After Becoming a Cannon Fodder Side Character, I Became the Group’s Favorite (GL) - Chapter 5

“Oh, right, right! Chacha, quickly try on these clothes!” Jiang Panpan remembered her reason for coming.

Every only child envies others who have a well-behaved younger sister, and she couldn’t miss such a great opportunity to experience the fun of dressing up a doll!

Xu Chacha looked at Wen Mubai, seemingly seeking her approval.

Wen Mubai wiped her mouth with a tissue and patted her head lightly. “Go ahead.”

Xu Chacha looked at the pure white princess dress in Jiang Panpan’s hand and gently shook her head. “Chacha is dirty…”

She had been sweating all day while running around outside and had fallen in the mud. If she wore those new clothes now, wouldn’t she just ruin them?

“Hey, then take her to bathe,” Jiang Panpan said to Wen Mubai. “She’s been sweating all day. The child must be uncomfortable.”

Xu Chacha’s eyes widened. “I can wash myself!”

Even though her body was that of a seven-year-old child, her mind was eighteen. Having someone help her bathe—didn’t she have any dignity?!

“You really should have a wash.” Wen Mubai slid her hands under Xu Chacha’s armpits and picked her up in the posture one would use to hug a doll. “You have too many cuts and bruises on your body to get them wet. Sister will help you.”

“I—”

“Then you two go wash. I’ll go get the hairdryer,” Jiang Panpan said.

Xu Chacha: “…” Could someone please let me finish a sentence?

She felt like a powerless puppet, easily carried into the bathroom by Wen Mubai.

The conditions of this guesthouse were among the best in the town. The bathroom was quite large and very clean, even having a separate wet and dry area for the shower and sink.

Wen Mubai hooked the nearby small wooden step stool with her foot and placed Xu Chacha on it so that her height was just right to see herself in the mirror.

Xu Chacha stared at the dusty little doll in the mirror and blinked, suddenly feeling a sense of time travel.

This child looked exactly like she did when she was small, just a little grubby. Otherwise, even her biological mother probably couldn’t tell the difference.

Wen Mubai found a pair of scissors and a comb from somewhere and began to gently untangle the knots in Xu Chacha’s hair.

Afraid of hurting her, her touch was very light. Every time she combed, she would first pinch the roots of the hair with her other hand before moving, and after smoothing the hair, she separated the bangs from the hair at the back by sectioning it into a triangle.

Xu Chacha puffed up her cheeks and blew at the long bangs that blocked her view. “Sister, are you going to cut my hair?”

Wen Mubai hummed. “Or do you want that other Sister to cut it for you?”

“No, no! I want you.”

“Then Sister will help you cut it.” Wen Mubai raised her hand and gestured on her shoulder. “Is this length okay?”

Xu Chacha’s hair wasn’t long, primarily because the ends were uneven, and her bangs hadn’t been maintained for a long time, making it look messy. Thinking that little girls usually love beauty and like to keep their hair long, Wen Mubai didn’t want to cut off too much.

Xu Chacha held the sink with both hands, standing on her toes to confirm the length seriously. “Mhm, it’s fine.”

“Then I’ll start cutting.” Wen Mubai turned the scissors in her hand and touched Xu Chacha’s forehead with her left hand. “I need this little customer to please stay still for a moment.”

“Understood!” Xu Chacha obediently closed her eyes. Perhaps due to nervousness, her eyelashes trembled against her eyelids.

Wen Mubai turned sideways and divided her bangs into three sections with her hand. The first cut was clean and precise, cutting the middle part above her eyebrows, and then she slanted the scissors to naturally blend the side sections with the length of the middle.

Cutting the rest of the hair after the bangs was simple; she just needed to trim it into a neat, straight cut. Wen Mubai’s hands were steady, and each cut perfectly matched the previous length, requiring almost no further trimming.

