After Becoming a Cannon Fodder Side Character, I Became the Group’s Favorite (GL) - Chapter 69

The year passed quickly and busily. In the blink of an eye, it was a new semester, and Xu Chacha was a year older.

During the summer vacation, she went on another trip to Town C with Wen Mubai.

The old man was getting on in years and spent all his time cooped up in the house and the flower field, not communicating with people. Symptoms of Alzheimer’s had gradually appeared in the last few years. He could still remember some things now, but he often zoned out, and when he did, he would sometimes fail to recognize people.

The family wanted to move him to live with them, but he was very resistant, insisting that he would die in this old house.

Unable to bend his stubborn will, they could only send more caregivers, but given the remote and poor area, relatives were unwilling to visit frequently.

The two of them finally managed to carve out some time, deciding that since they were going to visit, they might as well stay longer to keep the old man company. Xu Chacha cleared two weeks from her schedule. Wen Mubai’s side was handled by Jiang Panpan, and any work that required her personal attention was dealt with online as much as possible.

The old man had received a call from Wen Mubai in advance, knowing she was coming, but he had forgotten by the time they arrived. When Xu Chacha poked her head into the room, he was startled.

“Who’s this girl, sneaking into someone else’s house?”

Xu Chacha knew about his illness and didn’t mind that he had forgotten her name. She smiled brightly, holding his favorite osmanthus cake. “Grandpa, I brought you some goodies!”

He might forget other things, but the old man would never forget the taste of this osmanthus cake.

After brewing a pot of hot tea and taking a bite of the soft, glutinous cake, he smiled with the delight of a child.

“Delicious, this cake is delicious. Little girl, you have great taste.”

Xu Chacha sat beside him, watching him eat bite by bite. “Eat slowly, Grandpa. I bought a lot, and it’s all for you.”

“Mhmm, mhm, that’s wonderful.” The old man picked up a piece and handed it to Wen Mubai. “Xiao Bai, you eat some too.”

“Thank you, Grandpa,” Wen Mubai accepted it.

“Little girl, you eat too. Don’t just watch.”

“My name is Xu Chacha, Grandpa. You can just call me Chacha.” Xu Chacha also popped a piece into her mouth.

It tasted the same as when she was a child. She suddenly felt a wave of nostalgia.

She looked around the old house. The walls, beams, and even the wooden chair she was sitting on were marked by the passage of time, exuding an old, rustic, aged scent along with the wrinkles on the old man’s face.

“Chacha… Chacha,” the old man murmured, seeming somewhat familiar with the name. “It’s a good name, easy to remember.”

Xu Chacha smiled again, pointing to the flower pots on the balcony. “Did Grandpa plant new flowers?”

The old man followed her gaze outside.

He originally only planted gardenias, but he was lonely. Flowers have their seasons, but he wanted company all year round, so he learned to plant other varieties.

This pot held sunflowers, a very easy-to-care-for flower. The orange-yellow blooms faced the sun outside the house, looking very lively.

“This flower is easy to grow, but if you want it to bloom all four seasons, you need some tricks,” the old man smiled, sounding like he was showing off to Xu Chacha. “Little girl, you don’t know this, do you?”

Xu Chacha pretended to be very interested and leaned in. “Then tell me, Grandpa. Maybe I’ll understand.”

The old man had a lot to say about the things he loved and was good at, and Xu Chacha listened extremely attentively, giving small reactions now and then. He became happier as he spoke, and even at dinner, he kept pulling her to continue his stories.

Wen Mubai handed him his chopsticks. “Eat first. You may not be hungry, but she still needs to eat.”

“Oh, oh, yes.” The old man patted Xu Chacha’s head. “Little girl, you must eat more. You’re cuter when you’re a little plump.”

Wen Mubai actually nodded in agreement. “You’re right. She doesn’t like to eat, so please keep encouraging her.”

“That won’t do.” The old man moved his chopsticks and quickly piled a small mountain of food onto Xu Chacha’s plate. “Eat more and put on some weight.”

Xu Chacha glared at Wen Mubai, but she couldn’t refuse the old man’s feeding and had to stuff everything down until her stomach was bulging.

Not long after dinner, the old man went to sleep. Before going to bed, he made an appointment with Xu Chacha to continue talking about gardening the next day.

Xu Chacha agreed, then felt her stomach and went upstairs to lie on the rocking chair to aid digestion.

It had been too long since she’d eaten this much; she needed a moment.

“Stuffed?”

Xu Chacha looked at her lazily, like a turtle lying on its back basking in the moonlight. “If I die from being too full, you’ll have to take responsibility.”

“I tried to stop you earlier, too,” who knew Xu Chacha was unstoppable once she started eating. “Stomach relief tablets. Here.”

Xu Chacha took them and popped one in her mouth. It was sweet and sour, but she was impatient and couldn’t help but chew it up and swallow it.

“One more.”

“Are you treating it like candy?” Wen Mubai didn’t give her another one.

Xu Chacha stretched her face. “I’m still stuffed. Feel my stomach.”

Wen Mubai squatted beside her and placed her hand on her soft abdomen. “Indeed.”

“Then give me another one.”

