Chapter 4

"No! Don't! Let go of me! Mmm—"

Ruan Ning's mind went blank.

The young man kissed her fiercely, desperately, his heavy breath fanning across her face. The scent of youthful male hormones mixed with sea salt and sage overwhelmed her cries for help.

What... what was wrong with him?!

"You bastard, let me go... ah..."

Ruan Ning struggled to push away the frenzied young man, but only provoked him further.

He pressed down harder as punishment, his eyes shut as he greedily plundered her mouth, kissing her until her lips were swollen and red.

Stop!

Ruan Ning was about to suffocate from the kiss. With her last shred of strength, she grabbed his collar, and with a splash, the two of them tumbled into the half-filled bathtub.

Cold water splashed across the young man's face, and he suddenly snapped awake.

What happened?

Taking advantage of the moment, Ruan Ning wriggled free and huddled against the edge of the tub, gasping for breath. The bathroom echoed with the sounds of their violent struggle and splashing water.

The young man shook his dazed head, his gaze sharp enough to kill. "Drugging me? You must have a death wish."

Half an hour ago, he'd rushed back to campus when his blood suddenly ran hot and his desire became uncontrollable. On the verge of losing consciousness, he'd urgently found an abandoned rest room to compose himself.

Damn it all—who'd have thought he'd run into someone alive in this godforsaken place in the middle of the night?

And a reckless woman at that.

He'd tried to shoo her away, but she was as stubborn as a mule and wouldn't leave. After that, he couldn't remember a thing...

Now, one, he wanted to kill the bastard who'd drugged him, and two, he wanted to clean up the mess and get out of here.

Out of habit, the young man smoothed his collar. "I'll take the blame for tonight. What do you want as compensation?"

Even as he spoke, he noticed the girl wasn't listening at all. Instead, she was rubbing her mouth furiously, as if trying to wipe something away.

How dare she act disgusted by him.

His temper flared, and his harsh voice cut through the silence of the bathroom. "Who the hell are—"

The moment he met Ruan Ning's eyes, something seemed to explode in his mind. A scorching flame erupted from deep within and spread through his entire body.

The girl's eyes were tinged red at the corners, her low bun long since fallen into disarray. Her sheer dress spread out like flower petals, rising and falling gently with her sobs. A red mark was chafed on her snow-white neck, giving off an innocent, pure air tinged with a hint of being ravished.

Ruan Ning was terrified by his fierce, overbearing expression. She scrambled out of the tub, staring at him in fright. "Who are you? Don't come near me!"

In her panic, her foot slipped, and she began to fall backward. "Ah—" Ruan Ning screamed in despair.

But the young man was quick. He darted over and caught her, and she tumbled into his solid chest.

"Let go of me! Don't touch me!" Ruan Ning shouted as if electrocuted, struggling to push him away.

The young man let go awkwardly, his clear voice straining to hold back his anger. "Hey, I didn't mean anything by it. Don't get the wrong idea."

Embarrassment filled the room.

Both of them were drenched and disheveled, a man and a woman alone with their clothes in disarray. They both fell into an unusually synchronized silence.

Ruan Ning had no mood to demand justice. All she knew was that the ball would end in less than half an hour, and she had to get back immediately.

The dust in the bathtub had smeared onto her as she fell in, and her gauze dress had soaked up the dirty water, heavy and cold. She was a complete mess. She frantically looked around for something to tidy herself up with.

The young man was wearing athletic wear, so he wasn't as badly off, but he couldn't stand being filthy either. He looked around for something to wipe himself clean.

As he searched, he kept glancing over. "By the way, what's your name? What year are you? Which department?"

"..."

Ruan Ning had no mind to respond. She rummaged through cabinets and drawers. She could tell this man was of noble status—not someone she could afford to provoke. Best to keep her mouth shut and stay out of his way.

The two went from the bathroom all the way to the spacious hall, and the young man kept firing off questions like a string of firecrackers. Ruan Ning found him noisy and irritating.

"You might not believe it, but I really didn't mean to."

"..."

"Are you hurt? Let me take you to see a doctor."

"..."

Ruan Ning continued to pretend she couldn't hear him, and the young man couldn't figure it out for the life of him. He'd already apologized, so what was she still angry about?

