After Becoming a Cannon Fodder Side Character, I Became the Group’s Favorite (GL) - Chapter 37.1

She always felt that having shed her childhood shell, the privilege of acting spoiled and charming had been stripped away too.

And even ignoring her face, her height of 1.75 meters alone was far removed from the “little sweetie” Wen Mubai spoke of.

Wen Mubai felt she had become distant, but in reality, Xu Chacha just increasingly didn’t know how to interact with her.

Xu Chacha patted her face, sat down at the computer desk, and decided to get down to business.

Wen Mubai was puzzled why she suddenly chose the liberal arts, but Xu Chacha knew this was not a whim but the result of careful consideration.

In the first few years after Wen Mubai went abroad, Xu Chacha always felt a stifling emptiness in her heart, as if something was missing. So, she started searching for novels Wen Mubai had previously published or serialized in magazines.

She hadn’t written much; even counting the short stories of a few thousand words, there weren’t even ten pieces.

Xu Chacha read every single one of them, studying them word by word. Wen Mubai’s writing, regardless of the story, always carried a sharp, pointed satire. It was hard to believe she was only a teenager when she wrote them.

With nothing left to read, Xu Chacha tried writing herself. She initially thought the process would be difficult, but unexpectedly, she quickly drafted over a hundred thousand words.

She submitted it to a publisher with a try-it-and-see attitude, and it actually passed. When it was published, she didn’t want to use her real name, so she casually picked the pen name “Da Hong Pao” (Big Red Robe).

This happened during junior high. She hadn’t even dared to tell her parents, secretly asking Xu Yanshu to forge a signature on the parental consent form and send it to the publisher, which somehow actually fooled them.

It wasn’t until high school that she let a little slip, but she didn’t reveal the pen name, only saying she was trying her hand at writing. Her parents naturally gave their full support, and Xu Chacha’s choice of major was thus decided without any suspense.

…

Country Y

Wen Mubai arrived at the office after breakfast, and her assistant, Anna, brought her a cup of hot coffee.

On her desk was a book with a completely white cover titled Her in Memory. The pages looked well-worn and wrinkled from being flipped through many times, and the bookmark was always in a different place whenever it was seen.

“Editor-in-Chief, you really seem to like this author.” Anna was one of the bolder ones; ordinary people would be too intimidated to breathe around Wen Mubai, but she could still make small talk.

She had been with Wen Mubai for a long time and knew she wasn’t the infamous “she-devil” who punished subordinates on a whim, but just a person who simply didn’t like to talk much.

“Mhm.” Wen Mubai took a sip of the coffee. The temperature was just right, not scalding.

“She seems to be serializing online now, too, but it’s very slow. Sometimes she only updates once every two months,” Anna said.

She had been curious about the kind of author whose work Wen Mubai would study repeatedly, so she specially searched online. Who knew this author had only published one book, then signed an agreement to be a resident writer on a novel website, occasionally posting short stories? The click rate wasn’t very high, and the author seemed very “Zen” (unconcerned/laid-back).

Anna knew that this “Zen” attitude usually came from people who weren’t short on money. It was obvious that the author with the strange pen name “Da Hong Pao” wasn’t relying on writing for a living. No wonder their editor-in-chief was practically chewing on that one book.

“Serializing?” Wen Mubai hadn’t known about this. She opened her computer to search and indeed found an author’s column with a pitiful word count. She casually added it to her favorites, then turned to tell Anna to get down to business.

“Go call Du Fei for me.”

Du Fei had joined HN only four years ago. She used to be a model. When she first started, her lack of experience led to many funny situations, but among everyone, she was the most passionate about her work and had a stubborn desire to see things through. Now, she was an efficient veteran who handled things in an orderly manner.

Because of her personality, Wen Mubai intentionally cultivated her. She wanted to return to China soon, and she needed to find a quick successor for the editor-in-chief position.

“Editor-in-Chief, you called for me.” The woman in a light gray professional suit appeared at the doorway.

Being a former model, Du Fei’s figure and demeanor were impeccable. Coupled with the superior features granted by her mixed heritage, she was a great beauty who would turn at least seventy percent of heads in a crowd.

Wen Mubai didn’t have the leisure to look up and admire this beauty. She tapped a folder placed on the corner of the desk. “This client is yours to handle. Put the signed contract on my desk before work next Monday.”

Her instructions were always concise and clear, but Du Fei didn’t feel relaxed because of her calm expression. The deadline of next Monday alone was enough to keep her busy for quite a while.

She picked up the folder and opened it, looking slightly surprised. “Hasn’t Mr. Li always been your client? Such an important one…”

“And?” Wen Mubai finally bothered to look up at her, her gaze flat. “Are you saying that you can’t complete the task I assigned?”

“No, no, no, not at all.” Du Fei immediately adjusted her attitude and said seriously, “I will do my best, Editor-in-Chief. Please rest assured.”

Wen Mubai returned her gaze to the screen. “If you know what to do, leave now. Hurry up. Mr. Li flies to Country C on Sunday.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Anna’s desk was right outside Wen Mubai’s office. With a little effort, she could hear the conversation inside. Seeing Du Fei emerge from the office with a look of excitement, she quietly changed her posture and sent a message under the table. Once Du Fei passed by, she immediately stood up and rushed to the pantry.

Her gossip partner was already waiting there.

“I told you the Editor-in-Chief favors Du Fei the most. She takes care of her in everything, and now she’s handing over such an important client,” Anna shook her head, holding her cup. “If she signs this deal, the gap between Du Fei and everyone else will widen completely.”

“Do you think… those two aren’t perhaps…” Her friend’s words were suggestive, and her eyes and tone were very ambiguous.

Anna chuckled. “I think so too!”

…

The “little peanuts” trio all did well and got into Q University. However, the three of them were in different majors. On the day school started, Xu Chacha declined her parents’ offer to send her off. She met up with the other two and set off alone, dragging her suitcase.

“Is this what you meant by ‘I’ll properly dote on you another day’?” This was the first time they had seen Xu Chacha since that day.

“That’s great! We’ll get familiar with the campus when school starts, and it’ll be easy to visit each other. We’re all at the same school, so we’ll have plenty of time together, won’t we?” Xu Chacha didn’t see any problem at all.

Xue Miaomiao couldn’t help but interject. “Do you know how far your college is from ours? It takes more than half an hour even by bike.”

Xu Chacha rubbed her forehead, pretending not to hear. She really hadn’t intentionally avoided meeting them for meals. She truly had a lot going on. Online, she was hounded by her editor for drafts; offline, she had to consider her connections, occasionally helping Lang Shuhua and Jing to model for magazine spreads or walk a few shows. Any rare free time she had, she devoted to Wen Mubai.

She could swear that any time she had left over was given to these two “little peanuts.”

Because their colleges were different, their registration spots also varied. The driver dropped the other two off last before finally stopping at the College of Liberal Arts.

Xu Chacha got out and walked around to the back door. The driver hurried after her. “Miss, let me help you with that. It’s too heavy.”

“No need. I can carry it.” Xu Chacha grabbed the handle with both hands and pulled upward.

Jeez, the suitcase didn’t budge.

But she had just thrown out such a confident remark. Being publicly proven wrong was too embarrassing.

Xu Chacha gritted her teeth and tried again, but it still didn’t work. She gave up.

“You do it, Uncle.”

The driver quickly helped her lift the suitcase and opened an umbrella. “I’ll take you to the classroom. The sun is too strong outside.”

“You really don’t need to do that. My strength might not have grown, but my legs have.” Xu Chacha gave the umbrella back. “Hurry back. Remember to tell my parents that I’m doing really well at school and not to worry.”