After Becoming a Cannon Fodder Side Character, I Became the Group’s Favorite (GL) - Chapter 39.1

Xu Chacha felt her expression must be particularly silly right now, but she couldn’t worry about that anymore.

“Come here.” The familiar voice piercing through the deep night made Xu Chacha feel even more unreal.

She quickened her steps, practically running, but stopped herself just as she got close to the person.

Every time Wen Mubai returned to China before, she would message Xu Chacha in advance, and Xu Chacha would go to the airport to wait. That way, she was mentally prepared and wouldn’t lose her composure.

But now, with the person she thought about day and night suddenly appearing before her, she felt a sense of helplessness, unsure of what to do. She didn’t dare attempt overly intimate gestures, but casually saying “Hi, long time no see” didn’t feel right either.

She looked at the suitcase next to Wen Mubai, which was noticeably different in size than before, so large it was nearly half her height. Combining this with the strange way Wen Mubai appeared, she had a hidden, excited guess in her heart.

“Why are you standing there like an idiot?” Wen Mubai spoke again, her voice clearer than it sounded over the phone, soft and laced with a faint smile, carrying a different kind of sexy allure.

Xu Chacha looked at her slightly open arms and instinctively ran and jumped into a hug, just like when she was a child.

“It’s the real one, Auntie.”

She wrapped her arms around Wen Mubai’s neck and buried her head in her neck, taking a deep breath. The delightful gardenia scent mixed with the smell of Wen Mubai’s shower gel, transforming into her unique body scent.

“What else would it be?” Wen Mubai patted her back. “You’re so big now, yet still so unsteady.”

“It’s your fault for standing there without making a sound and blending into the lamppost. If I hadn’t recognized you, would you have not called out to me?” Xu Chacha complained quietly. When she raised her head, she saw Jiang Shu not far away, who was staring at them with a very indescribable expression.

The look in her eyes seemed even more astonished than when Xu Chacha had transformed into an old lady, nagging them about focusing on health.

Xu Chacha looked down at her posture and somewhat understood why Jiang Shu was looking at her like that.

In the past, she needed to run a good distance before jumping to hug Wen Mubai. Now, it seemed…

Xu Chacha quietly lowered the leg she had hooked around Wen Mubai’s waist. Using this posture now felt like a large octopus clinging to a tree trunk, constantly sliding down because it was too heavy.

“Roommate?” Wen Mubai had also seen Jiang Shu standing ahead, waiting for someone.

“Mhm, that’s Jiang Shu. I told you just now that I came with her to get milk tea.” Xu Chacha straightened up.

Jiang Shu stood rooted to the spot, unsure whether she should leave first or stay to watch the display of affection (?).

As soon as Xu Chacha called out “Auntie,” she guessed who the remarkably poised, tall woman was. To be honest, she really wanted to see the real person.

So, she couldn’t bear to leave!

Unexpectedly, while she was struggling, Wen Mubai walked toward her, holding Xu Chacha’s hand. When she got closer and stepped into the light, Jiang Shu finally saw her face clearly.

Her features were deeply contoured, her nose high and straight. Her exquisite features and defined facial lines made her look incredibly elegant. Her skin, white to a scary degree in the night, was like that of a vampire in movies. In any case, she was definitely much more beautiful in person than in photos.

It was the first time she had seen such a stunning appearance. No wonder posts about her could still quickly become hot topics on the school forum, even though she had only stayed at Q University for less than a year.

“Jiang Shu, right? Hello.” Wen Mubai extended her hand to her first.

“Ah! Yes, yes, yes, hello, upperclassman!” Jiang Shu excitedly extended both hands to shake hers.

Jiang Shu was usually the most composed and calm person in the dorm. This was the first time Xu Chacha had seen her like this, and her mind was full of question marks.

Was Jiang Shu also a fan of Wen Mubai?

Thinking that, she glanced up at the unconsciously charming Wen Mubai.

You are something else.

“Goddess, you’re so tall.” Jiang Shu had to slightly look up while standing next to her.

She herself was over 1.7 meters, which wasn’t short. She usually felt quite tall when walking past other girls. Yet, Xu Chacha, with a model height of 1.75 meters and wearing heels, looked about the same height as Wen Mubai.

“Only three centimeters.” Xu Chacha held up her finger. “Wait until my third growth spurt, and I’ll surpass you.”

