After Becoming a Cannon Fodder Side Character, I Became the Group’s Favorite (GL) - Chapter 37.2

Hall 1, Teaching Building

The hall was currently packed with freshmen. The gender ratio in the College of Liberal Arts was notoriously exaggerated; a glance showed almost all girls, with the few boys mixed in either unattractive or short.

Student union members organizing the welcome were sitting behind tables with pens, registering the new students.

Jiang Miao, the president of the union, was sitting at the innermost table, surrounded by small groups chatting.

She had a side-swept voluminous hairstyle, slightly upward-tilted fox eyes, but a firm bone structure, giving her a naturally authoritative presence.

“The quality of the freshmen this year is too low. There isn’t a single good-looking one. Is that junior going to be the College Hunk again this year?”

“Tell me about it. So many of them are ‘photo frauds,'” said a girl in shorts, leaning on the table. “Guys these days are much better at Photoshop than girls.”

“Forget it, forget the male freshmen. Let’s look at the female ones.”

“Are you boy-crazy? You want to lay your hands on the young girls?”

“What’s wrong with young girls? I’m a young girl too~”

“Ugh, get away from me. Don’t disgust me with that tone.”

The people next to her were laughing, but Jiang Miao seemed disinterested. She rested her chin lazily on her hand, her gaze drifting through the crowded hall before slowly drawing back.

“What’s there to see? They all have two eyes and one nose.”

The vice president teased her. “President, you can see a beautiful woman just by looking in the mirror every day. We’re different. We rely on this to feast our eyes during boring university life.”

Jiang Miao turned her head dismissively. “Well, then I’ll have the Disciplinary Department’s statistics tables handed over to you for calculation starting next week. You won’t be bored then, right?”

“Don’t! I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”

Jiang Miao ignored him, looked down, pulled out her phone, and scrolled. “Stop crowding around. Go help over there. The sooner we finish this hassle, the sooner we can rest.”

“Fine, got it.” The vice president waved to a few of her gossiping friends. “Let’s go, ladies. Time to work.”

Xu Chacha finally found Teaching Building 1 after much searching, but the smell of sweat from the crowd immediately drove her back. She covered her nose, took a deep breath outside to compose herself, and then quickly walked in.

All the tables in this row had long queues, except for the innermost one, which had few people. The girl behind the table was wearing a light purple crop top, showing off her long, pale legs under black denim shorts. Her left leg was crossed over her right, and she was looking at her phone with a cold expression, making her seem hard to approach.

Xu Chacha glanced at the queues next to her, sighed, and with a tentative attitude, walked up to the long-haired girl who was looking down.

“Excuse me, upperclassman.” Xu Chacha walked in front of Jiang Miao and tentatively asked in a low voice, “Can I sign in here?”

Hearing the voice, Jiang Miao looked up. Her cold expression froze for a moment after she clearly saw Xu Chacha’s face.

“Freshman?”

Xu Chacha nodded and gave Jiang Miao a friendly smile. “Yes, hello, upperclassman.”

She had a strange sense of approachability. Her face’s smooth contours and beautiful almond eyes naturally gave her a harmless appearance, and her crisp, sweet voice flowed into one’s heart like a clear spring.

Jiang Miao felt she might have to eat her words. Although they all had two eyes and one nose, some people’s looks were so exceptionally good that they brought immediate pleasure just by looking at them.

“You don’t register here. Line up in front of the table that has a sign. After registering, you go get your dorm supplies,” said the boy sitting next to Jiang Miao to Xu Chacha. “Did you come alone? I’ll help you carry your things later. They’re quite heavy.”

“Who said you can’t register here?” Jiang Miao swatted his hand away and beckoned to Xu Chacha. “Come over. Your upperclassman will register you.”

Xu Chacha let out a huge sigh of relief. Fearing Jiang Miao might change her mind, she quickly grabbed the pen to fill out the form. “Thank you, upperclassman. You’re so nice!”

The boy next to her stared at Jiang Miao as if he’d seen a ghost, but she remained perfectly calm, cleared her throat, and sat up straight. “It’s nothing. We, the student union, are here today precisely to help you with registration.”

As she spoke, she casually leaned forward and pulled at the tag that read “Student Union President,” revealing it.

Xu Chacha, of course, saw it. She smiled and said to her, “You’re the Student Union President, upperclassman? That’s so cool. It’s so lucky I met you today.”

This barrage of compliments made Jiang Miao feel a little giddy, and the phrase “so lucky I met you” made her sense of responsibility explode.

“It’s just a small thing. Your parents aren’t here, right? I’ll walk you down to the dorm building later. The way isn’t easy to find.”

