“What?! Everyone Except Me Is a Villain (GL) - Chapter 31
It was proving to be a difficult task, especially since both of their favorability levels toward each other were practically rock bottom.
A jumble of thoughts flashed through Jin Buning’s mind as she took out her phone and snapped a photo of the two.
The sound of the camera shutter drew both girls’ attention. They turned toward her at the same time, faces equally puzzled. Xu Yixin looked like a dazzling red rose in full bloom, while Zhen Xier was a delicate white rose, pure and pitiful. Strangely enough, when the two stood together, the contrast was unexpectedly harmonious.
“Look at this,” Jin Buning said, pointing to her phone screen. “Don’t you think you two look perfect together?”
Her words successfully redirected their attention. The tension between the two seemed to dissipate just a little, only for both of them to give equally disgusted looks when they realized what she was implying.
At that moment, Jin Buning exaggeratedly winked. The growing crowd of curious onlookers finally made both girls aware of their surroundings. They composed themselves quickly.
“I still have to go to the hospital, so I’ll be leaving now. Ningning, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Zhen Xier smiled brightly, as if the awkward atmosphere from a moment ago had never existed. Then she picked up her backpack and left. The worn-out bag gave away her ordinary background; it practically announced that she didn’t belong in this elite Paradise Academy.
“She’s still carrying that old thing,” Xu Yixin said, her tone dripping with mockery. “I wonder how long she can keep up the act.”
If it weren’t for her cousin, Xu Yixin admitted she would never have discovered such a shocking secret.
Then, brushing off the matter, Xu Yixin turned back to Jin Buning with a radiant smile. “You’ve waited long enough. Now it’s just the two of us. Where do you want to spend our time together?”
Her voice was low and teasing, the kind of tone that could make anyone’s heart itch.
Jin Buning kept her expression blank and simply nodded, but before she could react, Xu Yixin had already grabbed her arm.
Even though she tried to avoid contact, Jin Buning still accidentally brushed against places she really shouldn’t have.
“So cute,” Xu Yixin whispered, eyes gleaming. “You don’t react at all.”
She rarely used this kind of weaponized charm. Normally, she despised using her body or allure to get what she wanted it felt cheap, beneath her.
But something about Jin Buning’s calm resistance sparked a strange sense of challenge in her.
“Why should I feel anything? We’re both girls.”
Jin Buning’s reply was cool, but inside, she silently thanked the 138 times she’d been through similar encounters with Xu Yixin in previous loops. Xu Yixin was the only one who had never killed her directly. Every time Jin Buning had died in a loop related to Xu Yixin, it had been either while protecting her or because others grew jealous of their “close relationship.”
“You do know,” Xu Yixin murmured, leaning in closer, “that girls can do things with girls too…”
Her breath brushed against Jin Buning’s ear, her tone lazy and deliberate. Maybe it was because too many people were watching, or maybe she simply enjoyed toying with her.
“I know,” Jin Buning replied evenly. “But why does it have to be you?”
She met Xu Yixin’s gaze well, almost. She deliberately focused on the space between her brows instead of those dangerously seductive eyes. Xu Yixin’s charm was almost supernatural, and Jin Buning had learned the hard way that staring too long could get her killed.
[System Notification: Xu Yixin’s favorability toward the host +10. Current favorability: 0.]
Xu Yixin seemed pleased. She kept the distance between them unbearably close, whispering, “Then keep it that way.”
Her breath tickled against Jin Buning’s ear like a hook tugging at her heart.
Even knowing that Xu Yixin was the type to only flirt but never commit, Jin Buning’s heartbeat still stumbled.
If she’d known how terrifying these villains were, beautiful, dangerous, and utterly irresistible regardless of gender, she would’ve studied the emotionless cultivation path long ago.
Expressionless, Jin Buning gave a quiet “Mm,” and started walking ahead.
When the crowd thinned out, Xu Yixin frowned slightly. “Where exactly are you taking me?”
“The infirmary,” Jin Buning answered simply.
Xu Yixin’s tone grew cautious. “Why? What are you planning?”
It was hard to tell if she was suspicious or if her imagination was just going places it shouldn’t.
Jin Buning sighed. “Not whatever you’re thinking. I need the infirmary key. I have to get some herbs.”
Xu Yixin looked displeased, halting in her steps. “So that 5-2-1 you sent me was just for medicine?”
Jin Buning shot her a look of disdain. “What else? You thought I was confessing to you?”
By then, they’d reached the infirmary door. It was already closed for the day, locked tight.
