Blame the Villain – Chapter 42
by Little PandaThe Villainous Poor Student (7)
Determined True Daughter Self-Made Entrepreneur x Black-Hearted Lotus Villain Poor Student
Father Song and Mother Song’s house was in an upscale suburb with excellent security. Now that they’d tipped off the guards and property management, sneaking out from home was next to impossible for Song Xuyi.
Song Xuyi thought it over and decided on a change of venue. Claiming she wanted to bond with her sister, she asked to spend the night at He Siyu’s place.
Father Song and Mother Song refused at first, but after Song Xuyi’s relentless pleading — and considering that Officer He and Auntie Wang were decent, honest people — they finally relented and let her go.
Song Xuyi had already told He Siyu the news during school the day before. He Siyu was thrilled. Usually so sparing with words, she couldn’t help chattering more than usual: “Auntie Wang, should I air out an extra quilt? Xuyi likes fresh meat wontons and meat buns, and she also likes latiao1, but her mom won’t let her eat them…”
“Why would you need an extra quilt?” He Siyu was always mature and sensible; this was the first time she’d shown such girlish excitement. Auntie Wang felt a warm swell of affection and rubbed He Siyu’s head with a smile. “Sharing a quilt with your friend and chatting all night — that’s the fun part. We’ll have wontons and meat buns tomorrow morning…”
He Siyu nodded, a little embarrassed, and started thinking about what she and Song Xuyi could talk about at night.
But the more she thought, the more disheartened she felt. She’d been so busy studying lately that, aside from schoolwork, she couldn’t think of a single topic to discuss. Xuyi was so capable — she seemed to know everything…
…
He Siyu, brimming with anticipation, finally waited until the next evening.
By April on the coast, people were already wearing short sleeves. He Siyu had changed the bedding, washed her hair, bathed, and put on her pajamas. She usually wore long shirts, which Auntie Wang respected, but when it came to sleepwear, comfort was key — so Auntie Wang had gotten her nothing but floral camisole nightdresses.
Song Xuyi, unaware of He Siyu’s preparations, said goodbye to the driver — who’d given her a thousand reminders — and agreed that he’d pick her and He Siyu up at eight the next morning. Then she greeted Auntie Wang with a smile and walked into He Siyu’s room carrying a bulging backpack.
He Siyu was sitting with her back to the door, doing homework. Song Xuyi had planned to sneak up and startle her, but almost the moment she reached the doorway, He Siyu turned around.
Over the past few months, He Siyu had shot up in height — she was already a bit taller than Song Xuyi. Her hair had lost its former dryness and frizz, now black and glossy. The girl wore a floral camisole nightdress, her arms slender and pale, her features delicate and vivid. She turned, saw Song Xuyi, and broke into a smile.
Song Xuyi smiled back, deeply moved — He Siyu really was as lovely as a little princess now!
But as she drew closer, a pang of tenderness struck her. The camisole nightdress clearly revealed the scars that hadn’t yet fully healed on He Siyu’s body. The burn scar on her left arm from being scalded with boiling water stood out starkly against her pale skin, particularly jarring to see.
Noticing Song Xuyi’s gaze, He Siyu froze for a moment, then quickly grabbed the little jacket draped over her chair and pulled it on to cover the scars, changing the subject: “Xuyi, you’re here. Do you want to shower first? I bought new body wash — it’s the honey peach scent you like…”
She’d need to bring Siyu some scar cream next time.
Song Xuyi made a mental note, set her bag on the chair, shook her head, and pulled out the rope ladder she’d prepared in advance. Then she laid out her plan to He Siyu:
He Siyu’s home was on the second floor of an apartment building. The window faced the courtyard, and below it was a storage area with no street lights nearby — perfect for sneaking out at night. Song Xuyi planned to slip out after dark, catch the last bus to the company to work overtime, and catch the first bus back in the morning.
Song Xuyi had calculated everything — except that He Siyu, who was usually so accommodating, blanched at the plan. “No. That’s too dangerous. If you went during the day, I could maybe accept it, but at night…”
Song Xuyi pleaded and reasoned, but He Siyu wouldn’t budge. She even planted herself stubbornly in front of the window.
Time was ticking away. The last bus would leave at ten, and it was getting late. Left with no choice, Song Xuyi threw her arms around He Siyu’s waist and began to wheedle: “Siyu-jie, I really want to earn money. This is really, really important to me. Just let me go out tonight…”
Under the Song family’s careful nourishment, Song Xuyi had filled out a bit recently, her cheeks still soft with baby fat, her skin looking impossibly tender. She gazed up at He Siyu with wide, pleading eyes…
He Siyu couldn’t withstand that look from Song Xuyi. She bit her lower lip hard and averted her gaze. When she looked back at Song Xuyi, her voice had softened: “Only if you promise to let me come with you…”
Song Xuyi hadn’t wanted to agree, but she had no leverage. She nodded reluctantly, scheming to slip away the moment He Siyu turned to change…
“I’m going to change —”
But He Siyu, anticipating Song Xuyi’s escape attempt, simply set Song Xuyi’s bag beside her own and turned her back to change right there in the room.
