After Transmigrating As The Mother Of The Pitiful Female Supporting Character in a Campus Novel - Chapter 58

As the car pulled into the underground garage, Big Yaozhou sat in the long-distance vehicle she had hailed using someone else’s identity. Her expression was grim. The car’s heater was blasting, but her hands inside her down jacket pockets were unconsciously gripping the lining. Her phone kept flashing inside the pocket, but its owner gave no reaction.

She had no intention of answering, nor any desire to respond.

The driver in the front seat saw the young girl’s cold face through the rearview mirror and couldn’t help but advise, “Little girl, are you running away from home because of a fight with your family? The weather is bad, the rain is heavy, and the roads are dangerous. If it’s just a spat, why not go back first and talk it out later?”

“What family?” Big Yaozhou’s voice was hoarse; as she spoke, a sob could be heard in her tone.

“That car behind us has been following us for a long time. From the city all the way to the highway. In this thunderstorm, few people are even leaving the city—why would someone stay on the exact same path as us?”

The windshield wipers continuously scraped the heavy rain away, sending gushes of water flowing to the sides. The rain seemed as if it would never stop, creating a constant thump-thump-thump against the windows.

“It’s fine. Just drive to the destination shown on the map,” Big Yaozhou said, ignoring the driver’s scrutinizing gaze. She pulled the phone out of her pocket, hesitated for a long time, and finally dialed President Xia’s number.

President Xia stepped out of her car but delayed going upstairs to the living room. Her smooth shirt-clad back leaned against the vehicle. The call on her phone hadn’t been disconnected; she could still hear the sounds of the cartoon playing on the other end.

A second later, a new call came in. There was no contact name, and it wasn’t a family short-code, but President Xia remembered that string of digits better than anyone. In an instant, she decisively cut the call with Little Yaozhou, started walking upstairs, and answered Big Yaozhou’s call.

As soon as it connected, she heard Big Yaozhou’s interrogation.

“When did you send people?”

“They’ve always been there. It’s just that I hired fewer people before, and they occasionally missed things during shift rotations.”

Her low-heeled leather shoes clicked against the marble tiles. From the basement to the living room was only a door away.

President Xia rested her hand lightly on the fingerprint lock handle but didn’t open the door immediately. “Don’t you have many secrets hidden from me as well? Perhaps you shouldn’t be so agitated. Calm down and talk to me properly.”

“What do you want to talk about? Talk about how you’re not my real mom? Talk about how you have no feelings, how you don’t like me, or how you want me to die?” Big Yaozhou spoke her true thoughts calmly, even though she knew that wasn’t what President Xia wanted to discuss.

“I don’t.” Her finger brushed the fingerprint lock, and the edge glowed slightly, but she didn’t press down. President Xia said coldly, “The things you said before are fine, but I have never wanted you to die.”

“Your mother hemorrhaging during childbirth was an accident. But that accident was a fate pushed along step-by-step by herself, your grandparents, and your biological father. It has nothing to do with you. If it wasn’t you being born, it would have been someone else—if not that time, then the next. I have indeed disliked you, but I would never hope for your death.”

There was a hint of exhaustion in President Xia’s voice as she offered a rare apology. “Admittedly, as you grew up, I didn’t pay much attention to you. That is how my parents raised me. From the day I was born to the time I consciously observed my surroundings, I could already perceive the difference between my sister and me.”

“A bowl of water can never be perfectly level. Even if you place it on two sides of a scale and use gold coins as weights, the weight of the water and the coins might be equal, but the value is completely different.”

“Regarding your upbringing, I have indeed done things wrong. But as a minor, you should have learned a concept in school—when you encounter difficulties, you should seek help from adults first, shouldn’t you?” President Xia said softly, “Tell the driver to pull over. Tell me the whole story, and I will help you… including that child in the house.”

Big Yaozhou was silent on the other end. The silence on the phone was more piercing than a scolding.

For the first time, President Xia felt the stirrings of irritability. It made her want to fidget with something, or even press the stubborn child to a desk to practice calligraphy over and over until she calmed down.

But the result of doing so was clear: their already thin relationship would shatter like a cracker. Without much force, the bridge of this family would naturally break. The relationships across three generations would crumble, leaving the Xia family swaying in the storm.

“No need. I can go myself. Besides, didn’t you send people to follow me?”

“Where are you going? You’re a minor; what can you do? Command bodyguards? I am their employer. If I wanted to, they have many ways to make you stop the car right now and bring you back.” President Xia’s expression was cold, her voice laced with mockery. “I am your guardian, responsible for your life.”

“Oh…”

After a moment of silence on the other end, Big Yaozhou hung up without a second thought.

It didn’t matter. She had made the call simply to let Xia Shibai know one thing—she was still alive.

As for what President Xia said? Whoever wanted to listen could listen; whoever cared could obey. She didn’t care, even though her heart was pounding like a drum, unsure of Xia Shibai’s true attitude or if she would actually have the bodyguards forcibly intercept her.

