Chapter 23: The Vicious Female Supporting Character in the 1980s (End)

Su Qin adapted quickly at the new school. After military training, classes became busy.

In her spare time, she stayed in the library. Besides studying, she painted, wrote articles, and sent a letter to Cheng Wenfeng every week.

He replied even more diligently, often sending her gifts.

Her dorm mates were all from wealthy local families in the capital. Su Qin never cared about that. She was always busy and ranked first in every subject.

With Happy Children constantly popular, she became a school celebrity. Her roommates admired and envied her. Life was comfortable and easy.

Since Cheng Wenfeng, like Cheng Lan, probably worried the capital students would look down on her, he sent imported snacks several times. The roommates envied her and even suspected she was hiding wealth.

During the National Day holiday, roommates went home one by one. Su Qin bought her train ticket too.

Cheng Wenfeng came to the station to pick her up. Only a month apart, he looked thinner.

“Is work very busy?” Su Qin asked.

“Not really, I’m not busy these days.” Cheng Wenfeng said lightly, avoiding mention of delivering goods until midnight and only sleeping a few hours a day.

But Su Qin saw through it immediately and pointed at his dark circles. “You’re lying.”

Cheng Wenfeng coughed awkwardly and turned his head.

He originally thought he had no charm, and the dark circles under his eyes only made him look worse.

“My tuition is fully exempted and I also receive scholarships. I can also support myself by painting. Don’t feel too stressed,” she said half-jokingly.

Cheng Wenfeng smiled, “Okay.” Then he added, “I will rest well.”

“The return ticket is so expensive.” Su Qin reached out to hold his hand, smiling brightly with her head held high.

Cheng Wenfeng grabbed her hand with his other hand and gently squeezed her palm. “Aunt said she wants us to go eat at her place. Do you want to go?”

In the past, he wouldn’t want to trouble Cheng Lan, but she would often ask if they had contacted each other and cared a lot about their relationship progress.

Besides, he had a selfish wish to let her meet his family more.

Su Qin said, “Sure, I brought them some local specialties.”

Cheng Wenfeng’s smile deepened sharply. On the way, they bought some fruit and also picked out two magazines for Zhang Linlin and Zhang Jun before going to the Zhang family.

When Cheng Lan saw them arrive, her eyes were full of surprise and delight. She couldn’t stop smiling and busied herself preparing food, stewing ribs and frying chicken.

She also reminded Su Qin, “Next time don’t bring so many things. It’s a waste of money. You even specially brought specialties from the capital. That’s a lot of trouble.”

Su Qin pointed to Cheng Wenfeng, “He asked me to buy them for you.”

Cheng Wenfeng glanced at her, slightly raising his eyebrows and staying silent in agreement.

Hearing this, Cheng Lan was very happy. Though she said not to buy next time, in her heart she was already planning what to have them bring back next.

During the meal, Cheng Lan talked about the Su family’s affairs: “After Zhao Yong was released from detention, his leg injury was barely healed and he was still unsteady on his feet. But he went to rob someone at midnight. A kind young man passing by caught him and beat him up badly. Now he’s in jail again. I heard he’s addicted to gambling and owes a lot of debt.”

“And that Liu Mei, I don’t know what she was thinking, having an affair with the procurement section chief at the leather factory. His wife caught them, causing a huge scandal. Your dad already divorced her.”

“Our factory was affected too. To avoid a bad reputation, the higher-ups decided to dismiss her.”

Su Qin was not surprised at Zhao Yong and Liu Mei’s downfall. They got what they deserved. But Cheng Wenfeng’s expression changed slightly when Cheng Lan mentioned Zhao Yong being beaten.

After leaving the Zhang family and arriving downstairs, Su Qin suddenly asked Cheng Wenfeng, “Do you know about Zhao Yong being beaten?”

Cheng Wenfeng did not hide it, “I beat him.”

