Picked Up the Female Lead When She Was Young (GL) - Chapter 10

Xia Wanshuang’s maternal love was overflowing, and she felt on top of the world.

 

[Xia Wanshuang]: Did you hear that?! My daughter called me Big Sister Shuangshuang!

 

[System]: She sees you as an older sister, but you see her as your daughter. Tsk tsk tsk.

 

Xia Wanshuang was surprised at how quickly she had broken through the little girl’s defenses. She thought she would have to work hard for a while, but the surprise came so fast. It was probably because the child was so young and lacked a sense of security due to her environment. She was grateful that someone was willing to help her.

 

“If one day Langlang becomes a princess, I’ll still recognize Langlang.”

 

“I’m not a princess.”

 

Zhou Qinglang shook her head. How could she be a princess? Cinderella had a father, but she didn’t.

 

“One day, our Langlang can become a princess.”

 

Zhou Qinglang was already a princess, she could even become a queen, but her fate took a sharp turn because of someone’s selfishness.

 

“I don’t want to be a princess. I’ll just be Cinderella by your side.”

 

Zhou Qinglang’s voice had a peculiar hoarseness, unlike the clear voice of most little girls. It sounded strangely serious.

 

“I couldn’t stand that. A person who truly wants the best for you would want you to be a princess, not Cinderella.”

 

Xia Wanshuang wasn’t just trying to comfort Zhou Qinglang; she was also teaching her a lesson.

 

A person who truly loves and cherishes you only wants you to live a life of peace and comfort, to be pampered like a princess, not a Cinderella who spends her days sweeping and cooking, covered in dust.

 

“Langlang, are you still not sleepy?”

 

“A little…”

 

Zhou Qinglang’s words were hesitant. She wanted to hear another story from Xia Wanshuang but was afraid of taking up her time.

 

“How about I tell you one more, and then we go to sleep?”

 

“Okay!”

 

This time, Xia Wanshuang told the story of “The Princess and the Pea.” Zhou Qinglang’s expression became even more puzzled.

 

“This princess… does she die of pain if someone touches her?”

 

“Ahem, ahem. It’s an exaggeration, just to show how white and delicate the princess’s skin is.”

 

Zhou Qinglang still didn’t seem to understand, but she pretended she did and said goodnight to Xia Wanshuang so she could go to sleep.

 

Xia Wanshuang closed her eyes only after Zhou Qinglang had closed hers. She emptied her mind, not thinking about anything, and fell into a peaceful sleep.

 

The only sound in the room was the quiet breathing. Zhou Qinglang secretly opened one eye and watched Xia Wanshuang. When she realized Xia Wanshuang might be asleep, she opened her eyes completely and stared at the ceiling.

 

How did the princess get up there with all those mattresses? Did she climb a ladder? Rich people’s princesses are hard to understand.

 

Zhou Qinglang lay there, thinking about all sorts of things, and eventually drifted off to sleep.

 

The next day, Xia Wanshuang woke up to the sound of a small alarm clock. She quickly sat up, instinctively reaching for her phone to turn off the alarm, but realized the situation was different.

 

Xia Wanshuang turned off the alarm and looked at the time: 7:20. She got out of bed.

 

“Sister?”

 

Zhou Qinglang opened her eyes sleepily and saw Xia Wanshuang’s back by the bed.

 

“I’m going to school. You can go back to sleep. When you wake up, take the money on the table and go buy something to eat, okay?”

 

“Okay.”

 

Zhou Qinglang obediently replied and lay in bed, listening to Xia Wanshuang get ready in the bathroom. Overcome with sleepiness, she fell back asleep.

 

Xia Wanshuang finished getting ready, put on her backpack, and grabbed her school badge and yellow hat. She took ten yuan from her wallet and put it in her pocket.

 

When she opened the door, Zhao Tianhang was already waiting for her.

 

“Let’s go, Shuangshuang. Let’s get breakfast.”

 

The Experimental Primary School wasn’t far from home. School started at 7:50 a.m., so they had plenty of time to eat breakfast.

 

“Where’s Sister Langlang? Is she going to school by herself?”

 

Zhao Tianhang walked a few steps, felt like he had forgotten something, and looked back at Xia Wanshuang’s door.

 

“Langlang isn’t old enough to go to school yet. She’ll go later.”

 

Xia Wanshuang thought it was time to put this matter on her to-do list. After all, if she could get the hundred thousand yuan out, she wouldn’t have to worry about their livelihood for now.

 

“Oh, okay. That’s good.”

 

Zhao Tianhang was a little envious. He also wanted to stay home and watch cartoons all day, but that wasn’t an option for him.

 

As Xia Wanshuang walked with Zhao Tianhang, she walked on the outside of him when they were by the road and held his hand to cross the street.

 

“Sister Shuangshuang, I’ll walk on the outside.”

 

Zhao Tianhang felt a little strange walking on the inside. He had always been the one to walk Shuangshuang across the street, but today it felt different.

 

“Okay.”

 

Xia Wanshuang was so used to it. She subconsciously felt that as an adult, she should protect the child, but she forgot that she was now a little girl who was even shorter than Zhao Tianhang.

 

Before they reached the breakfast shop, Xia Wanshuang kept thinking about Zhou Qinglang.

 

[Xia Wanshuang]: System, do you know which kind person helped Zhou Qinglang go to school?