Now the boy couldn’t help himself. He turned to her and mouthed, “Seriously?”

“I don’t need to trouble you, upperclassman. I can manage myself.” Xu Chacha shook her head.

Jiang Miao stood up, led her into the classroom, and pointed at the chest-high woven bags inside. “Are you sure you can carry that?”

Xu Chacha was speechless where she stood. The visible widening of her pupils betrayed her inner feelings. Just this one bag, not counting the suitcase she was carrying, would be impossible to move.

“Upperclassman, are you very strong?” Xu Chacha looked at the slender-limbed Jiang Miao.

“Your upperclassman has a cart.” Jiang Miao walked up to the girl distributing dorm supplies. “Xiao Li, lend me the trolley for a bit. I’m taking a freshman, I’ll return it later.”

“Oh, sure, take it.”

After borrowing the trolley, Jiang Miao ordered the boy who had just talked to Xu Chacha to lift the bag onto it. Then, she pulled the trolley herself and walked forward with ease.

“Let’s go, little freshman. Your upperclassman will take you.”

Xu Chacha followed. “Let me push it, upperclassman.”

“No need. You just take your suitcase.”

“Then let me hold the umbrella for you. It would be a shame for your beautiful skin to get tanned.” Xu Chacha opened the parasol and held it over her head.

Her height was under 1.7 meters. Xu Chacha holding the umbrella for her was just right, without having to raise her hand too high.

Feeling Xu Chacha’s proximity, Jiang Miao’s grip on the trolley tightened unconsciously. Xu Chacha had a faint gardenia scent—not sweet or cloying, but a very refreshing finish. Jiang Miao held her breath, subtly taking a shallow one, afraid her heavy breathing would be heard by Xu Chacha.

Xu Chacha didn’t know if it was her imagination, but when she looked down, she thought she saw the upperclassman named Jiang with red ears, so she assumed she was hot.

“Are you very hot, upperclassman?” Xu Chacha leaned closer. “Here, take the umbrella.”

“Huh?” Jiang Miao stopped. She didn’t know how, but her hand automatically did what Xu Chacha said, foolishly taking the umbrella.

“This is for you.” Xu Chacha smiled, hanging her handheld fan around her neck. “It will cool you down a bit.”

Jiang Miao blinked her eyelashes rapidly twice, turned her head away, and her voice sounded a bit off. “Th-thank you.”

“Not at all! I should be thanking you for bothering to show me the way on such a hot day.” Xu Chacha’s smile was bright. “The Student Union President should be very busy. Yet you’re taking care of a direction-idiot like me.”

This made Jiang Miao feel a little ashamed. She had clearly been infatuated and offered to walk her, yet the freshman girl was so thoughtful, not only holding the umbrella and giving her a fan but also saying thank you repeatedly.

“It’s alright, actually. I’ll be stepping down next semester when the election happens. By the way, are you interested in the Student Union? Would you like to come for an interview?”

“The Student Union, huh?” Xu Chacha vaguely shook her head. “I’m a bit lazy, so I won’t join.”

“Upperclassman, your shoelace is undone.” Xu Chacha noticed it instantly.

Before Jiang Miao could react, she saw Xu Chacha squatting beside her, her head down, revealing the long, pale nape of her neck.

“Don’t move. I’ll tie it for you.” Her voice was still gentle, but it carried a sense of reliability that made one want to feel dependent on her.

Jiang Miao froze and truly didn’t move.

“Done.” Xu Chacha stood up. “Be careful next time.”

Jiang Miao nodded. “Okay.”

Q University’s dorms all had elevators, so Jiang Miao took her all the way to the door.

“We’re here. 2602.”

Xu Chacha closed the umbrella, took off her bag, and thanked Jiang Miao. “You must be tired, upperclassman.”

“It was no trouble,” Jiang Miao said.

“Oh, upperclassman, wait for me.”

Xu Chacha remembered there was a vending machine by the stairwell. She jogged over, bought a bottle of soda, and came back.

“Here.”

Jiang Miao didn’t refuse. She was used to a pampered life, and after being out in the sun for fifteen minutes, she was genuinely thirsty.

She opened the cap, tilted her head back, and took a sip. The ice-cold sparkling water burst in her mouth, which was indeed very refreshing.

“And this.” Xu Chacha pulled out two chocolates and placed them in her palm. “I don’t have anything else on me, so I can only offer this as a thank you gift. You don’t mind, do you, upperclassman?”

“Of course not!” Jiang Miao quickly interjected. “I love chocolate.”

