After Becoming a Cannon Fodder Side Character, I Became the Group’s Favorite (GL) - Chapter 7

Around nine o’clock, a jarring phone ring woke both of them up.

Wen Mubai stretched her arm out from under the blanket. Her cool skin brushed against Xu Chacha’s cheek. She picked up the phone from the nightstand, held it to her ear, and let out a low “Mhm?” from deep in her throat.

Her voice was thick with sleep, and her half-open eyes were blurry, making her look unusually un-sharp.

“Chacha?” The person on the other end of the phone must have mentioned Xu Chacha. She propped herself up, letting the blanket slide off, and turned her head to meet the little sweetheart’s beautiful, clear black eyes.

“Morning, little one,” she said softly close to Xu Chacha’s ear, then spoke into the phone. “She’s awake now. Are you coming over?”

Xu Chacha thought the car to take her to the welfare institution had arrived and silently got out of bed to put on her shoes.

“Come here.” Wen Mubai sat up and beckoned her over.

Xu Chacha obediently walked over and mouthed, “What is it?”

Wen Mubai didn’t answer. She simply raised her hand and pressed down the cowlick on top of her head that had popped up during sleep, a smile playing on her lips.

“I’ll bring her down now,” she quickly hung up the phone.

“Are they here to take Chacha away?” Xu Chacha asked in a small voice.

“No.” Wen Mubai picked up a comb and smoothed her hair. “Sister Police Officer said they might have found your birth parents. They’re sending someone today to take you for an identification test.”

Xu Chacha’s hands, which were behind her back, slowly clenched into fists, but she feigned a confused look on her face. “Identification test?”

“Mhm, it’s to confirm whether you are their child. Don’t worry, it’ll be quick.”

“Oh, I see.” This is great!

Her gloomy mood was instantly swept away by Wen Mubai’s words. Xu Chacha couldn’t help but swing her legs happily while eating breakfast, already envisioning the wonderful life ahead.

From the pile of exaggerated princess dresses bought by Jiang Panpan, Wen Mubai chose the most visually pleasing one and slipped it onto Xu Chacha.

The little sweetheart was naturally fair and had a naturally rosy, light pink blush on her cheeks. Dressed in the light white ruffled dress, she looked like a small angel about to flutter its wings and fly away.

When Jiang Panpan came to find them, she saw Xu Chacha holding a spoon, feeding herself cereal. She must have liked the taste because she squinted her eyes while eating, letting out a soft, sweet sigh.

“Ahhh!”

Wen Mubai and Xu Chacha stopped eating and looked at her in confusion.

Jiang Panpan didn’t notice them. She was frantically pinching the philtrum on her face. “I can’t take it anymore! This little thing is too cute! Is eating children a crime? I want to eat a child!”

“It’s a crime,” Wen Mubai and Xu Chacha warned her in unison.

…

Due to the high reward offered by the Xu family, there were too many people trying to impersonate the missing Xu family daughter, and even those who tried to fake the birthmark were countless. Mr. and Mrs. Xu couldn’t fly around non-stop, so they sent their housekeeper to verify the identity.

The housekeeper, named Zhang, was a well-maintained middle-aged woman. She was accompanied by a man in a suit.

“Little friend, what’s your name?” Housekeeper Zhang crouched down to be at eye level with Xu Chacha.

“My name is Chacha.” Her voice was soft, carrying a hint of timidity.

Housekeeper Zhang thought the man in the suit behind her had scared the girl, so she waved him away to wait in the car, then gave Xu Chacha a kind smile. “Can you go to the hospital with Granny? Granny will take you to find your mommy and daddy.”

If the police officer hadn’t been standing next to her, no one would be surprised if they called Housekeeper Zhang a kidnapper; those words were the classic lines of a child trafficker.

“It’s okay. This Granny is not a bad person. Sister knows her,” Wen Mubai patted Xu Chacha’s shoulder to reassure her.

“Okay.” Xu Chacha nodded vigorously, actively reached out, and held Housekeeper Zhang’s hand. “Chacha will go with Granny. Chacha wants to see Mommy and Daddy.”

Hearing this, Housekeeper Zhang’s nose involuntarily stung, and she lowered her head.

Xu Chacha’s hand was tiny, barely able to hold two of her fingers, but she held on tightly. Under the soft, warm skin, both of their heartbeats accelerated and trembled.

In the years she had rushed around for the Xu family, she had seen many so-called “missing children.” Some of those children were forced to act by their birth parents, and others were threatened by traffickers. But without exception, beneath their seemingly obedient exteriors, they hid an unconcealed greed.

Having followed the Xu couple for so many years, she was already very shrewd, and the children’s clumsy acting couldn’t escape her notice.