After finishing the cut, she used a tissue to wipe away the stray hairs that had fallen onto Xu Chacha’s eyelids. “All done. Take a look.”

Xu Chacha opened her eyes, not daring to look directly into the mirror yet, and instead quietly asked Wen Mubai’s opinion. “Is it pretty?”

“It’s pretty.” Wen Mubai smiled at her, and afraid the little sweetheart wouldn’t believe her, she added, “Seriously, Sister doesn’t lie.”

The newly cut hair made Xu Chacha look somewhat like a meticulously crafted Japanese artisan’s doll. Her fair, round face paired with the cute, neat bob could melt the hearts of a crowd of older women, even if she stood there silently.

Moreover, this age was indeed suited for neat, level bangs, which revealed her beautiful, clear eyes. The trimmed side wisps also perfectly framed her face a little.

But… Wen Mubai reached out to tuck the hair on both sides of Xu Chacha’s head behind her ears, then, on a whim, pinched a piece of her soft cheek meat to play with.

The original little chubby face was actually cuter.

Xu Chacha, in good spirits, let her pinch her face without any sign of resistance.

Wen Mubai stopped teasing Xu Chacha and patted her bangs. “Good girl.”

The bangs felt slightly itchy against her forehead, and Xu Chacha squinted and shook her head, but she didn’t refuse Wen Mubai’s affectionate gesture.

Wen Mubai cleaned and dried the scissors and comb and put them away. “You stand here for a moment. Sister will go turn on the hot water for you.”

The hot water here took a while to come on, about thirty seconds. Wen Mubai tested the temperature with her hand while running the water, only turning it off when she felt it was right.

Xu Chacha watched her back, starting to plan how to convince Wen Mubai to let her bathe alone, but by the time the water was ready, she still hadn’t managed to get a single word out.

“Come.” Wen Mubai got up and walked toward her. GZH: lesbian2088, has all lily resources.

Xu Chacha tilted her little head up, looking at Wen Mubai slowly approaching her in the steam of the hot water, her face and neck turning red with nervousness.

“Raise your arms.” Wen Mubai reached for the hem of her shirt.

Xu Chacha pressed her hands against her clothes, her face crumpling into a knot. “Sister, I really can wash myself.”

Wen Mubai looked up and caught sight of her flushed face. She understood instantly: the little sweetheart was shy.

It made sense; at this age, she should understand basic modesty and propriety.

However, leaving her alone in the bathroom was something she truly couldn’t feel at ease doing.

“Wait for Sister.” She let go of her hands, walked into the room, and found a close-fitting camisole from her suitcase.

“Put this on. Sister won’t look at you.” Wen Mubai handed the garment to Xu Chacha.

“Huh?” Xu Chacha held the clothes, not understanding what she meant.

“Wear this, and Sister will only help you wash the places you can’t reach. For the places you feel shy about, you wash them yourself,” Wen Mubai patiently confirmed with her. “How does that sound?”

“Alright then.” It was indeed a win-win solution.

After Wen Mubai turned her back, Xu Chacha quickly changed her clothes.

The camisole, which fit Wen Mubai just right, was long enough on her to be a small dress, covering her to the middle of her thigh.

She pinched the straps and tied a knot, pulling up the neckline, which was too low.

“I’m ready, Sister.”

Wen Mubai turned around, placed a towel on the wooden stool she had used for her to stand on earlier, and then had Xu Chacha sit down.

“Head down.”

Xu Chacha hummed and obediently lowered her head.

Wen Mubai squeezed a pump of shampoo into her palm, lathered it up, and rubbed it into Xu Chacha’s hair.

Her hair was fine, soft, and not very thick, making it easy to wash.

Xu Chacha sat with her back to her, her hands resting flat on her knees. Occasionally, when Wen Mubai’s fingers rubbed a sensitive spot on her scalp, she would shrink her shoulders and lightly whimper. At this, she would receive Wen Mubai’s gentle voice, “Sister will be lighter.”

