Blame the Villain – Chapter 15
by Little PandaThe Villainous Film Empress (15)
A little rich girl bent on saving the world X A paranoid, dark, and vengeful Film Empress
Song Xuyi had not expected that by the time she woke up the next morning, the sky would already be bright.
Perhaps because she had enjoyed a good night’s sleep, the heavy, dizzy feeling in her head had eased considerably.
The temperature outside seemed to have recovered slightly. The space beside her was empty; Zhao Qingyu was no longer there.
The chaotic drumming of the rain outside the cave had stopped at some point. She heard the sound of a phone call coming from outside—Zhao Qingyu had already gotten in touch with people to rescue them.
Recalling the story she had heard before falling asleep, Song Xuyi fell silent for a moment. She looked up and softly asked the System, “System, the child in her story… was it her?”
“Yes.” It was only after a long time that Song Xuyi heard the System’s voice. “I listened to the second half of the story. The male lead, Song Jun, is Zhao Qingyu’s half-brother…”
Song Xuyi pressed her lips together.
She finally understood why Zhao Qingyu wanted to take revenge on Song Jun. Over the years, it was Song Jun’s family who had caused Zhao Qingyu and her mother to suffer endless hardships.
Zhao Qingyu had become an actress because she wanted to fulfill the dream her mother had never been able to realize.
She had come to this village to film and invest because she wanted to repay the local villagers on her mother’s behalf. That was why she could understand the local dialect and sing their folk songs…
In fact, if she thought about it carefully, the clues had been there all along:
Song Jun’s grandmother, who was already suffering from dementia, had gone pale with fright upon seeing Zhao Qingyu’s face, screaming that she had seen a ghost;
When she video-called Zhao Qingyu, the background was exceptionally sparse, looking very much like a hospital room;
And then there was the practiced, familiar way she took care of others…
Carrying the weight of the previous generation’s grudges while struggling just to survive, how had Zhao Qingyu managed to pull through all these years?
…
The System also paused after sharing Zhao Qingyu’s story. Remembering the female villain’s sorrow and cautious tenderness toward Song Xuyi the night before, it ultimately decided not to tell Song Xuyi about that kiss.
It merely reminded Song Xuyi once more, “Xuyi, the first rule of the task manual is: ‘No falling in love’—”
“Ah?”
Song Xuyi did not catch on at first, still lost in her pity for Zhao Qingyu and her mother. Hearing the System suddenly drop this line, it took her a long moment to realize what it was talking about.
Her face flushed red. Stammering, she lost her composure before the System for the very first time. “Anyway, yesterday… there were indeed some unexpected events that forced you to automatically activate the sensory block, but it really was just an accident! Zhao Qingyu and I haven’t developed any kind of relationship that crosses the line…”
“This world is just a task to me.” After a brief pause, Song Xuyi’s voice grew soft. “I know what is important and what isn’t, System…”
The System actually believed Song Xuyi. As an onlooker, it saw things clearly: Song Xuyi really liked Zhao Qingyu’s looks and would be captivated by her face, but up until now, she indeed had not developed any other feelings for her.
Yet, recalling the female villain’s reaction the night before, the System could not help but feel a bit of unease.
They could only take things one step at a time.
The System remained silent for a long time before letting out a soft sigh.
Soon, the rescue team arrived.
Song Xuyi’s two bodyguards stood at the very front of the rescue team, their faces pale with fright.
Fearing that Song Xuyi had met with an accident, the bodyguards had already called Father Song and Mother Song to report everything.
As soon as Song Xuyi returned to the village, she was met with a barrage of phone calls from Father Song, Mother Song, and her older brothers. After she made it clear that she had no intention of returning, Father Song and Mother Song sent people over with a massive quantity of medicine and supplements, along with two more bodyguards. The bodyguards took day and night shifts, keeping an exceptionally tight eye on her.
