After Becoming a Cannon Fodder Side Character, I Became the Group’s Favorite (GL) - Chapter 45

Xu Chacha insisted on sending her small amount of money to the film crew, and after doing so, she demanded things like they do in novels, with a domineering look on her face.

“The styling team must be the one I specify,” she said, handing over the portfolio with both hands. “Here are the samples. Take a look.”

The producer was a bit confused. Usually, when people brought money to a film crew, they demanded roles or more screen time. This young lady was asking to install a styling team?

However, this was a matter that could be both big and small. A good styling team was a huge asset to a film. It required not only on-point aesthetics but also detailed consideration of materials and restoration accuracy. Ideally, they should have sufficient understanding of the historical background described in the script to create costumes that fit the era, location, and local customs.

But the producer also knew Xu Chacha’s background, so she opened the portfolio and looked through it carefully.

As soon as she saw the name of the studio on the cover, she exclaimed, “Isn’t this Mubai’s studio?”

“Mhm. What’s wrong?” Xu Chacha stared at her.

“The team we’re using is theirs! That stylist, Jiang, is very famous in the industry.”

“Ah, is that so?” In that case, she couldn’t give her small sum of money after all.

“You’re not… having second thoughts, are you?”

Xu Chacha tapped her finger on the table. “Will my investment or lack thereof greatly affect the scriptwriter?”

“Of course, it will have an impact.” Although their current investment was in place and not at the point of having to shorten the filming period or compromise on costumes and props due to funding issues, as a producer, she would never turn down more investment. “But if the investment amount is sufficient, we can create more of the realism the scriptwriter envisions. For example, in the movie Youbuxi, from the large-scale location selection to the small detail of an earring, everything was meticulously chosen. You see, precisely because of such detailed attention, they achieved that level of success. Now, let’s look back at our film…”

This wasn’t the first time Xu Chacha had listened to someone pitch a dream, but it was the first time she had seen someone so persuasive. She propped her chin up and listened to the person talk slowly, almost falling asleep.

How eloquent was this producer? She was like the aunt who sold stinky tofu on the back street of their school—every time the four girls from their dorm passed by, she could talk all of them into buying a portion.

“Don’t you agree?” The producer finally finished, batting her sparkling eyes at Xu Chacha. If her eyes could talk, they would probably be saying, “You’ve come all this way, just leave the money before you go.”

“Alright then. But I won’t invest that much. Is half okay?” This was also a gesture of support for Lai Qian.

The two had added each other on WeChat after Xu Chacha’s visit. Because Lai Qian’s personality was so interesting, Xu Chacha sometimes chatted with her until midnight, only ending the conversation when her alarm forced her to go to sleep. Their sisterly bond was thus established.

“Yes, of course, it is!”

…

Since that avenue was a dead end, Xu Chacha had to find another way.

She logged onto Wen Mubai’s studio’s official website, found the “Seek Cooperation” button, scrolled through the product list, and clicked on the option that looked the most expensive.

【Exclusive High-End Custom Gown】

Clicking in, there was a dazzling array of finished product displays, and the contact information was at the very bottom.

Xu Chacha was worried that Wen Mubai or someone else who knew her would answer the phone, so she randomly grabbed a friend of Zhu Zhu’s and had her speak according to her instructions.

“Hello, I’d like to inquire about information regarding a high-end custom gown.” The young girl sat on a chair, surrounded by four people, and was inexplicably nervous. Her voice even trembled a little.

The call was on speakerphone. The person on the other end had a calm female voice, which didn’t sound like Wen Mubai, and Xu Chacha breathed a sigh of relief.

“Certainly. Could you tell me approximately when you would need this gown?”

“When…” The girl looked at Xu Chacha, who showed her a typed message on her phone. She read from it, “No rush. Take your time.”

“I see. Then, how about you visit our studio when you have time, so we can discuss the style you need and other detailed requirements?”

No, no, no! Xu Chacha frantically shook her head.

“Huh? Can I not come in? The style is flexible too. It’s up to your designer. Whatever she likes, she can design.”

“…” The person on the other end certainly hadn’t expected such an answer. After a moment of silence, she probably thought the caller wasn’t serious and was just playing a prank. She replied, “Well, for custom orders, a deposit must be paid first, and we also need to take your measurements. You see…”

“We’ll send you the measurements and the deposit after we exchange contact information. I’m quite busy with work and truly don’t have time to come to your studio. I apologize,” the girl answered based on Xu Chacha’s prompts.

“Ah, is that so? Please wait a moment, madam. I will consult with our designer and call you back within half an hour.”

“Okay, okay. Go ahead and ask,” she nodded repeatedly.

“Phew—” The call ended. All five of them leaned back, looking like their souls had been drained.

Xu Chacha was even more nervous than the girl who made the call. She wiped the non-existent sweat from her forehead. “Is one enough? Should I order a few more?”

