When I saw the fragile "White Lotus" being cornered by thugs in the alleyway, I didn't scream. I didn't call 911. I pulled out my phone and started recording. A stream of floating text—comments from some interdimensional live stream—scrolled across my vision: [Yes! The hero is about to swoop in! Redemption arc, let’s go!] [Oh no, it’s the evil villainess first. She’s filming it? The heroine is doomed...] [Chill, guys. This is just building tension. The more arrogant the villain, the harder the slap in the face later!] [Waiting for the karma.] [Same.] Oh. So, I’m the evil villainess. I smirked, a wicked glint in my eye, and turned to the six massive bodyguards behind me. "Drag them somewhere with no cameras. Rough them up. Just don't kill them." 01 Hearing my order, the floating comments exploded: [WTF? She’s a psychopath! Villainess, be a human for once!] [Hero! Where are you? Save our precious baby!] [Am I the only one who finds this spicy? Girl-on-girl rivalry is getting intense!] The thugs stopped what they were doing and looked back at me. Then their eyes widened as they saw the wall of muscle standing behind me. The leader, a guy with bleached blond hair, looked from the skinny, trembling Sophie Hayes to my personal army. He let out a greasy laugh. "Hey, gorgeous. What’s your beef with this little girl? You bring this much firepower, she might break." His two lackeys laughed along. "Besides, first come, first served, right?" Sophie was pinned against the wall by the blonde guy. She had been cursing and scratching a second ago, but now she was frozen. She looked at me with pure terror. Tears swirled in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. Like a stubborn little lamb waiting for the slaughter. I remembered the Villain’s Handbook: Don’t talk too much. "Take them." My bodyguards moved like a dark tide. They snatched the three thugs up like they were baby chickens and dragged them deeper into the shadows of the alley. The thugs panicked, legs flailing. "Whoa, whoa! What the hell!" "Check your eyes, man! I'm a dude!" "That's not a fair fight! Let go!" My guards, trained professionals, clamped hands over their mouths and chuckled darkly. "Heh, we love dudes." The alley fell silent. Only the wind whistled through, messing up Sophie’s hair. The floating comments were stunned. The screen was filled with [WTF]. Sophie was stunned, too. 02 Sophie’s school uniform was torn, exposing a shoulder so thin it looked brittle. Her face was scraped, and her nose was bleeding. She slumped to the ground, looking at me blankly. I took off my blazer and handed it to her. "Put this on." She took it, and suddenly, the tears she’d been holding back started falling. Plip, plop. Her body shook uncontrollably. It was the tremors of surviving a disaster. I knew that shaking well. "Vivian... thank you." She lowered her head, exposing her delicate neck, shoulders heaving with sobs. Even under the jacket, her shoulder blades poked out sharply. I reached out, wanting to pat her shoulder. But I really hate physical contact. So, I dropped my hand. The comments returned: [Boohoo, baby don't cry, my heart is breaking.] [No, cry harder! The hero will be here any second!] [Tears are a woman's best weapon.] Bunch of idiots. I lowered my eyes and organized my thoughts. This world was a classic cliché romance novel. The heroine, Sophie Hayes, was the fragile White Lotus—born to suffer, destined to be tough. The hero, Gavin Pierce, was the savior CEO type. He exists to save her from the fires of hell. And I, Vivian Sterling, am the designated Villainess. The calamity creator. The professional stumbling block. Because of my meddling, the hero would misunderstand the heroine, she’d suffer miscarriages and trauma, and he’d eventually grovel for forgiveness. They’d get a Happily Ever After. My ending? Bankruptcy, family ruin, and a permanent room in a psych ward. Okay, cool. So the guy takes zero losses, right? 03 Thinking of this, I handed my phone to Sophie. "I recorded the evidence. Do you want to—" Before I could finish, a low roar filled with rage erupted behind me. "Vivian Sterling!" Gritting teeth and all. I raised an eyebrow and turned to face Gavin Pierce. The Hero had arrived. The comments gave him a grand welcome: [OMG! The School King is here! So handsome, his legs are longer than my life expectancy!] [I want to slide down his nose bridge~] [I want to swim in his abs~] [Can't wait to see him comfort our baby!] These people need therapy. I frowned at the floating text. Gavin interpreted my expression as jealousy that Sophie was getting his attention. He shoved me aside and grabbed Sophie by the shoulders. "Sophie, are you okay? What did she do to you?" Before Sophie could answer, he saw the video playing on my phone screen. On screen, the thugs were tearing at Sophie’s clothes, laughing lewdly. "Look at this, fresh meat! Let big brother teach you a lesson!" Sophie was struggling and screaming: "You perverts! The police station is right there! You touch me, and you'll have a criminal record! You'll never get a government job!" The thug slapped her. "I’m already a lowlife, who cares about a government job!" ... I sighed internally. The brain circuitry of a straight-A student like Sophie was truly unique. Logically sound, but weird. Sophie clutched my jacket with both hands, biting her lip, her big round eyes darting glances at me. Gavin’s eyes turned red with rage. He tried to snatch my phone, but I dodged. "What are you doing? Robbery in broad daylight? Aren't you afraid of getting a criminal record?" The future heir of the Pierce Group did not appreciate the callback. He shouted at me: "Vivian! I know you're jealous that I like Sophie, but take it out on me! Don't bully her!" "If you try to ruin Sophie’s reputation with this video, don't blame me for destroying you!" 04 He was acting like an NPC following a script. But the comments went wild: [Ahhhh! I can't! Domineering CEO protecting his wife! So hot!] [Who else but the hero could protect our baby like this?] [Sophie, marry him already!] So noisy. I raised my hand. SLAP. A crisp sound echoed through the alley. Five distinct finger marks appeared on Gavin’s face. "You..." I covered my nose, looking disgusted. "Back off. Your breath stinks." Gavin raised a hand to hit back, but Sophie suddenly squeezed between us. She blocked me with her small body. "Gavin, you misunderstood! Vivian saved me! If it wasn't for her, I would be..." She pressed her lips together, eyes red, then turned to me. "Vivian, can you send me the video? I want to call the police." I raised an eyebrow. The academic White Lotus had a brain after all. "Police?" Gavin was confused. After realizing what actually happened, Gavin’s face grew dark. "Sophie, I forbid you from calling the police." "You don't know people like Vivian. If you report this, your reputation will be ruined. Everyone will talk." He glared at me viciously, as if I were the one pushing his flower into the fire. Sophie paused. "Gavin, they bullied me. I'm the victim. Why would my reputation be ruined?" Gavin didn't expect her to ask that. He stammered, "Sophie... you... you're too naive. If you file a report today, tomorrow people will throw mud at you. They'll say you're... unclean." I decided to stir the pot. "He's right, Sophie. I know the Pierce family. They don't allow 'damaged goods' through their front door." Gavin didn't refute me. He looked at Sophie, waiting for her to submit. "Sophie, trust me. I'll use my connections to bury this. No one will know." Sophie acted like she didn't hear him. She looked at me timidly. "Vivian, I think you misunderstood. I have no interest in Gavin. I just want to study." "And, Gavin... I think you're wrong. If a thug touches me, and that makes me 'unclean,' that means the thug is dirty, not me."
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