“It doesn’t hurt,” Xu Chacha said in a breathy voice. “It’s itchy…”

“Then Sister will finish washing quickly,” Wen Mubai said again. She seemed to have endless patience for this little girl.

While washing, she quietly observed the injuries on Xu Chacha’s body without looking directly.

It was exactly as predicted: Xu Chacha had suffered long-term abuse at the couple’s hands. Her back and legs were covered in bruises, both old and new, mostly thin, elongated marks from a stick or rod.

Wen Mubai counted the wounds on this small body with her eyes, as if trying to memorize every single one.

With every number added, the fear in her heart deepened.

If the events of today hadn’t been so lucky and coincidental, would this fragile, slender body have acquired a few more of these shocking marks?

“Head down.” Wen Mubai turned on the showerhead. “We can rinse it off now.”

Xu Chacha nodded and closed her eyes. As she lowered her head, she habitually shrugged her shoulders, and the butterfly bones on her thin back tightened, accidentally snapping the knot she had tied in the camisole, revealing a birthmark on her back.

Wen Mubai’s peripheral vision caught the sight of that distinctive butterfly wing birthmark, and the movement of her hand stopped.

It couldn’t have been rinsed properly in such a short time, but there was no more sound above her head. Xu Chacha wondered, “Sister?”

“Chacha, do you know who your mommy and daddy are?” Wen Mubai’s left hand gently touched the butterfly mark.

It was definitely a birthmark, not drawn on.

Xu Chacha noticed her movement and was reminded of the book’s setting. The original owner was found at age fifteen seemingly because the birthmark on her back was discovered.

Her birthmark was very unique, looking very much like a light red butterfly. When she was born, a fortune-teller had even praised it, saying it was an auspicious sign, predicting that she would undoubtedly become an exceptional person in the future.

“Chacha doesn’t know who my mommy and daddy are, but I heard them arguing once,” Xu Chacha racked her brains and began to concoct a story. “They said something about how they shouldn’t have bought a good-for-nothing like me back from City A.”

“City A?” Wen Mubai frowned.

Xu Chacha pressed her advantage. “They also said, I think, that Chacha’s former mommy and daddy were very rich and had lots and lots of perfume in their house.”

City A, a perfume dynasty, plus this birthmark, and Xu Chacha’s age.

The hypothesis in Wen Mubai’s mind gradually took shape.

The Xu family’s perfume brand had been operating for over a century. In City A, only the Wen family could compare with them, but the Xu family was still slightly wealthier.

However, in recent years, the Xu family also paid close attention to the cultural packaging of their brand, which led to frequent collaborations with the Wen family.

She remembered that seven years ago, the Xu couple had a daughter. She was beautiful and had a butterfly mark on her back. The Xu couple adored this daughter, and her hundred-day banquet was held lavishly.

As important business partners, the Wen family was naturally invited. Wen Mubai attended and even held the baby for a photo.

But who knew that the Xu couple’s joy wouldn’t last long? Their daughter was lost on the street at the age of three due to the nanny’s mistake and was never found afterward.

“Chacha, do you remember how old you were when you were taken by those bad people?”

Xu Chacha thought for a moment. “Chacha doesn’t remember, but the neighbor auntie said I could already walk when I was brought back.”

“Could walk…” That would be around three years old.

“What’s wrong, Sister?” Xu Chacha asked tentatively.

She wanted to know if Wen Mubai had grasped her hint.

“Nothing.” Wen Mubai turned the water back on and rinsed her hair.

“Does Sister know Chacha’s mommy and daddy?”

Wen Mubai was about seventy percent confident in her guess, but she couldn’t bear to give Xu Chacha an expectation that might not come true before being 100% sure.

“Did Chacha’s mommy and daddy not want Chacha anymore?”

“That’s impossible,” Wen Mubai said. “And no matter what, you still have Sister. Sister wants you.”