The Heartthrob Halo Doesn't Work on the Villain - Chapter 18

Lou Yubing had come out to print some materials. Her dormitory building didn’t have a dedicated printing room, but the one in the academic building stayed open until midnight. Needing the documents urgently, she decided to make the trip despite the late hour. As she emerged with her printed papers, she glanced up and saw two familiar figures: Xia Qiyu, who had moved her belongings out earlier that evening, and, surprisingly, Lin Yan.

The two were walking shoulder to shoulder, their faces lit with smiles as they chatted animatedly. Before long, they entered the lavishly decorated Luyuan Building together.

When did they become so close?

Lou Yubing tried to ignore the unease creeping into her heart and looked in the direction they had come from—straight toward the school gate.

Where have they been so late?

A barrage of questions flooded her mind. For reasons she couldn’t explain, Lou Yubing lingered, waiting. The April air still held a chill, and by the time her legs grew stiff from standing, Xia Qiyu had yet to emerge from the building.

Lou Yubing had known Lin Yan lived in this building for some time. But Xia Qiyu moving out tonight—was it really just a change from boarding to commuting, or was she moving here? Yet Xia Qiyu’s circumstances were hardly better than her own. How could she suddenly afford to live here?

Instinctively, Lou Yubing recalled the sight of the two girls laughing and playfully teasing each other just now. Her brow twitched involuntarily.

Forget it, she thought. Why am I even dwelling on this? It’s none of my business.

Lou Yubing tried to convince herself as she turned to leave. But as she approached the building, she couldn’t resist stopping and looking up.

In that moment, she finally found a legitimate reason to be angry:

Xia Qiyu had warned her to stay away from Lin Yan, yet she herself was eagerly cozying up to her. Judging by their behavior, they seemed intimately familiar with each other.

Lou Yubing suddenly remembered their conversation at lunch yesterday, and the resentment simmering in her heart intensified.

Xia Qiyu had acted so miserable in front of her just this evening, yet now she was so carefree. Looking back, it was clear she had been deliberately feigning helplessness to manipulate Lou Yubing.

Lou Yubing attributed her inner turmoil to being deceived, but she couldn’t explain the bitter ache in her heart.

Back in the dorm, the lights were already out, but hushed voices drifted from the beds on both sides, clearly indicating that her roommates weren’t asleep yet. Lou Yubing put away her materials and switched on her desk lamp.

She had already washed up earlier and would be going to bed soon. Yet, for some reason, the once-lively dorm grew noticeably quieter upon her return, remaining silent for a minute or two before the chatter resumed. At first, Lou Yubing didn’t pay much attention, but it soon became apparent that someone was steering the conversation toward her, with several remarks referencing the two people who had angered her earlier.

“Hey, Yezi, guess what earth-shattering news I heard from a girl in the next dorm?”

The speaker was Li Jia, who had been visibly annoyed earlier that evening. Though she meant no harm, she kept glancing down at Lou Yubing as she spoke, trying to gauge her reaction.

Yezi, who slept in the bed next to Li Jia’s, was the only one in the dorm with a smartphone. She had been huddled under her blanket scrolling through the Campus Forum, but when she heard Li Jia’s tone suggesting juicy gossip, she immediately popped her head out from under the covers.

“What? Tell us! Stop teasing us!” Li Jia’s shout turned all heads in her direction, but Lou Yubing, seated at the square table, continued writing without pausing.

Frustrated that she hadn’t achieved the desired effect, Li Jia didn’t drag it out. She simply raised her voice.

“She’s helping Xia Qiyu move dorms today. I thought Qiyu didn’t have that many friends—how could she get so many people to help? It’s not like she promised them anything good. So I asked around, and guess who helped her find these people?”

Li Jia paused again, leaving a circle of expectant faces. This time, she noticed Lou Yubing’s hand, still holding the pen, had lifted slightly. Though her head remained bowed, her posture no longer seemed as natural as before.

“Stop stalling and just tell us!”

“Think about it—who else came to our dorm after that?”

Li Jia’s words set everyone thinking. Ye Zhenzhen, who spent her days immersed in gossip, was the first to react.

“You mean… Lin Yan!”

The others were equally incredulous. After all, Lin Yan had been a frequent visitor these past few days, and every time, without fail, she had come looking for Lou Yubing. Xia Qiyu and Lin Yan seemed to have no connection whatsoever—how could they suddenly be hanging out together?

Noticing their skeptical glances, Li Jia slapped the bed frame. “Don’t be so disbelieving! Not only did Lin Yan help her find a place, but guess where Qiyu moved? Luyuan Building! And not just the same building—they’re sharing the same room!”

Initially, they had been cautious when discussing Lin Yan, but now they were determined to get to the bottom of this.

“How do you know all this? Did someone from next door tell you?”