But she could see that the Xu Chacha in front of her was different. She wasn’t crying or making a fuss, and her eyes held a strained strength. Especially the phrase “Chacha wants to see Mommy and Daddy,” which she said with all her courage, instantly tugged at her heartstrings.

Housekeeper Zhang thought that even if the final results showed Xu Chacha wasn’t the Xu family’s daughter, she would still help this child find her birth parents.

There was nothing more heartbreaking than a display of innocent fortitude.

Xu Chacha was very quiet in the car. She held the seatbelt in front of her with both hands, gazing out the window, watching the rows of trees flash by.

Housekeeper Zhang chose a private testing facility where the fastest express service could provide results within five hours.

A doctor in a white coat came over and collected samples of Xu Chacha’s fingernails and hair.

“Don’t be afraid.”

Xu Chacha’s tense demeanor led Housekeeper Zhang to believe she was afraid of the doctor, so she bought a lollipop and placed it in her hand. “Chacha will definitely find her mommy and daddy.”

“How does Granny know?” Xu Chacha didn’t unwrap the candy, just clutched it in her hand.

“Because you are a good child, and good children receive the favor of the gods.”

More words meant to placate a child, Xu Chacha sighed inwardly.

But she should have gotten used to it by now, after all, she was a child.

“Mhm, then Chacha will try hard to be a good child.” She gave a smile that reassured the other woman.

After the DNA collection, Xu Chacha was sent back to the guesthouse. The female police officer happened to be on the night shift today, allowing her time to look after the girl during the day.

Wen Mubai was out giving a second statement at the police station, so Xu Chacha had nothing to do but sit in a chair and idly read the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale book the female police officer had given her.

—The version with pictures and Pinyin annotations.

Heaven knows how long it had been since Xu Chacha last read such a thing, but with the woman watching her nearby, she had to pretend to be completely absorbed and innocent.

“Why aren’t you eating the candy?” the female police officer asked her.

“I want to save it for Sister.” Xu Chacha initially wanted to put the candy in her pocket, but it was too big, so she had to hold it in her hand.

“Such a good girl.” The female police officer stroked her head. “But you really should thank this Sister properly.”

Xu Chacha nodded. “Of course, I will repay her kindness properly.”

“This matter is largely thanks to Miss Wen. She suddenly called me in the middle of the night yesterday and told me about finding the birthmark on you. That’s how I informed the Xu family.”

“Sister called?” Wen Mubai had clearly told her this morning that the police department found the lead.

Xu Chacha lowered her head and fell silent.

…

Wen Mubai finished supplementing the details of her statement and cleared her identity record at the police station. As she was about to leave, a young auxiliary police officer called out to her.

“Um, I have an umbrella here. You should take it,” the young man, who looked to be in his early twenties with sun-darkened skin, said, unable to hide his flushed face.

“Thank you, but I don’t need it.” Wen Mubai’s tone was distant. She nodded slightly and opened the door, where the heat immediately enveloped her.

“You’re getting a rash.” The auxiliary police officer took another step, pointing to his own neck. “Sun allergy, probably. I used to have a classmate with the same problem. If you leave it untreated, it will get worse and your skin will peel.”

“I know.” That’s why she always carried an umbrella, rain or shine, and always had ointment in her bag.

“Then why are you—”

“I’m fine. Goodbye.” Wen Mubai didn’t give him a chance to finish his sentence. She pulled the hoodie over her head and quickly left.

Passersby looked back at the strange girl with the beautiful face who was wearing long sleeves in the middle of summer, but Wen Mubai seemed not to notice the scrutinizing looks as she took a shortcut and slipped through the guesthouse’s back door.

In the cooler shade, the burning sensation on her face and neck eased. She quickly opened the room door, rushed into the bathroom to take a cool shower, and then slathered a thick layer of ointment on her severely irritated neck.

After all that, Wen Mubai walked out of the bathroom, wiping her damp hair. She picked up her phone, noticed there was no reply from Housekeeper Zhang, and quickly put it down again.

She wandered aimlessly around the room. The old tree outside the window was the same, and the cicadas in the branches were still noisy, but she felt as if something was missing.

Tying up her hair casually, Wen Mubai began to tidy the room, folding the clothes she had taken out and putting them back into the suitcase one by one.

As she finished packing the left side and prepared to organize the right, a piece of paper fluttered out of the clothes.

She crouched down to pick it up. It was the guesthouse’s promotional flyer. She was about to turn and place it on the table, but her gaze fell upon a line of small writing on it.

The handwriting was heavy, as if every stroke had been pressed with the greatest effort.

[Sister, Chacha lied. Chacha can’t bear to leave you]

Looking at these words, she could almost picture the little sweetheart earnestly writing with a pen. Then, Xu Chacha’s strained smile from last night resurfaced in Wen Mubai’s mind.

