A Female Lead Wants a Lifelong Union With Me (Quick Transmigration) - Chapter 32

The following two periods were equally boring. An He, pushed to the limit of her patience, rummaged through her schoolbag for a while and pulled out a random piece of paper, intending to fold a paper crane to pass the time.

It had been a long time since she had done such delicate handiwork. Her fingers felt a bit clumsy, and after much struggling, she only managed to produce a “crippled” crane.

“That crane of yours…” The System sighed in her mind. “Looks like it was hit by laser radiation.”

“I just started folding, didn’t I?” An He countered. “First time’s awkward, second time’s a charm. Just wait until I fold the next one!”

She sounded confident enough that even the System was momentarily deceived, half-expecting some peerless masterpiece of a crane to emerge from her hands.

It wasn’t until An He finished her second crane with intense focus and placed it on the corner of the desk, shoulder-to-shoulder with the crippled one, that the System finally realized its mistake. It should never have believed a word of An He’s nonsense. Not a single word.

“Seems like it’s not even as good as the first one, huh…” After scrutinizing her work from every possible angle, An He was forced to come to this conclusion.

The System didn’t even want to acknowledge her.

However, someone else had noticed her series of actions—specifically, Xiao Hong, her neighbor at the next desk. Xiao Hong lived up to her name (“Little Red”); she wore a fiery red dress, a fiery red hat, and even her cheeks were rosy red. Looking at her, An He was reminded of the rising sun—unapologetically red and dazzling.

“What is… that?” Xiao Hong cleared her throat, sniffling back her snot while clicking her tongue in quiet mockery. “What kind of junk are you folding?”

Hearing herself questioned by a primary schooler, An He froze for a moment, then felt a surge of indignation.

“Haven’t you ever seen a paper crane?!” An He gripped the edge of her desk and leaned toward her, head poking out. “Who else could fold a paper crane as exquisite as this?”

“Tch.” She heard Xiao Hong let out a derisive snort.

Following An He’s example, Xiao Hong rummaged through her bag, found a sheet of homework paper, and lowered her head to fold with intense concentration. An He leaned back in her chair, pretending to look on nonchalantly, but her heart was actually pounding. She was terrified of being outperformed by a child.

But the moment she saw the finished product, she finally relaxed. The girl next to her was even worse; that crane’s neck was crooked, and it couldn’t even stand up.

“I… I don’t just know how to fold this!” Xiao Hong realized her performance was subpar, and even her neck turned red. “I can fold lilies, too!”

“Well, I can fold flower baskets,” An He said dismissively.

“I can fold little bunnies!” Xiao Hong, unwilling to be outdone, continued to make grand claims.

“I can fold the little bunny’s mother!” Seeing her puffed-up, angry look, An He couldn’t help but chuckle.

“I… I…” This time, Xiao Hong was left speechless, silenced for a good while.

Seeing her like this, An He thought there was no point in bickering with a child. She smiled, planning to turn back and mind her own business. But just as she was about to turn, she heard Xiao Hong mutter ominously: “I can also tell the teacher.”

An He: “…”

Hearing this, An He instinctively tried to hide the two paper cranes on her desk, but she didn’t expect Xiao Hong to be faster. The girl stood up and provided “full-service” snitching.

“Teacher! I’m reporting Yu Jiajia for folding paper in class!” She pointed at the two paper cranes on An He’s desk as evidence, snot crossing the “river” once again.

An He whipped her head around and saw that Xiao Hong had already hidden her own crooked-necked crane.

System: Outsmarted by a primary schooler.

An He: …So annoying.

This was a Chinese class, and it happened to be taught by a teacher who wasn’t particularly patient and couldn’t stand students daydreaming. Seeing those two ugly pieces of evidence on An He’s desk, she waved her hand and pointed toward a clear path.

“Go,” the teacher said. “Yu Jiajia, go to the back and stand as punishment.”

Hearing this punishment, the other children all turned their faces to stare at An He, their eyes filled with a mix of sympathy and horror. The area at the back of the classroom was a “dark zone” to them; if you were sent there to stand, you had lost face completely.

So, from the moment An He stood up to the moment she turned and walked toward the back, she felt like a warrior destined to die on the battlefield in their eyes. An He sighed and walked slowly, giving Xiao Hong a heavy stare on the way. Xiao Hong had just sat back down, the smug smile still lingering on her face.

An He was quick. In that split second, she reached out and snatched the crooked paper crane Xiao Hong had hidden between her legs.

