Stepping on the Demoness to become the strongest

After parting ways with her high school classmates, on the way back to the villa, Su Yunjin didn't say a word to Yan Yu.

"Are you angry?" Yan Yu asked.

Su Yunjin didn't reply, simply walking ahead quickly by herself.

"Are you angry?" Yan Yu quickly walked to her side and asked again with a smile.

Su Yunjin hastened her steps, leaving him behind.

After walking for a few minutes and realizing there was no one talking beside her, she couldn't help but turn her head to look, only to see Yan Yu following leisurely, five or six steps behind her.

"It seems you are indeed angry." Yan Yu said calmly, "It was my fault for agreeing to share the table with them without asking, but they didn't mention any of your dark history, did they? Their words were all about how popular you were in high school, right?"

"Does the captain think being excessively popular in school is something to be proud of?" Su Yunjin stopped, turned around, and said.

Her face no longer held its usual calm but was serious with a hint of displeasure as she earnestly spoke:

"Finding love letters stuffed into your desk every other day, constantly being approached by unfamiliar classmates with inexplicable confessions, and even occasionally having teachers joking about it, can you understand how annoying that is?"

"I cannot understand." Yan Yu answered without hesitation, "Because I was not the school belle in high school."

"Neither was I!" Su Yunjin said, annoyed, "And I really, truly dislike it when boys I don't even know write me extremely cheesy messages solely because they think I'm pretty, or corner me by the classroom door to spout a bunch of silly words that make me want to run away from embarrassment!"

"Actually, it's not just about looking good on the outside." Yan Yu corrected her with a smile, "Your temperament is gentle and elegant; you're naturally a type many men like. Your family background is good too, and I guess your high school academic performance was not bad either, considering you got into Gusu University, which is a top-tier 211 institution.

All things considered, it's only natural for you to have had many suitors at school."

"Thanks, Captain... but that's not what I meant." The frustration finally faded from Su Yunjin's face, replaced by a mix of helplessness and a wry smile, "I hope to be like Ling Yun, to attract people with a strong personal charm, rather than having everyone focus solely on her pretty face."

So this was why Su Yunjin in her past life was willing to become Chen Lingyun's secretary.

Troubled by too many suitors in high school and unsure how to change the situation, she was immediately attracted to Chen Lingyun's powerful charisma upon their first meeting—after all, Chen Lingyun was the one who could disgust all her admirers (yes, including me) so they would leave her alone, earning the sarcastic title of "Princess Jiang Hai," a symbol of an independent woman of the new era.

It was natural for Su Yunjin, whose personality was traditionally reserved, to subconsciously admire and yearn for that.

But seriously, come on. You can learn from anyone else, just not her, I beg you, okay?

Lights dawned on Yan Yu, and then he adopted an extremely grave expression, looking at Su Yunjin seriously as he said:

"Promise me, Yun Jin... don't try to emulate Chen Lingyun, okay?"

"Huh? Uh!" Caught off guard by his sudden seriousness, Su Yunjin looked somewhat flustered, displaying a slightly panicked yet adorable expression.

"You don't need to imitate anyone else." Yan Yu said earnestly, his gaze piercing as he looked into her eyes, as if to see right into her soul, his tone strong and resolute, "You need to relentlessly be yourself, that is my demand of you as the team captain. I want to see a mature and independent Su Yunjin with her own mind, not an echo who mimics the vice-captain's every move.

Believe in the strength of your inner character, which is as compelling as your outer beauty."

"Oh, okay." Su Yunjin grew increasingly flustered, murmuring subconsciously, "I understand. Captain, I will work hard."

"Good." Yan Yu nodded with satisfaction.

I see, so that's why the past Secretary Su hung on Princess Jiang Hai's every word—it all stemmed from this issue.

Ha-ha, watch me cut the red string binding you two! Chen Lingyun, how do you feel about that now?

Yan Yu walked ahead, filled with a sense of achievement, while Su Yunjin followed him, feeling a subtle warmth on her cheeks.

In fact, just as she had said earlier, the more people affirmed her outer beauty, the more it seemed to her like a negation of her inner appeal.

Su Yunjin did not mind being praised for being beautiful; she just didn't like to be viewed as having nothing beyond "beauty," which was a strong and deeply rooted obsession in the heart of a girl who loved literature.

...And that's why I refuse to follow my parents' wishes to leave the team to find a place that will recognize my inner worth.

