After Transmigrating As The Mother Of The Pitiful Female Supporting Character in a Campus Novel - Chapter 34

“Um…”

Xia Shibai was speechless on the spot. Hearing this, she felt inexplicably guilty. Meeting Qin Zhijin’s gaze, she instinctively took half a step back until her waist hit the edge of the cashier counter. Only then did she realize—why was she feeling so guilty?

It couldn’t be that she was worried Qin Zhijin had developed mind-reading powers and knew what she was thinking, right?

Even with that thought, Xia Shibai still couldn’t summon any backbone. She opened her mouth to spin a lie, forcing herself to cover it up. Who knew that Qin Zhijin wouldn’t fall for it at all? She pressed further: “I didn’t ask you if other people look good in qipaos. I’m asking you why, the day you woke up, you said I looked good in one.”

“I saw it in a dream.” Xia Shibai gritted her teeth, closed her eyes, and treated a dead horse as if it were alive.

“Dreamed of me?” Qin Zhijin slightly raised an eyebrow. “Why would you dream of me for no reason?”

Xia Shibai felt like she was jumping from one pit into another.

The pits were connected; there was simply no way to jump out.

Fortunately, just as Xia Shibai was about to run out of explanations, Qin Zhijin dropped the subject.

Carrying the bags, Qin Zhijin clapped her hands and called over the two children who were fiddling with the jewelry boxes. “Let’s go.”

Xia Shibai, feeling like a survivor of a disaster, let out a long sigh of relief. She followed quietly behind, but hadn’t walked two steps before she saw Qin Zhijin turn to look at her.

Xia Shibai’s heart tightened, fearing Qin Zhijin would ask the same question again.

Qin Zhijin stood a short distance away, looking at Xia Shibai’s tense and cautious posture. The corners of her mouth curved up slightly, and the bags she was carrying were taken by the two little girls.

“Still not moving? Are you planning to wait there for me to come back and invite you?”

“Going, I’m driving, I’m driving.”

Xia Shibai decisively took over the chores, pulled the car keys from her pocket, and walked quickly to catch up with Qin Zhijin.

Xia Yaozhou held her hands high, lifting the bag. The little drift bottle on her wrist shimmered slightly under the sunlight.

Gu Mingyi lowered her gaze to see it clearly, freed a hand to lightly pinch the little bottle. “What is this?”

“Mommy gave it to me.” Xia Yaozhou looked over following Gu Mingyi’s lead. Remembering that Mommy told her to keep it a secret—it was their little secret—she licked her lips and awkwardly changed the subject.

Xia Yaozhou rushed toward the parking spot carrying the bag, gave a few light hops, and shouted to the adults who were lagging behind, walking side-by-side: “Hurry up! What are you guys doing?”

Hearing this, Qin Zhijin pointed forward slightly. “Not going?”

“Going…” Xia Shibai drew out her words, took two steps forward, then couldn’t help but backtrack and stand firmly in front of Qin Zhijin. “Actually, I really did dream of you walking in the rain wearing a qipao. It was very beautiful.”

“I think it looks very good.”

“Is that so?” Qin Zhijin pursed her lips, her teeth lightly biting the inner flesh of her cheek. Facing the person with the bright eyes, she almost couldn’t control the upward curve of her lips. She pretended to be reluctant and replied: “This answer is barely acceptable.”

Qin Zhijin bypassed Xia Shibai and strode toward the parking area. The moment her back was turned, an uncontrollable smile broke out on her face.

Xia Yaozhou, seeing this from not far away, pouted slightly and put down the heavy bags wrapped around her hands. she swung her hands back and forth in the air. “So tired. Why are Mommy and the others walking so slowly?”

Gu Mingyi shook her head. “Don’t know. Maybe they are tired too.”

The two of them were actually fine. As soon as they entered the shop, they went to play children’s games. Aside from occasionally being used as “mini-consultants,” they weren’t required to constantly take off or change clothes.

They weren’t very tired.

Xia Yaozhou sighed deeply. “The things between adults are so complicated.”

“Mhm, the world of adults is very complicated.” Gu Mingyi held the bag and started chatting idly with Xia Yaozhou about what to eat tonight.

