Playing the Villainess, He Fell for Me

And so, Joanna Kennedy was at a loss for words, her throat feeling as if it were stuffed with cotton.

He thought it was pretty, so he bought it for her, even though his wages could probably barely cover such a small bracelet.

On a perfectly ordinary evening, with no flowery words.

Joanna thought, ’Oh, so you don’t need a special holiday as an excuse to give a gift. If you want to give one... you just do.’

She should have felt touched, but right now, all Joanna could feel was endless panic.

Simon Lockwood’s affection was more than she could handle. Though she was unwilling to admit it, she knew deep down that she was a dead weight holding him back from his bright future.

’If the plot changes, can he still build his great business empire according to the original story?’

’If he doesn’t succeed in gaining wealth and status, how far can the two of them go?’

Joanna wasn’t afraid of hardship, but she had lived a few more years than Simon, so she naturally thought more about these things.

The college entrance exams were just around the corner, and there was already so little time. Yet Simon had taken on another part-time job because of her, and he was even worrying about her studies.

Getting into college would inevitably be another hefty expense.

Hardships and trivial daily squabbles would sooner or later drain away the impulsive, insignificant feelings of youth. Nothing lasts forever. Only in movies do people throw themselves into love without a second thought.

*

Outside the classroom, the poplar trees were sprouting new branches. The scent of spring grew stronger.

In April, the world-class physics competition began. It was divided into three rounds, requiring a trip abroad for a seven-day, closed-off competition.

To prevent any accidents along the way, the school administration accompanied the three competing students.

Early in the morning, Simon Lockwood, as usual, bought breakfast and woke Joanna Kennedy up.

This time, Joanna didn’t laze in bed. After eating, she obediently sat on the back of Simon’s bicycle to go to school.

The bicycle was newly bought a few days ago. A thick cushion had been thoughtfully installed on the back seat.

Originally, Simon had wanted to buy a new bike for Joanna to ride while he continued using the old one, but Joanna wasn’t having it. She made up an excuse that her hands were too cold to ride.

And so, Simon still rode, with Joanna sitting on the back.

They had ridden down this path so many times that Joanna knew it well enough to tell which intersection Simon would turn at even with her eyes closed.

She silently watched each stretch of road they passed. The wind from the bike lifted the stray hairs at her temples, and the tender green leaves swayed in the air.

Joanna suddenly recalled a beautiful saying. She couldn’t remember the exact words, but the general meaning was: ’May time stop at this very moment.’

But time always moves forward, just as the simple bicycle beneath the young man’s feet would eventually reach its destination.

”I’ll message you when I have free time. You have to reply,” Simon said bossily, a complete change from his usual taciturn self. ”Do your problems properly and don’t slack off. I’ll check your progress when I get back.”

”Set a few more alarms in the morning so you don’t oversleep. If you do oversleep, don’t rush to school. Remember to eat breakfast, and also...”

”I know, I know.” Joanna was amused by his mother-henning. She quickly pushed him toward the bus, not forgetting to add, ”Simon, you’re such a nag.”

’Heartless.’

Simon wasn’t angry. Just before getting on the bus, a sudden reluctance to leave bloomed in his heart. The feeling came on abruptly, but he didn’t dislike it.

”Joanie, wait for me to come back,” Simon Lockwood said, word by word, looking down at her earnestly.

Joanna paused for several seconds, studying his face intently as if to commit his features to memory forever. After a long moment, the corners of her lips curved up. ”Simon.”

She said, ”Bring back a first-place prize.”

Her confident expression made it seem as if she were the one going to win the prize.

Simon didn’t like to make promises about uncertain outcomes, but looking into the girl’s bright, clear eyes, he suddenly nodded. ”Okay.”

It was only after he got on the bus that he remembered Joanna hadn’t answered him.

At that moment, he didn’t realize that no answer was, in itself, a form of rejection.

The bus disappeared from sight, but Joanna remained standing there, unmoving, until the sound of a bell faintly reached her ears from the school.

Only then did she move her stiff, aching legs. But instead of heading to school, she turned and walked back the way they had come.

’I still have to live in this world for six more years,’ she thought. ’Even if I’m leaving, I should at least go back and pack my things to make sure I don’t freeze to death on the streets.’

’I also need to figure out what to do next.’

After moving into Simon Lockwood’s home, he hadn’t let her spend a single penny. Joanna had tried to buy things a few times, but before she could spend much, Simon stopped her.

Right now... Joanna checked her WeChat balance. A little over eight hundred.

’Heavens, a little over eight hundred. What can I even do with that? It’ll be gone after a few nights in a hotel.’

[Y-y-you... you’re leaving?!] Seeing Joanna Kennedy packing her things, 166 finally reacted, finding it hard to believe. What had suddenly made this person come to her senses!

[Did you finally realize the male lead doesn’t like you?]

Even though 166 was being extremely cautious, Joanna could still keenly detect the gloating tone in its electronic, mechanical voice.

She offered a ”friendly” greeting: [......You’re a real bastard.]

166: [...........]

[You are! You are! You are!]

[I’m what?]

Joanna was already holding in a lot of frustration. When this stupid little system came looking for trouble, she wouldn’t feel right until she let it have it.

She attacked everything from 166’s low IQ to its grating mechanical voice, finishing with, [No wonder you don’t have a girlfriend.]

The little system was furious. It sputtered for a moment before managing to choke out in an angry voice: [Systems don’t have genders!]

Joanna just gave a cold, ”Oh.”

When she fell silent, 166 actually became a bit uncomfortable. It said awkwardly, [So you’ve thought it through, then. Fine, it’s not too late to see the light now. I told you, just do the mission properly. Once you’re done, you can go back to your own world. Isn’t that great?]

In the plot, ”Joanna Kennedy” also didn’t take the college entrance exams. Recalling it now, this seemed to be the exact point in time.

It had been frantic, wondering how to persuade Joanna to leave the male lead. It never expected that Joanna, who had just been letting everything fall apart, would suddenly start proactively following the plot.

asked her what had made her suddenly see reason, but Joanna just told it to shut up. She didn’t want to hear it talk.

She hadn’t lived at Simon’s place for long, but she had accumulated more than twice as many things as when she first arrived.

The little night light by the bed, the two succulents on the desk, the thick black down jacket, the bright yellow water cup, the seashell wind chime by the window, and... the silver bracelet on her wrist.

Joanna stared in a daze for a moment, then slowly took off the bracelet and placed it on the desk.

As she reached the door with her suitcase, she suddenly stopped.

After a long moment, she went back, picked up the lonely bracelet from the desk, and put it back on her wrist.

’What’s been given to me is mine,’ she thought. ’I’ll just... keep it as a memento.’