But, Captain, the lines you just said made me cringe too. Aside from in games and novels, there can't be anyone who would really be won over by those seemingly heart-warming words!

"Captain." Su Yunjin called softly.

"What is it?" Yan Yu turned around upon hearing her and saw Su Yunjin's exquisite and pure face enveloped in an area untouched by the streetlight, her features shadowy and indistinct.

Only her eyes shone brightly, like the dazzling stars in the sky, captivating and beautiful.

"I will work hard," she said deliberately, "I won't let you down."

Yan Yu was silent for a while, then replied:

"You'd better."

"Captain." Su Yunjin took a few steps forward, returning to the light of the streetlamp.

She leaned in towards Yan Yu with a brilliantly fake smile on her face:

"Would it kill you not to ruin the mood?"

"I'm a person who considers actions," Yan Yu stepped back half a step, keeping his distance, "not the mood, nor do I trust promises. Your words alone are useless; you need to prove it to me in person."

"Okay," Su Yunjin said with a smile.

She turned and walked back towards the villa, with Yan Yu quickly following behind her and then suddenly asking,

"Are you mad again?"

"Not at all," Su Yunjin replied.

A moment passed.

"You are mad, aren't you?"

"Why does the captain think I would be mad?"

"Because I ruined the moment, interrupting your self-indulgence?"

"Not at all," Su Yunjin's smile grew even brighter, "After all, I've long since known what kind of 'goods' the captain is, so I'm not mad about it."

"Hmm," Yan Yu pondered, then asked, "But the term 'goods' is supposed to have a derogatory connotation when used to describe a person, isn't it?"

"In our Gusu banter, calling someone 'goods' means complimenting their character," Su Yunjin said with smiling eyes, "Like calling you a 'dumb good,' 'nuisance good,' 'settled good,' 'total package good,' all of these are common terms of praise."

"Fine, but Yun Jin..." Yan Yu reminded her, "Your fake smile right now looks a lot like Chen Lingyun's, you know?"

"Not at all," Su Yunjin denied with a laugh.

"It's true."

"But I'm not imitating Ling Yun."

"So it's a normal smile?"

"It's an expression I genuinely want to show the captain."

"Could you tone it down? It's a bit scary to look at."

"I cannot."

"Why not?"

"Because the captain said I should be myself."

"My words aren't golden rules, you don't have to take them as absolutes," Yan Yu tried to communicate with her, "And your sarcasm is making me uncomfortable, we're not strangers after all. Can we just speak plainly?"

"Alright," Su Yunjin stopped walking, dropped the fake smile from her face, and turned expressionless, "Captain."

"What is it?" Yan Yu also stopped.

"Feel like rolling into a gutter?"

"Wait! Why are you suddenly so unfriendly, and why say that out of the blue?"

"Then let me phrase it differently: Captain, would you like to review the progress of my Southern Dipper Galaxy Secret Art?"

"You changed the phrasing, but the result still dives into a gutter!" Yan Yu tried to suppress his urge to retort, raised his hands in a conceding gesture, "Okay, I admit that I disrupted the atmosphere just now and made you unhappy. I'm very sorry, Yun Jin."

"I know why the captain wanted to disrupt the mood," Su Yunjin said calmly after a moment of silence, "That's why I particularly dislike you right now. Sorry, Captain."

"Alright, since we've both apologized," Yan Yu resumed smiling and said emphatically, clapping his hands together, "let's forgive each other and get back on good terms."

No sooner had he spoken than he felt a heavy pressure on his foot—Su Yunjin, having finally broken through his defenses, couldn't help but step on his shoe.

Unfortunately, she was too light to cause any pain, even without casting a Barrier Charm to endure it.

Seeing her still trying hard to twist her heel, Yan Yu had no choice but to go along and exaggerate a few cries of pain, saying,

"Ouch, that really hurts. Please go easy on my feet, Yun Jin, I'm going to break a bone."

But Su Yunjin didn't fall for it, knowing from his melodramatic performance that her stepping on him had no real effect, so she reluctantly withdrew her foot.

"So, have you calmed down now?" Yan Yu brushed the dust off his shoe, asking leisurely, "Does this mean we are reconciled?"

"Why does the captain care whether I'm mad or not?" Su Yunjin, running out of energy to sulk, sighed in frustration, "After all, I'm not a match for the captain, am I?"

"What kind of nonsense is that?" Yan Yu looked baffled and laughed, "Of course, I care about you, Yun Jin."

"After all, you are our team's main force."