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

Xie Ning returned to her rented room and faced the mirror, using tweezers to remove the bullet. The wound was a bloody mess of flesh. She had no anesthetic, and the pain made her grit her teeth, trembling all over.

By the time she finished treating the wound, the sky had already brightened. She lay on the floor, completely exhausted.

Her phone rang. Xie Ning glanced at it. It was Jiang Qingliu’s number, so she pressed the mute button.

She did not want to answer an irrelevant person’s call at a time like this.

When she thought of what would happen next, she could not die in peace even if she died. She had to tell Su Wan something, or send the book Rongcheng into Su Wan’s hands, so Su Wan would understand what was going to happen and avoid going to extremes.

Besides, even if something was prophesied in the book, did that mean it would definitely happen?

If she locked herself inside today and did not go out, how could she possibly be hit and killed by a truck on the road?

There had to be a way to break the game. If she could not do it now, then it must be because she had not yet thought of a better method.

Xie Ning wanted to go find Su Wan, but if she went out now, there was a very high chance she would be hit and killed by a truck.

Su Wan had changed her number. Xie Ning could only try to contact her through people they knew. She sent out several text messages. Some were rejected, while others were ignored—

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

“There’s no way I’ll let you know Su Wan’s contact information. A pervert like you looking for her definitely means nothing good!”

“Sorry, but I can’t reveal that.”

“…”

That made sense. In these people’s eyes, Xie Ning’s image had already rotted through.

A few years ago, she had been on the news for an act of bravery. During the interview, she had talked at length about her ex-wife Su Wan in front of the reporter, causing public opinion to collectively sympathize with Xie Ning. Some netizens who did not know the truth even ran off to harass Su Wan, demanding that she get back together with Xie Ning. Many people also cursed Professor Xiang for being old and improper, damaging Old Xiang’s reputation and causing a terrible impact on Su Wan and the Xiang family’s life.

This added another debt Xie Ning owed Su Wan to her ledger. From then on, people’s impression of Xie Ning was reduced to shamelessly clinging and refusing to let go.

In truth, Xie Ning usually never spoke of Su Wan. During that interview, she had seemed as if someone else had possessed her, saying things that slandered Su Wan. That must also have been required by the book’s plot.

With the attitude of giving it a try, Xie Ning sent a text to the contact saved as “Xiang Yihai”: “Professor Xiang, can you help me get in touch with Su Wan? I have something urgent I want to tell her.”

After sending it, Xie Ning felt as if she was grasping at straws in a crisis. How could Xiang Yihai possibly help with something like this?

She was extremely frustrated, but a few minutes later, Xiang Yihai replied: “I’ll try.”

Xie Ning sat on pins and needles. She did not know what Xiang Yihai’s “I’ll try” meant. Right now, she was already impatient to go out.

If the plot in the book was bound to happen, then even if she only went out to buy a boxed meal now, she could be hit and killed by a truck. She had to be more cautious!

She called Xiang Yihai, but no one answered at all. She stood up and paced back and forth through the room, forcing herself to calm down and think about how to persuade 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, only one simple desire remained in her mind—

She had to go out!

She wanted to leave this room and walk onto the main road. She did not want to stay here for another moment!

She was tortured by her own thoughts until she nearly went mad. She began searching everywhere for rope, trying to find a way to restrain herself. But with one careless lapse, she discovered that she was already standing at the entrance, her hand gripping the doorknob!

She could sense what was about to happen next. In that moment, she was like a little paper figure stapled to a page by a stapler, powerless and lost.

“Knock, knock.”

The crisp sound of knocking pulled Xie Ning awake from the nightmare. She suddenly drew in a breath and quickly pulled the door open. Then her whole body went rigid in place, as if struck by an electric current.

Outside the door stood someone unexpected.

She held an umbrella in one hand and carried something in the other. Sunglasses covered her face. Her long hair was parted three-seven and gathered into a low bun at the back. A thin layer of dusty rose color was painted on her lips. Her lips moved, and she said something.

Xie Ning’s gaze clung tightly to her. Her sharp eyes softened. She looked like a traveler in the desert who, after thirsting for three days and three nights, had found an undiscovered bottle of water inside her own backpack—

And suddenly felt at peace.

The glaring sunlight shone in front of the door, yet she stood in the darkness, all her attention focused on the woman before her. In an instant, she forgot everything else.

“Wanwan.”

Xie Ning said her name.

Su Wan took off her sunglasses and calmly studied her. Her gaze swept over Xie Ning’s face, paused on her shoulder for a moment, then unhurriedly looked her up and down. For a long time, she said nothing.

Xie Ning stood in the dim rented room. On her upper body, she only wore a waist-baring tank top. On her lower body, she wore jeans. Her right shoulder and arm were wrapped in gauze, but blood had seeped out, staining the gauze red. There were blotches of blood on her arm and clothes, and a faint smell of sweat on her body. Her half-long hair was tied messily, and damp strands of bangs hung over her forehead, blocking those sharp brows and eyes. The skin beneath her eyelids was puffy, and there were dirty sweat marks on her face too.

