I Just Want to be a Throwaway Character - Chapter 20

Chapter 20: End of World One (Extra)

My name is Bai Weiwei. I am the eldest daughter of the Bai family, one of the four great families, and I have a younger brother who is three years my junior.

From a young age, I was put through all the courses that a child of the elite should take. I also had to memorize the vast network of relationships among the heirs of the great families.

I thought my life would continue this boring and uneventful way. I would follow my parents’ arrangements, grow into a qualified high-society lady, and in the future, marry a person from a suitable family. I would walk every single path my parents hoped I would, and even if it was a swamp, I had to walk through it with a smile. I had to constantly pretend to be gentle and proper. Over time, I forgot who I truly was—a person who could laugh, cry, and make a fuss.

I once rebelled. I was tired of this life. But my rebellion was useless; reality wore down my sharp edges. My parents’ expectations, my family’s interests, and the hostility from my peers all reminded me that I couldn’t fly out of this prison. I had to put on a mask and keep smiling at all times. I stopped seeing people based on a simple fondness for them and started seeing the connections they had. I think this is how I lost my innocence, step by step.

…

A Fated Meeting

My friendship with Wanwan was not part of my plan. My real goal for transferring schools was Gu Nianqing, the only daughter of the Gu family. She was an heiress who could bring the greatest benefits to my family. Getting to know her and becoming friends was what my parents wanted. Being on good terms with Gu Nianqing would only be good for me.

That’s what I thought at first. But then I met Wanwan. I knew of her, from another of the four great families. She was the person I was least likely to get along with. Yet, our first meeting was dazzling, and being with her was a joy.

As my relationship with Wanwan grew, I realized that rumors could completely slander a good girl until she was unrecognizable. Wanwan was clearly just a pure, kind, and adorable girl who sometimes acted like a child. She was so wonderful. Yes, Ji Wan was the person I most wanted to be. She could play freely, disregard convention, and cry, laugh, and fuss without a care. You couldn’t help but want to embrace and protect that beauty.

Gu Nianqing, on the other hand, became the person I most didn’t want to be: a perfect elite, her expressions always restrained and calm. So, I abandoned my goal of befriending Gu Nianqing. Let’s just say I was being rebellious.

But I don’t know if it was my imagination, because the better I got along with Wanwan, the deeper Gu Nianqing’s expression became, and the more she showed a subtle sense of displeasure and hostility. The looks Gu Nianqing gave Ji Wan were always strange, unclear, and filled with a hidden meaning. It wasn’t until after our trip to Qingtian Mountain that I realized it: Gu Nianqing liked Wanwan.

This was completely unexpected. I thought they were destined to be on different levels.

Soon after, Wanwan went abroad. Though I was sad to say goodbye to my new friend, I was happy that she was being reunited with her family. I shed tears at her farewell, something I hadn’t done in a long time. I knew that I might have to return to my original swamp. I could have endured the darkness, but then I saw the sun. After spending time with Wanwan, I couldn’t go back to being the person with the mask.

Perhaps it was all fated.

…

A New Direction

Later, I differentiated as an Omega and was successfully admitted to the Imperial Capital University. Gu Nianqing, meanwhile, went to the city where Wanwan was. She started a Ph.D. program and began taking control of her company, slowly expanding its scale. Although I knew from my chats with Wanwan that she had never met Gu Nianqing, I was still a little worried that she might get snatched up by her.

Lin Luo, as a child of one of the four great families, was also admitted to the same university as me, just in a different department. She also wasn’t on the list of people I planned to get to know. But fate is a funny thing.

Getting to know Lin Luo was a slow-burn experience, like a steady stream flowing through daily life. Lin Luo was a casual, free-spirited person. She had her principles and her ideals. She could be laid-back and also serious and responsible. She was full of uncertainty, and you couldn’t help but be drawn to her.

I don’t know if it was because Wanwan had asked her to take care of me before she left, but Lin Luo was exceptionally enthusiastic toward me. As a result, I had more opportunities to spend time with her.

During my freshman year, I rebelled against my parents for the first time. I refused to major in finance, which was the path they wanted me to take. I didn’t give in and resolutely chose the performing arts department instead. It was an ideal that had been buried deep in my heart since childhood, an ideal I had never spoken of to anyone.

The consequence was that all my financial support was cut off. It was the first time I truly understood the choice between two good things. But perhaps it was my stubbornness; I didn’t give in to their threats. I chose to boldly resist.

No one knew about my situation at the time, not even Wanwan. Only Lin Luo did. She noticed, despite being a goofy and muddled person. She was observant enough to notice my change. But she didn’t say anything and continued as before. I began living a life of working while studying.

In my freshman year, I was often gone from dawn to dusk. In my free time, I had to balance my studies with my coffee shop job. Sometimes I even had to hand out flyers at night. Despite how busy I was, I was happy.

