I Just Want to be a Throwaway Character - Chapter 14

Chapter 14: The Best in the World

Plans for the Future

Ji Wan was in a rare good mood, her previous gloom gone, and she had the demeanor of a victorious general.

“It’s good. I saw you’d been in the cold palace for a long time. I was worried you were already useless and would become even more so, so I took pity on you.”

“Wuwu, Host, you’re heartless, you’re unreasonable, you’re being utterly ridiculous!” system 111 said, mimicking the dramatic tone from a TV show it had watched while in its little black box.

“Shut up.”

As expected, system 111 was immediately grabbed and squeezed hard by Ji Wan. Its life as a sphere was a struggle.

After playing for a while, Ji Wan remembered her mission. She took pity on system 111 and let it go.

“Hey, little 1, can you check when Gu Nianqing will become the richest person? I’ve already helped her create opportunities to be with her true love and given her a goal to work towards—becoming the richest person. When can I finally retire?” Ji Wan lay on the bed, inexplicably looking forward to the future. She imagined staying at luxurious hotels, eating whatever she wanted, and being surrounded by beautiful women. “Tsk, tsk, what a life.”

“Uh, Host, don’t you have that already?” system 111 said, speechless, looking at its host’s infatuated expression. It was inexplicably disgusted.

“What do you know? What I’m enjoying now is a reward from a risky venture,” Ji Wan said, raising an eyebrow and poking the little orb of system 111.

“But, I checked, and the female lead won’t become the richest person for another five years. And right now, the female lead has no interest in her ‘true love’,” system 111 said helplessly, bouncing up and down to remind its host.

“Oh, what’s that got to do with me? I’ve already helped her and Weiwei get along so many times. She’s not worthy,” Ji Wan said, turning her head away a little guiltily, her face flushing. She was a little afraid to tell system 111 that the female lead was into her.

“Host, we are lucky this is just a low-level mission world. The next world might not be so simple. Don’t shirk your duties,” system 111 kindly reminded her.

“I know, I know,” Ji Wan replied perfunctorily, without a hint of remorse. “Right, little 1. I want to stay away from the female lead for a while. I think I might have offended her recently.” Ji Wan was worried that Gu Nianqing might change her mind. She couldn’t beat her now, just as she couldn’t before.

“The mission is more than halfway complete. You can now wait for the female lead to fall in love with her true love and become the richest person. So, you have free time to do whatever you want, or you can use the spatial-temporal travel to jump ahead in time,” system 111 replied after checking the mission status. It was a good thing this was only an entry-level mission. Even with a host as passive and cowardly as hers, they were still more than halfway through the main story.

“Then I’ll arrange to go abroad alone and use spatial-temporal travel to skip five years, so I don’t get mixed up in the female lead’s mission,” Ji Wan said.

“Host, didn’t you want to have a dream vacation abroad? Why not play for five years?” system 111 teased, seeing that its host wanted to escape the fate of going to school.

Ji Wan’s private thoughts had been exposed, so she grabbed system 111’s orb and threatened, “Eighteen different poses—which one do you want?”

Can’t mess with you, can’t mess with you. System 111 chose to flee.

Ji Wan had her reasons for choosing to go abroad. Of course, not wanting to continue school was a big one. After all, she was the reason Gu Nianqing had bankrupted the Ji family. Even though Gu Nianqing seemed interested in her now, Ji Wan couldn’t guarantee that it wasn’t just a performance to help her bankrupt her family. She couldn’t risk the Ji family’s future, so she chose to stay away from Gu Nianqing until the mission was complete.

Ji Wan’s parents, who had been living abroad for years, had long wanted to have Ji Wan join them. After all, who wouldn’t love a sweet and gentle daughter? However, Ji Wan’s grandfather held the traditional belief that a person should return to their roots and had no interest in settling abroad. Also, since Ji Wan had been so focused on Gu Nianqing, she had chosen to stay in the country to be with her grandparents. The family only got to be together during the New Year.

Now that Ji Wan mentioned going abroad, her parents were the happiest. Their precious daughter was so cute; how could they be satisfied with just video calls? Ji Wan’s grandparents, who had been retired for a long time, were also happy to see their granddaughter let go of her obsession with the Gu family girl, so they decided to go live abroad with her for a while.

After all the formalities at the airport were completed, Ji Wan said goodbye to Bai Weiwei and Lin Luo, who had come to see her off.

“Wanwan, why are you leaving so suddenly?” Being a young woman, Bai Weiwei’s eyes reddened with sadness.

Ji Wan hugged Bai Weiwei to comfort her. “It’s alright, don’t cry. It’s not like I’m not coming back. You can call and video chat with me if you miss me.”

“Ji Xiaowan, you’re too… you’re just leaving like that? What about our revolutionary friendship?” Lin Luo said, uncharacteristically sentimental, and burst into tears.

Ji Wan handed her a tissue in disgust, and Lin Luo immediately grabbed it and blew her nose. But… that was for wiping your tears… Oh well, it was no use now. Ji Wan laughed helplessly and patted Lin Luo’s shoulder. “Alright, as a friend, take good care of my Weiwei, okay?”

Ji Wan couldn’t bring herself to say that she was going to use spatial-temporal travel as soon as she arrived and would be back in a day. That’s why she was the only one who couldn’t genuinely cry, and she could only pretend to be very sad.

“You have to be a good girl over there. Don’t eat junk food, don’t forget to use a blanket when you sleep, don’t…”

Bai Weiwei, acting like a mother hen, went on and on. If it weren’t for the boarding announcement, Ji Wan might have had to listen to her nagging for much longer. Her Weiwei was virtuous and gentle, but she took on the role of a mother so much that Ji Wan often wondered if she was still in kindergarten.

