Blame the Villain – Chapter 43
by Little PandaThe Villainous Poor Student (8)
Determined True Daughter Self-Made Entrepreneur x Black-Hearted Lotus Villain Poor Student
The junior high school they attended was close to He Siyu’s Home, so He Siyu chose to commute as a day student. Father Song and Mother Song, worried that Song Xuyi wouldn’t be used to dormitory life, also arranged for her to commute — the family driver would handle pickup and drop-off. After all, Song Han was in ninth grade and needed a ride too. Picking up one daughter was the same as picking up two…
But the Song family didn’t know that Song Xuyi had already secretly mapped out her entire three-year plan for junior high: she intended to use “can’t wake up in the morning” as a perennial excuse to camp out at He Siyu’s house, so she’d have more time at night to work on her business.
“Xuyi, wake up!”
Early the next morning, He Siyu roused Song Xuyi, helped her into her school uniform, and the two ate breakfast together before walking to school.
Song Xuyi had ruined her health from flipping her days and nights. She looked half-asleep, swaying down the road like a wandering spirit. Worried she might trip, He Siyu held tightly to her hand the whole way, only letting go when she delivered Song Xuyi to her classroom.
Their classes had already been assigned: He Siyu was in A1 on the fourth floor, and Song Xuyi had been placed in F6 on the second floor.
When He Siyu arrived, few students were in the classroom yet. She didn’t want to draw attention, so she picked a corner seat and started reading. But He Siyu was beautiful — even in the frumpy blue-and-white school uniform, she sat there as lovely as a painting. Even tucked in a corner, she was still the most striking presence in the room.
The new seventh graders were at an age when everything intrigued them. Before long, the news that A1 had a stunningly pretty girl had spread through the entire school.
“Did you hear? There’s a girl in A1 upstairs who’s even prettier than Senior Sister Song Han in ninth grade!”
“Isn’t Senior Sister Song Han the school beauty1? And if she made it into A1, her grades must be amazing too. Does someone that perfect really exist? I want to see what she looks like—”
“Let’s go take a look together! Class hasn’t started yet and the teachers aren’t here. She won’t know whether we’re in A1 or not…”
…
Song Xuyi woke to the sound of her front-row classmates chatting.
She’d walked into the classroom and headed straight for the back row, where she caught up on sleep. Now she felt somewhat more rested. Listening to her classmates’ conversation, she didn’t need to guess who they were discussing — it had to be He Siyu.
Siyu was beautiful, sweet, and hardworking. The moment she walked through the school gates, she was a campus goddess. A girl raised surrounded by love and praise had almost zero chance of turning to the dark side.
Song Xuyi felt a reflected pride, reckoning that He Siyu’s villain arc had probably concluded by now. Relieved, she went back to drafting her after-sales improvement plan.
After the platform had built its reputation, merchants were now actively seeking to join. What she urgently needed was an effective system to hold them accountable for after-sales service.
Song Xuyi had lived through an increasingly mature e-commerce world. Standing on the shoulders of giants, she could naturally write an excellent proposal. But she wasn’t just working for herself anymore — she had to report her plans to shareholders and investors. Given the limitations of the era, many people lacked the necessary foresight. Song Xuyi was already at a disadvantage because of her age, and convincing investors required even more effort.
Song Xuyi always threw herself into things wholeheartedly, and she soon lost herself in writing the proposal…
“Classmate… classmate…”
It wasn’t until the teacher was standing right in front of Song Xuyi’s desk that she realized the class had begun self-introductions, and it was now her turn.
Meeting the teacher’s stern gaze fixed on the proposal in her hands, Song Xuyi flushed red and hung her head in dismay.
It was the start of the school year — exactly when teachers needed to establish their authority — and Song Xuyi had walked right into the line of fire. Her parents were called on the very first day, and the proposal she’d written was confiscated.
Song Xuyi’s name, too, spread through the entire school.
