A Vicious Supporting Female is the Female Lead's Darling (GL) - Chapter 19

Three years without seeing each other felt like an eternity; everything seemed to have changed drastically, and Du Ruoqiu urgently needed time to get used to it.

Du Ruoqiu was not the type of person who easily adapted to new environments. Years ago, when she was forced to go abroad to study, she spent her first two months hiding under her blankets crying, refusing to speak or make friends. It had taken a long time for her to adjust.

Returning home this time was the same. Though her reaction wasn’t as severe as before, she still spent several days recalibrating. She thought she was finally ready, but she didn’t expect to fall into the hands of Du Qingqing.

What on earth had happened to her cousin?!

Du Ruoqiu spent a bewildered night, and when she washed up and walked out the door the next morning, she was so shocked she almost thought she had opened the door the wrong way.

—Parked in front of her house was a long, impressive line of luxury cars.

Every brand imaginable was there, each car extravagant and high-end, highlighting the extraordinary status of its owner. But upon closer inspection, the people sitting inside were all servants from the Jin household. A quick glance revealed the butler, the nanny, the chef, the gardener…

Her cousin was nowhere to be seen!

Du Ruoqiu, dazed, stood on her tiptoes to scan the line for the most expensive car, thinking that if the servants were driving such nice cars, her cousin’s must be even more grand.

That was until she saw a tiny Chery at the very front of the convoy.

Because it was so small and inconspicuous, she didn’t even notice it at first. It took three complete scans of the line before she finally spotted it. And the person sitting inside… was indeed her charming and noble cousin.

Du Ruoqiu: “???” The world has become far too surreal.

Feeling a bit stunned, she waved at Du Qingqing, walked forward, smoothed her skirt, and got into the car. She greeted her cousin politely and obediently, preparing to reconfirm whether they were actually going to plant potatoes today.

But before she could open her mouth, her cousin slowly raised a hand and handed her a straw hat with a radiant smile.

“…”

In the next second, Du Ruoqiu swallowed her questions back into her stomach.

The weather today was lovely—the temperature and humidity were perfect for sowing seeds.

Du Qingqing had spoken with Uncle Liu early on, asking him to tell the servants who had free time to come along the next day to do something “big.” As for what that “big thing” was, well, you know.

Uncle Liu nodded, seemingly having accepted the fact that his young lady’s head had been damaged at some unknown point. He immediately agreed to arrange it.

Thus, the following morning, this scene unfolded: the servants of the mansion were all dressed in uniform, tools in hand and straw hats on their heads, sitting obediently in the cars ready to head to the battlefield. They even spontaneously came up with a slogan: “Strengthen the body, temper the mind, labor is the most glorious!”

Du Qingqing was moved and immediately waved her hand, announcing that everyone’s salary for the month would be doubled.

This time, everyone acted as if they’d been injected with chicken blood. They drove the cars to the field, met up with the people Uncle Liu had hired, and immediately buried their heads in work, sweating profusely under the brilliant sun.

Du Ruoqiu was floored. She picked up her tools in a daze and followed them into the field. She had barely dug twice before she nearly tripped and fell into the mud. At the critical moment, Du Qingqing reached out and pulled her back, preventing an unnecessary disaster.

“A-Qiu, be careful.” Being the older cousin, Du Qingqing saw that Du Ruoqiu was quite shaken. She reached out and gently patted her head, saying softly, “It’s okay, there, there.”

Her voice and actions were wrapped in a gentle warmth, like a truly responsible elder sister—someone trustworthy and dependable.

This was the first time her cousin had ever been this nice to her.

Du Ruoqiu froze, feeling the warmth of that hand on her head. After a long while, her cheeks flushed slightly, and she lowered her eyes, whispering, “Thank you, cousin.” She looked a bit like a small, pitiful puppy.

Du Qingqing’s maternal instinct flared. Instead of rushing back to work, she stayed and talked to her for a bit. “Is A-Qiu not used to this kind of thing?”

Du Ruoqiu fell silent and didn’t speak for a long time. Du Qingqing wasn’t in a hurry; she waited patiently until the girl finally gave a tiny nod and let out a tentative “Mm.”

Du Qingqing was actually quite happy. She felt Du Ruoqiu was finally willing to express her thoughts, even if it was just a small “Mm.” It was a big step forward; the future would be better!

Du Qingqing smiled and led her to sit on the ridge of the field for a heart-to-heart. “It’s okay. Everyone has times when they aren’t used to things. You’ll adapt slowly. As long as you have conviction in your heart and believe in yourself, you can do it.”

She raised her tools slightly, using farming as an example to teach a life lesson. “Look at me—it’s my first time farming, my first time sowing seeds, my first time sweating so freely under the sun. A-Qiu and I are exactly the same. The key is how you look at it and what attitude you take.”

She blinked her beautiful eyes, which were full of gentle laughter. “Life is the same; you’ll always encounter various setbacks, but I believe that as long as you have conviction and are willing to take action, everything can be overcome. Our A-Qiu is so smart and wonderful, I know you can do it. Just believe in yourself!”

