Returning to the Villain Omega's High School Days - Chapter 7

Back in her rental apartment, Xie Ning used a pair of tweezers to pull the bullet out of her wound. The flesh was bloody and mangled. She had no anesthetic, so she gritted her teeth and trembled all over from the pain.

By the time she had dressed her wound, the sky had already brightened. She lay on the floor, exhausted.

The phone rang. Xie Ning glanced at it and saw it was Jiang Qingliu’s number. She put it on silent. She didn’t want to answer a call from anyone unrelated at a time like this.

When she thought about what was going to happen next, she couldn’t rest easy, even if she died. She had to tell Su Wan something, or get the book, Rongcheng, into her hands, to make her understand what was going to happen and to prevent her from going to such extremes.

Besides, just because something was predicted in the book, did it have to happen? If she stayed locked in her room today, how could she be hit by a truck on the street?

There had to be a way to break the pattern. If she couldn’t do it now, it was only because she hadn’t found a better way yet.

Xie Ning wanted to find Su Wan, but if she left now, there was a high chance she would be hit by a truck.

Su Wan had changed her number, so Xie Ning could only try to contact her through people she knew. Xie Ning sent a few texts, but they were either rejected or ignored.

“Xie Ning, you’re so insane. It’s been so long, and you still want to bother Su Wan?!”

“I’m not giving you Su Wan’s contact information. Nothing good can come from a freak like you contacting her!”

“Sorry, I can’t reveal her information.”

“… “

That was right. In their eyes, Xie Ning’s reputation was ruined. A few years ago, she had been in the news for an act of heroism. In the interview, she went on and on about her ex-wife, Su Wan, in front of reporters. This led to public sympathy for Xie Ning. Some uninformed netizens even went to harass Su Wan, demanding that she get back together with Xie Ning. Many also cursed at Professor Xiang, accusing him of being a corrupt old man, ruining his reputation, and negatively affecting the lives of Su Wan and the Xiang family.

This added another debt to Su Wan’s ledger. From then on, people’s impression of Xie Ning was nothing more than that of a persistent, shameless person.

In reality, Xie Ning rarely mentioned Su Wan in her daily life. During that interview, it was as if she had been possessed, saying things that slandered Su Wan. It must have been what the plot required.

With a try-and-see attitude, Xie Ning sent a text to the contact “Xiang Yihai”: “Professor Xiang, could you help me get in touch with Su Wan? I have something urgent to tell her.”

After sending it, Xie Ning felt like she was just grasping at straws. How could Xiang Yihai possibly help her? She was very annoyed, but a few minutes later, Xiang Yihai replied: “I’ll try.”

Xie Ning was on pins and needles. She didn’t know what Xiang Yihai’s “I’ll try” meant, but she was already desperate to go out. If the plot in the book was destined to happen, then even if she just went out to buy a bento, she could be hit by a truck. She had to be careful!

She called Xiang Yihai, but no one answered. She got up and paced around the room, forcing herself to calm down and think about how to convince Su Wan. She picked up a broom and swept the floor, and even made a sandwich. But no matter what she did, in the end, her mind was left with a single, simple desire: she had to go out! She wanted to leave this room, to walk out onto the main road. She couldn’t stand being here for another moment!

She was going crazy, tormented by her own thoughts. She began to look for ropes, trying to find a way to tie herself down. But in a moment of distraction, she found herself standing at the door, her hand on the doorknob! She could predict what was going to happen next. At that moment, she felt like a figure pinned to a piece of paper with a staple gun, powerless and lost.

Knock, knock. The crisp knock on the door woke Xie Ning from her nightmare. She drew a sharp breath and quickly pulled the door open. Then, she froze in place as if she had been hit by an electric current.

Standing outside was an unexpected person.

She held an umbrella in one hand and something in the other. Her face was hidden by sunglasses. Her long hair was parted in a seven-to-three ratio and styled into a low bun at the back. Her lips, painted with a thin layer of bean paste color, moved as she said something.

Xie Ning’s gaze was fixed on her. The sharp look in her eyes softened. She felt like a traveler who had been thirsty in the desert for three days and three nights and then found a bottle of undiscovered water in her backpack. She felt a sudden sense of relief.

The glaring sun shone on the doorway, but she stood in the shadows, her attention completely focused on the woman in front of her. For a moment, she forgot everything.

“Wanwan.” Xie Ning whispered her name.

Su Wan took off her sunglasses and calmly examined her. Her gaze swept over her face and lingered on her shoulder for a moment. Then, she calmly looked her up and down, not speaking for a long time.