“That girl named Song Xuyi talked back to the teacher on the first day. She’ll definitely get expelled,” a few girls from A1 huddled together after school, discussing the news with disdain. “My mom says students like that are destined to become delinquents. She won’t last a semester before transferring. She might even get detained…”
He Siyu listened to the discussion ahead of her, her expression darkening. She gathered her textbooks, the books knocking against the desk with a sharp sound. Several girls turned at the noise and met He Siyu’s unmistakably cold stare. “Whether she becomes a delinquent or not, I don’t know. But gossiping behind people’s backs right now — that’s plain busybody behavior.”
By now, everyone had tacitly acknowledged He Siyu as the new class beauty2 — even the school beauty. She’d sat quietly all day, keeping her self-introduction to a brief mention of her name, and many had assumed she was shy and introverted. But now, meeting He Siyu’s dark, piercing eyes, the girls felt a distinct flicker of fear.
They were all middle school girls with thin skins. They wanted to argue with He Siyu, but they had been the ones gossiping first — and He Siyu’s beautiful face carried a cool, untouchable aloofness. The girls stammered and glared at He Siyu for a long moment before huffing off, clutching their backpacks, out of the classroom.
He Siyu slowly lowered her eyes.
She had originally wanted to get along with her classmates, just as Xuyi had asked. But it seemed she’d already messed things up on the first day…
She understood, really, that those girls had just wanted to trade gossip. Strictly speaking, they didn’t have bad intentions…
But the person they were discussing was Xuyi.
He Siyu found she couldn’t bear hearing anyone say a bad word about Xuyi.
He Siyu ducked her head, long lashes concealing the look in her eyes. When she raised her head again, another five minutes had passed. The other students had all gone home, and she was the only one left in the classroom.
Only then did He Siyu pack her bag and carry her books downstairs.
At the second-floor stairwell, He Siyu’s footsteps paused. Through the wide-open door of the office beside the stairs, she saw Father Song wearing a placating smile as he explained to the teacher that Song Xuyi had been trafficked as a child — the reason she was so eager to start a business at such a young age. Song Xuyi stood beside Father Song with her head down. The girl who usually held her chin high, always brimming with energy, now drooped with a listless expression, looking utterly pitiful.
He Siyu pressed her lips together without thinking.
But Song Xuyi seemed to sense He Siyu’s gaze and immediately looked up.
“Go home first,” Song Xuyi mouthed to He Siyu. “I’ll probably have to go back to my own house today…”
He Siyu nodded, watching Song Xuyi with worried eyes, but didn’t move from her spot.
Seeing that the teacher had been completely drawn in by Father Song’s story and was now wiping away tears, Song Xuyi knew He Siyu was worried about her. She discreetly pulled a face at He Siyu.
He Siyu blinked, then shook her head with a curving smile, and finally turned to walk down the stairs.
Once she could no longer see He Siyu’s back, Song Xuyi sighed and drooped her head again.
She wasn’t actually as nonchalant as she appeared. In all these years, this was the first time a teacher had criticized her and called her parents. Song Xuyi felt a twinge of shame — but she knew she was in the wrong. Breaking the rules on the first day of school, she’d brought the trouble on herself.
Fortunately, after learning about Song Xuyi’s trafficking experience, the teacher forgave her and returned the report she’d spent days writing.
But this also shut down Song Xuyi’s plan to work during class.
She could only redouble her efforts, working overtime at night or after school. After a stretch of this, she looked noticeably more haggard.
He Siyu couldn’t talk Song Xuyi into resting, so she tried every way she could to help — doing Song Xuyi’s homework for her, taking on more work at night so Song Xuyi could sleep…
But it was a drop in the bucket. As the platform grew, the burden on Song Xuyi’s shoulders grew heavier. Song Xuyi was simply exhausted, and she was called to the office twice more for sleeping in class.
The third time parents were called, Father Song finally lost his temper. He didn’t know about Song Xuyi sneaking out at night — he assumed she was secretly staying up late writing proposals. Ignoring his wife and two other children’s attempts to intervene, he locked himself in the study with Song Xuyi for a private talk.
“What will it take for you to give up this business of yours?” Father Song cut straight to the point, looking at his pale young daughter. He took a deep breath, fighting to suppress his anger and heartache. “The Song family isn’t so poor that we need a little girl to earn money for us!”
