This Time, I’m the Fool Chapter 05
Chapter 5 The Trap She Set for Herself
The next second, the cursor landed right on it. My eyes widened in shock as I shouted, “Not that one! You
can’t click that!”
But it was already too late. Maisie’s eyes lit up as she eagerly opened the folder, and then she even put on
an innocent face. “Oh, sorry. My hand slipped.”
Three seconds later, though, she froze when she saw what appeared on the screen. A video popped up-
the surveillance footage from the night her exam admission slip had been ruined. Every frame was crystal clear, showing that she herself had “accidentally” spilled the coffee, then immediately turned around and blamed me for it, accusing me of being the one who did it.
Maisie’s face drained of color as she scrambled to close the video, fingers flying in panic, but the damage
was already done. The looks directed at her had shifted–from shock, to uproar, to open disgust–finally settling into pure contempt.
“Wow, that’s some next–level blame–shifting. And she did it with such confidence, too.”
“She spilled it herself, yet she accused Naomi of it in the group chat last time!”
“If I were Naomi, I would’ve snapped back at her ages ago.”
“That whole ‘poor me‘ act afterward in the group chat was so fake. Stirring things up like she was the
victim…”
“Clearly she went after Naomi on purpose ‘cause she’s an easy target!”
Maisie stood there stiffly, her face burning red. She tried to explain herself in a rush, but no words came
out, leaving her looking utterly flustered and comered. In the end, it was the teacher who spoke up, saying we’d continue the presentation next time. Only then did Maisie bolt off the podium as if fleeing
for her life and rush back to her seat.
I watched her bury her flushed face deep into the desk, desperately avoiding everyone’s eyes, and a wave of satisfaction washed over me. Thank goodness I’d managed to keep my cool earlier–and had that
sudden flash of inspiration to drag the video to the most obvious spot on the desktop, baiting her into
clicking it. Otherwise, the one making a fool of herself in public would’ve been me.
Just then, I felt a sharp, focused gaze land on me. I turned my head and met Vincent’s eyes, warm with
unmistakable goodwill, as if silently asking whether I was okay.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Maisie lift her head and glare at me with pure hatred, her teeth
clenched tight. So I deliberately turned back toward Vincent and smiled sweetly at him.
Upon returning to the dorm, Maisie stormed straight up to me, pointing at my nose and shouting, “Naomi! Are you actually stupid, or just pretending to be?! Why would you set me up like that? You’re such a snake!
I immediately put on the look of someone deeply wronged, tears welling up as I spoke with trembling grievance. “What are you talking about, Maisie? If I really wanted to sabotage you, would I have shouted to stop you from clicking it?”
Maisie choked on her words and fell completely silent. Still, she looked like she was about to explode. She stomped her feet in frustration, then finally slammed the door and stormed out.
Watching her furious yet helpless retreat filled me with immense relief. Even so, I put on a confused expression and asked softly, “Do you guys know why she’s so angry?”
The other two roommates stayed silent, clearly conflicted, as if they wanted to say something but held back in the end.
After that day, Maisie’s attitude toward me only got worse. She tried her best to win over the other two, attempting to band together and isolate me. To salvage her image, she even went out of her way to curry favor with the entire class, offering to treat everyone to a meal at the cafeteria.
Naturally, I wasn’t included. But I didn’t really care. After all, nothing beat sitting alone in the dorm, blasting the air conditioner, watching reality TV, and enjoying takeout in peace.
That evening, the three of them came back full and satisfied, rubbing their stomachs.
“It’s been forever since I ate that much. I feel so bad–you really spent a lot, Maisie.”
“Oh, don’t mention it. The point is, you enjoyed yourselves!”
They chatted and laughed as they walked in, acting as if I didn’t exist at all.
