“What?! Everyone Except Me Is a Villain (GL) - Chapter 38
The calm before the storm had arrived. To everyone else, life felt peaceful, uneventful, but not to Ning. Beneath her composed expression, the waves of unease rolled stronger than ever. She sighed quietly and decided to find somewhere quiet to sort her thoughts.
Just then, the familiar ding of the system interrupted her.
Her steps faltered. Recognizing the sound of a new mission, she quickened her pace and slipped into a crowded area. Normally, Ning disliked noisy, chaotic places. But now, surrounded by strangers, she felt oddly safer. In a world where she couldn’t tell friend from foe, anonymity was her only shield.
Once she confirmed the hostile intent around her was far too many to count, Ning pulled out her phone, opened the “Match-Three” game she’d downloaded the night before, and checked her task list.
System Notice:
New Time-Limited Mission: Survive for three months.
Reward: Time Reversal Skill
Failure Penalty: Death
System Notice:
New Time-Limited Mission: Rank within the top 100 in the midterm exams.
Reward: +10 Intelligence
Failure Penalty: Public Ruin
Two new tasks appeared at once, leaving Ning a little dizzy. Yesterday, she had just stepped out of the beginner’s tutorial; today, it seemed the real game had officially begun.
But thanks to what happened yesterday, she now understood the future could be changed.
Of course, every change came with a steep price.
If she wanted to ally with any of the villains, she first had to meet their minimum stat requirements strength, intelligence, and charm. Only then could she unlock the “conversation” option. The next step would be to prove her worth and gradually build favorability.
According to Ning’s analysis, once a villain’s affection reached a certain threshold, they’d be reluctant to kill her, effectively guaranteeing her survival.
And the third step…
Her thoughts trailed off. Staring blankly at the colorful puzzle game, she tapped the screen at random, pretending to play while her mind wandered.
She’d survived. She had protection from a villain now.
But then what? How was she supposed to prove she could overcome her inner demons and return to her original cultivation world?
And more importantly, what was her inner demon?
The arrival of this so-called “romance system” hadn’t given her answers. If anything, it had made everything murkier.
Still, she wasn’t afraid anymore. Not of death, not of failure.
With renewed resolve, Ning stood up and strode toward her classroom.
“Xier, run! Zhen Ning’s coming to beat you up!”
The moment she reached the classroom, that bizarre rumor hit her ears.
Ning froze, dumbfounded. Zhen Xier who had been quietly reading, looked up, startled by the warning.
“Ning Ning, you’re going to hit me?”
Her big eyes filled with tears in seconds. Ning had no idea how she could cry so fast, but her reaction made the entire class tense up. In an instant, several people moved to shield Zhen Xier, glaring at Ning as if she were a monster.
Ning sighed and shook her head. She wanted to explain calmly that this was all a misunderstanding but then she realized that wouldn’t make much of an impression.
Zhen Xier was the only villain she could interact with for now, the only one whose stat requirements were low enough to allow a temporary truce. Fragile she might be, but her connections with the other villains made her crucial to Ning’s survival.
“How could I hit you? I like you too much for that.”
Her tone was sincere, but her words made the room fall into dead silence.
Zhen Xier’s expression froze as if she’d just eaten something disgusting. Around them, mixed emotions rippled shock, disbelief, a little curiosity, and a whole lot of gossip waiting to explode.
Satisfied that her statement had the desired effect, Ning walked to her seat calmly.
Meanwhile, everyone else pulled out their phones. Messages flew across group chats like wildfire.
A: What did she just mean by that?
B: Isn’t it obvious? I’m telling you, Zhen Ning didn’t transfer schools for nothing. Don’t tell me she actually likes Xier?!
C: Ew, seriously? Two girls?
A: Shut up, idiot. If Xier liked you, would you say no?
C: Ahem… fair point. But still, we have to protect Xier!
The topic quickly spiraled into nonsense. Zhen Xier glanced at the screen and didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Annoyed, she nudged Ning lightly under the desk.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she whispered.
Their “truce” had been meant as a ceasefire, not a declaration of friendship. Yet now, here Ning was, clinging to Baili’s backing and turning her into a spectacle.
Though Baili Ruobing was her aunt, Xier knew full well her “little aunt” despised every member of the Zhen family including herself, despite sharing Baili bl00d.
“I meant what I said,” Ning replied earnestly. “You’re beautiful, hardworking, and optimistic. I could learn a lot from you.”
Zhen Xier blinked, taken aback. Her heart skipped a beat before she scolded herself internally. Oh, she got it now. Zhen Ning wasn’t confessing. She was mocking her.
“Well, you’re impressive too,” she countered sweetly. “Not everyone can sleep so well with everything falling apart around them.”
