Achieving A Happy Ending With The Tragic Female Lead [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 91

Qiao Xinyue was a bit hesitant about where to put the little paper effigy.

Summer clothes were thin and form-fitting, her top had no pockets, and stuffing it into her pants pocket felt a bit awkward.

“Are you afraid of the dark? Is it okay if I put you in my bag?” Qiao Xinyue asked.

Su Mi, currently acting as “Paper Effigy No. 3,” simply hugged Qiao Xinyue’s finger silently and shook her head. Though she didn’t speak, her actions clearly expressed her refusal.

“Well, I can’t exactly hold you all the time,” Qiao Xinyue muttered softly.

Su Mi let go of her hand and climbed up the back of her palm to her wrist bone, pressing herself firmly against the skin.

“Eh?” Qiao Xinyue raised her hand in surprise and gave it a shake, finding that the paper man didn’t budge at all. Furthermore, there was no discomfort on her wrist, it felt like a bracelet, cool and refreshing.

Having solved that problem, Qiao Xinyue grabbed her backpack and prepared to go downstairs.

After meeting up with the club members, everyone decided to get something to eat first and then decide on the next activity based on the situation.

It was currently evening; the twilight was deepening, and the afterglow of the setting sun spread out in vast patches.

The surrounding area was a tourist commercial district. It was peak travel season, and the ancient riverside streets and shops were crowded with people.

Qiao Xinyue and her group found a restaurant that looked full of local character and went inside. A staff member led them to their seats.

While ordering, someone suggested getting alcohol, but thinking about the activities to follow, they decided against it.

Sitting next to Qiao Xinyue was Xu Yingying, a girl she was close with in the club. On her other side was that rather noisy junior fellow student.

The junior poured a glass of juice and said he wanted to propose a toast. Qiao Xinyue felt reluctant in her heart, but she felt that since they had to spend many more days together, she shouldn’t make the relationship too strained, at least things had to look okay on the surface.

So, she slowly raised her hand to pick up her glass. But just as her hand was halfway there, she suddenly felt a force of resistance on her wrist, preventing her from moving forward even half an inch.

At that moment, Su Mi raised her paper head to glare at the junior with ill intentions. Realizing Qiao Xinyue was watching her, she pretended as if nothing had happened and turned back, pressing herself flat against the girl’s wrist again.

“Senior?” the junior asked.

“Oh… I think my rheumatism might be acting up. I can’t lift the glass,” Qiao Xinyue fabricated a random excuse.

Faced with such a clumsy excuse, the junior gave a sheepish smile and stopped pressuring her.

At this time, Xu Yingying, who had been chatting with someone else, suddenly turned around. “Xinyue, the others just saw that there’s a small event at the nearby plaza. Let’s go check it out together later.”

As Xu Yingying spoke, she reached out to rest her hand on Qiao Xinyue’s shoulder. The next instant, however, her expression suddenly twisted in pain, and she jerked her hand back.

“What’s wrong?” Qiao Xinyue was startled.

“Ah, nothing, nothing. My hand just seemed to cramp up.” Xu Yingying lowered her head and rubbed her arm; fortunately, the discomfort vanished quickly.

Qiao Xinyue instinctively glanced at her wrist. She saw the little paper man lying there quietly, but she had a strong feeling it had just done something again.

Her intuition was confirmed over the next few minutes. Whenever the two people beside her tried to make a move to get close to her, various “accidents” would occur.

Toward the end of the meal, Qiao Xinyue got up to go to the restroom.

Since there weren’t many people in the restaurant at the moment, the restroom was empty. Qiao Xinyue entered the innermost stall and locked the door. She raised her wrist, poked the little paper man that only she could see, and asked in a low voice: “Were you the one playing tricks just now?”

Acting as a paper effigy, Su Mi remained silent and did not react.

Su Mi watched as the girl poked her again, using a semi-threatening tone: “You’ll scare my friends if you keep doing that. If you do it again, I won’t take you out with me next time.”

Hearing this, Su Mi turned her body to face Qiao Xinyue. Her tiny paper hands lightly rested on the girl’s finger, and she tilted her head slightly.

Friends? Which friend is she talking about?

