The Villain Is a Chatterbox, and I'm Mute - chapter 1

Qin Xu and I stared at each other, wide-eyed.

It took him quite a while before he finally moved his hand away from my mouth.

“Um… can you talk?”

I nodded, then shook my head.

“I can… but it hurts.”

Because of an injury when I was young, I could only say two or three words at a time.

And my throat would hurt terribly.

Over time, I stopped liking to talk and became what others called a mute.

Even though I’d been desk mates with Qin Xu for so long, this was the first time I’d ever spoken to him.

I was really pushed to my limit.

Since I was little, I knew I was living inside a novel.

A drunkard father, a cowardly mother, a rebellious younger brother, and a broken me.

But I wasn’t the Female Lead-just a passerby.

I thought I would never have any interaction with the Protagonist Group.

Until senior year, when I ended up in the same class as them.

And became desk mates with the Villain, Qin Xu.

Qin Xu was a playboy.

Cold, violent, and quick to throw a punch at the slightest provocation.

At first, I was on edge, terrified that I might upset him and get punched into the air.

Maybe it was because I couldn’t talk, and Qin Xu happened to care about people with disabilities.

I actually got along with him pretty well.

No matter how much of a Villain Qin Xu was, he was still just an eighteen-year-old boy.

Arrogant, loved to show off, obsessed with shooting imaginary hoops.

And, extremely talkative.

But to maintain his aloof image, he only opened up in front of me.

After all, I was a mute. Even if I knew his secrets, I couldn’t tell anyone.

So, I was forced to learn the color of Qin Xu’s underwear every day.

And a few stories about his mom outsmarting her husband’s mistress.

Plus the affair between the security guard and the cafeteria lady.

…

I’ve learned way too many things I shouldn’t know.

I really wanted to protest, to tell Qin Xu that I’m a mute, not deaf.

But I didn’t dare.

As time went on, Qin Xu became more and more uninhibited.

He stopped fighting, stopped napping.

The moment he opened his eyes, he started talking.

Even if I pretended to sleep, he’d lean over and whisper endlessly in my ear.

I couldn’t take it anymore. I pinched his lips between two fingers.

With my other hand, I pressed a finger to my own lips, making a “shh” gesture.

Qin Xu’s face instantly flushed deep red.

Frightened, I quickly let go.

Unexpectedly, Qin Xu didn’t hit me.

He just blushed for half the class and kept sneaking glances at me all afternoon.

He even chuckled to himself from time to time.

After that, Qin Xu changed.

He went from being just talkative to being a talkative guy who seemed to like me.

Qin Xu was upset.

Ever since I rejected him, he hadn’t spoken to me for three days.

I glanced at him secretly.

Qin Xu frowned at his book, only showing me his profile.

I had to admit, Qin Xu was even more handsome than the Male Lead, Qi Chen.

Prominent nose, thin lips, sharp features.

But shouldn’t he be fighting Qi Chen for the Female Lead?

Why would he like a mute like me?

Sensing my gaze, Qin Xu snorted coldly.

“Fallen for me?”

Startled, I shook my head and quickly looked away.

The truth was, I was afraid of losing Qin Xu as a friend.

Because I couldn’t talk, I didn’t have many friends. No one wanted to interact with a mute.

Except for Qin Xu.

He could gossip to me all day and never get bored.

I didn’t want to lose this friend.

The more I thought about it, the sadder I felt, and tears fell for no reason.

“Sigh.” A barely audible sigh came from beside me.

A box of candy was pushed in front of me.

Qin Xu pulled his hand back and lazily leaned against the window. “It’s good for your throat.”

I sniffled, unwrapped one, and popped it into my mouth.

Mint flavored.

[Are we still friends?] I wrote on a piece of paper.

Qin Xu didn’t answer. He just said, “I’ll take you to the hospital this weekend.”

I looked at him instinctively.

He added, “You’re not allowed to refuse.”