Xu Chacha had been very happy about her growth spurt in junior high, but after all the sporadic growth, she still couldn’t surpass Wen Mubai, whose height was already set.

It really proved Wen Mubai’s words when she was a child: “It’ll be a bit tough to grow up to be like your auntie.”

Xu Chacha: Damn those three centimeters! Get lost with your ‘a bit tough’!

“Fine, I’ll wait.” Wen Mubai looked up and patted the top of her head with light, doting affection.

Jiang Shu looked at Wen Mubai, then at Xu Chacha, her eyes sparkling. Although she felt guilty, she suddenly really wanted to ship this pair. What should she do?

They couldn’t just stand there chatting, but it was also too late to bring Wen Mubai back to the dorm. The three of them found a 24-hour convenience store nearby and sat down.

“Auntie, are you going to stay for a while this time?” Xu Chacha had wanted to ask earlier but had been holding it in.

“I won’t be leaving this time.” Wen Mubai sat down and unbuttoned her coat. Underneath was a loose black sleeveless top. When she leaned forward, supporting herself with her hands, the necklace resting on her collarbone hung down.

Xu Chacha felt a bit awkward staring at her face, so she focused on the necklace. “Really?”

She was already trying very hard to suppress the tremor in her voice, but her excitement was impossible to hide.

Wen Mubai was returning to China? And she wasn’t leaving anymore?

“Mhm. I want to do my own thing. I plan to open a studio.” Wen Mubai said unhurriedly. “The handover at HN is complete. Any further issues can be handled via email.”

“You’re really, really not leaving?”

Xu Chacha vaguely remembered the book mentioning that Wen Mubai would found her own clothing brand in the later stages, but that was supposed to be abroad. She didn’t know why she had changed her mind, which was why she foolishly repeated the confirmation.

“I’m not leaving. Really.” Wen Mubai smiled at her. “Would I lie to you?”

“That’s true.”

As Wen Mubai spoke, she suddenly noticed the new bracelet on Xu Chacha’s wrist. She reached out and grasped her slender, pale wrist. “Do you have a boyfriend?”

“Ah, no.” Xu Chacha was confused by the jump in her thought process.

“This bracelet is a couple’s style.” Wen Mubai turned the side of the bracelet with letters facing up. “Your name is on it.”

“My name?” Xu Chacha squinted to look and indeed saw a tiny line of “xcc” that she hadn’t noticed at all.

“It couldn’t have been Lao Wu who gave it to you, right? Didn’t you turn him down?” Jiang Shu asked in confusion.

“Who is Lao Wu?” Wen Mubai rested her chin on her hand. She wasn’t deliberately putting on airs, but the innate aura she exuded made Xu Chacha feel like she was being interrogated by a superior.

“No one, I’m not familiar with him either.”

Wen Mubai turned her attention to Jiang Shu, who immediately understood her meaning and spilled everything.

“Lao Wu is a guy in our club who likes Chacha. He even stayed behind after the dinner to confess to her, but she probably rejected him.” Jiang Shu added, “Don’t worry. Xu Chacha is the least likely woman in our dorm to be easily swept off her feet. She’s incredibly hard to get a date with and acts all ascetic.”

“Oh.” Wen Mubai nodded thoughtfully, drawing out the end of the word. Her look at Xu Chacha was laced with teasing. “Our Chacha has quite a bit of charm, doesn’t she?”

“What charm do I have?” Xu Chacha retorted unconvinced. “Speaking of that, you’re not much better than me. Last time, that—”

Xu Chacha cut herself off mid-sentence, the words caught in her throat. She was so stupid. Wen Mubai wouldn’t know about the buzz-cut senior if she didn’t mention it. What if she mentioned it and Wen Mubai got curious and asked who it was?

“Last time, what?” Wen Mubai raised her chin. “Go on.”

“Nothing.” Xu Chacha obediently shut up and looked down, pretending she didn’t know.

“So, who exactly gave you the bracelet? If you don’t have feelings for the person, it’s better not to accept gifts with special meaning.”

“Upperclassman Jiang Miao. She probably just thought it looked nice and bought it.”

After all, Jiang Miao clearly seemed straight and had a boyfriend before. Xu Chacha hadn’t thought of the other party’s goodwill in any other way.

But Wen Mubai was different. Just from those few group photos, she sensed that Jiang Miao’s feelings for Xu Chacha were unusual, yet the person involved was foolishly oblivious.

