After Becoming a Cannon Fodder Side Character, I Became the Group’s Favorite (GL) - Chapter 43.1

Xu Chacha was even more flustered this time than the last. After all, last time she could turn off her phone and pretend not to be around, but this time, the person was waiting right at the door, unless a crack suddenly opened in the ground for her to hide in.

What should I do, what should I do? These three words were racing through her mind as she walked out.

Wen Mubai wouldn’t scold her, would she? It wasn’t her idea to come in the first place. Would Wen Mubai believe her if she said she was just there to fill a spot?

Ah, why did she have to see her!

Finally, she walked on legs that felt completely not her own and stood in front of Wen Mubai. Before either of them could speak, Jiang Panpan came over and hugged her tightly.

The kind of hug that required her to stand on her toes.

“Wuwuwu, my precious Chacha, why did you grow up so much? Sister wanted to turn you into a doll and put you in her bedroom to look at every day.”

“Sister Panpan, your words are a little scary.” Xu Chacha was never able to get used to the way she expressed her affection.

Things like eating children, being a saint destined to be alone, and turning her into a doll—it all sounded like a psychopathic killer in a movie.

“Sister likes you, though,” Jiang Panpan giggled, kneading her face, but quickly turned serious like a Peking Opera face change. “So, were you having a group date in there behind your sister’s back?”

Perhaps a gust of wind blew by, but Xu Chacha shivered. She turned to look at Wen Mubai.

The other person’s expression was okay, but not exactly good either.

It was true that she always wore that cold mask in front of outsiders, but she rarely showed such an expression to her.

But when she spoke, Xu Chacha realized her tone was not as cold as she had imagined. “What were you doing in there?”

“Having afternoon tea,” Xu Chacha answered cautiously.

Jiang Panpan: “Do you think your sisters are blind! Four boys and four girls sitting in a row, and arranging it in a cafe where the couple’s set meal is half price. If that’s not a group date, I’ll take my head off for you.”

Xu Chacha certainly wasn’t going to take her head. “My roommates couldn’t find enough people, so they dragged me along. They had a group date, and I had afternoon tea. That’s technically correct, right?”

“Really no one?” Jiang Panpan narrowed her eyes and leaned closer to her. “None of those young handsome boys caught your eye?”

Xu Chacha shook her head frantically, seemingly answering Jiang Panpan, but her eyes were fixed on Wen Mubai.

Wen Mubai saw her shaking her head so vigorously, raised her hand, and patted Jiang Panpan’s back. “Stop teasing the child.”

Jiang Panpan let out an “Oh” and said, “If there’s none, there’s none. Why are you looking so scared, like we’re going to eat you?”

“…” Xu Chacha actually wanted to nod in agreement with Jiang Panpan’s words.

Especially Wen Mubai, she was more intimidating than the dean who caught her playing with her phone at the back gate.

If Feng Zhuang heard this, he would definitely say: The one you’re going to eat is me!

“That boy across from you is Zhuang Zhuang, right? You’ve been in contact all along. Are you two that close?”

“It is him. No, we’re not close. We’re not familiar with each other!”

“Hmm?”

“It is Zhuang Zhuang, but we haven’t been in contact all along. We’re not close. We’re not familiar at all!”

Wen Mubai covered her mouth and chuckled softly. Her exposed eyes curved, making her expression much softer.

Xu Chacha also breathed a sigh of relief.

“How much longer until you finish? Since we ran into each other by chance, how about I take you to see our studio?” Jiang Panpan stood on her toes and hooked her arm around Xu Chacha’s neck.

“I don’t know about them, but I can finish right now.” Xu Chacha sent a message in the dorm group chat, saying she had to leave.

Zhu Zhu was still smiling and talking to the boy across from her, but she quickly sent a message under the table. “Got scolded by your parent?”

Xu Chacha: …

Xu Chacha: Focus on flirting with your handsome boy.

“My bag is still inside. I’ll go get it,” Xu Chacha turned to Wen Mubai and said.

“Let’s go together.” Wen Mubai walked ahead of her, but instead of going to their table, she went to the counter first.

They were originally out today to buy afternoon tea for a few employees at the studio. Wen Mubai casually ordered a few items, and finally bought her own drink.

“Another large iced Americano, please.”

“We recommend pairing this with a medium Caramel Macchiato to get our couple’s set meal. It’s half price, which is a great deal.”

Xu Chacha leaned to the side, fighting with the three women with emojis on her phone, and didn’t pay attention to what Wen Mubai was buying. But suddenly, the person hooked her dangling finger.

“Do you want a Caramel Macchiato?”

“Ah? Yes, please.” She never refused Wen Mubai’s feeding.

“Change it. The Caramel Macchiato should be hot, with milk and no sugar.”

Before she lowered her head to send a new round of emojis, Xu Chacha suddenly realized.

Half price, couple’s set meal?

Why did she ask her?

Before she could figure out what was going on, the coffee was handed to her. “Take it.”

“Oh, okay.”

