“What?! Everyone Except Me Is a Villain (GL) - Chapter 13

Jin Buning’s ears tingled with an odd itch. Her gaze drifted toward the door not far away, and she mentally traced the route she could take. She could slip out without disturbing the two people talking.

Having made up her mind, she moved quietly, step by cautious step, keeping her eyes on her surroundings. The school nurse was so absorbed in her conversation that she didn’t even notice Jin Buning’s sneaky retreat. Xu Yixin, however, did. She watched Jin Buning’s awkward, serpentine movements with faint amusement.

What a pity. Not as easy to control as I thought.

Xu Yixin thought to herself as Jin Buning reached the door. Without hesitation, she turned the knob and slipped out. The soft click of the closing door caught the nurse’s attention for a moment, but before she could turn her head, Xu Yixin spoke up again.

“By the way, I have a question for you.”

“Yes, Master, please ask.”

The nurse immediately forgot her curiosity, eyes bright with devotion. She looked eager, desperate, even to offer everything she knew if it meant earning a trace of Xu Yixin’s favor.

“Do you know what happens when these herbs are mixed together?”

Xu Yixin listed the names she had noted earlier. She had already searched online, but there were no answers about what those particular combinations would do. The nurse, being a medical school graduate, might know more.

The nurse frowned as she tried to recall. “I majored in Western medicine, so I’m not too familiar with Chinese medicine… but these herbs seem to conflict with each other. They shouldn’t be mixed. Why are you asking, Master?”

Hearing that, Xu Yixin’s doubts about Jin Buning deepened. Still, she didn’t reveal her real reason, no need to let her mad dog bite the wrong target and ruin her plans.

“Oh, I just saw Xier Junior eating them and got curious.”

The nurse scoffed coldly, completely disregarding Xu Yixin’s tone. “I told you before that Dr. Zhu from the Zhen family was fired for malpractice. I bet she’s got her eyes on Jin Xier. That’s why she’s feeding her that nonsense, trying to control her.”

Xu Yixin’s eyes narrowed slightly. She had learned about that doctor through the nurse, her cousin, in fact, and that was also how she found out about Jin Xier’s identity. It seemed the one suffering, Zhen Ning, might not be the true heiress after all. Perhaps Jin Xier was the real Zhen family daughter, and Zhen Ning was just a disposable scapegoat.

“How interesting,” Xu Yixin chuckled. “You did well today. I’ll reward you later.”

The nurse was overjoyed at the praise. Gathering her courage, she asked timidly, “Master, may I touch your hand?”

Xu Yixin’s expression instantly darkened. The nurse’s heart dropped; she trembled and dropped to her knees.

“Forgive me, Master. I was wrong!”

“There’d better not be a next time,” Xu Yixin said coldly. “I don’t like disobedient dogs.”

With that, she turned and left, irritation simmering under her calm exterior. She did enjoy raising dogs, turning them into loyal, obedient pawns. But if one lost control, she had to put it down before it could bite her.

“Maybe it’s time for a new dog,” she murmured.

Unbidden, Jin Buning’s face surfaced in her mind. There was something about that girl, a strange, contradictory beauty. When she smiled, she was bright and disarming, almost pure. When she didn’t, the chill in her expression stirred an odd desire to conquer. Xu Yixin imagined her with a collar and chain and almost smiled. Yes, she’d make an exceptional pet.

Her irritation slowly faded, replaced by curiosity. And as if fate were teasing her, she spotted Jin Buning again barely ten minutes after she’d left.

The girl stood by the window, eyes fixed intently on something outside. That gaze, deep and focused, was so uncharacteristic that Xu Yixin couldn’t help but be intrigued.

Careful not to startle her, Xu Yixin approached quietly. Perhaps she was watching someone she liked? A secret crush? But when Xu Yixin peered over her shoulder, she realized Jin Buning was staring at… the pot-bellied principal.

No wonder she’s immune to my charm. Her tastes are… unique.

Xu Yixin’s thoughts tangled in disbelief. But then she saw who stood beside the principal—a woman she recognized.

“Zheng Si?” she muttered.

“What?”

