The System remained silent, gazing at Yun Shu’s strikingly beautiful face. It suddenly recalled how, when she had briefly lost consciousness, her face had been streaked with tears as she whispered, “Sister…”

Who was this “sister”?

The System’s investigation revealed that Yun Shu had no relatives in her original world, let alone a sister.

So who exactly was this “sister” she kept mentioning?

Yun Shu quickly printed out two copies of the contract and stapled them together neatly.

She walked out of her room with the contract in hand.

As expected, Xie Tang wasn’t in the living room.

Yun Shu approached Xie Tang’s door, pacing back and forth nervously.

Yun Shu, be fierce! You have to be fierce!

She kept psyching herself up.

Finally, after summoning all her courage, Yun Shu took a deep breath and opened the door.

She could immediately sense the tense, heavy atmosphere in the room.

Xie Tang stood by the window, watching her warily, her hand secretly tightening around something she held.

Yun Shu nearly burst into tears. She had the overwhelming feeling that Xie Tang was about to kill her at any moment.

Xie Tang had expected Yun Shu to stumble in, drunk and disheveled. Instead, Yun Shu’s eyes were clear and sober, showing no trace of alcohol. She hadn’t even bothered to put on makeup.

Xie Tang noticed Yun Shu’s attire.

Yun Shu, who typically favored dark clothing, was wearing a light blue knitted sweater today. Even her face seemed less malevolent, almost a bit dazed.

Yun Shu’s recent odd behavior had Xie Tang growing increasingly wary.

Meanwhile, the System was broadcasting in Yun Shu’s mind: Host, Blackening Value at 88%!

Yun Shu didn’t approach Xie Tang, fully aware of her heightened vigilance.

Forcing herself to maintain a cold demeanor, she merely gestured toward the nearby desk. “Let’s talk?”

Xie Tang retorted coldly, “Not planning on acting crazy today?”

Yun Shu’s lips curved slightly, her dark, luminous eyes radiating calm.

She pulled out a chair and gestured for Xie Tang to sit. “Have a seat.”

Xie Tang reluctantly sat down across from Yun Shu, her eyes fixed on Yun Shu’s hand movements.

Once she was seated, Yun Shu calmly began, “Are you wondering about my attitude toward you today?”

Xie Tang had no patience for Yun Shu’s roundabout nonsense. She cut straight to the point: “Just say what you want.”

“Very well,” Yun Shu replied calmly, placing one copy of the newly drafted contract in front of Xie Tang. “Take a look.”

Xie Tang warily accepted the contract and began to read through it.

Gradually, her breathing grew rapid and ragged.

By the end, she slammed the contract onto Yun Shu in a fit of fury. “What is this? What trick are you trying to pull now?”

Yun Shu’s clear eyes met hers, her head tilting slightly. “Not happy?”

She stood up, meeting Xie Tang’s gaze. “I really enjoyed your gift last night. Consider this my reward to you.”

Xie Tang instinctively glanced at Yun Shu’s disfigured glands.

“Returning to school—isn’t that what you’ve always wanted?”

Yun Shu’s slender fingers tapped lightly on the table as she leaned close to Xie Tang’s ear, her voice smooth and confident. “Staying by my side forever, never leaving, versus attending school during the day and coming to me on weekends to relieve my desires.”

“Xie Tang, which do you choose?”