The Heartthrob Halo Doesn't Work on the Villain - Chapter 5

This direct approach seemed to have completely disoriented Lou Yubing. Lin Yan had already planned her next move: Lou Yubing would wipe her cheek in disgust, and Lin Yan would then persist with three refusals and three pleas. But to her surprise, Lou Yubing simply murmured an acknowledgment and immediately turned away.

During morning reading, the classroom was filled with the sound of students reciting aloud. Given Lin Yan’s family background, which inspired a degree of fear in her classmates, no one noticed this brief exchange, and no one dared to look or listen too closely. The incident passed as lightly as a breeze.

Yet Lou Yubing was far from calm beneath her composed exterior.

Though she had long since shaken off Lin Yan’s hand and was now clutching her English textbook, reading with her usual earnestness, the fluctuating favorability rating that constantly updated in Lin Yan’s mind never ceased its erratic dance. It climbed from -99, surged upward through a distinct phase of fluctuation, then plummeted back down repeatedly, before finally stabilizing near zero.

Exceeding her initial expectations, Lin Yan’s slender, willow-leaf eyebrows arched slightly, betraying her evident good mood.

“This guy clearly responds better to kindness than force. I wonder what kind of bad friends the original Lin Yan had, thinking she could just break someone’s wings. Did she read too much angsty teen fiction?”

“Still, it’s good she didn’t do anything truly irreversible. Otherwise, things would have been even harder for me.”

555, still on high alert, didn’t have time for Lin Yan’s banter.

Thank goodness nothing went wrong this time. Didn’t I tell you not to deviate too much from your character?

Expecting Lin Yan to promise not to repeat the mistake, 555 was surprised when she casually replied, “How is that deviating from my character?”

Lin Yan spoke without a hint of embarrassment or nervousness. 555 was about to use her earlier, almost flirtatious, conversation to call her out, but she spoke first.

“Can I ask you a few questions first?”

Unsure what she was up to, 555 had no choice but to play along.

Alright.

“First question: Did the original Lin Yan always like Lou Yubing?”

Of course! Wasn’t that clearly stated in the plot? Even though he didn’t understand why she was asking, 555 dutifully replied,

Yes.

“Second question: Was the original Lin Yan always a poor student, but had a good relationship with her family? And did Lin Qi place great importance on her studies?”

According to the character summary, Lin Yan in this world grew up in a single-parent household with only her Omega mother. Since birth, her only memories were of Lin Qi. Despite her demanding work schedule, Lin Qi never spared time for her only daughter, raising her personally and even calling daily while on business trips.

This dynamic began to shift after Lin Yan entered middle school. Perhaps it was adolescence, or perhaps she had her own thoughts and desires. The original Lin Yan grew reluctant to be close to Lin Qi, though their family relationship remained harmonious.

Precisely because of this, 555 responded immediately after Lin Yan finished speaking.

Yes.

“That settles it.” Having achieved her goal, Lin Yan touched her fingertip to her lip, her mouth curving into a slight smile as she asked her final question: “Third question: If a struggling student suddenly has a change of heart and wants to study diligently, adopting a slightly softer tone to ask the person they like for tutoring—partly to please their concerned mother and partly to spend more intimate time with their crush—what’s wrong with that?”

At her words, 555 suddenly lost the ability to think clearly. Following her logic, it did sound plausible!

No, no, this feels like I’ve been brainwashed…

The items in her bracelet space hadn’t made a sound in ages. Lin Yan knew what it was pondering and glanced sideways at Lou Yubing, who was feigning composure.

“Besides, the results this time were decent. If I keep working hard, I should be able to improve further.”

“And I always act with restraint. You’d better focus on other matters.”

She didn’t need to spell it out completely. After all, the higher-ups were still monitoring this Small World. A hint was enough; she trusted 555 would understand.

The worldview of this fictional world was fundamentally similar to her own. Though her high school knowledge had grown rusty, Lin Yan was picking it up quickly, she just needed more time to refine her skills.

Since Lin Yan had no intention of cheating on this monthly exam and wanted to maintain her “genuine underachiever” persona with Lou Yubing, she spent the entire exam chewing on her pen, leaning sideways, and occasionally letting out a “tsk” or two, pretending to struggle while actually dozing off with her eyes closed.

555 had even “praised” her for being so bold, unafraid of shattering her newly established “diligent student” image. Lin Yan couldn’t care less. Given Lou Yubing’s usual refusal to spare her even a glance, how could she possibly be looking around during the exam?

Her reasoning proved correct. Since enrolling in this school, Lou Yubing had found her greatest joy in studying and her most beautiful sound in the school bell.