She looked like the filthy vagrants Su Wan usually avoided when she encountered them. Yet she was entirely different from those vagrants. Su Wan did not reject this version of Xie Ning. She did not reveal any surprise, nor did she frown in disgust. She only looked at Xie Ning coldly, distant and composed.

Xie Ning had aged. Her skin had loosened, but her figure had not gone out of shape. Her waist was slim and her hips wide. She looked very good in jeans. There was still the outline of muscle on her abdomen, and the muscles on her arms were slender yet full. Once, Su Wan had liked admiring each of these features on her body one by one. Even the smell of sweat on her body, Su Wan had once said, was a “warm scent.”

She did not maintain herself as carefully as Su Wan did. She did not use skincare products, and she often fought and got hurt. But never had she been like last night, charging into a private room with a gun, then leaving covered in blood.

Su Wan lifted her eyes to look at her and spat out a few words. “Xie Ning, have you lost your mind?”

Xie Ning lowered her eyelids. The corner of her lips curled, revealing her signature unruly, carefree smile. “Darling, did you come here just to scold me?”

Su Wan’s curved brows furrowed slightly. Her back was straight, and her words were clear. “Xie Ning, return the watch you stole from Xiang Tao. I saw that you listed it online.”

Xie Ning remembered this matter and suddenly said, “Oh, right, there was that too…”

Su Wan stood at the doorway. Seeing that Xie Ning remained standing still, she seemed about to speak, then stopped.

Xie Ning looked at her with a smile and noticed that she was carrying something that looked like a cake. Xie Ning raised a brow and gave her a look. “Coming in? I swept the floor.”

Su Wan glanced at her and said coldly, “I’ll wait for you to get the watch.”

In weather like this, it was unbearably hot outside. Xie Ning had turned the old air conditioner to its lowest setting, but the room could only barely remain in the thirties. She slowly rummaged around inside for a while, then turned back and called to Su Wan, “Come in. I forgot where I put the watch. Wait for me to look for a bit!”

Su Wan still stood at the door, watching her without a change in expression.

The rented room was only a little over thirty square meters. At the entrance were the kitchen and refrigerator. The living room had only a rug and not even a chair. Two steps farther in, by the window, was Xie Ning’s bed. There was only a bamboo mat and a pillow on the bed. Two pieces of clothing hung by the window, looking like things Xie Ning often wore. Aside from the bathroom and the old man’s room, everything in the place could be taken in at a glance.

It was hard to imagine that Xie Ning had actually lived in this broken room for seven or eight years. From her early thirties to the middle-aged woman she was now, at the stage of life when she should have been enjoying herself most, her life had been wasted on earning money to repay debts and supporting a despicable old man.

And the worst part was, even now, she might still not believe just how despicable that man she called “father” truly was.

Watching Xie Ning’s slow movements, watching her deliberately rummage without really searching, Su Wan felt anger lodge in her chest. She raised her voice. “Xie Ning, are you joking?”

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

Su Wan lifted her eyelids, somewhat resigned.

Something so serious had happened last night, yet Xie Ning acted as though nothing had happened. Not only did she not take it to heart, she even looked as though she wanted to continue chatting idly with her?

Su Wan entered the room, leaned her straight-handled umbrella by the entrance, and placed the box she was carrying beside it. Then she walked in. Wearing high heels, she carefully avoided the cracked wooden floor as she looked around the little room, before finally sitting down on Xie Ning’s bed.

Just being able to stay in the same room with her and speak to her alone was already enough for Xie Ning to thank heaven and earth.

She opened the refrigerator and slowly asked, “There’s beer and soda. Which one do you want?”

Su Wan said, “I’m not drinking.”

“Is Fanta okay?” Xie Ning said on her own. “I remember you liked this.”

“Xie Ning.” Su Wan looked at her, her warm gaze clear as jade. She asked each word clearly, “What exactly were you planning to do last night?”

Xie Ning held a can of Fanta and lowered her eyes to look at Su Wan, her gaze soft.

Just looking at Su Wan like this already made her feel refreshed and at ease. She knew she was going to die, but it was not a loss at all.

Su Wan sat by the bed, both knees together and tilted to the side. Her qipao covered her knees, while the slit at the end of the skirt revealed a glimpse of alluring scenery. And Xie Ning knew best just how comfortable the flesh of Su Wan’s thigh near her hip felt to touch. Her gaze wandered wantonly over Su Wan, stopping on her slender ankle, where the strap of a silver high heel was wrapped. Elegant and adorable, simply beautiful beyond measure.

“Xie. Ning.” Su Wan repeated her name, lifting her chin to look at her. Even the way she looked angry was this captivating. She said, “Answer my question.”

