CHAPTER 8

Xu Yi leaned back, his broad chest making the hunched figure of Wen Yang next to him appear even frailer. His arm rested casually on Xiao Yan’s desk behind him. Glancing at Wen Yang’s short, dull yellow hair, a result of a diet of instant noodles, he smugly ran a hand through his own perfect hair, magnanimously deciding not to lower himself to her level.

Xiao Yan shoved his shoulder. “Disgusting. You’re covered in dandruff.”

“Have you ever checked your bed for bug nests since you moved in here a month ago?” Xu Yi withdrew his arm, smirking as he reached for his phone. “If not, your head might already be crawling with bugs.”

Xiao Yan didn’t need to see the image he was about to search for; her imagination ran wild. Her scalp itched as she pictured countless tiny bugs burrowing into her roots and sucking blood.

She clutched her head and screamed, “Xu Yi, you’re insane!”

Xu Yi backed out of the search, sincerely advising, “You should really wash your hair a few more times.”

With Qi Chen gone to get food, Xiao Yan found herself isolated and fuming. Her cheeks puffed up in frustration like a squirrel storing nuts.

“Classmate, you shouldn’t talk to girls like that.” Lin Minjing approached, having just returned from picking up new books from the teacher.

Wen Yang, slumped over her desk, perked up, stealthily listening.

Xu Yi ignored Lin Minjing, but she didn’t seem to mind. Like a caring older sister, she sat down in Qi Chen’s seat and comforted Xiao Yan. “Don’t take it to heart. We girls are always the cleanest and cutest.”

Xiao Yan wasn’t moved. Her eyes fixated on Lin Minjing, sitting in Qi Chen’s seat, and internally screamed: Get out of his seat!

Wen Yang, still uncertain about Lin Minjing’s intentions, decided to let things unfold. For now, she adhered to the principle of “if the enemy doesn’t move, neither do I.” However, her goal remained to push the protagonists closer together.

In the novel, the villainess would falsely accuse the heroine of stealing her belongings to get her thrown out of her house. The reason? The villainess couldn’t bear watching Xiao Yan sneak out to see the male lead. Conveniently, the school had just finished building a dorm for the volunteer teachers. By forcing Xiao Yan to move there, the heroine and male lead would lose opportunities to meet outside of class, leaving their weekends and commute time free from private encounters.

However, her plan backfired. After getting kicked out of the villainess’s home, Xiao Yan ended up moving into Qi Chen’s house, reducing the distance between the protagonists to just one wall.

Now, though, circumstances had changed. The villainess’s house only had three rooms. If Lin Minjing moved in, someone would have to share a room. Since the school dorms weren’t ready yet, the cohabitation scenario had to begin early.

Wen Yang contemplated. No way. Xu Yi was a no-go, and Xiao Yan, the spoiled young lady, would never share a room with a suspected rival. That left her. Xiao Yan would move to Qi Chen’s house, leaving room for Lin Minjing. Problem solved.

Xu Yi noticed Wen Yang’s newfound energy and poked her arm with his pen. “Got any food?” He hadn’t eaten since last night, and his stomach growled.

Wen Yang glanced at him coldly. “Your voice is annoying.” She snatched the pen from his hand, rummaged in her desk, and pulled out a lollipop from the stash of snacks Xu Yi had given her. She had sorted out the ones she didn’t like and shared them with the younger kids.

“Here.” She placed the lollipop on his desk.

Xu Yi picked it up and scrutinized it. “I gave you this?”

“Yeah.”

“Got anything else?” He didn’t like sweets—sticky lips weren’t his thing.

“Nope.” Wen Yang noticed the kids nearby eyeing the lollipop. “If you’re not eating it, give it back.”

Xu Yi, intrigued by her reaction, smirked. “You want it?”

Wen Yang shot him a look, then waved dismissively. “It’s yours.”

Xu Yi lost interest. “I don’t like sweets. It’s yours.”

“I don’t like them either.” She nodded toward the children nearby, throwing the problem at him. “Pick one to give it to.”

Xu Yi didn’t hesitate. He placed the lollipop on a small boy’s desk beside him, saying, “This is your reward for studying hard.”

The boy’s dirt-streaked hands trembled as he picked up the lollipop, his eyes lighting up. Shyly, he murmured, “Thank you.”

Xu Yi felt he could hold out until dinner.

After lunch, during the noon break, Wen Yang called Xiao Yan and Qi Chen out of the classroom, whispering that she had something to discuss.

The three of them slipped out quietly, gathering under a shady tree.

Wen Yang got straight to the point. “Xiao Yan, can you stay at Qi Chen’s place?”

“Ah?” Xiao Yan was stunned, but realization quickly dawned. Joy flickered in her eyes, though she maintained a composed demeanor and glanced at Qi Chen.

The system chimed in: Host, this isn’t part of the plan!

Wen Yang ignored its protests. “I only have three rooms at my house, and with the transfer student moving in, there’s not enough space. You and Qi Chen seem close, so living together for a few months shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

Qi Chen hesitated, worried about Xiao Yan’s reputation. “That’s not—”

Xiao Yan interrupted decisively. “I’ll move out after school. I prefer living with my grandmother anyway, so don’t overthink it.”

The system whimpered: Host!

Wen Yang shot back: You’re the one who let the transmigrator in and made this mess. If you have no better idea, let me handle it.

The system sulked in the corner, licking its wounds.

Wen Yang sighed. She was like a villainess-turned-cupid, laying bricks and pouring concrete for the protagonists’ love story. If the system pushed her too far, she’d quit entirely.