Only in the classroom could she escape the torment of the “rats” who bullied her, where she didn’t have to constantly endure their cruelty. While others yearned for the freedom outside the classroom, for her, only learning brought true liberation.

Yet no matter how hard she tried, she could never surpass one person: Xia Qiyu.

Lou Yubing had always disliked comparing herself to others, believing that doing her best was enough. But each time she saw her unchanging rank on the report card, a pang of disappointment would still sting her heart.

She didn’t harbor any particular feelings toward Xia Qiyu, but Xia was undeniably the only person in their class who treated her with genuine kindness. The others either deliberately distanced themselves out of fear of getting involved or joined the bullies as accomplices.

Despite everything, she still wanted to stay at this school. The Lin Family’s subsidies were generous, and combined with scholarships and regular donations to the orphanage, the Dean Mother’s worried expression would ease somewhat.

If it weren’t for Lin Yan’s past humiliations, she would have been genuinely grateful for the Lin Family’s kindness.

As her thoughts drifted to this, Lou Yubing’s pen, which had been gliding smoothly across the answer sheet, paused briefly. The words Lin Yan had spoken during yesterday’s morning reading class flashed through her mind, stirring her heart into turmoil once more.

Like… me?

She had never considered such things before, nor had she shared the others’ enthusiasm for discussing the romantic entanglements in novels. Now that the thought had surfaced, she dismissed it as merely a consequence of her mishandling the situation.

Lou Yubing had been earnestly contemplating how to resolve this trouble decisively when, in the next moment, images of Lin Yan’s past domineering commands and humiliations resurfaced. Seeing her attitude, the others had secretly mocked her for being so forgetful.

She couldn’t explain why she hadn’t been able to get angry yesterday when she met those clear, limpid eyes. She had even foolishly agreed to that unreasonable request. Now, reflecting on past events, she had finally come to her senses.

If Lin Yan asked her to tutor her this weekend, she would make everything clear. Whether that “I like you” was genuine or not, she would simply minimize their future interactions.

Meanwhile, Lin Yan was leisurely waiting for the exam bell to ring so she could submit her half-blank paper and avoid sitting there bored. Suddenly, a series of notifications kept ringing in her ear, indicating that Lou Yubing’s favorability points were continuing to decrease. She couldn’t help but turn to glance at Lou Yubing, who was calmly answering the exam questions.

Why is this girl still daydreaming during the exam? She’s even managed to drop my favorability points back down from zero! How am I supposed to complete my mission?!

For a moment, Lin Yan thought Lou Yubing’s name was truly fitting. Just like her name suggested, she was a big ice block, always keeping her emotions bottled up. It was nearly impossible to discern her true feelings from her expression.

Even without guessing, Lin Yan knew this guy was thinking about the stupid things her original self had done.

This passive approach wouldn’t work. She needed to take the initiative.

After waiting a while longer, the exam bell finally rang. One by one, the students left the classroom, waiting for the proctor to collect their papers before returning for the next session.

The sounds of post-exam discussions outside the classroom drifted in. Lou Yubing packed her things, ready to leave, when her left pinky and ring fingers were softly grasped.

She turned to see Lin Yan, half her face visible as she lay sprawled across the desk. The girl’s small face lacked its usual domineering spirit and none of the gentleness she’d shown yesterday. Instead, it was deathly pale, utterly drained of color.

Lou Yubing felt a slight tremor in her heart. Forgetting to pull away, she frowned deeply and leaned closer.

“Lou Yubing, could you take me to the School Infirmary? My stomach hurts…”

The girl’s expression seemed genuine, but Lou Yubing had just declared her intention to distance herself. Torn, she was about to refuse when the grip on her hand suddenly tightened. When she looked up, she met a pair of tearful eyes.

“It really hurts…”

Unable to reason with her, Lou Yubing turned her back, crouched down, and patted her own shoulder.

“Get on.”

It was break time after the monthly exams, and the corridor was packed. The sight of someone carrying another on their back—especially when the protagonists were the two notoriously incompatible figures—naturally drew curious glances.

Both girls were slender, but Lin Yan could feel the solid strength in Lou Yubing’s back, likely from her regular physical labor. Despite being only 160 cm tall, Lou Yubing, at 175 cm, carried Lin Yan steadily for a long distance without faltering.

Feeling completely secure, Lin Yan draped her arms around Lou Yubing’s shoulders, her earlier feebleness vanished. Even 555 would have praised her performance as “Best Actress.”

Hmm… She had to retract her earlier thought about Lou Yubing being a cold block of ice. At least, the touch didn’t feel like ice at all—it was warm and comforting.

