After Becoming a Cannon Fodder Side Character, I Became the Group’s Favorite (GL) - Chapter 61

Hearing her words, Xu Chacha felt her hair stand on end.

It was as if someone was reading aloud her embarrassing teenage blog posts from her “chuunibyou” phase. She truly wished she could travel back in time and strangle her overly sentimental past self.

From a practical standpoint, time travel was probably out of the question. Her only option was to shut Wen Mubai up.

But how could she possibly muzzle this person? In that case… of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, running away was the best!

Xu Chacha tossed her hair, completely covering her face in an act of self-deception. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You don’t know?” Wen Mubai nodded, preparing to read another sentence. The moment the first word popped out, Xu Chacha pounced on her.

“Stop, stop, stop! Please don’t read it out loud, I’m begging you!”

A low chuckle escaped Wen Mubai’s throat. “I’m reading my book, you’re listening to yours. Why are you covering my mouth?”

“If you read one more sentence, I’ll… I’ll run away from home!”

“Alright, then I’ll follow you with my suitcase. Wherever you go, I go, and that’s where home is.”

Darn it…

Xu Chacha’s energy drained away. Steam seemed to be puffing out from the top of her head.

This person always managed to say the most shameless things in the most serious tone. At first hearing, it sounded cheesy and cloying, but once she got a taste of it, she couldn’t help but curl her lips into a smile.

“Then I won’t run away from home,” Xu Chacha brushed her hair aside, revealing a fierce look. “I’m going to bite you to death to stop you from talking nonsense.”

“Like this?” That person’s eyes curved in a smile. She proactively stretched out her neck, looking utterly audacious and rogue-like. “Be my guest.”

If Wen Mubai were to write something, she would certainly have the words “powerless little pet” plastered across her face.

Xu Chacha’s suspended teeth didn’t know whether to bite or retreat. Wen Mubai’s compliant posture made her feel like a genuine little hooligan forcing themselves on an innocent maiden.

Vixen! Xu Chacha secretly cursed.

But even if Wen Mubai wasn’t embarrassed, she was.

Just as she was about to pull back, a force pushed against her back. Losing her balance, her white teeth knocked against the delicate skin.

The impact left Xu Chacha’s own mouth numb. She quickly straightened up and asked worriedly, “What was that for? Are you hurt?”

Wen Mubai tilted her head and brushed her hair aside, rubbing the spot with her fingertip. “A little. You have strong teeth.”

A few strands of hair that weren’t fully brushed away were tangled around her snowy neck, and a circle of rosy tooth marks was visible on her fair skin. Xu Chacha leaned close, able to see the rhythmic pulse beneath the surface of her skin. She suddenly felt her throat go dry.

She instinctively swallowed. The thought that she had been the one to leave the mark made her feel inexplicably more embarrassed.

“I didn’t actually mean to bite you. It was… you pushed me.” Xu Chacha confirmed the skin wasn’t broken and backed away. She nervously fiddled with Wen Mubai’s hair, covering her entire neck to hide the mark.

“Yes, I brought it upon myself.” Wen Mubai smiled at her. Her voice was slightly hoarse for some reason, sounding so sexy it sent shivers down Xu Chacha’s arms and legs.

“It was your own fault.” Xu Chacha’s eyelashes fluttered as they lowered. “My hair is dry now. I’m going to sleep.”

“Go ahead,” Wen Mubai lifted her chin.

Xu Chacha didn’t dare look her in the eye and asked in a low voice, “Where do I sleep? You have to tell me.”

“The guest room hasn’t been properly tidied. You’ll sleep in mine tonight. I’ll move you over tomorrow once the sheets are dry.”

It had been raining for two days. Although she had instructed the maid to clean up in advance, the washed sheets never fully dried and were always damp.

“…” Xu Chacha fell silent, putting on her slippers and walking inside.

Wen Mubai tested her from behind. “Teacher Xu, am I sleeping on the sofa tonight?”

Xu Chacha, wearing her plush slippers, took quick, small steps, running as if a ghost were chasing her. Only just before closing the door did she say the last word.

“Come inside and sleep.”

Once inside the room, Xu Chacha slowly calmed down and took a good look at the bedroom. The decor was very minimalistic, as if they feared having too much furniture would mean more dusting.

She walked across the smooth wooden floor to the bed, gently lifted the soft cotton quilt, knelt on the ground with bent knees, and pressed her face into the bedding.

The subtle scent of laundry detergent mingled with a familiar scent that belonged only to that person.

Even in that awkward posture, she couldn’t help but close her eyes, as if she had found some form of calming antidote.

After some unknown amount of time, Wen Mubai’s unhurried footsteps came from outside. Xu Chacha snapped out of her daze, her face flushing crimson. She sprang up from the floor and clumsily dove under the covers, pretending to be asleep.

Wen Mubai opened the bedroom door and walked in. Seeing her flushed face, she asked, “Is the air conditioning too high?”

Xu Chacha shook her head, then nodded. “Maybe… a little.”

“What do you mean, maybe?” Wen Mubai had no idea what scheme this little ancestor was cooking up now. She simply turned down the fan speed on the air conditioner with care. “If you’re tired, go to sleep. I’ll wake you up at nine tomorrow.”

She didn’t have to wake up early on the weekend, but she still needed to supervise Xu Chacha to ensure regular meals and better stomach health.

Xu Chacha peeked out with half her head visible. Her dry hair was fluffed up on the pillow, like a fluffy long-haired dog.

She nodded obediently. “I know. You should go quickly.”

Wen Mubai gave her a final look of suspicion, opened the closet, grabbed her change of clothes, and went to the bathroom outside.

“The light switch is on the left bedside table.”

