Li Yue stared at Mo Li for a few seconds before she resumed stuffing her mouth with noodles and pork then loudly slurping the aromatic soup.
"I haven't had dinner yet." She heard him say. She shifted her gaze away from her bowl.
"Oh… you want some?" she asked. He pursed his lips in response as she gave her an incredulous gaze before turning his head away towards the counter. Seeing him ignore her, Li Yue shrugged before she continued eating. 'Villains are weird people' she thought. "You really should leave now. If not, they might come back here. I don't want to involve myself in your matters anymore."
"I paid you a million Yuan. You really think…. thirty minutes of your time is worth that much?"
"It is actually worth that much."
"You— how can you be this shameless?"
She ignored him and decided to finish her food before it turned cold.
"I'm hungry. You should get some ramen for me."
To the man's remark, Li Yue instantly lifted an eyebrow. "Oh, I get it! You're afraid they will recognize you, right?" Beaming, she leaned closer, prompting the other to lean back. "You're afraid, aren't you?"
"Of course I am! What are you, a toddler? Stay away from me!"
Li Yue rolled her eyes in annoyance. "If that's the case… then… give me five hundred Yuan."
"The food isn't even worth that much!"
"I'll order two."
"Two? I won't be able to finish that much."
"It's alright. I'll help you with the second bowl if you can't finish it." She grinned.
"You— "disbelief flashed in his eyes before he let out a long sigh in resignation. It seems that he had encountered some sort of money-sucking leech. He shook his head before he pulled out some notes from his wallet. He had already missed lunch; he did not have the energy to argue with this shameless woman again. "Alright… just make it fast, and I want some chicken, no pork."
"Got it." Li Yue immediately made the order before returning to their table. This time, she sat across from him. "Done. It'll take around five minutes." Seeing him nod, Li Yue pretended to check on her email inbox on her phone and treated the other as if he did not exist. Her dumb system only told him the general plot of this world so she is mostly unaware of the events that would lead the story to its grand finale. Even more irritating was the fact the dumb system had the courage to ridicule her for failing the task every time!
Who wouldn't fail at a mission like this? She is practically clueless, without any cheats, power ups or even knowledge about the plot! How infuriating.
'I can hear your thoughts' the robotic voice echoed in her consciousness.
She rolled her eyes in response. If she wanted to have those power ups and plot details, she still needed to complete at least three missions. 'Hey robot' she called out in her mind. 'Remind me, why am I doing this again?'
'To save the world.'
'Save the world my ass. Do you think I'm a superhero or something?'
'Something.'
Li Yue gritted her teeth. This damned system is not cooperating at all, ah. How can she finish a mission if it's like this? She closed her eyes as she calmed herself.
"What's wrong with you?"
"It has nothing to do with you, mind your own business!" she hissed at him.
"What a weird woman." She heard him say. However, she chose to ignore it so she could figure out what her next move would be. Now that she has met the villain before the female and male lead got together, she would not let this precious opportunity to discover why this particular man would choose to blow the continents because of his unrequited love, slip. She stared at him, scrutinizing his face in hopes that it would somehow help her analyze what kind of person this man currently is.
"What are you doing?" His body language took a defensive stance. "I'm telling you— if you're planning on robbing me, you won't get off scot-free."
"Robbing? You think… I, am a robber?"
"You're already robbing me."
"Am I?" She held her chin before she nodded. "You're probably right. Maybe I should just kidnap you instead and sell you to the highest bidder!"
"What are you— are you some kind of terrorist?"
She chuckled in response. Not long after, two steaming hot bowls of noodles arrived and the two started eating their fill without conversing.
"Where are you going?" deep lines appeared between his brows when he saw her rising from her seat.
"Home."
"Hey!" he followed her out of the ramen house. "Why are you leaving me?" She halted her steps. Now that they are standing, she immediately noticed his tall and lean frame. Not bad for a nineteen-year-old, she thought. She raised her chin to meet his eyes.
"Are you a puppy?"
"You— Hey! Don't leave me! I'll pay you."
"Huh?"
"Accompany me for a few minutes. I want to take a tour around here."
"Your manager is probably worried sick about you. It's getting late… you should go home too." She shoved her hands into the pockets of her jacket and started walking.
"It's a holiday." He walked next to her. "No one is around."
"What about the people looking for you? Are you saying they're not humans after all?"
"Sarcastic." He said. "They're my bodyguards, it's their jobs to look after me."
"Oh." She nodded before she held up two fingers in front of his face. "Twenty thousand."
"Deal."
"Per hour."
"Why must you be so expensive?"
"I'm about to enter college, ah. I need money." She shrugged. "But if you can't afford— "
"Alright. Not a problem." He held her hand.
"What are you doing?" she tried to pull her hand away from his.
"Let's hold each other's hands while walking. They'll think we're lovers and won't suspect me."
"Oh! I get it." She nodded before she turned silent. So far, every villain she met had this tragic story behind them. Abandoned by their parents, abused and left alone to fend for themselves, they grew up selfish and insecure; others grew up spoiled and lonely. All in all, each of them were not born villains, they simply became one due to the cruel environment they grew up in.
A soft sigh escaped her lips.
