Chapter 25: The Lovable Villain
Kieu Ly had turned off the faucet in the bathroom ages ago. She didn't even dare to breathe too loudly, afraid that the guy outside might come in and end up staying the whole evening. He had a habit of lingering for hours—even when no one was talking to him—sipping glass after glass of water. One time, he just sat there drinking water while Kieu Ly and Huong Tra barely responded to his questions with monosyllabic answers, yet he didn't leave until the dorm gates were about to close. Honestly, it was terrifying. Behind his back, the two girls secretly called him "Mr. Lisp."
While still wiping the floor, Huong Tra said:
"You must've misheard something, bro."
Then she continued working, muttering under her breath:
"God, the damp season is disgusting. No matter how much I clean, it still feels dirty."
Seeing Huong Tra immersed in cleaning without inviting him in, the guy just stood awkwardly at the door, grinning:
"Yeah, this clammy weather is really gross, huh?"
At that moment, Hong from the next room called over:
"Hey, Green Tea Girl! Come over and have some corn fritters. We just fried them—eat them while they're hot!"
Hearing that, Huong Tra quickly closed the door and dashed off next door, not forgetting to politely dismiss the visitor:
"Sorry, I'm busy now. Hope you understand!"
The guest, realizing he was being subtly kicked out and seeing that there wasn't even a place to sit, figured it'd be awkward to just keep standing there. He reluctantly left, but not without leaving a vague promise:
"Alright then, I'll head out. I'll come by again another time."
Only after confirming that the guest had truly left did Huong Tra return to their room, glancing toward the gate with visible annoyance. Kieu Ly was a beautiful, well-mannered, and smart girl, so it wasn't surprising that she had many admirers. But somehow, they were always a little off. Even Huong Tra couldn't stand most of them, so what chance did they have with Kieu Ly?
Still irritated, Huong Tra muttered:
"Who even asked you to come? Never brings anything when visiting and drinks like a camel."
Then she opened the door and called out:
"You can come out now. Mr. Lisp is gone."
Kieu Ly sighed in relief, carried the bowls outside to dry, and thanked her best friend:
"Good thing you were there to politely kick him out. I was seriously scared."
And she meant it. While most girls might feel flattered to have a bunch of admirers, Kieu Ly didn't. She valued her elegant image and would never bluntly tell guests to leave. But once someone entered the room and started hanging around, it became incredibly inconvenient—she couldn't focus on studying and it also affected Huong Tra's peace. And when someone invited her out for food or drinks, she didn't like it either—why feel obligated to someone she wasn't interested in? Overall, she just didn't want to waste her time on people she didn't have feelings for.
Luckily, Huong Tra never got annoyed and often helped her gently get rid of unwanted guests.
Huong Tra teased:
"Go on playing your sweet, demure princess role. I don't mind being the villain."
Then she happily placed the plate of corn fritters on the table. Earlier, Hong had called her over both to help her escape the awkward visitor and to share the snack.
Kieu Ly smiled and went to grab a pair of scissors, buttering her up:
"There's no such thing as a villain that pretty and kind-hearted. We're both leading ladies!"
She sat down and cut the fritters into smaller pieces so the two of them could enjoy them together.