After Marrying the Cold and Elegant Beauty, I Fell in Love (GL) - Chapter 3

Han Shuangshuang had spent her whole life learning how to read the room.

She had initially thought Shen Yuru was just a “fledgling” villain in her early stages, but she hadn’t expected the internal Blackening Value to already be maxed out at the peak.

Was there anything she could do now to salvage the situation?

“Classmate Han is looking at me with such a strange expression. Have I done something to upset you?”

Hearing Shen Yuru’s voice—light, calm, yet laced with a pointed undertone of questioning—Han Shuangshuang almost couldn’t help but shiver.

She opened her mouth and stammered a reply, “No, not at all. Why would you ask that, Sister Shen?”

“Because I dragged you into this storm and forced you to endure the gossip of others. I felt that Classmate Han was unhappy.”

Shen Yuru’s pale face and her lips, now vivid red from the blood, created a sharp contrast—like a splash of jarring, gaudy color on a porcelain doll. She looked pitiable, the kind of look that makes anyone think she is completely innocent.

Looking at her now, if Han Shuangshuang didn’t already know the plot, she never would have believed this fragile beauty was the future “Gloomy Arch-Villain.”

Han Shuangshuang stopped in her tracks and turned her head. In Shen Yuru’s amber phoenix eyes, she saw her own reflection.

In the novel, the description of the cannon fodder sister was minimal, mostly focusing on how vicious and suicidal she was. But looking into those eyes, Han Shuangshuang realized the character looked exactly like she did before she transmigrated.

[System: Since the book world is a 2D plane, the original character had no fixed appearance. Once the Host transmigrated, you naturally used your original appearance. The looks of others are generated based on the descriptions in the book and your own mental imagery of them.]

Han Shuangshuang had round eyes; when she smiled, her aegyo sal (undereye fat) formed little crescents like two crescent moons, making her look endearing and cute. When she was confused, she had apricot eyes; when she was serious, she had the persistent, determined gaze of a puppy.

She had an oval face with two shallow dimples and two sharp canine teeth that showed when she smiled. At this moment, her expression was incredibly earnest as she stared at Shen Yuru with those “puppy eyes.”

“Sister Shen, don’t say that. I know they’re talking nonsense, so I won’t believe them. Besides, their mouths belong to them—don’t punish yourself for other people’s mistakes. They feel great after venting, and they want to see us suffer because of their words. If we actually get upset, haven’t they won? We can’t give bad people that satisfaction.”

Shen Yuru turned her face away slightly, avoiding eye contact. Her slender fingers tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “Mm.”

Han Shuangshuang didn’t know if Shen Yuru had truly taken it to heart, but her words were sincere.

She knew Shen Yuru had been the subject of ridicule since childhood. In the book, as the eldest daughter, she should have been the center of attention, but because of her weak heart and frail body, she was despised. Rumors are an invisible blade; they draw no blood, but the damage is often fatal. Worst of all, the people who say these irresponsible things don’t care about the harm they cause. They think it’s just a couple of “light” sentences; if you’re hurt, they say your “psychological endurance” is just too low.

[System: Congratulations, Host. Shen Yuru’s heart healing progress has increased by 2%.]

Han Shuangshuang used to love feeding herself “chicken soup for the soul” (motivational quotes), so she could spout these kinds of speeches all day. However, looking at that steady Blackening Value of 100, she felt the road ahead was still long and arduous.

Besides, her reputation as a “vicious supporting character” was in the gutter. Getting Shen Yuru to trust her wasn’t going to happen overnight.

Finally, they arrived at the dorm. Han Shuangshuang knocked on the door.

The girl who opened it froze when she saw Han Shuangshuang. When her eyes shifted to Shen Yuru, her brows furrowed, and hostility immediately surfaced. “What are you back for? Didn’t you say you weren’t living in the dorms?”

As the door opened, Han Shuangshuang saw the four-person dorm. Although there were only three girls present, all four bed-desks were piled high with stuff. Clearly, Shen Yuru’s space had been taken over.

Since it was like this, Shen Yuru shouldn’t have been living here. Why didn’t she object when Han Shuangshuang suggested coming back to the dorm?

[System: Friendly Reminder: Shen Yuru’s Blackening Value is at 100. Please be careful of ‘the last straw’ events that could break the camel’s back.]

The notification distracted Han Shuangshuang, making her lose her train of thought. She focused back on Shen Yuru. Shen Yuru’s body trembled slightly, as if she were losing her strength. Han Shuangshuang immediately put her arm around her shoulders, letting the beauty lean against her.

