“What?! Everyone Except Me Is a Villain (GL) - Chapter 37

The more Ning thought about it, the more the beautiful woman before her seemed like a pink-painted skeleton stunning but hollow, a smile without a soul. The warmth that had lingered in her body slowly faded as her mind cleared. The first thing she did was frown and ask, “Wait, why are you in my room? Where’s Aunt Zhu?”

This little villa only housed Ning herself. Aunt Zhu would usually go home to see her own children and rarely stayed overnight. But she always came early in the morning to wake Ning and make breakfast. So being woken up by Xu Yixin today felt very wrong.

“Madam Zhu’s making breakfast downstairs. She told me to wake you up,” Xu Yixin said, her tone half-reproachful but softened by a playful lilt. “Honestly, you should’ve told her I was coming over yesterday. It caused such an awkward scene this morning.”

Ning didn’t reply. Her thoughts drifted back to last night, to the hazy fragments that lingered at the edge of her memory.

“Were you the one who brought me home yesterday?”

She remembered that faint, cool scent she’d noticed before losing consciousness, but no matter how she tried, she couldn’t associate it with Xu Yixin.

Xu Yixin’s lips curved. “Take a guess.”

“I’d guess it wasn’t you,” Ning said bluntly. “Your perfume isn’t that kind.”

She shook her head. No matter how she tried, that cold, ethereal fragrance didn’t match Xu Yixin’s warmth. It was clear the woman was trying to blur the truth to make Ning believe it had been her, perhaps to deepen Ning’s sense of reliance on her.

“Heh,” Xu Yixin chuckled softly, realizing her bluff hadn’t worked. “If I remember correctly, it was Baili Ruobing’s assistant who brought you back last night.”

That caught Ning by surprise. “You even know that?”

“Of course,” Xu Yixin replied with an easy smile. “I remember everyone in Paradise City who matters and the hundreds connected to them. I know their secrets, their ambitions. So, Ning Ning, if you want to work with me, you’ll have to show me something worth my time.”

Her voice was calm but firm, an elegant rejection of the partnership Ning had proposed the night before, a gentle reminder that Ning still wasn’t qualified.

Ning pursed her lips. “Then… can we change the terms?”

“Oh?” Xu Yixin tilted her head, curious. “What terms?”

“I’ll help you. In exchange, you help me survive.”

The words slipped out before Ning could stop herself. She remembered the system’s message from last night the one hinting she’d need a “follower,” but pride held her back from saying that aloud. She might be struggling in this world, but back in the cultivation realm, she’d been a celestial sovereign. If her disciples ever learned their revered master had fallen so low, they’d laugh themselves to death. That thought alone kept her from bowing her head.

“Survive?” Xu Yixin’s tone was light but distant. “That’s a very vague request. Sorry, but I can’t agree to that.”

Her refusal was immediate, delivered with polite detachment. Then she stood, her expression softening again as if nothing had happened. “Come on, get up and eat. It’s a school day, isn’t it?”

She flashed a dazzling smile and, with a graceful swirl of her black dress, left the room.

A faint fragrance lingered in her wake. Ning didn’t feel angry at the rejection if villains were really that easy to manipulate, she wouldn’t still be stuck looping through this world again and again.

Taking a slow breath, she gathered her composure and began preparing for the day.

Ten minutes later, she went downstairs. Xu Yixin was already at the table, chatting with Aunt Zhu, who was laughing so brightly that her whole face glowed. Ning had never seen her that happy. It was like watching a flower bloom.

“Ning Ning, come have breakfast!” Aunt Zhu called warmly. Ning nodded and thanked her, accepting the kindness with quiet grace.

Aunt Zhu beamed. “It’s the first time I’ve seen you bring a friend home. You must be very close!”

Ning hesitated but decided to explain. “She’s my senior by one grade. She was the top scorer in the college entrance exam this year. I’ve been struggling a bit with my studies, so I asked her to tutor me.”

“Oh, I see!” Aunt Zhu said, covering her mouth in surprise. “So you’re not classmates. I thought so, Miss Xu’s aura is so mature. I suppose you’re already an adult?”

Xu Yixin smiled sweetly, playing the part of the gentle, well-mannered student. “Yes, I’m an adult now. Which means I can take responsibility for my words.”

Her tone was light, but there was an unspoken weight beneath it, as if she were hinting at something still to come. Aunt Zhu didn’t catch it at all, happily chatting away as if they were on the same wavelength.