A few days ago, Xia Shibai had mentioned she had business and couldn’t be home to accompany them, so they should stay home properly.

Xia Yaozhou, sitting on the sofa, shifted her bottom. Her eyes couldn’t leave the Tiga (Ultraman) light as she nodded perfunctorily.

“Auntie Shao Qing will come over to help me look after you then. You have to be good, okay?”

Gu Mingyi understood that the adults had business to attend to and nodded understandingly. As for the non-responsive Xia Yaozhou, as long as she wasn’t left home alone for too long, it wasn’t a problem.

Xia Shibai picked up the two little ones and stuffed them both into the child seats in the back. Only then did she go around to the driver’s seat. The first thing she did upon entering was lower the air conditioning.

Even though the temperature wasn’t high today, and being out wouldn’t burn one’s eyes like in July or August…

Xia Shibai just felt her face was burning hot. Once the car’s AC turned on, it roared loudly. The cold air hitting her face did indeed cool her down a bit.

But whenever she raised her gaze even slightly, she could always catch a glimpse of the smiling Qin Zhijin in the passenger seat. The temperature that had just dropped would suddenly surge back.

It was completely useless.

It was lucky the car AC couldn’t be set to sub-zero; otherwise, Xia Shibai would have seriously considered blasting herself with freezing air.

She even messed up shifting gears twice, prompting her to lightly slap her own hand.

“What are you doing?” Qin Zhijin quickly said: “We don’t have life insurance, so stay steady.”

“A temporary error, I’ve already disciplined it.”

Xia Shibai’s skin was fair; even a little force would leave red marks. Her hand was no exception. It didn’t look serious, but compared to her ears, which were about to catch fire behind her forced composure, this bit of red was nothing compared to the “blush” on her face.

On the day of the class reunion, Qin Zhijin rarely gave herself a full face of makeup.

Dr. Qin applying makeup was no different from performing surgery. She followed the tutorial steps strictly. Xia Shibai was stunned watching her and couldn’t help but tease: “Your makeup is so rigorous I thought you’d worked at a funeral home.”

“I would have liked to; even funeral homes require exams.” Dr. Qin placed her earrings on her lobes. The silk qipao she wore complemented her graceful figure, possessing a sense of tranquility within her gentleness. She bent down to fix her shoes, then looked up at Xia Shibai. “Is this okay?”

“Does it make me look a bit too well-behaved?”

Hearing this, Xia Shibai silently circled Qin Zhijin once, then looked at the makeup that was as precise as a professional exam. She frowned slightly. “It’s a bit off. Let me fix it for you.”

“Sit still, I’ll do it.”

Xia Shibai held the eyebrow pencil and lightly touched Qin Zhijin’s brows, slightly thickening the slender shape. The originally somewhat plain makeup instantly became more vibrant and seductive; there was a wealth of charm between her brows.

Even Xia Shibai’s breath hitched. If not for the slight pain of her nails digging into her palms, she really would have lost herself staring at this face.

Qin Zhijin, seeing the person in front of her dazed, called her name several times and reached out to touch Xia Shibai’s elbow.

Xia Shibai immediately took two steps back, hands behind her back, breaking the awkward scene with a light laugh. “Let’s go, it’s getting late.”

“You’re not changing?” Qin Zhijin looked at Xia Shibai’s casual, sporty outfit and gave a soft “Ah.” “Didn’t you say you were going to back me up?”

“This is enough. You’re the protagonist, I’m the muscle.” Xia Shibai took the opportunity to pull down her jacket sleeves. “You’re wearing a qipao—were you planning to beat people up yourself?”

“If I’m angry enough, it’s not impossible.” Xia Shibai said seriously: “If you can’t help yourself, just call me. I’ll hand you the stick.”

Xia Shibai’s recent movements in gathering information hadn’t been hidden from Qin Zhijin. Sometimes she looked terribly upset, squatting alone by the water dispenser chugging large cups of water, but she wouldn’t come and talk to Qin Zhijin about it.

Qin Zhijin hadn’t actively flipped through those letters or asked for them. She guessed they were mostly about her past.

She was the party involved; she knew her own innocence perfectly well.

