The Villainess Is Pretending to Be Sweet Again Today (Transmigration) - Chapter 19
In an office building in the city, Nuo Yang was preparing for her day’s work. The small silver daisy pendant around her neck swayed gently, drawing amused smiles from her colleagues who were having breakfast.
“Hey, Xiao Nuo,” Cheng Bai said between bites of her steamed bun. “How’s your little shadow doing lately?”
The ‘little shadow’ referred to Long Huaichang. No one remembered who started it, but ever since everyone noticed how protective Nuo Yang was of Long Huaichang, they’d jokingly called her that. After all, Nuo Yang had no parents or relatives—just this one younger sister she doted on, mentioning her constantly in the office.
Nuo Yang looked up with crescent-moon eyes. “She’s doing well. It’s been two weeks since school started; she should be adjusting to high school life by now.”
Chu Kexin, who knew Long Huaichang had enrolled at Third High, leaned in and whispered, “I heard there’s a new school tyrant at Third High recently. They’ve beaten up bullies from several nearby schools—really badly too!”
Nuo Yang tensed. “Is school violence still that serious nowadays?”
“Middle and high schools have always been hotspots, haven’t they?” Cheng Bai remarked casually. “Just look at the news—how many students get bullied, how many jump from buildings…”
As people in media, they saw such stories constantly, lamenting how difficult it was for kids to grow up these days.
Nuo Yang grew worried. Given Long Huaichang’s special circumstances, could she be facing trouble too? In the original story, Long Huaichang became powerful, but that was as an adult. What if young Long Huaichang was being bullied now…?
Meanwhile, the supposedly ‘bullied’ Long Huaichang had just entered the school grounds.
She tossed her backpack casually, and several boys nearby scrambled to catch it, immediately forming a procession around her as they headed toward the classroom building.
A teacher on uniform inspection duty stopped them. “What’s going on here?”
Before the boys behind her could speak, Long Huaichang said, “Good morning, teacher. We’re not late today.”
The teacher frowned. “I know you’re not late, but why are you gathered like this?”
“We’re good friends, just coming to school together,” Long Huaichang replied.
Seeing the boys nod earnestly behind her, the teacher hesitated but ultimately waved them off. “Alright, get to class.”
Once the teacher left, the boys immediately started showering praise. “Sister Long, you’re amazing! I’ve had it with that old man for ages!”
Long Huaichang shot the speaker a look and enunciated clearly, “He’s still a teacher. Show some respect from now on.”
“…Uh, yes, Sister Long.”
Yawning, she then asked, “Did you finish last night’s homework?”
The burly boys: “No…”
Shi Tian, standing nearby, immediately interjected, “What was the bet after you lost that fight? One month of punctuality and completed homework—did you forget already?”
“But… when have we ever seriously done homework?”
“You lost the bet. A deal’s a deal.”
“We’d rather get beaten up again than do homework.”
“You asked for it?”
“No no no!”
Long Huaichang watched Shi Tian’s triumphant display without a word. Just as she was about to head back to the classroom, she noticed a girl with chestnut-colored long hair walking past, carrying a stack of books.
The girl looked sweet and neat, with a pair of watery eyes that briefly swept over Long Huaichang and the others. Her delicate brows furrowed slightly as she walked by.
For some reason, Long Huaichang thought the girl’s figure resembled Nuo Yang.
That chestnut hair, left untied and cascading down her back, swayed gently in the morning breeze, giving off an almost translucent quality—as if she might vanish the next second.
Shi Tian was still discussing homework with the boys behind her when she noticed Long Huaichang staring intently at the girl in the distance and followed her gaze.
“Isn’t that the girl from the next class?” Shi Tian asked Long Huaichang. “Sister Long, why are you looking at her? Do you know her?”
“No,” Long Huaichang withdrew her gaze and turned to the others. “Alright, make sure you finish your homework during morning reading, got it?”
The senior boys all wore reluctant expressions but agreed nonetheless.
This “school bully” was really strange.
—
That evening, when Nuo Yang returned home and opened the door, she saw Long Huaichang had already prepared dinner. Spotting Nuo Yang, she poured her a glass of water and smiled. “Sister, you’re back. I’ve made dinner.”
Nuo Yang glanced at the three dishes and soup on the table. Over the past six months, Long Huaichang’s cooking skills had improved significantly, and tonight’s meal looked quite presentable.
After setting her things down, Nuo Yang asked, “Xiao Huai, how was school today?”
Long Huaichang pulled her to the dining table, eager to please. “It was great! Sister, try the food I made today and see if you like it!”
She even picked up a piece of meat with her chopsticks and fed it to Nuo Yang. The tender, sweet flavor was delightful.
