After Transmigrating As The Mother Of The Pitiful Female Supporting Character in a Campus Novel - Chapter 32

“A neighborly… relationship?” Xia Shibai didn’t understand why Qin Zhijin suddenly asked this. Thinking it was a lack of trust, she hurriedly said: “I promised to help you clear this up, so I will definitely do it. It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it.”

At most, they would just suffer a bit at the class reunion by fighting an unprepared battle.

Qin Zhijin looked at her and burst out laughing. “When you were in school, your Chinese grades weren’t high, were they?”

“Huh?”

“Zero points for reading comprehension.” Seeing that Xia Shibai completely missed her point, Qin Zhijin didn’t dwell on it. She bypassed the topic and began to recall the events between herself, Chen Cun, and the others.

“Back in school, too many people pursued me to count. Chen Cun was one of them.”

Qin Zhijin suddenly emphasized: “I should put it this way: I rejected every single person who pursued me, and I did so sternly.”

“Anyone with a bit of sense would basically stop pestering me. However, there are always exceptions, and Chen Cun was one of them.”

Qin Zhijin spoke of the stories of being ostracized and followed at university, placing herself in the position of a bystander. Things that once made her tremble with fear could now be discussed with ease.

Just listening to Qin Zhijin’s description made Xia Shibai feel uncomfortable. She barely ate a few bites, her face darkening as she looked at Qin Zhijin sitting before her. “Didn’t anyone do anything about them?”

Qin Zhijin shrugged slightly and said helplessly: “There was no physical harm, so naturally no one intervened. However, from that time on, I always kept a scalpel in my bag when going to and from school. I’d rather see a judge than a forensic pathologist.”

Saying this, Qin Zhijin found it amusing again. “But later, after Qin Wang wore his police academy uniform and brought a group of people to walk around my school, they behaved much better. They probably saw Qin Wang and realized they couldn’t win a fight.”

“Bullies who fear the strong but pick on the weak.” Xia Shibai now felt she had been too polite when she saw Chen Cun the other day. If she had known he was this kind of person, she would have stepped in long ago to educate him on behalf of his mother.

“Chen Cun is pretty much like that. Anyway, in his mind, me rejecting him is my fault. Because I made him lose face.”

“But men are truly funny. On one hand, they spread rumors about me, but on the other, they keep looking for girlfriends. They act as if they are deeply in love with me and as if my rejection was a massive blow to them.”

Qin Zhijin didn’t take Chen Cun seriously at all.

After all, Chen Cun’s mind was so narrow that a sesame seed was bigger than his heart. He wasn’t good at studying either. Even if she didn’t like girls, she wouldn’t pick a fool to lower the intelligence of her future generations.

“And then? What happened with the graduate school recommendation?”

“Regarding the recommendation, someone reported me to a teacher for sexually harassing him.” Qin Zhijin thought for a moment. “It was my roommate’s boyfriend. His GPA wasn’t much different from mine, but I had a first-prize award from a provincial practical skills competition, which gave me an advantage.”

“That was the final month for confirming the recommendation list. The counselor and a teacher who admired me during my undergrad called me in for a talk and handed me a letter. The handwriting inside really did look like mine, as did the tone.”

“He claimed I sexually harassed him and even targeted his girlfriend in the dorm out of jealousy.”

“The matter blew up; half the school knew about it. The school didn’t want the issue to reach society and give people a biased impression of the institution, so they ruled that I indeed harassed him.”

“Even though I denied it vehemently—I had no interest in that man. But the logic chain of the evidence was too complete; I had no way to prove I hadn’t done it. The anonymous letter, his girlfriend’s testimony, and the items with his name on them that the counselor searched out from my dorm.”

Qin Zhijin’s expression remained unchanged, her eyes slightly lowered. “Actually, all of that could have been dismissed. The main thing was that my WeChat had been logged into by someone else, and people were constantly pretending to be me, sending him harassing messages.”

“But I had no message records on my end. One could only enter the chat interface from his side, click on the avatar, and see my personal profile page.”

Xia Shibai gave a light “tsk,” her hand gripping the plastic spoon with such force that the top slightly deformed; her anger and the disgust in her eyes were plain to see.

“His girlfriend shared a dorm with you. It would be too easy for her to use your WeChat while you were away from your desk.”

