After Dumping the Female Lead, It's My Turn to Cry - Chapter 31.2

Previously, Ruan Yubai thought she had an advantage because she knew the general plot. Even if she could not escape the destined events, at least she knew where they were heading.

But this draw result shattered her naive thinking. The yellow ball felt like a mocking face, grinning and gloating at her.

Ruan Yubai felt powerless.

However, she did not have much time to think. Almost as soon as the drawing ended, she was dragged off for cheerleader training.

The fabric of the skirt was incredibly thin. For a moment, Ruan Yubai had the absurd suspicion that a leather factory boss had run off and started a side business making these skirts as a failed secondary product line.

But the other members accepted the skirts just fine. Some of the boys even modified their skorts to be three centimeters shorter, which made Ruan Yubai too embarrassed to complain.

After one session, a Beta named Dian Hong draped an arm over Ruan Yubai’s shoulder, wiping away sweat with a towel as they walked away.

The two had been paired together by the teacher for training. When they practiced late, they would grab a meal together, making them casual acquaintances who chatted from time to time.

“Ruan the Cute, how much did you pay to get into this squad?” Dian Hong asked in a low voice once she saw no one was around.

You can pay to get into this draw?

The state of student camaraderie was a bit too corrupt!

Ruan Yubai thought for a moment and said hesitantly, “Five hundred Interstellar Credits?”

Since she was not very familiar with the market rates, she intentionally aimed a bit high. However, she saw the previously composed Dian Hong’s eyes widen in disbelief. “Five hundred Interstellar Credits?”

Was that really too much?

Ruan Yubai scratched her head sheepishly, about to explain, but then she heard Dian Hong click her tongue. “Your luck is just too good. Which honest soul bled that much money just to win a smile from a little cutie like you?”

As she spoke, Dian Hong sized her up carefully. After exercising, the girl’s cheeks were a clear, pale pink, looking as though a gentle squeeze would release sweet fruit juice.

After washing her face, transparent drops of water still clung to her eyelashes, trembling with every blink. Her eyes were a full, round apricot shape. When she felt embarrassed, she would give a shy smile, the soft flesh at the corners of her mouth pulling upward. The way her brows curved into crescents made anyone feel better just by looking at her.

Not to mention her slender yet supple legs and her beautifully shaped figure.

Well, Dian Hong thought silently, it was indeed possible that someone would be willing to pay a fortune.

She fell silent, making Ruan Yubai curious instead. “Then how much did you pay?”

Dian Hong held up six fingers and said listlessly, “Take a guess.”

Ruan Yubai: “Six hundred?”

“Six thousand.”

This time it was Ruan Yubai’s turn to be dumbstruck. She rubbed her eyes, almost suspecting she was hallucinating. “That much!”

Heavens, that was enough to sponsor her earthworm gummies for a whole year.

“That is not even a lot,” Dian Hong whispered, pointing toward a hardworking Omega practicing intensely in the center of the training room. She pursed her lips. “You might not know, but Tu Xinyao spent twenty thousand. Her family wants her to marry a widower who has already outlived three wives after she graduates. This time is a last stand for her. She wants to find a powerful, top tier Alpha boyfriend so she can at least cancel her previous engagement.”

Sweat was already flowing onto the floor like a stream, yet Tu Xinyao remained focused on her own face in the mirror. You could wring a handful of water out of her clothes. Once the sun dried the floor, layers of fine salt frost would likely form.

The two watched silently for a moment, losing interest in chatting.

Ruan Yubai sighed softly. Honestly, she could not blame Tu Xinyao for acting this way.

[Archery, as a project that requires immense initial training costs, does not see as many applicants as track and field, badminton, or even the General Knowledge Quiz. The venue looks quiet, but the surrounding audience is the largest, because most contestants who dare to sign up for archery are from elite families; they are either rich or noble.]

Just looking at that description from the novel, it was clear that the contestants participating in the archery competition had already been filtered once. Ruan Yubai did not have much interaction with Tu Xinyao, but they had bumped into each other a few times.

She vaguely remembered a time she happened to encounter the other girl walking out of the Class D entrance. Tu Xinyao had glanced at Ruan Yubai’s uniform, her smile instantly vanishing as she brushed past coldly.

Laurels seemed vibrant, but the invisible hierarchy was extremely distinct. Even two adjacent classes would engage in a cutthroat struggle of social status.

Ruan Yubai was used to being a “salted fish.” At the time, facing such a look did not sting. Once she went back to reading her novels, she had long since put such an interlude out of her mind.

Come to think of it, it was no wonder someone like her could only be an affectionate cannon fodder supporting character.

But in any case, most people participating in the archery competition were from Class A or Class B. If Tu Xinyao could truly find a decent Alpha to settle down with, it would perhaps be a better outcome than that widower.

The reason she thought “perhaps” was because one hour before the competition began, Ruan Yubai was cornered by the male lead’s gang of lackeys.

[Having just finished the triathlon, these young boys did not even have time to collect their awards before they rushed to Nan Zhuti’s competition venue, wanting to cheer for their boss. However, because they were too excited and got the time wrong, they teased a sweet cheerleader until the actual start of the competition.]

The “sweet girl” Ruan Yubai: Dammit!

