Maintaining the Dignity of the Female Supporting Character

Chapter 15

"!!!!!!"

[Main quest: "Save that female lead" action has been unlocked.]

[Current progress: 0/10]

[Final reward: Exchangeable based on the increase in villain value.]

Lu Jing carried the materials to the podium, unaware that Wen Shuangmu behind him was walking as if she couldn't see, heading straight for his back. In the end, both of them stumbled forward a step due to the impact.

Lu Jing steadied himself by gripping the edge of the desk and turned to look at Wen Shuangmu.

She didn't appear to have hit her head or nose, but instead was covering her eyes, her whole person seeming to be shrouded in shadow.

Lu Jing paused, thinking of the young adult literature tropes he'd recently been reading, and suspected that crystalline tears would start flowing from between Wen Shuangmu's fingers at any moment. "Um, are you okay?" he asked.

Wen Shuangmu didn't respond immediately. She clenched her fist and took a long, controlled breath, as if suppressing something.

Just as Lu Jing was considering whether he should offer more comfort, Wen Shuangmu calmly removed her hand and waved at him: "It's nothing, just got some oil in my eye."

Lu Jing: "...?"

Wu Xiaoqi: "Not even helping when the oil bottle tipped over, I admire you, host."

Wen Shuangmu coolly replied: "I haven't settled accounts with you yet. Next time, could you pick a place without people around before showing me this kind of Daqing literature?"

Wu Xiaoqi: "Daqing literature?"

Wen Shuangmu: "Literature nurtured in oil fields."

Wen Shuangmu delivered these eight words with a straight face.

Wu Xiaoqi's laughter, sounding like a "monkey revealing its true form," instantly surrounded her crown in 3D surround sound effect mode.

Xia Zhili and Su Qiyan hadn't entered the room yet. Xia Zhili probably thought she could manage the last two steps herself, but Su Qiyan felt he should see things through to the end.

Wen Shuangmu irritably tugged at the corner of her mouth, feeling she had made a tactical error in allowing Su Qiyan and Xia Zhili to be immersed in this inexplicable atmosphere of feelings for so long on the stairs.

She was about to take a step forward, ready to be the insensitive one breaking up the lovebirds, when a slight breeze brushed past her arm as Lu Jing stepped in front of Su Qiyan before she could.

"Let me."

Wen Shuangmu found it difficult to describe accurately just how pleasant Lu Jing's voice sounded at that moment. What she most wanted to exclaim in this situation was—

As expected of the cultivation target she had chosen, so damn self-aware! He's got the right idea!

Lu Jing took the stack of materials from Su Qiyan's arms, but the next second he felt himself being pushed aside. Then he saw Wen Shuangmu squeeze through the doorframe where three people had been standing.

She grabbed Su Qiyan's sleeve, pulling him towards Class 1 with great familiarity: "All sorted? I actually have a math problem I can't figure out and wanted to ask you. Can I borrow today's math worksheet?"

Lu Jing was still holding the materials, leaning against the door frame. Someone had bumped him into the wall while slipping through the gap to get out.

He looked exactly like a bystander who had stepped in to help, only to be shoved aside for being in the way.

Lu Jing remained motionless, saw Xia Zhili standing equally dazed to one side, held it together for two seconds, then couldn't hold back anymore.

He turned his head and laughed very softly.

Su Qiyan and Xia Zhili were probably still in the initial stages of getting to know each other and feeling the first stirrings of attraction. They weren't in the same class and couldn't really be said to have any kind of relationship yet. Su Qiyan might show some care for Xia Zhili in small, unconscious ways, but it was far from being openly apparent.

Wen Shuangmu must have counted on this, so although she acted close to Su Qiyan, all her actions still remained within the normal bounds of their "friendship." Therefore, even if Su Qiyan felt something was off, he had no grounds to object.

As for the information points Wen Shuangmu wanted to make clear to Xia Zhili, whether it was her forceful way of speaking or her little glances staking her claim, nothing was left out.

Look at that show-off.

Lu Jing took one last look at the two standing at Class 1's door, then smiled and carried the books to the podium.

During the break, Wang Chengshuo was doing exercises. He had just taken a sip of water to rest when he saw Lu Jing coming down from the podium.

Wang Chengshuo rarely saw Lu Jing like this. He didn't know what happy thing Lu Jing was thinking of, but he smiled, shook his head as if that wasn't enough, and smiled again.

Wang Chengshuo couldn't help but be curious: "What's up? You look so happy."

Lu Jing unhurriedly pulled out his chair and sat down, flipping open the pocket notebook on his desk. He clicked his tongue and said, "It's really interesting."

Wang Chengshuo instantly felt it wasn't funny anymore: "..."

Still saying you're not obsessed with that 2D character!!!

When Wen Shuangmu returned to the classroom, Lu Jing was sitting at his desk talking to Wang Chengshuo. She felt a bit regretful that she had just taken Su Qiyan away, and Lu Jing hadn't seized the opportunity to interact more with Xia Zhili.

However, thinking of the important turning point that would occur in the afternoon, she had to put these thoughts aside for now.

