The Supporting Female Character Was Pampered by the Aloof Heroine - Chapter 3

Li Lan was usually very busy.

Aside from completing her studies, she also had a company to manage.

Whenever she did not have class, she rarely appeared on campus. Combined with her unsmiling personality, she always gave people an impression of distance.

Li Lan had almost no friends at school.

There was certainly no one familiar enough with her to casually pat her shoulder in the cafeteria like this.

She tilted her head slightly and saw Tang Yiling standing beside her.

Tang Yiling was still wearing the same clothes from yesterday. Her plump lips were trying hard to curve upward, while her beautiful peach-blossom eyes shimmered with reflected fragments of light.

“Sister Lan, what a coincidence,” Tang Yiling said.

Li Lan tried to pull her arm free but failed. After a pause, she asked instead, “How do you know my name is Li Lan?”

That question genuinely stumped Tang Yiling.

She could hardly tell Li Lan that she had read a novel in which Li Lan was one of the protagonists.

Tang Yiling kept smiling. “You’re the campus belle, aren’t you? Who wouldn’t recognize the campus belle?”

Li Lan’s cold gaze settled on Tang Yiling’s face, seemingly searching for something.

Tang Yiling instinctively wanted to let go and create some distance between them.

However, when she remembered her current situation, she tightened her grip again.

Li Lan slowly said, “You have no money for food? Did the Tang family throw you out?”

Tang Yiling nodded, then suddenly realized something. “How did you know?”

“Since when does the Tang family’s eldest young lady eat in the cafeteria?”

Li Lan brushed her hand away. “What do you want?”

Tang Yiling’s smile widened.

Wonderful. At least she would not starve to death today.

She pointed toward the serving window. “The same as you.”

Two meat dishes, two vegetable dishes, and a serving of rice.

It truly was exactly the same.

Carrying her tray, Tang Yiling followed behind Li Lan and sat in the chair opposite her.

Li Lan glanced at her, stood up again, and went to retrieve two pairs of chopsticks from nearby.

Tang Yiling was genuinely starving. As soon as she accepted the chopsticks, she shoveled two mouthfuls of rice into her mouth.

Li Lan did not begin eating for quite some time.

Tang Yiling looked up and saw her taking a wet wipe from her pocket and carefully cleaning her hands.

Tang Yiling had not finished chewing her rice, so her words came out muffled.

“Sister, you have wet wipes?”

Li Lan did not look at her. “Do you want one?”

“Did you have them with you yesterday too?”

Li Lan raised her head. No emotion could be discerned in her eyes as her gaze swept once around Tang Yiling’s face.

At last, Li Lan’s eyes flickered.

She looked away and picked up her chopsticks.

Just when Tang Yiling thought she would not answer, Li Lan slowly said, “I had them yesterday too.”

“Oh.”

Tang Yiling lowered her head and continued eating.

Being so clean was yet another quality that struck directly at her heart!

The food from this stall was quite delicious. Neither of them spoke again.

As Tang Yiling ate, she searched her memory for everything related to Li Lan’s plotline.

Li Lan was one of the heroines of the novel and the male lead Gu Feng’s unattainable white moonlight.

Their parents knew each other, and they had grown up together. They could truly be called childhood sweethearts.

However, Li Lan was far more mature than Gu Feng.

While Gu Feng was still absorbed in romance, Li Lan’s attention had already turned toward her career.

Li Lan was in the second year of her master’s degree and was also entering the second year of running her own business.

Although the novel never explicitly stated what industry she worked in, it mentioned that she had achieved considerable success.

In that case…

Tang Yiling became even more certain of her decision.

She absolutely needed to curry favor with Li Lan. At the very least, it would guarantee that she had food and shelter.

Perhaps Tang Yiling had stared at her too many times during the meal, because Li Lan finally lost patience.

She put down her chopsticks. “Do you need something?”

Without thinking, Tang Yiling grabbed the hand Li Lan had placed beside her tray.

“Sister, aren’t you starting a business? You must need employees, right? How about I work for you?”

Li Lan did not answer.

She tilted her head slightly and looked down at their joined hands.

Judging from Li Lan’s expression, Tang Yiling did not think she intended to agree.

“Then what about last night? We already… already…”

Tang Yiling decided to try a little harder.

“Don’t you need to compensate me?”

“To take responsibility for me?”

Without revealing any emotion, Li Lan looked back at Tang Yiling.

Her wrist slowly turned, and she grasped Tang Yiling’s hand from underneath.

Their palms pressed together, her fingers curling around Tang Yiling’s wrist.

Tang Yiling had not felt very confident to begin with. Now, under Li Lan’s steady gaze, she became even more flustered.

“You…”

She tried to pull her hand back but failed, then looked at Li Lan again.

“I…”

“I can agree to your request.”

Li Lan did not release her.

“I’ll provide food and accommodation, and I’ll pay you a salary.”

Tang Yiling stopped struggling. Her eyes widened even further.

