Jiang You found it a little hard to refuse.
She did like Teacher Zhou.
But then she thought about her persona. What if they met in real life someday? She would have to maintain that persona, which was different from how she acted online. What would he think then?
Wait, wait, wait.
’We haven’t even started an online relationship, and I’m already thinking about meeting in real life?’
Jiang You stared at the two sentences on the screen for a long time.
He was the only person who knew her true emotions and life.
She really didn’t want to cut ties. Besides, the thought of deliberately searching for a new friend made her lose all desire to share.
She and Teacher Zhou had met on a tutoring platform. They slowly got to know each other through chatting. She liked this kind of natural progression into a good friendship.
Besides, she did like him. It was worth a try.
So, Jiang You stopped hesitating.
Jiang You: [Thank you for liking me, Teacher Zhou!]
On the other side, Zhou Yu stood in the classroom, his eyes lowered and fixed on the chat window of his terminal, not even blinking.
His jet-black eyes seemed veiled in mist, their depths unreadable.
After what felt like an eternity, that sentence finally popped up in the message box.
Zhou Yu’s hand gripping the terminal suddenly tightened.
’She said thank you.’
And usually, saying "thank you" was a rejection.
When Zhou Yu saw the message, his breathing uncontrollably quickened and a heavy ache flooded his heart. His jet-black eyes slowly reddened, a hint of tears welling within them.
’So it’s true. You really don’t like me.’
’No matter who I am, she doesn’t like me.’
Just then, the terminal vibrated again.
Zhou Yu’s somewhat stiff body finally snapped back to reality. His numb, lifeless eyes moved very slowly, landing on the two new messages that had just appeared.
Jiang You: [What a coincidence, Teacher Zhou. I like you too!]
Jiang You: [So let’s be together!]
Seeing these two messages, Zhou Yu’s dark eyes moved slowly. The rims of his eyes actually started to burn.
His fingertips, reddened from his tight grip on the terminal, slowly began to type.
Zhou Yu: [When I saw your first message, I thought you were rejecting me.]
Jiang You paused when she saw his message. Looking at it that way, it really did seem like a rejection.
Usually, when someone confesses and the other person wants to reject them, they’ll say something generic.
"Thank you for liking me. You deserve someone better."
’She swore she hadn’t been trying to tease him. She was sincerely grateful that he liked her, and she was so happy about it that she had sent that message from the bottom of her heart!’
Jiang You: [No, I was just so happy when I saw you say you liked me, so I sincerely thanked you for liking me.]
Zhou Yu: [Mm, I get it now, girlfriend.]
He didn’t mention that he had been on the verge of tears just moments ago.
Jiang You: [Okay, boyfriend.]
And just like that, in a complete daze, Jiang You started an online relationship.
As she walked toward the Technology Building, she still felt like she was in a trance.
’Suddenly, she and Teacher Zhou had gone from online friends to online dating partners.’
’Hmm, will anything be different?’
After agreeing, Jiang You started to overthink things again. She had never even seen his face, only heard that his voice was very pleasant. Was it a bad idea to agree so hastily?
’She did like him, but what if he was some 300-pound man?’
’A blind-box relationship is a little dangerous.’
If he were just a confidant, she wouldn’t care about his looks, just like with her other friends.
But now that he was her online partner, her boyfriend, Jiang You had to care.
’Why was I so impulsive?’
Jiang You felt a little dejected.
’No, I have to test the waters.’
Jiang You raised her terminal, then put it down a moment later.
’I have to go stir up some trouble right now. I’ll hold off on testing him for now.’
Jiang You arrived at the Technology Building, pushed the door right open, and saw the female lead, Zhou Yan, assisting Xi Cheng with an experiment.
[Mission issued.]
[As the villainess, you have come to harass Xi Cheng again, only to see him acting intimately with the female lead. You are consumed with jealousy, and your rage soars!]
[1. Interrupt the male and female leads’ experiment. Pull the female lead away, snatch the test tube from her hand and smash it. Forbid her from getting close to Xi Cheng, then belittle her. [Plot dispatched]]
[2. Go settle a score with the female lead’s brother, Zhou Jin. Tell him to keep his sister in line, or you’ll make trouble for him. [Plot dispatched]]
Jiang You: ...
’So many missions, so many missions... I’ll never finish them all...’
’This villainess wants a break! AAAH!’
’I want the grand finale.’
’At the grand finale, my part would be over.’
’But the grand finale seems to be after graduation. That’s still more than three years away.’
While her mind was racing with these random thoughts, Jiang You rushed forward and yanked the female lead away.
Yanked away, Zhou Yan stumbled and froze, staring blankly at Jiang You.
Jiang You then remembered the plot required her to smash the glass test tube in the female lead’s hand.
This was no ordinary reagent.
This was a breakthrough research result.
As if marching to her death, Jiang You snatched the test tube from Zhou Yan’s hand. The other girl was still stunned and didn’t react at all. Jiang You seized it and smashed it hard on the ground.
The glass test tube shattered into pieces on the floor, its liquid contents spilling out.
Jiang You then spoke coldly as per the mission’s instructions, "Zhou Yan, don’t you dare get close to Xi Cheng. Not now, not ever. A poor wretch like you from the slums is completely unworthy of Xi Cheng. Only I am good enough for him!"
[Mission Complete]
[Mission Complete]
The long-term one and the one just issued were both complete.
According to the dispatched plot, that reagent was very important. Zhou Yan was supposed to look shocked when she saw it get smashed, and then Jiang You was supposed to get kicked out by the male lead, Xi Cheng.
"You should leave first," came Xi Cheng’s indifferent voice from behind her.
Zhou Yan snapped out of her daze, nodded, and left.
She didn’t look shocked, nor did she seem upset that the test tube had been smashed on the ground.
’Huh?’
Just as Jiang You was feeling confused, Xi Cheng grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her around to face him.
She saw Xi Cheng before her, her gaze faltering for a moment before she lowered her eyes.
’After the way I just acted, there’s no way he should be able to stand me...’
"Nothing will happen between her and me. There was nothing between us to begin with, so don’t worry." Xi Cheng’s hands were still holding her shoulders gently as he looked down at her. "The one I’ve always liked is you, Jiang You."
"Mm," Jiang You hummed faintly. ’I’m just doing a mission.’
Xi Cheng knew she was just doing a mission, but he still wanted to tell her.
What he actually meant was that he wouldn’t fall for Zhou Yan like in the novel’s plot.
The one he liked was her.
He had liked her from the very first moment he saw her.
"You can check my terminal anytime." Xi Cheng slipped the terminal off his wrist, took Jiang You’s hand, and placed it in her palm.
Jiang You paused, looking down at the terminal in her hand. In keeping with her jealous persona, she scrolled through it a few times. "Alright, I’m done checking."
But Xi Cheng held her hand, able to tell she hadn’t looked closely. His silver eyes lowered, and his voice was quiet. "Check more carefully."
As he spoke, he proactively opened his chat app for Jiang You to inspect.
Jiang You’s pink eyes shifted.
’He was actually asking me to check it himself.’