To get the school bad boy’s attention, the Prom Queen paid me a hundred grand to publicly bully her. "If you bully me, he’ll be heartbroken. He’ll definitely step in to protect me!" So, I blocked the Prom Queen at the school gate and screamed: "Just because you’re pretty, rich, and have good grades doesn’t mean you’re special! Stop acting like a princess!" She cried like a tragic heroine, attracting the whole school’s attention. On my way home, the bad boy’s Bentley cut me off. I was about to kneel and apologize when he handed me a platinum card. "Nice work. I’ve hated that little pick-me girl for ages." "There’s a hundred and fifty grand in there. I’m hiring you to be my girlfriend. Keep destroying her." 01 I stared at the bank card in front of me, my brain short-circuiting for a second. I looked up like a confused golden retriever. "Huh?" My head was still full of Chloe—our school’s resident princess—gushing about him earlier. "Maya, you don’t get the romance of rich kids like us. Jax likes me, and I like him, but we’re both too proud. Whoever confesses first loses." "But if you bully me, he’ll be so distressed he’ll have to save me!" Looking at Jax now, leaning against his Bentley, I asked blankly, "I bullied her. Aren't you mad?" Jax clicked his tongue. "Mad? It was satisfying as hell. You don't know how annoying she is. Two days ago, she climbed through my window at midnight to deliver 'homemade love snacks.' I almost had a heart attack. I said I didn't want it, she shoved it in my mouth. I had food poisoning all night." Even though Chloe had serious Main Character Syndrome, to be fair, she hadn’t actually done anything bad to me. Plus, she gave me $100,000. But I firmly believe in customer service. Since I took the money, I needed to play the villain role perfectly to push their toxic romance forward. So, I wiped the sweat from my forehead and let out a cold laugh. "You aren't even going to ask why I bullied her? I'll tell you the truth. I'm jealous. She's rich, pretty, smart, and popular. Do you still feel satisfied now?" Jax gave me a thumbs up. "Honesty is a virtue. A villain admits their jealousy, but a pick-me girl hides it. You just casually admitted your dark psychology. You're a legend." Me: "..." Jax crossed his arms, sizing me up, clearly plotting something. "Maya, I appreciate you. Here’s the deal: from now until graduation, you pretend to be my girlfriend. Your job is to keep Chloe away from me. Name your price for the hardship fee." 02 After saying goodbye to Jax, I walked home with two bank cards, my heart pounding like a drum. I’d already checked the ATM. Between the two cards, I had a quarter of a million dollars. It was an astronomical figure for someone like me. I never expected my life to get this spicy. On one side, I’m the fake villain, the wingman for the beautiful Prom Queen’s romance. On the other side, I’m the fake girlfriend, the bodyguard for the single-since-birth bad boy. I came to this high school to get into college, not to become a double agent. But after the excitement faded, reality hit. Being a double agent is dangerous. If this blows up, I’m getting beat up twice. Chloe is one thing, but looking at Jax—6'2", muscular build—if he punches me, I’m engaging in immediate dialogue with God. The next morning, I dragged myself out of bed with dark circles under my eyes, deciding to return the money for the sake of my life expectancy. But the moment I stepped into the classroom, I was surrounded. I go to a famous private school. Great campus, top-tier teachers, insane tuition. To boost their Ivy League acceptance rates, the school recruits a few top-scoring students every year. Tuitions waived, scholarships granted. I am one of the "charity cases." I thought I was on the path to success, but I walked straight into a caste system. These kids are rich, watch too many dramas, and form cliques. They don’t respect teachers, let alone a broke nobody like me. Plus, I have a "pushover" face. So, bullying me is basically their team-building exercise. "Yo, Maya's here," my desk-mate sneered, looking at my shoes. "Didn't I tell you? Wearing knock-offs is fine, just don't wear the same style as me. Are you brain-dead or deaf? Why haven't you changed them?" Before I could speak, the gym rep laughed. "Forget the shoes. Come on, Maya. I'm taking you somewhere fun." My desk-mate looked at him. "Where? The boys' locker room? Ew." The group laughed as the gym rep hoisted me up by my collar like a chicken. I struggled, but it was useless. Dammit. I forgot the gym rep is Chloe’s number one simp. If I knew being a villain paid in bruises, I wouldn't have taken the job. As we neared the locker room, I panicked and screamed: "If you touch me, I'll tell Jax to beat you up!" The gym rep scoffed. "Jax doesn't give a crap about you." "Why wouldn't he? He's my boyfriend!" The gym rep paused, then dragged me toward Class 2. "Make way! The bad boy's girlfriend is here!" He shouted it out, drawing a crowd. Jax was leaning against the podium, chatting. Seeing me being dragged in, his brows furrowed, and he strode over. The gym rep smirked. "Jax, Maya claims she's your girl. You know about this?" I looked at Jax nervously, terrified he’d woken up sober and realized I wasn't up to his standards. Instead, Jax pulled me down, then raised his leg and delivered a clean, brutal kick to the gym rep’s chest. The guy flew back six feet and didn't get up. "You knew she was my girlfriend and you still touched her? Did I give you permission to breathe?" Jax’s face was dark. He grabbed the guy by the collar and punched him in the gut. "Apologize to my girlfriend." Nobody messes with the heir to the Fu Corporation. The gym rep, clutching his stomach, wheezed