Playing the Villainess, He Fell for Me

Breakfast—oh, no, it should be considered lunch—was a rich and nutritious spread. There was even a bowl of walnut and goji berry congee, meant to boost brain power.

’Sigh. As expected, they always fatten up the donkey before making it work,’ Joanna Kennedy mused, staring at the table full of her favorite dishes.

She obediently ate a lot of the food, then finished the entire bowl of walnut and goji berry congee. She didn’t cause any trouble the whole time.

Simon Lockwood, on the other hand, found it a bit strange. He thought for a moment before saying, "If you score over 120 on your math test, you’ll get a reward."

Joanna Kennedy’s other subjects were fine; math was her only weak spot.

"Really?!" Joanna Kennedy’s eyes immediately lit up. She started to ask what the reward was, but when Simon Lockwood’s gaze swept over her, she held up three fingers and declared with pious sincerity, "Mr. Lockwood, I will definitely score over 120."

Being called "Mr. Lockwood" was still a bit much for him. Simon Lockwood’s expression stiffened, and his voice tightened. "Mm."

On the balcony, a small cat stretched languidly, flattening itself into a pancake-like shape to bask in the sun.

In the study, Joanna Kennedy faced a standard college entrance exam paper, her expression serious. She jotted down a few formulas on a blank sheet of scratch paper and began to calculate diligently.

After finishing the multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank sections, exactly forty minutes had passed, leaving more than enough time for the long-answer questions.

Satisfied, Simon Lockwood looked away from the surveillance video feed, took out his phone, and sent a message to Sean Grant.

At the Grant Family residence, Sean Grant, who was spraying hairspray in front of a mirror, jumped as his phone suddenly vibrated. He nearly sprayed it in his face.

’Fuck! Who has such shitty timing, texting me now?’ Sean Grant cursed as he opened his phone. The next moment, his eyes lit up in disbelief.

His phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, Simon Lockwood’s expression didn’t change. He lowered the volume and walked out to the balcony before answering.

"AHHHH, Simon! You agreed to go out with us?!"

The moment the call connected, Sean Grant started shouting like a fool.

It was the seven-day National Day holiday, how could they not go out and have some fun? After mulling it over, he remembered the seaside villa Simon Lockwood had bought a couple of years ago and got an idea, planning to go there to kick back and relax.

Simon Lockwood wasn’t very interested and told him to just go by himself.

Although Sean Grant was a freewheeling guy, he was still embarrassed to just show up and occupy Simon Lockwood’s house with a bunch of friends. He had been about to switch to a different resort, but then Simon Lockwood had unexpectedly agreed!

How could he not be excited?

His voice was obnoxiously loud on the other end, asking why Simon Lockwood had changed his mind. Simon Lockwood just frowned without answering, his tone cool. "When do we leave?"

"This afternoon!!" Sean Grant blurted out without thinking. Only after speaking did he remember to ask, "Is that okay?"

"Mm," Simon Lockwood said.

After hanging up, Sean Grant immediately notified all his friends in the group chat, adding that Simon Lockwood would be coming too.

Everyone in the chat: "..."

"Um, Mr. Lockwood is coming too?" someone asked cautiously.

Sean Grant didn’t think much of it and replied, "Yup. Surprise."

"..."

"..."

A surprise, indeed. How could it not be?

Many of them had never interacted with the President of Southland. They had only heard about him from their parents or seen him from afar at some banquet, and even from a distance, they could feel his powerful and intimidating presence.

A man like that was actually going to hang out with them?!

Someone said tactfully, "Mr. Lockwood probably isn’t interested in this kind of thing, is he?"

A few people below chimed in to agree. They were all second-generation heirs with no real power, with either an older brother or a capable older sister above them in the family hierarchy.

However, the scions from prominent families, those on the same level as Sean Grant, expressed immense excitement. Some who had previously declined the invitation now insisted they had to go.

’Heavens, what a golden opportunity! If they "played" their cards right, landing a collaboration deal would be a piece of cake!’

As for the young ladies from wealthy families, their minds were racing with different thoughts. They rarely had the chance to get close to Simon Lockwood, and this was the perfect opportunity.

The allure of the "Mrs. Lockwood" title was too great, not to mention he was such a young, brilliant, and distinguished man.

As the saying goes, the person in the best position gets the prize first. And they were about to get very close indeed.

’Idiots will be idiots, only thinking about having fun,’

a scion snidely retorted. "Ron Warren, Mr. Lockwood is three years younger than you. Why wouldn’t he be interested in this kind of thing?"

Ron Warren: "..."

Ron Warren complained bitterly, "That’s not what I meant! I just figured Mr. Lockwood would be busy..."

Ron Warren was filled with regret. He swore he would never speak carelessly again.

While the group chat was "blowing up," the villa on the other side was quiet as a mouse.

Joanna Kennedy stood before the desk with her hands behind her back, like a schoolgirl being punished. She stared hopefully at the man sitting behind the desk and asked cautiously, "How is it?"

Simon Lockwood turned the test paper over. He raised his eyes and, under the girl’s nervous gaze, slowly began, "The last long-answer question is wrong, and you miscalculated the answer for the second-to-last one."

Joanna Kennedy was prepared for this. "What about the first part?" she asked immediately.

"There are mistakes there, too," Simon Lockwood said. He watched as her head began to droop like a defeated child’s,

The corner of his lip curled up in a nearly imperceptible arc. He slowly added, "I haven’t told you the score yet."

Joanna Kennedy was already deflated. "What’s the score? If it’s not over 120, don’t even tell—"

"120," Simon Lockwood said, his deep, pleasant voice tinged with a hint of a smile. "Joanie, you’ve improved."

Joanna Kennedy: "!!!"

Joanna Kennedy felt like she could cry. She was suddenly overcome with the feeling of winning a major award. ’Is this the power of knowledge?!’

"I’d like to thank my country, thank Huanggang, thank Xue Jinxing, thank Wusan, thank my desk and chair..."

Joanna Kennedy sobbed, every word coming from the bottom of her heart. Finally, she threw her arm up in the air and, under Simon Lockwood’s deadpan gaze, declared loudly, "And last but not least, I’d like to thank my Mr. Lockwood!"

"This score of 120 would not have been possible without Mr. Lockwood’s patient teachings, without Mr. Lockwood’s supervision, and without him tirelessly working me over!"

Her voice was deafening, resonant, and filled with righteous conviction!

...

...

A vein throbbed in Simon Lockwood’s temple. He enunciated each word slowly, "’Tirelessly’... ’working’... ’you’... ’over’?"

"Mm-hm!" Joanna Kennedy nodded, her expression devoid of any personal emotion, as firm as a rock.

Simon Lockwood: "..."

Simon Lockwood: "You asked for this."

It wasn’t until he had lifted her onto the desk that Joanna Kennedy belatedly realized what was happening, her composure shattering. "Hey, hey, what are you doing?!"

’How could he do this to a genius who scored 120?!’

Joanna Kennedy started to "sob," though she couldn’t squeeze out a single tear. She desperately clutched at her clothes while her mouth kept running, "Mr. Lockwood, please don’t be rash! I’m just a model student, I... WAHHH..."

Having reached his limit, Simon Lockwood kissed her, silencing the lips that had been firing off words like a machine gun.