This direct approach seemed to have stunned Lou Yubing. Lin Yan had already prepared for her to wipe her cheek in disgust, followed by her own persistent three-fold entreaties. But instead, Lou Yubing simply grunted in acknowledgment and immediately turned her head away.

During morning reading, the classroom was filled with the sound of students reciting aloud. Combined with the others’ slight fear of Lin Yan’s family background, no one noticed the brief exchange, nor dared to look or listen too closely. The incident passed as swiftly as a gentle breeze.

Yet Lou Yubing was far from as calm as she appeared.

Though she had long since shaken off Lin Yan’s hand, clutching her English textbook and reading with her usual earnestness, the fluctuating favorability rating that had been constantly updating in Lin Yan’s mind never ceased its erratic dance. Starting at -99, it climbed upward in a series of sharp peaks and valleys, repeatedly plummeting before finally stabilizing near zero.

Exceeding her initial expectations, Lou Yubing’s slender, willow-leaf eyebrows arched slightly upward, betraying her evident good mood.

“This girl clearly responds better to kindness than force. I wonder what kind of bad friends the original Lin Yan had, trying to break her wings like that. She must have read too much angsty teen literature.”

“Still, at least she didn’t do anything truly irreversible. Otherwise, things would have been even harder for me.”

555, still on high alert, had no time for Lin Yan’s banter.

Thank goodness this didn’t backfire. Didn’t I tell you not to deviate too far from your character?

I thought Lin Yan would promise not to deviate from her character again, but she casually replied, “How could this be considered deviating from my character?”

Lin Yan spoke without a hint of embarrassment or nervousness. 555 was about to use her earlier, almost flirtatious, conversation to thoroughly call her out, but she spoke first.

“Let me ask you a few questions first.”

Unsure what she was up to, 555 had no choice but to play along.

Okay.

“First question: Did the original Lin Yan always love Lou Yubing?”

Of course! Wasn’t that clearly established in the plot development? Even though he didn’t understand why she was asking, 555 dutifully replied.

Yes.

“Second question: Was the original Lin Yan always a poor student, but had a good relationship with her family, and Lin Qi valued her education?”

According to the character summary, in this world, Lin Yan grew up in a single-parent family with only an Omega mother. Since birth, her only memories were of Lin Qi. Despite her demanding work schedule, Lin Qi never stinted on time for her only daughter, personally raising her and even calling her daily when traveling for business.

This dynamic only began to shift after Lin Yan entered middle school, likely due to her rebellious phase and developing sense of self. The original owner of her body grew increasingly distant from Lin Qi, though their familial relationship remained harmonious.

Precisely because of this, 555 responded immediately after Lin Yan finished speaking.

Yes.

“Exactly.” Having achieved her goal, Lin Yan lightly pinched her lower lip between her fingertips, a faint smile curving her lips. She posed her final question: “Third question: A struggling student suddenly has an epiphany and wants to study diligently. Speaking in a slightly softer tone, she asks the person she likes to tutor her. This would both please her concerned mother and allow her to spend extended periods in close proximity with her crush. What’s wrong with this two-pronged approach?”

At this, 555 suddenly lost its ability to think clearly. Following Lin Yan’s logic, it did sound perfectly reasonable!

Wait, no, this feels like I’ve been brainwashed…

The items within the bracelet’s storage space had been silent for a long time. Lin Yan knew what 555 was pondering and glanced sideways at Lou Yubing, who was feigning composure.

“And the results this time were quite satisfactory. With continued effort, we should be able to make further progress.”

“Besides, I know my limits. You’d better focus on other things.”

She didn’t need to spell it out. After all, the higher-ups were still monitoring this Small World. A hint was enough; she trusted 555 would understand.

The worldview of this book world was fundamentally similar to her own. Although her high school knowledge was a bit rusty, Lin Yan picked it up relatively quickly. She just needed more time to refine her skills.

For this monthly exam, Lin Yan had no intention of cheating. She also wanted to maintain her “genuine slacker” persona with Lou Yubing. Throughout the exam, she chewed on her pen, leaned to the side, and occasionally let out a “tsk” or two, feigning frustration while actually dozing off with her eyes closed.

555 had even “praised” her for her audacity, wondering if she wasn’t afraid of ruining her newly established “diligent student” image. Lin Yan couldn’t care less. Given Lou Yubing’s usual indifference—never sparing her even a glance—how could she possibly be looking around during the exam?

Her assessment proved accurate. Since enrolling in this school, Lou Yubing had found her greatest joy in studying and her most beautiful sound in the school bell.

Only in the classroom could she escape the torment of the “rats” and avoid constant suppression. While everyone else yearned for the freedom outside of class, for her, only learning brought a sense of liberation.

