“What?! Everyone Except Me Is a Villain (GL) - Chapter 3

The drone flew back at that moment, carrying with it a single phone.

In this villa, Jin Bu-Ning had always lived a strictly regimented life. While everyone else spent their days gaming or finding ways to entertain themselves, her world consisted solely of study and training. Because she was a fake daughter, she was expected to be perfect in every possible way. All those novels about spoiled, willful imposters who squandered money without restraint had nothing to do with her reality.

So when she saw the phone, she felt a complicated mix of emotions. Carefully, she took it from the drone and noticed that it had only one chat app installed. Opening WeChat, she found a single contact.

[WeChat] Zheng Si: Are you doing okay?

The message was laced with concern completely at odds with how Qin Xiangyi had imagined Zheng Si’s personality. Unlike the other villains, Zheng Si possessed a face so beautiful it was almost menacing, like a queen who ruled with elegance and danger. Yet behind that face was a mild, unassuming temperament. To this day, Jin Bu-Ning still didn’t understand what could have turned someone like Zheng Si into a villain.

[WeChat] Jin Bu-Ning: Thank you, sis. I’m doing alright.

Her reply was polite and distant, the kind that kept Zheng Si at arm’s length. She had to maintain a delicate balance among the five villains, careful not to seem closer to one than the others—lest they compare notes behind her back. But if she had to pick one ally among them, she would’ve chosen Zheng Si. She was the easiest to deal with… and probably the first to die.

Their conversation flowed like a practiced dance neither showing sincerity, neither sure of the other’s intentions. Jin Bu-Ning’s replies were half-hearted, and without being able to see Zheng Si’s expression, she couldn’t tell what the woman truly wanted.

Finally, at 9:30 p.m., Zheng Si got to the point.

[WeChat] Zheng Si: Have you found a place to stay?
[WeChat] Jin Bu-Ning: The university’s about to start, so I plan to move back to the dorms.

Her answer was firm, leaving no room for negotiation. Zheng Si didn’t press further and instead told her to keep the phone as a “moving gift.” Jin Bu-Ning accepted it without hesitation, knowing full well that the device was probably riddled with trackers. Even so, taking it was the safest choice for now.

Once the exchange was over, the villa fell silent again. By 9:45, Jin Bu-Ning had installed a few basic apps and was testing the phone when she noticed a strange icon she didn’t recognize.

“A… dating app?”

She frowned. The name alone sounded dubious, so she immediately went to uninstall it. But as her finger brushed over the icon, it began to move literally darting around the screen like a living creature. After a few failed attempts to tap it, she gave up and reset the entire phone.

When the device restarted at 9:55, WeChat was still there but the dating app icon had grown larger. Leaning closer, Jin Bu-Ning realized the “icon” was actually a fluffy white ball.

As if sensing her gaze, the ball turned around and suddenly filled the whole screen. For a split second, Jin Bu-Ning thought it might leap out of the phone. Instead, it pressed its tiny face against the glass, peering curiously at the world beyond.

The creature’s behavior was so lifelike that Jin Bu-Ning couldn’t help being fascinated. She had no idea how Zheng Si, an interior design major, could have the coding skills to create something so realistic and… cute.

“Human, can you see me?”

The voice was crisp and clear not transmitted through the phone’s speaker but echoing directly inside her mind.

“You’re… an alien?”

The fluffball shook its head, looking offended.

“A demon, then?”

Another shake this time, its tiny expression filled with disdain, as if it couldn’t believe how stupid humans could be.

“Got it. You’re a virus.”

The creature froze, clearly insulted. It puffed up, about to retort—then its eyes suddenly gleamed, and its body went rigid.

A second later, it shouted anxiously, “Human! Go to the bathroom and get yourself wet, now!”

Jin Bu-Ning blinked, startled.

“No time to explain! Just do it!”

She didn’t understand what was happening, but at this point in her bizarre life, she’d learned not to question strange events. Trusting the creature’s urgency, she rushed to the bathroom, splashed water onto her hair, and scrubbed in some shampoo almost by reflex.

“Listen to me carefully,” the fluffball said, its voice sharp and urgent. “Someone’s trying to kill you. If you want to survive, you have to follow my instructions exactly.”

Before she could even ask who, a loud knock rattled the door.

Jin Bu-Ning’s eyes flicked to the time: exactly 10:00 p.m.

“Miss Jin, are you in there?”

It was the butler’s voice, calm by nature, yet now edged with panic. Normally, the man never lost composure, but tonight his tone was so tense it sounded like he might kick the door down. Even without seeing him, Jin Bu-Ning could feel the murderous intent seeping through the air.

And then something strange appeared above the door: a glowing bar marked “Alertness: 50%.”

“What’s going on?” she murmured.

The creature snapped, “No time! Open the door now! Don’t you see the description? It increases by ten percent every ten seconds! Once it hits a hundred, the first thing she’ll do is kill you!”

Completely bewildered, Jin Bu-Ning opened the door and found herself face-to-face with Butler Wang, his expression dark and furious.

As soon as he saw her drenched and disheveled, the alert bar above his head dropped from 90% to 50%, turning yellow to indicate less suspicion but his dislike for her was still obvious.

“Butler Wang? What are you doing here?”

There were ten butlers in the Zhen household, and this one was the chief, the most servile and opportunistic of them all. For him to appear personally at this hour meant something serious had happened.

He didn’t answer. His sharp eyes swept across the room, checking every corner. After a moment, the alert bar dropped again to 30%.

“Ah, nothing,” he said finally, forcing a smile. “I just wanted to ask when you’re leaving tomorrow. Uncle Wang can drive you.”

He made to step inside, but Jin Bu-Ning blocked his path, her polite smile razor-thin.

The butler’s smile faltered.

“I’m in the middle of a shower, Butler Wang. Now’s really not a good time. And I only have a few things I wouldn’t trouble you to see me off.”

Her refusal made his alert bar spike upward again, numbers climbing rapidly until his phone rang. He paused, frowning at the screen before stepping back to answer.

From a distance, Jin Bu-Ning caught only a single phrase: “He’s not here.”

She had no idea who he referred to, but she wasn’t eager to find out. When the butler’s alert level started rising again, she shut the door, considered locking it then glanced at the flimsy lock and decided not to bother.

Once she was sure he’d gone, she turned back to the phone. The fluffball was watching her with an annoyingly smug expression.

“So,” Jin Bu-Ning said flatly, “aren’t you going to introduce yourself?”

“I am Mengmeng, the God of Love.”

“…The God of Love?”

Her mouth twitched. Images from countless cheesy dramas flashed through her mind, and when she remembered the name of that “dating app,” she suddenly felt that she’d attracted something very strange indeed.

“I can read your thoughts,” Mengmeng said matter-of-factly, “but I didn’t come here by choice. Our True God is fond of the number 138, so whoever reincarnates for the 138th time can summon me, the adorable Love God.”

“So you appeared because… You think I need help?”

“Exactly. The world you’re in has been formed by the fusion of five broken worlds. And lucky you, you live right in the middle of the villain cluster. Your parents are villains, your adoptive parents are villains, and no matter who you befriend or fall in love with, they’ll all turn out to be villains too.”

Mengmeng’s voice softened slightly, tinged with sympathy.

Jin Bu-Ning didn’t even flinch. Her face remained calm, almost resigned. Yet somewhere deep down, Mengmeng’s appearance stirred a flicker of hope.

“So… can you help me fix this mess?”

“Not exactly,” the fluffball said, puffing up proudly. “But I can analyze their emotional data and make them love you so much they won’t be able to bring themselves to kill you.”