“What about basic trust between people?”
Song Xuyi, caught red-handed, could only grumble to the System as she waited by the window for He Siyu to finish dressing.
“Shameless! Sweet-talking a little kid!”
The System’s tone carried a note of disdain. It felt like every world reset its understanding of Song Xuyi.
Song Xuyi gritted her teeth, sorely tempted to block the System, but by then He Siyu had changed, shouldered her bag, and the two of them quietly set up the rope ladder by the window and climbed down.
They caught the last bus heading to the Industrial Park.
Only a handful of passengers remained on the late-night bus. The interior lights were off, and the neon glow from outside illuminated Song Xuyi’s quiet profile. He Siyu pressed her lips together, frowning slightly, unable to fathom why she’d been so reckless — actually following Song Xuyi out like this…
Song Xuyi, meanwhile, was using a flashlight to hunch over the seat and work on her business plan revisions, oblivious to He Siyu’s small internal turmoil. He Siyu glanced over at Song Xuyi, reached out tentatively, and stroked her soft hair. Remembering how Song Xuyi had just wheedled at her, she let out a soft sigh:
If it happened again, she’d probably still cave to Song Xuyi’s wheedling…
A little past eleven, the two arrived at Song Xuyi’s temporary company. With Mr. Zhao’s investment, Bilin Wangchao had more than doubled in scale, but the early stage was still chaotic, and rapid expansion only made things messier. Most of Song Xuyi’s time there was spent packing orders, handling after-sales service, sorting out issues, and summarizing problems to submit for improvement…
He Siyu joined in to help.
But she stayed more alert than Song Xuyi, keeping the first bus schedule firmly in mind. When the time came, she pulled Song Xuyi away to wait for the bus.
On the way back, He Siyu improved on Song Xuyi’s plan — they bought some vegetables at the market, didn’t bother with the rope ladder, and simply unlocked the door with a key.
They ran into Auntie Wang, who was already up. He Siyu lied without missing a beat: “We went out for a morning run and picked up groceries on the way —”
Perhaps because He Siyu was always so well-behaved and obedient, Auntie Wang didn’t suspect a thing.
The whole performance left Song Xuyi dumbfounded:
He Siyu really was the high-IQ villain from the plot summary!
Because she’d been up all night, Song Xuyi spent most of the next day asleep at her desk. The teachers didn’t mind — as long as Song Xuyi wasn’t running off somewhere, they considered it a win.
He Siyu, on the other hand, was still full of energy, as if nothing had happened:
During the hellish days in the village, He Siyu had often gone night after night with barely any sleep. She’d long grown accustomed to insomnia.
But once Song Xuyi had slept enough and saw He Siyu sitting bolt upright, studying diligently beside her, she decided this wouldn’t do. He Siyu was at a critical stage of growth — she couldn’t keep staying up late like this.
So Song Xuyi tried to persuade He Siyu to stay home, reasoning with her at length, but He Siyu’s resolve was unshakable. No matter how much Song Xuyi wheedled, He Siyu refused to yield, and instead urged Song Xuyi to rest at night too.
In the end, Song Xuyi had to compromise. She set up two small beds at the office, and they each slept for a few hours every night.
What Song Xuyi didn’t know was that after she fell asleep, He Siyu would still get up to help.
…
After a month or two of this, Mr. Zhao found out they’d been sneaking out at night. Torn between exasperation and amusement, he ultimately relented — he gave Song Xuyi a ten-percent profit share and told her to stop sneaking out at night.
But this was the period of Bilin Wangchao’s explosive growth, and many decisions still needed Song Xuyi’s input. Unable to let go of the company’s development, she continued sneaking out to the Industrial Park from time to time.
Time flew by, and soon it was September.
After a year of intensive tutoring, Father Song and Mother Song had originally hoped the two girls might catch up to a fifth- or sixth-grade level at best. Nobody expected that both of them would complete the entire elementary curriculum.
So after several rounds of entrance exams, Song Xuyi and He Siyu went straight into a local junior high school.
Junior high had placement exams. Song Xuyi, focused on her business this time around, didn’t want to stand out academically, so she planned to hide her ability and land in an ordinary class. But He Siyu didn’t know her plan. Determined to be in the same class as Song Xuyi, she assumed that with Xuyi’s grades she’d definitely make it into the top A class, and poured herself into studying day and night. When the results came out, He Siyu ranked among the top of the school and got into the A class as she’d hoped — but Song Xuyi ended up in the F class.
When the results were posted, He Siyu, despite making the A class, didn’t feel happy at all. She came home and started on her homework, and even when Song Xuyi came over that evening, He Siyu was uncharacteristically silent.