“They’re already a little suspicious with just one order. If you order more, you’ll be practically giving yourself away,” Zhu Zhu patted her head. “I thought you were smart, but why are you acting like an idiot in this matter?”

“Oh.” Xu Chacha rubbed her head. “I just wanted to increase her performance metrics.”

“Rich lady, why don’t you consider supporting me?” Zhu Zhu winked at her.

Xu Chacha pushed her face away. “Go away. Go find your brothers.”

They waited for a while, not even ten minutes, before the phone rang again. This time, Xu Chacha’s breath hitched when she picked up.

It was Wen Mubai.

“Hello, madam. I am the designer Wen Mubai from BC. May I ask your name?”

No one in Room 2062 dared to make a sound. The girl nervously gave her last name. “My name is Wang.”

“Alright, Ms. Wang. I understand that you are interested in ordering a custom high-end gown from BC, is that correct?”

“Yes, yes, yes.”

“Good. Then I have a few questions for you.”

“Ask away.”

“Could you tell me a little about your usual clothing style, preferences, the occasion for which this gown will be used, or any other requirements you may have?”

The girl looked up at Xu Chacha with a pleading gaze, but Xu Chacha was panicking, too. She hadn’t thought about what to do with the dress after buying it, and mentioning her clothing preferences might expose her.

“Just say ‘whatever’,” she mouthed.

“Oh, whatever.”

“Perhaps this is a little presumptuous, but are you ordering this gown voluntarily? Or is there someone else with you?”

“What the heck?” Zhu Zhu’s mouth dropped open, and she struggled to keep her voice down.

The girls exchanged glances, terrified by Wen Mubai’s astonishing insight. They hadn’t made a sound.

“No, I’m definitely buying it myself.”

“Mhm, very well. Please leave your contact information. I will discuss the details with you online later.”

The girl provided the number Xu Chacha had prepared, and the suffocating phone call finally ended.

Xu Chacha had a large number of spare WeChat accounts. While others used WeChat groups, she grouped her WeChat accounts. Xu Yanshu had even borrowed one from her when she wanted to connect with her future sister-in-law.

Wen Mubai’s friend request came quickly. Xu Chacha accepted it, nervously gripping her phone as she chatted with the other party.

But unexpectedly, Wen Mubai didn’t ask so many questions. She sent the cooperation guidelines to Xu Chacha and told her she could pay the deposit if everything was fine.

Xu Chacha scrolled to the bottom, looked at the deposit price, and sent it to her after entering the payment password.

The other party was probably busy and hadn’t confirmed the payment until the evening.

…

On the weekend, Xu Chacha reserved her time for the “Tiny Duo,” so they wouldn’t keep complaining that she had forgotten her old friends for new love.

She dragged the car-owning Xue Miaomiao to the market early to buy groceries and then went to the supermarket to replenish the milk in the refrigerator. By the time they returned to the rented apartment, it was nearly ten o’clock.

“Call Chen Xixi and tell her we’re about to eat,” Xu Chacha collapsed on the sofa.

“I’ll go pick her up,” Xue Miaomiao put away her phone and grabbed the keys. “Her sense of direction is not much better than yours.”

“That works. I’ll wait for you to come back before starting. I’ll just lie here for a while,” Xu Chacha hugged a human-sized teddy bear and buried her head in its embrace.

“Alright.”

The drive from Xu Chacha’s place to Chen Xixi’s campus and back should only take half an hour, but Xue Miaomiao was gone for over an hour. It wasn’t until nearly eleven-thirty that Xu Chacha heard the rustling sound of the door opening.

“Can I have one more piece? Just one,” Chen Xixi’s voice was heard.

Xue Miaomiao’s voice was cool. “We’re eating soon. Stop eating sweets.”

“You nag more than my mom, Xue Miaomiao!”

“I don’t mind if you call me Mom.”

The TV was playing a variety show that Xu Chacha had saved earlier, but the volume was very low. She was wearing thick floor socks, curled up in the teddy bear’s arms, her eyes almost closing in comfort.

“Xu Chacha, wake up! Don’t sleep,” Chen Xixi slapped her on the butt. “You called us here to eat, and you’re sleeping.”

Xu Chacha seemed unfazed and refused to move. “It’s hot pot anyway. We just need to cut the vegetables and start eating.”

After speaking, she pulled Chen Xixi over. “Come here. Lying down is really comfortable.”

“Oh, is it? Let me try.” Chen Xixi took off her coat and sat on the other side, mimicking Xu Chacha’s posture, leaning her head against the bear’s back. “Hey, it’s so soft.”

“See?”

“Change the channel. Have you seen the latest episode of the talent show that aired last week?”

“What talent show?” Xu Chacha reached for a piece of dried sweet potato. “There are so many talent shows. I can’t be bothered to watch.”