…

Falling in Love

At the time, Lin Luo had already started taking over her company’s operations. She was also busy. But despite that, she would always show up at my part-time job. Not once did she miss a day. I knew it wasn’t a coincidence, because the coffee shop was very far from her dorm and not even in the same direction. I tried to refuse her help, but she would always appear in front of me, like a warm sun.

On countless dark nights, she would pretend to be strolling and then conveniently walk me back to my dorm, even if there were no shops on the street. Day after day, these “chance encounters” made me accustomed to her presence. Even though her acting was clumsy, her actions were so warm.

She would stand up for me when I was being harassed. She would stay up all night to practice acting with me. She would take me to experience a life I had never known. Whether it was watching a meteor shower at midnight or going crazy at an amusement park, they are all beautiful and unforgettable memories. And they were all gifts from Lin Luo.

Lin Luo knew my difficult situation, but she didn’t choose to directly help me with money. Instead, she silently supported and protected me in her own way. Her most common phrase was, “Alphas are here to protect Omegas.”

Falling for Lin Luo wasn’t a chance happening; it was a natural outcome of time. Without even realizing it, Lin Luo had firmly captured my heart.

During my sophomore year, I auditioned for a movie and got the role of the female lead’s best friend. I became even busier, often filming until early in the morning. The irregular schedule made my body sick. I was ill for a while and had to drink bitter traditional medicine every day. It was a flavor I was most afraid of. Yes, I had never told anyone that I was afraid of bitterness. I secretly poured out the black liquid, but because of it, I didn’t get better.

Later, Lin Luo found me pouring out the medicine. After that, she would come every day and force me to drink the foul-tasting medicine until I slowly recovered. Sometimes, Lin Luo was a very meticulous person. She would silently care for you, protect you, and warm you up without you even realizing it.

One night, at two in the morning, in the middle of winter, I was still working on set. When I finished, I walked out of the set feeling exhausted. Even though it was dark with only the light from the streetlights, I wasn’t scared. Because outside, under a streetlight, that familiar big goofball would always be waiting.

But on that night, there was no one under the streetlight. She didn’t show up. A cold wind blew through my collar and into my sweater. I shivered uncontrollably.

I can’t describe the feeling—a sense of emptiness, anxiety, and loss. Was Lin Luo tired of this? I couldn’t help but think. Have I become so dependent on her?

I couldn’t say what I felt then. My heart felt as if it had been brutally pierced, and something sharp was stuck in my chest. I helplessly crouched down by the roadside streetlight, burying my face in my knees, and started crying for no reason.

Urgent footsteps sounded next to me. A pair of hands reached out and stroked my head, and a gentle, familiar voice, tinged with a breathless sigh, entered my ear.

“What’s wrong? Why are you crying? Did someone on set bully you?”

I looked up and saw Lin Luo holding a McDonald’s bag. Her face was flushed, clearly from running. While she spoke, she quickly took off her jacket and put it on me, muttering, “It’s so cold out. Are you cold? I bought you something warm so you can eat something. Don’t catch a cold. What would I do if you got sick again? I’m not going to coax you to drink the medicine if you’re afraid of bitterness… Well, I guess a little bit wouldn’t hurt.”

The jacket still held Lin Luo’s warmth and her refreshing grassy scent. My cheeks flushed. I couldn’t control myself anymore and sobbed, throwing myself into her arms. “Lin Luo, why are you so good to me?”

Lin Luo scratched her head, unsure whether to hug me or not. She finally put her hands on my back and gently patted me. “I’m just following little Ji Wan’s orders and taking care of you. If I don’t take good care of you, she’ll kill me when she gets back.”

“Then… then what if Wanwan hadn’t asked you?” I lifted my tear-filled eyes to look at Lin Luo and continued to ask. At that moment, I craved the answer I wanted from Lin Luo, the one that would make my heart pound.

“Well, Alphas are here to protect Omegas,” she answered, as expected. But I didn’t want to let her off so easily. I wanted to hear the words I truly longed for.

“And if I wasn’t an Omega? Would you still show up?” I stared at her stubbornly, determined to get the answer I wanted.

“Then I’d still protect you, because you’re Bai Weiwei.”

As soon as Lin Luo’s words came out without hesitation, I knew my face must have been very red, all the way to my ears. I felt the heat on my face. It wasn’t “Bai Weiwei of the Bai family” or “Omega Bai Weiwei.” It was just the real Bai Weiwei.

My heart was touched, and my heartbeat lost its rhythm. I knew I had fallen in love with Lin Luo, this person who was childish and cowardly, but also reliable and warm in critical moments. I hugged Lin Luo tightly, burying my face in her chest. I listened to the steady beat of her heart.

That embrace was a moment of fluttering anticipation I will never forget.

Later, I became Mrs. Lin. I finally became the person I wanted to be.