So smart and wonderful… This was the first time her cousin had ever praised her like this.

Du Ruoqiu blushed at the praise, her heart pounding. Looking at the tools in her hand, she suddenly felt motivated. She followed her cousin’s advice, running off to the side to try her best to adapt while encouraging herself.

One way or another, a day passed. Although her body was exhausted, her heart was light, as if she had found a life goal for the first time in her many years. So, after a night of rest, she returned with her tools and Du Qingqing the next day, and then the third, and the fourth. By the fifth day, she was even letting loose and shouting slogans along with everyone else.

Du Qingqing was deeply moved. She clapped her hands and said, “As long as you’re willing to dig deep, young people really do have infinite potential.”

The System rolled its eyes. “No, I don’t think so. I think she’s just been assimilated by you…”

The diligent farming lasted for five days. On the sixth day, Du Qingqing finally gave everyone a day off. Not because they were tired, but because tomorrow was a special day—the 66th birthday of the original host’s father, Jin Shanhai.

Customs vary; some people celebrate it for luck, while others think it’s a “hurdle” year and skip it. It’s all up to the individual. Father Jin was a businessman who had spent years in the corporate world; he was extremely sensitive to numbers and particularly liked auspicious ones. So, his birthday was a must-celebrate event—and a grand one at that.

A few days prior, Du Qingqing had received an invitation to Jin Shanhai’s birthday party. It was quite funny—they were father and daughter, yet they went through the formal process of sending invitations as if they were strangers. To anyone else, it was baffling. But for this pair, it was perfectly normal.

Jin Ruge’s relationship with her parents had been terrible for several years. Having a daughter late in life, they had spoiled her excessively. Once she was “spoiled rotten,” trying to fix her was no easy task. They had tried many tactics over the years, all of which failed and instead stepped on her “landmines,” causing her to fly off like a bird. For years, there had been no contact besides her asking for allowance. She wouldn’t even return for their birthdays.

But this time was different.

Du Qingqing opened the invitation and scanned it. Sure enough, at the very end, she found content that differed from the others. It was written personally by Father Jin, each stroke powerful and bold: “Rein in your playboy nature; you must return this time! Or I will cut off your allowance!”

To the original Jin Ruge, these words were an ultimatum. But to Du Qingqing, they weren’t.

She had actually bought the gift long ago, chosen according to Father Jin’s tastes and beautifully wrapped. She wanted to give him a surprise. Even though… she wasn’t actually the daughter he loved, and she would never again be a child who had her own parents’ affection.

Her own parents had passed away in an accident many years ago. In the years following, Du Qingqing had lived alone, struggling through a painful existence. So, she actually quite envied Jin Ruge.

Du Qingqing sighed. Thinking about this made her chest feel tight, as if she were wrapped in darkness. Her eyes grew moist. She sat there in sorrow like a stray dog for a while, nearly on the verge of crying, when her phone suddenly chimed.

Startled, she instinctively wiped her tears and sat up straight. It was a message from Su Jimian!

Du Qingqing froze and clicked in. Su Jimian had sent her a photo. It was an earring—the style she had worn the night they went to the movies. It had been dangling from her ear when she went, but she’d lost one by the time she got back. Du Qingqing had assumed it fell out somewhere along the way and didn’t think much of it.

Looking at it now, it must have fallen onto the bed. Because it was dark, Su Jimian had only found it today while organizing her backpack.

Sure enough, a moment later, Su Jimian sent another message, saying she had accidentally picked it up. She asked if Du Qingqing had time tomorrow so she could deliver it in person.

The earring wasn’t expensive; it wasn’t worth the trouble of a special trip. Normally, Du Qingqing might have told her to just keep it until they next met. But today was different.

For some reason, Du Qingqing suddenly wanted to see her. Even if it was just to grab an earring, wave, and turn away—doing nothing and saying nothing. But she still wanted to see her. Perhaps because they were friends who had shared a meal, a movie, and WeChat contacts. There was nothing wrong with seeing a friend when you were sad.

Du Qingqing thought a lot, so her reply was a bit slow. Su Jimian, thinking she wasn’t there, sent another message: “Miss Jin?”

That one line pulled Du Qingqing back. She quickly replied: “I’m here, I’m here!”

Checking the time, she worried it was getting late and might affect Su Jimian’s rest. Instead of typing, she sent a voice message: “Do you have time now? I happen to be free. Can I come over and get it?”

Because she was afraid of being rejected, her voice cracked with tension, and her body trembled slightly. After a few agonizing seconds of waiting, a new message popped up on the screen.

Su Jimian had unexpectedly said yes.

Du Qingqing’s heart finally settled. She stood up, grabbed her car keys, and prepared to head out. Just as she got into the car, another message appeared. It was also from Su Jimian, with a few more words than before: “Miss Jin, please be safe on the road.”

Looking at those words, a light flickered in Du Qingqing’s eyes. After hesitating for a few seconds, she cleared her throat, pressed the record button, and promised solemnly: “Got it.”

She added: “Mianmian, wait for me. I’m on my way!”

There was a hint of irrepressible joy and a smile in her voice.