“Your teachers shouldn’t have covered this up. This almost ruined you!”

“Not being expelled was already the best outcome.” Qin Zhijin didn’t want to admit it, but for her back then, that result was the best she could hope for.

They didn’t hold her accountable; they made a big thing small and a small thing nothing.

As long as her mother didn’t know about it, it gave her a chance to breathe. The person who stepped in to settle the matter for her was Qin Zhijin’s youngest uncle—Qin Wang’s father.

In the end, Qin Zhijin stayed up all night interning at the hospital and got into graduate school, precisely because she didn’t want the matter to be known by Mother Qin.

“That’s how it was,” Qin Zhijin said. “I don’t care what others think of me. I only hope my family and friends believe me—that I wouldn’t do such a thing.”

After hearing all this, Xia Shibai’s head throbbed with pain. she wanted to curse, but then realized that simply cursing was far too lenient on those people.

Hearing this, Xia Shibai hurriedly said: “Don’t worry, I definitely believe you.”

“With your standards, Chen Cun isn’t worthy. The one who slandered you regarding the recommendation is even less worthy.”

“It’s not certain yet if it was slander.” Although Qin Zhijin speculated this in her heart, she didn’t have any direct evidence.

“I will find it for you. As long as he did it, there will definitely be a flaw.” Xia Shibai slightly lowered her eyes, the spoon sinking into the porridge. “People have mouths, so there are surely secrets that can’t be kept. No matter how big the secret is, he will want to find someone to confide in and communicate with.”

Qin Zhijin nodded. “If you want to do it, then go ahead.”

“I trust you as much as you trust me.” Qin Zhijin looked at Xia Shibai, who was stunned for a moment before turning up her lips in a light smile; she looked as if she were wagging a tail, wanting Qin Zhijin to praise her.

Xia Yaozhou was truly similar to this person.

Qin Zhijin squeezed her hands lightly and slowly voiced her true thoughts.

“Today I revealed my secret to you. In the spirit of reciprocity, shouldn’t you also tell me something about yourself?”

“Neighbors and friends share a commonality: to whatever extent you know me, I should also know you to that same extent. Otherwise, the scales will become unbalanced, won’t they?”

As Qin Zhijin spoke, her gaze trembled slightly. She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear with unusual unease, her breathing slowing as she waited for the answer from Xia Shibai sitting opposite her.

Xia Shibai held her small plastic spoon and didn’t find Qin Zhijin’s words offensive.

After all, if a relationship is to last, one shouldn’t hide everything. Whether as friends or family, being honest with each other is always best.

Xia Shibai hesitated—she had far too many secrets. Trying to pick one that wasn’t too big of a problem and sounded comparable to Qin Zhijin’s secret, she actually couldn’t find one.

In Qin Zhijin’s eyes, her silence was interpreted as a disguised refusal.

The pressure of her nails against her palms relaxed.

Qin Zhijin couldn’t help but sigh. Just as she was about to let it go and change the subject, she heard Xia Shibai say—

“Zhouzhou is not my biological child.”

Qin Zhijin, who thought she wouldn’t find out anything: “?”

Gu Mingyi, who was playing with toys nearby: “?”

“You…? Huh?” Qin Zhijin was stunned, unable to even remember what she wanted to say next. She was caught completely off guard by this news.

“Zhouzhou is not your biological daughter? Then it couldn’t be that your husband cheated… but you look… very similar?” Qin Zhijin brainstormed, nearly running through every possibility in an instant.

“And your family should be quite strict, right? They can accept a child without the family bloodline coming in?”

Having dropped a bombshell, Xia Shibai leisurely took a sip of porridge and then asked back: “What made you think I was married?”

“Having a child, isn’t that normal?” Qin Zhijin felt her logic was sound.

Although family combinations in society have evolved into various pairings, when people mention a family, the first thing that comes to mind is still the typical, traditional husband-wife-children model.

Furthermore, for people in their circle, early marriage and childbearing weren’t considered uncommon.

“No, I’m not married.” Xia Shibai looked down and drank her porridge, saying: “Zhouzhou is my older sister’s biological daughter. My sister died of a massive hemorrhage after giving birth. The man she loved had no character, couldn’t shoulder the responsibility, and ran away.”