It was just those people and the methods they used to slander her and smear her name that she wasn’t clear about—and didn’t want to be clear about.

Xia Shibai knew she wasn’t interested, so she didn’t bring it up. However, Xia Shibai herself was very angry, walking from the house to the yard and back to pour water without saying a word.

She was afraid Qin Zhijin, who was accompanying the children in learning characters, would find out.

“Golf clubs, dead wood… we even have sticks at home?” Qin Zhijin and Xia Shibai walked downstairs side-by-side.

“We do. I just ordered them on a shopping app. Local delivery—I specifically added four yuan for SF Express.”

“They’re already in the trunk. Getting hit by them hurts immensely, and they’re long enough that you can hit two people at once.” As Xia Shibai spoke, she couldn’t help but feel proud. In the field of “educating people,” she had years of experience.

Based on the description, Qin Zhijin really found it hard to imagine what it was. “What is it? You can hit two at once?”

“A brand new ‘Dog-Beating Staff,’ made of aluminum-titanium alloy. It’s very light and can extend at both ends. If you want, let alone going crazy on a whole nest of them, even if you beat a passing dog and end up in the police station, I can bail you out.”

“…” Qin Zhijin bit her lip, her hands itching to beat the person in front of her first.

She speechlessly raised her hand and gave Xia Shibai’s arm a smack. “Can you be a good role model? Don’t do things that break laws and regulations; kids learn by example.”

“If they don’t do things that break the law, then naturally I won’t either.” Xia Shibai was righteous. “If they do, then I’m just performing an act of justice.”

“Fine, let’s go. Going at this time, they’ll likely all be there.”

Qin Zhijin and Xia Shibai hadn’t intended to actually sit down and eat from the start, so arriving right on time was perfect.

It was called a class reunion, but in reality, most of the people gathered were those in contact with Chen Cun. Narrowing the scope further, they were the group that had spread rumors about Qin Zhijin.

Even with her eyes closed, Xia Shibai could guess who the leaders were. They were undoubtedly the two who benefited the most: the roommate who betrayed Qin Zhijin and the guy who got the graduate recommendation.

The two of them as a pair could be considered a service to society.

When Xia Shibai and Qin Zhijin arrived, various sounds of flattery and boasting were already coming from the private room. Someone suddenly mentioned Qin Zhijin. Chen Cun, who had been disciplined by them at the campsite, slammed the table suddenly. Bowls and spoons crashed together with a loud bang, startling everyone in the room.

Chen Cun gritted his teeth as he described how Qin Zhijin had bullied him. He claimed that for a woman as arrogant and condescending as her, she deserved to end up the way she had.

He didn’t mention a word about how he was the one who got cocky and tried to provoke them first before being taught a lesson.

Qin Zhijin’s expression was cold. She glanced down at the Dog-Beating Staff Xia Shibai was holding and asked: “Why did you only buy one of these sticks?”

“Huh?”

“Not enough to go around for two people.” Qin Zhijin said seriously: “How about I ask the waiter to go to the kitchen and borrow a rolling pin from the chef?”

“Didn’t you just say you wanted to be a good role model for the kids? Don’t do things that break the law.”

“I’m not.” Qin Zhijin smiled emotionlessly. “How can cleaning up city trash be considered breaking the law? I’m a good person doing a good deed.”

The last time Xia Shibai saw Qin Zhijin smile like that was when they encountered that trashy blind-date guy. She laughed and patted Qin Zhijin’s shoulder. “Don’t be in a hurry. Since we’re here, how can we come empty-handed?”

Xia Shibai found a waiter, asked them to pour the cheapest beer in the shop into a basin, gave them money, and told them to stay away. “I’ve booked this room. There’s no need for anyone to come in; we have some small matters to settle between friends.”

“This…” The waiter wasn’t sure what Xia Shibai was going to do and didn’t dare take the money, hurriedly going back to find the floor manager for fear of a major problem in the room.

Xia Shibai tried lifting the basin. After confirming the weight was easy, she nodded to Qin Zhijin, who was holding the stick. “A lesson first?”

“Beat them up first. If they don’t have mothers, I don’t mind being a mother to so many people.”

“Fine.”

