Why is the god of the Wuxia world here? Xiannu Mei frowned inwardly, her pencil still poised in Lin Fan's back.
"Change of plans, my dear," the god said with a sly smile.
Xiannu's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean, change of plans? You know I don't like last-minute twists like this."
The god chuckled. "Oh, it's for the plot, darling. Your deadline has been extended, your payment increased to 100,000 Universal Points, and—best of all—you get to have more fun."
"Fine," Xiannu sighed, rolling her eyes, though her curiosity was piqued. "Go on."
"I want you to make him hate you."
"...Eh?" For once, Xiannu was caught off guard. "That's... new."
The god leaned closer, voice dripping with amusement. "Make him despise you so much that he trains to become strong enough to travel across worlds for revenge. But here's the twist—make him fall madly, hopelessly in love with you first. And when his heart belongs to you... betray him with someone he trusts most. Then kill him off."
Xiannu blinked, then slowly, a grin stretched across her face until it bloomed into a dazzling, almost innocent smile. "I like it! I'll become the greatest betrayer the multiverse has ever known!" She declared it like she was announcing her candidacy for class president rather than plotting a man's destruction.
"I knew you'd make me proud, darling."
"Hehe, don't worry," she winked. "You won't regret those 100,000 points!"
With that, she snapped back into her seat, restoring the scene to how it had been before time froze.
Lin Fan scowled, spinning halfway around. "You—can you stop doing that? It's annoying."
Xiannu pouted dramatically, puffing her cheeks while tilting her head. "Okay~ you don't have to be so rude about it~"
For a brief moment, Lin Fan stared at her, his eyes traveling up and down in suspicion—or maybe something else. Finally, he turned back around without a word.
Xiannu's lips curled into a sly little smile.
Poke. Poke.
Xiannu Mei kept poking Lin Fan throughout the entire class. Every time he turned around to glare at her, she only acted innocent—flashing him with a big, sweet smile like she wasn't doing anything wrong.
"How long are you going to keep doing that?" he muttered through gritted teeth.
Cutely fluttering her lashes, Xiannu pressed her pencil to her lips, dimples showing effortlessly. "I don't know what you're talking about~"
Lin Fan groaned and turned back to the board, forced to endure the irritation otherwise known as Xiannu Mei for another thirty painful minutes.
Lunch Break
Lin Fan was finally enjoying a peaceful lunch under a tree when the shadow of trouble fell over him.
"What do you want!" Lin Fan snapped, his chopsticks pausing midair. They'd only known each other a day, and already he felt like this girl was single-handedly shaving years off his life.
Xiannu Mei plopped down beside him, opening her bento with a smile as if she hadn't just been tormenting him all morning. "Isn't it obvious? I want to eat lunch together. Classmates should get along, right?"
"We're not friends," Lin Fan muttered, stabbing at his rice with his chopsticks.
Xiannu gasped, pressing a hand to her chest dramatically. "How cruel~! To reject me so heartlessly after I transferred here all alone... You wound me, Lin Fan."
He groaned, glaring at her sidelong. "You're so noisy."
She leaned in closer, her grin mischievous. "Noisy? No, no, no. I'm memorable. You'll thank me later."
Lin Fan opened his mouth to retort, but movement caught his eye. A stray cat—thin and limping—crept hesitantly toward them, drawn by the smell of food.
Before he could shoo it away, Xiannu quietly set half of her omelet on the ground. "There you go, little one," she whispered, her teasing expression softening for just a moment.
The cat sniffed, then devoured the food with its tail swishing happily.
Lin Fan blinked. Wait... she can be nice?
But when he turned back, Xiannu was already tilting her head at him with that same mischievous smile. "Why are you staring at me like that? Do you think I'm cute~?"
Flustered, Lin Fan quickly turned away, scowling. "Don't flatter yourself."
Still, his appetite dulled as her image stuck in his mind—the way her dimples showed when she smiled softly at the stray.
Maybe... she isn't as bad as I thought.
Xiannu hummed to herself, hiding her satisfaction. Hook, line, and sinker. The first step of the god's game is already in motion. Hate, love, betrayal... don't worry, Lin Fan. I'll play my part perfectly.
With her smile as radiant as ever, she took another bite of her lunch, dimples deepening as if she hadn't just sealed someone's fate.