“Zhouzhou is registered in my household and calls me Mom; it’s normal, isn’t it?”

Qin Zhijin was dazed by the sudden news, unable to react to what was wrong for a while, her pupils trembling slightly.

She hadn’t expected that Xia Yaozhou’s background would be so dismal from birth; combined with the previous abuse by the nanny, her fate was truly full of misfortunes.

Xia Shibai originally wanted to tell Qin Zhijin not to worry so much. After all, Xia Yaozhou was carefree and had never seen her biological mother since she was small, so she wouldn’t think that much. Even if Xia Yaozhou really knew about this, she would likely just take it in stride.

After all, the dead cannot be brought back to life, and the living cannot remain in the same spot without moving forward.

Who knew that during the half-day Qin Zhijin spent worrying in silence, she was thinking about which temple in the city had the most flourishing incense and which fortune teller was the best—she insisted on taking Xia Yaozhou to see one.

“We’ll find an opportunity to visit a temple then.”

“What are we going to a temple for?” Xia Shibai was confused.

What does the matter they are discussing have to do with a temple?

“Zhouzhou is having a run of bad luck; she should go and pay her respects.”

“She’s fine, that’s all in the past.” Xia Shibai waved her hand dismissively, wanting to dissuade Qin Zhijin. After all, entering a temple to make a wish and light incense meant asking something of the gods and buddhas; to ask them meant paying an equal price.

“No, you’re a doctor. Why do you believe in metaphysics?”

“What’s wrong with believing in these things? Doctors are also flesh and blood, no different from ordinary people. We also have desires and things we want to pray for.”

Xia Shibai pursed her lips and waved her hand. “Praying for peace and health is fine.”

“What if it’s not for peace and health?” Qin Zhijin leaned on the table and slowly approached Xia Shibai. Their eyes met, very close; Qin Zhijin could even see her own reflection clearly in Xia Shibai’s eyes.

“Then don’t ask for too much. You won’t be able to handle it, and it’ll easily backfire.” Xia Shibai put the plastic lid back on, tied a knot in the plastic bag containing the porridge, and threw it into the trash can next to the bed.

Xia Shibai said: “If there’s something you want, you can come to me. Isn’t asking me faster than asking the gods and buddhas?”

“Right, Doctor Qin?”

Qin Zhijin sat in her seat, looking at Xia Shibai standing not far away.

The other party looked completely sincere, as if if Qin Zhijin said something in the next second, Xia Shibai would cross mountains and rivers to put the item in her hand.

Just to keep her from believing in gods and buddhas.

The soundproofing of the ward wasn’t very good. While the two were silent, the sounds of grumbling and quarreling from the neighboring ward drifted over.

After a long time, Qin Zhijin finally nodded and said: “Okay, next time.”

“Next time I want something, I’ll go and ask you.”

“Okay.”

Hearing Qin Zhijin say this, Xia Shibai blinked her eyes, inexplicably feeling relaxed, her mood carrying a hint of inexplicable joy.

While the two adults were talking, Gu Mingyi, who had been sitting on the sofa playing with toys, had crawled onto the hospital bed at some point. She knelt at the edge, staring at the sleeping Xia Yaozhou.

Thinking about the words Xia Shibai had just said, Gu Mingyi bit her lip lightly.

She could only piece together the family relationship—knowing that Xia Yaozhou had no mother or father—but she didn’t understand the deeper meaning behind it.

After all, Xia Yaozhou called Xia Shibai “Mom,” and her life wasn’t much different from Gu Mingyi’s.

Gu Mingyi’s parents also rarely looked after her in the country; truly empathizing was actually quite difficult.

Gu Mingyi now only wanted to know one thing: when exactly would Xia Yaozhou wake up?

Big Yaozhou recovered from the massive amount of information. As usual, she cleaned up the inside, and with a strange feeling in her heart, she took her younger self by the hand to sleep in the same bedroom.

It was too terrifying, like a horror movie.

Sleeping in the same bed, Big Yaozhou still found it unbelievable and frightening, but these fears completely vanished after Xia Yaozhou pestered her to tell a fairy tale.

“The story you told is so boring; it can’t compare to the ones Mommy tells.”