Since the school was far from the village, classes ended early to avoid students traveling in the dark.

Thanks to a single lollipop, Xu Yi had gained a little shadow—a young boy who idolized him, staring up at his towering figure and dreaming of one day being as strong and having an endless supply of candy.

“What’s for dinner tonight?” Xu Yi asked.

“Instant noodles,” Wen Yang replied without hesitation.

“Were you raised on instant noodles? Your hair’s so yellow.”

“I’m just glad it hasn’t turned white.”

“White?” Xu Yi’s gaze fell on her head, where thick hair spiraled into a cowlick. “Didn’t think you were into trends.”

Behind them, the sound of a suitcase’s wheels echoed. The ever-gentle Qi Chen was playing porter for the city girl again.

Wen Yang glanced back. Lin Minjing was walking beside Xiao Yan, the two chatting and laughing, though their smiles seemed less than genuine. Qi Chen trailed behind, tugging the suitcase like a proper butler.

When Wen Yang turned back, her eyes lingered on the kids around them. They were so innocent—small acts of kindness left deep impressions on them. A single candy or word of praise could capture their hearts completely.

At the village entrance, a group of children waved goodbye enthusiastically.

“Goodbye, brother and sister!”

“Goodbye, sister!”

“Goodbye, Sister Yang!”

—

Back at the villainess’s house, Wen Yang had Xiao Yan clear a room upstairs for Lin Minjing while the latter waited downstairs.

When Lin Minjing heard that Xiao Yan would be moving into Qi Chen’s house, her expression noticeably shifted for a moment. She looked at Wen Yang, the scheming villainess, with a gaze full of confusion, as if asking, “Why are you doing this?”

To avoid exposing herself, Wen Yang turned toward the second floor, putting on an expression of helplessness in the face of authority. She even added a hint of bitterness to her usually stoic face, finally dispelling Lin Minjing’s suspicions.

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” Lin Minjing let her guard down and decided to build goodwill with the male lead by going upstairs to help pack Xiao Yan’s belongings.

Meanwhile, Wen Yang and Xu Yi sat leisurely on small stools. The sound of footsteps above occasionally sent specks of dust falling. Wen Yang picked up her stool and moved it under the eaves outside.

It was already mid-October. The temperature was no longer scorching, and the evening mountain breeze carried a slight chill.

Leaning against the doorframe, Xu Yi refused to let the matter of dinner go. “You’re not seriously expecting me to eat instant noodles for months like you, are you?”

“What do you want to eat, then?” Wen Yang sat upright, indicating she was all ears.

“Meat and vegetables are a basic requirement. Anything beyond that, you decide.” Xu Yi felt his request was entirely reasonable.

Wen Yang pointed him in a clear direction. “If you really want proper meals, I can give half of the money you gave me to Qi Chen. You can eat at his house; I promise you won’t go hungry.”

“What would that make me? We’re not even close.”

“Oh, and we are?” Wen Yang thought to herself: Am I your nanny or your mom? Why are you bossing me around to cook for you? But she held her tongue.

“I paid you, didn’t I?”

Wen Yang didn’t bother haggling with him. “I can return all of it to you if you’d like.”

Xu Yi looked at her, exasperated, and laughed in disbelief. “You—”

“What about me?” Wen Yang remained calm.

“You’re so arrogant, aren’t you, little girl?”

“Little girl?” The term managed to stir a hint of defiance in Wen Yang. “And how old are you to call me that?”

“Eighteen.” Xu Yi’s peach blossom eyes held a hint of amusement. “What about you?”

“Oh.” He was older than her, but so what?

Xu Yi shrugged. “That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

As they spoke, Qi Chen and Xiao Yan had finished packing up.

Xiao Yan stepped forward to bid farewell to Wen Yang. “Thank you for taking care of me these past few days.”

She was practically bursting with happiness. Thanks to Wen Yang, she had effortlessly managed to move into Qi Chen’s house. Her smile was so wide it could almost reach her ears, and she felt as though she might explode with joy.

Wen Yang remained composed. “Goodbye.”

“Goodbye!” Xiao Yan waved her hand cheerfully.

Standing to the side, Lin Minjing silently marveled at Wen Yang’s cunning. If her mission weren’t to win over the male lead, she’d be tempted to shout, That’s your rival in love! Don’t be fooled by her false kindness!

---

That evening, Wen Yang went downstairs to cook instant noodles. Xu Yi quietly followed her, pretending to bump into her by chance, and snagged himself a large portion.

Under a starry night, the two sat on small stools with their noodles placed on a wooden bench between them. Neither spoke, both focused on their meals.

The mountain temperature at this hour was just right—not too cold and not too hot. Even after finishing the meal, they didn’t feel sweaty.

Yet even in such a quiet moment, someone couldn’t keep their mouth shut.

“I remember last time you added an egg to my noodles. Why not this time? Have you run out of eggs at home?” Xu Yi asked.

Wen Yang glanced at him, annoyed by his audacity. “I did. But adding an egg depends entirely on my mood. Today, I’m not in the mood, so no egg.”

Xu Yi got the message—she just didn’t like him. A tiger brought low is bullied by dogs, he thought. Here he was, once the king of the city, now being casually defied by a mountain girl.

He pointed at himself. “Do you even know who I am?”

Wen Yang blew on her chopsticks to cool her noodles, thought for a moment, and replied, “A delinquent sent here by your dad to learn about the warmth of humanity.”