Xie Ning stood in the dark rental apartment, wearing only a cropped tank top and jeans. Her right shoulder and arm were wrapped in gauze, and blood had soaked through, turning the bandage red. There were also splotches of blood on her arm and clothes. She had a faint smell of sweat. Her semi-long hair was tied up messily, and a sweaty clump of bangs hung over her sharp eyes. The skin under her eyelids was swollen, and there were also dirty sweat marks on her face. She looked like a filthy vagrant that Su Wan would usually avoid, but she was also completely different from those vagrants. Su Wan was not repulsed by this Xie Ning. She didn’t show a surprised expression or frown in disgust. She just looked at Xie Ning with a cold, distant calmness.

Xie Ning had aged, and her skin had lost its firmness, but her body was still in good shape. Her waist was thin and her hips were wide, making her look good in jeans. She had muscle definition on her abdomen, and the muscles in her arms were slender and full. Su Wan used to love admiring her features one by one, and she had even said that the smell of her sweat was a “warm scent.” She didn’t take care of herself as meticulously as Su Wan did. She didn’t use skincare products and was often hurt in fights, but she had never been like last night, rushing into a private room with a gun and leaving covered in blood.

Su Wan looked up at her and said, “Xie Ning, are you crazy?”

Xie Ning lowered her eyelids and curled the corner of her lips into her signature wild smile. “Sweetheart, did you come here just to scold me?”

Su Wan’s arched eyebrows furrowed slightly. Her back was straight, and her words were clear. “Xie Ning, give me back the watch you took from Xiang Tao. I saw you posted it online.”

Xie Ning remembered and said with a sudden realization, “Oh, that thing…”

Su Wan stood at the door. Seeing that Xie Ning wasn’t moving, she stopped talking.

Xie Ning looked at her with a smile, noticing that she was holding something that looked like a cake. Xie Ning raised an eyebrow and gestured with a look. “Coming in? I swept the floor.”

Su Wan gave her a cold glance. “I’ll wait for you to get the watch.”

In this weather, it was scorching hot outside. Xie Ning had her old air conditioner on the lowest setting, but the room was still barely holding at a little over thirty degrees Celsius. She slowly fumbled around the room for a while and then called back to Su Wan, “Come in. I forgot where I put the watch. Let me look for a bit!”

Su Wan remained at the door, watching her without a change in expression. The rental apartment was only a little over thirty square meters. The entrance had a kitchen and a refrigerator. The living room only had a blanket, not even a chair. A few steps further in was Xie Ning’s bed by the window, with only a mat and a pillow. Two pieces of clothing, which looked like Xie Ning’s everyday wear, hung by the window. Other than the bathroom and the old man’s room, everything in the apartment was visible at a glance.

It was hard to imagine that Xie Ning had lived in this broken-down place for seven or eight years. From her early thirties, she had become the middle-aged woman she was now. In the stage of her life where she should have been enjoying herself the most, she had wasted her life on making money to pay off her debts and on supporting a despicable old man. The worst part was that she probably still didn’t believe just how despicable the man she called “father” was.

Watching Xie Ning’s slow movements and her deliberate fumbling without actually looking, a wave of anger welled up in Su Wan. She raised her voice. “Xie Ning, are you kidding me?”

Xie Ning turned back to her, smiling shamelessly. She said, “Wanwan, you came all this way to find me. It must not be just for that watch, right?”

Su Wan lifted her eyelids, a little exasperated. Such a serious thing had happened last night, but Xie Ning was acting like nothing was wrong, not taking it to heart, and even looked ready to continue their idle chat.

Su Wan stepped inside, leaned her umbrella against the wall by the entrance, and placed the box she was holding next to it. She then walked into the room, carefully avoiding the cracked wooden floor with her high heels. She looked around the small room and finally sat down on Xie Ning’s bed.

Just being in the same room with her, alone, was a blessing from heaven for Xie Ning. She opened the refrigerator and slowly asked, “I have beer and soda. Which one do you want?”

Su Wan: “I don’t drink.”

“How about Fanta?” Xie Ning said to herself. “I remember you liked that.”

“Xie Ning,” Su Wan looked at her, her gentle gaze as clear as jade. She asked, her words crystal clear, “What exactly were you trying to do last night?”

Xie Ning held a can of Fanta, looking down at Su Wan with a gentle expression. Just looking at Su Wan like this made her feel relaxed and happy. She knew she was going to die, but she didn’t feel it was a loss at all.

Su Wan sat on the edge of the bed, her knees together, with the cheongsam covering them. The slit in the skirt revealed a little bit of beautiful scenery, and Xie Ning knew best how comfortable it was to touch the skin on her thighs near her hips. Her gaze wandered over Su Wan, stopping at her slender ankles, where the silver high-heeled shoe straps were tied, elegant and lovely, and absolutely beautiful.

“Xie Ning,” Su Wan repeated her name, raising her chin to look at her. Even her angry face was so charming. She said, “Answer my question.”

“Last night? Well, of course… I wanted to kill Su Xingheng,” Xie Ning drank half the can of soda in one go. She licked her lips and said with a laugh, “You were there. You saw it all, didn’t you?”

