After Becoming a Cannon Fodder Side Character, I Became the Group’s Favorite (GL) - Chapter 44

A long time passed, and Wen Mubai didn’t react. The driver in the front seat quietly raised the partition, pretending not to exist.

All of Xu Chacha’s nerves were taut, anxiously awaiting Wen Mubai’s slightest reaction.

“How old are you? Stop saying such spoiled things,” Wen Mubai pressed the interior light off and leaned back, calmly withdrawing from the silent tug-of-war. “Where are we going? The apartment or home?”

“I’m eighteen,” Xu Chacha’s chest rose and fell as she struggled to suppress the emotions that had surged up in that instant. But as the frustration subsided, a wave of grievance washed over her. Her eyes turned red, and her voice rose considerably. “I told you not to treat me like a child!”

The car was too quiet. All Xu Chacha could hear was her own rapid breathing. Her fists trembled beside her, and her eyes were fixed on Wen Mubai’s direction.

Even though the light was dim, she could only make out a rough silhouette.

“Mhm.” The next second, she saw Wen Mubai raise her hand, loop it around her shoulder, pull her into a hug, and pat her back. “You’ve grown up.”

Xu Chacha rested against Wen Mubai’s chest, her ear against her heartbeat. Unlike her calm and steady exterior, the beating of her heart was heavy and chaotically arrhythmic, and it accelerated with Xu Chacha’s closeness.

“The film and television industry has been in a slump for the past two years, and the Wen family’s revenue has declined for two years. The S+ project, which was the most heavily invested in and prioritized, had dismal viewership after its launch in the first half of the year; it didn’t even recoup the promotional expenses,” Wen Mubai rarely spoke so much at once, but now she was explaining to Xu Chacha in the simplest possible terms. “His arrangement for me to go on a blind date isn’t genuinely out of concern that I won’t find a partner and will be lonely in my old age. He just hopes to use this opportunity to connect with the Wang family.”

Wang’s Entertainment is different from Wen’s. The latter focuses on buzz, following the trends closely for years, like a tireless machine manufacturer, producing a batch after batch of fleetingly popular but ultimately weak blockbusters.

Wang’s, on the other hand, is low-key. A project might be deliberated for three or four years before entering the preparation stage, but almost every venture yields remarkable results. The artists signed under them, whether actors or singers, are industry veterans who entered the industry in their teens and can still compete with young idols at forty. They seem interested in investing now, but the scripts the Wen family offered for collaboration didn’t quite impress them.

“So… did I mess things up?” Xu Chacha began to regret it.

She was nearly forty, adding up her two eighteen-year-old lives, yet she still hadn’t learned to be composed in her actions.

Everything Wen Mubai usually said about her was right. She was impulsive, reckless, and never considered the consequences.

Just now, she had even thrown a tantrum at her without knowing the gravity of the situation.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know. How about I go apologize to that uncle?” Xu Chacha’s voice was soft as she nestled against her, her apology sincere. “I just don’t want you to go on a blind date. I don’t want you to marry anyone else.”

Anyone would find it difficult to blame her when she looked like this.

“There’s no need. I will clarify things with him,” Wen Mubai’s fingers curled around her long, hanging hair. “What made you decide to dress up like this today?”

“How else can I pretend to be young?” Xu Chacha shook her pigtails. “Do I look a little silly?”

Wen Mubai chuckled, the warmth of her breath brushing against her neck in intermittent bursts, making her feel ticklish.

“What did you call me earlier?”

“Mommy. Why?” With no one else around, Xu Chacha said it much more naturally than before. She leaned against Wen Mubai’s shoulder, deliberately thinning her voice to mimic a child’s tone, and whispered in her ear, “Don’t go on blind dates with those uncles, okay? Isn’t having Chacha enough?”

The grip of Wen Mubai’s arm around her tightened. She lowered her eyes, concealing the turbulent waves surging beneath. “Don’t say that casually. There won’t be a next time.”

