After Transmigrating into a Book, I Became the Vicious Female Supporting Lead - Chapter 13

Lin Qiyan: “You’re treating me to dinner?”

Mu Yunge: “Yes, I want to eat with you. Unless you’d like to treat me, Yan Yan?”

Lin Qiyan: “I’ll treat you.”

Mu Yunge smiled brightly. “Alright then.”

The sunset saturated the sky, casting golden-orange light across the ground.

Lin Qiyan: “Yunge, what do you want to eat?”

Mu Yunge: “Anything is fine.”

Lin Qiyan thought for a moment. “Then let’s go to the supermarket and buy some ingredients. I’ll make something for you at my place.”

Mu Yunge nodded, her face full of smiles.

The apartment was close to the school, but they took a slight detour toward the shopping mall in the commercial district. The glass exterior of the massive buildings reflected their silhouettes. Mu Yunge followed behind Lin Qiyan, watching as she bypassed several high-end malls and kept walking straight ahead.

Her brow arched slightly. “Yan Yan, where are we going?”

Lin Qiyan took a step back to stand beside Mu Yunge. Her eyes crinkled. “Yunge, I’m taking you to a great place. I bet you’ve never been there before.”

[A very, very exciting place.]

Mu Yunge: “Is that so?”

Lin Qiyan: “I guarantee it.”

Mu Yunge said meaningfully, “Yan Yan, you’re smiling like a human trafficker right now.”

Lin Qiyan slowly withdrew the grin from the corners of her mouth.

[Got a bit carried away there…]

Mu Yunge’s lips curled into a smile.

Before they knew it, they had walked out of the commercial district and entered a suburban-urban fringe area. Dirty water collected on both sides of the street. Plastic bags tumbled through the muck before getting caught against the curb. Lin Qiyan carefully looked for clean spots to step, making sure Mu Yunge followed in her footprints.

Mu Yunge was skeptical, but she remained silent.

After walking for a while, the sky began to darken. Lin Qiyan suddenly stopped, turned around, and smiled at Mu Yunge. “We’re here.”

In front of them was a sprawling wet market covered by large tarps. The interior was bustling with the clamor of voices, and cheap incandescent bulbs overhead worked diligently to provide light. As they walked in, Mu Yunge’s sharp eyes spotted flies buzzing around.

Lin Qiyan explained as she scanned the stalls, “This is a local Yanjing wet market. Most of the people who shop here are from the surrounding countryside or nearby low-income areas. Their vegetables are usually cheaper and fresher.”

She paused, noticing Mu Yunge’s gaze land on a pile of wilted, curled leaves. She added sheepishly, “They’re fresh in the morning. After a whole day, they… don’t look quite as fresh.”

[Is it a bit bad to bring the ‘favored child of heaven’ to a place like this…]

She glanced sideways, guessing Mu Yunge’s thoughts.

Mu Yunge’s face showed no other expression; she remained smiling. She tilted her head slightly, her beautiful eyes looking at Lin Qiyan. “What kind of food do you like?”

Lin Qiyan: “I’m the one treating you. Trust me, Yunge, my cooking is excellent.”

She picked through the vegetable stalls and handed a few stalks of still-green celery to the vendor. The vendor snapped back to reality and took them to be weighed. They were so busy talking they didn’t notice that almost everyone around them had stopped what they were doing to stare—some casually, some directly. Most of the stares were fixed on Mu Yunge.

Lin Qiyan finished at that stall and led her to a meat stall. It was only then she realized how deafeningly quiet the surroundings had become. Night had fallen completely, and the vendors who had sold most of their stock had already closed up.

Lin Qiyan led Mu Yunge to a relatively secluded corner. She spotted a stall with vegetables that looked fresher than the others. She looked up to ask the price, but the moment she locked eyes with the vendor, she fell silent.

It was the girl from the front row.

[What kind of fate is this? Meeting twice in two nights. Young lady, you’ve got a broad range of operations.]

Mu Yunge glanced at the girl sitting timidly behind the table of vegetables.

Lin Qiyan spoke as gently as possible: “How much for these?”

The girl was shaking all over, her voice like the buzz of a mosquito: “N-n-no charge. J-just take them.”

Lin Qiyan sighed.

[This is tough. She’s terrified of me; how am I supposed to win her over?]

Mu Yunge lowered her eyes thoughtfully.

Lin Qiyan didn’t dare say more. She estimated the cost, placed the bills on the stall, and left with Mu Yunge.

When they had entered the market, the sky still held a lingering red glow. By the time they came out, it was pitch black. Since they had to cross back through the commercial district, Lin Qiyan convinced Mu Yunge to scan a shared bike. They rode together, the evening breeze blowing softly.

Ever since meeting Lin Qiyan, Mu Yunge felt like she was constantly experiencing strange things. After passing through the brightly lit business district and locking the bikes, they walked toward the apartment.

Mu Yunge mentioned offhandedly, “Yan Yan, do you know that girl from earlier?”

Lin Qiyan nodded. “She sits in front of me in class.”

Mu Yunge: “She seems quite introverted.”

Lin Qiyan gave her a meaningful look.

[High EQ: She’s a bit introverted. Low EQ: She’s terrified of you.]

Mu Yunge: “…”

To get to the student apartment, they had to pass through a night market followed by a small alley. Both were carrying bags as they walked slowly. Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoed in the dim alley.

Mu Yunge’s gaze sharpened, focusing on what was ahead.

Lin Qiyan stopped. “Yunge, someone’s coming. Take the bags and get behind me.”

