WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE VILLAIN FALLS IN LOVE? Villain in love 1

INFO [....] means they are talking in their mind *... * represents action In CAPS means they are yelling or shouting

Let's start....

The dining room was quiet, save for the soft clink of silverware on porcelain. Warm yellow light hung over the polished table, casting gentle shadows across the four seated figures

Wen Yaqin carefully picked out pieces of meat and set them on Tang Zhaoran’s plate

Wen Yaqin[Minyu's mother]

Eat more, Ran'er. You’ve been skipping meals again, haven’t you? *She said with a soft smile, almost scolding*

Zhaoran gave a small nod, his tone unreadable

Tang Zhaoran

I’ve been busy with classes

Across from them, Lian Minyu sat quietly, her bowl nearly untouched

Her chopsticks hovered above the rice for a second longer before she finally picked up a piece of tofu

Tang Zianhai—her stepfather—watched silently, his eyes flicking toward Minyu now and then. He never interfered unless he had to, and Yaqin’s favor was a battlefield he rarely stepped into

Wen Yaqin[Minyu's mother]

You should be more like Zhaoran *Yaqin said suddenly, her voice calm but slicing*

Wen Yaqin[Minyu's mother]

Always focused. Not wasting time dreaming about nonsense. He’s dependable

Lian Minyu

.......

Zhaoran paused mid-bite

Tang Zhaoran

I think Minyu’s doing fine

Tang Zhaoran

She did better than me in last semester’s literature scores, didn’t she?

Minyu glanced at him from across the table. That little smile he wore? It was his way of protecting her. Quietly. Indirectly. Always

Yaqin's smile thinned

Wen Yaqin[Minyu's mother]

Literature won’t put food on the table *she muttered, sipping her soup*

Tang Zianhai[Zhaoran’s father]

Neither does being cold to your daughter

Yaqin went still. She didn’t look at her husband, but the chill that rolled off her was palpable

I’m done. May I be excused?

Tang Zianhai[Zhaoran’s father]

*nodded slightly*

Minyu bowed her head and walked out, her feet light, but her chest heavy

Later that night

Minyu didn’t expect the knock. A soft tap on her bedroom door, followed by a familiar voice

Tang Zhaoran

Yu yu, are you up?

She opened the door. Zhaoran stood there in a hoodie, keys dangling from his fingers

Tang Zhaoran

Wanna escape?

Lian Minyu

Where?

Tang Zhaoran

Where else? Ice cream *winks*

.....

They walked under the quiet streetlights, the city breathing around them in soft pulses. She licked her cone quietly while Zhaoran slurped his, making a dramatic face when the cold hit his teeth

She smiled despite herself

Tang Zhaoran

Still upset?

Lian Minyu

Used to it *shakes her head*

Tang Zhaoran

*clench jaw*

Tang Zhaoran

Your Ge is still alive, so just think of me. Rest can burn

Minyu looked down at her shoes

Lian Minyu

You’re the only one who never forgot I was here *she whispered*

FLASHBACK

A younger Zhaoran— thirteen—walking into the school gates with two umbrellas. He stopped when he saw Minyu sitting alone by the fence, soaked in rain, her own umbrella snapped in two

Without a word, he opened his second one and held it over her

Young Zhaoran

Come on, dummy, you will catch a cold

She blinked up at him. His expression was annoyed—but his ears were red

Back in the present, Minyu stared at her half-eaten cone

Lian Minyu

I wish she’d look at me the way she looks at you

Tang Zhaoran

I don't *voice low*