Playing the Villainess, He Fell for Me

In the original story, Charles Jennings also sent Serena Sutton to study abroad, conveniently at the university right next to Simon Lockwood’s.

In a foreign land, the two, who had a mutual crush in high school, were supposed to resolve their misunderstandings, fall completely in love, make their relationship official, and then return home to get married.

But now, Joanna Kennedy didn’t see Serena Sutton anywhere.

found it strange too. It said it would go check, and a moment later, Joanna felt 166 spewing frantic gibberish in her mind.

’Did it short-circuit?’

’What the hell is wrong with you?’

’Th-th-th-they’re not together!’ 166 was clearly terrified.

Two years. That was a full two years! After going abroad, Serena Sutton had become braver and frequently asked Simon Lockwood out.

But unlike in the original story, Simon Lockwood almost never said yes! His days were spent either completing assignments from his advisor or running his company to the point of forgetting to eat or sleep.

Far from giving up, Serena Sutton only fell more hopelessly in love. After finishing her studies, she went straight to Southland for an interview. Thanks to her excellent qualifications and capabilities, she was hired.

So the current situation was that their relationship hadn’t progressed at all!

’This is insane... This is insane...’

’Could Joanna Kennedy have messed him up so badly?’

’Has he sealed his heart and sworn off love, never to believe in it again?’

Joanna was stunned too. ’What did you say?’

She gritted her teeth. ’Didn’t you say the plot was irreversible and the ending was already written? So what the hell is this? Care to explain?’

had never encountered anything like this. It had guided so many hosts through their plots, but this was the first time it had gotten so close to the finale with the male and female leads having made absolutely zero progress!

Admitting it was wrong was out of the question. 166 was convinced there had to be a problem somewhere else. It stubbornly insisted, ’It’s not time yet, right? M-maybe they’ll get together in a few days...’

’Get together in a few days?’

Resisting the urge to punch the moronic system into oblivion, Joanna shot back, ’You might as well pray they spontaneously get married for no reason.’

The system fell silent.

Silence fell between the woman and the system.

Joanna opened the window a crack and let the breeze cool her down before she finally calmed herself.

Downstairs, people were beginning to trickle out of the banquet hall. Joanna spotted the director and was about to head down when she saw Ryan Lawson emerge with his arm around Charlotte Underwood.

Joanna waited until Ryan Lawson had ushered Charlotte Underwood into a car before she went downstairs.

A moment later, the two lead actors came out as well. They had arrived together in a company van, but they left in separate cars.

Joanna went to the company van to grab her purse, then stood behind a large pillar to call her assistant.

She picked up instantly. Joanna sent her the address, and Julie said she’d be there in twenty minutes.

People were still streaming out of the entrance, lingering to chat and exchange pleasantries like, "See you next time!"

Joanna subconsciously glanced back inside, only to realize that Simon Lockwood was long gone.

’Right. He’s the president of Southland. Just making an appearance is enough; no need to waste too much time at a minor banquet like this.’

Joanna felt a strange pang and looked away.

She still had about ten minutes before Julie arrived, so she idly scrolled through her phone. The early summer night air carried a slight chill. After standing for a moment, Joanna subconsciously rubbed her arms.

The next moment, a suit jacket was draped over her shoulders, shielding her from the cool breeze.

"What are you doing out here? Come on, I’ll give you a ride home," Charles Jennings said.

Seeing it was him, Joanna felt an inexplicable pang of disappointment. She started to take off the jacket, but a pair of hands pressed it back onto her shoulders. The pressure was light, but firm and unquestionable.

Charles Jennings said, "The wind is chilly tonight. Keep it on."

Joanna’s tone was flat. "President Jennings, are you this thoughtful and gentle with everyone?"

’Of course not...’

Charles Jennings offered a flawless smile. "I just saw you weren’t dressed warmly."

"Oh, so you pity me," Joanna said with mock realization. She swiftly shrugged off the jacket and tossed it into his arms, her expression turning cold. "Who needs your pity?"

She added, "If it’s not exclusively for me, I don’t want it."

What an arrogant thing to say.

Charles Jennings suddenly had a strong urge to ask, ’Then what about Simon Lockwood? Is he your one and only?’

But he didn’t. Asking that question would change everything between them.

He just offered a light reminder. "Serena is back in the country, too. She returned with Simon Lockwood."

"Oh. So?"

"Joanna." Charles Jennings’s eyes suddenly darkened. "Simon Lockwood isn’t right for you. I hope you understand that. Stop trying to compete with Serena."

Ha... Joanna laughed in exasperation.

’What was she even competing for? Is Charles Jennings blind? Didn’t he see that rich heiress clinging to Simon Lockwood?’

’As Serena Sutton’s "Love Defender," why isn’t he warning off that heiress instead of hounding *her*? What is wrong with him?’

In the distance, a used white Volkswagen slowly pulled to a stop. Joanna glanced at it, then turned back to Charles Jennings with a sincere suggestion. "Charles Jennings, you should go see a doctor. Seriously."

"..."

The elegant man in the white shirt stood frozen in place, the suit jacket still draped over his arm. Charles Jennings’s gaze followed her unblinkingly until she got into the car, and only then did he look away.

His gaze shifted to the jacket on his arm. He stared at it for a long time before slowly lowering his head. His nose twitched slightly as he caught a faint, fresh scent.

「Inside the car.」

Julie cried out in alarm, "Jojo, what happened to your dress? What’s going on?!"

Joanna explained everything—how Ryan Lawson had harassed her and how she’d kicked him twice—not forgetting to add, "Tell Ms. Miller that this really wasn’t my fault. He was the one being a creep."

Julie was stunned by her combat prowess, but her shock quickly turned to panic. "AHHHH, how could this happen?!"

The young assistant had seen enough of Shannon Lewis’s methods to know what was coming. "Ms. Miller definitely won’t help you! She’ll probably even force you to apologize to President Lawson! What are we going to do? And you’re still smiling!"

"What else am I supposed to do, cry?"

’Although she really did feel like crying tonight.’

’Then just cry. You’ll feel better if you let it out.’

’Shut up.’ 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"What are we going to do, what are we going to do, what are we going to do..." Julie muttered, her mind racing.

Joanna’s head started to ache from the chanting, so she closed her eyes and feigned sleep. "Just focus on driving."

Julie was right. The next morning, Joanna had just woken up when she picked up her phone and saw several missed calls from Agent Miller. Seeing that she hadn’t answered, the agent had also sent a text.

The message was simple: she was to attend a dinner party that night. Ryan Lawson would be there, and she was to find a chance to apologize to him.

It also contained a veiled threat that if she refused, she would be partially blacklisted.

’Blacklist me for all I care. I have enough money to live on anyway.’ With that thought, Joanna rolled over and went back to sleep.

She didn’t have to be on set today, so by the time she woke up again, it was already noon.

Surprisingly, someone was in the dorm.