Blame the Villain – Chapter 105

Villainous Stand-in (3)

After waking up, Song Xuyi couldn’t fall back asleep.

She glanced at the alarm clock on the bedside table; it was only 3:30 AM. No matter what, Song Xuyi couldn’t go back to sleep. After struggling for half an hour, she simply got up, washed her face, and continued to refine the unfinished sketch of the female star.

Upon realizing that the person she had drawn was Li Yuqing, Song Xuyi began to alter the sketch to make it less like her. After working hard for the rest of the night, she finally changed the sketch so that the resemblance to Li Yuqing was only about fifty percent.

At this time, the system also woke up from its hibernation. Seeing Song Xuyi’s drawing, it assumed she hadn’t slept all night and hurriedly urged her to catch up on her sleep. The system only took a cursory glance at the draft in Song Xuyi’s hand.

The system had seen the female star of the first world, so it knew what she looked like. Seeing that this sketch only bore a fifty percent resemblance to the villain, the system was somewhat surprised.

Urged by the system, Song Xuyi took a nap and then continued her manga creation.

Song Xuyi once again displayed her intense focus, diving into her drawing day and night. The system deeply regretted its suggestion for Song Xuyi to draw manga. However, now that things had reached this point, the system’s regret was futile. It could only continually urge Song Xuyi to take more breaks.

Song Xuyi quickly finished the first chapter of the manga and uploaded it to her original account.

In the beginning, Song Xuyi was filled with anticipation, refreshing the page every few minutes. However, half a day passed, and aside from gaining one new follower, there were no comments at all.

Unable to resist, Song Xuyi clicked into the profile of this discerning follower. The account looked like a real person’s account, with sporadic entries over the past six months containing some odd remarks—

“She hasn’t appeared for two years.”

“Did she ever really exist?”

“I feel like I’m probably going crazy…”

……

The most recent post was from half a month ago: “It’s so strange. I met a woman who looks a lot like her. Her eyes are just too similar to hers! These past few days, I can’t help but keep thinking about that woman…”

It seemed like this person was a poor soul troubled by love. Not wanting to disturb their personal record, Song Xuyi didn’t follow them and exited the fan’s page, continuing to stare at her own homepage.

However, no matter how long Song Xuyi stared, her homepage remained completely inactive.

Seeing Song Xuyi’s expression, the system coughed dryly and gently advised, “Xuyi, we’re here to enjoy life. You don’t actually need to care so much about these things…”

Initially, the system had wanted to persuade Song Xuyi to give up her dead-end obsession and to enjoy life while she could. But Song Xuyi was the kind of person who, once she started something, had to see it through to the end. After the initial frustration and disappointment, Song Xuyi reflected on her work. Perhaps it was due to her limited skills, but she didn’t think her compositions and stories were bad. After pondering for a while with no conclusions, Song Xuyi continued drawing the second chapter.

There are many people in this world who struggle bitterly for their dreams despite harsh circumstances. Compared to those people, Song Xuyi was already well-off, with no worries about food and clothing. Since she had developed an interest in drawing manga, Song Xuyi decided to stick with it.

Song Xuyi almost wholeheartedly began working on the second chapter. She stayed home all day, seizing every minute to draw, and rarely went out, even ordering takeout for meals…

Seeing Song Xuyi like this, the system completely gave up on persuading her to stop drawing manga. Instead, it started offering her advice, thinking that perhaps once Xuyi finished her story, she might lose interest in drawing manga.

……

As she worked day and night, the summer vacation passed day by day. By the time Song Xuyi finished the second chapter, her summer break was over, and she began her junior year in college.

The curriculum at the Art Academy was relatively flexible, but Song Xuyi had always been meticulous and serious about everything she learned. So, this semester, she started living a life that revolved around diligently attending classes during the day and working hard on her manga after school.

Initially, Song Xuyi was worried about running into Li Yuqing at school. However, Li Yuqing, now a senior, continued her habit of frequently calling in sick and rarely came to school. Song Xuyi didn’t encounter her even once.

Song Xuyi’s unusual behavior eventually caught the attention of her parents.