“Chacha loves playing with little friends. There should be many children at the welfare institution, right.”

Wen Mubai still remembered what Xu Chacha had said. This must be what she meant by lying.

Wen Mubai found it hard to describe her feelings at that moment, only knowing that she stood in place for a very long time, clutching the paper.

Until a sharp notification sound pulled her back to reality.

The message was from Housekeeper Zhang: The results are out. This child really is the young miss!

…

Mrs. Xu, who was on a business trip nearby, was the first to receive the news. When Housekeeper Zhang called her, she was negotiating the renewal of a cooperation agreement with an important fragrance manufacturer.

“Mrs. Xu?” The other party called out to her kindly, seeing her staring blankly at her phone after taking the call.

Mrs. Xu didn’t hear his voice at all. She silently read the results on the appraisal report word for word, tears falling uncontrollably.

Found. Her daughter was found.

Mrs. Xu quickly signed the contract with the manufacturer’s representative, quickly composed herself, and the first thing she said to the driver after getting in the car was, “Go to X Town. As fast as possible!”

“Yes, Madam.”

Mrs. Xu held her phone, leaning back against the seat. As she watched the scenery rapidly receding outside the window, the post-euphoria anxiety and worry began to surface.

The child has been gone for so many years, will she recognize her?

She heard she suffered a lot in the countryside; will she resent her mother for losing her in the first place?

What if the child doesn’t want to acknowledge her as her mother?

What if, what if, what if, Mrs. Xu’s mind was filled with all sorts of speculations.

In the end, she realized she didn’t know what expression to use when facing that poor child.

Although she had stayed up until the early morning the night before to revise the cooperation contract, Mrs. Xu felt no sleepiness now. Her heart was pounding in her throat. She looked anxiously at the road ahead, wishing she had wings to fly straight to her child!

…

When Xu Chacha reached the seventh story of her Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale book, there was a knock on the door.

She jumped off the chair and ran to open the door. When she saw who it was, her eyes immediately lit up. “Sister!”

Wen Mubai crouched down and lifted the girl with one arm. “Were you a good girl?”

“She’s the easiest child to look after I’ve ever met,” the female police officer said with a smile as she approached. “Judging by your expression, it’s good news, right?”

Good news? Xu Chacha seemed to understand something.

“Your mommy and daddy have been found,” Wen Mubai looked at Xu Chacha and stated the long-awaited answer in the most direct language. “Your mother happens to be on a business trip nearby. She stopped her work the moment she heard and is already on her way here. If she’s fast, you’ll be able to see her today.”

“Really?” Xu Chacha’s eyes welled up. She sniffled, pursing her lips, trying hard not to let the tears fall. “Do they still want Chacha?”

“They do, of course, they do,” Wen Mubai gently pinched her cheek. “Your mommy and daddy never gave up looking for you. Don’t overthink things.”

“Mhm!” Xu Chacha buried her head in Wen Mubai’s neck. The moment she hid her face, the dam of tears broke and poured out.

Wen Mubai felt the warm liquid on her neck and silently patted Xu Chacha’s thin back to comfort her.

“Take her away,” the female police officer gestured to Wen Mubai.

Wen Mubai nodded, mouthed “Thank you” to her, and carried the sobbing little crybaby back to her room.

Xu Chacha was still holding the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale book in her hand. She put it on the side table, finding it inconvenient.

Wen Mubai guessed her feelings and simply held her quietly.

Xu Chacha cried for a while, decided she had done enough acting, and finally lifted her head.

She rubbed her eyes with her hand. Her tear-dampened eyelashes were messily stuck to her eyelids.

Wen Mubai silently picked up a tissue to wipe away her tears.

“Thank you, Sister.” Xu Chacha sniffled, patting Wen Mubai’s collar. “Chacha got you dirty.”

“It’s not dirty.”

“Sister, here…” Xu Chacha suddenly squinted, leaning close to Wen Mubai’s neck. She pointed. “Sister, you have so many little red spots on your neck.”

“Mhm.” Wen Mubai leaned back, increasing the distance between them. “Scared?”

“No way.” Xu Chacha’s tone was serious, but the seriousness on that childish face made one want to laugh. “Does it hurt?”

“It’s just a bit of an allergy, it doesn’t hurt.” Wen Mubai didn’t want the topic to linger on herself. “What about Chacha? Are you still sad?”

“Not sad.” Xu Chacha shook her head, her voice a little uncertain. “Just scared…”

“Scared of what?”

“Scared… they won’t like me.”

“Silly, there’s no way anyone wouldn’t like you. Your mommy and daddy will only love you doubly and won’t let you suffer any injustice,” Wen Mubai said softly.

“Then Sister, can I wear my Kitty Cat shirt to see Mommy?” Xu Chacha asked.