The questioner received a withering glare from Li Jia. “Would I just make things up? You know how strict Luyuan Building is! Lin Yan’s name is right there on the doorplate—my friend saw it clearly. Besides, when Lin Yan came by today, she glanced at Qiyu’s empty bed, like she already knew she was moving and just wanted to confirm it.”

Her words seemed deliberately directed at someone, as she glanced down after speaking. Lou Yubing, who had been sitting and writing, stood up to pack her stationery. The desk lamp cast her shadow behind her, suddenly making her appear rather lonely.

The others were still discussing when Xia Qiyu had managed to climb so high. After all, Luyuan Building was in a completely different league from their own dormitory. With a powerful friend, she wouldn’t have to live in constant fear at school anymore. But Li Jia clearly hadn’t achieved her goal yet. Seeing Lou Yubing climb into bed, pull up the covers, and close her eyes, she quickly called out, “Yubing, why didn’t you move? Don’t you want to go? But if you’re tutoring Lin Yan, living together would be much more convenient, right?”

After a moment, noticing the fire was dying down, she hurriedly added more firewood.

“Oh, right! Qiyu’s grades are even better than yours, and she’s so gentle and kind. If I were Lin Yan, I’d choose her too.”

At these words, Lou Yubing slowly turned her head, her hawk-like eyes locking onto Li Jia. The room fell silent again, the earlier chatter gone.

Everyone could sense the sudden, strange tension in the air. Ye Zhenzhen, ever the peacemaker, stepped in to smooth things over.

“Aiya, let’s just drop it. These personal matters are best left alone. Time to sleep, everyone.”

With that, she was the first to lie down, pull up her thin blanket, and close her eyes. The others followed suit, but Li Jia remained sitting, even crossing her arms.

“I didn’t say anything wrong. Why are you all going to sleep? But Yubing, if you ask me, Lin Yan probably only got close to you because of Qiyu. Otherwise, with how you treat him, anyone would have given up by now.”

Lou Yubing didn’t argue with Li Jia as she had earlier that evening. Instead, she stared intently at her, her dark eyes gleaming like obsidian even in the dim moonlight filtering through the window. Perhaps it was the unnerving silence in the dormitory, broken only by the rhythmic breathing of a few sleeping girls, or perhaps the unsettling nature of the conversation itself, but Li Jia tugged her blanket higher, slid down into her bed, and turned away.

But Lou Yubing couldn’t find peace. She knew Li Jia had deliberately spoken those words—a mix of truth and exaggeration, designed to strike at her heart.

If she hadn’t witnessed that scene earlier, Lou Yubing wouldn’t have given such childish remarks a second thought. Now, however, she couldn’t be so certain.

The image of Lin Yan hastily pulling Xia Qiyu away by the sleeve yesterday kept replaying in Lou Yubing’s mind. After so many days of having Lin Yan by her side, she had grown accustomed to her presence. Yet yesterday, Lin Yan had left her alone in the cafeteria while she was still eating.

It might seem melodramatic, but dwelling on this triviality only intensified the bitterness in Lou Yubing’s heart.

She didn’t understand what was happening. Just hours ago, she had been desperately trying to distance herself from Lin Yan, yet now she found herself so deeply concerned.

Liar.

In truth, that girl was just good at sweet-talking. Now that Lou Yubing thought about it, she realized Lin Yan had probably said those same things to countless others, making it second nature to her.

Lou Yubing shifted to lie flat on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, looking exactly like the kind of person she usually despised—

Lost in thought, plagued by anxiety and regret. She genuinely regretted speaking so harshly today, telling Lin Yan not to bother her again.

Even though Lou Yubing’s heart had felt lighter after hearing Lin Yan’s explanation, she had stubbornly forced herself to dwell on Lin Yan’s past cruelty, deliberately maintaining a stern expression and refusing to utter a single kind word.

There was one thing she had to admit: most of her past suffering couldn’t be blamed on Lin Yan. After all, the worst thing Lin Yan had ever done was make her run errands for her and her friends during the sweltering summer heat. The pampered young miss always had exacting demands, inevitably leading to scoldings, but she always paid Lou Yubing a generous sum for her troubles. Looking back, Lou Yubing realized Lin Yan had probably noticed her daily diet of bland, watery meals. After all, Lin Yan had repeatedly said it was a disgrace to the Lin Family name. But at the time, Lou Yubing had seen it as a matter of her most fundamental dignity.

Besides, Lin Yan would never truly let others bully her. In fact, she would step in to stop anyone who tried to harm her—not just in the washroom incident, but many times before: in the school’s back alley, on the playground, even at the orphanage gate.

But later, for some reason, Lin Yan gradually stopped hanging around her, and the bullies grew bolder. Because of this, Lou Yubing stopped dwelling on the good times and instead kept a growing mental tally of grievances against Lin Yan.

Yet after the washroom incident, Lin Yan began to approach her again, even more proactively than before.

Lying in bed, Lou Yubing finally pieced it all together and gently closed her eyes.

Tomorrow, she would find Lin Yan.