out, "Sorry." Everyone’s eyes snapped to me. I channeled my inner villain, lifted my chin, and stood next to Jax. "I'll let it slide this time. Next time you mess with me, Jax will shank you." Jax whispered in my ear, "Let's not go that far." "Right. Shank you, then throw you in the ocean to feed the sharks," I nodded. Jax: "..." Just then, a scream pierced the air. Chloe came running, grabbing Jax’s arm and shaking it frantically. "What did you say? Who is your girlfriend?! Jax, explain yourself!" Jax pushed me forward and declared, "Her." He winked at me frantically. Start working, bodyguard. I was riding the tiger now; I couldn't get off. I grabbed Chloe. "Let's talk privately." I dragged her to the rooftop, locked the door, and immediately slid to my knees, hugging her legs. "Sis, let me explain!" "AHHHH!" Chloe screamed. "You evil witch! You seduced Jax! I'm going to stab you!" Me: "Not necessary, not necessary." She started hammering my back with her tiny fists. "It is necessary!" "Listen to me!" I grabbed her wrists. "You're missing the big picture. Look at you—supermodel looks. Look at me—average four-eyes. Jax isn't blind. Who do you think he really wants?" Chloe calmed down, thinking. "Me?" "Obviously! He only said I'm his girlfriend to stimulate you! He wants you to be jealous!" Chloe’s face lit up instantly. "Oh! Like in the novels! I wouldn't confess, so he found a villainess to trigger me. Our minds are totally in sync!" Me: "...Yes. Exactly. So what's your next move?" Chloe sighed. "I guess I should just confess." "NO!" I yelled. "You can't talk to him!" If they get together now, who’s going to protect me from the gym rep? And I need to survive until graduation to pay them back. Chloe frowned. "Why?" "Love is like mochi," I improvised. "The more you beat it, the chewier it gets. If you get together too easily, it's boring. You need obstacles to solidify the bond." Chloe nodded, entranced. "I will sacrifice my reputation and go full evil villainess. The more I bully you, the more pained he'll feel. The more pain, the more love. Eventually—BOOM! He’ll explode, grab you at the school gate, and force a kiss on you!" "AHHH!" Chloe stomped her feet, blushing. "Then I’ll run away crying, get hit by a car, and he’ll kneel at my hospital bed begging for forgiveness. Classic redemption arc!" I gave her a thumbs up. "Foolproof." 03 On the way down, students stared. Chloe had already entered her "tragic heroine" era. She looked at me, eyes teary. "Maya... sorry I was mean to you before." I immediately switched to "evil villain" mode. I sneered. "If you know you were wrong, fix your attitude. Tsk, arguing with you made me miss breakfast. Go to the cafeteria. Two meat buns, soy milk, one tea egg. No sugar in the soy milk." Chloe glanced at Jax, bit her lip, eyes red, sniffled, and trotted downstairs to buy my breakfast. Jax craned his neck watching her go, then whispered to me. "Holy crap. How did you do that? She didn't throw a fit?" I whispered back. "She did. But I don't play that. I grabbed her by the hair and told her if she acts up, I'll have you deal with her. Told her I'm the favorite now. She got scared." Jax looked at me with pure reverence. "A true Queen walks among us." 04 Our whispering confirmed my status as the "Big Sister." Back in class, my desk-mate had cleaned the insults off my desk and peeled my tea egg for me. I sipped my soy milk. "Do I still need to change my shoes?" "No, no! Keep them!" she said quickly. "Authentic ones give me blisters anyway. Yours look way comfier. You have great taste." Wow. Being the boss's girl rocks. I finished my breakfast and studied in peace all morning. It was glorious. But by lunch, I was summoned to the homeroom teacher's office. The bully clique was led by my desk-mate, and Mr. Higgins was her distant relative. He got his job through her family, so he usually ignored my suffering. "Maya, you've got some nerve!" Mr. Higgins slammed his thermos on the desk. "Openly dating? Making a scene? I thought you were a good kid, but your morals are corrupt! Call your parents. Now!" I looked distressed. "My guardian can't come." "Can't come? Then you're suspended until they can!" He shouted so loud the whole hallway heard. I walked out, defeated. My desk-mate and her friends snickered and ran off. I texted my brother, Leo. He’s three years older, in college nearby. People say the eldest brother is like a father, but Leo is also the mother. Our dad is in prison. Mom died early. We grew up in a rural village where everyone hated us because of Dad. Leo took me to the county seat, then the city. He worked odd jobs to feed me while studying. We both survived on scholarships. He hates complaining. If he says he's "a bit busy," it means he hasn't slept in two days. Leo replied: A bit busy. Miss me? I'll visit when I can. Just sent you $50. Buy those shoes you wanted. I covered my face. I couldn't burden him. Just then, Chloe shimmied up to me. "Hey, bestie! At lunch, go sit with Jax. I'll walk by with soup, and you push me down. Warn me to stay away from him. Genius, right?" I looked at her deadpan. "What is this crap?" Chloe: "?" "Sorry, slip of the tongue. I meant, what is this plot?" "The 'Chase Wife Crematorium' arc!" (A popular Chinese romance trope where the guy grovels). I was stressed about the parent meeting. Suddenly, a lightbulb went off. "That's weak," I grabbed her hand. "Here's the play: Make your mom accept me as her goddaughter! I steal all your mother's love. You lick your wounds in a corner. If Jax has any humanity, he'll comfort you!" Chloe gasped. "Omg. You're a genius. The layers! The drama!" "Yes! Hurry, get your mom to handle Mr. Higgins."
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