After Becoming a Cannon Fodder Side Character, I Became the Group’s Favorite (GL) - Chapter 17

End of July

After feeling that Xu Chacha had more or less adjusted to the new environment, Mr. and Mrs. Xu began to arrange for a primary school for her.

Because Xu Chacha said she had never attended school, they found a few sets of test papers and had her start with the simple ones, hoping to gauge her knowledge level. If she was too far behind, they would quickly find a tutor to help her catch up.

“Miss, come here,” Housekeeper Zhang held a piece of candy, trying to tempt Xu Chacha, fearing she wouldn’t want to do the test. “If you finish one test paper, Granny will give you a piece of candy, okay?”

Xu Chacha: “…”

At this moment, should she willingly take the bait, or stubbornly refuse?

For Xu Chacha, who was in the top class and received a full scholarship in her previous life, the first-grade primary school questions were easy enough to score full marks with her eyes closed.

However, to avoid arousing too much suspicion, she deliberately kept her score below sixty points, and her handwriting was deliberately crooked. She also intentionally paused on a few questions to think for a while, lengthening the time it took to complete the test.

By the time she finished the language, math, and English papers, the whole morning had passed.

Housekeeper Zhang took ten minutes to correct all the papers and was relieved to find that Xu Chacha’s foundation was not as bad as expected.

“Come, Granny will unwrap the candy for you.” Housekeeper Zhang tore open the difficult wrapper and put the lollipop into Xu Chacha’s mouth.

“Ah—” Xu Chacha opened her mouth wide, accepting the feeding. “Thank you, Granny.”

Housekeeper Zhang smiled, her face wrinkling up. “Miss is so great.”

When Mr. and Mrs. Xu returned home in the evening, Housekeeper Zhang reported the test results.

“Miss’s math is better than her Chinese and English, which shows she’s smart.”

First-grade math didn’t involve multiplication or division. Since Xu Chacha had been forced to help with business and count money at her previous home, it was normal for her to be able to do basic arithmetic. They had no suspicions.

“Chinese and English require time to memorize things, so it’s understandable that she’s a bit weaker,” Mrs. Xu flipped through the papers. “Tomorrow, I’ll have someone find a good tutor to teach Chacha.”

That evening, Mrs. Xu was the one who entered Xu Chacha’s room with a storybook.

“Darling, let’s talk about school, okay?”

“Okay!” Xu Chacha sat up straight, crossing her short legs. “Tell me, Mommy.”

“Does our darling like studying? Do you want to go to a very good school, or would you prefer something a bit easier?”

Mrs. Xu and Mr. Xu had discussed it. Since Xu Chacha had just returned and was still young, she might be resistant to the idea of studying. They didn’t want to pressure the child and wanted to respect her own wishes.

“Chacha wants to go to school,” Xu Chacha took Mrs. Xu’s hand. “When other children went to school before, Chacha could only crouch by the door and eavesdrop. Chacha really wants to go in and study with them, and I want to become smart too.”

“Mhm, good. Our darling is so well-behaved.” Mrs. Xu stroked her cheek. “Mommy will find you the best school and hire the best teachers. We will definitely make Chacha especially, especially smart.”

“Mhm, mhm, mhm!” Xu Chacha nodded her head. “Chacha wants to go to Sister’s school, so I can see Sister every day.”

“Whatever you say.” Mrs. Xu’s gaze was gentle.

“Then, can Auntie Mubai be my tutor?” Xu Chacha suggested selfishly. “Sister Panpan said Auntie is a super genius, and Chacha wants to be a super genius too!”

“Auntie Mubai, huh…” Mrs. Xu hesitated a little.

If they asked Wen Mubai for help, they would definitely have to repay her in some way. Wen Mubai didn’t lack money or fame, so repaying this favor would be somewhat troublesome.

“Can we call Auntie and ask?” Xu Chacha shook Mrs. Xu’s arm. Her dewy, deer-like eyes made it impossible to refuse.

“It’s too late today. We can’t disturb her rest. Mommy will ask her tomorrow, okay?”

“Okay!” Xu Chacha smiled and threw herself into Mrs. Xu’s arms, rubbing against her. “Mommy is the best.”

“Good girl. Now you can sleep peacefully, right?”

“Sleeping now.”