Ji Wan happily waved goodbye to Bai Weiwei and Lin Luo. She didn’t know that in a hidden corner of the airport, Gu Nianqing was standing, motionless, watching her. Her gaze was deep and dark. If Lin Luo hadn’t been a blabbermouth and told her that Ji Wan was going abroad, she might not have even had the chance to see her off. Gu Nianqing clenched her fists, her nails digging into her flesh, but she felt nothing. Her eyes were filled with swirling emotions. Gu Nianqing watched the girl go through the gate and then turned to leave without looking back. She would succeed in making Ji Wan hers.

Five Years Later

Five years later, at an airport, 7:30 p.m.

During her spatial-temporal travel, which only took about three minutes, Ji Wan was still aware of everything. Memories flooded her mind, like reading a book. She had graduated from a famous university abroad, had a great relationship with her parents, and her grandparents would occasionally visit. So, nothing major happened during the five-year jump, except that she had less contact with people in her home country.

But a lot had happened in the country, as Ji Wan had just learned. Gu Nianqing had become the richest person, and Bai Weiwei had become a Triple-Crown Movie Queen and was engaged. However, Bai Weiwei was being secretive and hadn’t told her who her fiancé was. Though Ji Wan already guessed it was Gu Nianqing.

The airport was filled with posters of Bai Weiwei. Large screens continuously broadcasted the news of Gu Nianqing surpassing the original richest person. “Breaking News: Gu Nianqing, CEO of the Gu Group, now has assets exceeding one trillion, ranking first on the national wealth list, far surpassing the second-richest person’s assets…”

Breathing in the fresh air of her home country, Ji Wan felt an inexplicable joy. For Ji Wan, five years had only been a short while, but her appearance had shed its girlish innocence, making her even more beautiful. A large pair of black sunglasses covered her delicate, cat-like almond eyes, and she wore a glossy lip balm with a sweet, milky scent. Ji Wan was dressed in a simple yet elegant pure white dress, her straight black hair cascading down her back. She pulled a small suitcase and headed for the exit. Along the way, countless people looked on.

Ji Wan got into a car that was waiting for her and headed toward the place she had arranged to meet Bai Weiwei. She said goodbye to the driver and walked into their meeting place.

Yuanhe Hui was an exclusive private restaurant with excellent privacy. The dishes were exquisite and unforgettable. Reservations were extremely difficult to get, and the prices were high, so it was popular among the upper class. A waiter led Ji Wan to the designated table.

Bai Weiwei was already smiling and waving at her. “Baby, come here.”

Ji Wan saw the table full of delicious food and happily gave Bai Weiwei a bear hug. Then she sat down on the sofa chair across from Bai Weiwei. “Thanks, my dear Weiwei! I love you so much!” While her mouth said she loved her, her eyes were glued to the food.

Even though it had been years, Ji Wan’s friendship with Bai Weiwei had only deepened. “Alright, hurry up and eat. You’re still the same after five years,” Bai Weiwei said with a laugh, handing Ji Wan a pair of chopsticks.

Ji Wan took the chopsticks with a bit of guilt, smiling at the charismatic, elegant movie star. “Not at all. I’ve been through the baptism of time, you know.”

“Alright, eat up. After you’re done, I’ll take you home. Where are you living now?” Bai Weiwei said, picking up a piece of chicken and feeding it to Ji Wan.

“Mmm, delicious,” Ji Wan chewed and said, enjoying it. “I’m going to my apartment in the city center. It’s a big, furnished place my dad gave me for my birthday last year, but I haven’t even seen it yet.”

“Oh, and by the way, who is your partner? You’ve been so secretive about it,” Ji Wan asked, pretending not to know.

As if she remembered something, Bai Weiwei smiled. “It’s a secret for now. Just try not to beat her up when you see her. After all, you’re going to be my bridesmaid.”

Who could beat up Gu Nianqing? Ji Wan thought, indifferently chewing on the beef Bai Weiwei had fed her. It was tender, rich with sauce, and incredibly delicious.

Wait, what did Weiwei just say? Bridesmaid? Ji Wan’s mouth, full of meat, paused. She looked down at her stomach and poked her soft belly with her hand. Suddenly, the meat didn’t taste as good anymore.

Just then, Bai Weiwei’s phone rang in her bag. She answered it, and her face suddenly turned shy, and her voice became soft and spoiled. Ji Wan was stunned. Based on her years of experience in “eating melon,” she knew that was definitely her girlfriend on the other end. A mouthful of cold dog food entered her mouth, and the meat once again lost its flavor. A strange feeling of bitterness rose in her heart, but Ji Wan’s smile quickly hid it.

After hanging up, Bai Weiwei looked at her apologetically. “Wanwan, I’m sorry. Something happened at the wedding dress shop, and I have to go take care of it. I might not be able to drive you home later. I’ve already paid for the meal, so eat slowly and don’t rush. Also…”

“Sister Weiwei, if you don’t go now, you’ll be late. I’m fine, really. I’m not a kindergarten kid anymore,” Ji Wan said, cutting off Bai Weiwei, who still had her mother-hen personality after all these years. “Ji Wan,” she urged, “if you don’t go, you’ll be late!”

After saying goodbye to Bai Weiwei and finishing her meal, Ji Wan went to the entrance to hail a taxi. She looked down at her phone, sent a message to her grandparents and parents to let them know she was safe.

“Ji Wan?” a voice of surprised doubt suddenly called out, breaking the silence of the night.