She would take it one step at a time. If President Xia actually did that, it would just give the woman one more reason to help her, which was also fine.

Only…

Big Yaozhou wiped her face, thinking of the little girl she left in the living room. She only hoped the heavy thunderstorm wouldn’t scare the child, and that President Xia could soften her features a bit instead of acting like a cold superior dealing with a stranger.

In truth, Big Yaozhou didn’t remember President Xia’s attitude toward her when she was very young—it probably wasn’t good, otherwise, with life being this bitter, she should have had some memories of it.

The driver, seeing Big Yaozhou make the call, was also feeling uneasy, mainly worried that this long-distance order would result in no profit after all the back-and-forth. But there was no turning back now; he’d only know if the trip was worth it once they arrived. With that thought, he settled down and continued driving.

President Xia looked at the disconnected call and sighed. To say she didn’t know who this personality took after would be hypocritical. It was a classic Xia family trait: play dumb when hearing something unpleasant, change the subject, and if you can’t change it, just end the conversation as if it never happened.

She checked the time on her phone, not daring to delay further, and unlocked the door to enter the living room.

She stepped into the warm room carrying the dust and chill of the outside world. The barking of the PAW Patrol dogs and the voice acting designed to grab children’s attention filled her ears. It wasn’t exactly shrill, but the highly repetitive dialogue made her fingers curl; she wanted to walk up and turn off the TV.

“Mama…” A tiny head peeked out from the blanket huddled on the sofa. Outside, the thunder and rain clashed, and the occasional flash of lightning through the floor-to-ceiling windows turned the grand house ghastly white for a moment before returning to normal.

Scared, Xia Yaozhou huddled in the blanket, cautiously peeking out. When a tall shadow appeared from the corner of the wall and gradually entered her peripheral vision, she found it hard to stop focusing on the newcomer.

Little Yaozhou summoned her courage and pulled the blanket back just a little further. What she saw was a face both familiar and strange. She called out hesitantly, but seeing the woman’s gaze fall upon her, she couldn’t help but shrink back toward the sofa cushions.

The blanket she had just pulled open was now gripped by her two small hands and slowly closed shut. Xia Yaozhou fell back into darkness, pretending that if she couldn’t see the other person, the other person couldn’t see her.

President Xia: “?”

Is she playing ostrich?

Fortunately, President Xia maintained some restraint with the child, especially since Xia Yaozhou looked so tiny—as if a slightly raised voice would scare the little ball of fluff into the sofa cushions, never to be seen again.

President Xia bypassed the huddle on the sofa, having no intention of a direct “confrontation” with the child. She took off her low heels, placed them on the rack, and stepped onto the carpet in her stockings, feeling some of her multi-day exhaustion ebb away.

The scent of takeout still lingered in the house. President Xia turned on the air purification system and walked slowly to the side of the sofa, keeping a distance from Xia Yaozhou.

As soon as she approached, the bundle on the sofa moved slowly to the side, bit by bit, inching toward a wider space.

President Xia looked down at the moving “rice ball” making rustling noises but said nothing and didn’t stop her. She allowed Xia Yaozhou to do as she pleased on the sofa; as long as she didn’t fall off or put herself in danger, it was fine.

President Xia took a step forward, intending to grab some tissues to wipe the water from her face, change her clothes, and then sit down for a proper talk with the “rice ball” to untangle the bizarre situation in her mind.

But as she stepped forward, she felt something off. There was something under her foot through her stocking. She moved her foot and found a slip of paper. The edges were very uneven, looking like it had been torn haphazardly from an A4 sheet. The handwriting, however, made her brow furrow.

This handwriting…

Why was it her own?

Scanning the contents, President Xia’s expression suddenly shifted. she could roughly guess why Big Yaozhou was in such a rush to get to the neighboring city. When a stranger she’d just met meant more to her than her own family, President Xia, whatever she wanted to say, had to swallow her words.

The message on the note was simple, but the situation was clear.

President Xia thought for a moment and began contacting business partners she knew in the neighboring city, asking them to hire a professional rescue team at any cost. She shared the location between the rescue team and the bodyguards with a very simple instruction: “If danger arises, do your best to save the person. Protect Xia Yaozhou, don’t let her rush in to rescue anyone. I’m coming immediately.”

After handling these matters, President Xia rubbed the cold metal edge of her phone and finally decided to call Shao Qing, telling her to take a taxi to the highway entrance immediately; she would pick her up.

“Yaozhou has already gone. For her safety, I have to go find her.” President Xia didn’t believe those bodyguards and professional rescuers could hold Big Yaozhou back. If the girl were that easy to control, she wouldn’t have complicated a simple matter into this mess.

“Eh? I’m going too?” Shao Qing looked at the remaining half-day of her vacation, her heart aching slightly. She moved the phone away and punched her pillow several times in frustration, hating herself for not sleeping when she was tired and instead answering the boss’s call while awake.

