Villain Strategy Rules [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 29

The next day, news of the Song family’s eldest daughter eloping for love spread like wildfire. The Song family severed all ties with Song Nuan, declaring they would have no further association. As for who leaked this information, no one knew.

Wen Zhixu leaned against the window, staring at the trending news with indescribable emotions. If Song Nuan’s mother were still alive, she probably would have supported her decision.

Yang Yue returned from outside and saw Wen Zhixu sitting by the window, the pane slightly ajar, withered branches occasionally brushing against her. She asked, “You two always do things I can’t understand. After Chaoyao called you last night, she told me to drive straight to your place. And now, this news is everywhere.”

Wen Zhixu snapped out of her thoughts, suddenly feeling a chill. She closed the window and sat back down. “Young people should do unexpected things sometimes.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Yang Yue plopped onto another chair, shaking her head. “I don’t get what you’re doing—just handing everything over to your sister? Or should I say, your enemy’s sister?”

“Of course not.” Wen Zhixu turned off her phone and reclined in her chair, admiring the faint greenery outside while bundled in a thick robe. “I’ve already taken back everything that belonged to my mother. If I stayed there any longer, the consequences would either be an arranged marriage or bearing responsibilities I don’t want. There’s no need. I don’t acknowledge that man as my father, so I don’t need anything of his either.”

After speaking, she tightened the robe around her. The air-conditioned room had felt too dry earlier, so she’d cracked the window for some air, but now she was cold again. The two of them had been badly frozen the night before, and each had downed a bowl of cold medicine afterward. That morning, Chaoyao was still coughing, but since it wasn’t the weekend, she didn’t take leave and went straight back to school.

Wen Zhixu was slightly better off—Yang Yue’s clothes had been lent to her by Chaoyao, so the latter had suffered more from the cold.

“You really did the right thing,” Yang Yue praised, then picked up a photo from the table—one of Wen Zhixu and Chaoyao at the aquarium. In the picture, the two were smiling brightly, fish swimming behind them like a natural protective barrier. “Before, the teachers there told me Chaoyao was a gloomy kid with a terrible personality. But now, it seems they were lying to me.”

Wen Zhixu: “…”

Actually, they weren’t lying. It was true.

But Chaoyao, as the target of the mission, was strange. Wen Zhixu hadn’t done anything particularly significant for her—mostly just kept her company—yet her corruption value had dropped. The system said it was now stuck at 5%, meaning the ending could basically be altered. But for the task to be completed, it had to hit 0%.

Originally, Wen Zhixu planned to let things unfold naturally. But the system warned that if a task wasn’t completed within a year in any given world, it would count as a failure, and the world’s story would vanish.

This wasn’t good news for anyone. It meant Wen Zhixu had to finish the mission within six months and leave this world.

Wen Zhixu: “Thanks for driving Chaoyao to school this morning.”

Earlier, Wen Zhixu had been running a slight fever, and Yang Yue, worried she might faint while driving, had volunteered to take Chaoyao to class.

Yang Yue waved her hand dismissively, “No need for thanks. We all believe she can get into a top-tier university. Having taught a student who gets into a prestigious university during our internship period will make job hunting much easier later.”

“Wait, but when I went to see Chaoyao off today, I also saw your sister. Her legs seemed a bit unsteady.”

Song Chaoyao? Wasn’t today her coming-of-age ceremony?

Oh right, the ceremony was scheduled for the evening.

If her legs were unsteady, she’d probably been beaten.

Thinking about Song Chaoyao’s crazed behavior last night, Wen Zhixu still felt a lingering fear. What had gone wrong to make the story take such a strange turn? More importantly, when exactly would Chaoyao’s final descent into darkness occur?

She couldn’t figure it out, nor could she ask. All she could do was continue interacting with her as before, especially since the college entrance exams were just three months away.

Wen Zhixu muttered, “She probably made a mistake last night.”

Yang Yue changed the subject, “By the way, their school’s coming-of-age ceremony is next week. Should we pick out an outfit for Chaoyao? We can’t let her have less than what others get!”

Wen Zhixu’s eyes lit up. That’s right—their school’s ceremony was approaching. Parents were required to attend with their children. Could Chaoyao’s remaining darkness value be related to her parents?

From what she knew, Chaoyao’s mother hadn’t abandoned her intentionally—she had passed away, after which her father had discarded her.

Wen Zhixu despised men. If mothers were alive, no child would suffer, but with only a father, the outcome was usually bleak.

She stood up and walked to the wardrobe. “Let me change, then we’ll go shopping.”

It had been ages since she’d gone shopping. Since she had none of Song Nuan’s clothes, she’d been wearing everything as if new. Song’s father had already transferred the money. Seeing the substantial sum in her bank account, she thought it better to spend it now rather than leave it unused later.

Yang Yue was enthusiastic. “Great! I’ll ask Teacher Zhang if she wants to join.”

Wen Zhixu agreed, “Okay.”

