Playing the Villainess, He Fell for Me

Three days had passed since Joanna went to Jornheim University to pick up Simon Lockwood, and the topic was still trending high.

The haters and some of her die-hard solo fans had resigned themselves to the truth. They knew that no matter how much of an issue they made of the relationship, it would be useless. After all, Joanna and Simon Lockwood were legally married, so the criticism had died down considerably.

However, there were still some snide remarks being made—for example, that Joanna was a “cradle robber.”

“This is infuriating!” Reading the comment, Joanna viciously bit into a perfect-looking cherry. It was all sour, no sweet.

‘These people are so harsh! Am I an old cow?! I’m clearly a kind, rich, beautiful older woman!’

Joanna looked over at a certain university student on his weekend break. Perhaps her resentful mood was a bit too thick in the air, as Simon Lockwood looked up from his computer screen. “What’s wrong?”

“Hungry again?”

“…”

“Simon Lockwood, I don’t eat as much as you think,” Joanna said resentfully.

Simon Lockwood glanced at the mostly-eaten plate of cherries and the half-eaten slice of strawberry cake on the table and said, “Mm, that’s not what I was thinking.”

“You ate very little for lunch, so I was worried you’d be hungry,” Simon Lockwood said.

Joanna felt placated. She let out a “harrumph” and then, feeling perfectly justified, went back to eating the cherries.

The cherries were a gift from her assistant’s hometown. Unlike the purely sweet ones from the market, these had a hint of tartness that gave them a unique flavor. Joanna ate several in a row, and as she did, her mind began to wander.

The weather was getting warmer, and the first crop of cherries was already on the market. An idea suddenly struck Joanna, and her eyes lit up.

“Simon Lockwood, isn’t your summer break starting soon?!”

“…Mhm, in two months.”

“That’s still soon!” Joanna, ever the optimist, clapped her hands and immediately laid out a crystal-clear plan for Simon Lockwood’s summer break. For the first half of the month, he’d accompany her to the film set to wrap up her shoot. Then, they could draw lots to pick a city and travel for half a month!

As for the remaining time, Joanna hadn’t decided yet. They’d figure it out when the time came.

*

This year, summer in Jornheim arrived exceptionally early, bringing the highest temperatures in five years. The sudden heatwave prompted several universities to start their summer breaks ahead of schedule, Jornheim University among them.

At the time, Joanna was filming in the south. She was so caught off guard when Simon Lockwood appeared on set that she couldn’t quite react, staring blankly until he strode over to her.

“Why is your face so red?” Simon Lockwood reached out, pressing his hand to her forehead.

Joanna instinctively closed her eyes. “It’s fine, I don’t have a fever. It’s just the heat.”

The heat in the south wasn’t like the dry heat of the north; it was a cloying, humid heat. It was like being stuffed into a high-temperature steamer, leaving your entire body feeling hot and sticky.

“Why are you here?” Joanna couldn’t help but ask.

“Mindy brought me.” Simon Lockwood twisted open a bottle of herbal tea and held it to Joanna’s lips. In his other hand, he aimed a small portable fan at her. “You said I could visit you on set.”

Joanna was amused by his matter-of-fact tone and teased, “Ah… Did I say that?”

“Do you want to hear the recording?”

“…You have a recording?!” Joanna’s eyes widened as she stared at Simon Lockwood in disbelief.

Simon Lockwood’s expression remained perfectly neutral. “Only if you were planning to deny it.”

Joanna was speechless. Joanna was incredulous. Joanna capitulated. “Fine, I said it.”

“Good.” Simon Lockwood was satisfied. “As long as Joanie remembers.”

“…”

Joanna gave him a big thumbs-up, sarcastically “praising” him for being so clever. Simon Lockwood’s expression didn’t so much as twitch as he held the herbal tea to her lips again.

Simon Lockwood had made the herbal tea himself. He’d used fewer of the bitter medicinal herbs and added more sweet and sour ingredients to improve the taste. Its medicinal effects weren’t as potent as typical herbal tea, but it had the advantage of tasting pretty good. At the very least, Joanna didn’t mind it.

She took several large gulps and felt instantly refreshed. Her eyes lit up as she looked at the dark liquid, and she said with heartfelt sincerity, “This works even better than that awful Huoxiang Zhengqi water!”

Of course the tea’s medicinal effects couldn’t compare to Huoxiang Zhengqi water. Only someone like Joanna would judge its potency based on taste alone.

“You can have some more,” Simon Lockwood said. “I brought plenty.”

“Mhm, mhm, mhm.” Joanna nodded eagerly. She’d already heard the director and other crew members laughing and cheerfully thanking Simon Lockwood.

The tea was most effective when slow-brewed, so Simon Lockwood had borrowed the hotel kitchen to make an extra-large batch. It was inconvenient to carry in cups, so he had brought it over in six large thermoses. Mindy Morgan had even helped him carry two of them.

This was different from just ordering milk tea for the crew; this was a gesture that came from the heart. Everyone saw and appreciated the effort. One after another, they went to thank Joanna, teasing her good-naturedly. “We have Ms. Kennedy to thank! This is the first time in my life I’ve had herbal tea that isn’t bitter and actually tastes good.”

“You can say that again! Man, this tea works way better than ice cream or popsicles. My head stopped spinning instantly.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? Are you saying I wasted my money buying ice cream for everyone the past two days…?”

“Hahahaha, I never said that! Don’t be so sensitive, will you? Hahaha.”

It was all good-natured banter. Even the director joined in, asking, “Hey, Jennings, where does your husband buy this herbal tea? Give me a recommendation. I’ll have to buy some to take home sometime.”

“He brewed it himself,” Joanna said.

The moment she said that, everyone who had been talking fell silent, their eyes wide with surprise.

Wow… he brewed it himself? The crowd looked at the coolly indifferent man. He looked as frosty as an ice cube, exuding an air of noble detachment, as if he were above such worldly matters.

‘Tending to a large pot of simmering herbal tea? You’d never guess it just by looking at him…’

“Ah… is that so,” the director said, recovering from his shock, his voice a little dazed. “Young Master Sin—… Mr. Lockwood certainly is a man of many talents…”

For the director, a man in his fifties, to address a young student who hadn’t even graduated from university as “Mr. Lockwood” was, in truth, rather out of place. And yet, when it came to Simon Lockwood, everyone felt it was completely normal.

The imposing presence of a person in power often has little to do with age. Some people are just born with an aura that commands respect.

“You can just call me Lockwood,” Simon Lockwood said politely.

Once everyone had dispersed, Simon Lockwood lowered his gaze and asked, “How did you know I didn’t buy it?”

“I guessed, of course,” Joanna said, winking playfully, a hint of pride in her voice. “Herbal tea this delicious couldn’t possibly be store-bought. It had to have been made by my man!”

The phrase “my man” had a certain classic feel to it. When spoken by someone the director’s age, it was just a term for a close partner. But coming from Joanna, it took on an inexplicably tender, flirtatious tone…

Simon Lockwood raised the bottle of tea slightly, his eyes fixed on Joanna’s. “Say that again.”

“Herbal tea this delicious couldn’t possibly be store-bought,” Joanna repeated dutifully.

Simon Lockwood said, “Not that sentence.”

Joanna’s eyes darted around. “That of course you’re the one who made it?”

“…That’s not it either.”

“Then what was it?”

Simon Lockwood frowned. The corner of his mouth twitched, but he didn’t say the words.