Talent shows had been very popular in recent years. She was interested and watched a few seasons in the past, but honestly, where were all the hidden gems in the entertainment industry? After a few seasons of shows, the remaining contestants were either “recycled meat” who had failed to debut before or amateurs scouted from some street corner. Having been used to watching “Gods fight,” her taste had been raised. She couldn’t stand watching “Rookies pecking at each other.” Now, she avoided such programs.

“The supermodel one. I’ve watched a few episodes, and they’re quite good. They’re all fair-skinned, beautiful, with long legs. Their arms are long enough to wrap around my neck twice,” Chen Xixi giggled. “I thought you would be very interested in this.”

Xu Chacha was indeed quite interested. “Hand me your phone. Let me see.”

Xue Miaomiao, who was already wearing an apron and waiting in the kitchen, tapped the knife on the cutting board. “My two young ladies, are you just going to let me cook all by myself?”

“That’s not cooking. Just make sure you don’t cut your hand,” Chen Xixi waved her hand.

Xue Miaomiao rarely talked back. She lowered her head and chopped vegetables silently with a look that clearly conveyed, “I’ll settle the score with you later.”

Chen Xixi connected her phone to the TV, and the two started watching the first episode from the beginning, thoroughly engrossed.

Twenty minutes later, Xue Miaomiao sternly placed everything on the coffee table. Xu Chacha stood up to make room for her. “You sit. I’ll go get the pot.”

She had specifically bought a pot for hot pot, but it ended up being used more often than her wok, primarily because she was lazy—lazy to cook.

The pot was filled with hot water, and the hot pot base was added. The boiling bubbles gurgled and released a fragrant aroma. Chen Xixi, the food lover who was watching the variety show, finally stretched and sat up.

“Wuwuwu, it smells so good.”

She ran to get chopsticks and skillfully started putting food into the pot. “Eat more radish in winter. It’s good for your health.”

Amidst the swirling steam, Xu Chacha got up and opened the floor-to-ceiling balcony door to let the smell dissipate faster.

When she sat back down, there were already a few slices of mutton in her bowl, fed to her by someone.

She picked it up, blew on it to cool it down, and ate it slowly, in stark contrast to Chen Xixi, who was so impatient that she had to “hiss” and “ha” for a long time before swallowing each bite.

Although the three of them didn’t gather often in person, they chatted hundreds of pages of nonsense on their phones almost every day. When they met, their mouths were like chattering sparrows, unable to stop.

“By the way, Cha, I heard you’ve been doing some live streaming recently. Why did you suddenly decide to do that?” Chen Xixi asked Xu Chacha, but her eyes were still glued to the pot.

“Oh, it’s about Lai Qian, the one I told you about. Remember?” Su Qing and the others had also asked, but Xu Chacha didn’t want to say it directly. However, in front of these two people, who knew her well, she had nothing to hide. “I thought my remaining money was just collecting dust, so I might as well make some investments. Then she told me that this platform is definitely going to explode, and I should invest as much as I can.”

“You believe everything she says?” Xue Miaomiao frowned, disagreeing strongly. “You shouldn’t spend money like that.”

“I was careful. I asked my sister, and I only took action after observing for a while.”

In truth, Lai Qian’s words had only reminded Xu Chacha, allowing her to think of a way to make money generate more money. But she couldn’t tell them that she had read the original novel and knew that this live streaming platform called “Juzi” would see a huge rise in market value later.

“Fine. We rich people’s lives are beyond our understanding, I guess,” Chen Xixi shook her head.

“Shut up. You two aren’t exactly poor, either.”

“We can’t compare to a young lady like you.”

Xu Chacha pushed her shoulder. “You shut up.”

“But you said you were investing. Why are you live streaming yourself?”

“Boredom.” She pouted and glossed over the answer to that question but chose a more difficult topic to discuss. “If I told you that I might actually be in love with a girl, would you think I’m strange?”

“Cough, cough, cough—”

As soon as she finished speaking, Xue Miaomiao and Chen Xixi choked in perfect unison.

Xu Chacha looked back and forth between them with a strange expression. “Why such a strong reaction?”

Chen Xixi quickly lowered her head to hide her flushed face, and Xue Miaomiao took over the conversation.

“You already came out in your Moments, didn’t you?”

“You guys know that was just to show the people who were pursuing me, right?” Xu Chacha took a sip of canned herbal tea, staring worriedly at the boiling soup in the pot. “I don’t think I should like her.”

“What’s there to ‘should’ or ‘shouldn’t’?” Xue Miaomiao put a piece of vegetable in her bowl. “Tell us who this goddess is. Who can make you so distressed?”

Xu Chacha’s gaze was cautious. “I’m telling you, but don’t freak out.”

“Go on,” Chen Xixi patted her chest. “How can my strong heart not be able to handle it?”

“Wen Mubai,” Xu Chacha blurted out, almost resignedly, and repeated it deliberately, afraid they hadn’t heard clearly. “The woman I like is Wen Mubai.”

“Pfft—”