Before Jin Buning could think of a workaround, Xu Yixin had already keyed in a code on the electronic lock expertly.
“Access granted,” the machine chimed.
Jin Buning wasn’t even surprised anymore. She followed her inside, glancing around at the now-familiar room.
“The medicine cabinet key?” she asked.
Xu Yixin reached behind the sofa, quickly finding a small hidden key, but instead of handing it over, she smirked. “So, that 5-2-1 we’re square now?”
“No,” Jin Buning replied. “You still owe me a hundred. In cash.”
“What?”
“In this age of e-payments?” Xu Yixin raised an eyebrow.
“I need to buy something without leaving a trace.”
Jin Buning’s tone was serious. She wanted to test if the in-app Love Mall would accept cash transactions. Digital purchases automatically created data records, which could expose her odd behavior if anyone traced it. Cash, however, left no trail and would let her experiment with refining pills in secret.
Xu Yixin looked even more puzzled. “Just what kind of illness do you have that you’re so desperate to hide it from the Zhen family? Or… is this about Xier?”
Jin Buning shook her head. Back before all this, before the loops and deaths, she’d been an ordinary senior student focused solely on exams. She had no time for anything else.
“No. This is for me. It’s just an idea for now. If I succeed one day, I’ll tell you, alright?”
Her tone softened a little. She had to remind herself she wasn’t a powerful cultivator here, just a mortal trying not to die. She needed to get stronger, to survive.
Xu Yixin crossed her arms, studying her carefully. Then, after a long pause, she said quietly, “Fine. But don’t do anything stupid.”
Jin Buning nodded solemnly. She knew Xu Yixin treated medicine seriously, maybe even reverently. Considering the Zhen family’s influence in the medical world, it was clear their feud ran deep. But that wasn’t her concern right now. What mattered was getting stronger.
She took a deep breath and focused on the rows of herbs.
The infirmary stocked over a hundred common Chinese medicinal ingredients, simple, everyday stuff.
“Goji berries, red dates… huh,” she muttered.
Many were so common that people forgot they even counted as medicine. As she examined them one by one, she discovered the system required at least ten seconds of contact to register a new material.
Because of that ridiculous rule, Jin Buning stood there holding two jars at once, looking utterly absurd as she timed her touches.
Xu Yixin watched for a while out of curiosity, but the repetitive motions soon bored her. She tried scrolling through her phone, then eventually drifted off to sleep on the sofa.
Meanwhile, Jin Buning methodically scanned every herb, and when she was done, she moved on to the Western medicine section, cataloging each item for her system.
By the time she finished, she felt satisfied and ready to leave, until she realized something was missing.
Looking around, she finally spotted the problem: Xu Yixin, fast asleep on the couch.
“Senior, we can go now,” Jin Buning called softly.
Xu Yixin’s eyelids twitched, but didn’t open. Her relaxed, defenseless posture made it hard to even think about waking her roughly.
Jin Buning hesitated, then tried again. “Senior?”
This time, Xu Yixin shot up abruptly, and their heads collided.
A sharp pain radiated through both of them, forcing a muffled groan. Xu Yixin’s eyes were slightly red, as if she’d just woken from a vivid dream. Her sleepy, disheveled look made her even more dangerously beautiful.
“I’m done,” Jin Buning said, rubbing her forehead. “Let’s go.”
“Mm.” Xu Yixin checked her phone and blinked in surprise. “It’s eight already?”
“Yeah,” Jin Buning said. “It took longer than I expected. It’s dark, no,w let me have the driver take you home.”
She glanced toward the windows uneasily.
Stories about Paradise Academy being haunted or worse were infamous throughout Paradise City.
And now, with nightfall, the school felt unsettlingly empty.
“Home?” Xu Yixin repeated softly, a shadow crossing her eyes. “Right… the hotel.” She smiled faintly. “Wait, you didn’t forget, did you? You promised to think about it. I’m still homeless, remember?”
As she spoke, she leaned in close again, the scent of her perfume enveloping Jin Buning.
If Jin Buning dared say no, she was sure Xu Yixin would strangle her right here and now.
And truthfully… she had forgotten. After the chaos of last night and today’s endless encounters with villains, she’d completely lost track of that promise.
“What’s wrong?” Xu Yixin murmured, her tone dangerous and playful. “Or is there something in your place you don’t want me to see?”
She closed the distance between them once more, eyes glimmering with that same bewitching confidence beautiful, fragrant, and impossible to resist.
Too bad for her, Jin Buning had already seen through every trick in her book.