“Mommy? Xia Shibai?” Big Yaozhou gave a light “tsk,” inexplicably thinking of the glance “Xia Shibai” had given her when she was young—full of coldness and hostility, as if she were piece of trash.

Trash that shouldn’t exist in this world.

The young Big Yaozhou found it hard to imagine that her “mother” was such a person. Later, as she grew older and had more capability, she also sensed the oddities of the Xia family and followed a trail to investigate.

The Xia family didn’t intend to hide those past events from her; by finding a few people, she could find out what major upheaval happened to the Xia family the year she was born.

Xia Shibai wasn’t her mother at all, but her maternal aunt.

Her mother had been killed by her long ago.

A trace of bitterness couldn’t help but rise in Big Yaozhou’s heart. There were no family members belonging to her in this world.

“Yeah, Mommy’s name is Xia Shibai.” Xia Yaozhou, wearing loose clothes, covered her mouth with her small hand to yawn. She lay on the bed with rare discipline and began to stammer through the stories Xia Shibai had told her for Big Yaozhou.

Big Yaozhou had no interest in fairy tales. Fortunately, Xia Yaozhou didn’t really want to tell a story to coax her to sleep. After saying two or three sentences and seeing that Big Yaozhou wasn’t supporting her, she pursed her lips and gave a small snort.

“I’m not telling it anymore! I’m sleepy!”

“Wait…” If Big Yaozhou couldn’t hear by now that the Xia Shibai in Xia Yaozhou’s mouth was different from the “Xia Shibai” she knew, she’d be an idiot.

But the young version of Xia Yaozhou didn’t even have a kindergarten diploma; how could she understand the strangeness between adults?

With no other way, the only childhood memory Big Yaozhou could grasp was Auntie Lin, so she asked Xia Yaozhou questions centered around that person.

From Xia Yaozhou’s mouth, she learned that in that world, Auntie Lin had already been sent to prison by Xia Shibai, along with Auntie Lin’s annoying daughter-in-law and son.

Big Yaozhou’s eyes inexplicably felt sore. Tears gathered uncontrollably in her eyes and slowly fell down her fair face.

Xia Yaozhou, sleeping curled in her arms, paused. She carefully reached out her small hand to help Big Yaozhou wipe away the tears.

“Why are you crying? The bad people—the bad people have already been sent to prison by Mommy! Mommy said she can never hurt me again!”

Thinking of the conversations and views Xia Shibai had instilled in her, Xia Yaozhou raised her small hand and coaxed: “Don’t cry, don’t cry. Mommy said as long as she’s here, she will protect Zhouzhou!”

“You are also Zhouzhou, so Mommy will also, also protect you!” Xia Yaozhou said seriously: “And I also have Auntie Qin, Xiao Yi, and the others. I have many, many people; everyone will protect us.”

“…” Big Yaozhou cried even harder.

“You’re a dummy, aren’t you?”

“No!” Xia Yaozhou argued angrily: “If I’m a dummy, then you’re a dummy too.”

Big Yaozhou gave a tearful hiccup and actually couldn’t refute it.

Who told them to be the same person, just at different growth stages?

Big Yaozhou still wanted to ask about things related to Xia Shibai. After all, it’s impossible for a person to change so much; something must have gone wrong.

However, the well-off Xia Yaozhou didn’t have so many twists and turns in her heart; she wasn’t like Big Yaozhou, who had to live by reading people’s expressions.

The memories Xia Yaozhou spoke of were mostly things Big Yaozhou had once fantasized about in her essays—she had hoped countless times to have a mother accompany her to play, to fool around, and to back her up.

Even the most ordinary kind would do, rather than being like the current “Xia Shibai.”

Big Yaozhou gritted her teeth in jealousy. Especially this “little dumpling” beside her; upon sensing the envy in her tone, the child intentionally clicked her tongue and put on a cheeky expression of “Ah, it’s just a small thing, Mommy super pampers me.”

Looking at it made Big Yaozhou’s hands itch, wanting to give her a good spanking on her bottom.

“Fine. Then how did you meet Auntie Qin and the others?”

Xia Yaozhou’s recollection wasn’t very complete. She often switched to another topic while talking, but fortunately, Big Yaozhou could understand. After organizing the word order slightly, there were no obstacles.

