Ah! The Villains I Forced to Turn Evil Can Read My Mind

Qiao Chuchu stared blankly at Shen Zhuoyan.

Shen Zhuoyan sat upright, sandwiched between her and the male model, his handsome face frosted with iciness. "I'm sorry for lying to you, Qiao Chu."

He looked at her as he did in school, cold and awkward, his eyes reflecting emotions she couldn't decipher.

"I am indeed Shen Zhuoyan."

Qiao Chuchu was momentarily stunned, a sense of relief washing over her as if an old friend had reunited after a long separation. "You've finally admitted it. I've been wondering why you were lying."

But then she felt puzzled. "But why did you admit it now?"

Shen Zhuoyan's face was stern as he shot a dark glare at the model. "I didn't expect there to be so many men around you."

Qiao Chuchu chuckled in disbelief. "These men aren't mine."

Lin Qing muttered quietly on the other side, "True, the men here aren't hers, but there are men elsewhere who are."

Weisheng Yucan couldn't hold back her laughter and snapped her fingers at the male model.

The model scurried back to her side, flattering her in a hushed voice. "Sister, did I do well?"

Yucan ruffled his hair and glanced at the two others whose atmosphere was distinctly out of place. "See, I said a little spark would ignite it, and here we are."

Lin Qing raised a thumb. "Yucan, you're a pro! But won't your brother be angry?"

Weisheng Yucan took a drag, dismissive. "I don't care about Huai Ling. I just enjoy seeing talented girls surrounded by men playing petty tricks. I can't stand a woman orbiting a single man and chasing mistresses around the globe."

She shot a glance at Shen Zhuoyan. "Most importantly, this guy looks like the kind who gets things done quietly."

Shen Zhuoyan sat close to Qiao Chuchu, his posture rigid, his gaze flicking to her hand.

For a moment, he seemed transported back to the classroom, watching Qiao Chuchu by the window, enjoying the spring breeze, doodling while spinning a pen.

Back then, she had her hair in a high ponytail, always smiling at him. "Shen Zhuoyan, have you finished your homework? Can I copy it? I'll buy you milk tea."

In truth, he didn't like doing homework.@@novelbin@@

He didn't care for studying.

But he wanted Qiao Chuchu to copy his homework.

Only his.

Every day, he studied diligently, completing his homework first, his grades soaring.

When he became class monitor, Qiao Chuchu won the Best Creativity Award at a painting competition held in M Country.

Her artwork always hung in the prime spot of the school gallery.

His photo was always at the top of the honors list for the same cohort.

Shen Zhuoyan and Qiao Chu's names were forever linked.

Until he was imprisoned.

Shen Zhuoyan's face darkened, sitting silently beside Qiao Chuchu.

She listened to the laughter on the other side, feeling awkward herself.

She really didn't know what to say.

They had been classmates for two years, but the most they ever talked was the day Shen Zhuoyan turned himself in.

She remembered it clearly.

That day, Shen Zhuoyan suddenly took leave from school, and everyone said his mother had committed suicide.

He rushed out of the school gate in panic and never returned.

Later, she received a call from Shen Zhuoyan.

The young man's breath was heavy, trembling. "Qiao Chu... my mother is dead."

Shen Zhuoyan told her, "That despicable man and woman pushed my mother to her death. I made those two scoundrels pay back in kind. From now on, I can't attend classes with you."

"I'm turning myself in right away. Can you promise me one thing?"

His ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‍voice, low and hoarse, choked with emotion.

"No matter what, please don't forget me."

Qiao Chuchu came to her senses, looking cautiously at Shen Zhuoyan.

The dim light made his face hard to see.

But his presence was cold, like a guardian deity, lost in thought.

[Back then, he told me over the phone to not forget him, and now that he's met me, he pretends not to recognize me. Why?]

Shen Zhuoyan's eyelid twitched, his gaze snapping to her in shock.

Qiao Chuchu blinked, giving an awkward smile. "Hehehe..."

[Why are you looking at me? Why are you looking at me without speaking?]

Shen Zhuoyan: "???"

Qiao Chuchu felt something was off, her gaze on him becoming more and more suspicious.

Her phone suddenly vibrated.

Opening it, she saw a message from a long-lost high school classmate: "OMG babe, a new painter named Xue Er has emerged, and her paintings are incredibly similar to yours from high school~"

The classmate sent a photo.

Qiao Chuchu clicked on the photo, her expression changing drastically!

The painting wasn't just similar—the composition and details were almost identical to one she had done in high school!

And there were signs of AI manipulation.

It seemed her painting had been fed into an AI, then slightly altered.

Her anger flared as she stormed out of the room, typing a reply to her classmate: "Where did you see this?"

"Dragon Family's Long Yunxiao is promoting a little painter named Xia Xuechun. I saw it and thought the style was too similar to yours. She's selling them for at least ten thousand each."

Qiao Chuchu: "? Xia Xuechun?"

[Why is Xia Xuechun painting now? In her character profile, wasn't she supposed to be the useless damsel in distress?]

Shen Zhuoyan stepped outside, silently standing behind her.

The more Qiao Chuchu thought about it, the more absurd it seemed. She dialed Xia Xuechun's number.

As the call connected, she pressed the record button and got straight to the point. "Xia Xuechun, I saw your paintings. Did you feed mine into an AI and then tweak it to sell for profit?"

On the other end, Xia Xuechun was momentarily stunned, pulling her car to the side of the road, her voice taut. "What evidence do you have that I modified your painting?"

Qiao Chuchu scoffed. "I have the original painting, photos of it hanging in the school gallery, and even magazine clippings from when I won the award! I don't care if you paint, and I can't stop you from studying and taking inspiration. But you can't just take mine and modify it. That's plagiarism."

Xia Xuechun shivered, her grip on the steering wheel tightening.

Qiao Chuchu's tone grew even colder. "Stop now. If I find out you're selling or promoting this painting, I'll make sure this scandal blows up. Ads everywhere, non-stop trending on Douyin, letting everyone know you're a thief who steals other people's work."

Xia Xuechun shivered, her voice dripping with mockery. "Fine, I won't let that painting appear again. But let me tell you, Qiao Chuchu, back then you humiliated me, paying me a measly fifty thousand a month, treating me like a beggar. You'll get your karma."

Sitting in her car, gazing at the Mercedes logo, Xia Xuechun's tone was filled with delight. "Now, I've changed. I can sell a painting for ten thousand with ease. It's just a matter of time before I surpass you. I can already see my brighter future ahead of yours."

With that, Xia Xuechun hung up the phone.

Qiao Chuchu smirked in anger, wanting to call back and lash out, but scenes flashed through her mind.

She saw Xia Xuechun's rise, admired by a big shot, propelling her obscure art to stardom.

But she didn't know why she had offended that big shot, causing even Weisheng Yucan to be implicated. The situation began to shift.

Her brothers met with unexpected deaths one by one.

The Wei Sheng Family started experiencing fatalities as well.

Lou Tingsi and Lou Yuejue died in a murder.

Lin Qing was raped and killed, found dead in the streets.

The Lin Family went bankrupt, and Lin Shen passed away.

And she was strapped to a psychiatric hospital bed, her limbs bound, held captive by Xia Xuechun's people.

The Dragon Family father and son stood by her bedside, smirking.

Xia Xuechun, wearing a massive diamond ring, smiled brightly. "Qiao Chuchu, I'm about to marry Ji Yanchuan. You must feel so lonely without your brothers around, huh? Let my two brothers come take care of you. I guarantee they'll be very loving!"