Su Wan frowned slightly. “Who was the client?”

“The client?” Xie Ning was a little surprised. “Sweetheart, why would you think that? Do you think I would kill… your biological brother for money?”

Su Wan: “I don’t think you would, which is why I’m asking you.”

“Hm,” Xie Ning smiled faintly. “You do know me. I’m not the type who would do anything for money. I wanted to kill Su Xingheng because I hate him. I can’t stand seeing him do well. I want to drag someone down to hell with me, and no one is more suitable than Su Xingheng. As long as I can drag him down to hell, I will have no regrets in my life. Do you understand? Trash people like us just can’t stand to see others doing well and want to drag everyone down.”

Su Wan’s face darkened. After a moment, she said, “Xie Ning, you’re not that kind of person.”

Xie Ning’s throat felt sore. Looking at Su Wan in front of her, tears were about to roll down. She drank the rest of the soda, then paused before saying, “You called me trash the other day.”

Su Wan’s expression shifted slightly. She glanced at Xie Ning, not knowing what to say.

Xie Ning found it a little funny. She wasn’t angry about being called “trash.” She was just saying it to sound like she was pouting, wanting to hear a comforting word from Su Wan.

Su Wan didn’t say anything, and Xie Ning stopped her frivolous talk. A person who pouts and acts spoiled fears nothing more than the other person not taking it seriously. What was she to Su Wan anyway? She owed Su Wan so much, and Su Wan peacefully sitting here and listening to her was already a gift. She really wanted to stay with her a little longer.

Xie Ning got her a soda, but Su Wan wouldn’t drink it. It looked like she didn’t want to stay for another minute.

Xie Ning, being perceptive, went to get the watch. At that moment, Su Wan noticed the book on the floor. She broke the silence. “You still read?”

Xie Ning picked up the book and handed it to Su Wan. She said, “Reading more is actually quite useful.”

Su Wan was a little confused. Xie Ning gestured for her to take the book repeatedly, so she reluctantly took it. She didn’t open it but just held it in her hand.

“You came all this way just for a watch, not hesitating to deal with a person like me,” Xie Ning said softly, licking her lips. “Wanwan, the Xiang family must be very important to you, right?”

Su Wan became wary, and her tone rose. “Xie Ning, in your current state, you couldn’t possibly threaten the Xiang family. You tried to murder someone last night, and the police will find you at any time. Don’t be so delusional, mmmph…”

As she was speaking, Su Wan suddenly froze. Her eyes widened, and her breathing stopped. Xie Ning had leaned in without warning and kissed her lips. She should have been more cautious. What couldn’t a lunatic like Xie Ning do?! But the moment their lips touched, a current seemed to run through Su Wan’s body—a feeling she hadn’t experienced in a very, very long time.

Xie Ning seemed to feel the same. Her movements became gentler and bolder. She cupped Su Wan’s face with one hand and kissed her more deeply. Lips met, and breaths mingled. Everything felt so natural. She smelled the pheromones, like snow falling on ice flames—light and elegant, and completely intoxicating.

“Xie Ning!” Su Wan pushed her away forcefully and slapped Xie Ning’s face. Her lips were moist, her cheeks flushed, and her almond-shaped eyes were filled with disbelief.

“Wanwan,” Xie Ning chuckled. The pad of her finger gently brushed over the corner of Su Wan’s eye. She looked at her and said softly, “You have fine lines now.”

Su Wan was still fuming. She held Xie Ning’s book, almost wanting to throw it in her face.

Xie Ning raised her injured arm and grabbed her wrist, unreasonable but serious. “Wanwan, don’t throw this away. I’m begging you. Go back and open it. Take a look.”

Su Wan tried to pull away, and the pain from Xie Ning’s wound was unbearable. Their eyes met, and Xie Ning let go of Su Wan’s hand. Su Wan, holding the book Rongcheng, got up and walked away.

“Wanwan.” Xie Ning called out to her from behind.

Su Wan picked up the umbrella leaning against the wall and ignored her.

“I want to grow old with you,” Xie Ning murmured.

Su Wan closed the door behind her as if she had never been there. Only the faint fragrance lingered in the air—the scent of her pheromones. She was moved, wasn’t she?

Xie Ning looked at the box left by the door, picked it up, and placed it in the middle of the floor. She unwrapped the ribbon, and inside was an eight-inch birthday cake. Next to it, a heart-shaped card read, “Happy Birthday.”

Xie Ning couldn’t remember the last time she had a birthday cake. If she had spoken nicely, would Su Wan have stayed to blow out the candles with her?

Sure enough, human greed was endless.

She cut a small piece of cake, ate it with satisfaction, and then walked out the door. The sound of tires, horns, and engines became sharp and clear.

Author’s Note:

The first cycle is over 0 0