The original reason she moved out to live alone was her love for lively environments, often inviting friends over to her place. Also, with Father Song being a professor, she grew up on campus, and most of the teachers knew her. Whenever she skipped a class, it was immediately noticed, and Father Song often received complaints, half-jokingly, from his colleagues about her truancy.

However, since the beginning of this semester, the professors teaching Song Xuyi all remarked that she had changed her ways. Not only did she not skip classes, but she also sat in the front row and listened attentively in every single class.

When her parents called or made surprise visits to check on her, there was no longer the sound of loud music in the background. Every time they visited, Song Xuyi was at home.

In the past, the original Song Xuyi enjoyed running around and having fun everywhere. Father Song and Mother Song were worried about their daughter getting into trouble while out and about. However, now that Song Xuyi had become more of a homebody, her parents feared she had been through some sort of trauma. They would visit her frequently to chat and check on her, often dragging her out to attend various events and gatherings.

This time, Father Song was invited to a charity donation event, and Mother Song ‘coincidentally’ had other plans. Thus, Father Song invited Song Xuyi to accompany him.

Song Xuyi had been extremely happy these past few days: after uploading the second chapter of her work, the attention on her creation had noticeably increased, with her fanbase growing daily. However, what slightly frustrated Song Xuyi was that readers seemed to prefer the romantic subplot she had spontaneously designed. They kept leaving comments wanting to see more of the story between the female star and the protagonist…

But Song Xuyi had not yet figured out how to develop the romantic subplot further. Feeling mentally blocked and unable to refuse her father’s request, she put on some light makeup and followed him to the charity event to relax.

Little did Song Xuyi expect to run into Li Yuqing again.

Unlike last time when she was bare-faced, Li Yuqing this time had on light makeup, her hair elegantly styled up, and her black evening gown accentuating her curvaceous figure. She exuded a blend of elegance and sensuality, looking more like a celebrity than an actual one.

Song Xuyi, having been engrossed in drawing manga for the past few months, hadn’t thought much about Li Yuqing. Seeing her now, she couldn’t help but take a few more glances: Was it a coincidence that Li Yuqing’s outfit was identical to the one worn by the female star character in her manga?

Seeming to notice Song Xuyi’s gaze, Li Yuqing looked up at her briefly, then turned to say something to Song Shi standing beside her. Song Shi appeared somewhat surprised and also glanced at Song Xuyi, then led Li Yuqing towards her.

Do they need something from me?

Song Xuyi felt completely puzzled and stayed where she was, watching as the two approached her—

As the male lead, Song Shi naturally had striking looks, tall and handsome. Li Yuqing, with her celestial beauty, made them appear as a perfect couple, attracting numerous admiring glances as they walked together.

When they were about ten steps away from Song Xuyi, an elderly voice suddenly rang out from the entrance: “Song Shi, why didn’t you tell me you were bringing Yuqing?”

Old Master Song had arrived!

Old Master Song was nearing eighty years old, yet his body remained remarkably robust due to years of a pampered and privileged lifestyle. Leaning on a cane, he slowly approached from the entrance. Although his face bore a smile, perhaps due to the age spots and deep wrinkles covering it, or perhaps due to the intimidating aura he exuded… the moment he appeared, Father Song, who had been chatting and laughing nearby, instinctively straightened up and restrained his smile.

Old Master Song did not pay any attention to Father Song, the ‘unfilial son’ who left the family. Instead, his entire focus was on Song Shi and Li Yuqing, and he spoke in a teasing manner: “What, afraid that this old man would intrude on your lovey-dovey moments?”

Li Yuqing remained silent, but Song Shi frowned: “Grandfather, Yuqing is still young. You shouldn’t joke like that, and I have always seen her as a sister…”

“Not that young,” Old Master interrupted Song Shi, turning his gaze to Li Yuqing. Although he was smiling, his scrutinizing look was akin to appraising a valuable item. “Yuqing is almost 22, right? You usually dress simply and elegantly, but today’s outfit is quite a refreshing change…”

He then glanced at Song Shi: “My grandson is a blockhead who only loves beauty, not knowing how to cherish someone. You’re not in the best of health, and wearing such an outfit all night might make you catch a cold. This poor old man is still waiting for you to recover fully so you can marry Song Shi and give me a great-grandchild soon…”

As he spoke, Old Master patted Li Yuqing’s arm, revealing a knowing smile: “Your usual attire is just fine. There’s no need to compete with certain unworthy caregivers. As long as I don’t approve, no random cats or dogs can enter the Song family gate…”

Song Shi’s expression darkened, but Li Yuqing seemed unfazed by the underlying insinuations in Old Master Song’s words, maintaining a calm demeanor: “Thank you for your concern, Grandfather Song.”