Xu Chacha kept her word. She stretched out her legs, covered herself with the blanket, and immediately closed her eyes.

“No need for stories today. You should go rest too, Mommy.” Fearing she wouldn’t leave, Xu Chacha reached her hand out from under the blanket in a shooing motion. “Hurry, hurry, hurry.”

Mrs. Xu smiled, shook her head, gave her a goodnight kiss on the forehead as usual, and quietly closed the door.

…

Mrs. Xu called Wen Mubai the next day, emphasizing repeatedly that she shouldn’t feel obligated if she didn’t have the time. However, Wen Mubai agreed almost immediately.

“School doesn’t start until September, and I’m very free until then,” she said. “Besides, I miss Chacha too.”

If the college entrance exams hadn’t been over, and she wasn’t done with her daily two-point-a-line life, Mr. Wen wouldn’t have agreed to let her travel with Jiang Panpan and her friends to relax.

“She’s the one who misses you. She keeps talking about missing Auntie so much, I’m starting to get jealous as her mother.”

With Mrs. Xu’s few simple descriptions, Wen Mubai could almost picture the little girl pulling on someone’s sleeve, acting spoiled and cute. She curved her lips. “She’s a child. It’s normal.”

When Mrs. Xu told Xu Chacha the news, she was so happy that she ate two large bowls of rice that evening.

It is worth mentioning that her sister, Xu Yanshu, who heard the entire conversation nearby, quietly ate her dinner, furiously consuming the sweet and sour ribs.

Even though she was only teaching first-grade primary school lessons, Wen Mubai still carefully prepared a teaching outline, took the time to borrow the new textbooks, and listed the important knowledge points. Once everything was ready, the car arranged by Mrs. Xu took her to the Xu family home early on Saturday morning.

Unlike most children who like to sleep in, Xu Chacha’s biological clock was incredibly precise, and her routine was very regular. Not only did she go to bed early and wake up early herself, but she also supervised the whole family.

Mrs. Xu once joked that even a seventy-year-old grandmother wasn’t as health-conscious as she was.

Xu Chacha’s room came with a desk, and the space was large enough for Wen Mubai to sit comfortably.

Her room had a faint lavender scent. The quilt, patterned with Hello Kitty, was neatly folded, and the floor was so clean there wasn’t even a strand of hair.

It was rare for a child this age to be so clean.

Wen Mubai placed the materials she brought onto the desk and pulled out the chair on the right to sit down.

“Auntie, drink water.”

“Auntie, eat cake.”

“Auntie, are you tired? Chacha will give you a shoulder massage.”

Xu Chacha was wearing a pale blue dress today, with white tights on her slender legs, and she was busy running around in her squeaky pink slippers, offering food to Wen Mubai.

Wen Mubai watched her trot back and forth a few times and finally couldn’t help but speak. “Sit down. Does Auntie need a little one like you to wait on her?”

“Huh?”

“Come here. Auntie wants to see if you’ve gotten fat.” Wen Mubai held the little girl’s arm and pressed her down onto the small stool next to the desk.

This stool was custom-made for Xu Chacha’s height. It was relatively high so she could reach the desktop, but there was a crossbar added between the legs of the stool, perfectly positioned for her feet to rest on.

“I can’t get any fatter. I don’t want to become a little fatty.”

“Don’t worry, you’re far from being a little fatty,” Wen Mubai held her hand up to compare their heights. “But rather than gaining weight, you should focus on growing taller first. You’re too small.”

!

Wen Mubai’s words accurately hit Xu Chacha’s sore spot. Her face instantly dropped, and she muttered softly, “Auntie is mean.”

Wen Mubai found this quite amusing and pressed further, “Mean to whom?”

Xu Chacha wrinkled her nose and said angrily, “I’m going to be mad at you for five minutes. Don’t talk to me right now.”

“Is that so?” Wen Mubai laughed instead of getting angry. She leaned against the desk, her right hand casually supporting her chin. “Your aunt called and said a little one was constantly saying she missed Auntie. I thought it was you. Was it not? Then I’ll go catch up with Yanshu.”

“No, don’t go.” Xu Chacha grabbed her, her round toes curling up to hook the crossbar of the stool. She said a little awkwardly, “It was me. It was me who missed Auntie.”