Startled, Jin Buning spun around, nearly stumbling backward. Fear flickered across her face, raw, unguarded. Xu Yixin frowned. Why did this girl look at her like that? She was beautiful, terrifyingly so, even, and yet Jin Buning seemed terrified of her.

The more secrets Jin Buning carried, the more Xu Yixin wanted to dig deeper. She reached out quickly, pulling the girl away before she could hit her head against the wall.

“You’re really careless, Zhen Ning. How do you expect to survive like that?” Xu Yixin didn’t let go, leaning in close, her breath brushing against Jin Buning’s ear. She was certain her beauty couldn’t fail, but Jin Buning just stared at her blankly, almost pityingly, and even steadied herself by holding Xu Yixin’s waist.

For a brief, absurd moment, Xu Yixin wondered if something was wrong with her own charm.

“I was just startled,” Jin Buning said evenly. “Shouldn’t you be with your dog, playing games?”

The words caught Xu Yixin off guard.

“Dog, huh?” she murmured, smirking. “A lovely term, really. Shame I prefer little pups, not wild ones that bite.”

She was, of course, thinking of the nurse her unruly “pet.” But for some reason, being near Jin Buning made her unusually honest. Maybe it was because this girl’s position was so peculiar, or maybe she was simply tired of pretending to be a social butterfly all the time.

“Senior, could you let go? My stomach still hurts,” Jin Buning said, brows furrowed, utterly unimpressed by Xu Yixin’s flirtation.

Xu Yixin’s irritation deepened. This little puppy clearly needed taming, but that was fine. She had time.

Finally releasing her, Xu Yixin watched as Jin Buning instinctively put distance between them, sniffing her sleeve as though checking for something.

“What, do you like my scent that much?”

“No. I just heard dogs have a sharp nose. If I smell like your perfume, I might get attacked,” Jin Buning replied, completely serious.

Xu Yixin nearly laughed from disbelief. For a moment, she wanted to smack her, but then remembered her freshly manicured nails.

“Forget it,” she sighed. “Anyway, that woman you were staring at, that’s Zheng Si.”

Jin Buning’s gaze flicked back to the figures outside. The principal and Zheng Si were deep in conversation.

“Mm,” she replied curtly, though her eyes didn’t move. There was something in her look—shock, maybe recognition that made Xu Yixin pause.

Curious, Xu Yixin decided to probe a little. “Since we’ll be living together soon, I’ll give you a little benefit,” she said with a teasing smile.

Finally, Jin Buning looked at her. Their eyes met steady, clearly, completely devoid of the fluster or fascination Xu Yixin was used to. It was infuriating.

“Anything I know, I can tell you,” Xu Yixin went on. “For instance, you seem quite curious about Zheng Si.”

That got a visible reaction. Jin Buning’s face paled in surprise, confirming Xu Yixin’s suspicion.

“Zheng Si,” Xu Yixin began casually, “is a 27-year-old guest professor of interior design at Paradise Academy. Single. Three older brothers. She got famous when both Paradise High and Paradise University were renovated under her design. It trended on Weibo for days. Her family’s been in architecture for generations. You could say the entire Paradise Academy was built by her family.”

She finished the summary without emotion, as if reading from a file.

But Jin Buning’s reaction was strange, pure fear. Her hands trembled slightly as she asked, “Do you think there may be… something hidden inside Paradise High? Like a secret passage or a trapdoor, something straight out of a drama?”

Xu Yixin chuckled. “You have quite the imagination. When she worked on the renovation, she’d just graduated. Even if there were some secret passage, what would be the point? World domination?”

But as she joked, she noticed Jin Buning’s entire body shaking like a frightened animal. Xu Yixin hesitated. Part of her wanted to comfort herwrap her in an embrace, and whisper something to make her dependent.

She reached out, but before she could touch her, Jin Buning stepped back. “Thank you for the explanation, Senior. I should get to class.”

And with that, she bolted out of the room, leaving Xu Yixin standing there, half amused, half annoyed. For the first time in her life, she’d met someone who was completely immune to her charm.

But instead of giving up, a new desire bloomed. She smiled slowly, eyes glinting with mischief.

Fine, little dog. I’ll make you fall for me first, then I’ll throw you away without hesitation.