What to Do, I've Been Targeted by the Villain Again [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 23

Lu Yu held her phone, sprawled on the sofa, but immediately sat up when she saw Xu Sangning’s reply.

Lu Yu: Why?

Lu Yu really hoped they’d end up together. In her eyes, Xu Sangning and Ji Ying were an absolutely perfect match.

Lu Yu: You don’t like girls? But I don’t think you like guys either. I always thought you were a lesbian.

Xu Sangning: …

Xu Sangning nearly sat up in bed when she read Lu Yu’s message.

She quickly flipped through her script again and sighed in relief. Thankfully, it didn’t specify the “younger sister’s” sexual orientation—otherwise, this would count as breaking character.

Xu Sangning: I just think it’s troublesome.

Xu Sangning: Never mind, I won’t talk to you about this. There’s no point discussing it with you anyway.

Lu Yu: ???

Lu Yu: You haven’t even told me yet—how do you know it’s pointless?

Xu Sangning turned off her phone, ignoring Lu Yu’s barrage of messages.

After showering, she lay in bed, tilting her head to gaze at the lake outside her window.

She wondered when she’d be able to leave this world.

She wanted out.

Xu Sangning had played many roles and witnessed all sorts of messy emotional entanglements, but she had little personal experience dealing with such matters.

Bound by her character’s constraints, leaving sooner might be better for everyone.

A cannon fodder like her getting involved with the main cast was a major taboo—her salary would definitely be docked entirely.

One shouldn’t abandon money for the sake of love!

Xu Sangning curled up under the blankets.

This was a critical time for her promotion—she absolutely couldn’t afford to lose her head.

Ji Ying—no, Ji Tangmian—was also a task performer. If she really had feelings… Xu Sangning hoped she’d approach her after work.

Xu Sangning was curious—just how much money did Ji Tangmian have to act so recklessly on the job?

She closed her eyes, only to open them again moments later and climb out of bed.

She’d almost forgotten—she still hadn’t cleared her daily quests in the game.

The next morning, Xu Sangning woke up bright and early, cursing her biological clock.

She threw on her clothes and stepped out, noticing Ji Ying’s door was still closed. She assumed the other woman was still asleep.

Xu Sangning ordered breakfast and was halfway through her meal when Ji Ying emerged, fully made up.

Xu Sangning gave her a slightly surprised look. “I thought you weren’t up yet.”

“I went to bed early last night, so I woke up early too. Plus, I’m used to waking at this hour.” Ji Ying had returned to her usual composed self, though her eyes couldn’t help but scrutinize Xu Sangning’s reaction.

Seeing that Xu Sangning showed no change, Ji Ying sighed inwardly.

As expected, kissing Xu Sangning was no different from a cat or dog doing the same.

Outwardly calm, Ji Ying was inwardly weeping.

Had Ji Ying voiced her confusion outright, Xu Sangning would’ve told her she wasn’t that oblivious. After being a digital entity for so many years, she’d grown more and more human.

But Ji Ying had been drunk, and in Xu Sangning’s judgment, the actions of a drunkard shouldn’t be overanalyzed.

Besides, it was just a kiss on the cheek.

Lu Yu had a habit of kissing people randomly after drinking. Xu Sangning had never been drunk, so she always managed to dodge Lu Yu’s lips, but the faces of their other friends had all suffered her drunken assaults. She’d even seen Lu Yu and another girl drunkenly kiss each other once, with a whole crowd cheering them on.

Straight girls—truly terrifying.

“Want me to take you home after breakfast?” Ji Ying asked Xu Sangning tentatively.

Xu Sangning nodded.

Ji Ying stared at her soy milk, her heart heavy. “Feels like you don’t want to spend any time with me at all.”

“That’s not it. It’s just the New Year, and I haven’t seen my parents in a while. Of course I should go back.” Xu Sangning pushed the chopped-up flatbread in front of her toward Ji Ying. “This is good. Try it.”

“So you won’t come out at all until work starts again?” Ji Ying slumped dejectedly.

“The day after tomorrow, I’m going shopping with Lu Yu and the others. Then I’ll go with my mom… After that, it’s time for New Year visits. We’ll see each other when I visit the Ji family.”

“Fine.” Ji Ying propped her chin on her hand, looking utterly deflated. “Ugh, I guess we won’t get to hang out often until you’re back at work—no, until you’re back in school. That’s so far away. I’m tempted to skip work just to see you.”

Xu Sangning took a sip of soy milk and spun her cup slightly. “I prefer doing things at the right time. If I do other things during work hours, I’d worry about getting my pay docked.”

After saying this, she glanced at Ji Ying.

Ji Ying froze for a second, about to say she was just joking, but then blinked and suddenly realized Xu Sangning wasn’t talking about work in this world.

Ji Ying: !!!
Ji Ying: She cares about me! She definitely cares about me!
System: …
System: Really? I think she’s warning you not to interfere with her work.
Ji Ying: What do you know?

Ji Ying’s face instantly brightened with an eight-point smile as she grabbed the flatbread from the table and stuffed it into her mouth, nodding enthusiastically.

Xu Sangning was a little puzzled, unsure how Ji Ying had interpreted her words, but her real emphasis had been on the first part.