The next class happened to be a self-study period. Wen Shuangmu suppressed her strong feelings of discomfort and had Wu Xiaoqi show her that unlocked passage again.

In the spirit of doing a Chinese reading comprehension exercise, she repeatedly examined the content of the text, analyzing it word by word and sentence by sentence. She discovered that the information points were all presented so simply and bluntly on the surface level of meaning.

She asked Wu Xiaoqi: "Are you sure this isn't about Xia Zhili and Zhou Yu's emotional moment? It's with Su Qiyan?"

Wu Xiaoqi: "It is indeed with the male lead."

Wen Shuangmu chewed on her coffee straw, deep in thought: "So you're saying, after Xia Zhili was cornered by those thugs, she didn't accept Zhou Yu's proposal, but instead was rescued by Su Qiyan who happened to pass by?"

Wu Xiaoqi couldn't give too many hints, only saying: "The host's guess is very reasonable."

Wen Shuangmu assumed she had guessed correctly and nodded, continuing: "Then I just need to find a way to hold Su Qiyan up so he can't pass by that place on time. With no other options, Xia Zhili will have to agree to be Zhou Yu's girlfriend and ask for his help to get out of the situation. This way, she'll end up with Zhou Yu, and the novel can directly reach its happy ending?"

Wu Xiaoqi: "...In principle, this plan is feasible. But as the host saw earlier in the spoiler comments, Zhou Yu is a deeply devoted secondary male lead. In the later stages, he chooses to quietly step aside and give his blessings for Xia Zhili's happiness, so there's no guarantee that Xia Zhili won't spark with Su Qiyan elsewhere."

Wen Shuangmu: "Tch, how useless is this guy."

At this moment, a classmate in front passed back a form, saying in a low voice to Wen Shuangmu: "Fill in your row of information and pass it to the last row when you're done."

Wen Shuangmu glanced at the form's contents. It was some basic information that the homeroom teacher had announced this morning for new class members to be entered into the school system. Catching sight of the phone number column, Wen Shuangmu's expression changed slightly. She took out a sticky note from her pencil case and copied down Xia Zhili's contact information from the row above.

After filling in the rest of the information, Wen Shuangmu passed the form to Lu Jing across the aisle. Then, under the cover of her textbook, she took out her phone and sent a message to Xia Zhili:

[This is Wen Shuangmu. Are you free after school today?]

The screen of Xia Zhili's phone in her desk drawer lit up briefly. Two seconds later, she saw the content of the text message and hesitantly looked back in Wen Shuangmu's direction.

Seeing her look over, Wen Shuangmu smiled kindly at her. The next second, however, she commented to Wu Xiaoqi with a straight face: "See, even good students use their phones in class."

Wu Xiaoqi: "...You're setting her up. Don't forget you're a good student too."

Wen Shuangmu pretended not to hear. Fortunately, Xia Zhili didn't keep her waiting long and quickly sent a reply.

[I'm free. What's up?]

Wen Shuangmu: [My Chinese basics aren't very good. I was hoping you could accompany me to the bookstore to buy some textbooks.]

After sending the message, Wen Shuangmu felt it didn't quite sound like asking for help, so she added: [I'll treat you to bubble tea!]

Xia Zhili: [Sure.]

Wen Shuangmu was satisfied but didn't put her phone away immediately. She opened a popular review app and searched for nearby bookstores, finally deciding to take Xia Zhili to the newly opened one in Century Infinite City after school.

She really couldn't believe that such a proper shopping mall would let in those dozen or so thugs with clubs.

Wu Xiaoqi: "The host is wise."

Wen Shuangmu's eyes, however, looked elsewhere: "But I still need a second safeguard."

Wu Xiaoqi: "?"

Wen Shuangmu said: "What if I take Xia Zhili away from the original after-school route in the book, but those thugs still show up?"

Wu Xiaoqi had to admit this situation was highly likely. He hadn't reminded her earlier, wanting the host to experience it once and discover for herself.

However, as expected of a college student host well-versed in advanced mathematics, she had already anticipated this.

Yet when Wu Xiaoqi saw Wen Shuangmu turn her gaze towards Lu Jing, who was reading an extracurricular book next door, he couldn't help but pause: "...Host, what are you planning to do?"

Wen Shuangmu answered matter-of-factly: "Of course, I'm going to bring Lu Jing along to intercept them."

"No, isn't this too reckless?" It was one thing to go to the bookstore with Xia Zhili, but to bring Lu Jing along as well? Even if he's your cultivation target, you're not even close to him right now!

Wen Shuangmu: "Is it? Aren't the plot points in the original book even more forced than what I'm doing?"

Wu Xiaoqi, who was still searching the database to show the host the meaning of "gradual progress," suddenly fell silent, terrifyingly realizing that he had no way to refute!

Lu Jing noticed from the corner of his eye that Wen Shuangmu next door seemed to be staring at him intently.

He pretended to casually raise his eyes to confirm, and then met Wen Shuangmu's sincere gaze. After a pause, it seemed inappropriate to pretend to look away at this point, so he had to face her gaze and ask, "Do you need something?"