Ning stared at her in silence. Then she realized Xier might actually be a bit… slow. Remembering that this girl’s “lack of love” made her the easiest to farm for memory fragments, Ning decided to be gentler.
“Thank you. By the way, if you don’t mind, can I call you Xier?”
Her attempt to get closer was far from subtle.
Zhen Xier’s suspicion deepened, she was sure Ning was trying to disgust her into an early grave. After all, her body was weak. If someone wanted her dead without dirtying their hands, all they had to do was stir her emotions until she collapsed.
“Sure,” she said with a sugary smile. “Then I’ll keep calling you Ning Ning. I believe we’ll be great sisters.”
Both of them smiled, but they were thinking the same thing, plastic sisters, through and through.
“My dear little sister, I have a question for you,” Ning said sweetly.
“And why are you the older one?” Xier protested softly, annoyed. She wanted to argue but couldn’t risk ruining her image, so she forced a perfect smile. “Alright, dear sister, what is it you want to ask?”
When Ning leaned closer, Xier could see genuine warmth in her eyespure, unguarded curiosity, not manipulation. Yet even so, something inside her trembled. It reminded her too much of painful memories she wanted to bury.
She instinctively took a step back, only to watch Ning excitedly point to a question in her book. “This one how do you solve it?”
The sharp contrast made Xier almost laugh. For a second, she’d thought Ning was about to do something dramatic, only to realize she just needed homework help.
“Fine, I’ll teach you, Sister,” she said with mock enthusiasm, her lips curving into a teasing smile. Her hand brushed Ning’s as she leaned closer.
Most people liked beautiful faces even of the same gender and Xier was no exception. But the eager light in Ning’s eyes was so genuine, so hungry for knowledge, that Xier suddenly felt guilty for her earlier thoughts. She drew her hand back and focused on the question instead.
“Let’s see… wait, you don’t even know this?” she said in disbelief.
Ning just smiled awkwardly.
The rumors about her being a “fake heiress who bought her grades” flashed through Xier’s mind. Could they actually be true?
“Haha, I hit my head yesterday. Guess I’m a bit slow today,” Ning said, brushing it off with a laugh. The tension between them eased, replaced by an odd, almost friendly quiet.
Xier, however, silently swore to herself: If I fall for this fake heiress’s act again, I’m a dog.
No matter what, she told herself, she’d never help Ning again.
“Big Sister, can you teach me this one, too?” Ning asked softly.
“…Sure.”
The word slipped out before Xier could stop it. She froze, stunned at how easily she’d been swayed by a single “sister.”
She was the youngest in her family, sheltered her entire life, surrounded by servants’ children who were told to keep her company. No one had ever called her “sister” before, not like this.
Her lips pressed together, but her hands betrayed her, already turning the page to explain the next question.
“Did you hear what they’re talking about?”
“Studying, duh. What else?”
“No, I mean, don’t you think it’s weird? Zhen Ning’s from the Zhen family why would she need to ask for help?”
“Simple. She’s trying to win Xier over.”
“Maybe. But some people hurt others in the name of love, you know.”
The gossip buzzed behind them. Xier’s smile stiffened, her patience fraying. She turned and said sweetly, “Could you two keep your voices down?”
Her tone was soft as silk, yet it carried quiet authority. The two students blushed and mumbled apologies before shuffling away.
Once the noise faded, Xier faced Ning again. “So, be honest, are you trying to curry favor with me?”
“Yes,” Ning said without hesitation. “I am, Sister.”
She didn’t even bother pretending otherwise. And seeing that Xier didn’t seem to hate the title “sister,” Ning decided to keep using it.
Xier wanted to laugh, but she forced herself to keep a straight face. She couldn’t lose her dignity as the “real daughter” of the Zhen family.
“Fine,” she said, tapping the open book with her pen. “Since you’ve chosen me as your teacher, you’d better learn properly.”
Ning was about to nod when a sudden thought crossed her mind Xu Yixin.
The two of them didn’t get along. Ning had once thought they were just the “bickering couple” type, but maybe she was wrong. If Xier started helping her with studies, and Xu Yixin found out… things could get messy.
Would either of them feel betrayed knowing her progress came from both their efforts?
That uncertainty lingered, even as she smiled and said, “Got it, Sister.”
Starting next chapter, Ning will begin raising her stats, skills, and favorability to unlock each heroine’s route.
So, who do you want to see next?
- Xu Yixin – seductive, money-loving top student
- Zhen Xier – frail, love-starved white lotus
- Zheng Si – dual personality, antisocial, obsessed with beauty
- Pei Fuliu – mysterious stepmother with crippled legs, true Zhen family boss
- Baili Ruobing – cold yet unconventional CEO type