Forced to Become the Female Villain's Doting Wife (GL) - Chapter 19.1

The closed equipment room had no windows. In the dim space, the only light came from the narrow sliver seeping through the crack in the door.

Jiang Cuo’s voice—grating with teeth-clenching fury—sent a jolt down Su Xianxian’s spine, making her scalp tingle. Her right eyelid was twitching violently. Even with her back turned to Jiang Cuo, she could feel the other girl’s rage surging, making the already chilly air in the dim room feel even colder.

Su Xianxian felt a wave of regret. She felt so wronged—why did she have to meddle so much? If she hadn’t let that girl drag her in here, would she have to face such an awkward situation? This time, she was truly like “yellow mud in the crotch”—even if it wasn’t what it looked like, she’d never be able to wash away the suspicion.

[Trash System: Friendly reminder. The Host is alone with Jiang Cuo. If ambiguous photos caused by the camera angle are leaked, it will affect the stability of the system world. Please find and destroy the micro-camera. The system has marked the micro-camera with a red dot and has cut the wireless network in the equipment room for the Host.]

Su Xianxian could only grit her teeth. With her head lowered, she stiffly turned around. She didn’t dare look up to meet Jiang Cuo’s eyes, which were glowing red in the darkness.

[Trash System: It wouldn’t have worked if the Host hadn’t come. According to my analysis, if the Host didn’t show up, others would have framed her for this anyway. They would have posted the recordings from the micro-camera online, and then the Host would truly never be able to clear her name. But since the Host is here, the system can help cut the network so no one can get the photos or physical evidence. Plus, this increases the contact between the Host and Jiang Cuo.]

Despite the explanation, Su Xianxian’s legs were shaking. She could clearly feel that Jiang Cuo’s rage was currently uncontrollable.

“Um… Classmate Jiang, are you alright?”

As soon as Su Xianxian’s trembling words left her mouth, she heard a muffled groan from the corner.

Jiang Cuo swayed, clutching a wooden shelf in the equipment room for support, but she could no longer hold herself up. With a thud, she collapsed onto the scattered clutter on the floor. As Jiang Cuo slid down, Su Xianxian immediately spotted the red dot behind her—it was the micro-camera.

Seeing this, Su Xianxian rushed forward several steps. To grab the camera, she had to reach around Jiang Cuo. However, with wooden shelves on either side, the space was cramped. To take it down, she would essentially have to wrap her arms around Jiang Cuo and reach behind her.

But the way Jiang Cuo was staring at her made it impossible to move closer; she could only crouch where she was.

Su Xianxian used the faint sliver of light from the door crack to see Jiang Cuo’s expression. The light hit Jiang Cuo’s face, providing the only bit of “warmth” to her bloodless complexion.

Jiang Cuo’s eyes were bloodshot. Her naturally upward-tilted phoenix eyes looked as alluring as a fox’s, and the tear mole at the corner of her eye added a touch of sultry charm. It was a pity her expression was too cold and her gaze too sharp, warning people to stay away. Otherwise, she truly looked like a cool female strategist transformed into a kingdom-toppling temptress.

“Classmate Jiang, if I said I really didn’t know about this and was forcibly brought here, would you believe me?”

Jiang Cuo’s chest heaved with labored breaths. Her slender fingers gripped the nearby wooden shelf so tightly that the veins on her well-defined hands stood out, as if she were desperately suppressing something.

“How… do you expect me to believe you?”

Jiang Cuo’s cold voice rang out, every word punctuated by a gasp and the faint, hazy heat of her breath.

“Does the Eldest Miss Su find me so offensive that she has to destroy me? I truly wonder what I’ve done to be such an eyesore to you.”

Jiang Cuo was radiating a cold aura, forbidding Su Xianxian from approaching. She had raised all her defenses; anyone who came near would be stung. But Su Xianxian wasn’t frightened by Jiang Cuo’s aggressive words. Instead, beneath that cold gaze, she saw the helplessness in the depths of her eyes—a fragility she didn’t want anyone to see.

Possessed by some strange impulse, Su Xianxian slowly walked up to Jiang Cuo and half-knelt, keeping her line of sight level so she wouldn’t appear to be looking down on her. Then, she reached out and silently grasped Jiang Cuo’s hand, which was gripping the wooden shelf with all its might.

