After Becoming a Cannon Fodder Side Character, I Became the Group’s Favorite (GL) - Chapter 28

“What child are you? I’ve never even seen you before. How could you have heard me swearing? You’re talking nonsense.” She smiled guilelessly and walked towards Xu Chacha. “Did someone make you deliberately lie just so the old woman would lose her job?”

Xu Chacha didn’t let her get close, dodging behind Wen Mubai. “Grandpa Lang, what I said is the truth. Yueyue wrote me a note saying she was very scared, so she hid in the restroom and only dared to come out after you arrived. If you don’t believe me, I can show you.”

Her reminder made Lang Shu realize that indeed, every time he came to deliver a meal, Yueyue would just happen to come back from outside. She habitually went to the public restroom when going out for air. Since the VIP ward had its own restroom, it wasn’t far to walk back to use it.

She must have gotten used to hiding in the outside restroom and subconsciously went there every time.

“Look.” Xu Chacha handed him the notes she had tucked into her pocket. “Chacha didn’t lie.”

Lang Shu took the slips of paper and recognized the shaky handwriting.

‘Waiting for Grandpa’

‘She won’t let me I’m scared’

The aged hand holding the notes began to tremble. Lang Shu hadn’t expected the helper he hired to look after Lang Yueyue to have been bullying the child all along.

He felt panicked and self-reproachful, hating himself for trusting a few recommendations from so-called acquaintances and believing Auntie Miao so completely, only to end up being an accomplice in harming his own granddaughter.

“Get out!” The old man was red in the face and furious, looking like he wanted to devour her alive.

It was the first time Wen Mubai had seen him so angry. Worried that it would scare Xu Chacha, she quickly covered the girl’s ears.

“Huh?” Xu Chacha tilted her head back. Her soft bangs parted to the sides, and her dark eyes met Wen Mubai’s with confusion.

Wen Mubai mouthed to her, “It’s fine.”

Xu Chacha actually wanted to enjoy the scene of the villain being exposed for a while longer, but her guardian wouldn’t allow it. Seeing that both their emotions were getting agitated, Wen Mubai picked up Xu Chacha, opened the door, and placed her on a bench in the outer corridor.

Xu Chacha propped herself up on the bench, her small face drooping. “Auntie, why do some people always bully children?”

Wen Mubai thought she was reminded of past events. She gently rubbed her head with her large hand and said softly, “That’s why God arranges parents to be with every child, to protect them from harm when there are bad people around.”

Xu Chacha nodded thoughtfully, her dangling thin legs swinging in boredom. “I see.”

“Mmm.” Wen Mubai continued, “Just like you have your Mom and Dad to protect you, Yueyue has her Grandpa to protect her.”

Xu Chacha looked up at her, her tone innocent. “Chacha understands all the concepts, but Auntie, aren’t you a Buddhist? Why are you telling me a story about God?”

“…” Wen Mubai.

Why did she have to open her big mouth?

The farce finally ended with Auntie Miao crying and running out the door. As she hurried past, she didn’t forget to glare viciously at Xu Chacha, but Wen Mubai raised her hand to shield the girl and glared back with cold eyes.

“The hospital hallways have surveillance. Don’t worry. As soon as we find any evidence, we’ll meet again at the police station next time.” She spoke the most chilling words to Auntie Miao in a calm voice.

“Why do you rich people have to pick a fight with an old woman like me?”

Wen Mubai’s smile was mocking, and her eyes under her lowered brows were sharp. “This is just the beginning.”

The time for further prosecution would come once the psychological evaluation and evidence collection for Lang Yueyue were complete.

…

Lang Shu was coaxing Lang Yueyue to eat, but her appetite seemed low, and her eyes kept drifting towards Xu Chacha.

Wen Mubai noticed and patted Xu Chacha’s back. “Go keep your little sister company.”