Su Qin didn’t expect him to admit it so quickly and worriedly said, “Why did you hit someone? Hitting others is wrong.”

“He was robbing a woman. I was delivering justice.”

Su Qin couldn’t argue with that. After a moment, she asked, “Did you have personal motives?”

“Teaching bad people a lesson isn’t selfish. It was his own wrongdoing, and they even thanked me for it,” Cheng Wenfeng spoke seriously.

He never mentioned that he had been keeping an eye on Zhao Yong’s matters all along.

The last time Zhao Yong set his sights on Su Qin, the matter had never left Cheng Wenfeng’s mind.

Su Qin sighed without saying more, feeling warm inside. She held his hand and nodded as they walked forward, “True, bad people should be taught a lesson, or they’ll harm society. Let’s go home.”

Cheng Wenfeng smiled faintly, holding her hand tighter, “Mm—”

Su Qin hadn’t come home for a long time. She thought there would be a big cleaning, but surprisingly, the courtyard was clean and the quilt was laid out to dry.

“When did you clean up?” She looked at Cheng Wenfeng with surprise.

“Last night and this morning.” Cheng Wenfeng walked over, took the dried quilt inside, and asked, “Are you tired? Do you want to take a nap?”

Su Qin shook her head and stepped forward, hugging him from behind and pressing her face against his back. After a while, she said, “I used to only hear from classmates that their parents would clean their rooms before they came home. Thank you.”

Her tone was very moved, “All along, I have been alone.”

Cheng Wenfeng placed his hand over hers and gently wrapped it, “You are not alone.”

“I have you.” She peeked out from behind him, smiling brightly.

Listening to her soft and sweet voice, Cheng Wenfeng’s gaze became passionate and lingering. He separated her hands and placed his palm over her cheek.

“What are you doing?” Su Qin pouted, “Are you going to pinch my face too?”

Her skin was fair and tender, her cheeks smooth and plump. That slightly chubby girl from the capital dorm always liked to pinch her face, saying it felt so good.

Before Su Qin finished speaking, she suddenly widened her eyes in shock, standing frozen, her mind buzzing blank.

Cheng Wenfeng leaned down and kissed her!

He kissed her lips carefully and gently, with some awkwardness but also tenderness. As the kiss deepened, he slowly opened her mouth and probed inside.

He gradually curled her tongue, sucking softly, drawing out her sweetness.

Su Qin’s whole body was burning hot, her legs weakening, letting him do as he pleased.

She didn’t know how long they kissed. When her lips started to ache, Cheng Wenfeng reluctantly pulled away, holding her tightly, resting his chin on her soft hair. After a short moment, he couldn’t resist and kissed her again.

That night, Su Qin tossed and turned in bed. Her mind was full of the images of their kiss, and she was surrounded by his scent.

“Ah—” she sighed in frustration, muttering, “No staying up late. Sleep, sleep. Early to bed and early to rise is good for health.”

On the other side, Cheng Wenfeng was even worse. The heat in his body kept rising, breathing heavy, closing his eyes only made it harder.

His gaze dropped to below himself, his normally serious face flushed red with embarrassment. He grabbed the blanket and covered himself.

Morning.

Su Qin was still asleep when they heard Cheng Lan’s voice outside. It sounded angry, like she was scolding someone.

Did Cheng Lan and Cheng Wenfeng have a fight?

Thinking of this possibility, Su Qin quickly sat up, put on clothes, and went out.

“How could Zhou Xiufang be like this? Wang Zhuzhu is already dating. Why is she still being set up on blind dates? Do they not like their future son-in-law?”

“What’s wrong with outsiders? Are outsiders not human? Is it necessary to insult them like that?”

So what if they’re from the city? Wang Zhuzhu didn’t even take the college entrance exam, and Zhou Xiufang would rather give up her chance to inherit the job than hand it over—what kind of help could they possibly offer in the future? Probably nothing at all.”

“Sigh, and yet they still look down on outsiders. This family is really hard to get along with!”