Yet no matter how hard she tried, she could never surpass one person: Xia Qiyu.

She had always disliked comparing herself to others, believing that doing her best was enough. But each time she saw her unchanging ranking on the report card, a pang of disappointment would still strike her heart.

Lou Yubing didn’t feel any particular affection for Xia Qiyu, but Xia was undeniably the only person in their class who treated her with genuine kindness. The others either kept their distance out of fear of getting involved or joined the bullies as accomplices.

Despite everything, she remained at the school. The Lin Family’s generous scholarship, combined with academic awards and regular donations to the orphanage, eased the Dean Mother’s worries.

If not for Lin Yan’s past humiliations, she would have been deeply grateful for the Lin Family’s kindness.

As her thoughts drifted to this, Lou Yubing’s pen, which had been gliding smoothly across the answer sheet, paused momentarily. The words Lin Yan had spoken during yesterday’s morning study session flashed through her mind, stirring her heart into turmoil once more.

Do you… like me?

She had never considered such a thing, nor had she ever been like others, eagerly discussing the love affairs in romance novels. Now that the thought had occurred to her, she figured it was simply because she hadn’t handled the situation properly.

Lou Yubing had been earnestly pondering how to resolve this trouble decisively when, in the next moment, memories resurfaced of Lin Yan’s past domineering commands and humiliations. Seeing her attitude, the others secretly mocked her for being so forgetful.

She couldn’t explain why she hadn’t been able to get angry yesterday when she met those clear, innocent eyes, even foolishly agreeing to such an unreasonable request. Now, recalling those past incidents, she had finally come to her senses.

If Lin Yan asked her to tutor her this weekend, she would make things clear once and for all. Whether that “like” was genuine or not, she would simply avoid further contact with her.

Meanwhile, Lin Yan was leisurely waiting for the exam bell to ring so she could submit her half-blank test paper. This would save her from sitting here doing nothing. Suddenly, the notification sound of her favorability points continuing to decrease kept ringing in her ears, prompting her to glance back at Lou Yubing, who was calmly answering the exam questions.

How can she still be distracted during the exam, even letting her painstakingly raised favorability drop back to zero? How am I supposed to complete my mission?!

For a moment, Lin Yan thought Lou Yubing’s name was truly fitting—a perfect match for her icy demeanor. Just like her name suggested, she was a block of ice, keeping her emotions bottled up, making it nearly impossible to read her true feelings on the surface.

In this case, however, Lin Yan didn’t need to guess. She knew exactly what Lou Yubing was thinking about: the foolish mistakes the original owner of this body had made.

This passive approach wouldn’t work. She needed to take the initiative.

After waiting a while longer, the exam bell finally rang. One by one, the students filed out of the classroom, waiting for the proctor to collect their papers before returning for the next session.

The buzz of post-exam discussions outside the classroom drifted in. Lou Yubing gathered her belongings, ready to leave, when she felt a soft tug on her left pinky and ring fingers.

She turned to see Lin Yan, half her face peeking out from where she lay sprawled on the desk. The girl’s small face was no longer as assertive and spirited as usual, nor as docile as it had seemed yesterday. Instead, it was deathly pale, utterly drained of color.

Lou Yubing’s heart trembled slightly. She forgot to pull away, her brow furrowing tightly as she leaned closer.

“Lou Yubing, could you take me to the School Infirmary? My stomach hurts…”

The girl’s expression didn’t seem feigned, but Lou Yubing had just declared her intention to distance herself. Torn between her resolve and her empathy, Lou Yubing was about to refuse when the hand gripping hers suddenly tightened. When she looked up, she met those tearful eyes.

“It really hurts…”

Unable to resist, Lou Yubing turned her back, crouched down, and patted her shoulder.

“Get on.”

It was break time after the monthly exams, and the corridor was packed. The sight of someone being carried on another’s back—especially when the protagonists were the two “infamous” rivals known for their animosity—inevitably drew curious glances.

Both girls were slender, but Lin Yan could feel the solid strength in Lou Yubing’s back, likely from her frequent physical labor. Despite being only 160 cm tall, Lin Yan felt securely supported by the 175 cm Lou Yubing, who carried her steadily without faltering, even after walking a considerable distance.

Feeling completely secure, Lin Yan draped her arms comfortably over Lou Yubing’s shoulders, her earlier feigned weakness completely gone. Even 555 would have praised her performance as worthy of the Best Actress award.

Hmm… Lin Yan thought, retracting her earlier assessment of Lou Yubing as a “big ice block.” At least the touch didn’t feel like ice; her embrace was warm and comforting.