Xu Chacha trotted over and sat down next to Lang Yueyue. She was holding a strip of paper she had idly torn from her homework notebook, rolling it up bit by bit into a five-pointed star. Finally, she gently squeezed it with her fingers, and the star immediately puffed up into a three-dimensional shape.

“Ah… ah!” Lang Yueyue had mashed potatoes that Lang Shu had just fed her still in her mouth. She pointed at the star in Xu Chacha’s hand, babbling excitedly.

Lang Shu glanced at it and nodded. “Grandpa sees it. If you like it, I’ll buy one for you later.”

“It’s a gift for you.” Xu Chacha placed the paper star in Lang Yueyue’s hand. “With a star to keep you company, you don’t need to be scared anymore. The TV says stars will always revolve around the moon and never leave for a very long time.”

Lang Yueyue played with the star for a moment, her face softening into a sweet smile as she looked at Xu Chacha. She signed to her.

Lang Shu helped translate, “She said thank you.”

Xu Chacha waved her hand. “You’re welcome. I’m happy to play with you too.”

Lang Yueyue giggled again, actively reaching out to hold Xu Chacha’s hand. Her small hand was cold, but it soon warmed up in Xu Chacha’s grasp.

Wang Fang had intended to take Xu Chacha home earlier now that the matter was resolved, worried that it would be too late and her parents would be concerned.

However, seeing how attached Lang Yueyue was to Xu Chacha, it was difficult for her to suggest leaving. She could only privately text Mrs. Xu, saying that Xu Chacha was staying for something and would be brought home later, asking her not to worry.

Lang Yueyue had eaten about 70% of her food before pursing her lips and refusing to eat more.

Lang Shu wiped her mouth, his eyes full of tenderness. “How can you be full with so little? Auntie Miao didn’t feed you properly at lunch, did she?”

Lang Yueyue shook her head, patting her stomach to tell Lang Shu she was genuinely full.

She jumped off the bed, grabbed Xu Chacha’s hand, and ran outside.

Lang Shu didn’t even have time to tidy up the bowls and chopsticks, quickly following. “Yueyue, where are you going? Don’t run so fast, your body can’t take it.”

Lang Yueyue heard him and changed her run to a walk, but she didn’t loosen her grip on Xu Chacha’s hand at all.

“Auntie.” Xu Chacha looked back and held out her hand. Wen Mubai stood up, took her hand, and followed Lang Yueyue.

One by one, they were pulled by Lang Yueyue into the elevator, down to the first floor, and led back to the small flower bed where they had been for air earlier.

It was dinner time now. The children who had been playing were all taken back to eat. Lang Yueyue pointed at the cherry blossom tree, indicating that Xu Chacha should go with her.

“Oh, I know.” Xu Chacha guessed what she wanted to do.

“Auntie, you all come too.” Xu Chacha directed them. “Hold hands and surround the tree.”

Wen Mubai couldn’t refuse her and could only nod in agreement. Lang Shu also walked over and held Lang Yueyue’s hand, but the four of them still weren’t enough to circle the tree.

Lang Yueyue blinked, looking pitifully at Wang Fang, who was standing to the side.

Wang Fang was not the type of woman to be easily moved by a few small glances. She waved her hand. “You go ahead and play. I won’t join in the fun.”

Xu Chacha also pouted, drawing out the end of her sentence to flirt with her. “Come on, come on, just for a moment! Please, please, Teacher Fangfang.”

“…” Wang Fang sighed inwardly, her back looking ten years older and worn out, but in the end, she let the little flatterer have her way. “Just for a moment.”

“Mmm-hmm-hmm!”

Wang Fang walked over and took their hands, finally completing the circle. Lang Yueyue’s face immediately broke into a bright smile. She pulled them to skip and spin in a circle, imitating the children from earlier, singing a children’s rhyme.

Wang Fang was so dizzy that she nearly rolled her eyes and fell over.

Who is she? Where is she?

She just came to deliver homework. Why was she now circling a tree like a complete idiot?

It’s Friday! The public servant only wanted to go home early.