Wen Shuangmu spoke without hesitation: "You seem to have a wide range of extracurricular reading."

Lu Jing noticed Wen Shuangmu's gaze fall on the extracurricular book on his desk. He instinctively pressed down on the pages, but after two seconds, he thought that reading such books wasn't embarrassing, so he loosened his grip: "...It's alright, I suppose."

Wen Shuangmu enthusiastically invited: "Want to go to Impression Infinity City after school? I'll treat you to milk tea, and you can help me pick out some extracurricular books for accumulating essay material."

Lu Jing: "..."

Friend, have you mistaken who you're trying to pick up?

I may be good-looking, but I'm not your male lead, you know?

After school.

Liu Yiheng wandered as usual to the door of Class 2 on the third floor. Seeing Wang Chengshuo come out, he put his arm around his shoulder and said, "A new crayfish restaurant just opened near the east gate. Want to go try it out?"

"Sure," Wang Chengshuo said.

"With so many of us, we can order spicy, five-spice, and garlic flavors, one of each."

Liu Yiheng was excitedly planning when he noticed Lu Jing hadn't come out behind Wang Chengshuo. He peered into the classroom and asked, "Where's Brother Jing? Where did he go?"

Wang Chengshuo pointed his chin towards the direction of the other staircase: "He has plans with someone else."

Liu Yiheng didn't think much of it and casually glanced over, but then his eyes froze in place.

The one in the white shirt and black pants was his Brother Jing, he was familiar with him.

But the one next to him with the beige backpack, wasn't that Wen Shuangmu?

And the one next to Wen Shuangmu, with the blue hair tie and white sneakers, wasn't that the pretty girl he had been observing for days?

Why were the three of them walking together?

Liu Yiheng turned to look at Wang Chengshuo: "What kind of combination is this?"

Wang Chengshuo shrugged: "The bookstore study group."

Liu Yiheng thought it was a special research group from the top students' class and couldn't help but envy them: "The ice prince and the queen are all there. When it comes to enjoying life, Brother Jing really knows how to do it."

Wang Chengshuo laughed and pushed Liu Yiheng's head: "Don't exaggerate."

Liu Yiheng covered his head, watching the trio walk away with reluctance: "What should I do? My pretty girl... How did Brother Jing make the first move? Why don't we follow them?"

Wang Chengshuo eyed him: "Are you serious? I don't mind, but you need to consider the consequences if we're caught."

Liu Yiheng was quite enthusiastic when it came to talking big, but when it actually came to doing it, he started to back out: "Well, let me think about it. Following them doesn't seem like something a decent person would do, right?"

Lu Jing walked all the way out of the teaching building with a numb expression.

His handsome face looked as if he had a toothache, or as if everything hurt.

So after Wen Shuangmu invited him, why did she still bring Xia Zhili along?

Weren't they supposed to be love rivals?

Did she bring him to mediate?

He didn't know how to do that either.

Lu Jing glanced at the big sun overhead, thinking that the quick reflexes he had developed from playing whack-a-mole were not meant to be showcased in this kind of situation.

He swept his peripheral vision to the side, grateful that for now, the superficial friendship between Wen Shuangmu and Xia Zhili was maintaining well enough, and he hadn't seen any sparks fly yet.

Coming out of the school gate, Wen Shuangmu saw Xia Zhili about to turn towards the tree-lined path on the side and stopped her, saying, "Wait, let's take the bus?"

Xia Zhili hesitantly looked at her phone's navigation: "It's only a fifteen-minute walk, not far at all."

Wen Shuangmu made up an excuse quickly: "But it's hot out. The bus is just two stops, very convenient."

Mainly because these days, you wouldn't have a dozen rowdy guys crowding onto a bus for a party. It's safer on the bus.

Xia Zhili didn't think much of it and nodded: "Alright then."

Wen Shuangmu turned to look at Lu Jing.

Lu Jing was stunned for a moment, then raised both hands: "I have no objections."

Arriving at the bus stop, Xia Zhili called her family to say she'd be home late.

Wen Shuangmu continued the text message she hadn't finished earlier, making sure Li Maozhen would take Su Qiyan to play basketball in the school gym for two hours after class, before putting her phone away with peace of mind.

The real-time bus display showed the bus would arrive in two minutes. Wen Shuangmu looked towards the left side of the road and only then realized that Lu Jing had somehow started chatting with a passing classmate.

This guy really was popular, able to meet people who greeted and talked to him from other classes wherever he went.

Wu Xiaoqi chimed in at the right moment: "Host, you're quite popular too."

Wen Shuangmu was quite self-aware: "I just know a lot of people, but haven't you noticed that they're all actually a bit afraid to talk to me?"

As she spoke, her gaze fixed on Lu Jing's smile, and she said, "Someone like him is truly popular."

Lu Jing happened to look away while smiling, unexpectedly meeting Wen Shuangmu's eyes.