Aside from catching a slight cold from the cold, Song Xuyi’s body suffered no other harm. She recovered quickly and resumed the free clinic alongside the old master. However, things on Zhao Qingyu’s end were not looking good: she had developed a fever as soon as she went down the mountain, falling ill on and off for nearly a week…
Song Xuyi had originally intended to go with the old master to visit Zhao Qingyu, but the old master gently conveyed Zhao Qingyu’s wishes: Zhao Qingyu was afraid of passing the illness to her and did not want Song Xuyi to visit.
This was a blatant excuse.
Even if she did not know what Zhao Qingyu was actually thinking, since she had put it that way, Song Xuyi felt too embarrassed to force her way in. Instead, she could only stuff the large pile of supplements sent by Father Song and Mother Song over to Zhao Qingyu’s side.
After another week had passed, Zhao Qingyu fully recovered and began texting Song Xuyi to invite her out for runs.
While running, Zhao Qingyu looked radiant, showing not a single trace of someone who had just recovered from a major illness. The moment she saw Song Xuyi, Zhao Qingyu smiled.
Zhao Qingyu smiled incredibly beautifully. Song Xuyi could tell she was truly happy; the joy spread from the corners of her eyes and brows, her eyes as dark and brilliant as obsidian, making the small red mole at the corner of her eye look even more vivid and charming.
Was she really that happy just because she had recovered?
Song Xuyi could not quite understand Zhao Qingyu’s sudden high spirits, so she simply followed behind her in silence.
As usual, Zhao Qingyu quickly left Song Xuyi far behind. Having long accepted her own abysmal physical stamina, Song Xuyi was not in any hurry. She jogged forward at a leisurely pace, pondering her stalled task, entirely failing to notice the glances Zhao Qingyu cast back at her from time to time…
On the way back, Zhao Qingyu ran alongside Song Xuyi.
“Song Xuyi,” Zhao Qingyu suddenly said, turning her head to look at her earnestly. “That night, you could be considered to have saved me once. I promise you one wish. Whatever you want, I will do everything in my power to fulfill it…”
Song Xuyi froze in her tracks.
Had she not known Zhao Qingyu’s background, she would certainly have been extremely happy. But now that she knew the reason why Zhao Qingyu hated Song Jun’s family, with so many years of accumulated resentment, did she really have the standing to ask Zhao Qingyu to abandon her hatred?
Song Xuyi pressed her lips together.
She found she could not bring herself to say it.
Zhao Qingyu’s mother had been deceived by a scumbag1 and became pregnant, her acting career completely ruined. Despite being the victim, she was falsely accused and driven out of the house once she fell pregnant. Meanwhile, the scumbag took back his son who had been born outside, got married, and lived a happy and fulfilling life…
Her mother had ended up mad and gravely ill, forced to wander from place to place in misery…
Struggling through so many years of hardship, just how strong did Zhao Qingyu have to be to reach her current position?
Song Xuyi knew that Song Jun was also innocent. In the plot outline, Song Jun had no knowledge of the previous generation’s grievances, yet he had inexplicably borne the brunt of Zhao Qingyu’s revenge, nearly driving his family to ruin.
But Song Xuyi understood the reason why Zhao Qingyu had targeted Song Jun—only by defeating Song Jun was it the best way to take revenge on his grandmother.
In this entire affair, the most innocent person was actually Zhao Qingyu.
It was easy for outsiders to just flap their lips and advise others to do good, but how could they possibly know what immense pain was endured to breed such hatred?
Unless Zhao Qingyu came to terms with it herself, no one had the standing to urge her to do good.
…
System, I think that compared to Zhao Qingyu, I am truly far too fortunate… Song Xuyi sighed in her heart.
“Mm,” the System replied softly.
For some reason, the System had become much more silent recently than before.
Song Xuyi pondered for a long time.
“Can I hold onto it for now?” She finally bit her lip and looked at Zhao Qingyu cautiously. “I’d like to think about it first.”
Based on her past experience dealing with Zhao Qingyu, Song Xuyi originally thought Zhao Qingyu would not agree. However, to Song Xuyi’s surprise, Zhao Qingyu actually agreed quite easily.