Xia Shibai didn’t waste words. The moment the door opened, she threw a full basin of beer toward the room. The several people sitting near the door were the first to be hit.

Chen Cun happened to be standing with his back to the door, talking passionately. It seemed that if Qin Zhijin and Xia Shibai dared to appear before him in the next second, he would surely go up and give them a couple of slaps.

In reality, he could only choke on a basin of beer to his windpipe, his face covered in white beer foam. The expensive shirt he had managed to pull out to wear once was soaked in beer. Just by the smell, one knew it was ruined.

The woman sitting beside him who was caught in the splash was so angry her hands shook. She pointed at Qin Zhijin and Xia Shibai standing at the door and cursed loudly. After cursing, she didn’t forget to ask: “Who are you? I want to complain about this restaurant! Allowing random people from nowhere to enter a private room and bully customers—do you not want to stay in business?”

The moment Qin Zhijin entered, she took in the situation of the room clearly.

Sitting at the main seat was indeed the college roommate she had lived with for four years, and the other was that “dear” boyfriend of hers.

She also recognized the people sitting in order after them. Several men had pursued her, but none were good people.

Even if Qin Zhijin didn’t like girls, she wouldn’t have given them a second look.

“I was invited by you, and yet you don’t recognize me? To be so united just because you hate me—should I praise you for that?” Qin Zhijin’s brilliant and radiant smile caused the people in the room to daze slightly.

Several men who hadn’t been splashed were stunned for a moment, then gave awkward smiles and stepped out to be peacemakers. The moment they spoke, they criticized Qin Zhijin for not meeting them for so many years, only to make everyone so embarrassed upon meeting.

“How about Dr. Qin punishes herself with three drinks? Consider it an apology to everyone. You were late today and caused such a scene; it’s somewhat unreasonable. Such a grown adult, why act so impulsively like a child?” The man saying this sat to the lower left of Qin Zhijin’s roommate. One could tell he was doing well; his face was greasy, and the watch on his wrist alone was worth several years’ income for many families.

Hearing this, Qin Zhijin tilted her head and asked Xia Shibai: “This is my class reunion, right?”

“Mhm.”

“Oh. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard such greasy advice. I thought I had accidentally entered a senior citizens’ gathering.” Qin Zhijin lowered her eyes slightly and looked the man up and down with contempt. “Who are you? What was your college entrance exam score? What was your class rank? Which hospital do you work at? What level is your professional title now? How many residents are you training? Which level do you sit at in internal medicine or surgery meetings?”

“You! I’m kindly giving you a way out. Otherwise, do you really think people like us would invite you to a class reunion? A doctor without medical ethics—you deserve to have your salary suspended.”

“Is that so? Then answer me: which hospital are you currently working at?”

Qin Zhijin gave a soft “Oh.” “Can’t answer? It couldn’t be that you were so bad you didn’t even get into a hospital, right? Relying on kissing up to people—do you really think you’re a big shot here acting so important? What are you? The stingy piece of work who was dumped by eight girls and posted on the confession wall back in college—do you still ask girls for an ‘AA’ split of fifty-five yuan and eighty-one cents when treating them to dinner?”

Most people at the dinner were held together by mutual interest. When it was time to lose face, they didn’t hold back.

As soon as Qin Zhijin’s mockery came out, several people who had heard the gossip laughed.

The man’s face turned even uglier with rage.

Seeing him so angry he couldn’t speak, Qin Zhijin found it amusing. Her gaze then moved from the man back to the girl who had cursed at them earlier.

“Haven’t seen you in a few years—how is your temper still so bad? When you were spreading rumors about others online back then, didn’t you get sued until you were crying and snotting? In the school mediation room, you begged them saying you were wrong and wouldn’t do it again.”

“It hasn’t even been a few years, and you’ve gathered with these people to continue badmouthing me?”

Qin Zhijin said leisurely: “I have no interest in your trashy business, so naturally, I didn’t deliberately seek it out.”

“Who my roommate was for four years—don’t you guys use your brains? You really think she’s on your side? The moment you made a fool of yourself, she was back at the girls’ dorm telling us everything, wanting to tell it eight times a day.”