“I’m not trying to support the family, and I know you’d never lose me again,” Song Xuyi said, lowering her head and biting her lower lip. At this point, she had to tell him the truth. “But there are so many other girls out there in the world. They’re trapped in villages with no light, no schooling, no literacy. Beaten by husbands, persecuted by convention. Dad, I want to work hard and earn money to help them…”
Father Song stood frozen. He’d always assumed his youngest daughter was simply seeking a sense of security after her trafficking ordeal. He never imagined she carried the weight of countless impoverished women in her heart.
His throat worked, but suddenly he didn’t know what to say. Most of his family’s wealth was inherited — they weren’t enormously rich, but they were prominent and respected locally. He’d never built a business from scratch, but he knew the hardship it entailed. Never mind that his daughter’s project had an uncertain future — even if she struck it rich, as a father, all he wanted was for his daughter to grow up happy, never to endure hardship again…
“Dad, I won’t give up my work,” Song Xuyi decided to lay all her cards on the table. She looked up and met Father Song’s gaze steadily. “What will it take for you to let me keep going?”
Father Song studied his daughter carefully. Since coming home, she’d been exceptionally well-behaved — no longer the mischievous troublemaker she’d been as a child. He and his wife had been gratified by how opinionated and sensible she’d become. Only now did he realize that being too opinionated wasn’t necessarily a good thing. He almost wished she’d go back to being the naive, headstrong little girl she used to be.
Father Song drew a deep breath, knowing his daughter had made up her mind and wouldn’t easily change it. He could only settle for a compromise.
“At your age, the most important thing is your studies.”
“If you can consistently rank in the top five of your class, I’ll arrange leave for you to run your business privately.” Father Song sighed deeply, finally yielding. “But if you don’t make the top five, you study honestly and wait until university to start your business — that’s not too late…”
Father Song didn’t believe Song Xuyi could maintain a top-five ranking. She’d entered the F class ranked in the twenties, and he was sure the tutors’ praise of her intelligence was just flattery because of the high fees he paid. But just in case, he added, “If you get into any trouble out there, you must tell me. I’ve lived long enough — I can at least cover for my own daughter…”
“I know, Dad.”
Having gotten what she wanted, Song Xuyi reverted to her obedient, docile self. She’d grown so accustomed to coaxing He Siyu lately that when she saw Father Song’s furrowed brow, she felt a pang of guilt and blurted out praise almost without thinking: “Thank you, Dad. You’re the most reasonable dad in the world!”
Song Xuyi had a sweet face. When she gazed at someone with earnest eyes, no one would doubt her sincerity.
Father Song blinked, startled by his daughter’s high praise. He tried to keep a stern face, but the corners of his mouth twitched upward involuntarily.
Song Xuyi noticed the curve of Father Song’s smile. She paused for a moment, her eyes widening in realization: Does everyone in the world love hearing sweet words?
Song Xuyi, a newcomer to the business world, suddenly felt she’d stumbled onto a revelation.
He Siyu noticed that Song Xuyi seemed to have changed.
She used to act clingy only when she needed something. But lately, she’d started acting sweet and blowing rainbow farts3 at every opportunity. “Siyu-jie, you look amazing in that outfit!” “Siyu-jie, you’ve already previewed the eighth-grade problems? That’s incredible!” “Siyu-jie, I heard you joined the school’s science club — you’re so smart!”…
And she said all of it so naturally. He Siyu felt a little bashful hearing these things, but she couldn’t stop the happiness bubbling up inside her. She found Song Xuyi more adorable by the day and wanted to give her her whole heart…
In class, because Father Song had specifically spoken to the homeroom teacher about the top-five bet with Song Xuyi, the teacher turned a blind eye to her occasional daydreaming. Both of them were waiting to see Song Xuyi’s midterm results — the teacher had even secretly prepared a lecture for her.
Song Xuyi gained more time to work, and with He Siyu — who knew the truth — looking after her, her complexion finally improved.