He was stunned for a moment but didn't say anything. When the red light in the distance turned green and his friend left, he walked over to Wen Shuangmu, standing beside her to look at the traffic ahead, and asked, "You seemed like you wanted to say something to me?"

Caught red-handed, Wen Shuangmu remained calm: "Your friend is quite handsome. Can you give me his contact information?"

Lu Jing: "..." Is she serious?

"No."

Lu Jing's refusal was so abrupt that Wen Shuangmu casually asked another question: "Hm? Why not?"

Lu Jing said, "I think he's just average-looking. If you need, I can introduce you to someone more handsome in the future."

Wen Shuangmu turned to look at Lu Jing with a bit of surprise.

The evening sun was slanting westward, its glow surrounding Lu Jing from behind, somewhat dazzling, so much so that Wen Shuangmu couldn't quite make out Lu Jing's expression as he said this.

Only when the bus arrived at the stop did he pat her backpack and say, "Let's get on."

"So why did he just talk to me like he was my father? Clearly, I'm the one raising him, no matter how you look at it, I should be the one..." Wen Shuangmu couldn't help but complain to Wu Xiaoqi in her heart as she swiped her bus card.

Wu Xiaoqi, as usual, marveled at Wen Shuangmu's focus: "Host, you should just count your blessings. At least he's willing to provide after-sales service, introducing you to potential partners to ensure your happiness for the rest of your life. That's already very touching, you know."

Wen Shuangmu pouted.

It was rush hour after school, and the bus was very crowded. Wen Shuangmu's sharp eyes spotted someone getting off, freeing up a seat. Without much thought, she grabbed Xia Zhili's hand and squeezed towards the back.

After a race against time, Xia Zhili sat down in the window seat, while Wen Shuangmu remained standing in the aisle, using her backpack to occupy the seat.

Wen Shuangmu stood on tiptoe to look towards the bus door, seeing nothing but a sea of heads. She muttered, "That's strange, where's Lu Jing?"

Xia Zhili thought for a moment and said, "He should have gotten on right after me."

Lu Jing struggled for a while before finally freeing himself from the card reader at the bus entrance.

When he got in line, he realized he had no change in his pocket. Just as he was about to grab Wen Shuangmu and Xia Zhili to help him swipe the bus card, the two of them slipped away like fish, just slipped away.

Thankfully, a kind-hearted girl wearing the same school uniform voluntarily helped him swipe the card. Otherwise, he would have faced a dilemma—

Either get off the bus right there or call Wen Shuangmu back from afar.

For the latter, he was afraid Wen Shuangmu would find it embarrassing and end up hitting him.

After finally squeezing to the back, Lu Jing heard Wen Shuangmu calling him over several heads: "Lu Jing, come quick, sit here."

He looked up, then followed the direction of Wen Shuangmu's finger downward: "That's really not necessary..."

With only one empty seat left, it would be strange to let him sit down, being a boy and all.

Lu Jing excused himself with a couple of "excuse me"s to the surrounding passengers, and squeezed over to where Wen Shuangmu and Xia Zhili were. He still decided to be courteous: "You sit down, I'm fine standing."

"It's alright, I asked for your help, so I should make sure you two are comfortable."

Lu Jing thought this female supporting character was overly kind, but kept a smile on his face: "You should really sit."

"You sit."

"You sit."

Wen Shuangmu: "Are you going to sit or not?"

Lu Jing: "...I'll sit, I'll sit."

The bus started moving.

Lu Jing hugged his shoulder bag, looking extremely uncomfortable squeezed into the seat.

Xia Zhili's fingers covered her nose, as if trying not to laugh while making an effort to hold it in.

Wen Shuangmu stood in the aisle next to their seats, holding onto a hanging strap, swaying back and forth with the crowd as the bus braked and accelerated.

Wen Shuangmu struggled to adjust the strap of her backpack on her arm and said, "You two chat, don't mind me."

Xia Zhili and Lu Jing both glanced at her simultaneously, then looked at each other, responded with an "Oh," and immediately fell silent again.

Wen Shuangmu wasn't bothered and remarked to Wu Xiaoqi: "Want to bet? Even though they're not talking now, their hearts are probably racing."

Wu Xiaoqi: "I don't think it looks that way."

"You don't understand," Wen Shuangmu said in a tone of someone with experience. "If you don't believe me, look at the progress bar yourself."

Wu Xiaoqi pulled up the little egret badge and looked: "This can't be right, the value hasn't changed at all."

Wen Shuangmu frowned: "How is that possible?"

The mission of the antagonist in a campus novel is to break up the main couple, and Lu Jing was her chosen target for development. As long as Xia Zhili developed any feelings of fondness or attraction towards Lu Jing at this moment, it would become an obstacle affecting Xia Zhili's eventual love for Su Qiyan. In her estimation, the antagonist value should have shown at least a +1 or +2 fluctuation.

Mainly because with such a handsome guy sitting next to her, it would be unscientific for there to be no ripples at all.

Wu Xiaoqi thought for a moment and said: "Maybe this is the final strength and stubbornness of an ice queen type beauty."

