Chapter 02

Knowing that she was just a supporting female character in the novel, Qin Xiaoxiao sincerely wanted to break up with the male lead.

However, she didn’t dare to bring it up herself. Firstly, she feared that deviating from the plot might bring her some unknown punishment. Secondly, she worried that the temperamental male lead might get upset, either beating her up or making her life miserable.

Qin Xiaoxiao was a bit of a coward.

So she could only drag it out, waiting for the male lead to one day decide on his own to break up with her.

In the following three days, Qin Xiaoxiao only saw the male lead once in the classroom. He was lying on the desk, sleeping.

Qin Xiaoxiao didn’t sneak glances at him or send him daily messages like the original owner did. The male lead didn’t look for her either.

Speaking of which, not many people knew about Qin Xiaoxiao and Ji Wenchen being a couple.

“Qin Xiaoxiao” didn’t have any close classmates to share this with. Moreover, she tended to keep up appearances, caring about how her male classmates and teachers viewed her. She wanted to maintain an image of being obedient and disciplined, and she didn’t want people around her to find out so soon that she was in an early relationship. As for Ji Wenchen, he seemed to lack any awareness of being “Qin Xiaoxiao’s” boyfriend and would certainly never take the initiative to tell anyone.

This relationship felt like it didn’t even exist…

Qin Xiaoxiao switched hands to hold onto the bus handrail.

She was currently on the bus ride home. The bus was crowded, and from time to time, people would glance at her.

—The original Qin Xiaoxiao had a very delicate and striking appearance.

This was probably the only thing Qin Xiaoxiao was somewhat satisfied with after being transmigrated into the book.

Speaking of which, the original “Qin Xiaoxiao” was determined to portray herself as a delicate, wealthy beauty. She put a lot of effort into details like hair accessories, clothing, and shoes. Since the school didn’t require students to wear uniforms on regular days, she never wore one. She even secretly styled her shoulder-length hair with inwardly curled ends.

How could a wealthy beauty ride the bus? But “Qin Xiaoxiao” also didn’t want to be seen taking a taxi. She would always linger in the classroom until most of her classmates had left before heading out of the school gates.

Qin Xiaoxiao opened the door to her home.

“Xiaoxiao, why are you back so early this week?” Feng Xiuling asked as she came out of the kitchen, having heard the commotion.

“Uh… I came back right after school.”

Faced with the original Qin Xiaoxiao’s mother, Qin Xiaoxiao felt a bit nervous and awkward, worried that as an outsider, she might accidentally give something away. After changing her shoes, she went straight to the original Qin Xiaoxiao’s room.

It wasn’t until dinner was ready that Feng Xiuling called her to eat.

At the table, there were three people and a simple meal of two dishes and one soup.

The food was average in taste, leaning toward the bland side, just like the dishes her own mother used to make.

The last time Qin Xiaoxiao ate her mother’s cooking was three years ago, during her winter break in her sophomore year of college.

…One month after that winter break, a plane crash took her parents away.

Qin Xiaoxiao still remembered the dishes her mother had made, one of which was stir-fried bamboo shoots with sliced meat.

“Xiaoxiao?”

“Why are you only eating the bamboo shoots? Eat more meat.”

Hearing Feng Xiuling’s words, Qin Xiaoxiao snapped back to reality, but her throat tightened with a sour ache.

Her mother used to urge her to eat more meat as well.

She had thought that time had long since healed the wound, but when touched, it still hurt.

“There’s probably not much meat at school…”

“Stop talking,” Qin Feng quietly stopped his wife. Ever since Xiaoxiao started high school, she hadn’t been eating much meat, barely taking a small amount each meal. If they tried to persuade her, she would get upset with them.

The couple didn’t dare push her too much.

“Umm.” Qin Xiaoxiao, with her eyes lowered, didn’t notice their unease. She picked up a piece of meat and placed it in her mouth.

Feng Xiuling and Qin Feng exchanged a glance.