“Those friends you mentioned…?” Big Yaozhou ran through them in her head. She had some impression, but why did they stop playing together later?

Big Yaozhou simply couldn’t remember.

“What’s wrong?”

“I have an impression of the two boys you mentioned. But they are both at No. 1 Middle School; they aren’t the same kind of people as me.” Big Yaozhou hugged the young version of herself like a sleep-comfort doll. “I can’t remember the girl at all.”

“Is that so? Then what a pity for you.” Xia Yaozhou patted Big Yaozhou’s arm and said seriously: “You missed out on three super good friends. They are super good to me; I like them very much.”

“Mhm…” Big Yaozhou lowered her eyes slightly. “Leave it to fate.”

Big Yaozhou originally wanted to ask more questions, but seeing that Xia Yaozhou’s eyelids could barely stay open and were fighting to close, a trace of eerie sadness flashed in her heart, and she hugged her younger self tightly.

“Help me say thank you to Mommy.”

No matter who you are, in one world, I am not alone.

Then I am not alone.

I am not surviving in this world all by myself.

“Okay…” Xia Yaozhou agreed with a mumble of sleepiness. As for what Big Yaozhou said afterward—”If you go back, please ask for me if she has anything she wants to know, or anything she wants to tell me; I can find out for her”—she probably didn’t hear it.

When Big Yaozhou woke up again, the spot beside her was empty. Not even body heat was left behind. The arm that had been used as a pillow was numb, unable to even be lifted.

She stared blankly at the sunlight on the wooden floor. it poured in from the window, competing for space as if afraid she wouldn’t see it.

She was left alone again.

Those terrifying and fantastical events of yesterday felt like a dream.

Big Yaozhou patted her cheeks. The back of her head throbbed slightly; this always happened when she stayed up late. Walking from upstairs to downstairs, her subconscious treated everything she experienced yesterday as a dream.

Until, in the washing machine, she saw a child’s clothes. Her hand trembling, she unbelievably pulled the clothes out of the machine.

She burst into tears with a sob, as if venting, yet also as if feeling fortunate.

Xia Yaozhou slept for two whole days. She underwent a full-body examination, and there were no problems; even her previous malnutrition had disappeared.

Xia Shibai was instructed by the doctor: “The child is young and should have a more balanced diet. Vegetables, fish, meat, eggs, and fruit should all be arranged reasonably.”

“Previously, because of malnutrition, she lacked too many elements. Taking formula was the best choice. But now the malnutrition problem has been solved; don’t give her formula anymore. Just have her eat normal meals.”

Xia Shibai kept it in mind, planning to stop buying it once the last can at home was finished.

Xia Yaozhou was drawn awake by a salty, fragrant smell.

Xia Shibai and Qin Zhijin had brought porridge to the ward to eat. Just as they opened the lunch boxes, Gu Mingyi, who was on the hospital bed, called out to them.

“Zhouzhou just moved. Is she about to wake up?” Gu Mingyi’s little face was full of worry as she looked expectantly at Xia Shibai, hoping the adults could give her a definitive answer.

“Is that so?” Xia Shibai looked at the soundly sleeping Xia Yaozhou on the bed. After thinking for a bit, she dipped a disposable chopstick into the salty pork bone and corn porridge, leaving some juice on it. She flicked it lightly to ensure no residue would drip before walking to the bedside with the chopstick.

She held the chopstick in front of Xia Yaozhou’s nose and shook it gently twice.

The originally soundly sleeping little girl’s nostrils twitched, her small mouth opened slightly, and before her eyes even opened, her mouth bit onto the chopstick.

“She’s awake.” Xia Shibai playfully tugged the chopstick upward. Seeing Xia Yaozhou biting the chopstick and being “caught” by her like a fish, she couldn’t help but laugh: “Xiao Yi, this is what you call a greedy worm taking the bait.”

Gu Mingyi looked at the adult playing so enthusiastically and was left speechless.

How childish can you be?

Author’s Note:

Big Yaozhou: I’m from a future timeline, come ask me if you have questions!

Xia Yaozhou: Oh.

Xia Shibai: I have the original novel in hand, no thanks.

PS: The world Big Yaozhou is in is not the original novel’s world. As for what kind of world she is in, that will be revealed later~