……

Su Qin opened the door and saw Cheng Lan standing outside Cheng Wenfeng’s courtyard gate, deliberately speaking loudly and making one comment after another even louder.

Cheng Lan usually was not exactly gentle or elegant, but she was a straightforward and efficient career woman. Such behavior, similar to a gossiping shrew, was something Su Qin did not expect from her.

Moreover, Cheng Lan’s face showed anger, most likely because Zhou Xiufang had somehow offended her.

Cheng Lan noticed Su Qin opening the door and walking over, still deliberately mentioning Wang Zhuzhu and Zhou Xiufang’s names as if afraid the neighbors couldn’t hear.

Next to Su Qin’s house lived the outsider street rascal who was dating Wang Zhuzhu.

Cheng Lan entered Su Qin’s home without Su Qin having to ask. Her face was dark, and she grit her teeth to say, “I truly wish I could tear Zhou Xiufang’s mouth apart.”

She grew angrier as she spoke, but restrained herself in front of Su Qin, taking deep breaths to hold back.

Seeing Cheng Lan struggling to control her anger, Su Qin guessed, “Zhou Xiufang wouldn’t want Wang Zhuzhu to be matched with Wenfeng, would she?”

“How did you know?” Cheng Lan was surprised.

Su Qin smiled, “Otherwise, what else could make you so angry?”

Seeing Su Qin guessed correctly, Cheng Lan no longer hid it and shouted in rage, “Does she think no one knows about Wang Zhuzhu’s pregnancy and abortion? How dare she have the face to bring up such a request! Where does she get the nerve?”

Cheng Lan got angrier, “She even said no dowry, only two hundred yuan as a betrothal gift. As if I care! I think she’s afraid Wang Zhuzhu will blame her for not giving up her job, and she doesn’t want her to marry that street rascal. She thinks it’s shameful and will drag her down, so she’s offering a little money to hush things up.” She sneered coldly, “Let her dream on!”

“Calm down.” Su Qin patted her back, “Don’t take her words to heart.”

“What does she mean by saying Wenfeng doesn’t have a formal job? What does she mean by saying no one will help when they have kids?!” Cheng Lan’s chest heaved violently as she slapped her thigh and clenched her teeth, “What does she mean by saying our Wenfeng is old and has had many blind dates but no one wants him? Does she even know how to talk? Does she have any brains?!”

Su Qin’s face darkened when she heard this.

Zhou Xiufang was definitely unpleasant to talk to, snobbish and bitter. The actual words were surely harsher than how Cheng Lan repeated them.

In Zhou Xiufang’s eyes, Cheng Wenfeng couldn’t even keep his job at the canning factory, basically unemployed, without parents, much older than Wang Zhuzhu, had many unsuccessful blind dates, and only had those two big tile-roofed houses and a city hukou, which barely made him a suitable match.

Still better than that outsider street rascal anyway.

So when Zhou Xiufang went to see Cheng Lan, she was full of confidence.

Cheng Lan was not one to gossip or make trouble and didn’t want to cause a scene. She only said Wenfeng already had a girlfriend without revealing Su Qin’s name. Zhou Xiufang thought Cheng Lan was lying and was very unhappy, thinking Wenfeng’s conditions didn’t justify having such high standards.

When Cheng Wenfeng returned from delivering goods, he saw Cheng Lan and Su Qin both with dark faces, looking angry, yet pitying him.

He was puzzled.

After hearing what happened, Cheng Wenfeng was not angry. Instead, Su Qin, after Cheng Lan left, stomped her feet heavily twice in anger, “Too much, too much, way too much!”

To say such things about Wenfeng.

Cheng Wenfeng chuckled, hugged her, and sighed, “No choice. You are the best in this world, only you and I are good together.”

“I’m always with you,” Su Qin said.

Cheng Wenfeng’s heart melted almost completely. He lowered his head and kissed her several times, his gaze soft and affectionate, “How are you so good?”

