Chapter 7

Zac frowned and asked, "What's wrong?"

"You... You should've shaken off my hand!" I replied with frustration.

His frown deepened even more. "Why should I shake you off?"

"Because... Because..." I really did not know how to explain it to him. I could not just tell him that the original story was done this way.

I stomped my feet in frustration, unable to figure out what to say.

Instead, it was Zac who spoke to me first. "Did you really mean to hold my hand just now?"

I paused, wondering how I should answer this question.

My mind worked overtime as I ran through my character setting. I was the spoiled, overbearing villainess who resented Zac for stealing my parents' love and constantly picked on him. I was so possessive that I could not stand anyone else taking him away.

I could not help but admit that I truly was twisted.

I cleared my throat, crossed my arms, raised my chin, and struck a haughty pose before sarcastically saying, "Zac, you don't actually think I like you, do you? I'm just annoyed that you're close to other women. Even if it's just some old, worthless toy I hate, it's still mine. If I don't want it, no one else can touch it."

My words were harsh, and Zac indeed pursed his lips. His mood score instantly plummeted by half, though it remained pink.

His sullen expression was quite intimidating. Already feeling guilty, I dared not linger with him. After saying that, I immediately made my escape.

I originally thought that the original plot would smoothly begin after Zac met Hannah. Next year, my family would go bankrupt, and my story with Zac would end there. The subsequent romantic subplot between the protagonists would have nothing to do with me.

Unexpectedly, the plot had now completely fallen apart. Hannah did not seem to have any romantic feelings for Zac and even seemed to be trying to set us up.

I racked my brains, but I still could not figure out where things went wrong.

Before I could even sort things out, another issue struck—my family's bankruptcy plot came ahead of schedule.

The day after my conversation with Zac, I received a call from my mother, asking me to come home. My mother subtly told me that my father's company was in trouble and that I should drop out of school and go abroad to avoid the crisis.

Aside from the timeline being pushed earlier, the rest of the bankruptcy plot remained the same—the house was mortgaged, everything in the house was seized, and I had to go abroad with my parents to escape the debt collectors.

I was mentally prepared and accepted the fact calmly, even feeling a sense of relief... because I had finished my job early!

Before leaving the country, I had to maintain the character's persona from the original plot. I cried my eyes out at home. "How did this happen? I don't want to go abroad!"

I ran back to my room, still crying. As soon as I got back, I wiped away my tears and covered my mouth to stifle my laughter.

Although the plot was a complete disaster, I had finished my job early! I finally did not have to play that villainous supporting character anymore! Nor did I have to be threatened with death anymore!

Before I could even enjoy my happiness for a few seconds, there was a knock on the door.

I immediately stopped laughing, opened the door, and saw Zac standing outside.

He looked at me with concern. "Ms. Vettel, are you alright?"

I was a little touched. After all, I had said such harsh things to him the day before, but he was now comforting me without holding a grudge.

However, my character would not allow me to be overly grateful to him. Following the original plot, I sarcastically remarked, "Stop pretending! You're actually happy to see me down on my luck, aren't you? You have no legal connection to my family, and my family's bankruptcy won't affect you at all.

"You don't need to go abroad and can still go to school like a regular university student. You're actually quite glad, aren't you?"

As soon as I finished speaking, Zac's mood score plummeted. He gritted his teeth, staring at me with a grim expression. "Nova, why do you always see me in the worst light? Do you hate me that much?"

"I don't..." I opened my mouth, wanting to say that I did not hate him at all. I even liked him a little.

However, I only managed to utter the first two words of denial before the familiar out-of-character warning rang in my head again.

I never found this alarm so jarring. I gritted my teeth, once again yielding to this damned world setting. "Yes, I do hate you."

The alarm was deactivated.

Zac's expression sank completely. His mood score dropped to zero for the first time.