Mu Yunge arched a brow and looked at her sideways. “You aren’t afraid?”

Lin Qiyan handed her the bags without answering the question, looking very serious. “Just stay back a bit. Protect our dinner.”

A few figures approached quickly. Seeing that Mu Yunge hadn’t moved, Lin Qiyan took a few steps forward herself. Under a small streetlight stood three fierce-looking thugs. The leader had a greasy, bloated face and a lewd expression. “You’re Lin Qiyan?”

Lin Qiyan was repulsed by his gaze but nodded. The thug turned to his companions, smirking and winking. “Looks good. Enough for us brothers to have some fun.”

“Hey, beauty, just lie down. Don’t make us use force, it’ll only be more painful for you. Since you’re still a virgin, we’ll be gentle. Now, release some pheromones for the boys to smell.”

The others whistled at her. Behind her, Mu Yunge, who had originally planned to just watch the show, frowned. Her eyes turned cold.

Lin Qiyan: “Who sent you?”

The thug’s small eyes gleamed. “Little beauty, we’ve had our eye on you for a long time. Must be lonely living alone, why don’t we keep you company?”

Lin Qiyan understood. “Ran Lie sent you, didn’t she?”

The thug’s expression flickered for a second before he laughed lewdly again. “Who’s Ran Lie? Is she as pretty as you? Want to call her over so we can all have a good time?”

Lin Qiyan: “…”

Dedicated. He’s even willing to insult his employer.

She tilted her head, glancing at the corner out of the corner of her eye. The three thugs lost their patience and lunged forward to grab her.

Lin Qiyan stepped back and to the side, then swiftly raised her leg. With full force, she delivered a precise, ruthless kick to the leader’s crotch. The man let out a pained shriek and collapsed to the ground, clutching himself.

The expressions of the other two changed. A middle-aged man with a full beard used his height advantage to lunged at her. Lin Qiyan clenched her fist and drove her knuckles straight into the bridge of his nose. She heard the faint crack of bone. Dizzied, the man stumbled back two steps, shaking his head as blood smeared from his philtrum.

Lin Qiyan pivoted her head slightly, centered her weight on her right leg, and her left foot cut through the air, delivering a roundhouse kick to the second man’s waist. The man who was trying to ambush her from behind was forced to stumble forward in a distorted posture. Lin Qiyan delivered a brutal kick to his exposed back.

Another “crack” sounded. Beads of sweat poured down the man’s face as his wails echoed through the alley. Lin Qiyan followed up with a strike to the back of his knees. The man, no longer able to support himself, knelt on the ground clutching his waist, unable to speak for a long time.

Lin Qiyan stood there, looking down at the kneeling man. Suddenly, the whistle of a swinging object tore through the air from behind. Her eyes sharpened; she leaned forward, bracing her hands on the ground and kicking her leg back to give the attacker an “assist.”

The man with the broken nose, his pupils shrinking, fell uncontrollably along with his iron bar onto his kneeling companion. There was a sickening thud, followed by the sound of the iron bar rolling onto the concrete.

A small stream of red liquid flowed out like a brook. The man’s eyes were wide with unwilling shock as he fell face-down. The middle-aged man clutching his groin had already fainted. The bearded man scrambled up from the ground, shook himself out of a daze, and turned his companion over. Seeing his friend’s lifeless state, he panicked and stumbled away.

Lin Qiyan turned and walked back to Mu Yunge. She took the bags back and gave an apologetic smile. “I scared you, didn’t I? Let’s go home.”

Mu Yunge’s dark pupils were deep as she looked at her face. She curled her lips slightly. “Yan Yan, you’re amazing.”

Lin Qiyan was a bit embarrassed. “I had an accident when I was a kid, so my grandfather made me learn some self-defense.” She said solemnly, “I’ll protect you from now on.”

[Beauty always comes with danger. Yunge is so good-looking, she must have run into a lot of trouble. She’s helped me so much; I’ll help her whenever I can.]

Mu Yunge smiled faintly.

The two skirted around the fallen man and the pool of blood, walking forward together.

The apartment was small but cozy, with a tiny kitchen. Lin Qiyan put everything inside and placed a glass of water on the coffee table in front of Mu Yunge. “Have some water first. Dinner will be ready soon.”

Mu Yunge said with a smile, “I’ll help you. Otherwise, sitting here alone is boring.” She shrugged.

Lin Qiyan thought about it. “Alright then.”

She brought the vegetables into the small living room and picked up the trash can. “Yunge, I’m going to throw out the trash first. Wait for me.”

Mu Yunge: “Go ahead.”

Lin Qiyan promised, “I’ll be right back.”

Mu Yunge nodded slightly. The door closed. Mu Yunge’s smile faded, and she rubbed her fingers together.

Lin Qiyan threw the trash into the bin but continued walking forward without stopping. Back at the site of the fight, the bloodstains had already dried. She stepped over them without a change in expression, stopped by some bushes, bent down to pick something up, tucked it into her pocket, and walked back.

When she got home, Mu Yunge was in the kitchen washing vegetables. Lin Qiyan ran over. “Yunge, let me do it.”

Mu Yunge stepped aside and said leisurely, “Yan Yan, why don’t you shower first? By the time you’re out, I’ll be finished with the prep and you can start cooking. How about that?”

Lin Qiyan looked at her.

[Is the System lying to me? Mu Yunge is so nice; how could she be that ruthless, cold-blooded person?]

She nodded repeatedly. “I’ll be out fast.”

Mu Yunge lifted her gaze, her beautiful eyes holding a few sparks of a smile. “No rush.”