What to Do, I've Been Targeted by the Villain Again [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 4

Having Ji Ying around did have its perks. The moment she sat down next to Xu Sangning, no one dared to approach and strike up a conversation again.

Xu Sangning glanced at Ji Ying’s cold expression. When she smiled, she seemed approachable enough, but when her face was blank, the words “Strangers Keep Away” might as well have been written across her forehead.

Sensing Xu Sangning’s gaze, Ji Ying looked up, and the “Strangers Keep Away” instantly transformed into “Come Closer, Please.”

Xu Sangning pretended not to notice and averted her eyes.

Maybe smiling wasn’t always a sign of friendliness?

Otherwise, she couldn’t understand why Ji Ying was looking at her like that.

Xu Sangning felt like her core systems were about to short-circuit from this woman’s behavior.

She lowered her head and stared at her glass.

“Is it good?”

In the blink of an eye, Ji Ying had leaned in, a few strands of her hair brushing against Xu Sangning’s shoulder.

Xu Sangning could smell the faint, pleasant fragrance on her—though she couldn’t quite place what it was.

Shampoo? Body wash? Or maybe perfume?

“It’s alright,” Xu Sangning said, turning her head slightly. “Want me to order you one? Did you drive here?”

“I took a cab. One drink won’t hurt.” Ji Ying nodded, watching as Xu Sangning picked up her phone, then inched even closer until their arms were touching.

Ji Ying quickly glanced at Xu Sangning’s expression before looking away, pretending to study the menu.

Xu Sangning: “…”

Sometimes, she hated how sharp her vision was—and how keen her attention to detail.

“Holy crap.”

Xu Sangning looked up at Lu Yu beside her. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I just turned around and thought you two were kissing. Scared the hell out of me.” Lu Yu patted her chest and exhaled. “Nearly gave me a heart attack.”

Xu Sangning shot her an exasperated look. “Stop talking nonsense all the time.”

She handed her phone to Ji Ying. “Ji Ying-jie, what do you want? I had this one just now.”

As she spoke, Xu Sangning glanced up at Ji Ying.

The bar lights flickered chaotically, but she could still tell Ji Ying’s face was flushed.

What the hell are you blushing for?!

Xu Sangning didn’t get it.

“I’ll have the same, then.” Ji Ying lowered her head, bringing the phone closer to her face as if she were severely nearsighted. Her tone sounded cool and aloof, but the redness had already spread from her neck to her entire face.

Xu Sangning pretended not to notice. Once Ji Ying had made her choice, she took the phone back and placed the order.

Lu Yu had already run off to dance again. Xu Sangning sighed inwardly—college students really had boundless energy. After a full day of classes, they could still party like this.

Xu Sangning and Ji Ying sat side by side in silence. Xu Sangning shifted slightly to the left, putting a little distance between them.

“Aren’t you going to join them?” Ji Ying asked.

Xu Sangning shook her head. “No way. What if someone gets their sweat all over me?”

Ji Ying hadn’t planned on going either, but hearing this, she frowned.

“I don’t have class tomorrow morning, so I’ll wait for you to finish your drink before heading back,” Xu Sangning said. “I drove here, so I’ll need to find a designated driver.”

“Sure.” Ji Ying’s mood instantly brightened.

Xu Sangning lowered her voice and added, “Ji Ying-jie, don’t tell my parents—or my brother. They’d definitely scold me if they found out.”

“Don’t worry.” Ji Ying paused, “But next time you go out, take me with you… You know, I don’t have many friends either. I’m always working, just a lone wolf.”

“Isn’t Tang Tang your friend?” Xu Sangning questioned.

“She’s busy too. We can never sync up.” Ji Ying rested her hand on the sofa, leaning closer to Xu Sangning while gazing into her eyes, murmuring, “Sangning…”

Xu Sangning instinctively wanted to suggest she go find Xu Qiexing instead, but she was afraid that if she said it, Ji Ying actually would.

She rubbed her itchy ear and glanced at Ji Ying. “Fine, but you can’t snitch on me.”

“Of course.” Ji Ying shifted back to her original spot. If she hadn’t moved, Xu Sangning would have ended up squished against the edge.

The drinks arrived, and Ji Ying downed hers in one go, setting the glass down before turning to Xu Sangning.

Xu Sangning really wanted to ask Ji Ying if this was what she meant by “hanging out together.”

But she decided against it. Given Ji Ying’s talent for excuses, there’d be no shortage of explanations.

Xu Sangning said goodbye to Lu Yu and the others and left first.

Ji Ying, slightly tipsy, leaned lazily against Xu Sangning as they walked.

Because Xu Sangning’s car was too high-end, they had to wait a long time by the roadside for a willing designated driver. By the time they got downstairs, it was already past 2 a.m.

“I don’t have class tomorrow morning, but don’t you have work?” Xu Sangning asked.

“Yeah, at nine.” Ji Ying nodded.

Xu Sangning did the math—Ji Ying would only get about four hours of sleep. If Ji Ying hadn’t moved, she could’ve slept an extra half hour.

“It’s fine.” Ji Ying reached out and ruffled Xu Sangning’s hair. “I’m used to just four hours of sleep—I’ll be wide awake. Bye, go on inside.”

“Mm, get some rest.” Xu Sangning smoothed her hair, her gaze lingering on Ji Ying’s right hand for a couple of seconds.

Ji Ying waited until Xu Sangning was safely inside before closing the elevator door.

She knew full well that with Xu Sangning’s capabilities, no one could harm her. Still, she wouldn’t feel at ease until she saw her enter the apartment.