“I’m a fairy, a fairy descended to save you,” Su Qin said half-jokingly, half-seriously, “Actually, we both live in a novel. You’re the cannon fodder, but because you’re a good person, I came to save you, bring you happiness and joy.”

He listened seriously and started thinking.

“Originally your destined partner was Su Yue, but I stole you away,” Su Qin said again.

Hearing this, Cheng Wenfeng lightly patted her head, “That’s great. Thank you for your hard work.”

Su Qin: “……”

*

During this National Day holiday, there was another happy event.

Liu Xiaoyan and He Peng were getting married. They asked Cheng Wenfeng to be the best man, and Su Qin was the bridesmaid.

Both sides were well matched, and their families were satisfied, so the wedding went smoothly.

He Peng’s father worked at the canning factory and naturally invited many factory workers. Su Qin did not hide her relationship with Cheng Wenfeng and was open and confident.

Through interactions, their relationship became known.

Plus, Cheng Lan had already shared Su Qin’s specialty gifts with many people when she brought her back last time, everyone was delighted. When people wanted to introduce blind dates for Cheng Wenfeng, they directly said he already had a partner, though they didn’t say who, and praised him highly.

Looking back, everything had clues.

Su Qin had previously gone on blind dates with Cheng Wenfeng. It was said Su Qin didn’t like him and tried other options, but now she got into university, had a stable job at a magazine, and then got back together with Cheng Wenfeng?

No one believed it, especially Zhou Xiufang, who was angry and shouted that if this was true, Su Qin must be scheming.

What she was scheming for, even she couldn’t say.

Cheng Wenfeng was not a formal employee, had just quit the canning factory, had no proper job, no parents, unemployed, and was older.

What could Su Qin want?

Not only Zhou Xiufang thought it impossible, but others also couldn’t understand why they were together.

Therefore, by the end of the year, when it was learned that Su Qin and Cheng Wenfeng were getting engaged, everyone was stunned.

Su Yue felt uneasy, went to Zhou Zhiyuan to argue, and cried bitterly, accusing and questioning him, why?

Su Qin and Cheng Wenfeng were both engaged, so why hadn’t they gotten officially engaged yet?

Zhou Zhiyuan did not answer her. His confused and absent-minded expression made Su Yue uneasy as well.

But because neither of them wanted to lose face, the two entered a cold war.

During that time, Su Qin and Cheng Wenfeng successfully held their engagement banquet. The event was even more grand than some weddings. They slaughtered an ox and a sheep, along with countless chickens, ducks, and geese.

The engagement banquet was not announced to the Su or Zhou families. Besides relatives and close friends, everyone invited was not required to give any monetary gifts.

According to those who returned, the bride price was 1,888 yuan. They gave three pairs of gold bracelets, and Cheng Lan added another pair. Besides that, there were rings, necklaces, and earrings.

And that was only for the engagement. The wedding would require even more gifts.

It could be said this was the most extravagant wedding event they had seen in many years, and no monetary gifts were required. How extravagant!

“Is the gold fake? Cheng Wenfeng isn’t even working, where did the money come from?” Zhou Xiufang complained angrily.

Right after, someone retorted: “Don’t you know? Cheng Wenfeng owns two plywood shops. He also has a big truck and even bought a small car.”

Someone else added: “Yes, I heard from Cheng Lan that once they marry, Cheng Wenfeng will go to the capital to do business. The shop is already found and they bought a house near Yanjing University.”

Zhou Xiufang was stunned, speechless, recalling how confident she had been in front of Cheng Lan. Her face turned pale with embarrassment.

Her own daughter ran off with a street ruffian after she refused to step down to let her take over the position. Not long after, the daughter was sent back—and she was pregnant.

That street ruffian even said he was after their city household registration. If Wang Zhuzhu hadn’t taken over, a countryside girl who could work would be better. Zhou Xiufang was so furious she nearly fainted. For the sake of face, she held in her anger and dared not tell anyone.

