Villain: Without morals, you can’t be manipulated!

Chapter 26: Plan B Begins – Wang Cheng, Are You Ready?

“Yuxi… why… why did you give that bastard water?”

Wang Cheng’s voice trembled as he looked at Lan Yuxi, who had just sat down. His gaze carried confusion, heartbreak, and jealousy.

Seeing Wang Cheng’s sorrowful expression, Lan Yuxi sighed inwardly. But she had already thought of an explanation.

“Didn’t Qi Lin give both of us a ride back to school just now? Giving him a bottle of water was my way of repaying the favor. Now we’re even,” Lan Yuxi said softly.@@novelbin@@

Wang Cheng, still agitated, protested, “But… but I could’ve done that! You could’ve told me, and I would’ve bought it for him. You’re a girl, Yuxi. If you give him water, what will the classmates think?”

Lan Yuxi’s ears turned slightly red.

The thought of her classmates speculating that she might like Qi Lin made her feel both embarrassed and angry. But what could she do? She was being blackmailed by Qi Lin.

If she didn’t comply, Qi Lin would release the photos of their kiss, and she wouldn’t be able to explain herself at all.

“Why are you so stubborn? Can’t I act on your behalf?”

Seeing Wang Cheng losing his composure, Lan Yuxi replied impatiently. Her words, however, were quite effective.

Wang Cheng froze for a moment, then felt a wave of relief. Did Yuxi mean she represented him? Was she indirectly acknowledging that she was his girlfriend?

“Yuxi, are you agreeing to be with me?”

Wang Cheng lowered his voice, thrilled.

Lan Yuxi bit her lip lightly.

“I haven’t agreed to anything yet, but I’ll say it again—if you get into the same university as me, I’ll be your girlfriend.”

Although he didn’t get the answer he wanted, Wang Cheng quickly brushed aside his earlier frustrations. Their academic performance was similar, getting into the same university wasn’t a big challenge.

“Hmph! That bastard Qi Lin thinks he can take Yuxi from me? She’s mine!”

“There’s less than a year until the college entrance exams. Once I graduate, start a business, and make big money, I’ll make sure to bring Qi Lin down.”

Wang Cheng sneered internally.

Hatred often stems from jealousy.

In their previous interactions, Qi Lin had treated Wang Cheng well, yet Wang Cheng still stabbed him in the back. It was now clear why—Wang Cheng resented Qi Lin’s privileged background, which allowed him to enjoy everything Wang Cheng had always dreamed of without any effort.

Wanting to declare his dominance, Wang Cheng turned to admire Lan Yuxi’s beautiful, flawless face.

“I’m Yuxi’s deskmate. I just have to turn my head to see her lovely face. That bastard Qi Lin? He’s stuck in the back row and can’t even see the back of her head properly.”

Unable to compete with Qi Lin in terms of wealth or status, Wang Cheng sought balance in other ways. He contentedly admired Lan Yuxi’s delicate beauty. But soon, his smile froze.

From his angle, he noticed that Lan Yuxi’s lips were slightly swollen. Her usually pure, angelic face now carried an inexplicable allure.

“Yuxi, why are your lips swollen?”

Wang Cheng blurted out without thinking.

Whoosh!

His question made Lan Yuxi’s face instantly turn red. She cursed Qi Lin in her heart, full of shame and anger.

It’s all that bastard’s fault for kissing me for so long. Over ten minutes! Of course, my lips are swollen.

Afraid Wang Cheng might suspect something, Lan Yuxi turned her head away and mumbled, “I ate some spicy snacks at lunch. Maybe they irritated my lips.”

“Spicy snacks again?”

Hearing this, Wang Cheng looked skeptical.

Last night, his younger sister, Wang Siling, also had swollen lips and said it was from eating spicy snacks.

Was the world really this coincidental?

Thankfully, Wang Cheng was still inexperienced—he had never even kissed anyone. He didn’t connect the dots.

“Maybe you’re allergic. My sister’s lips swelled up from spicy snacks too. Yuxi, you should avoid eating them for now,” Wang Cheng said with concern.

What he said unintentionally struck a nerve with Lan Yuxi.

Qi Lin’s revenge is clearly targeting Wang Cheng. He blackmailed me and took my first kiss, and now Wang Cheng’s sister has swollen lips too. Could it be…?

Lan Yuxi’s mind raced with shame and anger, furious at Qi Lin for not only troubling her but also involving Wang Cheng’s sister. Should she tell Wang Cheng about this?

For a brief moment, she felt an impulse to spill everything. But she quickly suppressed it. If she told Wang Cheng that his sister had been bullied by Qi Lin and that her swollen lips were from being kissed, wouldn’t that expose her own situation as well?

Forget it. I’ll ask Siling about it after the exam, Lan Yuxi thought.

She had a good relationship with Wang Cheng’s sister, Wang Siling, after being classmates for six years.

______

Ring-ring-ring!

The class bell rang.

“Rustle, rustle.”

The homeroom teacher, Mei Sanyuan, began handing out the test papers.

“The exam has started. No talking or whispering,” Mei Sanyuan announced while distributing the papers and reiterating the exam rules.

______

“Phase B of my plan begins. Wang Cheng, are you ready?”

Qi Lin glanced at the blank test paper in his hands, a mischievous smirk playing on his lips.