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

Chapter 30: The Clash Between Angel and Devil

Proactive and passive actions evoke entirely different feelings.

Qi Lin leaned casually against the desk, one arm wrapped around Lan Yuxi’s slender waist. Lan Yuxi’s pale, delicate face was flushed red. As much as she felt ashamed and resistant, there was an undeniable difference in how this kiss felt compared to the first.

Her face not only burned but also tingled as if being bitten by ants.

Lan Yuxi, you’ve really tainted yourself this time. For the sake of your reputation, you’ve kissed this scoundrel willingly. Was it all worth it?

In her mind, a tiny angel perched on her left shoulder questioned her sternly.

Lan Yuxi, only this bad boy can save you now. Your beloved one has done nothing but harm you. Look at you in this crisis—where is he? Has he come to rescue you?

Besides, don’t you think a kiss is a sign that you’ve grown up? And this guy is quite handsome, isn’t he? On second thought, it’s not exactly a loss, is it?

A little devil with a trident appeared on her right shoulder, grinning wickedly.

A single tear rolled down Lan Yuxi’s cheek.

Wang Cheng, Qi Lin, her tarnished reputation, and the strange emotions swirling inside her—all of it tangled together until she couldn’t distinguish between reality and illusion.

She only wanted to escape—to flee from everything that had happened today.

“Let go… Let go of me. I’m suffocating,” Lan Yuxi murmured, her youthful voice tinged with exhaustion.

Qi Lin sensed she wasn’t lying—she was nearly collapsing. He held her steady so she wouldn’t fall.

“Tell me, do you like me or Wang Cheng? He doesn’t know how to bully you like I do.”

Qi Lin whispered teasingly in her ear.

“Ugh! You don’t even deserve to be compared to Wang Cheng. Everything happening now is because of your threats. Don’t even think for a second I could ever like you!”

Lan Yuxi, stirred by Qi Lin’s taunt, snapped back to her senses and angrily pushed him away.

But was it truly as she claimed?

Qi Lin smirked.

Why did her beautiful eyes flash with a trace of confusion as she said those words?

Why indeed?

When dealing with a proud girl, sometimes silence is the best strategy.

_____

“Tap, tap, tap.”

Footsteps echoed from outside the window.

Lan Yuxi panicked instantly, hurriedly smoothing out the creases in her school uniform and skirt. She shot a glare at Qi Lin, her expression a mix of shame and frustration.

It was all his fault. She had done the most absurd thing of her life—kissing this scoundrel in the teacher’s office. Just a day ago, she had been a pure and pristine girl who had never even held hands with a boy.

Mei Sanyuan entered the office. Seeing the two students standing obediently in their spots, he nodded in approval. Little did he know that while he was gone, these two had done something straight out of a romance drama—actions bold enough to defy all rules.

“Considering this is your first offense, you’ll each write a reflection after returning to class. Additionally, we’ll need to inform your parents. While this won’t be publicly announced at school, your parents must be made aware of the situation,” Mei Sanyuan said sternly.

He had just consulted with the principal, who suggested leniency due to the students’ unique circumstances. Qi Lin’s unruly behavior might be corrected with a wake-up call, while Lan Yuxi, a promising student, should not have her future derailed by a single mistake.

Hearing that her parents would still be involved, Lan Yuxi grew visibly nervous and glanced instinctively at Qi Lin. This small gesture, unbeknownst to her, marked the beginning of a subtle dependency on him.

______

“This morning, I didn’t do my homework and asked the class monitor if I could copy hers. She refused, so I decided to mess with her and made her copy some study materials for me,” Qi Lin began, his tone nonchalant but calculated.

“The class monitor didn’t know that the ‘study materials’ I asked her to copy were actually answers I swiped from the office. Essentially, she was just being kind and helping a struggling student like me. I took advantage of her good heart to pull a prank on her.”

“Now that I think about it, the class monitor is innocent. I won’t keep pretending—I’ll just admit it. This whole thing was entirely my doing.”

Qi Lin’s calm confession left Lan Yuxi both surprised and impressed.

He had genuinely taken all the blame and, in doing so, managed to exonerate her. His clever wording not only absolved her of guilt but also painted her as a kind and selfless class monitor, willing to help her classmates.

Lan Yuxi’s cheeks flushed red. She had grown accustomed to empty flattery from her admirers, but Qi Lin’s carefully crafted lie somehow made her feel genuinely bashful.

“Is that true?”

The twists and turns of Qi Lin’s tale left Mei Sanyuan momentarily confused. Deep down, he didn’t want to believe that Lan Yuxi, his top pick for class monitor, would cheat.

“His motives are clear as day. There’s no point in doubting it. If you don’t believe me, check the morning’s homework—I didn’t turn in any,” Qi Lin shrugged, his demeanor casual.

Mei Sanyuan, unwilling to rely solely on Qi Lin’s words, flipped through the morning’s homework submissions. Sure enough, Qi Lin’s name was missing.

Looking at Lan Yuxi, Mei Sanyuan asked, “If that’s the case, why did you admit to cheating earlier?”

For a moment, it seemed as if Lan Yuxi had learned a thing or two from Qi Lin.

“I… I didn’t want to see Qi Lin take the wrong path, so I impulsively tried to shoulder the blame myself,” she stammered, her face burning with shame.

Inwardly, Lan Yuxi was mortified.

It’s over. I’ve sunk to his level. I’m lying through my teeth now, just like him.