“That’s good.” Xu Chacha was relieved. “I’ll go in now. Be careful on your way back, upperclassman. Take this umbrella with you. It’s too sunny outside.”

“No need. You keep it.”

“It’s fine. I have many umbrellas. This one is a gift for you.” Xu Chacha put the umbrella in her hand. “You have to take good care of such pale skin, or I’ll feel bad for you.”

Her fingers were long, easily encircling Jiang Miao’s wrist. Jiang Miao’s hand flinched but quickly steadied itself. “Thank you. I’ll return it next time.”

“It’s okay. You don’t have to return it. Bye, upperclassman.”

Jiang Miao held the umbrella in one hand, while the other was tucked into the back pocket of her jeans, hesitating and formulating her words.

“Do you want to exchange WeChat?”

Xu Chacha didn’t find it strange. “Sure! It’s an honor to add such a nice upperclassman.” Xu Chacha squinted at the tag on her chest and smiled, reading out her name. “Please guide me in the future, Upperclassman Jiang Miao.”

“Mhm.” Jiang Miao pretended to be calm while scanning her friend code, saying in a deliberately mature voice, “I’m heading back now. You go unpack. Contact me anytime if you need anything.”

“Okay.” Xu Chacha nodded and pulled her luggage inside.

Jiang Miao walked back with the umbrella, feeling like her steps were floating, as if she were walking on cotton.

When she returned to Hall 1, the boy from before had taken her spot and was gossiping with the people next to him.

“That freshman girl was unbelievably beautiful—tall and pretty, with skin so delicate you could practically pinch water out of it.” He clapped his hands. “And Jiang Miao just stole her from me.”

Jiang Miao walked over with a cold face and patted his shoulder. “Go sit somewhere else. What are you gossiping about? You’re being disgusting.”

The boy chuckled. “That’s disgusting? Your look at that freshman girl wasn’t exactly innocent either, President.”

Jiang Miao rolled her eyes at him. “Am I the same as you? You’d better not even think about it. She’s a good girl, and her family is well-off. She wouldn’t look twice at you.”

“Strange, I feel like I recognize her.” The girl in the short skirt frowned. “The name Xu Chacha too. I feel like I’ve heard it somewhere.”

“Stop teasing me.” The girl in the short skirt took out her phone and, with a tentative attitude, typed Xu Chacha’s name into the search bar. Her eyes suddenly lit up. “Holy crap! I knew it! I really do know her!”

Jiang Miao leaned over to look at her phone. The first thing she saw was Xu Chacha’s stunning cover for EV magazine.

“She debuted as a child model! She was the famous ‘Nation’s Little Sister’! My mom is a fan and still uses her childhood photo as her avatar!” the girl in the short skirt said excitedly. “No wonder! I spotted her right away. She’s stunningly beautiful.”

“Being on the cover of EV and walking the runway for Senior Lang Shu—if we showed this to the students at the neighboring Fine Arts college, they’d cry with envy,” someone next to her chimed in. “We have a gem in our college this year.”

“Jeez, there’s more. Do you know who her parents are?”

Jiang Miao asked, “Who?”

“The Xu Group that makes perfume—it’s her family! It’s not an exaggeration to call her the richest daughter, is it?”

Hearing this, Jiang Miao went quiet.

She had achieved fame early, had a good personality, and getting into Q University meant she was smart. Compared to her, any little bit of superiority Jiang Miao felt instantly vanished.

Being able to add Xu Chacha was my luck, she thought.

Just as she was thinking this, her phone screen lit up.

Xu Chacha: Oh, right, upperclassman, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Xu Chacha. Thank you so much for today. I’ll treat you to a meal when I’m free.

Then she sent a cute cat emoji.

Jiang Miao couldn’t help but smile at the cute emoji and typed a reply.

‘It’s no trouble. But I should treat you to the meal. It’s not right for a freshman to pay.’

…

The dorm room was a four-person room, and Xu Chacha was the first to arrive.

The room had been vacant for months and had a thick layer of dust. She sighed, rolled up her sleeves, grabbed a basin and a towel, and walked into the bathroom.

Over the years, she had been pampered by her parents into a delicate young lady who never did housework. But cleaning a room was still a piece of cake.

She first wiped down everyone’s bed frame and railing little by little. After knocking all the dust onto the floor, she started sweeping and mopping.

After doing all this, she was so tired she could barely straighten her back. Indeed, not exercising for too long wasn’t good.

There were no names on the beds, so it must be first-come, first-served. Xu Chacha chose the bed by the balcony. She took out the blanket provided by the school, changed it into her own duvet cover, and was making the bed. While installing the blackout curtain, someone walked in.