Still chilled from yesterday, Wen Zhixu chose a thick padded coat, wrapped a red scarf around her neck, applied light makeup, and headed out.

Yang Yue had already pulled the car up to the dormitory. As soon as Wen Zhixu got in, Yang Yue said, “Teacher Zhang went on a date with her girlfriend. She said she’ll join us next time.”

Zhang Zhiwan was a love-struck romantic—or rather, she adored her wife and couldn’t stand being apart from her.

Wen Zhixu chuckled. “I figured as much. Her girlfriend’s school starts soon, so they won’t have as much freedom to meet. No way she’d waste this precious time.”

“Huh?” Yang Yue turned on the air conditioning and suddenly hesitated. “Teacher Song, there’s something I’m not sure I should ask.”

“Just ask,” Wen Zhixu replied without looking up, still searching on her phone for the best shopping mall.

Yang Yue bit her lip, gathering courage before finally inquiring, “Did something happen between you and Chaoyao…?”

The air grew heavy with silence.

Wen Zhixu shut off her phone. “Drive. Let’s go to Spring City Mall.”

Yang Yue complied, “Got it.”

Wen Zhixu didn’t want to answer that question—either response would be awkward. Besides, Chaoyao was still a student. To avoid disturbing her, Wen Zhixu had been sleeping in a separate room at night.

At this thought, the occasional late-night videos she had watched spun around her like photographs, instantly flushing her face red.

–

Upon arriving at the mall, Wen Zhixu and Yang Yue hadn’t eaten yet, so they grabbed a meal first before heading to a nice-looking clothing store.

But unfortunately, she ran into someone familiar.

Song’s mother looked slightly surprised upon seeing Wen Zhixu and remarked, “What a coincidence.”

Not only was Song’s mother surprised, Wen Zhixu was too. But then she remembered that since it was Chaoyao’s coming-of-age ceremony, Song Chao would naturally attend as well.

At family-hosted coming-of-age events, Song Chao wore haute couture, but at school, teachers didn’t allow students to flaunt wealth, so custom-made clothes were out of the question—hence the mall trip.

“I don’t think it’s a coincidence, so let’s just pretend we didn’t see each other.”

Yang Yue whispered, “Who is this?”

Wen Zhixu replied, “Song Chao’s mother.”

Song Chao and Song Nuan actually took more after their father, hence the similar features.

Maintaining her poised smile, Song’s mother first exchanged a few words with her two attendants before approaching Wen Zhixu. “Do you have time for coffee? There’s something I’d like to discuss.”

Wen Zhixu retorted, “What if I don’t?”

Song’s mother chuckled lightly. “I’m grateful to you, so would you give me this chance? It might concern your little Chaoyao.”

Wen Zhixu gave her a cold look before turning to Yang Yue. “Go pick out some clothes first. I’ll be back in half an hour.”

Yang Yue nodded. “Alright.”

Song’s mother chose a café on the top floor with a scenic view by the window. The rich aroma of coffee greeted them as they entered. Leading Wen Zhixu to the window seat, she cut straight to the point: “I was shocked by the commitment you made, but I’d like to ask why you did it.”

Wen Zhixu kept her smile. “Telling you this doesn’t benefit me in any way.”

Song’s mother took out a box from her bag and slid it across the table. “I think this might be useful to you.”

Opening the box, Wen Zhixu found a gold locket inside. Upon closer inspection, it bore an inscription—the characters for “Chaoyao.”

“What is this?” Wen Zhixu frowned. “Does this belong to Chaoyao?”

Song’s mother explained, “When they were young, Song Chao suddenly brought home this locket. I saw the character ‘Chao’ but didn’t notice the rest clearly, so I let her play with it. While cleaning recently, I realized it was Chaoyao’s. When I asked my daughter, she said she’d seen a friend wearing it as a child. She didn’t recognize the character ‘Yao’ but thought it was pretty, so she had someone buy it for her.”

Wen Zhixu recalled Yang Yue mentioning that Chaoyao had sold her only gold locket—a gift from her mother—to bury her younger sister.

Song’s mother pressed on, “Now, can you tell me?”

Wen Zhixu pocketed the locket. “I’m selfish. I can’t sacrifice myself for the family. My mother never loved my father, and I want nothing to do with him or his legacy. Nor do I want to lose the freedom to love whom I choose. Is that reason enough?”

Song’s mother sipped her coffee. “These are trivial matters, really. I admire your loyalty to your partner. If you’re determined to leave, I hope you won’t appear before us again. Can you agree to that?”

Wen Zhixu scoffed. “Why would you think I’d ever want to see any of you again?”

The café was quiet, with only a few patrons inside. The melodious piano music lifted one’s spirits as Wen Zhixu lightly tapped the table, maintaining a gentle smile throughout.

“I may not be willing now, but I can’t guarantee how I’ll feel in the future,” Mother Song set down her coffee cup. “However, I might have some news you’d be interested in.”

Wen Zhixu parted her lips slightly. “What news?”

Mother Song replied, “Information about Chaoyao’s father.”