“What gives you the right to occupy someone else’s bed?” Han Shuangshuang snapped. “Shen Yuru paid her dorm fees, why can’t she come back? You’re just taking advantage of her. Do you really think this stuff belongs to you?”

As she spoke, a sense of familiarity washed over her. She realized—wait, aren’t these the male lead’s lines?

“She’s so rich and she never stays here anyway, so what if we use it? Besides, if she wanted to come back, she should have told us in advance. Otherwise, she’s the one disturbing our lives. And she left her stuff here without packing it, so we ‘cleaned’ it for her.”

The girl’s ugly attitude was on full display. It was the classic case of someone being bullied elsewhere and picking on a “soft persimmon” to feel powerful.

Han Shuangshuang remembered now: in the early stages, Shen Yuru was often cornered like this, and Long Aodi would “happen” to run into her and save the day. But for some reason, Long Aodi still ended up with the female lead’s sister.

Shen Yuru took a few sharp breaths. “I came to take my things. And I never said I wasn’t living here.”

The girl reluctantly stepped aside to let them in. “You haven’t been here in so long, how were we supposed to know if you wanted it? Your things are all by the bathroom door.”

Han Shuangshuang found that being in the perspective of any character in this book was enough to give her high blood pressure.

Shen Yuru picked up several small boxes. Because they were left by the bathroom, water from people showering had soaked through them repeatedly. Some parts were even growing mold. Yet, Shen Yuru held them in her arms as if they were precious treasures.

“These are letters my mother left me before she died. I only recently found a house, so I hadn’t had time to move them. Where are my other things?”

At this question, the three girls in the dorm looked guilty and avoided her eyes.

The girl from before stammered, then lifted her chin defiantly. “You weren’t back for so long, and your stuff was taking up space. Your makeup, your clothes… we divided them up among ourselves.”

Han Shuangshuang couldn’t take it anymore. “Taking without asking is stealing! That’s robbery! Who gave you the nerve to be so self-righteous about it?”

“She’s so rich, what’s wrong with us using a few things? We even cleaned the room while she was gone. Besides, an heiress making a fuss over a few pennies? How embarrassing for her.” The other two chimed in. The three of them were like a twisted rope, thinking that if three people did something wrong together, it became right.

Han Shuangshuang was about to explode. “She isn’t even here to make a mess, what ‘cleaning’ did you have to do? You’re poor so you’re in the right? Being poor means you can steal and rob? This is just pure resentment of the rich, isn’t it?”

The argument grew loud. Someone shouted that the Student Union was coming.

Han Shuangshuang looked up to see Long Aodi walking toward them. The three girls’ eyes lit up as if their god had descended. Han Shuangshuang felt like the “protagonist halo” was going to blind her. It turned out these girls were targeting Shen Yuru precisely because Long Aodi had been getting close to her lately.

Long Aodi: “What’s going on?”

The three girls immediately put on a pitiful act, losing their arrogant edge. “Han Shuangshuang came to our dorm to pick a fight. She’s an heiress and we’re just commoners, we didn’t dare say anything.”

This lie was enough to make anyone’s fist clench.

Long Aodi frowned, looking at Han Shuangshuang with displeasure. “I’ll handle this. Stop causing trouble. Classmate Shen, if you need any help, you can tell me directly.”

Despite the girls clearly being in the wrong, Long Aodi’s words instantly framed Han Shuangshuang and Shen Yuru as the troublemakers.

Han Shuangshuang glared at him. “So the Student Union President can just wander into the girls’ dorm whenever he wants? Are you a pervert? Besides, do you even know the truth? You’re standing here judging people like you’re some grand magistrate.”

Ignoring Long Aodi’s darkening expression, she turned back to the girls. “Shen Yuru’s things aren’t cheap. You used them without her permission. If we call the police, the value is high enough to be a criminal case. If you don’t compensate her and apologize publicly, we’re going through legal procedures.”

Shen Yuru’s emotionless phoenix eyes flickered as she looked at Han Shuangshuang.

She had dragged her feet coming here today specifically because Han Shuangshuang was with her; she figured the conflict would shift to the other girl. She couldn’t be bothered to deal with these “ants” herself.

But she hadn’t expected Han Shuangshuang to stand in front of her like an angry puppy, speaking up on her behalf.

It was… quite unexpected.

[System: Friendly Reminder: Shen Yuru’s Blackening Value decreased by 1.]