I Just Want to be a Throwaway Character - Chapter 50

Chapter 50: World Three (End of Inverted V)

Beep, beep, beep… A phone rang. Mr. Ji answered, but his expression quickly turned serious. Ji Wan looked at him with concern, wondering what had happened.

“Wanwan, I have something to take care of. I have to go now. You all continue; you young people must have a lot in common. Talk well. Remember to go back with Zhuyun so you can look after each other. I’ll have dinner with you after I’m done.” Mr. Ji said, then stood up, put on his coat, and walked out.

“Wait…” Ji Wan’s words were cut off as Mr. Ji left, even thoughtfully closing the door behind him.

“No, take me with you!” As soon as her father left, Ji Wan felt the suffocating atmosphere.

“Wanwan, how about… how about we go back too?” Xiao Zhuyun tugged on Ji Wan’s hand and whispered.

“Sounds good to me,” Ji Wan whispered back to her.

Chu Fang and Jiang Zhili watched Ji Wan and Xiao Zhuyun’s sneaky actions. They didn’t say anything, but their eyes darkened, and no one knew what they were planning.

“Um, we… we’ll get going too. You can continue.” Ji Wan took Xiao Zhuyun’s hand and stood up, walking toward the door.

“Heh, you’re just going to leave like that? Uncle Ji wanted us to have a good talk. Don’t you agree, Director Jiang?” Chu Fang grabbed Xiao Zhuyun’s hand, her thumb gently caressing her smooth palm. Xiao Zhuyun’s face, of course, turned red again.

“Yes. Shouldn’t you two stay and finish this meal for Uncle Ji, or are you looking down on us?” Jiang Zhili’s lips curved into a smile, a playful glint in her eyes.

“No… no,” Ji Wan replied timidly, not daring to look Jiang Zhili in the eye. For some reason, Ji Wan had the illusion of being trapped, a feeling of being caught between a rock and a hard place.

“Chu Fang, let go, stop messing around,” Xiao Zhuyun said, letting go of Ji Wan’s hand to pry open Chu Fang’s grip. But Chu Fang just gave an evil smile, pulled Xiao Zhuyun into her lap, and wouldn’t let go.

“I won’t,” Chu Fang’s voice was a little mischievous, and she gave Xiao Zhuyun’s cheek a loud peck. She looked at Ji Wan provocatively, as if declaring her ownership.

“You… you pervert,” Xiao Zhuyun’s face was a little flushed with shame and anger.

“Good. I’m only a pervert to you,” Chu Fang whispered into Xiao Zhuyun’s ear, which, of course, made the beauty shyly bury her face in her arms.

“Ugh, are they really this sickeningly sweet?” Ji Wan felt it was better to leave alone. She felt that if she dared to take Xiao Zhuyun away today, Chu Fang would go crazy tomorrow.

“Sorry, sister, I can’t save you. You’re not putting up a fight,” Ji Wan thought to herself, looking at Xiao Zhuyun’s helpless state.

“Um… I just remembered I left the gas on at home. I’ll be going now.” Ji Wan came up with a lame excuse. She needed a reason to light a fire to make instant noodles, even though she just used boiling water.

But Jiang Zhili just watched her coolly, not saying anything. Chu Fang, on the other hand, laughed out loud without any pretense. Ji Wan felt a little awkward, but she had already said it, so she had to stick with it.

“Let’s go,” Jiang Zhili said indifferently.

“And my house… huh, let’s go?” Ji Wan was about to give another explanation, but Jiang Zhili agreed to let her leave. Ji Wan walked to the door, half-believing it, and when she saw Jiang Zhili wasn’t stopping her, she felt a surge of joy. She decisively opened the door and walked out with the speed of an old person taking a leisurely stroll.

As for Xiao Zhuyun… “I’m sorry, sister. I’m sacrificing you for the greater good.” There was no better time to leave than now. Thank goodness the female lead isn’t making it difficult.

Ji Wan successfully reached the main door and was about to cheer when she saw a reflection of someone on the transparent glass of the door. Jiang Zhili’s beautiful face suddenly appeared in her view. Ji Wan’s body stiffened. She wanted to pretend she hadn’t seen her and leave quickly.

“Ji Wan,” Jiang Zhili called out to the person who was about to run away. But Ji Wan had no intention of stopping. She opened the door and ran.

Jiang Zhili’s eyes darkened and turned gloomy. “She’d rather not be in the same room with me, even though her fiancée was stolen from her?”

“But you can’t escape now. You were the one who provoked me first,” Jiang Zhili thought, watching Ji Wan run away.

Ji Wan ran breathlessly down the road. She finally let out a sigh of relief when she saw that no one was following her. She couldn’t explain why she was running. She just felt inexplicably guilty and didn’t dare to look at Jiang Zhili.

After learning about Chu Fang and Xiao Zhuyun’s past, her mind kept replaying Jiang Zhili’s advances on her. She thought of Jiang Zhili’s gentle eyes when she kissed her, and the assertiveness of her thumb. And then she remembered Jiang Zhili’s coldness and aloofness toward her in the morning. Ji Wan’s face flushed, whether from running or from her thoughts.

