After Transmigrating into a Book, I Became the Vicious Female Supporting Lead - Chapter 20

The next morning, the weather was gloomy, with a storm brewing. Lin Qiyan was jolted awake by her alarm. She kicked off her summer quilt, sat in a daze for a moment, and then went to wash up.

The breakfast shops along the road were bustling, with blue-and-white school uniforms occupying a huge portion of the crowd alongside office workers. The air was muggy and humid, like being inside a giant steamer.

Lin Qiyan walked quickly to the classroom. When the refreshing cool air hit her face, she finally felt like she had come back to life. A small number of people were already in their seats.

Rarely, Ran Lie was among them. Lin Qiyan was slightly shocked. The Ran family’s troubles had been resolved this quickly? When the other girl saw her, her expression stiffened; she let out a huff and turned her gaze away.

Lin Qiyan: “…”

She packed her things, her mind full of “speechless.”

Gradually, the class filled up, and the noise grew louder. A few girls huddled together chatting, and Lin Qiyan caught a snippet of their conversation.

“I heard our class is getting a transfer student.”

“I heard too. Apparently, he’s pretty handsome.”

The person behind the two girls immediately got interested and interjected: “I have a friend from his old school. Word is this transfer student is a fierce fighter. He once took on eight thugs by himself!”

The others clicked their tongues: “That’s hardcore.”

“Tsk, and he’s supposedly an Alpha. Sisters, we’re in luck—the sense of security will be off the charts!”

One girl rubbed her palms together: “I really want to see how handsome he is. Could he be better looking than Mu Yunge?”

“Probably not. Looking like Mu Yunge requires some god-tier talent.”

“True.”

Just as they were talking, the bell rang. Wang Xiao walked in, followed by a youth with clear, aloof features. A small wave of gasps erupted below.

“He’s really handsome.”

“Wow.”

“Bro looks incredible.”

Amidst the heckling, Lin Qiyan looked up and froze. It was the boy who had helped her yesterday. What a coincidence.

The classroom was buzzing with restlessness. Wang Xiao clapped her hands: “Alright, quiet. New student, please introduce yourself.”

The youth spoke, his voice still ice-cold: “Xia Yiran.”

Lin Qiyan was puzzled. This name—was he Ran Lie’s half-brother? Also, wasn’t Xia Yiran supposed to be an Omega?

The teacher waited for a moment, but hearing no follow-up, she let out a helpless laugh. “Student Xia, take a seat for now…” She scanned the room and finally pointed to an empty spot across the aisle from Lin Qiyan. “Sit there for now.”

Xia Yiran nodded politely, walked over, and sat down. Lin Qiyan stole a glance out of the corner of her eye. Was she… currently at the center of a hurricane?

The first period passed without a ripple, but in the second period—Math—the teacher walked in with a grim expression. Upon reaching the podium, he slammed the lesson plan onto the desk with a loud thwack.

Instantly, the commotion caused by the handsome transfer student died down, turning into a deathly stillness. The teacher’s sharp gaze swept over the students like they were trembling quails. He said coldly: “Who didn’t turn in the homework assigned last night?”

Lin Qiyan’s gaze faltered. Homework? Last night?

The teacher continued: “Who didn’t turn in the problems assigned in the group chat last night?”

Lin Qiyan was blank. What group chat? Was she being ostracized?

A gaze landed ominously on her, and the teacher’s voice rang out: “Lin Qiyan, stand up!”

Lin Qiyan: “…”

She sighed and stood up. It was starting—that subtle, persistent targeting over small things.

History repeated itself with alarming similarity: she was once again standing outside the door. Suddenly, a massive boom echoed from the sky, and a torrential downpour began. The only sound left in her ears was rain hitting concrete. Perhaps finding it too noisy, someone slammed the classroom door shut.

In this vast world, Lin Qiyan was left alone. Seeing that no one was around, she secretly pulled out her phone and scrolled through her “Penguin” app. She scrolled to the very bottom but saw no class group. Just as she was about to sigh, she saw a group at the very top named “Class 15 Cuties.”

It had 99+ unread messages in gray text.

Lin Qiyan: “…”

Well done, original owner. You even muted the class group.

She tucked her phone away.

The rain was too heavy, and a water mist diffused across the campus. There was no sign of it stopping even when the lunch bell rang. Students who had brought umbrellas in the morning walked to the cafeteria hand-in-hand with friends. Lin Qiyan sat in the classroom and watched her front-row neighbor slip out with her lunchbox, looking like she was walking on thin ice.

The room emptied until only she, the transfer student, and Ran Lie were left. Xia Yiran stood up and walked out the back door. Ran Lie bit her lip and followed him. Lin Qiyan watched them leave, then looked at her textbook, wondering if she could use it to protect her hair if she ran for it.

“Yan Yan.”

A familiar voice drifted in from the back door. Lin Qiyan turned in surprise: “Yunge? Why are you here?”

Mu Yunge closed her umbrella and set it aside. “The rain is too heavy; it’s inconvenient to go anywhere. Come on, my treat.”

Lin Qiyan was confused: “Where are we eating?”

Mu Yunge smiled: “You’ll know when we get there.”