Suddenly, the young man flashed a confident, genius-level smile. "If you're still mad, I'll let you kiss me back. Then we'll call it even."

"You—" Ruan Ning stopped what she was doing, furious, and shot him a glare.

The young man suddenly got excited like a dog wagging its tail for a treat. "Come look at what's in this cabinet!"

Ruan Ning didn't want to go over, but he kept calling out insistently. Reluctantly, she walked over and saw that the wall cabinet in the rest room stored a large supply of clean towels, neatly stacked in several piles—enough for three or four people to dry off.

Great, towels! They must have been left behind from before.

Ruan Ning crouched down joyfully to grab one, and at that exact moment, the young man's foot reached out too. They both froze.

He snorted dismissively. "You first."

Ruan Ning grabbed a towel without ceremony and retreated to dry herself off.

The young man hooked his foot around a towel, and it shot up like a snake into his hand—he didn't bend his back even once.

He stood upright, chin raised, and slowly stripped off his clothes. Clearly used to being waited on, he looked a bit clumsy changing on his own.

This display of aristocratic air only deepened Ruan Ning's distaste.

The young man was tall and stalwart. Even if Ruan Ning tried not to look, she couldn't ignore the half-naked handsome man on the edge of her vision wiping himself down.

His thick, short hair dripped water, and droplets traced down his collarbone visible above his athletic shirt, flowing along the smooth, firm lines of his muscles.

He grabbed a towel carelessly, wiped a few times, then tossed it away. Even drying himself had that flamboyant, privileged air of a rich young master.

"Hey, what's your name after all?" The young man tossed out a veritable mountain of towels, then added after a pause, "I'll make it up to you properly."

"No need. Tonight was an accident. Let's just pretend it never happened."

Ruan Ning drew the line immediately.

"Never happened?" The young man's gaze pinned Ruan Ning, his tone hardening as he repeated, "...You're telling me to pretend it never happened?"

"Otherwise?" Ruan Ning was confused.

Only the two of them knew what happened tonight. As long as they agreed, it might as well have never occurred.

The young man tossed away a towel he hadn't even used and sneered. "Fine. If that's what you want, saves me the trouble."

From somewhere, he produced a high-end suit jacket and draped it heavily over Ruan Ning's shoulders, sending a chill through her that made her want to sneeze—but it thoroughly covered her ruined, disheveled dress.

"Take this for now."

The young master pulled out a checkbook with an air of privilege, scribbled a few quick lines, tucked it into the suit pocket, and blocked her path menacingly. "So, what's your name?"

Why was he so obsessed with her name?

Didn't he know that revealing your name at the scene of the crime was suicide?

She shouldn't have meddled tonight. Ruan Ning regretted it.

She cleverly sidestepped him and headed for the door, but as she touched her chest, she cried out, "My brooch! Where's my brooch? It's gone!"

"What?" The young man looked up. "What did you say is missing?"

Ruan Ning's last line of defense crumbled. She collapsed onto the floor with a wail, searching frantically. "My dragonfly brooch is gone! I was wearing it all night—how could it..."

"Tch, it's just a brooch. No need to make such a fuss. What brand? Which style—"

"It's no brand at all! It was my grandmother's." Ruan Ning finally lost her temper.

She hated how rich people measured everything by money. "Do you never treasure anything passed down from your elders?"

Tears fell from Ruan Ning's eyes one by one.

"Don't cry." It was the first time the young man had dealt with a crying girl, and his tone softened, but he couldn't find more words.

"It must have fallen off... earlier."

Thinking back to what had happened, Ruan Ning felt ashamed and resentful, muttering to herself.

"I really shouldn't have worn it out. If I hadn't, it wouldn't have gotten lost. Waa..."

The early autumn night was as cold as water. Ruan Ning was soaked through, lying on the icy floor, making her situation even worse. She shivered uncontrollably.

To top it off, the lights in the room were broken, and all she could see was darkness.

But she knew well that searching for a tiny brooch in this vast rest room was like looking for a needle in a haystack—it could take forever.

The countdown to the ball was ticking loudly in her mind. Should she stay and search, or head back? Ruan Ning wrestled with the decision.