“Business trip allowance plus three days of paid leave,” President Xia said. “Once this is over, just apply to HR.”

“Deal! Boss, I’ll take a taxi to the intersection and wait for you right away. Do you need coffee?” Shao Qing whipped off her blanket, her exhaustion completely gone. She was now incredibly energized; never mind a business trip, if President Xia told her to pack her bags for Antarctica, she wouldn’t mind.

“I do.” President Xia looked at the “rice ball” which had peeked out through a tiny slit at a distance. After a moment’s pause, she added, “Bring a cup of hot milk and four or five bottles of room-temperature mineral water while you’re at it.”

“No problem. I’ll get there as fast as I can.”

After giving her orders, President Xia put her phone back in her pocket and slowly crouched down, staring at Xia Yaozhou who had curled herself into a tight ball. Her beautiful face showed some fatigue, her brow slightly pinched as she tried to remember how kindergarten teachers communicated with children. She lowered her voice and said, “Hello there.”

“Hello…” A muffled voice came from the blanket. The tightly closed edges expressed the child’s fear.

“Are you… very close with Zhouzhou? Or rather, where did you come from?” Even with the reality right in front of her, President Xia was still a bit dazed—was she so sleep-deprived that she was starting to hallucinate?

But the hallucination felt real. When she reached out to touch the blanket, the realistic texture clearly couldn’t be fooled by the brain into thinking it was a dream.

Xia Yaozhou struggled for a moment. Her nose was stuffed, and the air was so thin that breathing through her mouth couldn’t keep up with the oxygen her body needed. Worried she might suffocate herself, she pulled back the blanket and poked her head out.

Her face still bore tear stains, her hair was a mess, and her pajamas looked like they had been chosen with care.

Not a runaway—President Xia concluded after her assessment, feeling a sense of relief. At this age, Xia Yaozhou not being a runaway was already good news.

President Xia pulled out a wet wipe to clean the tear stains from Little Yaozhou’s face. She used her fingers to gently comb through the messy hair and accurately found the hair tie Big Yaozhou had bought and stuffed into the coffee table drawer, tying the child’s chaotic hair back.

A simple ponytail was enough to reveal that face. It was hard for President Xia to look at this face—identical to the photo on her office desk—and say it was fake.

“I can’t breathe well. My nose… my nose is blocked.” Little Yaozhou’s voice was muffled. She reached out to lightly tug President Xia’s sleeve and tilted her chin up, afraid her runny nose might get on the sofa.

President Xia wasn’t familiar with this. She hurriedly pulled out several tissues to help, but nothing she did seemed right. Finally, she simply pressed the tissues onto Little Yaozhou’s face and looked at the child on the sofa with a face of total sincerity.

“…” Xia Yaozhou took the tissues, crawled out to sit cross-legged on the sofa, and blew her nose. Once finished, she climbed down, threw the tissue ball into the trash can, and returned.

When it was all done, she stood there, left foot over her right, and said cautiously, “Mama said we should ask adults for help, but that Big Sister wouldn’t listen to me. So I followed the other way Mama told me and called you.”

Without Little Yaozhou saying it explicitly, President Xia knew which “Mama” the child was referring to.

President Xia glanced at her watch. It was getting late. Disasters and accidents wait for no one. Even though she had arranged for rescuers to wait there, she had to go herself to be at ease. Otherwise, if she were late and the disaster struck, the local government would close the roads, and it would be difficult to get in.

“If we want to save them, we have to leave now. You…”

Little Yaozhou was wearing thin pajamas. Staying in the house with the heater was fine, but going outside into the rain and cold wouldn’t work. However, Big Yaozhou’s childhood clothes had long been thrown away, and no suitable replacements could be found.

President Xia looked at the serious-faced Little Yaozhou. Finally, she took a blanket and a quilt, and carried the little girl to the car in the basement. Saving people was the priority. At worst, she would have Shao Qing stay with the child in the car; she had called Shao Qing over specifically to look after Xia Yaozhou anyway.

There was no child safety seat in the car. President Xia could only wrap the child tightly in the quilt and blanket before buckling the seatbelt, effectively turning Little Yaozhou into a motionless caterpillar. She twisted left and right, clearly uncomfortable.

It wasn’t until Shao Qing arrived with the items and swapped places with President Xia in the driver’s seat that things improved. President Xia took the drinks and sat in the back, rescuing Little Yaozhou from the safety belt, which finally allowed the child to breathe a sigh of relief.

Shao Qing buckled her seatbelt. Before she could even swallow a mouthful of coconut water, she stared at Xia Yaozhou in utter terror. “Boss,” she gasped, “your second child… is already this big?”

Help! When did my boss get a second kid? Does the Xia family skip the baby bump and the postpartum recovery? Is this ‘painless motherhood’?