Playing the Villainess, He Fell for Me

Joanna Kennedy looked at him with her slightly swollen, almond-shaped eyes. She pressed her lips together, her voice trembling slightly. "What are you thinking?"

She didn’t actually want to hear Simon Lockwood’s answer. Or perhaps, she was afraid of hearing an answer she didn’t want to hear. She held her breath, her eyelashes trembling.

Simon Lockwood gazed at her like this for a long moment before speaking slowly, his tone gentle. "You make me feel like all my efforts have meaning..."

Simon Lockwood wasn’t just comforting her; this was a truth he had long since accepted.

All along, he had been fighting a solitary war. His enemies were the world, and everyone in it.

Fate had left him destitute, giving him countless reasons to give up. But he refused to be left to rot in the mud. ’I’ll rely on my own hard work,’ he thought, ’and live a happy life, just like most people.’

For the young Simon Lockwood, school was the only shortcut to defying his fate. Tuition could be waived, and he could wear a school uniform for clothes, but he still had to work hard to earn his living expenses. This was the first "enemy" he faced alone.

A small restaurant didn’t care about age; washing dishes for a night could earn him fifteen yuan. A week’s worth of collected bottles could sell for over a hundred. The old woman next door would sometimes take pity on him, giving him a bit of food and old clothes her family no longer wanted. He didn’t eat much, so he could barely make ends meet.

Once he was sure he wouldn’t freeze or starve to death, he looked up to face his second "enemy"—his studies.

A middle schooler’s coursework wasn’t too demanding yet. During the evening self-study period, he went to the restaurant to wash dishes. When he got home after work, he didn’t dare to rest. He would turn on a small, solar-powered night light and meticulously review the day’s lessons again.

After a while, he realized this wasn’t working. He wasn’t getting enough rest and couldn’t stop himself from dozing off in class during the day. So, he switched to waking up early.

Autumn and summer were manageable. But in winter and spring, the morning air was so cold it felt like it could peel off your skin. He would ride his bicycle, braving the darkness and frigid wind, to get to the classroom and start his day of studying.

In the final exams of his second year of middle school, he took first place for the first time. For many years after, he never dropped from that spot.

He aced the high school entrance exams and got into the best high school as a special admission student. All his tuition was free, and he even received an annual subsidy from the school. His life really seemed to be improving step by step; he could almost see a bright and splendid future ahead.

But gradually, he began to find this life dull. So what if he was exceptional? No one cheered for his achievements, and no one pitied him for his forced maturity. From beginning to end, he was always alone.

Whether he fell into the dust or climbed a ladder to the clouds, his life, from start to finish, never seemed to change much.

He had overcome every obstacle, growing into the sensible, outstanding person everyone saw him as. But none of it could change the fact that he was still alone. A person nobody cared about.

All his efforts seemed to have become a joke. But then, Joanna Kennedy appeared.

She was spoiled, unreasonable, and infuriating. But she only had eyes for him. She put all her energy and thought into one thing: winning his affection.

Simple and pure, open and bright, she came for him and him alone.

The younger Simon Lockwood stubbornly believed that Joanna Kennedy belonged to him and him alone—a possession bearing his mark.

Later, the Kennedy family’s bankruptcy only strengthened his conviction. In this world, Joanna Kennedy finally had only him, and he would only ever have Joanna Kennedy.

Joanna Kennedy was delicate. She ended up in his dilapidated little shack, eating his food and using his things, and would even throw little tantrums. But he never found it troublesome. He only felt honored and fulfilled to be able to take care of her.

Joanna Kennedy’s arrival filled his thorny path with glory. In that instant, all his efforts seemed to have found their meaning.

"You’re different from everyone else..." Simon Lockwood said, caressing the girl’s fair cheek.

Joanna Kennedy hadn’t yet processed it. Her lips were slightly parted, and unshed tears glistened in her eyes. Her long, curly eyelashes were damp, and the corners of her eyes were red.

Simon Lockwood couldn’t resist. He leaned in gently and placed a kiss on the corner of her eye.

Joanna Kennedy closed her eyes, and a single tear traced a path down her cheek.

In the end, they took the rest of the cake home. The next morning, the two of them finished it for breakfast.

「Saturday at 8 PM.」

The latest episode of *Investigation Together* aired. It was the one Joanna Kennedy had appeared on. The bullet comments at the start were less than friendly.

Most of them questioned Joanna Kennedy. A minor celebrity who was just getting a little buzz, who had never even played a female lead—how was she qualified to be on such a high-profile show? Did her backers pay for her spot?

There were many comments like this, especially when Zachary Carter and Joanna Kennedy went off alone to search for clues, which triggered some of Zachary Carter’s female fans.

[Damn, what’s Joanna Kennedy’s deal? It’s one thing for her to be on this show, but now our Zach has to take care of her?!]

[Isn’t she just clout-chasing? She was just in a hyped ship with Todd Crowe in her last drama, and now she’s starting a ship with Zachary Carter?]

[Her backers must be powerful. Even if Zach doesn’t like her, he has to swallow his disgust and team up with her. Just thinking about it is so unlucky!]

[OMG, why did *Investigation Together* invite her? I really don’t get it. Poor Zach...]

[Who’s clout-chasing? It was just part of their roles. Jojo was just acting out the plot normally. No need to be so nasty.]

Zachary Carter had a huge number of "girlfriend fans." When Joanna’s Fans angrily retorted with a few comments, they were immediately buried under floors of insults.

It got to the point where even casual netizens who were just there for the drama couldn’t stand it anymore. Mixed in were also fans of Zachary Carter’s rivals.

[Uh, is this really necessary? From what I’m seeing, Zachary Carter is the one clinging to Joanna Kennedy. The poor girl clearly doesn’t want to deal with him, but he keeps following her around like a puppy.]

[Exactly. He’s deliberately sticking close behind her to "help" carry things. Ugh. Does he think he’s some domineering CEO? I saw Joanna Kennedy’s whole expression change. It was a textbook case of harassment...]

[Seriously, are all of Zachary Carter’s fans this delusional? Joanna Kennedy is a total goddess. Her most popular ship is with Owen Jennings. Zachary Carter is so far out of her league he couldn’t catch up even if he strapped himself to a rocket!]

This comment completely enraged Zachary Carter’s fangirls.

Any normal person with eyes could see that in terms of looks, height, family background, and aura, Owen Jennings completely crushed Zachary Carter in every aspect.

But they couldn’t admit that. And they couldn’t win a flame war against Owen Jennings’s massive fanbase. So, they directed all their fury at Joanna Kennedy. After all, her fanbase wasn’t that big yet.

The bullet comments got vicious, with most of them targeting Joanna Kennedy. They were practically all waiting to see her make a fool of herself, especially during the segment where she had to solve a code.

[Waiting for her to get owned. A pretty face like her should just stick to acting. Coming on an IQ-testing show like this? Isn’t she just asking to be humiliated?~]

[Hahahaha, why isn’t she moving? Is she stumped? She’s a semi-illiterate who didn’t even finish high school. She probably can’t even understand the question, how could she possibly solve it?]