After Becoming a Cannon Fodder Side Character, I Became the Group’s Favorite (GL) - Chapter 47

On the weekend, the Tiny Duo gathered again at Xu Chacha’s rented apartment.

They were going to Chen Xixi’s sister’s newly opened bar that evening, and Xu Chacha was choosing an outfit.

She didn’t often go to such places. Dressing up too nicely felt deliberate, but dressing too casually felt out of place. After much deliberation, Xue Miaomiao decisively pulled a dress from her closet and put it on her.

Xu Chacha looked at herself in the mirror, wearing a cinched-waist slip dress, with a troubled expression. “Are you trying to freeze me to death out there?”

Chen Xixi brought over a light-colored overcoat for her to wear. “This way, it’s not cold anymore.”

“My legs!”

“Aren’t beautiful girls’ legs immune to the cold?” Chen Xixi blinked innocently. “It’s fine. You won’t be outside for more than three minutes in total, and there’s heating in the car.”

“I should change,” Xu Chacha tried to swap it for something with more fabric, but Xue Miaomiao and Chen Xixi lifted her up, one on each side, and walked her out.

“Let’s go. If we drag this out, my sister will scold us.”

“…”

Half an hour later, inside a bar whose name Xu Chacha didn’t quite catch, she was led straight to the bar counter by Chen Xixi.

“Sis, this is Chacha,” she said, pointing to Xue Miaomiao next to her. “You’ve met this one, so no introduction needed.”

Chen Qian was wiping a glass with a cloth. Seeing them sit down, she put down the item in her hand, leaned over, and playfully pinched Xu Chacha’s face. “The little girl is quite a looker.”

Xu Chacha: “Thank… thank you.”

Sure enough, these two Chen sisters were both overly enthusiastic.

“Just turned legal drinking age, right, kid?” Chen Qian smiled at her.

Xu Chacha nodded obediently.

“Then you can have something that adults drink.”

“I don’t drink alcohol,” Xu Chacha waved her hand in refusal.

“It’s alright. Just have a little,” Chen Qian began mixing. After a dazzling display of movements, she poured a pale pink liquid into a glass and pushed it toward Xu Chacha. “Give it a try.”

Xu Chacha glanced at Chen Xixi, who had already finished half a glass of beer. Thinking she couldn’t offend Chen Qian, she took a small sip.

To her surprise, it didn’t have the expected sharp alcoholic taste. Instead, it was subtly sweet, with a peach fragrance, and a very refreshing mouthfeel.

“How is it?”

Xu Chacha smiled and answered, “It’s good.”

“That’s all that matters.”

Xu Chacha held the cocktail, looking around, and noticed that this bar was different from the noisy, dance-filled places she imagined. It was quiet, and the lighting wasn’t overly dim or suggestive.

The music was a slow, relaxing rhythm. Scattered tables and chairs were placed around the floor, where small groups of customers were huddled together, chatting. The only strange thing was that almost all the customers seemed to be women.

“Cha, you have a message,” Chen Xixi patted her, winking. “It’s your dear Auntie.”

Xu Chacha glared at her and looked down at the message. Wen Mubai asked where she was and if she was free to grab dinner and take her measurements for the dress.

Xu Chacha: I’m out with Xixi and the others.

Wen Mubai casually asked where she was and told her not to stay out too late, and to come home early.

Xu Chacha simply sent her location: Not far from home. Miaomiao is driving us back later.

Xue Miaomiao wasn’t drinking tonight since she drove the car and they were relying on her to take them home later.

Dear Auntie: ?

Xu Chacha: ?

Dear Auntie: Do you know where this is?

Xu Chacha: Xixi’s sister’s lounge bar.

After a long pause, the other side replied with “Wait for me.”

Xu Chacha: “Huh?”

Chen Xixi leaned over. “What’s wrong?”

Xu Chacha showed her the screen. “She said she’s coming over.”

“Oh my god.” Chen Xixi was shocked. “I’m telling you now: if Wen Mubai tries to kill me later, you have to protect me first!”

Xu Chacha: “It’s not that serious.”

Wen Mubai didn’t control her like parents who forbid everything. She thought simply coming to a bar owned by an acquaintance wouldn’t be a big deal.

“Actually, there’s one more thing I haven’t told you,” Chen Xixi looked down and fiddled with her fingers. “My sister’s bar is a lesbian bar.”

“What did you say?” Xu Chacha leaned in. Chen Xixi’s voice was too soft, and she hadn’t quite heard her.

“A lesbian bar! This is a lesbian bar!”

“…” Xu Chacha was silent.

She finally understood why all the customers in this bar were women, and why there were so many T’s (butch lesbians) who looked so masculine.

…

BC Studio

The fixed working hours on their rules and regulations sheet seemed to be just for show. When things got busy, all-nighters were common.

So, even though it was already 8 p.m., the workstations were still full of people.

“I’m stepping out for a bit,” Wen Mubai put her phone in her bag and turned to Jiang Panpan.

Jiang Panpan was sewing a hat. The hat had been borrowed by a film crew, but half the netting was torn when it was returned. Someone else needed to borrow it tomorrow, so she had to fix it quickly.

“Where are you going? Are you coming back? If you are, bring me some late-night food.”

Wen Mubai stood up and put on her coat. “I’m going to catch a naughty kid. Whether I come back or not is uncertain.”

“Huh?” Jiang Panpan looked up in confusion. “I’m understanding you less and less, Old Wen.”

“I’m leaving.”

After getting into the car, Wen Mubai turned on the navigation and started the engine, following Xu Chacha’s location.

