I Turned Out to Be the Paranoid Villain's White Moonlight - Chapter 3

This display of sass would likely keep Xu Yingxi awake for at least three days.

Zhan Yao let out a yawn, too lazy to care further. She tossed her phone aside and started applying a face mask. Of course, she was using the simplest method: cucumber slices.

She had been making do like this for the past three days.

The original host was a good student and had saved up a decent amount of scholarship money. Combined with various part-time jobs, she had a few tens of thousands in her account—enough for daily necessities. However, the original host was incredibly frugal. Her skincare routine was non-existent, consisting of only two nearly empty bottles of basic lotion. Xu Yingxi had sent her expensive gifts before, but the host, shocked by the price tags, had returned them all unopened.

Ah, to be young—where you don’t even need skincare to have such delicate, smooth skin.

Thinking of her face, Zhan Yao reflexively picked up a small mirror by her pillow. Perhaps it was a coincidence, but not only did they share a name, they looked identical. The only difference was that the original Zhan Yao was introverted and unrefined, with a gaze that looked innocent and naive—the type described in books as “triggering a protective instinct.”

Now that the real Zhan Yao was here, that naivety had vanished, replaced by an air of nobility and pride. Even her roommates noticed the change.

“What’s different?” Zhan Yao asked while adjusting a cucumber slice.

“I can’t put my finger on it,” said her roommate, Jiang Yi. “It’s just… you seem so much more confident.”

“And prettier,” Ding Xiaoxiao added. “You know how to dress yourself now.”

“Yaoyao, what happened?” Jiang Yi asked. A sudden change in personality usually had a cause.

“Maybe I’m just in a good mood lately,” Zhan Yao said.

“Did something good happen?”

“In a way.” Zhan Yao smiled. “I dumped a piece of trash.”

“Trash?”

“Yeah.” Zhan Yao lowered her eyes to her hand, thinking she should buy some hand masks soon. “My ex-girlfriend.”

Ex-girlfriend? That Xu Yingxi?

Jiang Yi and Ding Xiaoxiao exchanged looks of shock. As her roommates, they knew the name Xu Yingxi well: beautiful, wealthy, and highly capable at a young age. Most importantly, she seemed gentle and doting. This sudden breakup was a total surprise.

After a silence, Ding Xiaoxiao spoke up: “Did something happen? I thought Miss Xu was quite good to you…”

“Good?” Zhan Yao raised an eyebrow. It seemed Xu Yingxi played her part well if even the roommates were fooled. To prevent other innocent girls from being deceived, Zhan Yao decided to give them a reality check. She picked a few “representative” examples of Xu Yingxi’s behavior and shared them.

By the end, Jiang Yi and Ding Xiaoxiao were wide-eyed.

“My god! She’s like that? Good riddance then! You dodged a bullet!” Jiang Yi, who hated scumbags, was now full of sympathy. “I’m so glad you got out of that fire pit.”

“This calls for a celebration!” Ding Xiaoxiao chimed in. “Let’s go shopping later!”

“Sure,” Zhan Yao agreed. “But before that… Xiaoxiao, how are your perfume sales going?”

“Not great…” Ding Xiaoxiao’s face fell. Unlike the others, Xiaoxiao came from a well-off family of businesspeople. Her parents encouraged her interests, especially her passion for perfumery. She had talent, but lacked experience; her scents were pleasant but always felt like they were “missing something.”

The university was currently holding a “Summer Fair,” but Xiaoxiao’s booth was seeing very low traffic.

“If you’re willing, maybe I can help,” Zhan Yao said.

“Huh?” Ding Xiaoxiao blinked. “Yaoyao… you know about perfume making?”

Zhan Yao didn’t answer directly. She reached for a bottle on the desk. “Let me try that.”

She sprayed a bit into the air and wafted it toward her nose, sniffing carefully. The two roommates watched her, breathless. After two minutes, Zhan Yao spoke:

“It’s a fruity scent. Fresh pear mixed with iris and gardenia. It’s nice at first, but it becomes too sweet upon closer inspection. Because the ingredients are too similar, the heart and base notes don’t change much. It’s a bit one-dimensional.”

She continued, “Try replacing the iris with hawthorn and licorice, and add some patchouli and amber. It will give the scent more layers and neutralize the cloying sweetness.”

Ding Xiaoxiao ran the combination through her head. It sounded perfect. She was so excited she didn’t even stop to ask how Zhan Yao knew this. “I have more samples, you have to help me with the others!”

“Sure,” Zhan Yao smiled. “However…”

“I get it, I get it!” Ding Xiaoxiao gestured grandly. “If you help me, we’ll split the profits 50/50.”

“No need for half. I’ll take 30%,” Zhan Yao said. She didn’t want to use the original host’s hard-earned savings for her own luxury, so she’d earn her own pocket money.

“Why don’t you just sell your own?” the system asked curiously.

Zhan Yao blinked. “Because I’m lazy. Isn’t it better to just sit back and collect a cut?”

The system was once again impressed.

The next evening at the fair, the “improved” perfumes were a hit. Ding Xiaoxiao had prepared free samples, and the booth was packed. Zhan Yao sat behind her, wearing a long-sleeved ice-silk sun protection suit to ward off mosquitoes, eating watermelon while Ding Xiaoxiao worked.

“You’re a genius, Yaoyao!” Ding Xiaoxiao shouted over the crowd. “I love you so much—”

She stopped mid-sentence as a woman approached the booth.

The fair attracted locals, but this woman was different. She was stunning, noble, and radiated a mature, almost oppressive elegance. Ding Xiaoxiao subconsciously lowered her voice: “Hello… ma’am, are you looking for perfume? I’m a bit busy, could you wait a moment?”

“No need,” the woman said, shaking her head. “I’m looking for her.”

Her gaze was fixed on Zhan Yao.

“Oh! Yaoyao, someone is here for you!”

Zhan Yao looked up from her watermelon and recognized the woman from the bar. Her impression of this “insane” person wasn’t great. “Busy. No time,” she said. She sounded like she was handling a state crisis, but she was literally just digging into a watermelon.

“Um…” Ding Xiaoxiao stammered, afraid the lady would be offended. “Maybe you could…”

“It’s alright,” the woman interrupted. “I’ll go to her.”

The woman walked up to Zhan Yao. After a moment, Zhan Yao looked up again. “If you aren’t buying anything, don’t loiter.”

Her tone was sharp, but the woman didn’t seem to mind. She spoke in an almost negotiating tone: “If I buy all of your perfume, would you be willing to speak with me for a few minutes?”

Zhan Yao finally put down her watermelon. “Buying that much is a waste, isn’t it?”

“I have many staff at home. I’ll just distribute it to them.”

“I see.” Zhan Yao nodded. “Fine. What is it?”

The woman took out her phone. On the screen was the post Zhan Yao had made the night before:

[I’d rather marry Yu Wanqiao than marry you.]

The woman looked up, a faint smile playing on her lips.

“I saw this post.”

“You… are a woman of your word, aren’t you?”