It was also Ruan Yubai’s fault for being too gluttonous. Just now, the other cheerleader members were busy with final stretching and warm ups, but she was still lingering over the last piece of dorayaki.

Well, usually it would not come to this, but lately Ms. Ruan had been tightening her control over her allowance. Never mind other novels; even this one dorayaki was a precious snack she had saved up for three months to buy.

Discard it halfway through just to go warm up?

Impossible. If her dorayaki was going to be thrown into the trash, it would have to be over her cold, dead body!

“Hey girl, you are that lying Beta who got my brothers locked up, aren’t you?” An Alpha with dyed pink hair leaned casually against a locker, making a sharp clicking sound.

Another guy with a buzz cut clearly had a worse temper. He kicked the pink haired guy aside and grabbed her ponytail, pulling her toward him. “If you know what is good for you, sleep with me once, and we will call this even.”

The pink haired guy was not as strong as him and glared back indignantly. But when he saw the girl’s brow furrow in pain, his resentment was suddenly suppressed, replaced by a deeper, darker desire.

The empty room was filled with bright sunlight, making the Beta’s skirt look lively and youthful. The way her tongue carefully licked away the red bean crumbs was like a cat, clingy and cute.

But when two bulky Alpha shadows blocked out most of the sun, leaving only a few silken threads of light, the scene took on a completely different tone.

One might not notice in full daylight, but only with this contrast of light and shadow did the translucency of her skin become apparent, soft as fine white porcelain. Even when her hair was being pulled, she did not scream and ruin the mood. Her pure eyes held a pool of crystalline tears. Although she said nothing, she looked as if she were piteously and silently begging for mercy.

Damn, she’s really something, the buzz cut spat. No wonder she managed to lure Zhang San, who had seen countless Omegas, into a ditch.

Unlike a high class beauty like Qing Ling, the feeling Ruan Yubai inspired was not a desire for conquest; or rather, it was not just a desire to conquer. It was a destructive urge that could not be spoken aloud.

It was pathological, yet she looked so innocent.

The “innocent” Ruan Yubai bit her lip hard, her fingers clenching as if in panic. In reality, her fingertips had already hooked onto a blade hidden beneath her wristband.

Seriously, is this ever going to end?

Ever since she encountered the crazed Nan Zhuge last time, Ruan Yubai had wised up. Unlike the “silly, sweet, and naive” heroines in ordinary novels who are rescued by the male lead, if a cannon fodder is “silly, sweet, and naive,” their final appearance will be on the crime page of the local news.

Even if she truly could not win, Ruan Yubai’s eyes seemed to flicker in fright, but her heart was hardening.

Even if she could not beat them, she would die trying to tear off at least a few of their “enoki mushrooms”!

The buzz cut had already let go of her hair to rip at her first button. Ruan Yubai gave a piteous smile toward the pink haired guy, whose expression was complicated.

Like a delicate flower covered in snow, or still water in a pond being stained by mud; drifting petals on the water surface quietly brushed past his fingertips. Before he could even feel the soft center, the contact was broken.

While the pink haired guy was dazed, Ruan Yubai used all her strength to stab downward.

“Student Ruan, what are you doing? The cheerleaders are all assembling. Do I have to personally come and call you?”

The buzz cut, whose thigh was now gushing blood, looked hideous and was about to swing a slap. However, he froze awkwardly in place at the sound of the impatient voice.

Dealing with a Beta was a small matter that could be hushed up later, but being caught on the spot by a teacher was a different story.

Especially since this was the day of a live-broadcasted event.

Of course, how could Ruan Yubai miss such a perfect opportunity?

No matter how “silly” she was, she responded nimbly at this moment. She ran between the two Alphas, who had venom in their eyes, and apologized repeatedly to the unsuspecting Beta teacher.

Even when they arrived at the competition venue, the teacher’s scolding did not stop. “What happened to you? Your hair is a mess, and you are missing a button. Did you eat the button for lunch too?”

Ruan Yubai did not offer a single word of rebuttal, only nodding obediently.

Seeing her like this, the teacher’s anger felt like a fist hitting a ball of cotton. The teacher could only rub their forehead with a headache and signal for her to hurry back.

The scolding was not particularly quiet. Aside from the cheerleaders, it also caught the attention of some contestants.

Qing Ling put down her string wax and walked over in a few steps. She unpinned her exquisite brooch and fastened it to Ruan Yubai’s chest, her voice very faint. “Who did this?”

Who did this?

The fan club of your future boyfriend came to my door to “punish evil and promote good,” that’s who.

Ruan Yubai knew she was venting her frustration a little, but she naturally would not say these thoughts out loud. she only shook her head vaguely, said a quick word of thanks, and hurried back to join the ranks of her team.

The ponytail she had barely managed to tie up traced a light arc in the wind. Even from this distance, one could spot the abnormalities.

Qing Ling withdrew her hand thoughtfully and looked toward the other end of the venue, happening to lock eyes with Nan Zhuti, who was frowning at the person beside him.

The person beside him had a buzz cut and was cursing as he clutched a piece of gauze, fresh blood still seeping from the wound on his leg.

She withdrew her gaze.

Ruan Yubai probably did not know she had a habit: when she was nervous, she always liked to look elsewhere.

Specifically, toward the places where she was trying to hide the truth.

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