“I’ll go change my clothes now.”

When Li Yuqing came out again, she had changed into an extremely proper and elegant long dress. After that, she followed silently behind Song Shi. Old Master Song, seeing Li Yuqing’s appearance, kept teasing her with a smile, while Song Shi’s expression grew increasingly sour for some unknown reason…

Among all the Song family members present, the only one who seemed happy was Old Master Song. Even the usually cheerful and open-minded Father Song remained silent and withdrawn in the latter half of the event.

Song Xuyi understood Father Song’s feelings: the Song family was dominated by Old Master Song’s authority. Although Father Song had managed to escape from the family, the fear of Old Master Song from his youth was still deeply ingrained in his bones…

Song Xuyi could only deliberately make jokes and engage in banter to cheer up her father, and she couldn’t help but feel a bit of admiration for Li Yuqing. To be able to pretend for so many years in front of the cunning old fox that was Old Master Song and eventually bring down the Song family, one had to admit that Li Yuqing had an impressive capacity for endurance.

Song Xuyi was so focused on Father Song’s emotions that she only realized, thanks to a system reminder, that Li Yuqing seemed to have looked at her several times. But when Song Xuyi turned to look, Li Yuqing had already averted her gaze.

Song Xuyi remembered that Li Yuqing and Song Shi seemed to have something to discuss with her earlier, so she didn’t pay much attention to the system’s reminder.

Finally, the charity banquet came to an end, and both Song Xuyi and Father Song breathed a sigh of relief. Father Song went to get the car, and Song Xuyi waited outside for him. Just then, Old Master Song, accompanied by a group of people from the organizing committee, walked out of the building. Seeing that no one was paying attention, Song Xuyi secretly tugged at the corner of Li Yuqing’s dress—

Li Yuqing appeared somewhat startled and turned to glance at Song Xuyi.

And coincidentally, Old Master Song also turned to look over.

“What’s the matter?”

Old Master Song has always disdained Song Xuyi’s family. Even when he sees Song Xuyi, he pretends not to see her and directly inquires with Li Yuqing.

Li Yuqing’s lips curled into a polite smile, and her deep gaze fell on Song Xuyi. “I don’t know what Xuyi wants to discuss with me either—”

Song Xuyi was taken aback, realizing that Li Yuqing didn’t want Old Master Song to know about her reason for approaching her. However, under Old Master Song’s scrutinizing gaze, Song Xuyi couldn’t think of an excuse to explain her intentions for grabbing Li Yuqing, so she could only blush and retract her hand—

“Nothing much.” Song Xuyi glanced at Li Yuqing’s extraordinarily beautiful face, which seemed to glow like a pearl, and then at Old Master Song’s disdainful eyes, as if he were looking at trash. Unsure where she found the courage, she squared her shoulders and spoke up: “Sister Yuqing, you look so beautiful tonight! Especially the first dress you wore, it looked particularly stunning! Could you tell me which designer made it?”

For a moment, Old Master Song’s eyes showed even more contempt.

Li Yuqing seemed surprised that Song Xuyi would ask such a question. She raised an eyebrow but then smiled with crescent-shaped eyes.

“I majored in fashion design, and this is my own design,” Li Yuqing’s eyes held a genuine smile, like shattered stars falling into her gaze. She looked deeply at Song Xuyi’s soft, flushed cheeks, reached out to tuck some stray hair behind Song Xuyi’s ear in a gesture as affectionate as an older sister caring for a mischievous sibling. Although it was a move that fit the gentle and virtuous image Old Master Song had assigned to her, Song Xuyi inexplicably felt a chill down her spine…

“If little sister Xuyi likes it, I’ll find time to design something for you another day.”

---

The author has something to say:

Li Yuqing: How can she be… this cute?! (^▽^)

---

LP: Re-translated on June 26, 2024

---

---