Wen Shuangmu stared thoughtfully at Xia Zhili's beautiful profile as she gazed out the window: "Looks like we'll need to spice things up a bit next time..."

Lu Jing, who had been scrolling through his phone's chat page, suddenly lifted his eyelids and said, looking at the crowded passengers in front: "Did someone just take a photo? I think I saw a flash."

"Huh?" Xia Zhili was confused. "I don't think so."

Wen Shuangmu looked around but didn't notice anything unusual: "What's there to photograph on a bus? It was probably just sunlight reflecting, you must have seen wrong."

Lu Jing felt it wasn't natural light, but thinking that Wen Shuangmu's explanation made sense, he put it out of his mind.

The short two-stop bus ride quickly arrived at their destination, and the three of them came to the bookstore on the second floor of the mall.

The air conditioning in the bookstore was in full blast, even cooler than the mall's main hall, with quite a few middle and high school aged boys and girls walking around.

Xia Zhili was quick in selecting textbooks for Wen Shuangmu, picking out a few language basics and classical Chinese handbooks that she often used.

Lu Jing initially just looked around and touched things here and there on the side, but when they finished selecting books, he took the initiative to carry the books for them, and then began his recommendation session.

He led Wen Shuangmu to another book section: "See what type you like, humanities, or social sciences. If you just want to accumulate material, I feel reading newspapers and magazines would be faster for getting information. Reading these books properly takes time and the effects are slow to show."

"It's okay, we're only in first year of high school, we can take it slow," Wen Shuangmu said, imperceptibly switching positions with Xia Zhili, ostensibly to prevent Xia Zhili from feeling left out, but actually to make her stand closer to Lu Jing.

Lu Jing didn't notice and nodded, leading them to the shelves in the middle.

His fingertips glided over the colorful book spines, then stopped.

"Have you read Neil Postman's 'Amusing Ourselves to Death'? It provides quite a few perspectives on looking at things, I think it's pretty good..."

"Fei Xiaotong's 'From the Soil' is also a classic. This kind of social science book mainly cultivates a sociological perspective on issues..."

"Ah, 'Soulstealers' is one I just read this summer vacation. It's about Chinese history in 1768 written by a foreigner, Philip Kuhn. During that period, there was a sorcery panic in China. If you want to learn some history and culture beyond textbooks, you can start with this kind of book, it's quite readable..."

Wen Shuangmu had been pretending to listen attentively all along, but the smile on her face was starting to become strained.

Lu Jing and Xia Zhili, one talking about Postman and Fei Xiaotong, the other about Márquez and Maugham, were truly a perfect match, covering all those books she had only heard of but never read in college.

Compared to Wen Shuangmu's feigned interest, Xia Zhili seemed to be the one genuinely listening to what Lu Jing was saying.

At first, she was just listening, not expressing opinions due to unfamiliarity with Lu Jing, but when Lu Jing got to talking about the "ego," "id," and "superego" in Freud's "The Interpretation of Dreams," it was a topic she really liked, and she couldn't help but engage in an animated discussion with Lu Jing.

Wen Shuangmu had also learned about "ego," "id," and "superego" in her high school politics class, but it was nowhere near as deep as what they were discussing now!

So how could these people manage to be so well-read on one hand, and still rank in the top ten of their grade on the other? Didn't doing practice questions take time?!

Don't the "Wu San" and "Wang Houxiong" series of practice books deserve some respect?!

To give Lu Jing and Xia Zhili space for their spiritual exchange, Wen Shuangmu quietly retreated, hiding behind another bookshelf.

Looking at the two who seemed to have found kindred spirits and were regretting not meeting earlier, Wen Shuangmu called out to Wu Xiaoqi: "Quick, see if there's any change in the values."

Wu Xiaoqi: "Nope, still 40%."

Wen Shuangmu: "..."

These two were chatting so engrossingly that they didn't even notice one person had disappeared. Anyone who didn't know better would think they were soulmates. Could it be that while their mouths were full of Freud and "From the Soil," their hearts were truly filled with socialist brotherly and sisterly love?

Even living Buddhas couldn't be as detached as they were.

Wen Shuangmu turned her head and decided to wander over to the youth bestseller section.

Wu Xiaoqi was caught off guard: "Host, are you giving up just like that?"

Wen Shuangmu said: "My experience and psychological journey simply can't apply to them. I need to reference how other people fall in love and cultivate feelings."

Wu Xiaoqi: "?"

Wen Shuangmu arrived at the romance bestseller section and pulled a quick transmigration novel from the shelf: "How can these two be so calm and unaffected? Back then, for me, forget about sitting side by side on a bus. Just being able to hitch a ride in Su Qiyan's private car to go to school together, even if he sat in the front passenger seat and I sat in the back, my heart would be racing all day."

Wu Xiaoqi saw Wen Shuangmu's casual, chatty tone and initially wanted to say that perhaps the host's expectations for Su Qiyan were too low and her demands too few, but after thinking for a moment, changed to comforting words: "Lu Jing has an initial value of 40%, so I guess this kind of ordinary youth campus bumping and friction doesn't provide enough stimulation for them."