“Even if I covered my ears, I couldn’t withstand the frequency.” Qin Zhijin sighed with feigned sentiment. “But then again, it’s because I have a good memory. Otherwise, for ordinary people like you, I’d be too lazy to waste brain capacity remembering your affairs.”

“You came here today to provoke us on purpose, didn’t you? If that’s the case, then please get out! You aren’t welcome here!”

No one knew who threw a pair of chopsticks first, but those words immediately ignited everyone’s anger.

If Xia Shibai hadn’t been quick, the chopsticks would have hit Qin Zhijin.

Xia Shibai lightly wiped the spot that was almost touched and gave a soft “tsk,” her disgust fully displayed.

Xia Shibai matched the people around the table to her information one-by-one and stepped toward the table. “Since it’s come to this, I assume you won’t mind if I say a few words. I only came here today because I have some things to tell everyone. After all, good things should be shared.”

Xia Shibai walked past them one by one. She took the things she knew and strung them together, ignoring their murderous gazes as she laid it out clearly.

“Why don’t you tell everyone about your wife clamoring for a divorce? If there’s a difficulty, just say it. Is there anything shameful about your ‘dead sperm’ issue? We’re all doctors here; why be so superstitious about seeking medical help for an illness?”

“Chen Cun, how is your father’s illegitimate son outside doing lately? I haven’t seen him in a while. If he has time, tell him to take a project over to the Lansui Group for a chat. For a person like that, if he wants to become legitimate and fight for a title for his mother, he needs to work hard. Compared to the ‘high-aiming but low-achieving’ you, he’d be better off getting on my good side. He might even pick up some scraps from between my fingers and logically bring his mother into the Chen family.”

Xia Shibai wasn’t afraid of their dark expressions at all. Even if someone refuted, she had even more explosive gossip to spill.

“What’s the big deal? Isn’t this a class reunion? Hey, everyone should talk about their difficulties. If they can be solved on the spot, that’s great; if not, say them out loud for everyone to enjoy.”

Xia Shibai leaned on the man who had just given the “fatherly” advice to Qin Zhijin. “Sharing joy is better than enjoying it alone, right? Since you’re at a party, you should be happy. Why don’t you talk about how you cheated and solicited prostitutes while your wife was pregnant? It’s fine if you don’t want to; then tell us about your fifteen days in the detention center to broaden our horizons.”

“What nonsense are you talking about…” The man’s forehead was dripping sweat.

He didn’t think the matter was shameful, but Xia Shibai was humiliating him in public, which made him displeased.

“Tsk.” Xia Shibai gave a light tsk and didn’t linger in front of the man. Instead, she paused and stood not far from Qin Zhijin’s roommate and her husband.

Facing them, Xia Shibai saw not a hint of panic on their faces.

Xia Shibai’s mouth curved slightly. “As for your business, should I tell everyone, or will you say it yourselves?”

Qin Zhijin’s college roommate, Li Yan, lowered her gaze and pretended not to understand. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. You aren’t from our school; how did you sneak in?”

“Your class reunion didn’t say family members weren’t allowed.” Xia Shibai shrugged. “I’m Dr. Qin’s family member. Is there a problem?”

“Oh, speaking of which, since family can be brought, why didn’t you two bring yours? Is it because the ones you’re keeping outside can’t be shown in public? In the end, do you still have to bring the ones on the marriage certificate out?” Xia Shibai gave a soft “Ah” and said apologetically: “Sorry, I’ve been reading too much gossip lately; I might have mixed up your story with someone else’s.”

“You two should be the case where the man is gay and entered a fraudulent marriage, and used dirty tricks in college to push aside a competitor for the graduate recommendation; as for the woman, she’s even more immoral—acting all ‘sisterly’ with roommates in the dorm while spreading rumors behind their backs everywhere to ruin their reputations.”

Xia Shibai looked at Li Yan’s increasingly ugly expression. Before Li Yan could move, Xia Shibai grabbed a red wine bottle from the table and slammed it hard against the tabletop.

“If I hit you, your husband might not necessarily help you.”

Xia Shibai pointed the jagged end of the broken wine bottle toward Li Yan. “But I’m different. If you dare lay a hand on me, Dr. Qin will kill you.”