A Vicious Supporting Female is the Female Lead's Darling (GL) - Chapter 18

I can’t believe I actually got a piece of candy from Su Jimian.

Du Qingqing paused, instinctively reaching out to take it. She held it up against the flickering light of the screen to examine it closely. It was a brand she had never seen before; the packaging was entirely in English, without a single word she recognized.

However, she could still tell what flavor it was. It was strawberry—there was a large, cute cartoon strawberry with its hands on its hips printed on the wrapper.

“You actually carry candy with you,” Du Qingqing said with a pleasant surprise. She thanked her and peeled off the wrapper to pop the candy into her mouth. She instinctively poked for information: “Did you buy this at the convenience store where you work?”

“No,” Su Jimian denied. “I bought it elsewhere.”

“Does it taste good?” she asked. Although her gaze had returned to the screen, she seemed to keep a bit of her peripheral vision on Du Qingqing. “Is it to Miss Jin’s liking?”

“It is, it is!” Du Qingqing nodded hurriedly. She curled her lips into a smile and gave a light thumbs-up. “It’s delicious. Thank you, Mianmian.”

On the surface, she was playing the part of a “simp” again, but she wasn’t just being complimentary. The candy was actually very good. Du Qingqing usually didn’t like things that were too sweet and rarely ate candy for fear of that cloying aftertaste. She had been a bit hesitant, but once the candy was in her mouth, she realized her worries were unnecessary.

It was surprisingly subtle—not overly sweet, but filled with a creamy, fruity fragrance that left a wonderful aftertaste. Du Qingqing nodded, flipping the wrapper around to study it for a bit, memorizing the brand so she could buy some to stockpile later.

As she let her mind wander, she looked up to find, to her surprise, that the horror movie was already over. She had been so busy researching the wrapper and the flavor that she hadn’t paid any attention to the film! It seemed having the candy really did stop her from being afraid.

“…”

Regardless of why she wasn’t scared anymore, the film ended with enough time for one more. This time, Du Qingqing spent a while picking a comedy that they both enjoyed. They laughed their way through it, and she felt the boredom and fatigue in her heart dissipate. She felt cheerful enough to drive straight to the fields and plant a few acres of potatoes right then and there.

“Can you think about something other than farming for once?!” the System roared in her head. “What’s so great about those potatoes!”

“They can be sold for money,” Du Qingqing said. “I’m an adult; I can’t keep reaching out to my parents for money forever. Besides, farming builds character and keeps you fit. It’s a win-win.”

It sounded like it actually made some sense. The System let out a cold snort. Though it was slightly convinced, it maintained its attitude. “That’s just an excuse.”

“Whatever you say.” Du Qingqing was too lazy to argue. She shook her head and whispered, “If you dislike it that much, I won’t give you any when the potatoes are ripe. I was planning to make a bunch of fries for you…”

System: “!!!”

Oh right, potatoes can be eaten that way.

The System paused, realizing it had been a bit too absolute just now. It coughed and secretly opened a bag of chips, munching while muttering, “Fine, you have a point. Plant them, then.” Because of the awkwardness, it even stuttered a little.

Du Qingqing wanted to laugh. She didn’t follow the System’s lead but asked suddenly, “Is that your last bag?”

“Yeah,” the System nodded. “Why?”

“Nothing,” Du Qingqing smiled. “Eat up and enjoy yourself. My funds are limited lately, and I need to cut unnecessary expenses. So, the next time you want to eat them, you’ll have to wait until the potatoes are harvested~”

System: “???”

This is revenge! This is blatant revenge!

This was what the old saying called “cutting off one’s own retreat.” The System wept in sorrow, sighed, and shut its mouth, wondering how it could win a second chance for itself.

Finally, it was quiet.

Du Qingqing shook her head helplessly. Seeing the time, she realized it was time to take Su Jimian back. She stood up, looked at the girl beside her packing her bag, and said casually, “Shall we go back?”

Realizing the phrasing was a bit off, she quickly course-corrected: “Shall I take you back?”

“Okay.” This time, Su Jimian didn’t refuse and nodded her head.

After staying in the dark room for nearly four hours, emerging back into the world felt a bit surreal. Du Qingqing hurried to get the car, picked up Su Jimian at the entrance, and looked out through the glass. She noticed the sky had turned gloomy again. It looked like a downpour was imminent, accompanied by the sounds of wind and thunder.

“Miss Jin, you can just drop me off at the intersection,” Su Jimian said as they approached the school. “It won’t be convenient for you to get back if it starts raining.”

“It’s fine.” Du Qingqing shook her head. Realizing the girl was worried about her made her heart feel a bit warm. “I checked the forecast; it won’t rain for at least half an hour. I’ll drive fast on the way back; there’s plenty of time.”

She was determined to see her all the way back, her tone firm enough that it was hard to refuse. Su Jimian looked up at the sky. She seemed lost in thought for a moment before replying, “Alright then. Sorry to trouble you, Miss Jin.”

That’s more like it.

Du Qingqing said it was no trouble and stepped on the gas. She delivered the girl to the dorm building and reminded her, “Go on. You’ve been out all day; get some good rest once you’re inside.”

“Okay,” Su Jimian agreed. “Miss Jin, you too.” Having said that, she picked up her bag to leave.

Du Qingqing hurriedly reached out to stop her. “Mianmian.”

She moved a bit too fast; her fair, soft hand instinctively gripped Su Jimian’s wrist, her five fingers holding on tightly. Skin pressed against skin, and a strange sensation crawled up from the point of contact, causing Su Jimian to freeze.