Xu Chacha observed Wen Mubai’s expression, which was no different from usual. She pouted, and could only reluctantly treat this drink as a daily feeding.

She took a big gulp. Tsk, the half-price Caramel Macchiato also smelled so good.

Jiang Panpan was next to her, leaning over the glass case filled with desserts, carefully choosing. She was generous, almost sweeping away half of the inventory.

Besides desserts and drinks, the cafe also had savory snacks. Jiang Panpan took a tray and walked to Su Qing’s table, placing the tray down.

“Eat more. My treat.” She looked at the four boys across the table with a smile, lingering on Feng Zhuang’s face for a moment before moving on. “You little beauties have a good chat. I’ll be taking Xu Chacha with me now.”

“You are…” The guy from B University fashion design’s eyes widened slightly, a hint of admiration in his gaze toward Jiang Panpan.

“Yes, I’m the one you’re thinking of—the famous stylist Jiang, favored by countless celebrities.” Jiang Panpan was always thick-skinned and never felt ashamed to praise herself. “I have something going on today, so I won’t chat with you all much. See you next time, little brothers.”

After that, Jiang Panpan picked up Xu Chacha’s bag and rejoined the two at the counter.

Feng Zhuang couldn’t help but turn his head to look at them. The tallest one, Wen Mubai, stood tall, not playing with her phone, but listening to Xu Chacha with a side glance.

Xu Chacha was smiling brightly, completely different from the strained politeness she had displayed while sitting across from him. Joy was written all over her, from head to toe.

Although they were far apart, he could imagine the soft, coaxing tone Xu Chacha must be using right now.

It was the first time he had ever been so jealous of a woman, jealous that she could attract all of Xu Chacha’s attention just by standing there and doing nothing.

…

Wen Mubai’s studio was co-founded with Jiang Panpan. Xu Chacha learned later that they had started thinking about it right after they graduated.

—At that time, she thought Wen Mubai would stay abroad forever.

Although they were both partners and equal in terms of status, Jiang Panpan was still used to listening to Wen Mubai more, letting her make all the important decisions.

“I’m still used to being an employee.” Jiang Panpan slurped her banana milkshake nonchalantly. “It’s much easier to be a screw than the person making the decisions. The boss gives a task, and I do it.”

After graduating, Jiang Panpan was an intern in a styling team. Her teacher mentored her all the way. It was very hard at first. She couldn’t take on clients herself and could only get a share of her teacher’s commission and a fixed salary of two thousand yuan.

After a few years of struggle, she slowly started to make a name for herself. She was lucky enough to work with a then-unknown second-tier female star. A red carpet look made her famous, and her own value increased accordingly.

Now, those lining up for her styling services are wealthy socialites and A-list actresses. One job can feed her for several months.

So, even though Jiang Panpan wasn’t a person who could save money, she still managed to save a considerable amount by working in this lucrative industry, enough to go into business with Wen Mubai.

“Come on, babies, Boss Wen is treating you to afternoon tea.” Jiang Panpan put two large bags of treats on the conference room table.

Their studio wasn’t big, and there was only one conference room. They occasionally used it for birthday celebrations and lunch gatherings. Since there were only a dozen people in the entire studio, it was barely adequate.

Jiang Panpan often complained to Wen Mubai about the sky-high rent in the city center.

“Hi.” Someone patted Xu Chacha on the shoulder. She turned around.

“We’re in the same club. Don’t you remember me, junior?” The girl pointed to herself. “We even added each other on WeChat.”

Since she said that, Xu Chacha could only reply, “I know you. Hello, senior. You’re still as pretty as ever.”

She said “pretty” repeatedly, but she didn’t even remember the person’s name.

“By the way, junior.” The girl lowered her voice and leaned closer to her. “Can I ask you for a favor?”

“What favor?” Xu Chacha tilted her head to look at her.

“Well, I’m working on my graduation project, and I need a model to help take a couple of photos. You have a great figure and are beautiful. Could you help me? It won’t be much trouble, and we can discuss the payment later.”

Wen Mubai looked out from the conference room. The two figures were perfectly clear through the glass. The intern’s face was pressed close to Xu Chacha’s, and the latter was slightly tilting her head, listening intently. It felt like they would touch if they weren’t careful.

“About that…” Xu Chacha wasn’t really keen.

If she said yes, many people would come looking for her later. She was naturally the type to avoid trouble. If it weren’t for Lang Shu and Hua Jing being old acquaintances, she would probably have retired from the industry long ago.

But before she could figure out a good way to refuse, someone pulled her arm from behind.

Wen Mubai’s familiar voice came close, resting against her back. “Come inside with me.”

“Me?” Xu Chacha pointed to herself blankly.

“Who else?” Wen Mubai raised her hand, brushed Xu Chacha’s bangs, and turned to walk toward her office. “Your Sister Panpan is calling you.”

“Oh, oh, oh.”

This gave Xu Chacha a perfect excuse to nod goodbye to the senior without having to use words to refuse.