Playing the Villainess, He Fell for Me

Simon Lockwood’s arrival was unexpected, but he was a surprisingly welcome sight.

Joanna Kennedy figured it was due to his good looks. The group abandoned the fireworks, crowding around him to gossip about his relationship with her.

”Oh my god, you’re only eighteen?” Audrey Reilly exclaimed in disbelief. ”I thought you were around our age...”

Audrey Reilly, realizing her words could be taken the wrong way, quickly tried to explain, ”I don’t mean you look old or anything! It’s just... it’s just, you seem really mature.”

Simon Lockwood was speechless.

Audrey Reilly gave up trying to explain. ”It’s not about looking mature... you know what I mean?”

Simon Lockwood offered a polite smile.

Embarrassed, Audrey Reilly fell silent.

Joanna Kennedy stifled a laugh.

She understood how Audrey Reilly felt. The first time she met Simon Lockwood, she’d also thought he was different from the other high schoolers.

It wasn’t that he was exceptionally handsome, but that Simon Lockwood always had a calm, unhurried, and composed aura about him.

His complex and impoverished upbringing had forced him to mature too quickly. He never had the chance to enjoy a wild and passionate youth before a life of constant, shocking changes pushed him to stumble his way into adulthood.

The guesthouse didn’t have any spare rooms, so two of the male college students invited Simon Lockwood to stay with them for the night. Joanna Kennedy let out an almost imperceptible sigh of relief.

She had to admit, it was easier back when she could just focus on completing the mission. Now that 166 was letting her improvise, she was at a loss as to how to handle Simon Lockwood.

’Are you getting anywhere with this? Did you find a solution?’ she couldn’t help but ask 166.

Earlier, 166 had said it was going to ask the other systems for help and had disappeared for over two hours. Having just returned, it heard Joanna’s exasperated question and felt an inexplicable wave of guilt. ’N-No, I didn’t.’

Joanna Kennedy was speechless.

was a very proud little system. It rushed to explain that it wasn’t useless—it was just that none of the other systems had ever encountered a problem like this before.

Joanna sneered. ’So what? It’s my fault, I suppose?’

’It’s all my fault for having too much charisma, then.’

’I never said that,’ 166 shot back.

Steeling itself, 166 made a suggestion: ’How about you just go along with him for now? Then, when the time comes, you can find an excuse to make him leave of his own accord. All that matters is ensuring you’re separated from the male lead for six years.’

’Six years from now, at the wedding of the male and female leads, you can just run over, jump into the sea, and the main storyline will be complete.’

Joanna furrowed her brow after hearing the plan. ’Will that really work?’

’It has to!’ 166 insisted through gritted teeth. What other choice did it have?

The next morning, Simon Lockwood silently helped her pack. Joanna Kennedy trailed behind him like a little kid who’d done something wrong.

Resignedly, Simon Lockwood told her to sit to one side and wait.

After saying goodbye to the others, Joanna Kennedy followed Simon Lockwood into a car to head back.

It was the first day of the Lunar New Year, so the buses weren’t running. Luckily, there were still some taxi drivers out working for a living. The fare from the guesthouse to the old alley came to over two hundred.

As she watched Simon Lockwood scan the QR code to pay, Joanna Kennedy lowered her gaze.

Come to think of it, even back when she was still the rich young lady of the Kennedy family, Simon Lockwood had never let her pay for anything.

He had even returned all the expensive gifts she’d given him, completely untouched.

A wave of regret washed over Joanna. ’Damn it, I should have forced him to keep them! We could have sold them for some cash right now!’

Simon Lockwood had no idea what was going through her mind. Seeing her standing at the door with a frown, he thought she was reluctant to enter.

”...Joanna, just endure it for a little longer,” he said suddenly.

He wouldn’t be this poor forever.

His eyes were earnest. Joanna realized what he was implying and sighed.

It wasn’t that she looked down on him for being poor; anyone with eyes could see that Simon Lockwood had a bright future.

But she still had to put on her spoiled princess act. ”Your bed is so small, and it’s hard as a rock...”

Simon Lockwood touched the bedding. It didn’t feel hard to him. He looked at Joanna’s delicate, fair face, still holding a trace of baby fat, and thought she was just like a little kid.

’She has to get whatever she wants, and she just runs and hides whenever she faces any difficulty.’

’Time hasn’t changed her at all. She hasn’t matured in the slightest—still so fragile, always complaining, unable to bear even the smallest hardship.’

Silently, Simon Lockwood took a thick comforter from the wardrobe and spread it over the bed to pad it.

Now that the bed was soft and comfortable, Joanna finally stopped complaining. She sat down, bounced a couple of times, and looked up at him with a grin, her eyes curving into crescents. ”It really is soft!”

’Just like a little kid,’ he thought.

And so, Joanna Kennedy moved into Simon Lockwood’s tiny apartment, brazenly ”occupying” his bed while the owner of the place slept on the living room sofa.

Simon was tall, so sleeping on the sofa meant his long legs had to rest awkwardly on the floor.

One night, Joanna came out for a drink of water and saw him like that.

She stood there watching for a long time, only returning to her room when the water in her glass had turned cold.

Simon continued working his part-time jobs. Now that he had a picky young lady like Joanna to support, he started working at The Crimson Hall again.

He would make food in the morning before heading to the coffee shop, come back at noon to bring Joanna lunch, go to The Crimson Hall in the afternoon, and then return home at night to cook for her and help her with her studies.

Even someone as shameless as Joanna couldn’t help but realize what a huge burden she was. She started taking on chores like cooking and sweeping.

At first, 166 scolded her for breaking character. A rich young lady like Joanna, whose hands had never been sullied by housework—how could she possibly know how to do these things?

Joanna retorted coolly, ’The plot’s already gone completely off the rails. You really have the energy to worry about me staying in character?’

If she didn’t start helping out, Simon might just work himself to death long before the six years were up.

was left speechless by her retort, so frustrated that it started spewing garbled code.

When Simon Lockwood came home that day and saw the steaming hot food on the table, he thought he had walked into the wrong apartment. He went back out, confirmed it was his place, and then walked back in.

”Did you order delivery from somewhere nearby?” he asked.

Joanna’s eyes widened in indignation. ”I made this!”

A simple dish of stir-fried tomatoes and eggs, some sautéed greens, and congee—it definitely didn’t look like takeout.

As she watched expectantly, Simon took a bite of the greens. Before he’d even finished chewing, Joanna was asking eagerly, ”How is it? How is it?”

It was undersalted and needed more oil, tasting more like vegetables boiled in water than anything else. But faced with Joanna’s bright, almond-shaped eyes, he nodded slowly to spare her feelings. ”Delicious.”

At his words, she quickly took a bite herself, and her expression immediately soured. ”You’re a liar,” she accused.

Simon insisted that he really thought it was good.

So she told him there must be something wrong with his taste buds.

The cool lines of Simon’s face softened, and he said no more.

His parents had died when he was very young, and he’d grown up relying on the charity of his neighbors. Back then, all he cared about was filling his stomach; he couldn’t have told you if something tasted good or bad.

Later, when he grew up and could earn his own money, he mostly ate steamed buns and fast food.

For many years to come, his very definition of a home-cooked meal would be bland stir-fried greens and scrambled eggs with tomatoes made with too much soy sauce.