Chapter 11: The Vicious Female Supporting Character in the 1980s (11)

Su Qin didn’t expect to see Cheng Lan and Cheng Wenfeng here. She smiled and didn’t disturb much, just went inside with Liu Xiaoyan.

Liu Xiaoyan closed the door and asked, “Do you know them?”

“Cheng Lan is the team leader at our factory.” Su Qin only said Cheng Lan’s identity.

Cheng Wenfeng’s identity was awkward. Could she say he was her former blind date?

“Oh.” Liu Xiaoyan pulled out a box full of books from under the bed. While Su Qin was looking for books, she crouched down and lowered her voice, “I know that man too. He’s He Peng’s good buddy. I heard he’s gone on many blind dates but didn’t succeed because he’s tongue-tied and can’t speak well.”

“He looks so fierce. When I first saw him, I thought he might be the type to commit domestic violence,” Liu Xiaoyan said, then continued, “The one who went on a blind date with him is my cousin. She’s been on a lot of blind dates already. The last guy was a total scumbag who almost tricked her—thankfully they didn’t get married. But with all the delays, she’s getting older. Still, she’s definitely a good girl. My mom says her only flaw is that she doesn’t talk much. Lately, we’ve been actively setting her up with dates. If it drags on any longer, it’ll only get harder to find someone.”

“Oh, I see.” Su Qin found the book she needed and put it aside. She recalled the image of the girl in her mind and thought it probably wouldn’t work.

Cheng Wenfeng didn’t like that type.

Last time when they met Su Yue, this guy sneaked a few glances at her. It was obvious he liked the kind of delicate, innocent girl like Su Yue. Cheng Lan had the wrong type in mind.

Honest girls really suffer. Su Yue truly was the heroine. She was popular everywhere.

After finding the books, they originally planned to stay inside for a while to avoid disturbing the blind date outside, but Mother Liu knocked on the door first.

In the yard, Cheng Wenfeng was already gone, only Cheng Lan remained.

Liu Xiaoyan had obviously mentioned Su Qin a lot to Mother Liu. Mother Liu was very enthusiastic when she saw her and kept praising, “This girl is so pretty and has such good skin.”

“Right, not only pretty, her paintings have been published in magazines. She’s now working hard to get into university.” Cheng Lan praised Su Qin without stopping.

“Published in magazines?” Mother Liu’s eyes changed, looking full of admiration.

Liu Xiaoyan also asked eagerly, “When did you get published? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Su Qin felt shy, “It’s nothing special, just a few paintings.”

Cheng Lan smiled, “See, still so modest.”

“Yes, such a modest little girl.” Mother Liu looked at Su Qin like she was looking at an intellectual. Intellectuals were powerful back then.

Someone so capable, yet friendly with their Liu Xiaoyan, how humble.

Mother Liu and Cheng Lan praised Su Qin until her cheeks flushed. She looked at Liu Xiaoyan for help, but Liu Xiaoyan looked at her with even more admiration.

Her good friend was someone published in magazines!

So impressive.

When Su Qin left Liu’s home, Mother Liu gave her and Liu Xiaoyan a piece of cured meat and told them several times to come visit often.

After leaving the alley, Cheng Lan sighed, “It failed again.”

Su Qin looked at her and comforted, “You can’t force something like this. It mainly depends on fate.”

Cheng Lan said, “I just asked them to go out and stroll together to create an opportunity. When Wenfeng heard it, he made an excuse and left in a hurry. It’s obvious he didn’t want to.”

She said helplessly, shrugging, “This little girl is willing to have more contact with him. Look at him, sigh—”

“Team Leader Cheng, could it be that he doesn’t like that type?” Su Qin tried to suggest.

Cheng Lan said, “Then what type does he like? Isn’t this good? Urban household registration, works at the department store. Her father works at the mine. The girl is the same age as him, honest and dependable, able to live a good life.”

It was so rare to find someone willing to give Cheng Wenfeng another chance and from the city. She didn’t want to look in the countryside.

“Is there a smaller one, a bit petite and delicate?” Su Qin recalled Su Yue’s image, “Someone who speaks softly and gently, depends on others a bit. Maybe that would make him feel pity.”

Cheng Lan thought for a moment and didn’t quite agree. “Can this kind of person live a normal life?”