“Braised pork?” Nuo Yang said in surprise. “How did you have time to make this? It’s so time-consuming.”
Long Huaichang grinned. “Since you like it, I made it for you.”
Seeing Long Huaichang’s happy expression, Nuo Yang couldn’t help but say, “Xiao Huai, I heard there have been a lot of bullying incidents at your school recently. Did you know that?”
Long Huaichang’s hand paused, and she stumbled over her words awkwardly. “R-really? That kind of thing?”
“My colleague mentioned it,” Nuo Yang said, pulling out a chair to sit down. “You mustn’t get involved with those people. If anyone bullies you, you have to tell me, understand?”
Long Huaichang secretly thought to herself—every high school and middle school student within a ten-mile radius knew her name. Just today, she had even told Shi Tian to gather information on nearby universities because she planned to issue challenge letters there too.
“Mm, I understand, Sister,” Long Huaichang replied obediently with a smile. “I won’t get involved with them.”
Blatantly lying, she picked up another piece of braised pork for Nuo Yang and said cheerfully, “Eat more, Sister. I love watching you eat~”
Early the next morning, Shi Tian was crouched at the school gate, waiting for Long Huaichang to arrive.
Within ten minutes, she spotted her approaching—but today, Long Huaichang seemed to be in a bad mood, her face dark with irritation.
“Long Jie, what’s wrong?” Shi Tian approached, carrying his backpack, and asked, “Did someone piss you off? I’ll go beat them up!”
Long Huaichang glanced at him and said unhappily, “Watch your tone from now on. Don’t be so quick to talk about beating people up.”
Shi Tian blinked, not understanding the meaning behind her words.
Weren’t they the school’s toughest? Why couldn’t they talk about beating people up?
Was Long Jie trying to elevate their image?
Great! He’d been wanting to do that for a while!
“I get it, Long Jie!” Shi Tian said excitedly. “From now on, we’ll say ‘cut them down’—it sounds way more intimidating!”
Long Huaichang glared at him coldly. “Lay low for now. I’m being watched.”
“W-watched?” Shi Tian was startled.
“Yeah,” Long Huaichang said. “My sister’s keeping an eye on me.”
Shi Tian: “…Your sister?”
Since when did Long Huaichang have a sister? Wasn’t she the only child of the Long family???
“Right,” Long Huaichang said as they walked toward school. “So tone it down these days. If my sister gets upset, I’ll have to beat someone up.”
“Uh…” Shi Tian wanted to ask more but didn’t dare. If Long Huaichang was this fierce, her sister must be a real tigress—otherwise, why would she be so afraid?
“So, about that fight at Tenth High tonight… are we still going?”
“Of course. We’ll finish them in 20 minutes. I need to get home early to cook.”
“Awesome! Love that decisiveness!”
Just as Long Huaichang and Shi Tian were talking, she suddenly felt a pair of eyes fixed intently on her from behind. She stopped and turned around, spotting a girl with chestnut-colored hair standing not far away, staring at her without hesitation.
Their gazes met, but the girl didn’t flinch. She simply stood under the shade of a tree, watching Long Huaichang with unmistakable admiration.
Admiration?
Long Huaichang studied her, puzzled.
She remembered this girl—the one who had brushed past her yesterday. At the time, Long Huaichang had only given her a brief glance, but now, taking a closer look, she noticed the girl’s skin was unnaturally pale, exuding a fragile kind of beauty.
Shi Tian glanced at Long Huaichang, then at the girl, before quietly tugging her sleeve and hurrying toward the school. “Long Jie, don’t make eye contact with her—you’ll get cursed!”
Long Huaichang withdrew her gaze and looked at him questioningly.
Shi Tian explained, “That’s Jiang Li. Her parents divorced, and she ended up with her mom. Now she lives with her stepdad.”
Long Huaichang said flatly, “So what?”
“I was in the same class as her freshman year. She never talks, and the girls love picking on her.” Shi Tian lowered his voice. “Last winter, she jumped from the third floor and broke her leg. After she recovered, she became really gloomy. The teachers said she had depression and had to stay home for half a year before coming back to school.”
Long Huaichang glanced back at the girl, but she was too far away now to see her expression. All she could make out was her solitary figure standing under the tree, looking utterly alone.
For some reason, Long Huaichang suddenly thought of Nuo Yang.
If Nuo Yang hadn’t spoken to her at her mother’s funeral back then, would she have ended up like this too?
Dark, withdrawn, anxious—feeling like the whole world had abandoned her.
Long Huaichang thought for a long time before saying to Shi Tian, “You… go help me get her contact information.”
Shi Tian asked, “What do you need her contact for? Are you trying to pursue her?”
Long Huaichang stopped walking and looked at Shi Tian, saying, “What, is that not allowed?”
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