I Slapped the Villain After 99 Rebirths Chapter 04
There went my perfectly good weekend.
After lunch on Saturday, I waited until the afternoon heat had faded before slowly biking to the gym.
When I got there, surprisingly, the place was packed.
Scanning the crowd, I spotted Olivia sitting in the front row.
To figure out why the female lead’s redemption kept failing, I figured I should start by befriending her.
I walked over and took the empty seat next to Olivia, acting as if we’d known each other for years.
She blinked in surprise, then smiled back. “You came to cheer for Joseph?”
The look in Olivia’s eyes was way too familiar. It was pure gossip.
I nodded. She gave me an “I knew it” look.
If the female lead was here, the male lead was probably around too.
Sure enough, I spotted Benjamin in the gym in his white jersey.
I also saw Joseph, wearing a black athletic headband, his eyes sharp and fierce.
He shot me a sharp glare.
[Can you see it? Joseph’s been waiting for our girl, constantly looking over at the audience.]
[He said stay away, but now he’s sulking because she actually did. What a drama queen.]
[Speaking of which, this game is where the villain and male lead first clash, planting the seeds for their future rivalry.]
[And this is why the female lead fails to save the male lead. Because of the villain.]
I remembered now: in the plot, Benjamin’s team wins this game.
Not only does Joseph lose, but during the ensuing fight, Benjamin accidentally breaks his hand.
Humiliated and injured, the vengeful villain holds a grudge against Benjamin forever.
His first act of revenge is making Benjamin blow the SATs.
Yeah. Terrifying.
But why does the live chat say the female lead fails because of Joseph?
Can they be more specific?
Leaving a story half-finished is the worst.
At halftime, sure enough, Joseph walked straight toward me.
Without a word, he held out his hand.
I was confused. “What?”
Joseph frowned, and the temperature around him seemed to drop.
Hesitantly, I raised my hand and hesitantly placed it in his palm.
Joseph froze for a second, then smacked my hand away.
Now I was annoyed. “What’s your problem?”
“I can’t read minds if you don’t say anything.”
Joseph’s voice was ice cold. “The drink.”
I pointed at the cooler full of bottled water nearby. “There’s water right there.”
Joseph stared at me. “You said you’d bring me one.”
Oh crap. I forgot.
I quickly made up a lie. “I forgot to bring money.”
Joseph’s eyes flicked to my phone.
I kept going. “My phone’s dead. I’m broke.”
“I’m serious. I couldn’t even afford the bus. I had to bike here.”
Joseph looked like he didn’t know whether to laugh or get angry. He just let out a sarcastic, “Ha.”
I didn’t care at all. “Sorry for being too poor for you.”
A bottle of water cost, like, two dollars. Why would I spend my money on him when I didn’t even really like him?
I joked, “Why don’t you just Venmo me?”
I waved my phone in front of his face.
Joseph stared at me for a moment, then walked over to his bag.
He pulled out his phone.
Back in front of me, he held up his QR code.
I glanced at him, surprised he was so agreeable.
As soon as we added each other, Joseph transferred fifteen hundred dollars straight into my account!
I counted the zeros, my eyes lighting up.
I had to ask, “This is a gift, right? You’re not gonna ask for it back?”