“I also think that sounds bad. It makes you sound old,” Xu Chacha stretched out her arms and wrapped them around her neck, shaking lightly. “Then Auntie, promise me, okay? Hmm?”

“Let go first,” Wen Mubai pulled her arm down, her voice somehow sounding a little hoarse.

“Why? Aren’t I allowed to hug you now?” Not only did Xu Chacha not let go, but she also pressed her face closer. “Can’t I?”

The car happened to drive past a streetlamp. The clear, yellow light illuminated Xu Chacha’s face, which was now only inches away from Wen Mubai.

The girl who had matured so quickly during those ten years exuded a sweet peach scent. Her slightly parted pink lips had no lipstick on today, only a light gloss. Her long eyelashes lowered, and her gaze fell to an ambiguous spot.

Before Wen Mubai could respond, she heard Xu Chacha lower her voice even further and say, “Wen Mubai, can I stop calling you Auntie from now on?”

“Huh?” Wen Mubai raised an eyebrow, thought for a moment, and said, “You can call me whatever you like. It’s just a form of address anyway.”

“It’s not just a form of address.” Those beautiful lips parted and uttered a few more words. “If I don’t call you Auntie, you’re not allowed to treat me like a child anymore.”

“Just because of that?” Wen Mubai tilted her neck back, intentionally putting distance between herself and Xu Chacha.

She was afraid that if that peach lingered in her sight, she wouldn’t be able to resist taking a bite.

“Yes,” Xu Chacha noticed her movement and voluntarily retreated a little, to a distance where Wen Mubai could clearly see her entire expression. She curled her lips into a smile at her.

“You know I like girls, Wen Mubai.”

Wen Mubai had misunderstood. The form of address was more influential than she had imagined.

It had been a long time since she had heard someone call her name so lightly. In the company, she was “Editor-in-Chief Wen.” Outside, she was “Miss Wen of the Wen family.” Occasionally, when she returned home, she had to be Wen Shiyu’s older sister and Father Wen’s daughter.

But with Xu Chacha, she could be nothing. Stripped of all her titles, what remained was the self that had long been suppressed in her heart.

She heard herself respond to Xu Chacha, feigning composure. “I know.”

“What about you?” Xu Chacha’s tone was natural, as if she were merely gossiping with a good friend.

Wen Mubai raised her eyes to meet Xu Chacha’s gaze. Her eyes were always as clear as a still lake, seemingly easy to see to the bottom. All her joys, angers, and sorrows floated on the surface, but that straightforwardness always made Wen Mubai feel overwhelmed.

She took the blanket next to her and covered Xu Chacha’s head. It was much easier for her to answer without looking into those eyes. “I’m a lookist.”

…

The blind date incident indeed embarrassed Wang Zhi greatly. Of course, he knew Wen Mubai couldn’t have a daughter that old, but she had openly humiliated him. As a young heir who was used to being the center of attention, he couldn’t just let go of the slight.

Wen Mubai’s apology message went unanswered, which was within her expectation.

Father Wen was unaware of the details, only knowing that the blind date had fallen through, Wang Zhi was displeased, and his investment was now in jeopardy. After much thought, he only had two daughters. Since the elder one was uncooperative, he could only send the younger one to try.

“I’m not going!” Wen Shiyu rarely attended family dinners, and she refused in a sharp voice. “I already have someone I like. Why do I have to be arranged for a blind date?”

Wen Mubai lowered her head, picking out chili peppers from her bowl, remaining silent.

“Besides, the blind date wasn’t even arranged for me. Why should it be pushed onto me? The man is almost forty. Just looking at his photo makes me lose my appetite.”

“That’s right. Xiao Yu is still in the industry and has a bright future. If she goes on a blind date now and is photographed, the rumors will ruin her,” Mother Wen also pleaded.

Since her debut as a child star, Wen Shiyu had enjoyed excellent exposure thanks to her family’s resources. Furthermore, few singers possessed both skill and looks. She had a strong base of loyal fans, and her data was impressive. She could be considered half of the Wen family’s cash cow.