"Yeah," Wen Shuangmu agreed, flipping through the book with quite a sigh. "So I need to see in which aspects it would be more appropriate to spice things up."

Wu Xiaoqi suggested: "Host, why don't you switch to a few pure campus novels? Although these quick transmigration novels have campus storylines, they generally focus more on plot, and the romance lines are rough."

Wen Shuangmu raised an eyebrow: "There are such considerations?"

She inserted the novel back into the gap in the middle of the shelf, her fingertips moving towards another layer of youth romance section. Her index finger had just hooked the top of a book spine, not yet having pulled the book down, when she heard a clear voice from across the aisle—

"This one is mediocre."

"?"

Wen Shuangmu turned her head towards the source of the voice.

Lu Jing had appeared at some point, holding a stack of books in his arms, probably all selected to recommend to her.

Wen Shuangmu hadn't reacted to what Lu Jing had just said was mediocre, her fingertips unconsciously moving a bit to the side, when she heard him say: "This one is also very strange."

"..."

Wen Shuangmu felt like she couldn't quite keep up with human thought processes. Following Lu Jing's line of sight to the bookshelf, she belatedly realized that Lu Jing seemed to be commenting on the two novels she had just touched.

Wen Shuangmu's expression was subtle, the three words almost squeezed out of her mouth after much internal struggle: "How so?"

Lu Jing shrugged and walked closer: "The male lead was held back a year in school for fighting, and as far as I know, this kind of disciplinary record is hard to erase and stays on file for life, but he ended up being admitted to Tsinghua or Peking University in the end."

Wen Shuangmu: "!"

How rigorous!

Suppressing her shock, Wen Shuangmu casually pointed at another book and asked, "What about this one?"

Lu Jing bent down slightly to confirm the flashy, barely recognizable title on the spine. As if recalling some cringe-worthy plot, he frowned and straightened up: "I only read two pages of that one. I heard it sells well, so maybe the rest is okay, but the male lead keeps calling the female lead 'kid,' which felt weird to me. I couldn't continue."

Hearing this, Wen Shuangmu almost wanted to shake Lu Jing's hand in excitement.

Heaven knows how large her inner shadow had grown after unlocking Zhou Yu's storyline twice in the past few days.

Wen Shuangmu was starting to forgive the lack of progress in Lu Jing and Xia Zhili's relationship.

Xia Zhili loved reading famous novels from home and abroad, often with endless explicit descriptions, while Lu Jing was well-versed in various popular romance bestsellers. Despite their outward appearance as proper school students, it would be strange if their hearts hadn't gone wild.

After some thought, Wen Shuangmu decided to cater to his interests and casually probed: "So after reading so many romance novels, do you have a favorite?"

Lu Jing felt a bit perverse being asked such a question: "...I wouldn't say I like them. I've just read those few, and you happened to point them all out."

Disappointed, Wen Shuangmu lost interest in picking more books. She glanced behind him and asked, "Where's Xia Zhili? I don't see her."

Lu Jing replied, "I just recommended 'The Second Sex' to her. She probably wants to buy it too, so she's still over there looking."

Wen Shuangmu nodded: "Let's go find her then."

Wen Shuangmu and Lu Jing found Xia Zhili, and the three of them went to the cashier to check out.

Wen Shuangmu had a great haul. While waiting for Xia Zhili to finish paying, she stood in the aisle and replied to a text from Driver Chen.

As she caught sight of the two coming out from the corner of her eye, she was about to pick up the bag on the temporary shelf when a fair, slender arm flashed before her eyes.

This time, besides the red string on his wrist, Wen Shuangmu noticed a small red mole near Lu Jing's wrist bone.

In addition to the bag he was carrying for her, Lu Jing also had Xia Zhili's.

Lu Jing said, "I'll give them back to you when we leave."

Wen Shuangmu didn't stand on ceremony and simply replied, "Thanks."

As they left the bookstore, Wen Shuangmu heard Wu Xiaoqi repeatedly exclaiming: "Little Egret is really so well-behaved!"

"So cute."

"So kind."

"Such a gentleman."

The compliments kept coming one after another.

Wen Shuangmu silently mouthed the words "Little Egret" to herself, still finding it odd.

She perked up a bit and said, "I've noticed you really do favor Lu Jing, huh?"

Wu Xiaoqi: "Well, what can I say? Some people's handsomeness can transcend racial barriers."

Wen Shuangmu let out a light chuckle, but before her smile could fully form, Lu Jing curiously pointed out, "What are you laughing at?"

Wen Shuangmu froze for a moment, meeting Lu Jing's straight, pitch-black gaze. Without much thought, she stuck to her usual "when in doubt, just compliment" approach: "My brother has a wristband like yours. My mom got it for him at Qiming Temple before. But he got super tan at the beach around that time, and I thought it was the string's fault for looking so bad on him. I didn't expect it would look so good on you."

Lu Jing looked down at the red string on his wrist: "I only recently found it and started wearing it. I originally wanted to see if it could ward off evil, but it doesn't seem to work."