“I think he might like this type. Generally, men like him want to protect this kind of girl,” Su Qin said seriously.

“Really?” Cheng Lan also began to doubt because the men introduced to Cheng Wenfeng hadn’t been very serious. They couldn’t delay this any longer.

“Maybe,” Su Qin said.

She also wanted Cheng Lan to quickly introduce someone like Su Yue to Cheng Wenfeng, so he wouldn’t get more and more involved and get hurt.

Friends help each other as much as they can.

“I’ll keep looking. If it works out, I’ll have to thank you,” Cheng Lan said, worried sick about Cheng Wenfeng’s marriage. “After the new year, he’ll be twenty-six. Soon twenty-seven. Soon twenty-eight. Rounding up, he’s basically thirty.”

Cheng Lan calculated and felt her heart ache.

She felt guilty toward her parents and brother and sister-in-law for not giving Cheng Wenfeng a good match.

She would never be at peace in death.

“After the new year, he’s only twenty-six. He still has four years before thirty,” Su Qin laughed. How could it be counted like that?

“You don’t know. Men get less valuable and harder to find a match as they get older,” Cheng Lan shook her head. Then she looked at the book in Su Qin’s hand. “Are you here to get a book?”

“Looking for some useful materials. I can’t keep buying them, they’re expensive,” Su Qin explained honestly.

Cheng Lan quickly replied, “You should have said earlier. When we moved, my daughter sorted out a whole box. If I’d known you needed them, I would have given them to you.”

“It’s not too late to say now, right?” Su Qin smiled.

Cheng Lan said, “Come on, let’s go to my house.”

The two arrived at the Cheng family home just as Zhang Linlin was there. Cheng Lan asked her to call someone. “This is Sister Su Qin, the one whose painting was published in the magazine.”

“Sister Su Qin,” Zhang Linlin called out, eyes full of admiration.

Cheng Lan often mentioned Su Qin to her. If it was to praise someone else, Zhang Linlin would definitely dislike it, but Su Qin was really impressive, inspiring, and beautiful, which made Zhang Linlin a bit envious.

Just as Zhang Linlin finished calling, Zhang Jun rushed out. He looked round and chubby, like a lively little chubby boy, and ran straight to Su Qin. “My mom said the drawings in the magazine were done by you. Is that true?”

“Call her sister,” Cheng Lan lightly scolded him.

Zhang Jun ran back inside, grabbed the magazine, and pointed to the bear on the page. “Is this the one you drew?”

Su Qin nodded, and he looked proud. “I told my classmates that my mom knows you and that my magazine was especially given to me by you. They didn’t believe it.”

Next time he could tell his classmates that Su Qin even came to his house.

They would be so jealous.

“Don’t talk nonsense outside,” Cheng Lan lightly patted his head.

Zhang Jun kept pestering Su Qin, “Can you sign for me? I want to show it to my school friends.”

“Sure,” Su Qin took the pen. “Where should I sign?”

Zhang Jun flipped through the magazine, looking for a spot, finally wanting her to sign the cover.

“It’s not good to sign the cover. I’ll sign inside,” Su Qin said softly. “What’s your name?”

“Zhang Jun, the Jun from ‘a critical moment’,” Zhang Jun’s childish voice was loud and clear.

Su Qin quickly wrote a note: “Hope little Zhang Jun is happy every day and grows up handsome!”

She not only signed her name but also drew a “book-loving little bear” beside it.

The little bear also spoke: “Nice to meet you, Xiao Jun.”

“Wow—” Zhang Jun was so happy his eyes lit up.

“Look how happy he is,” Cheng Lan smiled, then asked Zhang Linlin, “Where are the high school materials you sorted out? Let Sister Su Qin see if she needs anything.”

“Those? My cousin took them,” Zhang Linlin replied.

“Wenfeng took them?” Cheng Lan was puzzled. “Why did he take them?”

“Because he said a friend of his was going to take the college entrance exam and asked if I needed them. If not, he would take them all.”

“All taken?”

“Yes, but later he bought me two magazines in exchange.”

Cheng Lan looked at Su Qin, embarrassed but trying to hide it. “Wenfeng has a friend taking the exam? I didn’t know. I thought the materials were still here at home.”