Under the surprised gazes of her parents, Qin Xiaoxiao picked up a few more pieces of meat and continued eating quietly.

When she was almost full, Qin Xiaoxiao stood up. “I’m done. Take your time eating.”

Feng Xiuling could hardly believe her ears. “Ah, oh, okay.”

“Just leave them, leave the bowls and chopsticks. Mom will wash them.”

…

The weekend break at Second High School only lasted a day, from Saturday afternoon to Sunday evening.

After having her fourth meal at home, it was time for Qin Xiaoxiao to return to school.

Before she left, Qin Feng handed this week’s allowance to his daughter.

Qin Xiaoxiao blurted out, “So much?”

The meal card was recharged once a month, so this money wasn’t needed for food expenses. How could she possibly spend so much at school?

Qin Feng was a bit taken aback. Didn’t his daughter always complain that her allowance wasn’t enough?

Seeing the expression on the middle-aged man’s face, Qin Xiaoxiao immediately realized her reaction didn’t quite align with the original Qin Xiaoxiao’s behavior.

The original Qin Xiaoxiao loved to dress up and cared a lot about appearances. She wanted the best of everything, from clothes to snacks, and even liked to pretend to be wealthy at school. Qin Feng was just an ordinary worker at a sugar factory, and Feng Xiuling had been laid off for several years, making a living by running a small fruit stall. The family’s financial situation could barely be considered middle class, so they couldn’t give their daughter much pocket money. Because of this, the original Qin Xiaoxiao constantly resented her parents, complaining about how poor her family was.

In Qin Xiaoxiao’s view, the pocket money given by this gray-templed father was actually quite a lot for an ordinary family.

“I’m leaving,” Qin Xiaoxiao said, declining the other half of the money. She slung her backpack over her shoulder. “Goodbye.”

“Xiao…”

The closing door cut off Qin Feng’s words.

“What’s wrong? Why are you just standing there?”

“Xiaoxiao only took half of her pocket money.”

“Huh?”

Feng Xiuling was just as surprised as Qin Feng.

***

During evening study, homework was to be collected.

As Qin Xiaoxiao tallied up the submissions for the physics homework, it was no surprise that Ji Wenchen’s name was on the list of those who hadn’t turned it in.

The office for the second-year science group teachers was on the first floor of the same teaching building.

Qin Xiaoxiao called out, “Reporting in,” and carried a stack of homework to the homeroom teacher’s desk.

The homeroom teacher, Guo Hairuo, pointed to an empty spot on the desk. “Who didn’t turn it in?”

Qin Xiaoxiao handed over the record sheet and, by chance, noticed a few books on the desk: 《How to Be a Great Homeroom Teacher for Non-Honors Classes》, 《Every Student Is Malleable》, and 《Those Rebellious Students I Taught Over the Years》…

“Sigh…”

Qin Xiaoxiao lowered her eyes slightly. “Then, Teacher, I’ll head back to the classroom.”

“Go ahead.”

“Wait a moment! Qin Xiaoxiao, you…” Guo Hairuo hesitated for a few seconds. “Is Ji Wenchen in the classroom? Go and tell Ji Wenchen to come to the office to see me.”

This homeroom teacher still hadn’t given up on Ji Wenchen.

Qin Xiaoxiao thought about it from the teacher’s perspective. If she were the homeroom teacher, she honestly wouldn’t know how to handle a student like Ji Wenchen either.

During break time, the classroom was noisy and chaotic.

At the back row, leaning against the wall, Ji Wenchen slept as still as a mountain.

A few strands of deep chestnut-colored hair rested against his slightly arched brows. His nose was tall and straight, and even the curve of his jawline was sharp and perfectly defined.

His thick, slightly curled eyelashes inexplicably added a touch of refinement to his appearance. Qin Xiaoxiao secretly pursed her lips, wondering whose eyelashes were longer—his or hers.

“Ji Wenchen,” Qin Xiaoxiao called him in her usual speaking tone.

No response.

Instead, several nearby classmates turned their attention to her.