Lang Shu was also old and couldn’t handle the exertion. After playing for a while, he couldn’t take it anymore. He let go, gasping for breath. “Yueyue, Grandpa can’t spin anymore. You should rest too. You can’t overdo the exercise.”

Although Lang Yueyue hadn’t had enough fun, she cared about her grandpa. She signed to him.

‘Grandpa, go rest. I’ll play with Chacha.’

Seeing this, Wang Fang immediately let go as well, very deliberately sitting down on a nearby chair, looking down at her phone with an expression that clearly said, I am working, and no one should bother me.

“Is Auntie tired too?” Xu Chacha shook Wen Mubai’s hand.

“Do you want to play more?” Wen Mubai took a deep breath, with a sense of self-sacrificing companionship. “If you want to play more, Auntie will spin with you again.”

“Ah! Ah ah.” Lang Yueyue shouted at her twice, then pulled Xu Chacha’s hand away from hers and dragged Xu Chacha away.

The two of them squatted down by the flower bed. Lang Yueyue picked up a flower that had fallen into the dirt, held it in her palm, and offered it to Xu Chacha.

Xu Chacha pointed to herself. “For me?”

Lang Yueyue nodded, her eyes blinking.

“Thank you, Yueyue.” Xu Chacha blew the dirt off the flower and tucked it into the pocket on the chest of her school uniform. “Does it look good?”

Lang Yueyue clapped her hands, smiling even more radiantly than the flower.

Wen Mubai, who had been abandoned like a third wheel, stood there, looking at their backs huddled together. She shook her head with a helpless smile, then turned and sat down with Lang Shu.

Lang Shu pulled out a small notebook and was sketching with a pen. This was his habit—because his memory wasn’t great, he always carried a book to jot down inspiration.

He hadn’t seen Lang Yueyue smile so happily in a long time and wanted to quickly record it.

“Lend me a piece of paper, Uncle Lang.” Wen Mubai reached out to him.

“You’re always borrowing from me,” Lang Shu complained, but still tore off a piece for her. “Others borrow and return, but you’re like throwing a meat bun to a dog; it goes and never comes back.”

Wen Mubai didn’t talk back. She borrowed a pen from Wang Fang and started drawing by herself.

The sky darkened a little, and a breeze finally picked up, chasing away the summer heat. The leaves rustled, and the crisp laughter of the two little children would occasionally ring out before fading.

Wen Mubai remembered her mother, who, when she was alive, described her hoped-for old age to her.

She wanted to buy a villa with a large courtyard and few neighbors, surrounded by easy-to-care-for flowers and plants. When she was bored, she’d move her easel into the courtyard and sketch the greenery.

She didn’t expect Wen Mubai to give her a plump grandchild. She was tired of the domestic hustle of caring for people’s daily needs. If she was lonely, she would grab passing naughty children and invite them in as guests, then sit on the side and watch them laugh and play.

But most of the time, she still wanted to be alone, quietly reading a magazine or having afternoon tea. For Wen Mubai’s mother, this was her idea of familial bliss.

Unfortunately, she didn’t live to see that time.

And now, as Wen Mubai sketched Xu Chacha’s back, a yearning for the life her mother had envisioned unexpectedly grew in her heart.

However, she felt that having a child around to cause a ruckus wouldn’t be so bad.

Before long, a rough shape emerged on the memo paper.

The small figure was squatting on the ground. Wen Mubai replaced her limbs with tree branches. The twisted branches and leaves wrapped around Xu Chacha’s body, taking root on the ground and growing high into the sky. The higher it went, the lusher the branches and leaves became. Wen Mubai only stopped sketching when she ran out of frame.

On a piece of paper not much larger than a palm, she had drawn a feeling of infinite new life.

“You really like that girl? Treating her like a little sister, huh?” Lang Shu asked this because he had known Wen Mubai for so long and had never seen her care for anyone this much.

It seemed all her patience was focused on one person.

