The Villainess Is Pretending to Be Sweet Again Today (Transmigration) - Chapter 26

After more than half a year together, Nuo Yang and Long Huaichang inevitably had their first argument.

It was frustrating. Nuo Yang had always thought Long Huaichang was emotionally detached—though obedient at home, Nuo Yang knew her true nature. Aside from the young heroine, no one had ever truly captured her heart.

Nuo Yang never expected Long Huaichang to reclaim her family’s fortune or achieve great success. As long as she grew up safe and sound, that would be enough to honor Nuo Yang’s original intentions back at the funeral hall.

But Long Huaichang getting a girlfriend had genuinely shaken Nuo Yang, making her realize she might not have truly understood her all this time.

Had her dream of being a doting elder sister just shattered?

What did this girlfriend even look like? Was she pretty?

Why had Long Huaichang never mentioned her before…

“Sigh…”

During lunch break, Nuo Yang stared blankly at her takeout. Even her favorite dishes tasted bland.

Her coworkers kept glancing her way, puzzled by the usually cheerful Nuo Yang’s recent gloom.

Everyone had noticed her low spirits these past few days, though no one knew why. No one asked either—if she wasn’t volunteering the reason, pressing her would be awkward.

But after three straight days of sighing, even their own lunches felt less enjoyable.

“Nuo Yang, what’s going on with you lately?”

Finally, Cheng Bai broke the silence. “Are you upset about something?”

Nuo Yang looked up at her colleagues and sighed. “I had a fight with Xiao Huai.”

“Huh?”

The group immediately perked up. Everyone knew how often Nuo Yang talked about her little shadow. With no other relatives, this ‘little sister’ was a constant topic in their chats.

Hadn’t their relationship been fine? How did they suddenly end up arguing?

After Nuo Yang explained the fight, the room fell silent.

“Ah, puppy love,” Chu Kexin said helplessly. “A high school sophomore dating is pretty normal. Why did you argue over it?”

Nuo Yang pressed her lips together. “I was just upset she hid having a girlfriend from me, so I lost my temper. I didn’t expect her to get angry too.”

Cheng Bai latched onto the key detail. “Girlfriend???”

Suddenly, everything clicked for the group.

“You can’t really blame Xiao Huai,” Chu Kexin said, hugging her lunchbox. “She’s a teenager figuring herself out. If she developed feelings for a girl, she’d probably be confused too—how could she easily tell you?”

Cheng Bai nodded. “Exactly. At her age, emotions are confusing. It’s normal to feel both attached and scared about love. Losing your temper was definitely your mistake.”

“Right, what if you scared her off?”

“Nothing’s worse than parental interference when you’re dating. What if it traumatizes her?”

“Yeah, exactly!”

“Nuo Yang, you should try understanding her feelings instead of just blaming her.”

Nuo Yang looked at them thoughtfully before finally saying, “So… I should have a proper talk with her?”

“Of course,” Cheng Bai said with a smile. “Communication is very important. You’re her only family now. If you don’t care about her, who else will be good to her?”

Nuo Yang pondered this and realized it made perfect sense!

Today, she would have a good talk with Long Huaichang !

—

When she returned home in the evening, Long Huaichang had already prepared dinner and set it on the table before retreating to her bedroom. The living room was empty except for Gua Zi, sprawled on the sofa, snoring loudly.

This had been the routine in Nuo Yang’s household for the past three days. Ever since their argument, the two of them hadn’t shared a meal at the same table.

Nuo Yang glanced at tonight’s dinner—sauerkraut fish and two stir-fried dishes.

After putting her things down and changing clothes, she came back downstairs, ate dinner, and washed the dishes. Hesitating for a long while, she finally knocked on Long Huaichang’s door.

Knock, knock, knock—

Nuo Yang leaned against the door and asked softly, “Xiao Huai, are you there?”

“I am.”

A cool, detached voice came from inside. “Come in if you have something to say.”

Nuo Yang blinked. This was her house—why did it feel like Long Huaichang was the one in charge?

But that thought didn’t last long. When she pushed the door open, she saw Long Huaichang sitting at her desk doing homework, her eyes tinged with a hint of confusion.

“Did you need something, sis?” Long Huaichang spoke first. “Was dinner not to your taste?”

“No,” Nuo Yang said, standing nervously at the door. “I… wanted to talk to you.”

Long Huaichang stared at her, silent for a few seconds before replying, “What did you want to talk about?”

Seeing that she was willing to engage, Nuo Yang relaxed slightly and sat on the edge of the bed beside her. “I shouldn’t have lost my temper at you before. I came to apologize.”