It would take half an hour to get to the bar. She could only hope that the air-headed little ancestor would stay conscious and not get too wild before she arrived.

Meanwhile, Xu Chacha had unknowingly finished the entire glass of the cocktail. Because it tasted so similar to sweet peach juice, she drank it without any hesitation. So, when Chen Qian offered a second glass, she couldn’t resist taking it.

At some point, a female singer with a guitar had gone up on stage.

She wore a long white down jacket, and when she took it off, she revealed a thin, pale pink V-neck sweater underneath. Her collarbone necklace swayed gently with the strumming of the guitar strings.

The singer chose to sing Jay Chou’s “Dandelion’s Promise.” The rearranged instrumental intro was softer than the original, and every note seemed to catch the breath.

When she sang the first line, “The dandelions by the elementary school fence, are a scene in memory that has a taste,” Xu Chacha was somehow reminded of that summer afternoon she spent with Wen Mubai squatting in the gardenia field.

The overwhelming scent of gardenias, Wen Mubai’s lightly smiling profile—she might not remember the specifics of what they chatted about that day, but scent was a strange thing. It could frame a memory, making it impossible to erase from the mind.

No wonder Xu Mu still had such a high enthusiasm for making perfume, even though they were financially comfortable today.

When the singer finished the song, the guests tacitly gave her applause, but Xu Chacha’s thoughts became increasingly muddled amidst the clapping. She propped her chin up, the shadow of her long eyelashes resting sleepily on her cheek.

The singer performed a few more songs. At 8 o’clock sharp, Chen Qian entered, pushing a five-tiered cake.

Xu Chacha wasn’t interested in what she was saying and couldn’t focus, her mind still lost in the melody of the first song.

When it was time to cut the cake, she saw Chen Xixi run up, cheerfully picking up the knife.

The cake cart passed by every guest’s table, and Chen Qian distributed a slice to anyone who wanted one.

Chen Xixi secretly placed the top piece, which had a strawberry tip, in front of Xu Chacha. “I snatched this just for you. Eat it quickly.”

“Thank you.” Xu Chacha smiled at her, her cheeks flushed with a red tint that she hadn’t noticed.

She lowered her head and picked up a fork, putting the bright red, succulent strawberry into her mouth. The sweet and sour juice and the rich cream connected her memory to that day.

The soft contact between the tongue and her fingertip—the agitation and tingling had remained in her heart, impossible to forget or shake off.

Xu Chacha didn’t eat the rest of the cake. She held the wine glass, occasionally taking a sip, and spent the rest of the time observing the people around her.

Chen Xixi and the others were right. It was quite nice to come to a place like this sometimes—lively but without the pressure to actively participate. It had been a long time since she had observed other people’s lives from a bystander’s perspective.

What Xu Chacha didn’t know was that while she was observing those people, many were also observing her. No matter where she was, her face and incredible figure could attract many eyes.

Her long legs, casually crossed under the chair, were fair and slender. Her exposed ankles subtly protruded, giving her a delicate, bony look. The two people next to her appeared to be her friends. Only when talking to them would her aloof expression soften into a friendly smile.

Perhaps it was the smile that misled people into thinking she was easy to approach.

And someone actually did.

“Care to get acquainted?” A girl with long, layered hair sat down in the empty seat next to Xu Chacha.

Her eyebrows were thicker than most girls, and a silver ear cuff on her left ear was connected to a long chain that clipped onto her auricle. Combined with her combat boots, she had a somewhat androgynous look.

Chen Xixi, sitting behind, was in a daze, swooning over the girl, until Xue Miaomiao reminded her with a tap on the back of her head, bringing her back to her senses.

“Me?” Xu Chacha asked.

“If you and your friends don’t mind, you can join our table,” the girl invited.

This was the scene Wen Mubai saw when she arrived.

Xu Chacha, in a provocative outfit, looked slightly intoxicated, lazily leaning against the bar counter, talking sideways to a girl.

It was unclear what they were talking about, but the girl bent over, laughing, shortening the distance between them to an intimate level where their cheeks were almost touching.

Wen Mubai’s face darkened. She walked over, slowly approaching Xu Chacha from behind.

The prey, unaware of the approaching predator, remained completely defenseless and lazy.

“You’re very interesting. Come and have a drink with us,” the girl invited again.

“No, thank you. She’s coming to catch me soon,” Xu Chacha shook her head.

“Who?” the girl pressed. “Do you have a girlfriend?”

Before Xu Chacha could answer, a hand pressed down on her head with some force from behind.

Then, she heard Wen Mubai’s distinctly displeased voice from behind her. “Me. I’m the one who’s here to take her back.”

“Ah…” The girl awkwardly stepped back.

Although she wasn’t sure what the relationship between the two was, the aura radiating from Wen Mubai was incredibly intimidating. Her cold expression clearly held little goodwill, and the way she looked down was enough to send a chill down the girl’s spine.

The height difference made her feel like she was at the bottom of the food chain, and she was slightly inferior in looks too.

If nothing else, the words “I am not to be messed with” were written all over the woman in the black coat.

She casually mumbled an apology for interrupting and scurried away.

“You’re here.” Xu Chacha looked up, stretched out her arms, and hugged Wen Mubai’s waist, burying her head in her embrace and rubbing against her.

Wen Mubai tucked the hair hanging by Xu Chacha’s face behind her ear, her nose immediately catching the scent of alcohol. “How much did you drink?”

“Hehe.” Xu Chacha wrinkled her nose, her smile a little sly. “You caught me! Hurry up and punish me.”