The Heartthrob Halo Doesn't Work on the Villain - Chapter 4

Perhaps sensing Lin Yan’s lingering gaze, Lou Yubing finally turned his head. Seeing that she was no longer convulsing strangely, he pieced the desk back together.

Surprised by his self-awareness, Lin Yan raised an eyebrow slightly. Her hand slowly slid across the desk’s edge until she tugged at the frayed cuff of Lou Yubing’s cotton jacket, which had been washed so often it was starting to peel.

“Hey, as my deskmate, you never even bother to ask how I’m doing.”

Her usual voice carried a hint of coquettishness, further sharpened by her deliberately barbed remarks, making it grating to the ear. But now, her tone was soft, with a subtle hook in its cadence.

Normally, Lou Yubing would have ignored her completely. Yet this time, he inexplicably paused his hand, which had been flipping through his book.

Between them, silence was the most natural form of communication. Lin Yan harbored no illusions about forming a close bond with Lou Yubing in such a short time. Instead, she quietly observed him.

He remained as strikingly handsome as ever, though his face retained a bloodless pallor, as if from malnutrition. And his clothes…

She had noticed it earlier: the jacket was clearly a men’s style and quite old. The synthetic leather was creased where it should be, torn where it should be, and slightly ill-fitting. Considering her circumstances, it was likely a hand-me-down from the orphanage, passed down after other children had outgrown it.

But wasn’t this person supposed to be attending school on a scholarship from her family? Shouldn’t there be some kind of living allowance?

She always struggled to keep up with such details. This was a matter best left to the dedicated 555.

The Lin Family provides Lou Yubing with a regular living allowance, but she sends most of it back to the orphanage each month, keeping only a small amount for herself. What little she spends goes mostly toward textbooks and study aids.

No wonder.

For the orphanage?

Although the orphanage had only been mentioned a few times in the known plot, Lin Yan always felt an odd sense of unease about it.

What could drive such an intelligent, hardworking, and grateful person to commit such extreme acts?

After her conversation with 555, Lin Yan suddenly grew suspicious of the information the Temporal Authority had provided about the Small World. Though doubts lingered, she had no choice but to follow this line of reasoning for now.

“Can you find out what caused her Darkening?”

Due to the failure of previous Missioners to safely withdraw from the book world, the Bureau lacks verifiable case studies. We can only roughly identify the source of the corruption. Further details about the normal plot progression remain inaccessible due to insufficient Authority clearance.

“Roughly identify? So, the problem might not solely stem from her.”

Correct. However, the connection between the Small World’s collapse and the source of corruption is undoubtedly profound.

Lin Yan pondered for a moment, silently assessing the situation. It wasn’t that she was overly cautious; after so many failed attempts by others, she needed to be extra vigilant. To solve the problem, she couldn’t afford to stray too far from the right path.

Her slightly glazed eyes suddenly flickered back to focus, and she heard a cold voice laced with barely suppressed anger.

“Are you even listening to me?!”

A flicker of confusion crossed Lin Yan’s face. Lou Yubing suddenly met her bewildered gaze, his throat going dry. For the first time, he wondered if he had been too harsh, but then her past misdeeds resurfaced in his mind, and his aloofness deepened.

Host, remember not to deviate too far from your character.

Lin Yan ignored 555’s warning, even offering an embarrassed smile. The hand still resting on Lou Yubing’s sleeve curled slightly.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t think you’d talk to me, so I was just spacing out. Could you repeat that?”

Lou Yubing had never seen Lin Yan lower her guard like this. But given her recent abnormal behavior, a seed of suspicion remained in his bright eyes, though his tone was less confrontational than before.

“I said, don’t even think about cheating on the upcoming monthly exam. No matter what, I won’t let you copy my answers. Go find someone else.”

Monthly exam? Right, there was something like that scheduled for tomorrow and the day after.

Hai City First High School was often considered a prestigious school, but that didn’t mean all its students came from wealthy families. Rather, it reflected the school’s exceptional teaching resources.

Of course, it wasn’t just the school’s strong faculty. To boost its college admission and high-score rates, Hai City First High School also went to great lengths to attract top students. Many students like Xia Qiyu attended on full scholarships, covering tuition, room, and board—a key reason for the school’s prestigious reputation. However, this exceptional environment also attracted wealthy families who would pay to enroll their children, gradually leading to the school being labeled a “elite academy.” The exact amount required for admission depended on academic performance; for someone like Lin Yan, even donating an entire building wouldn’t guarantee a spot.

As a result, the pressure typical of high school remained intense at Hai City First High School. This Friday marked the first monthly exam since the start of the second semester of sophomore year.

