Chapter 24: Minor Issue, I'll Teach Him to Be the Bad Guy

In front of the villa, a woman stood with a slender, delicate frame. Her pitch-black hair cascaded over her shoulders, the ends curling slightly.

She stood with a lazy, nonchalant grace, her nude-colored high heels tapping the ground with a hint of impatience. Her ankles were slim, and her beautiful almond-shaped eyes curved upward, though they held not a trace of a smile.

A man paused for a second before continuing toward her.

Bending his tall, upright back, his fingertips brushed against her damp hem. His voice carried a mix of apology and coaxing.

"I'm sorry. I didn't expect my mother to act like that. It was my lack of foresight. Please don't be angry, Lingling. We won't come back next time, okay?"

An Ling stood still, but her gaze involuntarily drifted downward.

Looking from above, the man's brow bone was well-defined, and he was exceptionally handsome. He had a high bridge to his nose, cool pale skin, thin pale lips, and thick, long eyelashes. Even his fingers were elegantly jointed.

When your ideal type bows his head to apologize and uses such a magnetic, gentle voice to coax you, who could possibly resist?

An Ling silently averted her eyes.

Her anger dissipated in a rather spineless manner.

She gritted her teeth in regret, mentally cursing the distraction of a pretty face as she took a step back and turned her head away.

"I'm not angry because of the dress. I'm just..."

At this, An Ling paused again.

She thought about it irritably for a moment, feeling like she couldn't explain it clearly all at once. She turned toward the car.

"Let's go home first. We'll talk at home. I don't want to stay here."

Behind her, the man's deep voice suddenly rang out.

"If it's because of my mother's attitude toward me, there's no need for you to be angry about that."

An Ling froze and turned around.

The man gave a soft smile.

"Because I'm already used to it."

Used to the differential treatment, used to the favoritism.

Ten years ago, when he was sent abroad to study alone without a penny and was deliberately targeted, he had already seen those people for who they were.

"So there's no need for you to be angry on my behalf. I'm not hurt."

Hearing this, the woman said nothing. She slowly pulled the suit jacket draped over her shoulders tighter, her expression indifferent and her tone calm.

"Shen Linyan, if you say something like that again, I'll go back inside and curse that old woman out a second time. I might even throw the teacup back at her while I'm at it."

Shen Linyan's expression froze.

Then, he couldn't help but press his hand to his lips and laugh out loud. His brow was full of mirth as he walked over to open the car door for An Ling.

"You should get in the car, honey."

After returning home, An Ling changed out of her wet dress.

Leaning her hands on the bathroom sink, she stared at herself in the mirror and frowned.

What exactly had she been so angry about earlier?

This was someone else's family matter, and it was Shen Linyan's own business. She had clearly planned not to care about him and to find a way out so she could prepare for a divorce.

But this was just too pathetic! How could a mother be so biased? And that idiot Shen Linyan actually apologized!

Thinking about those two million, An Ling took a deep breath.

"Fine, consider it the tuition fee for learning how to be bad."

"It's a small problem. I'll teach him how to be a villain."

She didn't believe it—how could she, a professional villainess, fail to lead someone astray?

Everyone was going to learn to be bad!

Opening the bedroom door, she saw Shen Linyan sitting on the sofa. She walked over and silently sat down beside him.

"Shen Linyan, I thought about it carefully, and I found the reason why I'm angry. Your mother's favoritism is one thing, and the water is another, but the main reason is that you undermined our partnership today—completely and utterly!"

His little wife's complaints poured out like beans from a bag.

Shen Linyan paused, smiled helplessly, and put down his phone. He turned to look at her. "How did I undermine it this time?"

An Ling spoke without hesitation. "You shouldn't have apologized to your mother. Apologizing is showing weakness, and it makes things difficult for me. You need to be firm. When I start the fight, you back me up."

As she spoke, she shifted her position to face Shen Linyan directly. She raised a finger, emphasizing her point with a serious and solemn expression. "Moreover, you have one very, very fatal weakness."

The man suppressed a smile. "What is it?"

An Ling said, "You're too kind."

"..."

The air fell silent for a moment.

The next second, the man suddenly covered his mouth and silently turned his head away, his shoulders shaking slightly.

?

An Ling was stunned at first, then her face flushed bright red.

Shen Linyan was actually laughing at her?!

Her eyes widened, and she was both angry and embarrassed. She slapped the sofa hard. "What are you doing! I'm being serious! Shen Linyan, take this seriously!"

"Alright, alright." The man turned back, his eyes still brimming with laughter. "Why do you say that?"

"Haven't you noticed? You never know how to say no. Whenever someone asks for help, you agree."

An Ling frowned. "If this keeps up, aren't you afraid of going bankrupt? You need to learn how to reject people, especially your mother."

Shen Linyan smiled and played along. "If I go bankrupt, I'll make sure to set aside two million for you first."

An Ling's face went numb. "...That's too little. You have to leave two hundred million."

Seeing that the man completely failed to realize the gravity of the situation, An Ling guessed he probably hadn't noticed it himself. Growing up in such an extremely oppressive environment, Shen Linyan might have developed a bit of a people-pleasing personality.

She pondered for a moment before speaking slowly. "Shen Linyan, do you trust me?"

She looked up earnestly. "I know it's hard for you to change all at once. If you trust me, I'll teach you how to be a 'bad person.'"

Hearing this, Shen Linyan was momentarily stunned.

The smile remained in his eyes, but the curve of his lips deepened. His gaze grew darker as his fingertip tapped his phone. His tone was inexplicably meaningful. "You're going to teach me... how to be a bad person?"

"Yes." An Ling raised her chin and nodded. "I'm a professional."

Otherwise, why would the System have chosen her to be the villainess?

Looking at the confident expression on his little wife's face, the man pressed a finger to his lips and his eyes curved slowly.

"Alright. I'm looking forward to it."

An Ling nodded in approval.

He was a quick study!

She immediately took out her phone, smiling as she opened her notes app and read out the terms she had just prepared in the room.

"First, you have to listen to me. If I tell you to refuse, you refuse."

"Okay."

"Second, if I curse someone out, you have to curse too. If you don't know how, just listening is fine, but you can't play the peacemaker!"

"Okay."

"Third, when I'm not around, if someone makes an unreasonable request—including but not limited to making you clean up their mess, making you compromise, or treating you like a sucker—you have to reject them all."

Shen Linyan laughed. "Okay."

"Fourth, you can't just believe what other people say, and you can't doubt me... or our partnership."

The man propped his head on his hand, his eyes warm and indulgent.

"Why would you write something that could never happen?"

He certainly knew how to talk.

As expected of her perfect contract husband.

Satisfied, An Ling nodded and continued looking at her phone.

"Fifth..." She paused, stealing a glance at the man.

"Before our partnership ends, you are not allowed to develop feelings for anyone else. Once you do, the partnership will terminate immediately."

The smile on Shen Linyan's lips stiffened slightly.

He lowered his eyes and slowly shifted his seating position, the curve of his mouth becoming unreadable. "And what if it's you?"

An Ling said without hesitation, "I can't either, of course."

Please! She wasn't the System!

Was Shen Linyan still suspecting that she liked Lu Jingshen?

The man's dark pupils stared at her. After a long while, he curled his lips into a low chuckle.

"I see."

He saw?

Was that a yes or a no?

An Ling narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

Surely Shen Linyan wasn't the type to play these kinds of word games?

Forget it, she decided, it didn't matter for now.

She tucked her phone away.

"Alright, time to move on to step one."