“What?! Everyone Except Me Is a Villain (GL) - Chapter 9

Jin Buning couldn’t even remember how she got back to her seat. Her mind was filled with all the possible ways she might die after offending Baili Ruobing. In the face of all those potential deaths, she began mentally drafting an emergency survival plan. To avoid arousing suspicion, she even rewrote the “ambiguous medical office” scene in her notebook into a survival thriller titled Escape from Death.

“Hmm? Are you writing a novel?”

Teacher Dong’s voice startled her. Jin Buning blinked and looked around. Everyone else had already left the auditorium. Turning to the overly enthusiastic teacher beside her, she asked in confusion, “Teacher Dong, did you… Come to pick me up?”

Maybe it was a sense of solidarity between fellow extras in life’s play, but Jin Buning actually felt a strange camaraderie from the woman’s tone.

“That’s right. Don’t look at me like that, you’re going to scare me,” Dong said with a wide grin, clearly in high spirits about something. But her excessive friendliness only made Jin Buning more uneasy.

“So… why didn’t you go back with your own class? Why come find me instead?”

Teacher Dong scratched her head, seeming unsure how to phrase her response. After glancing around to make sure no one was nearby, she lowered her voice and whispered, “Because being her assistant could get you killed. You’re new here, no friends or family, so I figured you didn’t know how dangerous things can get at this school.”

It wasn’t the first time Dong had mentioned death, but until now Jin Buning had assumed it was just a quirk of speech. Seeing her serious expression, though, it was clear that “death” wasn’t an exaggeration.

“People actually die from being assistants?”

“Mm. Three of them last semester. They called them accidents, but everyone knows it was murder.”

Jin Buning sucked in a sharp breath. Even though she had mentally prepared herself, hearing it out loud still chilled her to the core.

Seeing her pale face, Dong tried to comfort her. “Hey, don’t overthink it. Maybe they really were just accidents.”

The attempt at reassurance only made things worse. Jin Buning forced a smile, one uglier than crying, completely unconvinced. If she guessed right, Baili Ruobing naming her “special assistant” was nothing more than an elegant death sentence.

Her mood darkened further. Only three hours had passed since the “24-hour survival mission” began she still had twenty-one to go before sunrise. And this so-called dating app didn’t seem the least bit concerned with actual “love points.”

“Come on, don’t be so tense,” Dong said again, noticing her gloomy face. “At least when you’re with me, no one will dare to touch you.”

They walked together until they reached the spot where the flowerpot had fallen that morning. The pot was gone, but the cracked indentation in the ground remained, a silent reminder of how close death had been.

Jin Buning looked up. A new awning had been installed above. Efficient Zhen Xier must have already ordered the mess cleaned up. Not a shred of evidence left behind.

Jin Buning sighed quietly and kept walking, but Teacher Dong froze mid-step, darting her eyes around nervously. Seeing that reaction, Jin Buning couldn’t help but laugh. “Didn’t you just say there’s nothing to be afraid of? Why do you look scared now?”

Dong coughed, clearly embarrassed at being caught, and tried to cover it up. “Just, uh, checking school facilities. But really, it’s strange. This area’s always been fine. How come the pot fell right when you arrived? Don’t tell me someone followed you here because you’ve offended the wrong people.”

Jin Buning gave a small, weary smile. “I’d like to know that myself.”

Right then, the system’s familiar ding echoed in her mind.

System message: Please remain in this position for ten seconds. Scanning in progress.

Jin Buning stopped in her tracks. Something like an electric current rushed into her mind, and a new option appeared on the system’s interface.“Events.” Just as she was about to tap it, she glanced at Dong. The teacher had already walked a few steps ahead, only turning when she noticed Jin had stopped.

System message: Abnormality detected. View scan results?

“Yes,” she murmured under her breath, stepping away from the danger zone.

System message: Scan complete. Surface material contains—&%#…@…%—

Once again, total gibberish. The system still refused to “speak human.” Jin Buning sighed and activated the new “language translation” button. This time, the text finally became legible.