Mention of the monthly exam suddenly reminded Lin Yan of her newfound mother in this world. During the information transfer, one detail had particularly struck her: after starting high school, for every point her total score exceeded the passing grade on each monthly exam, her daily allowance would increase by tens of thousands of yuan.

Yes, that’s how outrageously extravagant and inhumanely generous it was.

The diligent students who had been carefully recruited naturally wouldn’t resort to any cheating during exams. As for the wealthy young masters and ladies, the school neither had the authority nor the courage to intervene. Consequently, First High School never bothered with seating arrangements, which allowed Lin Yan to consistently “achieve” decent grades.

The original owner had long coveted Lou Yubing’s academic success. As the perennial second-place student in their class and her deskmate, copying from him would undoubtedly lead to a significant increase in her allowance. But Lou Yubing was Lou Yubing—with his abysmal negative favorability rating, he would never agree to such a thing. If he deliberately blocked her view during exams, even the legendary Thousand-Mile Eyes and All-Hearing Ears couldn’t help her cheat. Left with no other option, the original owner had to bribe the student behind her for “assistance.”

However, the inflated nature of her scores was obvious to everyone, especially her mother. Yet Madam Linqi chose to remain silent, and Lin Yan suspected that the woman, whom she had yet to meet, was simply content with her daughter’s pretense of effort.

Without Madam Linqi’s indulgent parenting, the original owner would never have developed such a character. Of course, raising a child like that required considerable wealth.

Her thoughts drifting slightly off course, Lin Yan slowly lowered her head, revealing the crown of her round head. She bit her lower lip tightly, looking visibly unhappy, and withdrew the hand that had been resting on Lou Yubing’s sleeve.

For some reason, the sudden lightness on her wrist made Lou Yubing feel strangely uneasy. Her gaze fixed on Lin Yan, but seeing her in such a listless state, she frowned and turned away.

“Even if you try to look pitiful, I won’t help you.”

Even Lou Yubing herself didn’t realize how much softer her voice had become compared to before.

From an angle Lou Yubing couldn’t see, Lin Yan smirked triumphantly before deftly seizing Lou Yubing’s nearest hand.

Startled by the unexpected touch, Lou Yubing instinctively tried to pull away, but Lin Yan’s delicate hands entwined around hers, trapping her. Her phoenix eyes widened in shock.

“What are you doing?!”

Though she refused to admit it, every nerve in Lou Yubing’s body was now focused on that hand. The slender, jade-like fingers gripping hers were soft and fair, utterly unlike her own calloused fingertips and knuckles. Even a brief touch revealed that Lin Yan had never done manual labor.

“I didn’t mean to copy you. Don’t overthink it…”

As if waiting for a response, Lin Yan’s clear, autumn-like eyes stared directly at her, devoid of any ulterior motive. For some reason, Lou Yubing couldn’t shake the feeling that those eyes were so pure, so utterly free of any impurity.

No, no, that’s wrong! How could I ever think that arrogant, rude young miss would have such pure eyes?!

With this thought, Lou Yubing forced herself to turn away again, even closing her eyes. Her words rushed out, her entire demeanor radiating a sense of exasperation.

“Fine, fine, I get it! Now let go of me!”

“No.” Lin Yan retorted stubbornly, then smiled, her eyes curving into crescents. “Unless… you agree to do something for me.”

The Lin Yan who always wanted something had returned. Lou Yubing’s expression froze, her eyes darkening with renewed disgust, and her voice turned icy.

“Tell me what you want first.”

Sensing the shift in Lou Yubing’s attitude, Lin Yan remained unfazed, her smile unwavering.

“Can you tutor me on weekends?”

Lou Yubing, who had already prepared herself for a different request, suddenly froze. She blinked several times before replying stiffly, “Why?”

After asking that question, Lou Yubing suddenly noticed that the person who had been smiling at her now seemed flustered, even a little panicked. The hands holding hers were beginning to sweat.

“You know, ever since I started school, I haven’t taken classes seriously. My previous grades don’t count. But I’ve realized I want to study properly now. I shouldn’t have treated you like that before. If I like you, I should work hard with you and get into the same university, not use hurtful tricks to get your attention…”

Her voice grew softer, sounding muffled and like that of a child who had done something wrong.

But Lou Yubing was completely stunned by one phrase:

“You like me?”

Seeing Lou Yubing’s furrowed brow and frozen posture, Lin Yan decided to turn up the heat. She leaned closer and kissed Lou Yubing’s cheek before quickly pulling back, like a cat that had stolen a taste of fish, grinning sweetly.

“Yeah, I like you.”