“Why?”

Xu Chacha lied without blushing. “Chacha thinks the Kitty Cat shirt is the prettiest. I want to wear pretty clothes to see Mommy.”

After all, she still didn’t know the personalities of the Xu couple and her adoptive sister. It was better to play the pitiful card first to gain some sympathy points, at least to make life less difficult.

This was the life experience Xu Chacha had summed up from the seven years she spent living under her aunt’s roof.

Wen Mubai was silent for a moment, then nodded faintly. “Mhm, okay.”

She chose not to correct Xu Chacha’s sense of aesthetics or tell her that the ripped T-shirt was not as pretty as the princess dress she was currently wearing.

It would only increase the child’s feeling of inferiority.

The old clothes had been washed and dried yesterday and were hanging on a rack. Wen Mubai took them down and handed them to Xu Chacha. The little sweetheart happily hugged the clothes and scampered into the bathroom to change.

Around four in the afternoon, Wen Mubai’s phone rang.

Xu Chacha, who had been lying drowsily on the sofa, immediately sat up, staring at her with wide, nervous eyes.

“It’s okay,” Wen Mubai patted her, then answered the phone and put it on speaker. “Hello.”

But the voice on the other end was not Housekeeper Zhang’s. Her voice sounded breathless, as if she had just been running.

“Mubai, it’s Auntie Xu. I… I’m at the door.”

Xu Chacha looked at Wen Mubai. She nervously bit her lower lip and squeezed Wen Mubai’s hand tightly.

Wen Mubai gently squeezed Xu Chacha’s hand back and said to the person on the phone, “Chacha is in the room. I’m coming to open the door for you now.”

Standing outside the door, Mrs. Xu heard footsteps approaching the door from inside the room, followed by the sound of someone gripping and gently turning the doorknob.

She swallowed hard, feeling her heart tighten with the sound. Even her breathing became difficult.

“Auntie Xu.” The door opened, and Wen Mubai’s familiar, beautiful face appeared before her.

Mrs. Xu held her breath, her eyes dropping to the little sweetheart who was largely hidden behind Wen Mubai, her small hand clutching Wen Mubai’s trousers, only revealing half her head timidly.

“Chacha?”

Xu Chacha’s moist eyes blinked, and she shrank back, looking like a startled small animal, naturally inspiring feelings of affection.

“I’m your mother… Do you not remember me?” Xu Chacha was only three when she got lost, so it was normal not to remember.

“Mommy?” The little sweetheart carefully considered the word. Her misty eyes looked up at the elegant woman. “Do you still want Chacha?”

“How could I not!” Mrs. Xu said without any time to think. But she didn’t dare to approach Xu Chacha rashly. She could only crouch down and look at her gently. “You’ve suffered all these years. Mommy will definitely make it up to you.”

Xu Chacha then had the courage to peek out a little more. Mrs. Xu clearly saw the faded, worn T-shirt she was wearing. The neckline even had holes, and the cartoon pattern on the chest was largely washed away.

Before, she had only heard Housekeeper Zhang’s report that the couple who bought Xu Chacha had poor living conditions, but seeing Xu Chacha’s pitiful, down-and-out appearance in person, the shock she felt was incomparable.

This was the little princess she carried for ten months! How could she… how could she suffer so much?

“That’s good.” Young Xu Chacha looked relieved, and then her next words twisted Mrs. Xu’s heart again. “I thought… I was a child nobody wanted.”

Mrs. Xu’s tears fell without any warning. She frowned tightly, clamping her hand over her mouth.

She felt as if someone was slowly flaying her heart with a dull knife. Guilt and regret overwhelmed her, eventually turning into deep sorrow for the child in front of her.

She couldn’t help herself any longer and immediately hugged Xu Chacha. “My poor child, your mother will absolutely never let you suffer even a little bit again!”

Xu Chacha hadn’t expected Mrs. Xu’s reaction to be so dramatic. Feeling her body shaking as she hugged her, she raised her hand and, mimicking the way Wen Mubai often comforted her, patted Mrs. Xu’s back.

“Don’t cry, don’t cry.”

Her voice was still childish, but the soft tone carried the comforting air of a little adult.

Mrs. Xu realized she was being comforted by a seven-year-old child, a child who was her long-lost daughter.

Contrary to all the “what ifs” she had imagined, Xu Chacha didn’t hate her or push her away. Instead, she looked at her with the eyes of a pitiful, self-conscious puppy, worried about being abandoned, and even comforted her upon sensing her sadness.

Touched in the deepest part of her heart, Mrs. Xu couldn’t resist cupping Xu Chacha’s cheek and kissing her.

“My darling is simply a little angel.”

Xu Chacha stared blankly, a big red lipstick print on her cheek.

Well, at least her first kiss was still intact.