Seeing the little paper man acting this way, Qiao Xinyue suddenly cleared her throat and softened her heavy tone: “It’s not good to play tricks on people. It’s a bad habit. Don’t learn such things from that ‘King’ of yours.”

Su Mi really wanted to ask when she had ever played tricks on her, but she couldn’t reveal herself yet. She could only continue being a little mute, reaching out to tap Qiao Xinyue’s hand.

Seeing this scene, Qiao Xinyue forgot the basket of words she had prepared. The corners of her mouth couldn’t help but curl upward. She opened her palm and patted the little paper man’s head. “I’m not scolding you. I’m just saying this behavior isn’t great.”

Qiao Xinyue seemed to be very susceptible to this kind of behavior. So, Su Mi hesitated for a moment before lowering her head again and rubbing it against the girl’s palm.

The former immediately laughed happily. “You little ones are much cuter, way more well-behaved and adorable than your master.”

The “adorable and well-behaved” Su Mi almost failed to keep up her act upon hearing that.

By the time Qiao Xinyue returned, everyone had finished eating and was discussing where to go next, specifically the place Xu Yingying had mentioned earlier, a plaza about seven or eight hundred meters away.

Ultimately, everyone agreed and decided to head to the activity plaza to take a look.

Twilight had fully fallen, and colorful lanterns were lit along the streets. The surrounding area was filled with shops and stalls selling small ornaments and handmade crafts, and people from all over could be seen on the road.

They walked along the street until they reached the plaza.

A large crowd had already gathered around the perimeter. When they arrived, a group of young girls dressed in deep blue ethnic costumes were dancing in the center of the plaza. Their movements were perfectly synchronized, and the silver ornaments hanging on their bodies swayed with every step.

According to the people around them, these were people from the nearby Thirteen Villages. Their performance was a way to promote their village and invite tourists to visit.

None of them had brought their cameras to dinner, so they couldn’t help but feel a bit regretful that they couldn’t capture these scenes.

Midway through the performance, someone came out carrying ox-horn cups filled with a transparent liquid. The host explained that this was a special “Guest Welcoming Wine,” signifying a warm welcome. They then began distributing the wine to the surrounding crowd in small paper cups.

The person distributing the wine was a young A-jie (elder sister). She handed the wine to tourists with a beaming smile. When it was Qiao Xinyue’s turn, her movements suddenly became stiff.

Qiao Xinyue was about to reach out to take the wine, but before her fingers could touch it, the paper cup suddenly slipped from the A-jie’s hand.

The cup hit the ground, half of the wine splashed onto the floor, while the other half splashed onto the hem of Qiao Xinyue’s clothes.

“Oh dear, I’m so sorry, little sister. Let me take you to change your clothes,” the woman said with an apologetic face.

“It’s okay,” Qiao Xinyue said, looking at her wet hem. “I’ll just wipe it with a tissue.”

But the woman was very persistent, saying that in their culture, spilling wine carried specific rules, she had to change into a new garment. She added that the changing area was in the building right next to them, and if Qiao Xinyue was worried, she could bring a companion along.

Minority ethnic groups in this region had many customs, something they had heard about before coming. So, after some coaxing, Qiao Xinyue and Xu Yingying followed her.

They followed the woman to a room not far from the plaza. When Qiao Xinyue prepared to change, Xu Yingying didn’t go inside but waited outside instead. The room was filled with various costumes, so while waiting, Xu Yingying naturally wandered around a bit.

The woman handed Qiao Xinyue a garment that looked brand new, indicating it was a free replacement for her.

“Thank you.” Qiao Xinyue took the clothes and prepared to change, but the woman didn’t leave the room. Qiao Xinyue couldn’t help but speak up: “Is there anything else?”

The woman lifted her face and gave a wide grin, her voice suddenly turning hoarse. “There is… I want to ask…”

For some reason, Qiao Xinyue felt a surge of panic. She suddenly dropped the clothes. “Thank you for your kindness, but I’m not changing.”

She moved to go around the woman and leave. At the same time, the woman’s face suddenly turned hideous as she reached out toward Qiao Xinyue. her eyeballs rolled upward, leaving only the whites, looking particularly terrifying.

Qiao Xinyue was frightened into taking a step back, but the woman’s hand couldn’t get an inch closer to her.