“Last night? Of course I… wanted to kill Su Xingheng.” Xie Ning drank half the can of soda in one breath. She pressed her lips together, then smiled and said, “You were at the scene. You saw it all, didn’t you?”

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

“Employer?” Xie Ning was somewhat surprised. “Darling, why would you think that? Do you think I would kill… your biological brother for money?”

Su Wan said, “I think you wouldn’t, so I came to ask you.”

“Mm.” Xie Ning smiled faintly. “You still understand me. I’m not the kind of person who would do anything for money either. I killed Su Xingheng simply because I hate him. I can’t stand seeing him live well. I wanted to drag someone down to hell, and no one was more suitable than Su Xingheng. As long as I could drag him down to hell, my life wouldn’t have been a loss. Do you understand? Garbage people like us just can’t stand seeing others live well. We want to drag everything into the water.”

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

Xie Ning’s throat ached sourly. Looking at Su Wan before her, tears were about to roll down. She finished the soda, paused, then said, “You called me a scumbag the day before yesterday.”

Su Wan’s eyes shifted slightly. She glanced at her, not knowing what to say.

Xie Ning found it a little funny. She was not angry over that word, “scumbag.” The way she spoke was more like she was acting spoiled, merely wanting to hear a single comforting word from Su Wan.

Su Wan said nothing, and Xie Ning stopped speaking glibly too. People who acted spoiled and willful feared nothing more than the other person not taking it seriously.

What did she count as, like this?

She owed Su Wan so much. The fact that Su Wan could sit here calmly and listen to her speak was already a gift of grace.

She really wanted to stay with her a little longer.

Xie Ning brought her the soda, but Su Wan did not drink it. She looked like she did not want to stay here for one extra minute.

Xie Ning tactfully went to get the watch. At this moment, Su Wan noticed the book on the floor. She opened her mouth and broke the silence. “You read books now?”

Xie Ning picked up the book and casually handed it to Su Wan. She said, “Reading more books is still pretty useful.”

Su Wan found this baffling. Xie Ning repeatedly gestured for her to take the book, and only then did Su Wan reluctantly accept it. She did not open it, merely holding it in her hand.

“You came here specifically to get the watch, even if that meant dealing with someone like me.” Xie Ning smacked her lips softly and said in a gentle voice, “Wanwan, the Xiang family is very important to you, right?”

Su Wan immediately became guarded, her tone rising. “Xie Ning, with the state you’re in now, there’s no way you could threaten the Xiang family. Last night, you attempted murder. The police could find you at any time. Don’t indulge in wishful thinking. Mm—”

As she spoke, Su Wan abruptly stopped. Her eyes widened, and even her breath caught. Xie Ning had leaned down without any warning and kissed her on the lips.

She should have been more vigilant. A lunatic like Xie Ning—what could she not do?!

But the instant their lips touched, it was as if an electric current ran through Su Wan’s body. It was a feeling she had not experienced in a very, very long time.

Xie Ning seemed to feel the same. Her movements became a little gentler, and also a little bolder. She cupped Su Wan’s face with one hand and kissed her with even more focus. Their lips touched, their breaths mingled, and everything felt so natural.

She smelled the scent of pheromones, like snowflakes falling onto icy flames, light, fragrant, and elegant. It left her deeply entranced.

“Xie Ning!” Su Wan abruptly shoved her away and slapped Xie Ning across the face. Her lips were damp and soft, her cheeks flushed, and disbelief rippled through her almond-shaped eyes.

“Wanwan.” Xie Ning gave a soft laugh. The pad of her finger gently brushed across the corner of Su Wan’s eye. Gazing at her, she said softly, “You have fine lines now.”

Su Wan was still furious. Holding Xie Ning’s book, she looked as though she was only one step away from throwing it in Xie Ning’s face.

Xie Ning lifted her injured arm and unreasonably grabbed Su Wan’s wrist, her gaze serious. “Wanwan, don’t throw this away. Consider it me begging you. Go back and open it. Take a look.”

Su Wan used a little force, and Xie Ning’s wound immediately hurt so badly it felt like her heart and lungs were being torn apart. The two looked at each other. Xie Ning released Su Wan’s hand, and Su Wan took the copy of Rongcheng, stood up, and walked away.

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

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

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

Su Wan closed the door behind her, as if she had never come at all. Only that faint fragrance remained in the air—

The scent of her pheromones.

She had been moved, hadn’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 untied the ribbon. Inside was an eight-inch birthday cake. Beside it was a heart-shaped greeting card with “Happy Birthday” written on it.

Xie Ning could not remember how long it had been since she last ate birthday cake. If she had spoken properly just now, would Su Wan have been willing to stay and blow out the candles with her?

As expected, a person’s greed was endless.

She cut off a small piece of cake, ate it with satisfaction, then walked out through that door.

The sound of wheels, horns, engines—everything became piercing and clear.

Author’s Note:

The first playthrough is over 0 0