Playing the Villainess, He Fell for Me

Half an hour later, the official Southland Group account was updated—"Thank you for your interest in the Oakhaven Foundation. If you would also like to make a contribution, please contact the foundation’s staff first to avoid scams."

The internet: "..."

Right, right. Such a serious, proper corporate account, always with that same detached tone.

All kidding aside, the issue of girls’ education in Oakhaven was now out in the open, and it was a shocking revelation to many.

It turned out the world wasn’t as enlightened and stable as they had imagined. There were still places where poverty led to backward thinking, preventing women from getting an education and trapping them within the mountains for their entire lives.

A few people online expressed their confusion.

The foundation was set up to specifically fund girls’ education. The target demographic was too precise.

How could anyone know about these problems—and provide such targeted help—without having gone there and seen it for themselves?

Observant users noticed that in the clip, Joanna Kennedy had also raised this issue with the director. Could the two be connected?

But one was the CEO of the Southland Group, and the other was a third-tier celebrity, Joanna Kennedy. They were worlds apart.

And so, the comment was quickly buried under a flood of others, failing to make any waves.

In a spacious downtown apartment, Charles Jennings sat quietly on the sofa in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows. The lights were off, and the flickering glow from an LCD screen danced across his refined features, obscuring the emotion in his eyes.

Someone knocked lightly on the door. Charles Jennings gave no sign of hearing it. His expression remained unchanged, his gaze still fixed on the girl on the screen.

Another knock came, this time accompanied by a woman’s tentative voice. "Charles? Are you in there?"

Outside the door, Serena Sutton held a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice. She had been staying here for several days.

She hadn’t been well since leaving the hospital. On top of that, she had cried for too long in front of the villa, caught a chill, and spiked a fever that very night.

Before passing out, she remembered calling someone. When she woke up, she found Charles Jennings watching over her at her bedside.

Serena Sutton bit her lip at the thought.

’It turns out, without me even realizing it, Charles is the only one I can rely on now.’

’Thankfully, no matter how much time passed, Charles was always there waiting for her, just like in her dreams. He had never left.’

The door opened from the inside, pulling her from her thoughts. Serena Sutton immediately put on a gentle smile. "Charles, were you busy? Have some orange juice."

Charles Jennings closed the door behind him, blocking her from looking inside. "We have a housekeeper," he said. "You should be resting. You don’t need to do things like this."

His voice was gentle and full of concern. Serena Sutton lowered her head, feigning shyness. "The housekeeper works hard enough cooking. I can handle little things like this myself..."

They went to the living room together. Charles took the orange juice and, under Serena’s gentle gaze, drank it all before setting the glass down. "Serena, have you gotten a start date from the university?"

"Yes, it’s been decided. I can start the day after tomorrow," Serena said.

After resigning from Southland, she had been preparing for the faculty examination at Aethelburg University. But with so much happening recently, she hadn’t found the time to take it.

In the past few days, she had finally passed the exam. Although the Jennings Company had pulled some strings, it was also thanks to her own excellent résumé.

A confident expression appeared on Serena Sutton’s face at the thought. ’My accomplishments are something a hollow beauty like Joanna Kennedy could never compete with.’

After she finished, Charles rubbed the glass, his head bowed in thought.

Serena was a little confused. "Charles, what is it?" she asked.

"It’s nothing," Charles said, though his expression remained heavy.

Serena frowned, growing more confused. "Charles, you can tell me anything, you know."

Charles looked conflicted, but as if he couldn’t resist her questioning, he sighed. "You’ll be very busy once you start work. I’m worried you won’t take care of yourself."

"Serena, why don’t you just live here? The housekeeper can cook your meals. What do you think?" Charles said, sounding as if he was only thinking of her well-being.

Serena froze for a moment, her first instinct to refuse. She knew Charles liked her; what would living here imply? If Simon Lockwood misunderstood, the consequences wouldn’t be worth it.

But when she saw the gentle concern in Charles’s eyes, she hesitated. Then, for reasons of her own, she finally nodded. "Okay."

’You have to give someone a little taste of honey to keep them on the hook,’ she thought. ’He’s too useful to give up. It’s just living here. Nothing’s going to happen.’

They chatted idly for a while longer. Suddenly, Serena remembered something. "By the way, Charles, were you watching a TV drama just now?"

She thought she’d heard a familiar female voice... was it Joanna Kennedy?

"Yes," Charles smiled, replying casually, "It was a very interesting documentary..."

’A documentary?’

Serena’s tense heart relaxed. Joanna Kennedy was a celebrity; what documentary would she be in?

She still wasn’t feeling her best and was already tired after just a short while. After a few considerate words about getting some rest, she returned to the guest room.

Back in the living room, the curve of Charles’s lips deepened into a smirk. The false warmth in his eyes had vanished, replaced by a calm emptiness. On closer inspection, his face had grown faintly pale.

[What are you doing? This isn’t in the plot. Host, you must adhere to the rules.] 014’s emotionless, mechanical voice rang out.

’Plot? Rules?’

Charles let out a low chuckle. [Are you sure you want to lecture me about that right now?]

He could feel a rotting pain deep within his organs. Only by staying near the protagonist and absorbing some of her energy could he feel like a normal person.

[Is that why you had the female lead move in?]

[What else?] Charles’s tone was mocking. [What did you think I was going to do?]

fell silent.

It was an advanced system. In some respects, its intelligence was far superior to that of a human.

But this supporting male character, Charles, was too good an actor. For a moment, it had actually thought Charles intended to harm the female lead.

But if something happened to the female lead, Charles wouldn’t have a good outcome either. He wouldn’t do something so detrimental with no benefit.

[Did the Emotional Reversal really have no effect on the male lead?] 014 asked, skeptical.

[What else?] Charles’s tone was just as mocking. 014 said no more, pondering just where things had gone wrong.

*

Amid a wave of stellar reviews, the movie’s release went off without a hitch. Theaters were packed, screenings sold out on the first day, and it shot straight to the top of trending topics online.

It had a traditional, historical tone and a grand, majestic aesthetic. It opened with the dashing Young General Sheffield in his fine robes and on his spirited steed, and the aloof, fragile Royal Princess.

In just a few shared scenes, audiences witnessed an innocent, budding romance—a love born of deep affection but restrained by propriety.