The Heartthrob Halo Doesn't Work on the Villain - Chapter 9

To help support her family, Xia Qiyu volunteered to work at a restaurant near the school on Saturdays. Though tiring, the job included meals, and the owner, impressed by her efficiency, occasionally gave her extra pay.

Today, she had just finished work and returned to the dorm. As she pushed open the door and stood in the doorway, she immediately sensed that the atmosphere was different from usual.

High school, despite its academic pressures, was also a time for wild imaginations. While their eight-person dorm wasn’t usually lively, it was rare for there to be complete silence during leisure time.

As she stepped further inside, she easily heard the rustling of turning pages, accompanied by Lou Yubing’s concise explanations and an unfamiliar voice responding.

Hearing this, Xia Qiyu’s head involuntarily turned to the right. That was Lou Yubing’s bunk, and beside her huddled a small figure, scribbling something in a notebook. The angle prevented Xia Qiyu from seeing the person’s face, making it impossible to identify them.

Yet, for some reason, the figure felt strangely familiar.

In Xia Qiyu’s mind, her reclusive roommate had no close friends, which piqued her curiosity.

The last time she saw Lou Yubing being mistreated in the washroom, Xia Qiyu hadn’t even dared to intervene immediately, even after seeing a knife being drawn. She still felt a pang of guilt about that.

Fortunately, nothing irreparable had happened. Though she couldn’t understand why that mischievous young lady, who usually delighted in teasing others, had suddenly stood up for Lou Yubing, at least the girl had done one good deed.

As Xia Qiyu recalled the scene, the image of the person from her memory overlapped with the person before her, freezing her in place.

This… When did they become so close?

During Xia Qiyu’s brief hesitation at the doorway, the roommate whose bed was near the door tugged at her sleeve and pointed to the dessert box on her desk. Leaning closer, she whispered, “Here, that’s yours.”

Xia Qiyu glanced around. Every desk held an identical box. Her gaze landed on Lin Yan, seated beside Lou Yubing. It didn’t take a second to guess who was behind this.

The moment Xia Qiyu glanced over, the small figure that had been sitting so demurely suddenly sprang up, brimming with energy. Lin Yan then threw her arms around the person beside her, and a soft but remarkably clear “pop” echoed through the air, freezing Xia Qiyu’s expression. She even wondered if she was dreaming.

Tutoring required a gradual approach. Since she had agreed to do it, she was determined to do it properly.

So the previous night, Lou Yubing had specifically dug out her old math textbooks—the first few compulsory volumes—along with the practice workbooks she had once used, planning to start with the fundamentals.

She had braced herself for Lin Yan to start acting up after just two minutes, but to her surprise, the girl was remarkably well-behaved, listening intently. At times, when those bright, focused eyes locked onto hers, Lou Yubing’s throat would go dry, and she had to repeatedly sip water to mask her unease.

She also had to admit that she had underestimated Lin Yan’s intelligence. The girl grasped concepts instantly, even applying them to new situations. Teaching her wasn’t nearly as draining as Lou Yubing had anticipated.

Time flew by unnoticed as she completely immersed herself in the role, even the presence of the other roommates fading into the background.

When she was kissed unexpectedly, she didn’t even react with instinctive disgust. Instead, she felt a soft, cloud-like touch on her cheek, carrying an unmistakable rose fragrance—the same scent she’d noticed in the School Infirmary that day.

As her vision refocused, she saw her roommates staring at them, Lin Yan beaming brightly as she looped her arm around her and showered her with compliments. Flustered, Yubing frantically wiped the right side of her face, as if deliberately trying to hide something.

“What are you doing?!”

Playing the fool was a true art. Lin Yan had asked Lou Yubing for tutoring for two reasons: first, to deepen their bond, and second, to subtly shed her “academic slacker” image. By demonstrating improvement, she wanted others to realize she simply hadn’t been motivated to study, not that she lacked the ability.

After all, she still needed to get into the same university as Lou Yubing.

During their tutoring sessions, Lin Yan suddenly realized Yubing actually had a knack for teaching. While the material was straightforward enough for most students to understand, Yubing always explained theorems and axioms in simpler, more accessible terms. Lin Yan had initially expected her to just go through the motions, but she was surprised to find that Yubing had put genuine thought and effort into preparing.

One taught, the other learned. In just an afternoon, they covered several units, progressing at lightning speed. Lin Yan watched Lou Yubing diligently circle problems in the newly printed workbook, explaining they were for after-class reinforcement. The thought that she would never have to pretend not to understand these types of questions again filled her with excitement. She impulsively wrapped her arms around Lou Yubing’s neck and leaned in for a close embrace.