“Too many isn’t good.” Wen Mubai moved her hand up two inches. “Let me rub it for you.”

Her touch was very light, without any heavy pressure. She stroked downward gently, as if her palm truly possessed the same magic as the stomach relief tablets. Slowly, Xu Chacha started to feel better. She opened her mouth and let out a soft burp.

“We came at the right time this time.”

Xu Chacha followed Wen Mubai’s gaze out the window. The gardenias in the flower field were blooming beautifully.

The last time they visited, they missed the gardenia season and only saw bare branches and leaves. This time, they just caught the end of it.

It was also Xu Chacha’s first time seeing such a large patch of gardenias. She could smell the faint fragrance carried by the wind from a distance, a scent purer and more natural than the perfume she had made.

The scent she had tried so hard to capture was, in the end, incomparable to the limited bloom period.

Xu Chacha tapped her toe on the floor, making the rocking chair swing. Wen Mubai walked to the window, opened it wider, and leaned against it in a languid pose.

Neither of them spoke. The only sounds were the cicadas of the summer night and the gentle tinkling of the wind chimes.

After the hustle and bustle of city life, this rare quiet leisure felt especially precious.

Wen Mubai was the first to break the silence, speaking softly about the past.

She talked about walking barefoot in the flower field with her grandmother, picking up the fallen flowers and leaves, and taking them home. The old man would then turn them into beautiful bookmarks.

Because she was greedy, she made too many, and she didn’t have enough textbooks to hold them all.

Xu Chacha stared at Wen Mubai’s side profile, which seemed to glow in the moonlight, and suddenly fell so deeply, deeply in love with this place.

This land where Wen Mubai grew up.

—She also liked, liked her so much.

“How about we come every summer from now on?”

Wen Mubai turned around, a faint smile on her face. “Okay.”

The next morning, the old man dragged Xu Chacha out of bed to hear his gardening tips. However, Wen Mubai seemed to have work to do. After lunch, she settled down with her laptop, typing away.

Xu Chacha coaxed the old man into his afternoon nap, then went to the kitchen, cut half a watermelon, and brought it to the room.

Wen Mubai was wearing her silver-rimmed glasses and a white tank top she used as sleepwear. Her hair was casually clipped back with a claw clip, making her look a little more down-to-earth than usual.

A director she knew had asked her to write a script before, which she declined, citing work commitments. However, a few months later, the director wrote a script himself and asked her to look it over and offer suggestions. Out of courtesy, Wen Mubai didn’t refuse this time.

She spent half an hour reading the general plot and was now working on revisions.

Xu Chacha approached and offered her a slice of watermelon. Wen Mubai shook her head. “No, thank you. You should eat less, too. Watermelon is cooling.”

“Oh,” Xu Chacha replied perfunctorily, then took a big bite herself, held the piece in her mouth, and leaned close to Wen Mubai’s ear, chewing loudly.

The watermelon this season was juicy and incredibly sweet. Her every bite made a “shua shua shua” sound. You could imagine how good the texture was without tasting it yourself.

Xu Chacha even leaned in to tempt her. “It’s so sweet. Are you sure you don’t want any?”

Wen Mubai turned her head and opened her mouth.

Xu Chacha smiled and offered the half-eaten slice, but quickly pulled it away as Wen Mubai leaned down to take a bite.

Wen Mubai bit at empty air. She glanced at Xu Chacha briefly and turned back to typing, not overly concerned.

She was used to her occasional playfulness.

“Here, eat, eat,” Xu Chacha offered the melon to her mouth again, this time willingly.

Wen Mubai lowered her eyes and reached out with her chin, but it was empty again.

She turned her head. Xu Chacha’s face was clearly displaying the smug smile of a successful prankster.

Wen Mubai pinched her cheek. “Stop fooling around. I’ll be done soon.”

But a few seconds later, the watermelon, which was being used as bait, was offered again. This time, Wen Mubai grabbed Xu Chacha’s wrist, but her mouth sought not the watermelon but her lips.

A deep kiss that nearly probed her throat left the mischievous girl powerless to resist. Wen Mubai gently bit her lower lip as punishment, but Xu Chacha’s eyes curved in a smile. She turned her head, letting a trail of kisses trace from Wen Mubai’s jaw to her collarbone, where she left a magenta mark using the technique Wen Mubai herself had taught her.

Her eyes, damp with moisture, were full of suggestion. How could Wen Mubai not understand?

“I only have a few more words to finish.”

Xu Chacha blinked, thinking she was going to be a spoilsport, but the next second, she was picked up and flipped over to face the laptop.

Wen Mubai stood behind her, raised a hand, and took off her ring. “I’ll read. You type.”

Xu Chacha was utterly weak, completely lacking in strength. Her beautiful almond eyes were narrowed and swimming with moisture that could easily turn into tears. Yet, she heard that command.

She looked back. Wen Mubai’s clothes were neat, her hair not a strand out of place. Her face, framed by glasses, looked exceptionally serious and proper.

She wasn’t joking.

“That’s too much…”

She complained, but in the end, she used her trembling fingers to finish typing the remaining portion.

Luckily, Wen Mubai wasn’t so harsh as to make her correct every uncontrolled typo, or Xu Chacha truly would have burst into tears.