She wanted Ji Ying to wait until after this world ended before coming to talk things out properly.

But… Ji Ying didn’t seem to have grasped that.

Xu Sangning sighed softly.

After breakfast, Ji Ying drove Xu Sangning home. When they arrived, she also unloaded the New Year’s gifts she’d prepared for the Xu family from the trunk.

“Xiao Ji, won’t you stay for lunch?” Xu’s mother smiled warmly at Ji Ying, her approval growing with every glance.

“No, I have some things to take care of at home. Goodbye, Auntie.” Ji Ying then shot Xu Sangning a look and winked.

Receiving Xu Sangning’s response, Ji Ying’s separation anxiety wasn’t as severe anymore.

Xu Sangning waved at her.

Xu’s mother watched Ji Ying leave before beckoning Xu Sangning over. “So what’s going on between you two?”

“Nothing’s going on,” Xu Sangning replied.

Xu’s mother frowned slightly. “If you’re not interested, you should make it clear to Xiao Ji sooner rather than later.”

Xu Sangning thought for a moment. Though she hadn’t said it outright, she felt she’d hinted enough to Ji Ying that there was no chance for them in the small worlds. But Ji Ying’s brain—not that Ji Ying wasn’t smart, but Xu Sangning suspected she might selectively ignore the issue. Ji Ying always had her own rhythm.

“Okay,” Xu Sangning nodded.

“Your brother went on a blind date. Not sure how it went.”

“Blind date?” Xu Sangning paused mid-step on the stairs.

“Yeah, with the eldest daughter of the Su family. She just returned from abroad and now runs her own studio. Remember her? That gentle girl from the Su family—you used to play together when you were little.”

Xu Sangning fell silent.

The female lead was dating a minor male character, and now the male lead was going on blind dates.

This plot… was just ridiculous.

“I don’t really remember. Hope it goes well for my brother, though if his wife is too gentle, he might bully her. He doesn’t exactly have the best temper.”

Xu’s mother looked at her. “Really? I think Qiexing’s temper has actually improved lately—thanks to you.”

Xu Qiexing: ?

“Mom!” Xu Sangning protested. “Well, it’s a good thing. Men with bad tempers aren’t exactly in demand on the dating scene.”

She stormed upstairs, slammed her door, then collapsed onto the couch like a deflated battery.

She began drafting a report on the state of this small world, detailing its chaotic developments and requesting permission to leave once the male and female leads were married.

Once the key plot points passed, the world would stabilize, and the AI should be able to handle things from there.

This time, the response came quickly—her request was approved.

——

Aside from New Year’s Eve and the first day of the Lunar New Year, Xu Qiexing had blind dates scheduled every single day. He was busy, and so was everyone else—only during the holidays did people have time to meet.

Xu Sangning stayed home, amusing herself by observing Xu Qiexing’s expressions and occasionally checking Feng Xingwei’s social media to monitor her romantic progress.

Feng Xingwei’s love life was moving along much more smoothly. She even took a two-day trip with her boyfriend, and just from the photos, you could practically taste the happiness radiating off her.

Xu Qiexing, on the other hand, was a disaster—reeking of lifelong bachelorhood. Every blind date ended with him angering the other party, and every night, Xu Sangning could hear their mother or father making apologetic phone calls.

She couldn’t help but snicker.

But she had come to realize one thing: Xu Qiexing was the biggest obstacle to her leaving this small world.

She glanced at him, her eyes tinged with disdain.

Xu Qiexing: ?

Xu Sangning’s semester started in mid-February.

Ji Ying, overjoyed, picked her up and brought her back to the apartment near campus.

Though they hadn’t seen much of each other lately, Ji Ying had never stopped messaging her. Xu Sangning didn’t reply often, but Ji Ying didn’t mind—she kept sending messages every day.

Xu Sangning was now certain: Ji Ying had completely missed her hints.

Ji Ying reached for her suitcase, but Xu Sangning dodged her hand.

“Ji Ying, we’re not possible,” she said, meeting Ji Ying’s gaze.

Ji Ying froze for a second. “I know.”

She reached out again—this time successfully grabbing the suitcase with a speed that made Xu Sangning suspect she’d used a skill card. Ji Ying beamed at her. “I don’t care. Just acknowledge me once in a while, and I’m happy.”

Xu Sangning: “…”

“Do I annoy you? I don’t think so. You seemed pretty happy when we had meals together.”

Ji Ying wrestled the suitcase away completely. Xu Sangning was now sure—this woman had absolutely used a skill card. She really had… too much money to burn.

The two of them headed upstairs together.

Ji Ying’s words left Xu Sangning at a loss for a response. She glanced at Ji Ying several more times before closing the door behind her and letting out a sigh.

“Emotions really are troublesome things,” she murmured to herself.

Meanwhile, Ji Ying stared at the closed door and touched her own face. “My skin really is getting thicker by the day…”

System: Oh, so you’re proud of that?

“What do you know? You need thick skin to get by in this world,” Ji Ying retorted, humming a tune as she headed upstairs. “She didn’t find me annoying at all—she must care about me deep down.”

System: …