“No worries. I went to Xiao Yan’s home today and got several books. Basically, it’s enough now,” Su Qin smiled. “A friend also sent me a whole box before.”

“That’s good.” Cheng Lan still felt uneasy and wanted Su Qin to stay for a meal.

Su Qin politely declined, holding up some cured meat in her hand. “No need. I still have to take this cured meat home and have some things to do.”

Cheng Lan insisted a few more times, but Su Qin left.

Su Qin didn’t take it to heart and headed home after going downstairs.

Near the staff dormitory, Cheng Wenfeng walked toward her.

“Are you going to He Peng’s house?” Su Qin greeted him.

“Yeah.” Cheng Wenfeng saw her and got so nervous his palms sweated cold. He quickly blurted out the excuse he had prepared. “I was actually here for something with He Peng. I should have come earlier. Auntie asked me to help fix her friend’s roof. After it was done, I found out she arranged a blind date. Before that, I knew nothing and got delayed coming to find He Peng.”

The part about coming to find He Peng was false. Being forced to attend a blind date while fixing the roof was true.

Everything was to reasonably explain why he was waiting here for her.

Su Qin suddenly appearing at Liu’s house made Cheng Wenfeng feel like his heart stopped beating. He’d never been this restless. Every second waiting here for her was unbearable.

He was afraid she would misunderstand.

“So you were tricked into going,” Su Qin laughed.

Seeing her smile, Cheng Wenfeng’s tense heart relaxed a little. “Yeah.”

“Don’t worry,” Su Qin whispered to him. “I told Team Leader Cheng that you don’t like this type. Next time she will arrange someone else for you.”

Cheng Wenfeng’s expression changed again and his brows furrowed.

“Don’t like Su Yue, okay? I’ll have her find you someone similar. She and Zhou Zhiyuan are a pair! If you rush in, you’ll be cannon fodder,” Su Qin warned again.

“You think I like her?” Cheng Wenfeng looked at Su Qin, his thin lips uttering this sentence.

His gaze was too intense, his stern face looked too fierce, making Su Qin feel a little intimidated inside.

“Don’t… don’t you like her?”

“I don’t like her!”

At the same time, Su Yue, who was on a date with Zhou Zhiyuan, suddenly heard a voice in her ear: “The male supporting character’s favorability dropped below zero, the plot has deviated by thirty percent, please host correct it immediately—”

*

That day, Su Qin felt Cheng Wenfeng’s displeasure for the first time.

On the day of the blind date, she openly snapped at him, but he didn’t seem this upset then.

Could it be that he hadn’t yet confirmed that he liked Su Yue, and being so bluntly told by her made him feel very embarrassed? He just couldn’t react in time?

The more Su Qin thought about it, the more possible it seemed. She was really in a tough spot, having to save the male supporting character from trouble without overly correcting the plot, otherwise the male supporting character would be unhappy.

Sure enough, she was a cannon fodder female supporting character; even a little too much correction of the plot would make the male supporting character angry.

Su Qin sighed in her heart. Was she really unable to stop Cheng Wenfeng from truly becoming the devoted male supporting character who would remain unmarried for life? How pitiful.

Time quickly passed to before the New Year.

The factory gave out some New Year goods, and Cheng Lan also gave her some.

Su Qin was unwilling to let Liu Mei and Father Su benefit cheaply. She gave some to Liu Xiaoyan, then carried some to the recycling station.

The lady boss saw the her and asked: “Need a pick-up for scrap?”

Su Qin didn’t answer but smiled at her.

“Are you the girl who came looking for textbooks?” The lady boss asked hesitantly.

Su Qin: “It’s me, sister. Don’t you remember?”

“Remember, remember, have you gathered all the textbooks?”

“With the big box you gave, how could they not be complete?” Su Qin placed the items on the table, “These are some New Year goods I brought for the children.”

She took out some oil and rice, plus a box of biscuits.

These were rare goods, so the lady boss was stunned and quickly refused: “Why give me so many things? You better take them back.”

Su Qin: “You also found me that big box of textbooks, it helped me a lot.”

The lady boss looked at the New Year goods on the table and felt guilty. Her gaze then fell on Su Qin’s grateful face. After hesitating, she said: “Actually, those books weren’t from me.”