When Father Zhou returned home, Mother Zhou told him about Su Qin and Cheng Wenfeng’s engagement. She felt impressed that Su Qin was marrying well, but inside she was still unwilling.

After all, Su Qin was once betrothed to their Zhiyuan.

Su Yue was a college graduate with a steady job, but Su Qin was a university student at Yanjing University. If Su Yue had a guaranteed job, then Su Qin held a golden opportunity. She even published works monthly. If she became their daughter-in-law, they would walk proudly everywhere.

“Stop talking about the past. It’s over,” Father Zhou said with a worried face and asked, “When will Zhiyuan and Xiao Yue get engaged? Hurry up and arrange it so we won’t be laughed at.”

Rumors were spreading wildly. If the two didn’t become a couple, where would they put their face?

Mother Zhou was no longer as eager to push the matter, especially since the Su family had a lot of messy affairs. But Father Zhou asked several times recently with obvious irritation. He was probably upset because Su Qin hadn’t invited him to her engagement banquet and wanted to save face.

“I’ll ask Zhiyuan later,” Mother Zhou said with a perfunctory attitude.

When Zhou Zhiyuan came back and was asked about it, he immediately said, “I don’t want to get engaged anymore.”

Mother Zhou was stunned. “Why?”

Although Su Yue did not seem as good as Su Qin for now, she was still a university graduate with a formal job and not easy to find.

Zhou Zhiyuan looked indifferent. “No reason.”

This matter caused a commotion in the Zhou family and ended with Zhou Zhiyuan smashing the table.

He was always the obedient child, polite and well-mannered. This shocked everyone in the Zhou family.

Zhou Zhiyuan stayed awake all night, curled up on his bed in pain, his mind filled with memories of Su Qin.

He felt bound yet struggled in pain, repeatedly cold and warm with Su Yue.

This situation exploded when he learned Su Qin and Cheng Wenfeng were about to get married.

“Getting married?” Zhou Zhiyuan felt as if he was hit by a thunderbolt. He staggered in place, his face instantly draining of blood.

“Yes, we are getting married. If not, we will break up!” Su Yue gave the final ultimatum. She did not want to be made a joke of.

Zhou Zhiyuan’s gaze was dazed as he walked forward.

“Zhou Zhiyuan!” Su Yue ran to stop him.

“Go away!” Zhou Zhiyuan shouted hysterically, his face full of pain, eyes bloodshot with resentment and disgust. “It’s all your fault. Everything is because of you!”

Su Yue froze in place, scared.

This Zhou Zhiyuan was a stranger to her.

“If it wasn’t for you, we could still be together. Every time you appeared, you made me suffer and feel conflicted. Why?” Zhou Zhiyuan shouted, “Since you appeared, I have no control over myself, but the one I like is clearly not you!”

“Zhiyuan—”

“Get lost!”

Zhou Zhiyuan pushed Su Yue away and stumbled forward.

Su Yue heard him say he didn’t like her. The person he was referring to was Su Qin.

She was hit like a thunderbolt, her face pale.

Zhou Zhiyuan went straight to Su Qin’s house and knocked on the door.

Inside the courtyard, on the small table lay many delicate and beautiful gold jewelry boxes.

Su Qin sat upright, and Cheng Wenfeng was helping her try them on, choosing the ones most suitable for their wedding day.

“Knock knock knock—”

“Someone is knocking,” Su Qin put down the mirror and stood, heading to the door. “Is it Aunt?”

“Probably.” Cheng Wenfeng opened another box, waiting for her to come back and try it on.

Su Qin opened the door with a radiant smile but was surprised to see Zhou Zhiyuan standing there.

“Xiao Qin, I—”

Seeing Cheng Wenfeng behind her, Zhou Zhiyuan clenched his fists and mustered courage. “Can you not get married? Let’s talk. I don’t know why things turned out like this. I have always liked you. I—”

Cheng Wenfeng’s eyes darkened, and he strode over with a grim face.

