Playing the Villainess, He Fell for Me

"Don’t, don’t press it..."

Joanna wanted to stop them, but her throat felt like it was being slowly slit by a knife. She couldn’t get a single word out. Seeing the button about to be pressed, she recklessly lunged forward to grab it, only to be shoved by someone. A massive sound erupted in her ears.

BANG!

An ear-splitting explosion reverberated through the vast space. The soaring flames reflected in everyone’s eyes, dyeing them the color of blood.

"It’s open... The door is open..." someone murmured. Looks of surprise and excitement appeared on everyone’s faces.

’The explosion was a success. A first in reality TV history! We’ll definitely trend. When this airs, we’ll probably go viral. It was worth it! I didn’t come here for nothing!’

The group high-fived and celebrated excitedly, the still-burning flames before them making their eyes sting.

Joanna stared blankly. Only after the man called her name several times in a low voice did she slowly blink her dry eyes. "Simon..."

Joanna’s voice was very soft. "Did we... know each other before?"

...Simon’s breath hitched. He couldn’t say a word. It took a long moment for his heart to start beating again. "What?"

"I feel like... I’m always seeing you," Joanna said. "The you from before."

...

Their mics were still live, but Joanna seemed to have forgotten, saying things that even she found absurd and ridiculous.

Joanna’s voice choked with a sob. "Simon, I..."

Before she could finish, a voice blared from the loudspeaker again. The director’s terrified voice echoed throughout the classroom.

"Everyone, get out! Now!" The director’s voice trembled. "The windowpanes are about to collapse!"

A dead silence followed.

CRACK. It was the sound of the surrounding windowpanes. A dense spiderweb of cracks spread out from the center of the glass.

If such large panes of glass collapsed on someone, they’d be injured, if not killed. Worse, they could be disfigured.

Everyone’s pupils contracted, the blood draining from their faces. People freeze in the face of such immense terror. By the time they snapped out of it and tried to run through the sea of fire, the glass was already rapidly collapsing.

Huge shards of glass rained down. Not far away, a sea of flames raged. Cries of pain and pleas for help mingled in the air. Joanna felt completely disoriented.

A solid wood window frame toppled toward the man. Joanna’s heart stopped. She instinctively moved to shield him but was pulled into his arms instead.

A suppressed grunt sounded by her ear. Joanna’s mind went blank. Through a violent ringing, she heard the man’s voice. It wasn’t his usual low and gentle tone; it was weak and strained. "Joanna... don’t cry..."

Joanna shook her head, but tears fell uncontrollably. She tried to pull away to see where Simon was hurt, but he only held her tighter.

"Let me see..." Joanna’s request was a sob. "Simon, please let me see..."

Outside, the show’s staff had run over to help, but the flames blocked their entry. The sounds of fire extinguishers, faint cries for help, and gasps of alarm all mixed together.

But Joanna could only hear the man’s faint breathing. He gently wiped the tears from her cheeks, but more just streamed down. Finally, Simon sighed softly. "Be good..."

His face was pale. The pain in his back was so intense it was numb, and every breath was agony. A warm liquid soaked his clothes. Simon was thankful the wound was on his back, where Joanna couldn’t see.

His consciousness was starting to fade. Simon’s vision blurred, but the person in his arms was crying so wretchedly that he didn’t dare pass out.

"...Don’t cry anymore, okay?"

He coaxed her softly, again and again. Joanna nodded desperately, but her tears showed no sign of stopping. She knew Simon was hurt, but she couldn’t move. Her fingertips brushed against something. Her gaze fell upon a sea of red that had nearly soaked through her own clothes.

...

Joanna squeezed her eyes shut, and huge teardrops rolled down from her reddened rims. She clutched the man’s sleeve like a lifeline. "Simon, I’m not crying. I’ll never cry again. I’ll listen to you, I’ll do anything, okay..."

’People are most helpless in the face of life and death,’ Joanna thought. ’As long as Simon doesn’t leave me, I’ll do anything.’

It felt as if she had already lost him once before. In that hazy memory, Simon had left her, and the excruciating pain of it still lingered.

Joanna’s heart ached as if it were being slowly sliced open, red blood pouring out and dyeing her vision.

"Take me home..." Joanna was in so much pain. She didn’t know where it hurt, but the ache was so bad she couldn’t stand up straight. Even breathing hurt terribly. She cried like an abandoned child. "Simon, take me home..."

"Don’t you fall asleep..." Sensing the arms around her loosen, Joanna couldn’t hold back any longer. Her trembling hands wrapped around the man’s waist as she sobbed incoherently, "If you dare fall asleep, I’ll be done with you forever."

It was a childish threat, born from the terror of losing him. So she desperately tried to keep him with her. Simon’s mind was groggy, even breathing had become difficult. His voice was muffled. "Joanie, don’t be difficult..."

"I’m a little tired. When..." Simon had to swallow hard to continue speaking. "When I wake up, I’ll take you home, okay?"

’Simon was lying to her. Simon was always lying to her.’

"Simon," Joanna said, choking back sobs, her words deliberate and sharp, "I’m not going to wait for you!"

"If you dare pass out, I’ll say yes to Howard Thorne. I’ll go out to dinner with other men. I’m not going to wait for you."

’If Simon dared to "fall asleep,"’ Joanna thought, ’then I’ll ignore him forever. He’s the one not listening, so I don’t have to be good either.’

The threat was surprisingly effective. Perhaps truly afraid that Joanna wouldn’t wait for him, Simon forced himself to stay conscious and didn’t "fall asleep."

In his hazy state, he saw a crowd of people running in frantically. The sound of an ambulance grew from a distant wail to a piercing siren. Only then did Simon dare to relax, losing consciousness completely as he held the person in his arms.

Amid the wreckage, the tall, slender man knelt on the ground. Unconscious, his head slumped limply against the girl’s neck, his arms hanging at his sides. His back was covered by a massive, shattered piece of glass and window frame. A large pool of blood dripped to the floor—a shocking sight.

The paramedics were startled and immediately rushed to help. It was only when they got closer that they realized the man was still holding a petite girl in his arms.

When she was helped out, Joanna’s legs were weak. Her blue and white school uniform was filthy and stained. What looked like a huge, spreading patch of blood startled Howard Thorne and Mindy Morgan, who had just rushed over.

"Jojo!" Howard didn’t dare touch Joanna. With reddened eyes, he yelled for a doctor to come quickly. Only after an examination revealed no obvious injuries did Howard finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"Where’s Simon?" Joanna asked.

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