Ning ate quietly, feeling a mix of emotions she couldn’t quite name. Maybe she was annoyed that Xu Yixin had so easily stolen Aunt Zhu’s attention maybe it stung to realize she’d never managed to make Aunt Zhu smile like that herself.

“Miss Ning,” Aunt Zhu said suddenly, “it’s getting cold these days. Would you like a jacket?”

Ning shook her head and left the house at an unhurried pace.

Outside, she found a car already waiting at the door. Driver No. 9 stood beside it, dressed sharply in a formal suit strikingly different from her usual look.

“Ninth Sister, you look amazing today!” Xu Yixin said as she stepped out, her tone playful.

No. 9 flushed, a little flustered, and hurried to open the car door for them.

Ning said nothing. She noticed, though, that the courtesy No. 9 hadn’t been shown her yesterday was now being lavishly offered to Xu Yixin.

“Thank you, Ninth Sister,” Xu Yixin said with a dazzling smile that made the woman’s face turn even redder.

Ning kept her eyes down, scrolling through her nearly silent phone. She didn’t have many contacts, and her messages were always empty. Out of habit, she checked last night’s news but there was nothing. No mention at all of the massive accident from yesterday.

It was as if none of it had ever happened.

“Thank you for the ride, Ning Ning, Ninth Sister. I’ll get off here,” Xu Yixin said suddenly.

Ning looked up, confused. The surroundings were completely unfamiliar, it wasn’t even on the route to Xu Yixin’s university.

No. 9 seemed cheerful today, much more relaxed than she had been during their first meeting. Ning didn’t press her with questions. They drove in silence until they reached school, where No. 9 finally spoke.

“Miss said… If anything happens, you can go to her for help.”

There was no need to ask who “Miss” referred to. It could only be Pei Fuliu. But why send a message through someone else when she could have just texted? The secrecy made Ning uneasy.

She didn’t have time to dwell on it. As soon as she stepped through the school gates, the system’s warning blared in her mind.

[Warning! Warning! Hostile intent detected from unidentified individuals!]
[Warning! Warning! Hostile intent detected from unidentified individuals!]

The alarm repeated again and again. All around her, students were whispering, eyes drawn to a notice posted on the board.

“By decision of the Board of Directors, student Zhen Ning has been appointed as the new assistant to Director Baili.”

Ning’s eyes froze on the words.

So it was official now. What Baili Ruobing had mentioned yesterday was no longer a private arrangement it was public. And not just public, it was practically an announcement to the world, one that painted a target squarely on her back.

Instead of a reward for saving Baili Yutu, this felt like a death sentence.

When she returned to class, Zhen Xier greeted her with a mocking smile. “Congratulations, you’re the new assistant to Director Baili.”

Her tone was full of false cheer, eyes gleaming with schadenfreude.

“I heard my aunt has a thing for picking troublemakers as assistants,” Zhen Xier added. “She likes watching them squirm.”

Everyone knew Baili Ruobing’s former assistants had all died mysteriously. People had even started calling it “the bad girl’s curse.” To them, it was poetic justice.

Ning said nothing. She couldn’t understand how things had spiraled like this. She’d saved Baili Yutu—how could that lead to hostility instead of gratitude?

Her mind was a storm of confusion, but when Zhen Xier realized she couldn’t provoke her, she lost interest and stopped talking.

By noon, Ning’s frustration had peaked. She skipped lunch and went straight to Baili Ruobing’s office, intending to ask her directly. But just as she raised her hand to knock, the system interrupted again.

[Error: Insufficient intelligence, stamina, and favorability to initiate dialogue with Baili Ruobing.]
[Suggestion 1: Increase core attributes to improve dialogue success rate.]
[Suggestion 2: Complete more time-limited missions to acquire new skills.]
[Suggestion 3: Earn achievements to boost favorability with key targets.]

The mechanical voice was calm, but its meaning was brutal. Ning wasn’t even qualified to speak to Baili Ruobing.

This world was built on power, money, and survival. As cannon fodder, she was the lowest piece on the board. If she wanted to climb higher to even approach the bosses of this game, she would have to earn it, one painful step at a time.

With a quiet sigh, Ning turned and walked away. She didn’t know that her hesitation, her retreat, had been observed by all five major villains through various means.

Had she entered that office without sufficient favorability, she would’ve died within hours—her “death route” instantly triggered. The others, fearing she might side with the Baili family after saving Yutu, would’ve seen her as a potential traitor to be eliminated early.

Her restraint, unintentional as it was, had just saved her life.