Xu Chacha watched her leave before slowly emerging from the quilt.

The quilt was thick, and she was wearing plush pajamas, so she was already overheated. She turned her head toward the left bedside table. She had intended to dim the light but immediately saw the photo frame placed there.

The frame was small, about the size of her palm, holding an instant photo.

A doll-faced little girl smiling back at the camera.

It was taken at a lantern festival ten years ago.

The frame seemed to have been there the whole time. One corner was chipped, but it was meticulously clean, as if its owner held and looked at it every day.

Xu Chacha reached out and traced the little girl’s face in the photo with her finger. “Little beauty, you’re quite pretty, aren’t you?”

She had a strange physique. At seven or eight, the baby fat should have receded, but for her, it hadn’t. Despite being skinny everywhere else, her face remained as round as ever. When she wore fitted clothes, she looked like a big-headed doll, but her parents always complimented her on how cute she was.

When Wen Mubai finished washing up and came in, she thought Xu Chacha would already be asleep. But looking up, she saw her lying on the bed’s edge, legs bent and swinging back and forth.

She took a few more steps and realized Xu Chacha was giggling foolishly at the photo.

“What are you looking at?”

Xu Chacha was startled and turned her head. “Why don’t you make any noise when you walk?”

“You were too absorbed in what you were looking at.” Wen Mubai walked past her and picked up the photo. “You’ve been looking at just this one thing for half the day?”

“Yeah,” Xu Chacha blinked. Somehow, she found the nerve to ask, “You’ve kept my photo all this time. Did you miss me a lot during those years abroad?”

Wen Mubai didn’t pretend. “Yes, I missed you. I’m not ungrateful.”

“Who are you calling ungrateful?” Xu Chacha snapped.

“I don’t know,” Wen Mubai sat on the edge of the bed, turning sideways to brush her long hair. “I forget who would go days without replying to messages, who would only agree to a video call after begging for half a day, and who would dismiss me to go back to work after just a few words.”

Xu Chacha felt the sting of one arrow after another and silently clammed up.

“Can you help me remember who that was?” Wen Mubai tilted her head to look at her.

Xu Chacha hung her head. “I thought you were busy back then… I didn’t want to bother you…”

She had been in conflict with herself at the time. Part of her wanted to see Wen Mubai more, but part of her worried that the more she saw, the harder it would be to let go.

So, their chats grew fewer, but she was still happy to secretly search the internet for rumors and gossip about her.

“Fine,” Wen Mubai put down the comb and lay down on the bed. “Then you can bother me more from now on.”

Xu Chacha remained frozen in a sitting position, looking at the lying figure, then at the lamp.

Should she turn off the light first or lie down first?

What if Wen Mubai wanted to read a book for a while? Turning off the light might not be very considerate.

But if she didn’t turn off the light…

She simply didn’t have the courage to lie down.

Click. The crisp sound was Wen Mubai’s doing.

The dimmed light added a layer of ambiguity to the air. Xu Chacha’s throat was tight, but she still asked a foolish question.

“Are you going to sleep?”

“It’s eleven o’clock, my little ancestor,” Wen Mubai reminded her. “Aren’t you going to take care of your health?”

“Oh… oh, oh, oh.”

Xu Chacha stretched her legs, which were nearly numb from sitting. She tried to lie down gently, but Wen Mubai spoke again.

“Sleeping in that?”

“Huh… huh?”

“Why so nervous?” Wen Mubai chuckled, her breath warm against the side of Xu Chacha’s face. “It’s not good to sleep in thick clothes.”

“Oh, right.”

Xu Chacha raised her hands, hovering at her waist, unsure whether to take off her pants or her top first.

“Take them off and give them to me,” Wen Mubai reached out her hand. “I’ll fold them and put them on the bedside table so you can find them easily tomorrow.”

Xu Chacha panicked, feeling the same terror as a student who was late on an assignment suddenly being rushed by the teacher.

She slowly took off her pants, slipped under the covers, and then painstakingly took off her top. “I’ll fold them myself.” She folded the clothes in her arm like a hidden treasure before handing them to Wen Mubai.

Wen Mubai took them with one hand, stretched her arm to place them on the side cabinet, and lay back down, settling in closer than before.

Xu Chacha felt her cold arm against her skin. In the dead of winter, this person was only wearing a slip to sleep.

“Aren’t you cold?”

Wen Mubai’s arm reached out, pulling her into an embrace. “You won’t be cold like this.”

Xu Chacha was still wearing a thin undershirt, but the barrier felt insignificant with such close contact.

She could feel Wen Mubai’s breath, heartbeat, and the softness of her skin. Being under the same blanket made her feel as if she was merging with the other person.

The embrace made her heart race.

She wished she could become a squirrel and hoard Wen Mubai in the bed every winter.

“Did you never have a girlfriend while you were abroad?” She had wanted to ask this for a long time.

Before, she was afraid her secret feelings would be exposed if she asked. Now that the cat was out of the bag, there was nothing to stop her.

Wen Mubai rested her chin on Xu Chacha’s fluffy head. “In your words, I didn’t have those ‘worldly desires.'”

Xu Chacha laughed like an idiot. “Do you know Sister Panpan says you’ve nearly achieved immortality? So when is Immortal Wen planning to return to mortal desires?”

“You’re making fun of me too?” Wen Mubai looked down.

Xu Chacha raised her chin and leaned closer. “No, I mean, if you keep having no worldly desires, it really makes me look like a hooligan.”

“I didn’t before, but now I have to hold back.” The arm around Xu Chacha’s waist tightened. The person who always ran cold was now as warm as Xu Chacha. “So please, go to sleep quickly, my little ancestor.”