But the person holding her seemed completely oblivious. She looked at her, squinting slightly with a fawning smile.

She asked, “Mianmian, we played together all day today. We count as friends now, right?”

Su Jimian looked down at the hand on her wrist. “And?”

“And… give me your WeChat,” Du Qingqing whispered, her voice surprisingly soft. “How can we be friends if we don’t even have a way to contact each other?~”

Perhaps the “fawning” tactic worked, because Du Qingqing finally got Su Jimian’s WeChat. She watched as the girl secretly changed her display name from the initials “SJM” to “js.m.”

Hah, still trying to guard against me.

Du Qingqing huffed in her heart. She deleted her own nickname and, with a grand sweep of her hand, changed it to: Sister Geru.

Not only am I tricking you, I’m also taking advantage of you (by calling myself ‘Sister’)!

Du Qingqing felt satisfied. She happily added her as a friend and finally let her go. “Go back slowly.”

“You too.” Su Jimian stared at that nickname for a bit. A hint of a smile flashed through her eyes. She changed the contact note on her end and said, “It’s about to rain. Miss Jin, be careful on the road.”

“Okay.” Du Qingqing nodded, instinctively standing on her tiptoes to see what Su Jimian had labeled her as. But her attempt failed, and she had to get back into her car and head home.

She drove carefully and made it home safely within thirty minutes. Just as she put her things away, the sky opened up. Seeing this, Du Qingqing was both shocked and relieved, boasting to the System: “See how well I timed that?”

The System, still holding a grudge, only replied: “Hmph!”

“What are you ‘hmph-ing’ about?” Du Qingqing was speechless. “Am I wrong?”

System: “Ptooey!”

Du Qingqing: “…”

She’s like a three-year-old when it comes to food.

She coaxed the angry System for a while before turning to wash up. Just as she came out, a servant knocked on the door, saying that a Miss Du Ruoqiu had called.

Du Ruoqiu.

It had been quite a while since she’d heard that name—not since she stopped respawning in the bathtub. Du Ruoqiu was the original Jin Ruge’s cousin. Like her, she was wealthy and beautiful. However, her family wasn’t nearly as rich as the Jins, and she wasn’t as pretty as Jin Ruge.

Growing up together, Jin Ruge always outshone her. Over time, this girl developed quite an inferiority complex in front of her elder cousin and would instinctively try to please her. Furthermore, she also harbored a secret crush on Zhang Xinyuan, which made her internal life a constant struggle. She had gone abroad for three years to study, which helped a bit.

She was a pitiful girl. In her previous lives, Du Qingqing had tried to help her where she could, but because she hadn’t found the right method and was struggling herself, the results were minimal. But not this time. She was going to properly solve Du Ruoqiu’s problems.

After all, they both had the surname Du (in her original life). Eight hundred years ago, they were one family. How could she not show some love to her own kin?

With that in mind, Du Qingqing called Du Ruoqiu back. Sitting on her bed and fiddling with the small flower Su Jimian gave her, she asked with maternal affection, “A-Qiu, why were you looking for your big sister?”

A-Qiu?

Du Ruoqiu was stunned on the other end of the line. She thought she had answered the wrong call. She checked the caller ID several times to confirm it was indeed her cousin. Why was she calling her that? And her voice sounded so… gentle. Normally, she coldly called her “Du Ruoqiu.”

Du Ruoqiu was dazed. It took several turns of her brain to whisper back, “I… I just missed you, sister. I wanted to ask what you’ve been up to lately. Since I just got back from abroad and my studies were so busy, I didn’t have time to contact you…”

She stumbled over her words as if she were talking to a tiger.

This won’t do. This child has too little self-esteem.

Du Qingqing frowned and deliberately made her voice even gentler. “Nothing much, just busy with this and that. I actually have plenty of time. What about you? What has A-Qiu been up to?”

“Nothing… nothing much,” Du Ruoqiu continued to stammer. “I’ve been resting at home for a few days and visited my aunt and uncle. Tomorrow morning, I’m going to the riverbank to do some sketching. In the afternoon, I’ll visit you, and in the evening…”

Sketching by the riverbank.

Du Qingqing sensed something was wrong. She quickly flipped through the script and realized she could not let Du Ruoqiu go out tomorrow. Because that idiot Zhang Xinyuan was also going to the riverbank tomorrow with his circle of friends for a barbecue!

Du Ruoqiu had a “relapse” whenever she saw Zhang Xinyuan. After not seeing him for so long, who knew what kind of scene it would be? She had to stop her.

Du Qingqing proposed: “How about you don’t go sketching tomorrow? We haven’t seen each other in so long, and I really miss you. Come stay with me.”

“If you really want to go out, that’s fine too,” she said, a calculating smile curling her lips. “I’ll take you to a great place. It’s much more beautiful than the riverbank—blue sky, white clouds, little bridges, flowing water. It’s stunning.”

She continued her sales pitch: “And it can help you get fit and purify your soul. It’ll be very helpful for you.”

It sounded wonderful. Anyone would be tempted. Du Ruoqiu listened seriously and finally nodded. “Alright then, I’ll come find you directly tomorrow…”

“So, where are we going?” she asked curiously. “Do I need to bring anything or make any preparations?”

“No need,” Du Qingqing said. “Just bring some Essential Balm.”

Du Ruoqiu: “Essential Balm?”

“Yeah.” Du Qingqing nodded and gave a proud thumbs-up to the phone, finally revealing her ultimate goal:

“Big sister is taking A-Qiu to plant potatoes!”