“Teacher, I’m reporting too!” she said with a grin.

Now, two people were arranged at the back of the classroom. An He and Xiao Hong stood on opposite sides, looking like two guardian demons flanking the back blackboard.

An He didn’t really mind. Being older, she had thick skin and felt that being sent to the back was practically a routine. But for the child Xiao Hong, she had already dissolved into a puddle of tears, snot and tears blurring her entire face. An He felt a slight urge to comfort her, until she saw Xiao Hong use her sleeve to wipe her face again. She immediately felt that her previous thought was entirely unnecessary.

The class was only halfway through, and there was still a long time until the bell. Standing at the back, An He felt she was so bored she might start growing flowers. She desperately wanted someone to talk to.

Just as she was thinking this, but before she could act, she noticed the “Big Boss” at her original seat silently closing her book. Then, she raised her hand and called out loudly, “Report!”

“What is it?” The teacher turned back to look at her, this time with a smile. “Does Han Peiqiu have a question?”

“Teacher, I’m sleepy,” Han Peiqiu said loudly, her face a picture of righteous conviction. “I want to go to the back and stand for a while to wake myself up!”

“Go on, go on.” The teacher waved her off, a radiant smile on her face. “Come back when you’ve stood long enough.”

“Okay.” Han Peiqiu nodded, packed her things briefly, and then, under everyone’s gaze, walked with confident steps to An He’s side.

An He: A little touched, and a little overwhelmed.

“Why did you come over too?” Once the Boss had settled beside her, An He leaned in and whispered.

The moment she finished speaking, she saw the Boss’s lips curl into a gentle smile. It was the first time An He had seen her smile. She didn’t react for a moment, simply frozen in place.

“I know how to fold paper cranes, too,” she heard the Boss say. Soon, a small object was gently placed into the palm of her hand.

An He looked down and saw an incredibly exquisite, perfect paper crane.

“I can also fold lilies, flower baskets, and bunnies,” the Boss continued. She seemed a bit embarrassed, her voice growing smaller and smaller. “So…”

“Mhm?” An He asked.

“So, if you want to see next time, I’ll fold them for you,” Han Peiqiu said. “Don’t… don’t go looking for Xiao Hong.”

The original novel didn’t spend much ink describing the Big Boss’s childhood. An He only knew that the adult Boss was a powerhouse who swept through all obstacles, but she had no idea the childhood version possessed such a cute side.

Looking at her, An He felt her heart melting. How could she be so soft, so well-behaved? She couldn’t help but babble to the System, declaring she had made up her mind: from now on, she was going to treat the Big Boss like her own daughter.

System: “???”

An He: “I’m going to pluck the moon and stars from the sky for her! I’ll spoil her, love her, and give her the very best!”

System: “Fine, fine. Whatever makes you happy.”

Han Peiqiu had no idea An He had already assigned her a new role in her heart. Seeing An He remain silent, she thought An He didn’t believe her.

“Do you want to see one now?” she asked softly, using her book to hide her mouth like a little thief. “If you want, I can fold one for you right now.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine.” Hearing this, An He shook her head quickly, afraid of overworking the Boss. “Just stay here and stand with me.”

“I’m not standing with you,” Han Peiqiu said. “I’m just sleepy.”

“Right, right,” An He nodded in agreement. “Sleepy, of course.”

Perhaps because An He had seen through her true thoughts, the Boss immediately retreated back into her “cool and aloof” persona and didn’t utter another word for a long time.

An He wasn’t bored, though. She was currently asking the System for a “Parenting Manual” in her head.

An He: The manual says to respect the child’s wishes and never force them.

System: Uh-huh.

An He: It also says to prepare small surprises for the child from time to time. A dual reward of material and spiritual things is best.

System: Oh.

An He: So, do you think I should occasionally give the Boss some small gifts?

“Don’t forget you’re also a primary schooler right now,” the System sighed. “Where are you going to get the money for gifts?”

Suddenly reminded by the System, An He realized the problem and immediately started rummaging through her pockets. After a moment, she paused and silently pulled out a piece of paper, clutching it in her palm.

“How much is it?” The System mocked her in her mind. “Show us.”

“Probably just a buck or so…” An He said as she slowly opened her hand.

In an instant, she was utterly shocked. The paper in her hand was red. Although it was a bit wrinkled and didn’t look very pretty, its value was undeniable. Looking at that bright red 100-yuan bill, An He couldn’t help but shed tears of excitement.

“Who would have thought… that I’m actually a wealthy person?”