After Transmigrating into a Novel, I Am in a Relationship with My Scummy Ex-Girlfriend’s Mother - Chapter 5.1

When things start developing in a strange direction, they often catch everyone off guard.

For instance, Huo Qingzhuo could never have imagined that one day she would form a “trio” with Shen Junfu and Wei Qingqing.

The camaraderie among the three of them came about in a bizarre way. After a single meal together, they became die-hard “meal buddies.” They didn’t talk much; they simply gathered punctually whenever it was time to eat. Of course, Shen Junfu had also taken it upon herself to arrange for the three of them to move into the same dormitory room. This actually saved Huo Qingzhuo the trouble of having to deal with her former roommates back at the old dorm.

“It’s already been two days since school started. Why hasn’t Shen Junfu broken up with that person yet?”

“Not only that, they seem to be together all the time lately, looking quite close. And there’s that new girl too. It’s really strange.”

“And have you noticed? That Huo Qingzhuo seems to have changed a lot. I remember she used to be so timid, always hanging her head and not even daring to look up. Now, standing next to Shen Junfu and Wei Qingqing, she actually holds her own. It’s truly odd.”

“So her name is Huo Qingzhuo. This is the first time I’ve heard it.”

…

A crowd of people stood there discussing the topic with great fervor. Just around the corner, the subjects of their gossip—Huo Qingzhuo, Shen Junfu, and Wei Qingqing—were each holding a roujiamo (meat burger), listening with great interest.

“If they hadn’t reminded me, I would have almost forgotten that the two of us are still a couple,” Shen Junfu said with her usual carefree attitude. Mentioning this, she actually had the nerve to speak so casually.

Huo Qingzhuo rolled her eyes. To be honest, she had almost forgotten about it too. If the two female protagonists weren’t standing right beside her, she might have forgotten the plot entirely.

Recalling it now, Huo Qingzhuo suddenly realized she had overlooked a major event.

【007, is it currently the point in the original story where Shen Junfu and I are supposed to break up?】

In the original novel, Shen Junfu fell in love with Wei Qingqing at first sight and began pursuing her. Two days after school started, she dumped “Huo Qingzhuo.” Exactly two days had passed now.

【Yes. Why hasn’t the female lead brought up the breakup yet?】 007 realized the plot was straying further and further away, and that “plot repair” function seemed to be acting as if it were dead.

【That’s not important. The key is, can I be the one to initiate the breakup?】

Huo Qingzhuo didn’t care about the trivialities; she only cared about whether she could successfully break up with Shen Junfu.

【The node has arrived. If the host actively promotes the occurrence of the plot, you should still receive a reward. However, the decision to break up should ideally come from the female lead; otherwise, it might cause a plot discrepancy that could easily be detected by the Plot Corrector.】

007 offered advice within Huo Qingzhuo’s mind.

Huo Qingzhuo raised an eyebrow. Wasn’t that simple?

“Shen Junfu, you know, carrying this title of ‘couple’ isn’t really useful for us. As it happens, I have someone I like now, so you see…” Huo Qingzhuo chose her words carefully, stopping just short of explicit. She was very cautious not to mention the word “breakup,” merely guiding Shen Junfu to say it herself.

Shen Junfu looked slightly surprised and said with a touch of narcissism, “Whoa, you’re actually the first person to actively persuade me to break up. I’m curious, who exactly is this person you like? To think they could make you give me up—could they really be better than me?”

“Of course they are better than you,” Huo Qingzhuo replied without hesitation. Comparing Shu Yueqing to Shen Junfu was like comparing a piece of exquisite jade to a plate of braised pork.

Struck by Huo Qingzhuo’s blunt answer, Shen Junfu didn’t try to stop her. “Fine, fine. I won’t stand in the way of your pursuit of happiness. We’re broken up as of now. I’ll tell the others later so I don’t hold you back, right?”

“Thanks,” Huo Qingzhuo said, draping her arms over the shoulders of Shen Junfu and Wei Qingqing. “I’ll buy you guys drinks.”

“This is too much! Are you really that happy to break up with me? No way, you have to tell me who that person is. Who has so much charm that you’d cast me aside like an old shoe?”

Perhaps at this age, they hadn’t quite grown up yet, and the realities of society felt a bit like playing house. Becoming a couple or breaking up was just a matter of a few words. Furthermore, after not seeing each other for a whole summer, they had almost forgotten one another. Shen Junfu was still in the mood for playfulness and didn’t care at all.

“I’ll introduce you when there’s a chance. For now, it’s a secret.”

Having only met the person once, Huo Qingzhuo couldn’t say what the future held, so she didn’t dare speak of it carelessly.

“A secret? You actually dare to keep it a secret? No, one drink won’t cut it. You must accompany me tonight during evening self-study to climb over the wall and go for a round outside. I’ll take you both to a free feast!”

After being cooped up for two days, Shen Junfu couldn’t hold back anymore and tried to entice Huo Qingzhuo and Wei Qingqing to skip class with her.

“I can’t go. I only brought dresses, I can’t climb walls. Besides, the headteacher patrols during evening self-study. It would be terrible if we got caught, wouldn’t it?”