Upon hearing this, Father Wen became somewhat uncertain. However, Wang Zhi had clearly expressed his dissatisfaction with Wen Mubai, and he knew his daughter’s personality would prevent her from humbling herself to apologize; in fact, she might even be secretly glad about the current situation.

If he didn’t push Wen Shiyu out, what else could he do?

“But if we don’t secure this connection, the company’s capital chain will break, and continued operation will become a problem.”

In Father Wen’s eyes, his company was the most important. If Wen Shiyu had a scandal, he could pay the media to delete the negative news and use marketing to clear her name, but if Wang Zhi’s investment was gone, it was gone.

“I won’t go! If you force me to go, I’d rather die.”

Mother Wen slapped Wen Shiyu’s face. “What nonsense are you talking about in front of your father!”

In the middle of the chaos, Wen Mubai finally decided to speak.

“Wang Zhi isn’t the only one in the world who can invest. Are you only focused on City A?”

“Mubai, do you have a plan?” Mother Wen quickly changed her expression to that of a good stepmother. “Tell us quickly.”

“Lai Qian,” she gave a name. “She wants to make a movie recently.”

Lai Qian was an actress she had worked with before. She had no personal background, but her backer was very influential and cared for her deeply.

Although she had been in the entertainment industry for a long time, she hadn’t gained much fame and was constantly criticized by netizens for her acting skills and outspoken personality, but she never lacked good resources.

She had recently developed a sudden interest in changing her career direction and was looking for good scripts and directors, determined to spend a lot of money to make a good movie of her own. It didn’t have to be a box-office hit, but it had to be high-quality and sophisticated.

Lai Qian had originally contacted Wang’s, but for some unknown reason, the deal fell through, which gave Wen Mubai an opportunity.

“I’ve told you the plan. It’s up to you to execute it.”

“I’m full,” Wen Mubai put down her chopsticks and the almost untouched bowl of rice, and stood up. Her gaze swept over Mother Wen. “Next time, tell the kitchen to use less chili. It causes heatiness.”

…

2602

In recent months, Xu Chacha’s behavior had become very strange. She woke up at six in the morning and spent over an hour putting on makeup.

This behavior wasn’t uncommon among freshmen, but Xu Chacha was different. Usually, she would wake up thirty minutes before class, quickly wash up, put on some lip color, grab her books, and rush to the classroom.

Zhu Zhu, another early riser, couldn’t help but gossip. “Sweetie, are you in love recently? You’re waking up earlier than me every day.”

Xu Chacha was applying eyeliner, not daring to breathe. Fortunately, her hand was steady, and she drew a smooth, upward-flicked line.

Only after finishing did she reply to Zhu Zhu. “I just think I’ve been too sloppy when I go out.”

“You, sloppy?” Zhu Zhu’s eyes widened in disbelief. “That’s called natural beauty that is hard to ignore. If I looked like you, I wouldn’t bother with makeup either.”

“It’s not the same,” Xu Chacha patiently curled her eyelashes one by one. “I’m not pretty enough.”

“Help, help,” Zhu Zhu clutched her chest. “This child is going to kill me with her nonsense. Where did she learn this humble-bragging? Su Qing, Jiang Shu, someone come and scold her harshly for me!”

“Shh,” Xu Chacha covered her mouth. “I’m serious.”

Wen Mubai had written scripts and was the editor-in-chief of a fashion magazine. She had seen all kinds of celebrities, beauties, and pretty models in the industry. Xu Chacha’s mere good looks weren’t enough to compare.

Last time, when Xu Chacha asked, Wen Mubai said she had to make money first. This time, she mentioned being good-looking. Xu Chacha combined the two and concluded that Wen Mubai’s ideal type was a beautiful rich woman.

With the good luck of a transmigrator, Xu Chacha held the advantage in one aspect, but “good-looking” was quite ambiguous. She wasn’t sure what Wen Mubai considered good-looking.

“Do I look good?” After getting ready, Xu Chacha put down the mirror and asked.