Su Qin was the first to speak, “You are at the wrong place. I am not Su Yue, and I don’t like you.”

“Bang—”

The door was slammed shut without mercy.

Zhou Zhiyuan immediately felt like a reed hit by frost, lifeless. Listening to Su Qin’s clear laughter and playful voice from inside, he felt like he had fallen into an ice cellar, cold from head to toe.

Su Qin and Cheng Wenfeng held their wedding banquet at the largest hotel in town, and Zhou Zhiyuan was also there.

It seemed Cheng Wenfeng knew in advance. Once he appeared, He Peng, in front of another companion, grabbed Zhou Zhiyuan and dragged him outside, taking him straight back to the Zhou family. He coldly told Father and Mother Zhou, “Watch your son carefully. Don’t come to ruin my brother’s wedding. What? Want to steal the bride? Have some shame.”

Both of them looked embarrassed. After He Peng left, Father Zhou started cursing loudly. Zhou Zhiyuan sat in the corner with a distracted expression, which frightened Mother Zhou a lot.

At the wedding.

Cheng Wenfeng, holding Su Qin’s hand, toasted table after table.

His face was covered with an unstoppable smile. He sincerely thanked every blessing they offered.

After seeing off the guests, Su Qin looked at Cheng Wenfeng, who smelled heavily of alcohol and was a bit unsteady on his feet, and coquettishly said, “Why did you drink so much?”

After the two returned home, Su Qin helped Cheng Wenfeng to the bed. She was about to get a towel to wipe his face when he suddenly grabbed her hand and pulled her close.

“Ah—” Su Qin fell into his arms. Before she could struggle, he flipped over, and she was pinned underneath him.

Cheng Wenfeng reached out and covered her face with his hand, gently stroking it. His dark, deep eyes were filled with delicate tenderness and lingering affection.

Su Qin gradually blushed and raised her hand to circle his neck, speaking softly, “Are you drunk?”

Cheng Wenfeng did not answer her. He bent down and kissed her.

This time, it was different from before. The kiss was forceful and intense, filled with a strong sense of possession. The scent of alcohol quickly enveloped Su Qin. She slightly parted her lips, and Cheng Wenfeng deeply entered, entwining his small tongue with hers, teasing and sucking.

Her chest heaved violently. She only held him tighter, curling her toes and arching her body, fully enduring the wave after wave of impact he gave her.

The room was left with only ambiguous passion and desperate entanglement.

*

At the same time.

Su Yue lay on her bed, her mind filled with the envy expressed by others about Su Qin and Cheng Wenfeng’s wedding. Jealousy that she could not control welled up in her heart.

Thinking about Zhou Zhiyuan’s “betrayal” only made her angrier and more anxious.

Suddenly, Su Yue’s mind went blank for a moment, then a sharp pain appeared. A screen appeared before her eyes, showing a series of data. The same mechanical voice as before spoke:

“Main character favorability: -100”

“Supporting character one favorability: -100”

“Supporting character two favorability: -100”

“Supporting character three favorability: -85”

“Passerby one favorability: -89”

…

Su Yue looked at the string of negative numbers. The memories that had been sealed away woke up. Her face turned pale. She shook her head frantically and tried to stop it, saying, “No, no—”

“Luck strategy mission failed severely. Score has been reset to the system’s lowest record. Task evaluation: failed. Random task evaluation will now be initiated.”

“Assessment failed. Exam qualification permanently revoked.”

“Reminder again, for fairness and justice, this assessment is a random mission assignment. If the assessment is failed, exam qualification will be permanently revoked with no chance of promotion for life.”

…

After listening, Su Yue collapsed on the bed. She desperately pressed the button on the bottom right, repeatedly saying, “Request regrading, manual assessment, manual assessment—”

“Random mission starting, 3—2—1—”