Xia Zhili, probably finding Lu Jing's explanation too amusing, couldn't help but interject: "If you think it doesn't work, why are you still wearing it?"

Lu Jing didn't answer immediately. He smiled before saying, "For peace of mind, I guess."

As the three walked towards the escalator, they passed by a Miniso store. Lu Jing suddenly stopped.

"Want to take a look inside?"

Wen Shuangmu was taken aback, realizing Lu Jing was looking in Xia Zhili's direction when he asked this.

Xia Zhili also looked a bit surprised. She had only glanced at the store earlier, thinking about buying some new hair ties, but considering there were three of them, she didn't want to inconvenience everyone by making them wait. She hadn't said anything, so she was surprised Lu Jing had noticed: "Sure, why not?"

Wen Shuangmu leisurely followed behind them as they entered.

Xia Zhili went to the accessories section and picked out a few hair tie styles to compare. Probably feeling awkward about choosing such personal items in front of people she wasn't close with, she seemed hesitant.

Lu Jing, oblivious to her discomfort, directly handed her one he thought looked nice, saying, "This one's really good. Want to try it?"

With that simple sentence, the atmosphere immediately lightened.

Wen Shuangmu observed from the side.

He's quite smooth.

Although it might not lead to instant passion, with this level of attentiveness, the slow-burn romance route would definitely work!

As Wen Shuangmu was envisioning their future, she saw Lu Jing turn and walk towards her: "Is there nothing you want to buy?"

As he spoke, he casually picked up a headband from the shelf: "This seems like it would suit you well. Want to try it on?"

His tone was overly familiar, exactly the same as when he had suggested Xia Zhili "try" earlier.

Wen Shuangmu: "...Are you always this attentive when shopping with girls?"

Lu Jing coughed lightly and put the headband back: "It's mainly because my mom often drags me out shopping. Every time she finds something she likes, she pretends to hesitate about whether to buy it or not. If you don't compliment her a few times to help her make up her mind, she might make you shop for another two hours..."

Mom...

Wen Shuangmu silently rubbed her brow: "It's fine to say that in front of me, but don't say it in front of Xia Zhili."

Lu Jing: "?"

Afraid he might look at her with those bright eyes and ask "why," Wen Shuangmu simply avoided eye contact and ran to find Xia Zhili: "Have you picked something? Let me treat you both to bubble tea downstairs."

The mall had seven or eight different bubble tea brands, and Wen Shuangmu had originally planned to just find one on the basement floor. But Lu Jing just had to mention that a new Wu Fu Shang Tea House had opened on the next street and he wanted to try it. Xia Zhili, unfortunately, chimed in with an enthusiastic "Yay!" This made Wen Shuangmu's subsequent suggestion of "Let's not go out to avoid unnecessary dangers" seem a bit excessive.

Wen Shuangmu checked the address on her navigation app and saw it was on a proper restaurant street, which finally put her mind at ease.

At just past 6 PM on a summer evening, the sky was still bright, but the sunlight wasn't as scorching as at noon.

There weren't many people at the entrance of Wu Fu Shang Tea House, making Wen Shuangmu think business wasn't good. But after getting a number, she realized they were already more than 20 people down the queue. Everyone was just eating at nearby restaurants while waiting.

Unable to stay idle without stirring up something, Wen Shuangmu stood around for a while, looked around, and set her sights on a target: "The cream puffs at that dessert shop up ahead look pretty good. Why don't you two wait here for the bubble tea while I go buy some cream puffs?"

Lu Jing didn't think much of it: "Alright, bring back a few more then."

Hearing Lu Jing's agreement, Wen Shuangmu thought he must already be calculating how to get her to go far away so he could be alone with his goddess.

She hadn't expected herself to be so considerate, beating him to the punch.

As she left, Wen Shuangmu gave Lu Jing a deep, hopeful look.

Whether it's physical or verbal flirting, please be more assertive and unleash your personal charm. You must live up to that 40% initial value!

Wen Shuangmu went to the dessert shop, unhurriedly sat down to try two cakes, then had the staff pack up quite a few more. When she felt enough time had passed, she finally headed out.

From a distance, she saw some people standing at the entrance of Wu Fu Shang Tea House. Wen Shuangmu thought the number of customers had increased.

As she got closer, she gradually realized something was wrong.

A man in a floral tank top and gold chain was standing in front of Xia Zhili, raising his hand to touch her arm, but Xia Zhili quickly dodged.

The man wasn't annoyed: "Why are you dodging? Brother's got a private room at the KTV next door. Want to come play with us?"

Several guys with dyed yellow and green hair laughed along, scaring away the passersby who had originally wanted to buy bubble tea.

Xia Zhili tried to escape with the crowd, but the man playfully let out an occasional "Hey!" to block her path, not letting her go anywhere.

Wen Shuangmu stopped seven or eight meters away, frowning: "We avoided the ten thugs from the original text, and now five more pop up. Trash never arrives late, huh?"

Luckily, she had arranged a second line of defense.

Wen Shuangmu's gaze swept behind Xia Zhili, expecting to see a heroic rescue scene—

Damn it,

Where's Lu Jing!