“Sure.”
“But you must tell me within this year,” Zhao Qingyu said with a smile, glancing at Song Xuyi and patting her on the shoulder. “As you know, my time is very tight…”
Over the following days, Song Xuyi noticed that Zhao Qingyu seemed to have grown much more affectionate toward her.
In the past, it was usually Song Xuyi who reached out to Zhao Qingyu, unilaterally starting conversations. Recently, however, it seemed to have reversed. In addition to inviting Song Xuyi for runs every day, Zhao Qingyu began to actively message and call her, occasionally even bringing her wild mountain fruits and beautiful wildflowers as gifts…
Song Xuyi realized belatedly—this was how friends were supposed to get along, and Zhao Qingyu was starting to treat her as a true friend.
If it had been the old Song Xuyi who discovered this, she would certainly have been especially happy. But now, Song Xuyi felt bewildered: what if Zhao Qingyu ultimately still could not let go of her hatred and fought with Song Jun? What was she supposed to do then?
After considering it repeatedly, Song Xuyi could only deliberately pretend not to notice Zhao Qingyu’s friendly gestures, treating her in a lukewarm manner.
She had originally thought that given Zhao Qingyu’s pride, she would surely distance herself after detecting her indifference. But she had not expected that Zhao Qingyu would continue as before, seemingly not sensing Song Xuyi’s distance…
Did Zhao Qingyu really value the favor of saving her life so much?
Song Xuyi’s feelings were extremely complex.
Actually, Zhao Qingyu could be considered an extremely good friend: when she put her heart into treating someone well, she maintained perfect propriety and was meticulously considerate, her interactions with others as comforting as a gentle spring breeze…
What surprised Song Xuyi even more was that every time Zhao Qingyu spent time with her, she appeared extremely happy, her eyes shining with starry specks of light.
After spending this period of time together in the small mountain village, the villain who was once petty, liked to tease her, and acted willfully seemed to have become a dream. Song Xuyi had never imagined that this free clinic trip would yield such unexpected rewards.
Soon, half of August had passed.
The days in this paradise drew to a close. The old master, having finished gathering medicinal herbs and providing free consultations in several nearby villages, brought Song Xuyi back to the city.
The Film City Zhao Qingyu invested in had already begun construction. Since they were building while filming, Zhao Qingyu would still need to remain in the mountains for nearly half a year.
Not long after returning to the city, Song Xuyi received the dried flower sachet sent by Zhao Qingyu. The design of the sachet was extremely exquisite, and the floral fragrance was pleasant. Zhao Qingyu had left a note in the package, saying that she had made the sachet with her own hands, her tone practically seeking praise.
Only then did Song Xuyi realize that Zhao Qingyu’s writing was very good, her strokes powerful and her style bold and flowing.
Shedding her preconceived harsh impression of the villain, Song Xuyi realized in a daze that Zhao Qingyu was actually extremely outstanding.
Before long, a new semester began. Song Xuyi brought the sachet Zhao Qingyu had made to school, planning to put it together with the cat plushie Zhao Qingyu had previously given her…
Just as Song Xuyi entered the dormitory, her roommates were discussing the looks of female stars in the entertainment industry, in the end agreeing unanimously that Zhao Qingyu’s looks were the visual ceiling2 of the entertainment industry.
“If only Zhao Qingyu would film a few more dramas…” one roommate lamented, hugging a cushion.
The speaker meant nothing by it, but the listener took it to heart. Song Xuyi’s hand holding the sachet paused…
—She had thought of what she wanted Zhao Qingyu to promise her!
Footnotes
- The term zhānán literally translates to 'dregs of humanity man' or 'scum man,' a common Chinese slang term used to describe unfaithful, unprincipled, or irresponsible men.
- The term yánzhí tiānhuābǎn literally translates to 'face value ceiling,' a popular Chinese internet slang term used to describe the absolute peak of physical attractiveness in a particular field or group.
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