"What do I do? The brooch was my grandmother's gift to my mother. If I lose it, how can I explain it to her?"

Suddenly, a thick, strong hand gripped Ruan Ning's arm, lifting her up. The young man's striking, handsome eyes gleamed in the darkness as he said in a steady voice, "Get up. Don't look anymore."

"..."

Ruan Ning froze, rooted to the spot.

The young man frowned at her lack of response and knelt directly on the ground to search. He'd just wiped himself clean, and now his knees were covered in dust again.

"What are you staring at? Tell me what it looks like."

His tone was still fierce.

But he wouldn't let Ruan Ning touch the ground. He searched everywhere himself, his hands covered in grime.

Ruan Ning was shocked. She'd thought he was an aloof rich young master who wouldn't even bend his back to dry himself. But now he was on all fours, crawling like a caterpillar, searching the floor.

It was shocking, and a little funny.

"What are you looking at? You don't crouch down when you search for something?" Sensing a puzzled gaze on his back, the young man turned to glare at her.

Ruan Ning waved her hands placatingly. "No, no, thank you." She added softly, "...Did you find it?"

"Not yet," he replied curtly. Ruan Ning let out a soft sigh, and he quickly amended, "Should be soon. Give me a little more time."

"Forget it. Let's stop searching."

"Thank you. I really have to go now."

She truly couldn't delay any longer.

Ruan Ning said another silent thank you and ran out of the rest room without waiting for his reply.

"Hey, you—" The young man stood up, but Ruan Ning had disappeared into the darkness in the blink of an eye. He kicked the towels on the floor in frustration.

The male lead and female lead must not meet!

The male lead and female lead must not meet!

Running breathlessly, Ruan Ning recited this mantra all the way back to the ball. The crowd was already beginning to trickle out, leaving the banquet hall in the aftermath of the celebration. Busy waiters pushed carts around, clearing away the debris one by one.

Surprisingly, the legendary Jiang Yihao didn't show up at all. She asked the waiters one by one, and they all swore they hadn't seen any young lady in a white dress with dirty splashes at the ball.

What was going on? Why wasn't this matching the game's plot?

Did that mean she'd passed?

She had no idea what was happening, or whether she'd done the right thing. Ruan Ning returned to her dorm in a daze, waiting for the System's final verdict.

The clock struck midnight.

[Task completed successfully. Villainess action restrictions temporarily lifted. The story has entered the next chapter.]

The System flashed with colorful effects, confirming she'd passed!

Ruan Ning was stunned. She'd just prayed for a stroke of luck, and she'd somehow passed!

She bounced excitedly onto her bed, slapping it wildly. She didn't know how the male and female leads were doing now, but passing was all that mattered—whether it was a high score or a lucky scrape.

Looking back on today's experience felt like a rollercoaster ride, up and down, almost giving her a heart attack.

She was utterly exhausted after the long day and wanted nothing more than a nice hot shower and a good sleep.

With this, her part with male lead #1 was officially over. She could set down the burden and conserve her energy for the next one.

Ah, freedom—

Ah, victory—

Ruan Ning's dejection from earlier evaporated. She turned on some music and twirled on tiptoe into the bathroom, only to notice the young man's suit jacket still draped over her.

The satin-trimmed fabric was smooth and gleaming, the buttons delicate and elegant—clearly a pricey, high-end piece.

Thinking of that man, Ruan Ning felt a twinge of displeasure.

If not for him, she wouldn't have lost the dragonfly brooch. Once the heat died down, she'd go back and take a look. She hoped the heavens would let her find it.

Still, he had helped her, so she wouldn't hold it against him. She'd wash the jacket and return it later. And while she was at it, she was curious to find out what had actually happened in that rest room.

Ruan Ning opened the pockets of the jacket and pulled out everything inside.

She felt a piece of paper and drew it out. It was a check issued by the National Bank of Country A.

Ruan Ning's family ran their business with that very bank, so she was intimately familiar with the National Bank's red-bordered checks.

When she saw the number, her scalp tingled with an electric jolt.

It was written for two million—a full six zeroes.

What made her breath catch even more was the signature at the bottom, scrawled in flamboyant strokes: "Jiang Yihao."