Palpitations

“Student Yuehua…”

“What is it, Professor?”

As today’s emotional training session drew to a close, Jiang Li hesitated for a fleeting moment before finally speaking to Xiao Yuehua.

“The script for the Acting Student Competition—have you made your selection yet?”

In truth, it wasn’t entirely appropriate for him to initiate this question. Although he had a bet with Ning Rou, the competition was ultimately Xiao Yuehua’s own affair. For him to show excessive concern was, in a sense, an overstepping of bounds.

But he simply couldn’t help but worry.

It wasn’t just a concern about whether Xiao Yuehua’s skill level could defeat a true genius like Ning Rou. The deeper reason was… he lacked a sense of security.

From his vague, initial intuitions to the palpable shift in the atmosphere now, Jiang Li had realized that reality had veered sharply away from his original “conquest plan.” Something seemed to have happened to Xiao Yuehua; her entire state was radiating an intense sense of abnormality.

Lately, when left alone with her in the rehearsal room, Jiang Li often felt a sudden, rhythmic pounding in his chest—a feeling of impending dread. Objectively speaking, whether by status or physical strength, he had no reason to fear a slender, beautiful young girl with long black hair.

And yet, Jiang Li was uneasy. Everything regarding Xiao Yuehua triggered an instinctive resistance within him.

Including this script.

His gut told him that if he could participate in the selection of the script, it would be more beneficial to his plan. But the result was that he had inexplicably bowed his head before Xiao Yuehua, agreeing to let her choose for herself. He hadn’t uttered a single word of objection throughout the process.

This was very wrong.

Even more unsettling was the ballroom dance they had just performed. When partnering with Xiao Yuehua, the “predatory beast” alarm bells in his mind rang even more violently. The way her fingertips touched his shoulders and waist felt, in his perception, like greasy tentacles greedily stroking and tasting him.

The horrifying illusion almost made his hair stand on end.

This state of affairs could not continue. Jiang Li had made up his mind: no matter what was happening, he had to reclaim his dignity and initiative as a teacher.

“The script?”

Xiao Yuehua merely offered a meaningful smile, the upturned corners of her eyes carrying an inexplicable hint of allure. “I’ve chosen it, of course. The Instigator—isn’t that a good one?”

“The Instigator?”

Jiang Li’s face stiffened. This work was considered a classic in this world, and he had heard of it. The story was quite simple: it followed a female politician who, weary of power struggles, gave everything up to return to her hometown and marry. However, a few years later, her beloved husband was assassinated by her political rivals. Fueled by hatred, she re-entered the political arena to seek vengeance.

On the surface, it might seem like a standard revenge story. But the reason Jiang Li was so stunned lay elsewhere.

While the story focused on political intrigue, it was interspersed with numerous flashbacks of the politician’s memories of her late husband. Though these scenes were intended to contrast her later ruthless, black-hearted persona as a demagogue, the content of those memories was a bit too explicit for mere plot devices.

To put it bluntly—the “rating” was quite high.

This was a script so bold that even Jiang Li wouldn’t have dared to suggest it. Why was Xiao Yuehua bringing it up herself?

“Is it… the one I’m thinking of?”

“It is,” Xiao Yuehua said, tilting her head with a smile, as if the script and Jiang Li’s knowledge of it were two different things.

“But… this! Isn’t it a bit inappropriate?” Jiang Li spoke up with some embarrassment. Even though this script seemed theoretically beneficial to his conquest plan, he still spoke out against it due to that inexplicable sense of crisis.

However…

“What is the Professor thinking? I’m only going to perform the short segment where the protagonist gives a speech in the plaza to incite the masses. It’s not the… ‘strange’ parts.”

She took a step closer, grinning. “Could it be… the Professor’s mind has wandered to the wrong place?”

“Of course not.” Jiang Li silently let out a sigh of relief, trying his best to maintain his composure. “In that case, give me the script for that section. I’ll find a way to help you get familiar with it in advance.”

“No can do.” To Jiang Li’s surprise, Xiao Yuehua simply shrugged and rejected his proposal. “The part I want to rehearse with the Professor is this one.”

She handed over a script with a peculiar expression.

Jiang Li took it, and after a single glance, he froze. It was a scene depicting the sweet memories of the protagonist and her husband. While the script didn’t go to the “final step,” it was filled with explicit descriptions of kissing and embracing.

“Why… why this section? This has nothing to do with the part you’re actually performing, right?”

“How could it be unrelated?” Xiao Yuehua explained as she stepped closer to him. “The protagonist’s character motivation is built on a mountain of hatred born from the death of her true love. Because of that, she can now use the very citizens she once cared for as weapons. Thanks to the Professor’s help, I’ve already mastered that hatred and hostility. But as for the most important part—the ‘love’—I still know nothing about it.”

With every word, she drew closer until she was practically pressed against him. Her warm breath brushed against Jiang Li’s face.

“Shouldn’t the Professor take responsibility and help me experience that emotion?”

The faint sense of seduction and the screaming alarms in his brain collided, leaving Jiang Li’s thoughts in disarray. He forced himself to keep a steady expression and took a few steps back to create some distance.

“Even so, this scene…”

“Heavy medicine for a heavy ailment, right? Or is it that… the Professor finds me repulsive?”

“Don’t make it sound so ambiguous…” Jiang Li rubbed his temples. He had intended to refuse, but then he remembered his lack of progress on the mission. Steeling his heart, he decided to just let things take their course.

If I don’t do this, the conquest will likely remain out of reach indefinitely.

With that thought, he finally relented. “If you insist… then so be it.”

“Thank you, Professor!”

Xiao Yuehua’s expression was exceptionally radiant. “Then today, Professor, you should familiarize yourself with the script. Starting tomorrow, we’ll begin extra-long special training sessions!”

Leaving him with those words, she vanished like a black shadow, nimble as a cat. Jiang Li remained where he was, gripping the script, his expression shifting unsteadily.

“A-Cheng, do you love me?”

“Of course, darling. Why would you ask such a strange thing?”

…

In the rehearsal room, Jiang Li wore a stiff expression, reciting the cloying lines without a shred of emotion while holding Xiao Yuehua in his arms.

It was undeniable that as one of the heroines of this world, Xiao Yuehua’s beauty and figure were flawless. Holding her yielded a soft, warm sensation that should have been pleasurable—if not for that heart-stopping sense of dread.

To be honest, Jiang Li currently felt like a child locked in a pitch-black, airtight room. The immense pressure and sense of crisis were almost suffocating. Even with a beauty in his arms, he had no heart to enjoy it.

Unfortunately, the girl in his embrace clearly felt differently.

Hidden from Jiang Li’s sight, a flash of dissatisfaction at his stiff reaction crossed Xiao Yuehua’s eyes… followed by a much deeper, darker greed.