Lost, Lin Qiyan followed her out. This building had six floors, and at the end of the top hallway was an iron door that was usually locked; from the outside, it appeared to connect to the office building next door. Lin Qiyan watched as Mu Yunge skillfully pulled back a hidden cover to reveal a keypad, entered a string of numbers, and the iron door slowly opened.

Behind the “campus urban legend” iron door was a one-way glass corridor. The rain drummed loudly against it. They crossed the glass hall and stepped through another iron door. Lin Qiyan had never been to the office building, but she found herself entering a fortress-like structure. The circular corridor surrounded an open center with a priceless crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

They were now on the top floor. Mu Yunge pushed open the nearest door. The interior decoration was just as grand as the exterior—warm-toned furniture and a full range of facilities. Someone was lying on a couch that looked like an expensive Italian piece.

Mu Yunge closed the door. The person heard the noise and sat up lazily. “I say, Yunge, it’s time to eat, why did you run off again?” Her gaze hit the person behind Mu Yunge and froze. “…Lin Qiyan?”

Lin Qiyan didn’t expect anyone else to be there. When the girl sat up fully and looked over, Lin Qiyan saw her face clearly. She had very fox-like features and looked quite difficult to get along with. However, her current shocked expression reduced that “no-entry” aura, making her look a bit dazed and cute. Lin Qiyan gave a polite smile.

The girl’s expression became even stranger. Mu Yunge gave a concise introduction: “Yan Yan, this is Tang Ziqian. Ignore her. Sit down; I’ll go get the food.”

This time, it was Lin Qiyan’s turn to be shocked. Tang Ziqian? One of the protagonists from the original novel? She sucked in a cold breath. These last few days had been too busy; she’d almost forgotten this world was a book with actual protagonists.

Tang Ziqian looked on in disbelief: “Yunge, what did you just call her?”

Mu Yunge shot her a look: “Come help me carry things.”

Tang Ziqian couldn’t hear anything else, muttering to herself: “Am I dreaming? I must have fallen asleep. This is terrifying.”

Lin Qiyan didn’t really want to stay alone with the original protagonist, so she followed Mu Yunge closely. “Yunge, let me help you.”

This room was less of a lounge and more of a small apartment—even larger than the one Lin Qiyan was renting. The meal was pre-prepared and delivered by the Mu family staff, kept in a thermal box. They only had to set the table. The meal was simple but rich—five dishes and a soup, plenty for three girls.

However, the atmosphere at the table was bizarre. Tang Ziqian chewed on her chopsticks, finding her childhood friend’s behavior utterly alien.

Mu Yunge: “Try this meat, it’s quite good.”

Lin Qiyan nodded repeatedly: “Okay, okay. This vegetable is good too,” she offered in return.

Tang Ziqian looked like she had a toothache.

The atmosphere was too weird, so Lin Qiyan brought up a topic she was curious about: “Yunge, is the Ran family matter coming to an end? I saw Ran Lie back at school.”

Mu Yunge: “Pretty much. There’s a high chance Su Lin won’t be getting out. Ran Xiong is someone who cares deeply about his reputation; he likely won’t care about Ran Lie anymore.” (Su Lin was Ran Lie’s mother).

Tang Ziqian couldn’t help but interject, her face full of gloating: “Ran Xiong is probably already scouting for a new Mrs. Ran.”

Seeing Lin Qiyan’s confusion, Mu Yunge first put a rib in her bowl and explained unhurriedly: “Ran Xiong rose to power by relying on the Xia Madam. He chose the Xia family because the ‘Third Shen’ married the Xia Madam’s sister. The Shen family has ties to the Yin family, and as it happens, my grandmother is the youngest daughter of the Yin family.”

She put on disposable gloves and began peeling a shrimp with practiced ease. Tang Ziqian took over the explanation: “So Ran Xiong’s entire career has been about social climbing. Marrying the Xia Madam was purely for profit. When the Xia Madam was sabotaged during childbirth and could no longer bear an Alpha, Ran Xiong immediately cheated. Later, after the Shen family annexed the Xia family and the Xia Madam’s sister passed away suddenly, she lost all utility. That’s when the ‘Mrs. Ran’ title fell to Su Lin.”

Lin Qiyan listened, dumbfounded.

[Your high-society families are so complicated…]

Mu Yunge let out a soft laugh. Under Tang Ziqian’s incredulous gaze, she pushed the peeled shrimp meat in front of Lin Qiyan. She expanded a bit more: “Because Ran Xiong came from poverty, he obsessed over aristocratic mannerisms after climbing up. He values reputation above all else. He not only favors Alphas over Omegas but also demands his children maintain an elite image in public.”

Tang Ziqian looked resentful: “Mu the Scumbag, you’ve never peeled a shrimp for me.”

Mu Yunge looked up at her. “Do you not have hands?”

Tang Ziqian accused her: “You aren’t the Mu Yunge I know.”

Mu Yunge: “Why, did the one you knew before peel them for you?”

Tang Ziqian: “…”

She decided to do it herself. Lin Qiyan felt a bit embarrassed, so she painstakingly deshelled a crab and placed it in front of Mu Yunge. The latter curled her lips at her: “Thank you, Yan Yan.”

Tang Ziqian: “…”

She really felt like a third wheel.