Song Xuyi had planned to go to the company that night too, but a heavy rainstorm broke out just as she arrived at He Siyu’s place. The coast was prone to typhoons, so for safety, Song Xuyi had no choice but to actually sleep over in He Siyu’s room that night.
After her shower, Song Xuyi rolled around on He Siyu’s bed and took a careful look around the small room. He Siyu’s room was immaculate — books lined up by size, every crease in the pages smoothed flat, towels folded with precision…
Thinking of her own messy room, Song Xuyi fell into her habitual praise: “Siyu-jie, your room is so clean and tidy…”
But this time, instead of He Siyu’s usual shy smile, Song Xuyi found her sitting at her desk with her head down, saying nothing.
Song Xuyi finally noticed something was wrong. She jumped off the bed and hurried to the desk, only to find He Siyu’s eyes bright red — she seemed to have just been crying.
“What’s wrong?”
Song Xuyi’s heart dropped. She glanced around and spotted the crumpled class placement list on He Siyu’s desk.
“She was so looking forward to being in the same class as you, and you went and tested into the F class without saying a word!” the System chimed in coolly inside her mind. It hadn’t expected the villain in this world to be so earnest — even it felt a little bad.
Was it because of this?
Song Xuyi froze for a moment. Looking at He Siyu, who had turned her head away and was saying “It’s nothing” in a hoarse voice, Song Xuyi felt a swell of guilt.
It was her fault.
Raising a child wasn’t just about material comfort — you had to pay attention to their emotional needs too. She’d been neglecting Siyu’s emotional state lately.
Making a mental note to buy some parenting books, Song Xuyi spoke earnestly to comfort He Siyu: “I’m sorry, Siyu. I didn’t tell you I was aiming for the F class. You know I’m running a company on the side to earn money. If I were in the A class, it’d be harder for me to skip class later…”
She was still planning to skip class?
He Siyu forgot she was even upset. She turned back to look at Song Xuyi in astonishment.
Meeting He Siyu’s shocked gaze, Song Xuyi felt a little sheepish, but she didn’t want any more misunderstandings over this, so she laid out her plan clearly: “Siyu, I think my company matters a lot more than my schoolwork right now. I can only pursue my dream if the company succeeds, so I’m going to put most of my energy into it. For a long time to come, I’ll probably treat the company as more important than anything else.”
“But you’re different. Most people need to study hard to achieve their dreams, so I’m really glad you made it into the A class. I believe you’ll get the best grades and make your dreams come true someday —”
“I know this is hard to accept right now,” Song Xuyi sighed, wrapping her arms around He Siyu’s stiff frame as the younger girl sat with her head bowed. “I can’t tell anyone else this, but you’re my best friend. I can’t hide it from you —”
Song Xuyi had expected to spend much longer reassuring He Siyu, but to her surprise, He Siyu fell silent for a moment after hearing her words, then spoke softly: “I understand, Xuyi. I won’t tell anyone about this.”
She seemed to have truly let it go. She smiled at Song Xuyi, then went to the bathroom to wash up, climbed into bed, and turned off the light.
Exhausted from days of hard work, Song Xuyi always slept deeply. Relieved that He Siyu seemed to have made peace with it, she drifted off and was soon fast asleep.
Song Xuyi was a restless sleeper. It wasn’t long before she’d plastered herself onto He Siyu like an octopus. He Siyu lay as stiff as a board, hands neatly at her sides, her face growing redder and redder in the dark — but her lips curled up, unbidden:
He Siyu didn’t understand herself anymore. Whenever it came to anything related to Xuyi, she couldn’t control her tears, and she’d even made Xuyi come comfort her. Xuyi was younger than her, and she’d already guessed the real reason Xuyi tested into the F class…
And yet…
She and Xuyi shared a secret that even Father Song and Mother Song didn’t know!
Xuyi said she was her best friend!
…
Just thinking about what Song Xuyi had said made He Siyu’s happiness overflow.
Her mind drifted through all the memories they’d shared since they met, and sleep stayed far away. In the darkness, He Siyu couldn’t resist reaching up to stroke Song Xuyi’s soft hair. Song Xuyi murmured something in her sleep and nuzzled into the crook of He Siyu’s neck…
He Siyu yanked her hand away as if she’d touched a live wire.
Xuyi was so cute!
Her heart brimmed with sweetness. He Siyu lay there with her eyes open, able to picture Song Xuyi’s adorable, endearing face without even looking. She curved her lips — and then a thought flashed through her mind so suddenly that He Siyu immediately squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her lips tight with embarrassment—
But somehow, the thought wouldn’t stop swirling through her mind…
“Xuyi is so cute. I really want to… kiss her cheek!”
The author has something to say:
Kids are young, they don’t hold grudges, and they’re easy to coax.
But I’m different. I’ve already noted down the username of the little angel in the comments who told me to read 《The Path Back for the Abuse Fiction Author》! Behold my vengeful Kazhulan big eyes2. (●︿●)
Thanks for the chapter Translator-sama~<3
Thanks for the chapter Translator-sama~<3