Reborn as the Villainess

Chapter 57

At night, after Eleanor had completed half of the test papers assigned by her teacher, she already felt like her brain was about to explode. It wasn't easy to make someone with a doctorate from a prestigious university feel like they were about to throw up from doing practice questions.

She truly admired all the modern high school seniors. To not crumble under such intense pressure and even manage to calmly get into a good university-their mental strength was more impressive than when she was an award-winning actress in her previous life. Eleanor put down her pen, exhaled deeply, and rubbed her throbbing forehead. She grabbed her cup, intending to go downstairs and get some warm water to stay awake and then come back to continue tackling the test papers.

At that moment, the maids downstairs had already gone to bed, and the whole villa was quiet. Just as Eleanor finished pouring her water and was about to head upstairs, she suddenly heard a sound of paper tearing coming from a corner. She was puzzled by the noise and couldn't help but wonder, 'Is someone else still awake?'Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.

Eleanor blinked and, out of curiosity, walked over. In a quiet corner of the living room, she actually spotted a figure. He seemed irritated, repeatedly tearing up paper and scratching his head. She thought to herself, 'Ah, well, now I know how his messy hair came to be.' "Get lost! Didn't I tell everyone not to bother me?" Corey snapped. He was incredibly frustrated. Even though he had inspiration in his mind, he just couldn't get it onto paper.

He clearly remembered the mesmerizing dance he had seen during the day. It had sparked an idea in his head, but now, as he sat down to draw, everything seemed wrong. No matter what he did, it felt like something was missing. He couldn't figure out what the problem was.

Eleanor hadn't realized it was Corey. She had assumed it was Andrew handling some business here. Hearing Corey's irritated tone, she didn't want to annoy him further. "Sorry. I didn't know it was you. I'll leave now."

She figured Corey clearly had a problem with her and didn't like her, so it was better to keep her distance..

Just as Eleanor was about to turn and leave, she was suddenly stopped by his voice. "Wait."

She turned around, somewhat confused. "What is it?"

Corey froze as well. He didn't know why he had called out to her the moment he heard her voice. "Uh..." Now, it seemed like both of them were waiting for the other to speak first, and the atmosphere grew a little awkward.

He cleared his throat before awkwardly asking, "Uh, I just wanted to ask you something... That thing you were talking about with Victor earlier today, the 'rebirth of the swan. What does that mean?" Right now, he just wanted to finish his draft. Otherwise, he wouldn't even bother speaking to Eleanor.

cleanor blinked, feeling a bit confused. "Rebirth of the swan?"

"Yeah. Rebirth. In other words, how do you understand the concept of rebirth?" Corey's tone carried a hint of impatience. Eleanor blinked again, looking even more lost. "Rebirth?"

Seeing her expression, Corey thought she was avoiding the question, and his temper flared. "You know what... If you don't want to explain it, forget it. Get out of here!" His attitude was downright nasty.

Eleanor felt utterly innocent in the situation. She had no idea what he was even asking, so why was he suddenly getting

angry

for no reason?

But according to the novel's description, this Corey standing before her was a famous fashion designer and stylist. He had

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Chapter 57

practically dedicated all his time and energy to the design industry, so from the looks of it, the thing frustrating him must be related to his design.

The more Eleanor thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Steeling herself, she took a step closer. Sure enough, the draft paper strewn across the table in front of Corey was filled with frustrated scribbles. Crumpled balls of paper piled up around his feet, nearly covering them. It was clear he was on the verge of a breakdown.

She bent down and picked up a few of the crumpled papers, unfolding them to reveal nothing but messy lines. In the bottom right corner, a word was written: [Rebirth.] Suddenly, it all clicked for Eleanor. She pondered, 'No wonder Corey had asked me about the rebirth of the swan-his design theme was about rebirth. But then...'

"Why is it all black and white when your design theme is rebirth" Eleanor asked.

Corey frowned, tearing another draft from the pad and crumpling it up before tossing it aside. When he heard her question, he replied irritably, "Black represents death, and white represents light. Black and white are the most powerful contrasts, making them perfect for illustrating rebirth. Besides, they-"

He cut himself off, shaking his head. "Forget it. Why am I even explaining this to you? You don't understand art, and you don't understand design either. Just get lost and stop bothering me." He waved her away again, clearly frustrated.

Eleanor didn't leave right away. Instead, she said, "I might not understand design or art, but I do know that this one of yours isn't exactly good-looking."

"How dare you?" Corey's eyes widened with anger.

He had won so many world-class awards, and the natural reaction from everyone who saw his work was praise. No one had ever dared to criticize his designs right to his face. concept of a

Eleanor continued, "It's true though. And besides, what you said just now isn't right. Who says rebirth has to be represented in black and white? I think you could switch it to red and black. The contrast would be striking. Isn't the phoenix rising from the ashes the same?" Corey's previously indifferent gaze brightened. "A phoenix rising from the ashes? Rebirth through fire?"

Eleanor nodded but obediently set down the draft in her hand, adding, "I was just saying whatever came to mind. After all, like you

said, I don't understand art. You should still design it however you want." With that, she took her cup and headed

upstairs.

***

The following day, as soon as Eleanor entered the classroom, she sensed something was off.

Since she really valued her high school experience, she always arrived early. Usually, there wouldn't be many people around at this time, but today, the room was unexpectedly full. Especially the boys-every single one of them from the class was present, sitting in neat rows.

The moment Eleanor walked in, the boys' eyes were instantly drawn to her, and they couldn't help but stare. Some had red ears, others had flushed faces, and a few were so excited they were holding their books upside down. The awkward teenage energy was practically written all over their faces.

Janet saw Eleanor come in and instinctively raised her hand to greet Eleanor, as usual. But the moment she got a closer look at Eleanor's flawless face, her raised hand quietly retreated.

Even though Janet had seen Eleanor's true face without glasses yesterday, seeing Eleanor up close today still left her in awe. She found herself unable to meet such a beautiful face head-on. Janet stammered, "Eleanor... You're so beautiful..."

Chapter 57

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Eleanor frowned slightly-at-he barely perceptible and lingering stares from around her. Although they meant no harm, it still made her feel a little uncomfortable, a