The shelf was rough; splinters had already pierced Jiang Cuo’s palm, and beads of blood were seeping out. Su Xianxian held Jiang Cuo’s cool hand tightly.

“Jiang Cuo, what I told you in the bathroom yesterday was the truth. I really don’t know who did this today. I was also dragged here by force.”

Jiang Cuo shuddered the moment Su Xianxian touched her. The cold aura around her seemed to pause, showing a slight tendency to fade. Yet her eyes remained stubborn, filled with heartless frost as she stared into Su Xianxian’s eyes. Even after Su Xianxian finished speaking, Jiang Cuo’s face was still full of disbelief.

“Dragged here? Since when can someone force the Eldest Miss Su to do something she doesn’t want to do? If someone grabs you, can’t you shake them off? Then why didn’t the Eldest Miss go to her own dining car today? Why did you stay in the cafeteria, sitting right next to me and staring at me? Wasn’t that bottle of drink sent to me by your people?”

Jiang Cuo was seething. Having consumed that bottle of drink that was actually full of alcohol, her head was currently a muddled mess. That was why she was gripping the wooden shelf, using the pain to try and stay conscious.

Her anger was also directed at herself. If she hadn’t trusted Su Xianxian too much, if Su Xianxian hadn’t looked at her with that strange gaze… she never would have touched a drink sent by a stranger.

It was all because she mistakenly thought Su Xianxian had sent it to her. She never trusted people easily, yet this time, she had lowered her guard. She wanted to try trusting once, but the heavens had played such a cruel joke on her.

She was weak all over, dragged into this dark, enclosed equipment room. She didn’t know what was waiting for her now that she was powerless to resist.

When Su Xianxian’s voice and silhouette appeared before her, Jiang Cuo didn’t know what to feel. For a moment, her heart had been relieved, but then rage flared up. If it weren’t for Su Xianxian, how would she have ended up in such a humiliating state? And seen by her, of all people.

Jiang Cuo bit her lower lip. What would Su Xianxian think of her? Would she mock her for being fooled by such a petty trick?

Su Xianxian couldn’t be sure who did this, but she felt it had to be related to Su Lian. Seeing Jiang Cuo’s self-destructive behavior, she pulled Jiang Cuo’s hand into her own to offer some comfort.

Su Xianxian looked at Jiang Cuo with absolute sincerity. “I’m sorry. It’s all my fault for being too impatient. I wanted to be friends with you, so I wanted to show you my sincerity. But my old personality offended too many people and made too many enemies. Some people saw they couldn’t get to me, so they targeted you. I will definitely get justice for you. I won’t let your reputation be ruined, and I won’t let this incident affect you.”

Whether it was because Su Xianxian’s words were too comforting or her serious expression felt too secure, Jiang Cuo’s strength seemed to drain away. Her body went limp. Even the hand tightly holding Su Xianxian’s lost its power.

Su Xianxian took the opportunity to let Jiang Cuo’s weak head rest on her shoulder, half-embracing her. While doing so, she used her fingernails to pry off the micro-cameras marked by the red dots behind Jiang Cuo.

Su Xianxian glanced at the adhesive devices; they were quite low-quality.

‘I’ve pried off the cameras. Restore the signal in the room so I can call for help.’

[Trash System: Understood, Host. Actually, those cameras weren’t very useful anyway; they were just there to increase the “logic” of the system world’s plot. The signal is restored; you can contact people now.]

Su Xianxian intended to pull her phone from her pocket, but the moment her hand moved, her wrist was suddenly seized. Jiang Cuo’s palm was burning hot, making Su Xianxian’s wrist flinch.

It was only then that Su Xianxian snapped out of her focus on the cameras. The environment and their current posture felt a bit… off.

Jiang Cuo’s breathing was rapid, her breaths hitting Su Xianxian’s neck one after another. At this moment, Jiang Cuo was like a fish out of water, stranded on the shore, breathing heavily but finding no relief, able only to lean on the person in front of her.

She slumped her entire weight against Su Xianxian.

Jiang Cuo was continuously absorbing the coolness from Su Xianxian. Her palms were swollen with heat, and she could only seek out something cool for relief; the only place she could grab was Su Xianxian’s wrist. Before long, the skin on Su Xianxian’s wrist was baked hot by Jiang Cuo’s feverish temperature.