 

[System]: I don’t know. I don’t have the female lead’s information, so I’m not sure. The outline just mentioned it in passing. If I check the timeline, I can only see that it happened, but it doesn’t say who that person was.

 

The timeline was like a main trunk with many branches. The branches were the key moments in the female lead’s life. It would only briefly mention things like “escaping” or “going to school.” It couldn’t say for sure who helped her.

 

Since she didn’t know who it was, it would be difficult to find them. Besides, the situation was different now. Xia Wanshuang couldn’t be sure that person would make the same decision they originally did, so she would have to figure it out herself.

 

When they arrived at their regular breakfast spot, Zhao Tianhang ordered a bowl of wontons, and Xia Wanshuang ordered steamed rice rolls.

 

When Zhao Tianhang was about to pay, Xia Wanshuang stopped him.

 

“Brother Tianhang, I’ll pay.”

 

Xia Wanshuang handed the money over first. The rice rolls with meat and egg were three yuan, and the wontons were two yuan. After the owner gave her the change, she put the five yuan in her pocket.

 

“Brother Tianhang, you can save your money to buy snacks.”

 

“Okay. I’ll share them with you then.”

 

Zhao Tianhang was a little confused, but he didn’t know why Xia Wanshuang was doing this, so he just agreed.

 

Xia Wanshuang took a spoonful of chili. Thankfully, the little girl’s body could handle spicy food, and Xia Wanshuang ate happily.

 

Xia Wanshuang and Zhao Tianhang were not in the same class. Xia Wanshuang was in Class 1 of the third grade, and Zhao Tianhang was in Class 4. They were on the same floor but in different directions, so they went their separate ways after going up the stairs.

 

Even with the fans on, the classroom felt stuffy and hot when she walked in.

 

The desks in the classroom were made of wood, including the teacher’s podium.

 

Xia Wanshuang sat down in her usual spot, remembering that her desk had a flip-top lid, which she thought was quite interesting. She was about to open her desk to put her backpack inside when she saw a green, squirming caterpillar.

 

“Haha ha ha ha ha ha! Are you scared stiff?”

 

The little boy next to her smiled triumphantly at his prank. Then he stopped laughing when he saw Xia Wanshuang turn to look at him.

 

Xia Wanshuang put her backpack on her seat. She grabbed the green caterpillar with one hand and put her backpack in the desk with the other, then closed the lid.

 

After Xia Wanshuang picked up the caterpillar, the boy’s face turned into a mix of colors, like a palette had been turned over.

 

Although Lin Qiushui had a very literary name, he was the class’s number one troublemaker. He loved to bully little girls, especially Xia Wanshuang, who sat next to him. He found it funny to see her on the verge of tears, but today, Xia Wanshuang was different. She dared to grab a caterpillar with her bare hands.

 

The girl behind Xia Wanshuang saw the caterpillar in her hand and let out a scream, which attracted the attention of the whole class.

 

“Xia Wanshuang, throw it away!”

 

A little girl nearby yelled, shrinking back. The little boys watched Xia Wanshuang with the caterpillar in awe, whispering to each other.

 

“Did you put this here?”

 

Xia Wanshuang looked at the little boy next to her. He looked quite fierce, and he had a scar on the bridge of his nose.

 

Teacher Xia didn’t hold grudges against children, but that didn’t mean she would allow such pranks to happen frequently, so she had to give him a warning.

 

“Yeah, I put it there. What about it?”

 

Lin Qiushui said stubbornly, puffing out his chest.

 

“Are you scared of bugs?”

 

Xia Wanshuang dangled the bug in front of Lin Qiushui.

 

“I’m a boy. How could I be scared of bugs?”

 

Lin Qiushui scoffed disdainfully, then saw the bug getting closer and flinched back.

 

Xia Wanshuang pinched the boy’s chin with one hand and brought the bug closer, as if she were going to put it in his mouth.

 

Some of the more timid students covered their eyes. Lin Qiushui was stunned, watching the bug get closer to his mouth. He was about to scream but closed his mouth, afraid the bug would crawl inside.

 

“If you ever put a bug in my desk again, I’ll put it in your mouth and let it crawl into your stomach and chew up your insides.”

 

Xia Wanshuang threatened him. When she first started teaching middle school, some of the unruly kids didn’t know their place and provoked her. After she disciplined them, they would respectfully call her “teacher” whenever they saw her. Gentleness didn’t mean a lack of strength.

 

Little Lin Qiushui saw the serious look on Xia Wanshuang’s face and the caterpillar that was crawling on his lips, and he burst into tears.

 

“Are you still going to do it?”

 

Lin Qiushui shook his head repeatedly.

 

Upon hearing this, Xia Wanshuang took the caterpillar and put it on her desk, waiting for the class monitor to collect homework.

 

Lin Qiushui looked as if he had been through a major trauma. The other children looked at Xia Wanshuang as if she were a ghost.

 

After all, Xia Wanshuang was like a ghost in the class. She didn’t play with others and would just cry when she was bullied. This time, she had scared everyone badly.

 

After teaching the children a lesson, Xia Wanshuang listened to the third-grade lessons all morning, but her mind automatically filtered out the information. She recited ancient poems in her mind to calm herself down.

 

When the bell rang, the class lined up and walked out. Xia Wanshuang met up with Zhao Tianhang at the school gate, and they went home.

 

“Langlang, I’m home.”

 

Xia Wanshuang opened the door and called out, but there was no response.