Wen Mubai sighed, suddenly feeling that the grown-up Xu Chacha might be even harder to “raise” than when she was a child.

“Mhm, probably.” Since Jiang Shu was still there, Wen Mubai couldn’t express her thoughts directly. She smiled and changed the subject. “Shouldn’t you take the milk tea back to your roommates first? They’re waiting.”

“Oh, right!” Jiang Shu thought she had forgotten something but couldn’t quite remember what it was.

She took out her phone, and the group chat messages were already 99+. She opened it, and it was all Zhu Zhu’s emojis.

Hungry, food, food.jpg

Princess crying.jpg

Happiness is gone.jpg

Zhu Zhu: Shu Shu, I’m going to sleep if you don’t come back QAQ

“Then Jiang Shu, you go back first. I’ll see my Auntie off.” Xu Chacha stood up, making room for Jiang Shu to leave.

“Okay, bye.” She bowed to Wen Mubai again. “See you next time, Goddess!”

Xu Chacha: “Huh, I never knew she was a little fan of yours.”

“She’s just being polite,” Wen Mubai said without much concern.

“It’s very late now. Have you settled on a place to stay?”

Wen Mubai usually stayed at her own apartment when she returned, but her apartment was quite far from Q University, taking one or two hours to drive. Xu Chacha thought she had come to Q University so late for something she needed to take care of and would book a hotel nearby.

“No, I’ll call a cab back later.”

“It’s so late. Why don’t you book a hotel?” Xu Chacha said. “You always lecture me about taking a cab at night being unsafe, yet you’re doing the same thing.”

“Alright, then I’ll get a room nearby later.”

“In that case, why don’t you just sleep at my place?”

Xu Chacha had rented an apartment near the school. The room wasn’t big, a two-story loft. She occasionally stayed there if she was out late and didn’t want to go back to the dorm. Since cooking wasn’t allowed in the dorm, she sometimes bought groceries and invited the three foodies over for dinner.

“Your place…”

“What about my place?” Xu Chacha glared. “Is my place worse than a hotel?”

“No.” Wen Mubai was amused by her reaction. “I’m afraid it would be inconvenient for you.”

“What’s inconvenient about it? I’ll just leave the key on the bedside table, and you just have to remember to lock up when you leave.”

“Alright.” Wen Mubai nodded. “I’ll listen to you.”

Knock, knock— Someone was tapping on the window glass, interrupting their conversation.

Xu Chacha turned her head and saw it was Jiang Shu, who had left not long ago.

She was holding an umbrella over her head and another one in her hand. Xu Chacha looked up at the sky and only then realized it had started raining at some point.

The automatic door wasn’t responding for some reason. Xu Chacha stood up and pressed the switch from the inside, and Jiang Shu finally entered.

“It’s raining. I came to bring you umbrellas.” She handed the one she was holding to Wen Mubai. “Goddess, you didn’t bring an umbrella, right? You can use this one to go back.”

Xu Chacha pointed to herself. “What about me?”

“You’re coming back with me.” Jiang Shu pointed to her big umbrella. “Isn’t this umbrella big enough?”

“…”

“Why aren’t you saying anything?” Jiang Shu asked.

“Next time, you don’t have to specially bring them. You’re all wet. Since we’re at a convenience store, we could have just bought one.”

“That’s true.” Jiang Shu felt her IQ was a bit offline today. “But saving a little is better. You have enough umbrellas to open another convenience store.”

Now it was Xu Chacha’s turn to be embarrassed. She was forgetful and didn’t like checking the weather forecast before going out, so she often ended up buying an umbrella at a convenience store when it suddenly started raining halfway through a class. Without realizing it, she had accumulated many.

“Let’s go. If we delay any longer, the curfew card won’t work.”

“I have to see my Auntie off first.” Xu Chacha took the umbrella from Wen Mubai’s hand and exchanged it for Jiang Shu’s big umbrella. “You go back first. I’ll keep an eye on the time. If it’s too late, I won’t come back.”

“Won’t come back?” Jiang Shu slowly savored those three words and secretly took a little more dose of the affection they were displaying.

It was best if she didn’t come back.

“Alright then. Be careful on your way.” Jiang Shu’s reply couldn’t have been more straightforward. In fact, she urged them on. “Hurry up. The rain might get heavier later.”

Xu Chacha: “Oh… then bye.”