Chapter 2: Villainy Is Harder Than It Looks

Shen Yu sat stiffly in his chair, staring at his reflection in the window. A villain. He had been transmigrated into a villain. And not just any villain—a doomed one! Zhao Rui was supposed to be cunning and ruthless, but the truth was, Shen Yu had zero experience in playing such a role. If he deviated too far from the story, who knew what would happen? But if he followed the plot exactly... well, he'd end up six feet under.

He sighed dramatically, rubbing his temples. "Alright. I just need to act like the original Zhao Rui, get in the way of Bai Xue and Lu Zhixuan, and hope I don't get myself killed."

Easier said than done.

His first attempt at villainy? Classic academic sabotage.

Bai Xue and Lu Zhixuan were supposed to study together after class, so Shen Yu made his move beforehand. While Bai Xue was away, he stealthily switched her notes with blank pages. He smirked as he handed them over, expecting chaos to ensue.

"Um, Zhao Rui," Bai Xue said sweetly, flipping through the empty pages. "Did you mean to give me your notes by accident? That's so nice of you!"

Shen Yu's smirk froze. "I—I mean... Of course!" He cleared his throat and crossed his arms, quickly scrambling to sound like a proper villain. "I'm just showing you I'm better than Lu Zhixuan!"

Bai Xue beamed at him. "You really have changed, haven't you? Before, you'd never help me. This is great!"

Help?! This was sabotage! How did it turn into a kind gesture?!

From the side, Lu Zhixuan leaned against the desk, watching him with a skeptical expression. His sharp eyes flickered with something close to amusement. "Hah. Idiot."

Shen Yu clenched his fists. It was fine. It was just one mistake. He still had more tricks up his sleeve.

Attempt #2: The Classic "Push the Male Lead Into a Puddle"

The next morning, Shen Yu lurked near the school entrance, waiting for Lu Zhixuan to walk by. His plan was simple: a subtle nudge would send the male lead stumbling into the large puddle left by last night's rain. Humiliation at its finest.

As Lu Zhixuan approached, Shen Yu braced himself. He reached out, ready to 'accidentally' push him—but at the last second, Lu Zhixuan sidestepped smoothly.

SPLASH!

Shen Yu's foot slipped, and before he knew it, he was the one plunging straight into the puddle. Cold water soaked through his uniform as laughter erupted around him. He blinked up, dazed, to find Lu Zhixuan crouching down beside him, smirking.

"You're terrible at this."

Shen Yu wanted to sink into the ground and disappear.

Attempt #3: Fake a Love Confession to Bai Xue

After his previous failures, Shen Yu decided to stick to the basics—professing his love to Bai Xue in front of Lu Zhixuan. The novel described Zhao Rui's confessions as dramatic, unwavering, and, frankly, a little creepy. Shen Yu, however, was too self-conscious to pull that off convincingly.

Still, he had to try.

He found Bai Xue in the courtyard and took a deep breath. As Lu Zhixuan walked by, he seized the moment. "Bai Xue! I—"

The words stuck in his throat. Her big, innocent eyes blinked up at him expectantly.

Shen Yu cringed inwardly. This was so embarrassing. He forced himself to continue. "I—I think you... um... have a nice, uh, hairpin today!"

Silence.

Bai Xue tilted her head in confusion. "Oh? Thanks, I guess?"

From a few feet away, Lu Zhixuan let out a quiet snort. Shen Yu's face burned.

Why was villainy so much harder than it looked?!

As he turned away in defeat, he caught Lu Zhixuan watching him again, an unreadable expression on his face. For some reason, Shen Yu had the sinking feeling that things were about to get much more complicated.