Wen Mubai’s eyes were filled with a smile as she looked at Xu Chacha’s back in the distance. “She’s a lovable child.”

Lang Shu examined the drawing in her hand, then reached out and took it. “Borrow and return. This one is mine.”

“Uncle Lang, are you going to fight a child for a thing?” Wen Mubai didn’t let go. She planned to give this drawing to Xu Chacha.

“I call you clumsy, and you still don’t believe me.” Lang Shu squinted at her. “I have a solo exhibition early next year. Do you want to join? Half a year is enough time for you to prepare.”

“Join in what way?” Since she was called clumsy, Wen Mubai went straight to the point.

“I’ll add a slot for a series and let you do it. Do you want this bargain or not?” Lang Shu’s tone was full of disappointment that she didn’t understand.

The design industry values experience and connections, but he knew Wen Mubai had a lot of talent in this area. Still, he wouldn’t risk his reputation to promote her. He wasn’t entirely sure why he had this idea today.

Perhaps the way Wen Mubai looked at Xu Chacha just now felt familiar to him, reminding him of his younger self.

“Oh, like that.” Wen Mubai’s voice trailed off. “Then I’ll ask if my little model agrees.”

“Fine.” Lang Shu gave her a thumbs-up. “Way to go. Calling me your mentor one moment, and then I can’t even persuade you the next.”

Wen Mubai only smiled without replying. She waved at Xu Chacha, who happened to be looking over. The little girl immediately stood up and trotted over to her.

“Auntie, did you call me?” She was wearing a simple flower crown she had woven herself. Her forehead was covered in fine sweat, but her eyes were sparkling, showing no sign of fatigue.

“Mmm.” Wen Mubai skillfully took out a wet wipe to wipe the sweat from her forehead, then slowly wiped her dirt-stained small hands. “Last time we took pictures, were you tired?”

“Not tired.” Xu Chacha shook her head, smiling happily. “It’s great to take beautiful pictures and wear pretty clothes.”

With the conversation reaching this point, Lang Shu stopped pretending not to know. He looked at Xu Chacha and asked, “Chacha, do you know who I am?”

He hadn’t introduced himself, yet Xu Chacha could call him “Grandpa Lang” just by seeing him. Few people knew that Lang Yueyue shared his surname, so Xu Chacha must have a reason for calling him that.

“Mmm.” Xu Chacha didn’t hide it. “Auntie Jingjing took me to a photoshoot last time, and I saw the clothes Grandpa Lang designed for Yueyue. They were so beautiful!”

Lang Shu gave her a kind smile. “Thank you.”

In fact, his gratitude to Xu Chacha wasn’t just for protecting Lang Yueyue today. Hua Jing had also told him that they had already found a child to replace Lang Yueyue in the photoshoot that day, but the child willingly gave up the opportunity after learning the origin of the clothes.

Hua Jing had shown Lang Shu the photos of Xu Chacha wearing the outfit. He had to admit that the ‘she-devil’s’ eye for talent was as good as ever. If the clothes didn’t hold a special meaning for him, he probably wouldn’t have refused to have Xu Chacha wear and interpret them.

“So, Grandpa Lang, you have to take good care of Yueyue. When she’s all better, Chacha wants to take beautiful pictures with her.”

“Is that so? Well, if you have the chance now, would you and Yueyue be willing to help Grandpa walk a show? There will be even more beautiful clothes than before, specially designed for you.”

Xu Chacha’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

“Grandpa never lies to children.” Lang Shu winked at her.

Xu Chacha nodded frantically. “Mmm-hmm-hmm, I want to go.”

Lang Shu tilted his head and winked at Wen Mubai. “See? Your model agreed.”

“Fine.” Wen Mubai smiled and nodded. “Then I’ll listen to her.”

…

On September 15th, EV’s new issue was regularly released.

The online buzz from before was mainly focused on various speculations about who EV would choose to replace the cover male star after his scandal broke. Many people clicked on EV’s purchase link, intending to find out.