Though Lin Yan later felt she had crossed a line, the sight of Lou Yubing’s ear tips gradually flushing crimson made her secretly smirk.

What can I say? Teasing someone so pure is just too much fun.

The sound of Lou Yubing’s exasperated voice only made Lin Yan laugh harder. She leaned in closer, her voice barely audible.

“Hey, it’s because you’re so amazing! You can teach even someone as dense as me so well, I just got a little too excited. Besides, I told you I like you, right? And when you like someone, you want to be close to them.”

Lou Yubing’s mind reeled from the lengthy confession. The word “like” echoed endlessly in her head, drowning out everything else. She couldn’t even remember when Lin Yan had said goodbye to the others or when she had left the dorm room.

Gossip has always been humanity’s favorite pastime. Even the most reserved person, once touched by scandal, would immediately become the center of attention.

In this school, if you wanted to be known, you either had to consistently dominate the top spots on the academic rankings or come from a family so powerful that everyone feared them.

Lin Yan clearly belonged to the latter category.

As soon as Lin Yan left the dormitory, the others immediately shut the door and swarmed around Lou Yubing. The most enthusiastic one spoke first.

“Yubing, why would she suddenly ask you for tutoring?”

Her question seemed to voice everyone’s unspoken thoughts. The others nodded eagerly, their eyes gleaming with anticipation for gossip. Even Xia Qiyu, who usually showed little interest in such matters, paused on her way to the bathroom with her toiletries and glanced over.

Lost in her own thoughts, Lou Yubing hadn’t heard a word of what was said. She looked up blankly, her confusion plain for all to see.

Gossipers never tire. The speaker repeated her question patiently, her eagerness undiminished. Yet Lou Yubing found herself tongue-tied by such a simple question. The words “She said she likes me” had been brewing in her throat for ages, but she still couldn’t bring herself to say them.

She didn’t believe Lin Yan’s nonsense for a moment, but even she couldn’t find a plausible explanation for this sudden, inexplicable incident. All she could offer was a vague, incoherent murmur.

“It’s nothing. She probably just thought of a new way to tease me.”

Lou Yubing’s tone was detached as she quietly tidied the books and printed practice problems scattered haphazardly across her desk, revealing no trace of her true emotions.

“But we all just saw her—”

The speaker, clearly impatient, was cut off mid-sentence as someone clamped a hand over their mouth and dragged them back. Yet even those few words were enough for Lou Yubing to hear clearly.

A sudden warmth flushed her cheeks. She wanted to brush past the others, open the door, and catch some fresh air outside. But as she stood up, she frowned, sniffing the lingering floral scent in the air.

“Can you smell anything?”

“Smell? What smell?”

The others fell silent at her question, even the person struggling against the hand clamped over their mouth.

Lou Yubing’s frown deepened momentarily before smoothing out. She nodded a polite farewell and slipped out of sight.

Lin Yan walked away humming a little tune, listening to 555 report Lou Yubing’s slowly increasing favorability while replaying the image of her crimson ear tips in her mind. She felt both triumphant and deeply satisfied.

“Xiao Wu, to be honest, that Big Ice Block is actually quite likable.”

So, are you planning to inherit the original owner’s legacy?

Lin Yan paused, not expecting such a teasing remark, but then chuckled helplessly.

“Well, you’re not wrong. I did mention she’s exactly my type.”

Cherish your life. Stay away from darkening villains.

“Mhm.”

Lin Yan responded casually, but if she didn’t use this as an excuse to get closer, how boring would this mission be?

For now, she could only tease the still-immature Lou Yubing, finding amusement in the process.

Of course, if her favorability with him really did increase in the future, she wouldn’t mind actually dating him. After all, according to 555, he would eventually differentiate into an Alpha highly compatible with her. To be honest, she’d always felt this world’s setting was perfect for that kind of thing—full of unexpected possibilities. Though she had stubbornly argued with her friends about always being the “top,” her so-called “stud” self had no real experience beyond herself. As long as things stayed discreet, she wouldn’t mind being a “pillow princess” or even a “ragdoll.”

555 had no idea what Lin Yan was thinking, but instinctively sensed it couldn’t be anything good. It automatically retreated into the bracelet’s space to watch suspense films.

Stepping out of the building, her eyes immediately fell upon another newly constructed tower, its lavish decor screaming wealth. She instantly recognized it as housing for a certain privileged group.

She stared at it for a moment, then stroked her chin, her smile as sly as a fox’s.

Hmm—next step: cohabitation.