In a place Qiao Xinyue couldn’t see, Su Mi emerged from the paper body and stood between her and the woman.

“Begone!” Su Mi looked down coldly at the woman.

The woman suddenly clutched her own neck, her face flushing bright red. After a moment, she collapsed into a faint.

Su Mi turned around, looking at the terrified Qiao Xinyue behind her.

How dare she just walk away with a stranger like that? She has that kind of courage, yet she’s afraid of me.

Outside, Xu Yingying noticed that the woman who brought the clothes hadn’t come out for a long time. Feeling suspicious, she walked inside.

“Xinyue, are you done?”

She quickly reached the changing area and saw a room with its door half-open and the light on. She tried to push the door open, but before she could see the scene inside, Qiao Xinyue suddenly rushed out, grabbed her arm, and dragged her away.

“Eh?!” Although Xu Yingying didn’t know what had happened, she ran along.

It wasn’t until the two of them reached an area crowded with tourists that Qiao Xinyue finally breathed a sigh of relief, her heart still pounding.

“Wait, what… what exactly happened?” Xu Yingying rested her hands on her knees, panting heavily.

Qiao Xinyue didn’t know how to explain what she had encountered, so she could only say vaguely that the woman was a scammer trying to overcharge her and she ran out while the woman wasn’t looking.

“Whoa, I see! Good thing we ran fast.” Xu Yingying was a bit scatterbrained and didn’t question the explanation.

After this incident, Qiao Xinyue was in no mood to stay out, so she said she wanted to go back and rest.

Xu Yingying was understanding and informed the club members via her phone.

Several people from the club came over after hearing the news, including the junior. He wanted to offer to walk Qiao Xinyue back, but Xu Yingying and a few other girls, who weren’t comfortable letting Qiao Xinyue go back alone, beat him to it. They escorted Qiao Xinyue to the hotel entrance before leaving.

Back in her room, Qiao Xinyue was still a bit shaken. The two little paper men left in the room came hopping out.

“Little Madam, you and… are back!” Paper Effigy No. 1 hurriedly changed its phrasing under a prompt from No. 2.

Qiao Xinyue gave a casual response and then took the little paper man off her wrist. “Was it you who helped me stop her just now?”

Acting as a paper effigy, Su Mi nodded.

A trace of gratitude appeared on Qiao Xinyue’s face, which then made her think of the… ghost who had placed the paper men with her.

She could be somewhat open with these little paper men, but she found it difficult to face the ghost who had done those things to her.

It wasn’t just fear, it was mixed with some complicated, awkward emotions.

In short, Qiao Xinyue’s fondness for the little paper men skyrocketed. She held the paper man in her hand, leaned in, and rubbed her nose against it. “Thank you for today.”

The paper man’s movements paused for a moment before it slowly raised its hands to rub against her nose in return.

“Do you guys have names?” Qiao Xinyue turned and asked the group.

The paper men shook their heads, indicating that the King had never given them names.

“Is the Little Madam going to name us? I would definitely love that!”

“Me too, me too!”

In a great mood, Qiao Xinyue thought she couldn’t just keep calling them “hey” or “you” in the future, so she decided to give them names.

She gathered all the paper men together, lined them up on the bed, and then squatted by the bedside, resting her head on the edge of the mattress to look at them.

Qiao Xinyue pointed her finger at them, frowning in thought. “What should I call you?”

Suddenly, she had a flash of inspiration. “Let’s keep it simple!”

“Little One, Little Two,” and when it came to Su Mi, Qiao Xinyue said the name she had chosen loudly and with great certainty: “Little Three!”

Su Mi: “…”

That was a bit too simple.

Receiving the “baptism” of the King’s glare, the other paper men felt like they were facing a great enemy. “Little Madam, maybe that name isn’t very good…”

Qiao Xinyue didn’t think much of it. “You just said you would definitely love it.”

After finishing the naming, Qiao Xinyue’s mood was even better. She patted the paper men on their heads, told them to be good, and then took her clothes to go shower.

When she came out after her shower, she noticed that the paper men on the bed didn’t seem to be getting along very harmoniously.

Little One and Little Two were huddled together, heads touching, while Little Three sat alone in the distance, her back looking somewhat lonely and desolate.

“Why are you guys ostracizing Little Three?”