Do You Like Me That Much? Miss Villainess-Chapter 37 : The Bad Woman's Multi-Layered Schemes

"Jeal... ous?"
When Shen Yao heard this word, her heart trembled slightly, and her eyelids drooped a few degrees.
"That's right, jealous."
Mu Qinglan said with a smile.
As if afraid Shen Yao wouldn't understand, she even provided an extra explanation: "It's when someone is envious of my friendship with others, feeling sour inside, thinking 'Ah, why can't she treat me like that too.'"
"No."
Shen Yao couldn't help but turn her head aside, saying in a very soft voice:
"I haven't thought about such things."
After speaking, she thought the bad woman would surely say something about how she was just making excuses, and might even continue bullying her.
She pressed her lips together, waiting there with complex emotions.
But after waiting several seconds, she didn't encounter the bad woman's inch-taking behavior.
Hm?
Shen Yao looked back in surprise, but by then, the wheelchair girl in front of her had already turned her gaze elsewhere.
As if the conversation just now had been nothing but an illusion.
But how could it be an illusion?
Seemingly noticing the big iceberg's gaze, Mu Qinglan looked up and asked curiously: "Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something you want to say?"
Again with "something"...
"Nothing."
Shen Yao pressed her lips and looked down at her toes.
Icebergs should always be aloof and difficult to climb, but for some reason, the snow on this iceberg seemed to have softened a bit?
Mu Qinglan slightly curved her lips.
This was the legendary aloof and unapproachable iceberg? How was this? Just this?
Could it be that she had encountered easy mode?
"If there's nothing else, I'll head back first."
Shen Yao bit her lip, withdrew the slender jade hand the girl had been holding, and spoke in a tone devoid of emotion.
"Don't rush." Mu Qinglan spoke up: "I have another matter for you to handle."
"What matter?" Shen Yao's tone was stiff.
"I want you to help me investigate someone. I have his portrait and know he's at least an eighth-rank warrior, probably working for the royal family now. Can you find him?"
Shen Yao pondered: "In Heyang or..."
"I don't know."
Mu Qinglan spread her hands with an infuriating expression.
"I only know he was a hidden piece for the royal family over ten years ago. I don't know about now."
Shen Yao fell silent.
"Just help me!" Mu Qinglan took her hand and acted coquettishly: "You're so capable, I don't trust anyone else—I can only rely on you."
Shen Yao's eyes brightened slightly as she tilted her head:
"I understand."
After agreeing to Mu Qinglan's request, Shen Yao quickly left, unconsciously clenching her right hand as she departed.
Mu Qinglan watched her leave with a thoughtful expression.
○
After Shen Yao left, Mu Qinglan returned to her room and finally had time to properly review what had just happened.
'Bai Yuyu?'
The bad woman's gaze flickered slightly.
She had previously wondered if she could contact another early-game villain boss in the Six Bureaus through Shen Yao.
But she hadn't expected that before she could even ask, this adorable miss villainess had obediently delivered herself to the door.
And in such an innocent, cute, and harmless form.
Sigh, in this form, compared to her cold appearance after her family's extermination in the future, conquering her had no sense of achievement at all.
Though bullying her was quite interesting.
After all, who wouldn't want to see an energetic, cute, lively little girl bullied to tears by themselves, yet unable to bear leaving?
Sigh, such a bad woman.
Although there were some differences from the game's character setting due to timing, Mu Qinglan had still successfully analyzed this Miss Bai's personality from her actions, words, and expressions, and exploited it.
Didn't the little girl want recognition and to show off right now?
Then she would coax her.
Pretend to be somewhat slow to paralyze the little girl's wariness, then imperceptibly praise her intelligence.
Then pretend they got along very well, acting surprised at how amazing she was.
Occasionally compare her with peers.
However, there was something to pay attention to here—comparison was also skillful.
You couldn't compare randomly.
Take breakthrough time, for example. Bai Yuyu had spent just over two months going from entry-level to eighth rank. Undoubtedly, this was quite fast, enough to deservedly be called a peerless genius.
But peerless genius also depended on who you compared with.
If Miss Mu lacked emotional intelligence and compared her with the big iceberg beside them, then Bai Yuyu wouldn't be so happy.
She naturally knew this herself, but that wasn't a reason to make such comparisons.
Since they were comparing, naturally they should compare her with those in Heyang City who had great reputations but weren't as talented as her, making her happy.
Mu Qinglan wasn't some genius ranking staff member.
She had only one goal—
To coax Bai Yuyu into happiness and make her want to be friends.
However, while such comparisons could make the little girl happy, she had heard plenty of them in daily life and had built up some immunity.
What truly made her bloom with joy was another killing move.
Still comparison.
But different.
Mu Qinglan compared her with that second-rank expert currently serving as a palace guardian in Great Xia's imperial palace, because back then, that guardian lord had also spent just over two months breaking through from entry-level.
Eh?
Didn't this comparison give them something to talk about?
That Martial Saint lord took two months to break through, Miss Bai also took two months to break through, so Miss Bai, your future achievements will surely be no less than that lord's! You're a future second-rank Martial Saint!
This was undoubtedly sophistry.
But Bai Yuyu was indeed coaxed into happiness by her.
Doing just this wasn't enough for Mu Qinglan. She even deliberately acted fragile, giving the impression that she needed protection and couldn't manage without it, perfectly satisfying Miss Bai's inner sense of "being needed" for self-worth.
A qualified bad woman could perfectly satisfy others' emotional needs while being bad.
Mu Qinglan was the especially perfect type.
'My performance today should leave a perfect impression in Bai Yuyu's heart.'
Mu Qinglan thought.
'Good at listening and perfectly satisfying her emotional need to be needed. Being friends with me is much more interesting than being friends with that blockhead Shen Yao. I'm also Shen Yao's friend, which can further lower her guard…'
Moreover, when Bai Yuyu was saying goodbye, this bad woman had specifically invited her to visit her home when she wasn't busy in a few days.
To share some interesting things.
Bai Yuyu had agreed.
But the important thing wasn't this—the important thing was that all of Mu Qinglan's behavior was completed in front of Miss Shen Yao.
Yes, she did it on purpose.
Including the differential treatment just now and the business-like talk every time they met, she also did it on purpose.
It was all to give Shen Yao a sense of disparity, facilitating future conquest.
Otherwise, why would she be called a bad woman?
○
On the other side, not long after Shen Yao returned, she encountered Bai Yuyu, who came to drag her to dinner at mealtime.
"Senior Sister, your little girlfriend is quite nice!"
Bai Yuyu was in a good mood and started giving commentary.