“Really?”

Li Lan nodded. “However…”

The corner of her lips suddenly curved upward.

“Besides working for me, I’ll also need you to do a few other things.”

“A few other things?”

Tang Yiling repeated the phrase, then nodded rapidly.

“Sure. Anything is fine!”

Li Lan asked, “You’re not going to ask what they are?”

Tang Yiling shook her head.

Why would she ask?

She was afraid Li Lan might change her mind. She practically wished they could sign a contract immediately.

Just then, Li Lan’s phone suddenly rang.

“What?”

She answered the call while walking outside.

“All right. I understand. I’ll be there immediately.”

Tang Yiling reacted quickly and chased after her.

She was extremely grateful that her phone battery had managed to hold out.

“We still don’t have each other’s contact information.”

Li Lan nodded and readily added her as a friend before hurrying away.

The moment the friend request was accepted, a low-battery warning appeared on Tang Yiling’s screen, and her phone shut down completely.

Tang Yiling relaxed slightly and returned to her previous seat.

She had not finished her meal yet. She could not waste such a hard-won feast.

Today was the weekend, so she had no classes.

She could not return to the Tang residence, and she did not even know where her dormitory was.

How could there be such an absurd transmigration experience?

She was even beginning to suspect that she had misunderstood her purpose here. Heaven had sent her into this world without offering a single hint. Perhaps she was supposed to disrupt the plot?

Tang Yiling sat idly in the cafeteria for more than an hour.

She finally could not bear it any longer and decided to try her luck in the classrooms. At the very least, perhaps she could borrow a charger.

The afternoon sunlight was pleasant as it filtered through the leaves.

It should have been early autumn. The roses blooming in the flower beds along both sides of the road were exceptionally vibrant.

Tang Yiling had not taken such a leisurely walk in a very long time.

After graduating and entering the workforce, her life had become a repetitive journey between home and the office. Even on days off, she did nothing but catch up on sleep.

She actually missed her university days.

However, because she had always been busy studying and earning money, she had missed out on many experiences.

Perhaps she would have a chance to make up for them this time.

The sun was a little harsh, so Tang Yiling decided to take the path through the woods.

She had barely turned onto it when someone grabbed her shoulder from behind.

“Hel—”

Before Tang Yiling could shout, someone covered her mouth.

She struggled, but unfortunately, two people restrained her from either side.

“Don’t shout. Don’t shout. It’s us.”

That voice sounded somewhat familiar.

Tang Yiling was dragged behind a large tree. The two people removed their masks and sunglasses.

“It’s Mom and Dad!”

Tang Yiling stared blankly at He Wenwei and Tang Fan.

She struggled to determine whether they meant her adoptive parents or something else.

He Wenwei guessed her concern and gently took her hand.

“Mianmian, it’s Mom.”

Mianmian was Tang Yiling’s childhood nickname.

He Wenwei had said that a daughter was her mother’s little padded jacket, so she called her Mianmian.

Surprise flashed through Tang Yiling’s eyes.

Her parents had already pulled her into an embrace.

The three of them found a hidden corner and clung to one another, venting nearly an hour’s worth of emotions before they could finally speak properly.

“So how did the two of you enter the novel?”

“What exactly is going on?”

He Wenwei shook her head. “Strictly speaking, we didn’t enter a fictional world.”

Tang Fan continued, “Or rather, every world contains many novels.”

Tang Yiling listened in complete confusion, but gradually managed to sort out the general relationship between everything.

This world and her original world existed in parallel.

There were many such parallel worlds, and within every parallel world existed numerous scripts that were either partially connected or entirely unrelated.

In each world, people who possessed complete scripts were called characters. They could also be understood as NPCs. Their lives would unfold entirely according to those scripts.

Such people were usually key figures who ensured that the world operated and progressed normally. They could even be said to benefit the truly free people living there.

Tang Yiling looked at the Tang couple but could not find the right words.

“Then what exactly is your situation?”

The couple continued explaining, taking turns to fill in the details.

Scripted characters could awaken free will because of certain accidents.

An awakened character might become dissatisfied with their fate. They might also use the conveniences provided by their identity to pursue personal gain and harm genuinely free people.

For that reason, there was an organization called the Character Management Bureau dedicated to handling such incidents.

The bureau would capture awakened characters and either imprison and punish them, erase their memories, or find someone to replace them, all to guarantee the normal operation of the world.

“Oh,” Tang Yiling said.

“So you’re employees of the Character Management Bureau who came here to replace awakened characters?”

Tang Fan nodded. “Yes. The original He Wenwei awakened and influenced Tang Fan.”

“They began looking for their biological daughter two years ago, which would have disrupted the plot. So the bureau sent us to replace the married couple.”

The family of three crouched on the ground, drawing lines and diagrams in the dirt with a branch.

Tang Yiling more or less understood the current situation.

After crouching for too long, her legs began to ache.