Her makeup was always light, focusing on highlighting her strengths and minimizing her weaknesses. She didn’t use much color. The eyeshadow was just a light sweep of contouring to deepen her features, with some pearl shimmer added to the crease of her double eyelids. Paired with curled lashes, the effort wasn’t obvious, but she looked much more energetic.

The matte brick-red color on her lips was thinly applied, the gradual blend from the center giving it a high-quality look and making her teeth appear whiter.

Zhu Zhu swallowed her saliva. “Beautiful. If I were a man, I’d want to marry you right now.”

“Mhm. I’ll stick with this for today.”

“Where are you going, all dressed up?” Zhu Zhu asked curiously. “You don’t have afternoon classes, do you?”

“To find Auntie… Wen Mubai,” Xu Chacha almost slipped up.

“Oh~ Then hurry up,” Zhu Zhu chuckled. “Are you not coming back tonight?”

“Get out of here,” Xu Chacha threw a wad of tissue at her, grabbed her keys, and put them in her bag. “I’m leaving. Don’t miss me.”

Xu Chacha had called a car on her phone in advance, and it arrived just as she reached the school gate. As she closed the car door, she texted Wen Mubai to let her know she had left.

Wen Mubai, who hadn’t written a script for a long time, had recently taken on a new project, working with the notoriously poor-acting Lai Qian.

Xu Chacha was curious and insisted on visiting the set. Wen Mubai assumed she was a fan of someone and gave her the address.

She wasn’t the on-set scriptwriter, but since Xu Chacha was coming, it was best for someone to lead her. So, Xu Chacha was taking a taxi to her studio, and they would leave together from there.

What Wen Mubai didn’t know was that Xu Chacha wasn’t interested in any actor; she simply wanted an excuse to see her. Wen Mubai had been so busy lately that she could barely reply to a few texts, and Xu Chacha was getting bored all by herself.

The two arrived at the film set together. They were unlucky today as it was an outdoor shoot. The wind was strong, making people shiver.

The female lead, Lai Qian, however, was wearing a thin slip dress, sitting on a long bench by a park lake, acting out a crying scene while reciting lines so long that even the scriptwriter probably couldn’t remember them all.

Xu Chacha found it quite novel. She hadn’t expected Lai Qian, the actress rumored to have a powerful backer, act like a diva, and win fake awards, to be quite dedicated. When the director called for a re-take, she complied without a single word of complaint.

However, Xu Chacha was already quite shocked when Lai Qian spent so much effort planning to make this film.

The script, costumes, makeup, and even the director were all brought together with a huge amount of money from her and her backer. Normally, this kind of setup, with a different actress, could secure at least two nominations.

Outsiders couldn’t understand Lai Qian’s actions, and insiders were also confused, only assuming that she was tired of being a kept woman and wanted to experience the feeling of throwing money away.

“Oh my god, oh my god!” As soon as the director yelled “Cut,” the assistant wrapped Lai Qian in a blanket. She held a pink hot water bottle, shivering all over. “Director, was that take acceptable? If you make me cry a few more times, my tears will freeze with the lake water.”

Director: “It depends on your standard. If…”

“Fine! Stop talking,” Lai Qian cut him off. “Hearing the word ‘acceptable’ from you is harder than reaching heaven.”

Presumably, she saw Wen Mubai. Lai Qian held a cup of hot tea and walked over, standing in front of Xu Chacha and looking her up and down. “Well, this little girl is a real looker.”

Xu Chacha didn’t expect her to have such a down-to-earth way of speaking despite her ladylike demeanor, and she chuckled softly.

“She’s all grown up,” Wen Mubai put her hand on Xu Chacha’s head. “But she has been a looker since she was little.”

“The texture, tsk, tsk, tsk.” Lai Qian was genuinely unreserved and immediately reached out to pinch Xu Chacha’s face. “My skin was about the same as yours when I was young. I miss it.”

Xu Chacha smiled. “You’re still young now, and you look so beautiful even with such a tired makeup look. Your foundation is excellent. I’m so envious.”