Although Wei Qingqing had become familiar with the two of them over the past few days, she was still a “good student” at heart. Combined with her elegant and polite upbringing, she was destined to never do something like climbing a wall.

“Fine, it’s inconvenient since you’re wearing a dress, so we’ll wait for next time,” Shen Junfu said, not one to force others. “But Huo Qingzhuo, don’t you think about running. Trust me, the headteacher—that ‘Bird Feather’—won’t come tonight. We’ll just go for a quick lap, eat, and come back. Nothing will happen.”

Huo Qingzhuo wasn’t exactly the type to settle down either. Hearing the suggestion, she felt an itch for adventure. “Do I even have a reason to refuse?”

The two shared a smile and decided on their plan for the night.

When the time came, taking advantage of the dinner break, the two of them quietly scaled the wall and left the school through a blind spot in the surveillance they had scoped out earlier.

Shen Junfu was well-versed in such matters and had even arranged for a taxi to be waiting just outside the wall.

“Where are we going?” Huo Qingzhuo felt at ease with Shen Junfu. After all, she was the protagonist; she wouldn’t do anything truly criminal.

“A friend of mine booked a venue today—a buffet restaurant. We’ll just slip in and eat, then leave once we’re full.”

Eating at the school cafeteria every day was making her nauseous. Shen Junfu had long wanted to find an opportunity to improve their diet.

It seems it’s just a bit of mischief between kids, Huo Qingzhuo thought, feeling relieved.

The two traveled from the suburban school all the way to the city center. The taxi stopped in front of a magnificent, glittering skyscraper.

Shen Junfu paid the fare, and the two entered the building, heading directly to the floor where the buffet restaurant was located.

Sure enough, it was already crowded. After Shen Junfu showed an electronic invitation to the security guard at the door, the two passed through smoothly.

All that remained was to eat to their heart’s content without any worries.

“I’m full. I’m going to the restroom, and then let’s head back.”

Huo Qingzhuo tapped Shen Junfu, who was happily chatting with a newly met young lady. The latter nodded absentmindedly and waved for Huo Qingzhuo to go ahead.

Huo Qingzhuo massaged her aching temples and headed for the restroom.

On the way, she happened to see the glass sightseeing elevator. Huo Qingzhuo cast a casual glance at the rising elevator and suddenly spotted a familiar figure.

“007, help me confirm if that is Shu Yueqing.” Human vision was limited, and Huo Qingzhuo wasn’t entirely certain.

007 didn’t understand why the host was so fixated on this Shu Yueqing, but since all its permissions had been modified to prioritize the host, it could only obey.

“Yes, Host,” 007 confirmed her suspicion.

“Help me see which floor they are going to.” Meeting like this was fate, and Huo Qingzhuo felt she was someone who knew how to seize an opportunity.

“Just the floor above,” 007 replied, feeling like a surveillance camera.

Huo Qingzhuo confirmed the location and looked upstairs. She glanced around; the two floors were connected, so there shouldn’t be any problem.

Following the nearby stairs up, before she could even look for a direction, she faintly heard the voices of Shu Yueqing and another person talking.

“Are you joking with me? For something this important, why didn’t you have the translator come earlier? How could they even end up stuck in a traffic jam?”

Shu Yueqing’s voice, usually cold and clear, was tinged with anger. Such a low-level mistake was particularly infuriating.

“President Shu, this was indeed our oversight. The translator is already rushing here as fast as possible and will try their best to ensure your time isn’t wasted.”

The person beside her was breaking into a cold sweat. Who could have known the translator was so bad with directions that they got lost, and now they were hit by the evening rush hour, unable to even make it back.

“Not waste my time? You’ve already wasted it. The other party has arrived and is waiting inside. Don’t you have any backup personnel you can find?”

Shu Yueqing’s tone was becoming increasingly impatient.

Seeing the situation turning sour, the assistant quickly stepped in to smooth things over. “Boss, maybe I can temporarily stand in.”

“You acting as the translator by my side? Who would manage the affairs at Tianze then?” Shu Yueqing rejected the assistant’s suggestion without hesitation.

“President Shu, please understand. A common translator is easy to find, but someone proficient in Russian, English, French, and German simultaneously is truly hard to come by. How about I provide several people to coordinate between them? It might be a bit troublesome.”

The person was truly out of options, making the suggestion while braving Shu Yueqing’s lethal glare.

“Is there a need for a translator here? Why don’t I give it a try?”

Having listened for a while from the side, Huo Qingzhuo took the initiative to volunteer.

In her previous life, she had filmed countless scenes in various countries, even many international co-productions. At that time, she had suffered quite a bit due to language barriers. Eventually, she simply decided to learn whatever she encountered, ending up with a large pile of certifications. Coincidentally, the four languages mentioned were all within her scope of study.

Shu Yueqing and the assistant were somewhat surprised by the sudden appearance of Huo Qingzhuo.

“Why is it you?” Shu Yueqing still remembered this rather strange “kid,” though seeing her in such a setting was quite unexpected.

“Maybe I heard Elder Sister’s summons. You’re short on people, so here I am.”