Jiang Cuo silently moved her hand up, inch by inch. Su Xianxian didn’t dare move, fearing Jiang Cuo would misunderstand her again.

They were so close. Su Xianxian could even smell the distinct scent of alcohol on Jiang Cuo—a bit of sweetness mixed with a bit of pungency, exactly like the smell of someone who had downed half a bottle of Erguotou followed by a bottle of red wine. Combined with Jiang Cuo’s own naturally aggressive scent, it wasn’t unpleasant at all.

But business came first. Su Xianxian still tried to get her phone out. However, the moment her arm moved, Jiang Cuo increased her grip strength, as if forbidding her to move—dominant and forceful. She was completely different from the little hedgehog full of aggression she had been moments ago.

Without her noticing, the cold aura around Jiang Cuo had slowly faded. Since Jiang Cuo was leaning on her shoulder, Su Xianxian could only see Jiang Cuo’s profile with her peripheral vision; she couldn’t see her expression at all.

Su Xianxian tried to coax her gently. “Jiang Cuo, let go first. There were two surveillance cameras behind you; someone was trying to secretly record us. I’ve already taken them down. Now I just need to get my phone and call my butler. I’ll call an ambulance to take you to the hospital. No classmates will find out, and everything will be fine. It won’t hurt this much soon. Just be good and listen to me.”

But Jiang Cuo was already drifting in a muddled consciousness, her eyes vacant. She could only instinctively absorb the coolness from the person in front of her to soothe the heat in her body. She seemed dissatisfied with Su Xianxian’s talking.

Jiang Cuo suddenly bit down on Su Xianxian’s neck.

Su Xianxian’s hair practically stood on end. Every fine hair on her body bristled. The hand she was using to reach for her phone froze instantly; she didn’t even dare to let her eyes wander.

What is the situation? Has the alcohol finally hit her? Does Jiang Cuo even know what she’s doing right now? Jiang Cuo is taking advantage of me!

[Trash System: Host, in ten minutes, someone will pass by this area and you will both be discovered. Please resolve this matter within ten minutes.]

The system’s warning left Su Xianxian with no time to daze out. But transforming Jiang Cuo from a cold, terrifying villain into this clingy, advantage-taking sprite was going to be tricky. How should she solve this?

“Jiang Cuo, let go… I mean, let go of your hand… no… let go with your mouth and your hand! Ow, ow, ow, ow… I didn’t provoke you, and I didn’t do this! I’m doing my best here… and I get a bite for my trouble? What am I even doing this for?”

Su Xianxian was breaking into a sweat from the atmosphere. Her tongue felt tied, and as she spoke, she accidentally bit her own tongue, making her hiss in pain. But as she tried to explain, she felt Jiang Cuo’s upper and lower teeth silently applying pressure.

She didn’t expect Jiang Cuo’s teeth to be so sharp; the bite actually hurt quite a bit. What’s more, Jiang Cuo was slowly grinding her teeth against her skin. This is a neck, not a teething stick!

In the windowless equipment room, there was only a tiny bit of light to see by. Now that the two were so close, their breaths intermingled. The atmosphere made it hard for Su Xianxian to breathe.

“Jiang Cuo, wake up.”

Su Xianxian called out several times without a response. She watched as Jiang Cuo’s palm—hot as boiling water—moved up her forearm, past her elbow. Su Xianxian wasn’t the skeletal type; she had a healthy, cute figure with a bit of “meat” on her cheeks, forearms, and calves.

As Jiang Cuo’s hand moved to Su Xianxian’s elbow, whether consciously or not, she squeezed the soft flesh on the inside of Su Xianxian’s forearm. Su Xianxian’s leg suddenly cramped and her backside went numb because she had always been ticklish. To her surprise, this attribute had remained even in this world.

Su Xianxian gritted her teeth, trying not to shake violently. “Jiang Cuo, don’t push it too far. If you keep this up, I won’t endure it anymore.”

Jiang Cuo couldn’t have cared less. The fine hairs on her forehead were wet with sweat, clinging to her temples. Some shorter strands fell over her forehead, covering her narrowed phoenix eyes. Jiang Cuo’s gaze was dazed and out of focus, but to a casual observer, she still appeared to be staring with a chilling intensity. Even in this state, she maintained an aggressive posture to prevent anyone from getting close to her easily.