“Hey!” Lai Qian’s eyes widened. “I like this little girl! She’s sweet.”

“I like you too,” Xu Chacha replied politely.

“Tell me, are you my little fan? Is that why you asked Wen Mubai to bring you to visit the set?” Lai Qian winked at her.

“Kind of… yes,” she could only say.

“That’s great! Come on, let me chat with you. Since I like you so much, you’ll get all the autographs and photos you want when we head back later.”

“Ah? Hahaha, okay.”

Xu Chacha hadn’t expected her original plan to just find an excuse to see Wen Mubai would result in her being dragged away by Lai Qian for a chat. Wen Mubai, meanwhile, was soon pulled away by the director to discuss the script.

Xu Chacha could only suppress her pleading gaze and obediently sit beside Lai Qian, listening to her ramble.

“This is so rare. I actually have a fan who came all the way to the set, and a female fan at that,” Lai Qian put her arm around Xu Chacha’s shoulder, acting like a close buddy.

She was wearing a small floral dress but sat with her legs crossed without any regard for her image. Her left hand, with a pinkie finger extended like an orchid, held an enamel mug of hot water with pang da hai (malva nut) inside. She blew on it and sipped, looking much like an old man reading a newspaper at a morning tea stall.

“Your acting is very good,” as a comedy, Xu Chacha thought.

“Oh, you child,” Lai Qian slapped Xu Chacha’s back. “You’re talking nonsense. Don’t blindly praise me like that. We can say it here, but don’t embarrass yourself online, or people will call you a brain-dead fan.”

“Pffft—” Xu Chacha covered her mouth. “Sister Qianqian, you have such a good attitude.”

“How can I not have a good attitude?” Lai Qian took a gulp of hot tea. “Is there any other actress in China with more negative rumors than me? Diva behavior, being kept—those are all old news. Now they’re even criticizing me for not wearing a bra while watering flowers in my villa garden?”

“I saw that too. Doesn’t it bother you that paparazzi are camping outside your house?” That’s too much meddling.

“What’s there to worry about? I’m an actress. I should only worry when no one wants to photograph me anymore,” Lai Qian was very open-minded.

“Then… is being kept also true?”

“You could say that, but we’re technically a couple, except she’s the one who’s always supported me.”

“A couple?”

“Tsk. You just don’t know how beautiful she is. If I hadn’t relentlessly pursued her, she wouldn’t have even looked at me.” Lai Qian sucked on the cup.

“It can be like that?” Is this an unconventional version of the ‘Mao Sui self-recommends’ story?

Having read too many novels with forceful and transactional romance plots, Xu Chacha suddenly developed a strong interest in the story of Lai Qian and her backer.

“Yes. With anyone else, I would have played the virtuous maiden, but with her,” Lai Qian laughed loudly, “I’m the one who benefits.”

Xu Chacha was somewhat curious about that person, but a strange thought suddenly popped into her head.

“What about me?” She pointed to herself. “How do I measure up?”

Lai Qian squinted. “You’re young, so don’t get involved. Don’t think every backer is as rich and beautiful as mine. Most of them are fat, bald old men.”

“That’s not what I meant!” Xu Chacha quickly said.

“Oh~” Lai Qian’s gaze changed.

Indeed, upon closer inspection, Xu Chacha’s accessories and clothing were all quite expensive.

“This industry doesn’t value looks; it values this.” Lai Qian rubbed her fingers together, mimicking counting money.

“I have a little of that, too.”

The assistant next to them appropriately leaned over and explained Xu Chacha’s identity to Lai Qian.

“Alright. She’s a rich fan. That gives me face,” Lai Qian clapped her thigh excitedly and asked Xu Chacha, “Who are you interested in?”

Xu Chacha wasn’t used to this terminology and hadn’t thought about it that way. She had just gotten carried away chatting with Lai Qian and asked impulsively.

Now that she had to say it, she felt too embarrassed to speak.

But who was Lai Qian? Having been in the industry for so long, she was practically a walking encyclopedia of gossip. Since Xu Chacha walked in, Lai Qian had noticed her eyes constantly darting towards Wen Mubai, each glance more intense and lingering than the last. She was all too familiar with that look.