“It’s so hot. Thank goodness the dorm has an elevator, or I would have fainted downstairs crying.”

“Hahaha, seriously.”

The two girls must have met on the way. One was wearing a white T-shirt and the other a yellow dress. Both had delicate features and were of a common height for girls in the South, about 1.65 meters.

“Hello.” Xu Chacha poked her head out from behind the curtain. “You must be tired. There’s water on the table. Go ahead and drink.”

“Wow.” The girl in the yellow dress walked in, looking shocked. “Did you clean all this up by yourself?”

They thought they would have to clean for a while before they could move in, but unexpectedly, someone had already finished everything.

“The floor is mopped so clean it reflects light. My God, are you the Snail Girl from the fairy tale?”

“Hahaha, you’re exaggerating. I just tidied up a bit.” Xu Chacha was quite embarrassed by the compliments. She pointed to the four bottles of water on her desk. “I brought you water.”

“Thanks!” The girl in the yellow dress saw that Xu Chacha had a very approachable personality and didn’t bother with formalities. “I am pretty thirsty.”

“By the way, I’m Su Qing. What’s your name?” asked the girl in the white shirt.

“My name is Xu Chacha.”

“I’m Zhu Zhu,” the girl in the yellow dress added. “I’m from City C. This is my first time in City A. How about you two?”

Su Qing replied, “I’m from City A.”

“I’m from City A too,” Xu Chacha said, hanging up her curtain, tucking the mosquito net under the mattress, and climbing down. “But I’m not very familiar with this area.”

“It’s fine, I know the area. I’ll take you out to eat and drink later.” Su Qing patted her chest.

“Sounds great.”

Xu Chacha went to wash her hands. When she returned, Su Qing and Zhu Zhu were also starting to make their beds. Seeing Zhu Zhu’s clumsy attempts to put on the sheet, she couldn’t help but say, “Zhu Zhu, why don’t I help you?”

Zhu Zhu was just struggling, and hearing this was like clutching a life raft. “That would be perfect! This blanket is about to make me cry.”

Xu Chacha smiled, shook her head, walked over, and finished it in a few quick movements.

“It’s actually a skill. You find the four corners first and stuff them in, then shake it like this.” Xu Chacha finished shaking the blanket for her and patted it. “That’s all it takes.”

“You’re so nice, Chacha.” Zhu Zhu hugged her from behind. “You are the Snail Girl sent by heaven to save me. I love you so much!”

She was about to ask Zhu Zhu to let go, but her ear caught the thud of something falling to the floor.

The last member of 2602, Jiang Shu, stood at the doorway with a look of astonishment.

“Am I opening the door the wrong way?”

…

Country Y

Wen Mubai hadn’t left the office before ten at night for a week straight. Her assistant, Anna, couldn’t stand to see her overworking herself like this.

“Editor-in-Chief, what are you busy with lately? Haven’t you already reviewed and approved the interview drafts and photos for the next issue? And Du Fei has already signed the contract with Mr. Li.”

Wen Mubai pinched the bridge of her nose with two fingers, the fatigue under her eyes impossible to hide.

“It’s fine. Go call Du Fei for me.”

“Du Fei again.” Anna muttered, clicking her heels as she went out to call her.

“Hey, the Editor-in-Chief called for you again.” Anna leaned on Du Fei’s desk and asked her, “What’s going on with you two lately? The Editor-in-Chief is meeting with you alone for practically ten hours a day.”

Du Fei’s lips curved upward, unable to hide the shyness in her eyes. She did have those feelings for Wen Mubai and had applied to HN because of her.

“I don’t know either. I’m going in.” Du Fei picked up her notebook and stood up.

Anna watched her graceful back and shook her head. “Beautiful, successful career, and caught the eye of such a perfect Editor-in-Chief. When will good fortune come to me?”

“Come in.” Hearing the knock, Wen Mubai looked up.

“Editor-in-Chief, you called for me.” Without Wen Mubai having to speak, Du Fei sat down on the sofa, pen ready, with an attitude of “I’m ready for your instructions.”

“I called you in to tell you that I will be handing over my duties next month. You will temporarily take over the Editor-in-Chief position.”

“Handing over?” Since there had been no warning, Du Fei looked very surprised. “Why? And when will you return?”

Wen Mubai automatically skipped her first question and answered the latter. “I’m not coming back. As for the future, either you secure this position, or someone from above will be parachuted in.”

“Are the conditions at HN poor, or is a competitor poaching you?” Du Fei couldn’t think of any other reason.

“Where are you going?”

“Going back to China.” Wen Mubai closed her computer. “The handover documents have been sent to your email. Check them.”