System message: Sensor device detected beneath the surface. Triggers a mechanism upon contact with specific materials.

Her stomach dropped. So that’s what it was. She immediately recalled the “shoe abnormality” warning earlier that morning. Zhen Xier must have planned this long before Jin even enrolled the trap had been waiting for her since day one.

Even if she had died, no one would’ve suspected that the angelic Zhen Xier was the culprit. And who would ever guess the murder weapon was the victim’s own shoes?

The realization made her chest tighten. Dong seemed to notice her heavy expression but said nothing.

“We’re here. I’ll head in first, wait outside for me to call you in.”

They’d reached Class 3-1. Jin nodded obediently.

But before a minute passed, a middle-aged teacher carrying a stack of test papers appeared. She had a sharp face and an even sharper aura that screamed mathematics teacher. Jin Buning froze. That old, familiar dread of math-induced trauma instantly returned.

“What are you standing there for?”

“Hello, teacher. I’m the new transfer student,” Jin said politely.

The math teacher’s expression softened slightly. Peering into the classroom, she spotted Dong inside and checked her watch. “Oh. You’ve got one minute for a self-introduction.”

Her tone was precise like she’d calculated the exact number of seconds it took to crush a newcomer’s spirit.

Dong, noticing her, blinked in surprise. “Teacher Su? What brings you here?”

“Don’t you remember? All homeroom teachers have a meeting today, so we swapped classes.” Su flipped open her notebook, not missing a beat.

Dong forced an awkward smile. “So… you’re planning to test them already? It’s the first day of school.”

“Exactly. They’ve had a whole summer off. I need to see how much they’ve forgotten. What, you think vacation means no studying, no tests?”

Dong gave a weak laugh and gestured toward Jin. “At least let the new student introduce herself first.”

Su made a curt “go ahead” motion.

Jin Buning took a steadying breath and stepped into the room. Immediately, dozens of curious eyes turned toward her then collectively sank into despair when Su followed behind, test papers in hand.

“Hello everyone, I’m the new transfer student. My name is Jin Buning.”

“Take that seat,” Su said, pointing.

Jin froze. That seat is right beside Zhen Xier.

Their eyes met. Zhen Xier smiled sweetly, her expression pure as an angel’s. But Jin Buning knew better this same angel had almost killed her that morning.

“What are you waiting for? Sit down, I’m starting the test,” Su barked impatiently.

The class instantly fell silent. Jin forced herself forward and sat down.

Zhen Xier, ever the picture of grace, offered her hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m Jin Xier.”

Because of the “real and fake daughter” swap, Zhen Xier was using her surname.

“I’m Zhen Ning. Nice to meet you.” Jin shook her hand carefully, because Zhen’s fingers looked so delicate they might snap. But Zhen tightened her grip, smiling brighter. “I’m sure we’ll get along wonderfully.”

To everyone else, the scene looked like Jin was the one taking advantage, not the other way around. After all, who could believe that the fragile, kind-looking Zhen Xier would ever bully anyone?

“All right, enough chatting. Test starts now,” Su announced.

She slapped a paper onto Jin’s desk with mechanical efficiency, then astonishingly handed Zhen Xier’s paper over with the gentleness of a breeze. Her voice softened, even doting, as she said, “Xier, if you start feeling unwell, tell me right away, okay?”

Zhen Xier smiled sweetly. The teacher actually smiled back before catching herself and clearing her throat, barking orders at the rest of the class to reestablish authority.

Jin stared, dumbfounded. She had never seen a math teacher this… indulgent.

“Scared?” Zhen Xier whispered, amusement glittering in her eyes. “Teacher Su just seems strict, she’s actually very nice.”

Jin shook her head. “No, I’m just curious… how do you do it? How do you make everyone like you so much?”

The smile on Zhen Xier’s face froze for a moment, replaced by confusion. Clearly, she couldn’t comprehend how anyone could respond to her humblebrag with a sincere question about social skills.