Long Huaichang turned her chair to face her, the corners of her lips twitching slightly. “I thought you were angry with me and didn’t want to talk to me anymore.”

“What? Weren’t you the one ignoring me?” Nuo Yang asked, puzzled.

“I was upset, but I was more afraid that you wouldn’t talk to me.” Long Huaichang’s dark eyes held an unusual depth under the dim lamplight, making Nuo Yang momentarily dazed.

Unfazed by her expression, Long Huaichang continued softly, “Actually, I never got the chance to explain. I’m not dating anyone, and I don’t like any other girls. It’s just that because we’re often seen together at school, rumors started spreading.”

“Oh.” Nuo Yang exhaled in relief. So there was still hope for her to play the role of the supportive older sister!

She smiled and said, “Xiao Huai, you’ll meet a girl you like someday—someone gentle, caring, and beautiful. So don’t rush into liking someone else too soon.”

Long Huaichang studied her. “How do you know that?”

“Well… I just do~”

“Then, sis, do you think the girl I like will like me back?”

“Uh…”

“Will we be together? Will our future be smooth and happy?”

“…”

Long Huaichang looked at Nuo Yang, extended her hand, and took Nuo Yang’s hand, saying, “Sister, since that person doesn’t like me and we can’t be together, why should I keep waiting for her?”

Nuo Yang could feel the warmth of Long Huaichang’s hand, slightly hot, but the question left her even more bewildered.

In the original story, the young female lead did have some feelings for Long Huaichang . However, the two had gone through too much together, and Long Huaichang’s complicated background and past made the young female lead hesitate, ultimately choosing someone else.

Nuo Yang wondered—if Long Huaichang had a clean slate, free from all those dirty dealings, would the young female lead have fallen for her instead?

Long Huaichang stared intently at Nuo Yang, leaning even closer.

“Sister,” Long Huaichang began, “I hope the person I like also likes me back, that we can stay together forever. She wouldn’t mind my identity or my past, and I would love her wholeheartedly, accepting all her little flaws.”

“I don’t need that person to be the best—just my favorite.”

“I want her to be the one who cares for and loves me the most in this world.”

Long Huaichang squeezed Nuo Yang’s hand tightly and said earnestly, “That’s what I truly wish for, sister.”

When Nuo Yang stepped out of Long Huaichang’s room, her mind was still in a daze.

She had gone in to have a heart-to-heart talk, so how did she end up being lectured by this little girl instead?

Though everything Long Huaichang said made perfect sense, Nuo Yang couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off—yet she couldn’t pinpoint exactly what.

What exactly was it…?

Early the next morning, as Nuo Yang came downstairs, she saw Long Huaichang had already bought breakfast and was feeding the cat, Guazi.

Nuo Yang scratched her messy long hair and yawned, “You’re up so early?”

“It’s not early anymore,” Long Huaichang set Guazi down and glanced up at Nuo Yang’s disheveled appearance. “I’ve got breakfast ready. Go brush your teeth and wash up quickly so we can eat.”

Nuo Yang nodded and disappeared into the bathroom, taking a long time before finally emerging.

After their conversation the night before, Long Huaichang seemed much brighter. She prepared the meal, fed the cat, and then shouldered her backpack, ready to leave for school.

Her good mood lasted the entire day. At lunch, even Shi Tian found it odd—why was Long Huaichang suddenly so cheerful today? Just a few days ago, she had been gloomy, snapping at anyone who tried to talk to her.

Truly, a woman’s heart is hard to understand.

“Long-jie,” Shi Tian said between bites of the canteen’s bland spicy soup, “Jiang Li hasn’t come to see us in ages. What’s she been up to lately?”

Long Huaichang paused. “Don’t know.”

Shi Tian frowned. “What did you two talk about last time? She just left without a word.”

Long Huaichang repeated, “Don’t know.”

Seeing her reluctance to elaborate, Shi Tian wisely dropped the subject and went to buy two tough fried chicken legs from the next stall, hoping to liven up his meal.

After lunch, Long Huaichang returned to the classroom, where there was still half an hour before class started.

As soon as she entered, she spotted a girl with chestnut-colored long hair sitting in her seat—none other than Jiang Li.

Shi Tian blinked in confusion. “What are you doing in our class?”

Jiang Li turned to look at the two of them, finally resting her gaze on Long Huaichang.

“I came to see you,” Jiang Li said with a faint smile. “Aren’t you going to welcome me, Huaichang?”