Where the hell is Lu Jing!!!

Wu Xiaoqi was clearly shocked as well: "...My little Xia Zhili wouldn't have run away first, would she?"

Wen Shuangmu had trouble digesting this fact and didn't respond for a moment. Wu Xiaoqi continued: "Host, what should we do now?"

Wen Shuangmu looked down at the time on her phone.

18:30, an hour and twenty minutes after school let out.

Su Qiyan wouldn't pass by here at this time.

It seemed like there was no real need to save her.

As long as Xia Zhili and Su Qiyan didn't cross paths,

The rest had nothing to do with Wen Shuangmu.

Wen Shuangmu turned around.

The mixed noises continued behind her.

"Don't be afraid, just play with us brothers for a while. We'll treat you to drinks later."

Xia Zhili was still relatively calm at this point: "Don't come any closer, or I'll call the police."

The man laughed: "Go ahead and call. I dare you. Want to bet we'll block your way home from school every night?"

Wen Shuangmu stopped in her tracks, her eyes fixed straight ahead at the setting sun.

The pig's trotter hand with the big gold chain slowly rested on Xia Zhili's shoulder.

The faces of the yellow and green-haired thugs revealed knowing smirks.

In a flash, a schoolbag slammed heavily into Mr. Gold Chain's face.

Wen Shuangmu had returned at some point, looking down at the fallen Mr. Gold Chain, and said to Wu Xiaoqi: "Give me the black belt karate buff card."

Wu Xiaoqi exclaimed excitedly: "Received!"

With a "ding", 10 points were deducted, and the system notified that the function card had been credited.

The yellow and green-haired thugs by the roadside saw their boss get hit, exchanged glances, and instinctively charged forward.

Xia Zhili cried out in alarm: "Watch out!"

But Wen Shuangmu didn't even blink. She tossed her dessert bag aside and moved forward unhurriedly. Her school uniform skirt fluttered with the air currents of her movements as she took down one thug with each step.

Then she picked up the ones on the ground and continued to take them down.

Xia Zhili: "!"

Wu Xiaoqi had been cheering Wen Shuangmu on, when suddenly it noticed something and shouted: "Holy crap, Host! The villain value on your badge keeps rising! It's at 42%, now 45%, now 50%!!!"

Wu Xiaoqi set off celebratory fireworks in Wen Shuangmu's mind.

[Main quest: "Save that female lead."]

[Current progress: 10/10, completed.]

[Final reward: 10 points exchanged based on the increase in villain value.]

Wen Shuangmu expressed her lack of understanding.

She understood the task was completed, as she had indeed saved the person. But how did this villain value correspond? Lu Jing was nowhere to be seen and hadn't done anything, so how had it increased by 10?

However, the pain in her knuckles distracted her, and she couldn't focus on that for now.

She raised the back of her hand to look at it, figuring it must have been scratched by Mr. Gold Chain's necklace. There were several small cuts.

The cuts weren't deep, but they stung badly.

Wen Shuangmu clicked her tongue, saw another yellow-haired thug charging at her, and decided to take out her frustration on him. She put all her strength into a punch aimed at his stomach.

She had to admit, using the buff felt pretty good.

Wen Shuangmu fought her way to the steps of a closed shop.

From the corner of her eye, she noticed a pair of black shoes on the steps take a step back. Wen Shuangmu looked up.

This glance nearly sent Wen Shuangmu to her grave.

"Why are you here?"

Zhou Yu had a cigarette between his lips, its tip glowing red.

He didn't have time to question how she knew him. He pinched out the cigarette with two fingers, tactfully making room for her, and added a disclaimer: "I'm not with them."

Wen Shuangmu: "..."

How annoying. If she had known this guy was here, she wouldn't have intervened.

Zhou Yu inexplicably felt a chill down his spine, feeling as if the karate girl was about to bore a hole through him with her stare, or perhaps swing her fist at his face.

However, reality proved that while she wasn't as brutal as he had imagined, she came pretty close.

For each person the karate girl took down next, she piled them at his feet. Before he knew it, there were three of them stacked up.

It felt very much like she was doing it on purpose for him to see.

Zhou Yu was starting to feel like he wanted to leave.

Lu Jing came out of the popcorn shop across the street and saw a group of people fighting in the distance, with someone wearing a Mingli school uniform among them. He ran over frantically, spilling popcorn all the way: "What's going on? What happened? Who are all these people?"

Wen Shuangmu was standing there, shaking her hand to ease the pain.

Hearing Lu Jing's voice, she turned her head to look at him with a hint of concern.

After scanning him up and down, she finally managed to say: "You might as well not have come."

At the club a hundred meters away.

Su Lin was squatting alone on the stairs smoking. Seeing Zhou Yu come up by himself, he blew out a smoke ring and joked: "Didn't you say you saw your little spitfire on the first floor? Why didn't you bring her up?"

Zhou Yu's mind flashed back to the fight scene he had just witnessed: "...Because I encountered another Scotch bonnet pepper."