Time flew by, and midterm exams arrived before they knew it.
The exams were on Friday. The teachers graded papers over the weekend and posted results on Monday.
It was only after the exams that Song Xuyi learned the next day was He Siyu’s birthday. Remembering the child-rearing books’ advice about taking care of He Siyu’s emotional needs, she prepared a pile of pretty clothes as gifts and set aside an entire day to spend with He Siyu.
They’d originally planned to go to the amusement park, but the weather didn’t cooperate — it rained. Song Xuyi had to stay at He Siyu’s Home. She worked through the morning, and in the afternoon, they ate the longevity noodles4 that Auntie Wang had prepared.
Song Xuyi had meant to watch TV with He Siyu, but she dozed off without realizing it…
When she woke, it was already evening, and the sky had cleared again. Auntie Wang gave Song Xuyi a mischievous smile. “Siyu says she’s waiting for you downstairs…”
As soon as Song Xuyi reached the ground floor, she saw He Siyu standing beside a bicycle.
“Want to hop on?” He Siyu’s lips curved in a small, rather pleased smile. “I saved up and bought it in secret. I’ve gotten pretty good at riding it these past two days. From now on, when we’re rushing to catch the bus at night, we can ride the bike instead. I calculated it — it’ll save us nearly 40 minutes round trip…”
She couldn’t help Song Xuyi in other ways, so she poured everything into saving Song Xuyi time to rest.
Song Xuyi hadn’t expected He Siyu to buy a bicycle for her sake. She’d grown so used to sweet words rolling off her tongue — but looking into He Siyu’s shy, hopeful eyes, Song Xuyi found those habitual flatteries suddenly caught in her throat.
She sat quietly on the back of He Siyu’s bicycle.
The System howled in Song Xuyi’s mind: “I want to raise a good cub5 too…”
Song Xuyi curved her lips with a hint of challenge, deliberately tightening her arms around He Siyu’s slender waist. “Siyu-jie, I’m going to be so, so good to you from now on…”
Song Xuyi felt she finally understood why elders liked to call girls thoughtful little padded jackets6! Her mood right now was as warm as being wrapped in a little padded jacket in the dead of winter…
He Siyu’s body seemed to stiffen. A long moment passed before her smiling voice floated back from ahead. “You… you’re already so good to me—”
…
The wind carried the fresh scent of rain-washed flowers. Amid the ring ring of the bicycle bell, the two girls rode through the city bathed in the sunset’s afterglow. Crimson clouds blazed along the horizon, the evening glow spreading from the sea’s edge, framing the deep blue water and the towering bridge in a scene of breathtaking beauty.
Song Xuyi tugged He Siyu’s shirt to get her to stop and admire the seaside view. He Siyu obliged — but stole a glance back at Song Xuyi’s joyful smile as she sat sideways on the rack…
Xuyi’s smile was more beautiful than any view the sky could offer.
And Xuyi being happy — that was the best gift she had ever received, on this birthday that had never before been blessed…
Footnotes
- A girl recognized as the most beautiful student in a school; a common Chinese school culture term.
- A girl recognized as the most beautiful student in a class; a common Chinese school culture term, typically used alongside 'school beauty.'
- Internet slang for excessive, colorful flattery or praise directed at someone — saying things so flattering they're like 'rainbow-colored farts.'
- Long noodles eaten on birthdays in Chinese culture, symbolizing a wish for a long life. The noodles are kept unbroken to represent longevity.
- An affectionate term of endearment, literally 'cub,' used by fans or close elders for someone they dote on; 'good cub' (guai zaizai) means a well-behaved, adorable one.
- A Chinese metaphor comparing a caring daughter to a warm padded jacket — someone who provides comfort and closeness.
Thanks for the chapter Translator-sama~<3
P.S. wonder if the ending to this arc will be like the other two with Xu Yi's death be from overworking herself and he siyu's death being suicide from the bridge.
Thanks for the chapter Translator-sama~<3
P.S. wonder if the ending to this arc will be like the other two with Xu Yi's death be from overworking herself and he siyu's death being suicide from the bridge.