Thinking of Xu Sangning’s reaction when she touched her hair earlier, Ji Ying couldn’t help but chuckle.

——

Xu Sangning wasn’t sleepy. After showering and lying in bed, she couldn’t fall asleep at all.

Her apartment actually had excellent soundproofing, but if she focused, she could hear footsteps from upstairs.

Ji Ying didn’t seem tired either, her steps light and cheerful—her mood must’ve been great.

Twenty minutes later, the sounds from upstairs finally ceased. Xu Sangning checked the time: 3 a.m.

“Dragging it out.” Xu Sangning yawned and hugged the blanket tighter.

Originally, she’d planned to sleep until noon, but at 10 a.m., her WeChat call woke her up. She picked it up and saw it was from Zeng Ying, a classmate she knew. Frowning slightly, she answered.

“Hello?” Xu Sangning held the phone, closing her eyes again.

“Xu Sangning, why aren’t you at the meeting?” Zeng Ying’s voice was hushed.

“What meeting?” Xu Sangning frowned, confused.

“The student council meeting.”

Xu Sangning opened her eyes and fell silent for a few seconds. “I didn’t see any notice in the group chat about a meeting at this time.”

“It was a last-minute notice half an hour ago. Everyone without class had to attend. So annoying—I was about to go on a date with my boyfriend.” Zeng Ying gritted her teeth. “No idea what’s so important it couldn’t be said in the group chat and had to be a meeting.”

“What’s the problem?” Xu Sangning frowned. “Not going.”

The other person lowered their voice. “But they said they’ll deduct academic credits if we don’t show up.”

“Don’t listen to their nonsense.” Xu Sangning yawned. “I’ve memorized the student handbook. The student council doesn’t have that authority—they’re just waving a chicken feather as a token of command. Hanging up now, I’m going back to sleep.”

“Then I’m leaving too. Every time I talk to you, I feel so much more confident.”

“Why didn’t you call me before going?”

Zeng Ying chuckled. “I thought you’d be there. Alright, I’m out. Go back to sleep.”

Just as Xu Sangning was about to hang up, she heard someone on the other end bark sharply.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Xu Sangning’s eyes snapped open, fully awake now.

Humans are so annoying!

She propped herself up on the bed.

“I have things to do,” Zeng Ying said, gripping her phone.

“Whatever it is can wait until after the meeting!” The voice was stern, its tone dripping with self-importance. “Where’s your discipline? Each batch gets worse—no manners at all!”

Xu Sangning really despised this newly appointed department chair. They stretched every rule to maximize their power and loved sucking up to the faculty.

Probably because her family was wealthy, this person rarely dared to throw their weight around in front of her. But they often bothered her with pointless small talk, reeking of paternalistic condescension. Their ulterior motives were obvious to everyone, and she found it so irritating that she deleted their contact outright.

“I can’t wait.” Zeng Ying slung her bag over her shoulder and grumbled, “Next time, can you give at least a day’s notice if you have something to say? So much for your ‘manners’—you only gave us ten minutes.”

People around Zeng Ying shot her admiring glances, nodding subtly in agreement.

“What’s your name? Which major and year are you from?” The person adjusted their glasses, glaring at Zeng Ying.

“Stop pretending. You don’t have the authority to deduct credits,” Zeng Ying retorted, flipping her hair.

“Huh? They can’t deduct credits?” someone behind Zeng Ying asked.

“Yeah, the student handbook doesn’t say anything about losing credits for skipping a student council meeting.”

“Are you all rebelling now?” The chair’s eyes bulged as they slammed the table. “Anyone who skips today can forget about getting a Party membership recommendation this year.”

Xu Sangning rolled her eyes and shouted, “Put me on speaker!”

Zeng Ying jumped at the sound of Xu Sangning’s voice and looked down, surprised to see the call was still connected.

She quickly switched to speakerphone.

“Done, done.”

“Chen Li, what the hell is wrong with you? Tell me, what’s so urgent about today’s meeting? What’s so important that everyone has to be here? I have a business meeting today—should I bill you for my losses if I miss it?” Xu Sangning’s tone was dripping with impatience.

Chen Li frowned at the sound of Xu Sangning’s voice. “No, Xu Sangning—”

“What’s the meeting about?” Xu Sangning cut him off.

“Chairman Chen said he thinks everyone’s been slacking lately, so he called this meeting to… motivate everyone,” the vice-chair interjected, shooting Chen Li a sidelong glance. Even she thought he was being ridiculous, stirring up trouble for no reason.

“Oh, so there’s no actual agenda—just flexing power for the sake of it. Got it,” Xu Sangning translated.

The vice-chair fell silent, struggling to hold back laughter. Someone nearby failed to suppress a snicker.

“If you have something to do, go ahead and attend to it.” Chen Li took a deep breath. “I’m not throwing my weight around—I just want our department to have a positive spirit. It’s for everyone’s good.”

“I don’t need your double standards. Don’t make others think I’ve given you some special favor.” Xu Sangning sneered. “I demand that you step down as chair. Is anyone willing to draft a petition for everyone to sign so we can take it to the teacher?”

“I—I’ll write it!” Zeng Ying immediately spoke up.

“Don’t go too far! I just want what’s best for our department!” Chen Li shouted, looking around at the others. “Just because you don’t want to improve, you’re trying to drag me down? Since when is that fair!”

Seeing no support, Chen Li pressed on, “Xu Sangning, you’re abusing your power—this is school bullying!”

The moment those words left his mouth, it was as if Chen Li had been handed an imperial sword—his confidence surged instantly.