Qin Xiaoxiao lightly knocked on his desk twice with her knuckles, neither too hard nor too soft.

Ji Wenchen’s shoulder twitched, and his pale lips pursed impatiently as his upper body lazily lifted off the desk.

Then, his eyes opened.

It had to be said, his almond-shaped eyes were exceptionally beautiful, naturally accented by deep, eyeliner-like contours and long eyelashes. Even as he slowly opened them with visible irritation, the movement exuded an elegant beauty, like a butterfly gently fluttering its ornate wings.

Seeing that the person disturbing his nap was her, Ji Wenchen reluctantly reined in some of his irritation and hostility.

“The homeroom teacher wants you to go to the office.”

Qin Xiaoxiao had a decent ability to read the room. Noticing Ji Wenchen’s impatience, she got straight to the point and, after delivering the message, turned and walked away.

Ji Wenchen narrowed his eyes slightly.

“What’s going on?” As soon as Qin Xiaoxiao returned to her seat, her deskmate Yang Min, who had been chatting with someone else, immediately came back.

Qin Xiaoxiao feigned ignorance. “What?”

“You and…” Yang Min’s eyes shifted to the back right, her meaning obvious. “What’s the deal? How do you even dare to talk to him?”

“The homeroom teacher asked me to call him down.”

“Oh.”

Yang Min thought about it for a moment. “Wait, that’s not right!”

“Huh?”

“The last classmate who woke him up didn’t get treated as nicely as you did.”

Treated nicely? What part of that was nice?

Yang Min whispered, “The last person who woke up the school bully got hit with his icy, terrifying glare and a single word: ‘Scram.’ If they hadn’t run off quickly, they might’ve even been beaten up by him!”

“…..”

“So, compared to that, you were treated much better.”

After all, it must be because of their boyfriend-girlfriend relationship, Qin Xiaoxiao thought to herself, though there wasn’t any real emotion involved.

“I brought some mochi from home. Want some?” Qin Xiaoxiao changed the subject.

“Yes!” Yang Min responded enthusiastically, but then suspiciously leaned in closer to scrutinize Qin Xiaoxiao.

Qin Xiaoxiao calmly turned around, opened her backpack, took out a bag of mochi, and opened the seal. She handed a small portion in a separate bag to Yang Min. “Here.”

“Something’s off,” Yang Min muttered.

“You don’t want it?”

“Of course I want it. Thanks.” Yang Min grabbed a delicious-looking mochi from the small bag but still felt suspicious. After sitting together for over a semester, this was the first time Qin Xiaoxiao had ever offered to share food—especially this kind of down-to-earth snack that she usually looked down on. Something was definitely off.

Yang Min took a bite of the mochi. It was soft, chewy, and filled with finely crushed, sweet peanut filling. Satisfied by the delicious taste, even Qin Xiaoxiao seemed more pleasing to the eye than usual.

Thinking carefully, Yang Min realized that the annoying aloofness Qin Xiaoxiao used to carry was gone this week. The whole person seemed… Yang Min took another bite of mochi, trying to think of the right word to describe the feeling Qin Xiaoxiao now gave her.

Her language skills weren’t great, so she couldn’t come up with anything. Anyway, she quite liked the current Qin Xiaoxiao.

“Do you want more?” Qin Xiaoxiao asked politely, almost casually.

Without hesitation, Yang Min grabbed another mochi.

After evening self-study, back at the dormitory, Qin Xiaoxiao took out the remaining five mochis and shared them, ensuring everyone got one.

Her roommates were varying degrees of surprised and flattered.

That night, as Qin Xiaoxiao lay on her dormitory bed, her thoughts wandered.

She knew her behavior differed significantly from that of the original Qin Xiaoxiao. So far, unlike the other characters who had transmigrated into books that she had read about, she hadn’t suffered any punishments like “electric shocks” or “heart-wrenching pain” for being ooc (out of character). Did this mean she, Qin Xiaoxiao, could do whatever she wanted in this world?