Lai Qian looked at her own backer that way every day.

“If it’s Wen Mubai, I advise you to seize the opportunity and make your move now.”

“Wh—No, no.” Xu Chacha quickly waved her hands, checking that Wen Mubai was still deep in conversation with the director and not paying attention to them. She leaned closer and whispered, “What do you mean?”

“The Wen family seems to be having a bit of trouble recently. They’ve lost money on several projects. Speaking of the recent show Legend of Something that flopped, that was theirs too. They were banking on it to turn things around, but the male lead got caught in a scandal of domestic violence and infidelity and was boycotted by the audience. Billions were just thrown down the drain,” Lai Qian spoke excitedly about the gossip. “They’ve almost lost everything. Otherwise, why would they push their daughter out for a blind date?”

At the mention of the blind date, Xu Chacha’s expression darkened.

If she hadn’t ruined the blind date, the Wen family wouldn’t have been on such bad terms with the Wang family. Now, Wen Mubai was running between the set and the studio, so busy that someone had to remind her to eat.

Xu Chacha was watching anxiously, desperate to help her, but it felt like all she had was money.

Xu Chacha thought that if she had been more diligent all these years, she wouldn’t be in this situation—still unknown, with a network of industry contacts that could be counted on one hand. At least then, she might have been able to help Wen Mubai with something.

Lost in thought, Xu Chacha unconsciously clenched her fists. She felt it was time to awaken her cursed ambition. As long as she didn’t work herself to death, wasn’t it better to earn as much money as possible?

She had been pampered by her parents for so long that she was on the verge of becoming a useless pig, only knowing how to have clothes handed to her and food put in her mouth.

Xu Chacha raised her hand and patted her own face. Wake up, Xu Chacha! You have a wife to support! Stop being a lazy bum. Go out and make money!

However, for now, she had to solve Wen Mubai’s immediate problems. Just two days ago, Xu Chacha saw Jiang Panpan complaining about being broke on her social media. Since she and Wen Mubai were business partners, if Jiang Panpan was poor, Wen Mubai couldn’t be doing well either.

Xu Chacha looked at Wen Mubai’s back. The north wind blew a few yellow leaves that landed at her feet. That slender, long silhouette was immediately tinged with a sense of desolation.

Xu Chacha tenderly covered her mouth, trying not to whimper: My poor Auntie. Your life is already so hard. Why are you stubbornly enduring it without telling anyone?

That evening, Xu Yanshu received a call from her ungrateful younger sister. She was working overtime in the lab, utterly exhausted, but she still answered politely.

“Are you running out of living expenses? I’ll transfer some money to you now.”

“No, no,” Xu Chacha quickly said. “I wanted to ask you, if I have a sum of money…”

“Save it, and buy yourself something good to eat,” Xu Yanshu said without hesitation.

“I’m too old to only buy myself food! I want to invest!”

Even through the phone, Xu Yanshu could imagine Xu Chacha puffing out her chest, her reply defiant and self-righteous.

She chuckled softly and said, “If you want to manage your wealth, I can help you buy some funds. It’s safer than playing the stock market. If you just need money, ask me directly.”

“I told you I don’t need money. I just want to invest, invest in a movie.”

“A movie?” Xu Yanshu frowned. “Why are you suddenly interested in this?”

“Just help me, please,” Xu Chacha softened her voice, whining to Xu Yanshu. “You’re the best sister, aren’t you?”

Xu Yanshu now had some resistance to her sugar-coated pleas. This matter was too unusual and completely bizarre.

She knew that in the past, whenever Xu Chacha started whining and asking for something, it was usually related to that person…

She suddenly felt enlightened. Associating it with Wen Mubai’s recent situation, she asked the person on the other end of the phone in a deep voice, “Don’t tell me you’re rushing to give money to Wen Mubai’s movie.”

Do you know how much she gets paid for writing a script? Does she really need your small change?