Tang Fan and He Wenwei helped each other to their feet.

Tang Yiling looked up at them. “Mom, Dad, do you have any money?”

Neither of them had fully straightened yet. They froze while still half-bent.

“Well…”

Tang Fan’s features scrunched together.

“We do, but we also don’t.”

He Wenwei explained further, “All our money is currency issued by the Character Management Bureau. It can’t be used in this world!”

Had Tang Yiling not been looking upward, she nearly would have burst into tears again.

She had thought that if her parents had money, she would no longer need to curry favor with Li Lan.

Yet that small flame of hope had been extinguished almost immediately.

“Aren’t you supposed to be wealthy?”

Tang Yiling asked again to make certain.

“Don’t you normally spend money?”

He Wenwei spoke with difficulty.

“Mianmian, our situation is basically like donkey dung—”

Tang Fan swatted her arm, stopping her from completing the rather unpleasant saying.

He pulled a card from his pocket.

“It’s a plot-use card issued by the bureau. Every purchase requires us to submit a specific purpose, and we can’t transfer money from it.”

Then it truly was useless to her.

Tang Yiling stood up in disappointment.

“Then do you know where my dormitory is?”

“We know that!”

He Wenwei opened an app on her phone.

After entering Tang Yiling’s name, a large amount of basic information appeared below it, along with her upcoming plot points.

On the way back to the dormitory, the Tang couple told Tang Yiling much more about the Character Management Bureau.

For example, the bureau was located in a small town, and its employees could return home during their vacations.

They could also spend their holidays traveling through all sorts of strange and wonderful worlds.

Furthermore, the wages paid by the bureau could be exchanged for various wishes.

Four years ago, the Tang couple had spent all their savings to ensure that their daughter would one day be able to work for the Character Management Bureau as well.

The three of them stopped beneath the dormitory building.

He Wenwei wrote down both her and Tang Fan’s contact information for Tang Yiling.

Then something occurred to her.

“Mianmian, wait. Something isn’t right. Why are you here already? Weren’t you supposed to arrive several decades from now?”

Tang Yiling accepted the piece of paper and looked at her parents, who had once again thoroughly concealed their appearances. She realized that their relationship could not be casually exposed.

“Can you only join after you die?”

Tang Fan nodded. “You haven’t officially joined yet either. You still have a one-month probationary period!”

Strict.

The fictional world was strict, and so was the bureau.

Tang Yiling finally understood what had happened to her in her original world.

“I read a novel and got so angry that I died!”

“What?”

Tang Fan and He Wenwei stood frozen for quite some time.

“What kind of novel could make our Mianmian so furious?”

What other novel could it be?

The very one she was currently living through!

Tang Yiling found the whole thing somewhat embarrassing.

She waved her hand, deciding it was better left unmentioned.

After saying goodbye to her biological parents, Tang Yiling finally had a better understanding of her current circumstances.

She took a key from her pocket and entered the dormitory room whose location she had just obtained.

No one was inside.

It seemed all her roommates had gone out to have fun.

The other three beds all showed signs of regular use.

Only the one beside the door was different. There was nothing on the desk, the bed curtains were open, and the bedding was neat and clean.

Tang Yiling identified it as hers.

Inside the storage cabinet beside the desk, she found her student ID and a charger.

Those were the only two things there.

Before Tang Geyun had been found, Tang Yiling had always lived at home. She only occasionally returned to the dormitory for an afternoon nap.

Tang Yiling collapsed into the chair and turned her phone back on.

A message from Li Lan immediately appeared.

I’ll pick you up downstairs from your dormitory tomorrow morning.

Tomorrow was Monday, a working day.

Tang Yiling quickly typed:

I have class tomorrow.

More than half an hour passed before Li Lan replied.

You don’t have class tomorrow morning.

Tang Yiling pursed her lips.

She did not even know her own class schedule yet, but Li Lan somehow did?

She decided not to reply.

They could meet if Li Lan wanted. It would be the perfect opportunity to discuss her salary and other details.

Tang Yiling lay across the desk in a daze.

About an hour later, she opened her conversation with Li Lan again.

She selected an adorable sticker of a kitten acting spoiled.

Sister, I’m hungry.

Tang Yiling had originally planned to make one meal last her the entire day.

Unfortunately, her body refused to cooperate. The moment mealtime arrived, her stomach automatically began protesting.

Especially since she had just been browsing a food-delivery app in an attempt to satisfy herself merely by looking at food.

She had forgotten that this particular method was ill-suited to the situation.

Thinking about sour plums stimulated the appetite, so now she was even hungrier.

This time, Li Lan replied very quickly.

She said nothing and simply sent Tang Yiling a fifty-yuan red packet.

Tang Yiling accepted it at lightning speed.

Her fingers flew across the keyboard, and she accidentally sent:

Stingy.

Fortunately, she reacted quickly and recalled it the instant it was sent.

The only message Li Lan saw was:

Thank you, Sister. Love you.