[Who is this? Does anyone know her?]

[Ahhh, what a beauty! EV’s cover choice this time is absolutely pushing all my buttons. I’m going to search for her name now!]

Wen Mubai’s mother was somewhat famous in the industry, but Wen Mubai rarely appeared in the media. However, there were still online entries about her.

The entry briefly mentioned her parents, and below it was a list of the awards she had won since childhood.

[Talented, beautiful, and a rich older sister! Even more appealing!]

[Wake up, it’s a rich little sister. She’s only nineteen by Chinese reckoning.]

[So Spring was adapted from her novel! My favorite actress was just announced as the female lead a few days ago. It’s a small world!]

Inside the magazine was an interview with Wen Mubai, which asked about her choice of fashion design as a major. It was perplexing that she didn’t choose literature, which she excelled at, nor did she study business to inherit the supposed billions, as some had speculated.

Wen Mubai’s answer was simple: She just wanted to try what it felt like to be herself.

[Is this the composure of an excellent woman? There’s a confidence of ‘I can do well no matter what I do.’ Suddenly I feel like this little sister is so cool, woo woo woo.]

[I just came back from searching her college entrance exam scores. With those grades, she really wouldn’t do poorly in anything she studied.]

As the discussion about Wen Mubai grew, EV Kids also received more attention than usual.

The official Weibo account revealed in the post with the sales link that they had improved the section and added an interactive element, soliciting readers’ daily outfits. If chosen, they would be featured in the new section and receive a handsome payment.

Besides chasing stars and gossiping, contemporary Weibo users love nothing more than lottery giveaways and freebies. Not taking advantage of such a huge opportunity from EV would make them seem distant.

Xu Chacha also secretly participated. She was lying on her bed, her feet kicking up and down, poking the screen to scroll through the comments.

After scrolling for a long time, she finally saw a comment about the new section.

Netizen Nameless: The new section is pretty good. At least there are styles that can be worn out in public for reference.

Someone replied below.

[And the little model is so cute! I don’t know why they always chose foreign child models before. Children with round faces and a little baby fat are the cutest!]

Xu Chacha pinched her own cheeks in confusion. She always thought she had an oval face. How did it become round?

How infuriating.

[Look at the height chart. This model is 104 cm, about the same as my baby. The polka-dot dress she’s wearing is nice. I’m going to buy it for my girl to try on at home.]

[Only 104 cm? Hahahahaha! I thought the proportions made her look so tiny, but she’s really just short!]

Xu Chacha frowned, realizing the situation was developing outside her expectations.

[It’s true! I just checked. The model baby is so cute! She must be only four or five years old, but her camera presence is so strong.]

[Yes, yes, super tiny! She looks like the kind you can hold in your palm and squeeze. It makes me want to have a daughter!]

Because of Xu Chacha’s height issue, the comments in this thread increasingly went off-topic and eventually became completely derailed.

“Four or five years old? Super tiny?”

Xu Chacha gritted her teeth, angrily closed her phone, straightened her back, and climbed out of bed.

“What’s wrong? Aren’t you sleeping?” Xu Yanshu, who happened to come out to pour water, ran into the agitated little girl. “Did you have a nightmare or get bullied? Why is your lip stuck out so far?”

Xu Chacha opened her mouth with great grievance. “Sister, can I still grow taller?”

Why did drinking milk every day not work at all for her!

Xu Yanshu said, “Ah,” and laughed heartily. “You’re still young, so of course you’ll keep growing.”

Xu Chacha put her hands on her hips, stamping her feet heavily on the floor, squishing and squeaking in her slippers as she walked downstairs.

She rushed into the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, took out a liter carton of plain milk, held it with her two small hands, tilted her head back, and started gulping it down. Her bold manner suggested she wouldn’t stop until she was completely bloated.

“One glass of milk a day is not enough. Starting today, I’m going to drink a whole carton every day!”