She took a taxi back to her apartment complex. As she was walking in, she saw a middle-aged woman in her fifties. She was dressed simply and had a gentle expression. She looked like a thrifty, good housewife. She was struggling to carry a lot of bags. Seeing her struggle, Ji Wan, with her good manners, offered to help.

“Ma’am, let me help you. All these things must be heavy. I live in this complex too. I can help you take them upstairs.”

“Thank you, little girl,” the woman replied with a grateful smile.

“You’re welcome, ma’am. Where do you live?” Ji Wan replied sweetly, taking the large bag from the woman’s hands.

“Not far, just the building in front. I don’t live here; I’m just visiting my daughter. She lives alone and works so hard, so I’m bringing her some food.” The woman replied with a smile.

“What a coincidence. I live there too. You must love your daughter very much.” For some reason, Ji Wan felt a strange sense of familiarity.

When they got into the elevator, the woman pressed the button for the 10th floor. That’s when Ji Wan realized. No way?

“Host, don’t doubt it. This woman is the birth mother of your current body,” System 111 appeared and explained.

Ji Wan’s expression was a little surprised. “I’m meeting her so soon? I haven’t even thought about how to reveal my identity yet. But this must be an opportunity.” Ji Wan replied in her mind.

Ji Wan followed the woman, Jiang’s mother, to Jiang Zhili’s door. “Little girl, thank you so much. If it weren’t for you, this would have been very difficult. Do you want to come in for some tea?” Jiang’s mother said warmly. She felt an inexplicable connection to this girl. She felt comfortable around her and wanted to be close to her.

“No, thank you, ma’am. I live on the 10th floor too, right across the hall. Your daughter must be my supervisor, Jiang Zhili,” Ji Wan replied softly.

“What a coincidence! I was worried that my Lili’s cold personality would keep her from having friends. You’re such a sweet child. I’m sure you two will get along well,” Jiang’s mother said happily.

“Uh, thank you for the compliment, ma’am,” Ji Wan said, feeling a little guilty. She and Jiang Zhili could never be friends. Their lives were already set in the book. Thinking of this, Ji Wan’s mood became a little dejected.

“Mom?” A cold voice interrupted Jiang’s mother and Ji Wan’s conversation. Ji Wan didn’t turn around. Her body went stiff. This damn coincidence!

“Lili, you’re just in time. I was just talking to this little girl,” Jiang’s mother said happily, greeting Jiang Zhili.

Jiang Zhili walked over to Ji Wan, gave her a brief look, and said, “Really? That’s quite a coincidence.”

“Uh, ma’am. I… I’ll go back now. You two have a good chat. I won’t disturb your mother-daughter reunion.” Ji Wan walked toward her door stiffly.

But the next second, a soft, slender hand grabbed her wrist.

“Won’t you come in and sit down? I’d like to thank you on my mother’s behalf.” Jiang Zhili’s voice was still cold and indifferent, but Ji Wan could hear a hint of a wicked intent.

In the end, Ji Wan obediently sat on Jiang Zhili’s sofa with a cup of water, as good as a puppy. She had no choice. Jiang Zhili was holding onto her, and Jiang’s mother was constantly urging her to stay. She would have gone home long ago if it weren’t for them.

Jiang’s mother sat across from Ji Wan and liked her more and more. It was an inexplicable, deep-rooted affection. Meanwhile, Jiang Zhili took the large bags from her mother and went to the kitchen to unpack. So now it was just Ji Wan and Jiang’s mother in the living room.

“Little girl, what’s your name?” Jiang’s mother asked.

“Ji Wan,” Ji Wan replied obediently. This was her chance, she thought, to let Jiang’s mother know her identity so the female lead could recognize her later.

“Ji? That last name?” Jiang’s mother murmured, her expression a little sad. She thought of her biological daughter in the Ji family. If it weren’t for her family’s selfishness, her daughter would be about Ji Wan’s age now.

“What’s wrong, ma’am?” Ji Wan asked, pretending not to know. Ji Wan knew she had successfully brought up her memories, but it wasn’t enough. She needed to let her know her identity completely. But she couldn’t just blurt out who she was.

“Nothing. I was just thinking about Lili when she was a child. She was so smart from a young age and was good at everything she did.” Jiang’s mother changed the subject, clearly not wanting to talk about it anymore.

“Director Jiang when she was a child? Speaking of which, Director Jiang looks a little like my mother,” Ji Wan said, pretending it was a casual thought.

Jiang’s mother froze, a little flustered. “Really? What a coincidence. Your mother must be very beautiful.”

“Yes. She and my father are always abroad, so I rarely get to see her. But I have a photo of her. Let me show you.” Ji Wan struck while the iron was hot, quickly pulling out her phone and pretending to accidentally show a family photo.

The moment Jiang’s mother saw the photo, she froze. She looked at Ji Wan in disbelief. How could she not know the person in the photo? That was Mr. Ji. Then the person in front of her…

Ji Wan knew she had succeeded for the most part. She put her phone away and looked at the pale-faced Jiang’s mother with concern.

Jiang’s mother stood up uncontrollably and walked toward Ji Wan, reaching out to touch her face. She touched every inch of Ji Wan’s face, trying to remember every detail. Her eyes reddened. “This is her child, her biological child, the one she gave birth to after ten months.”

“Mom? What’s wrong?” Jiang Zhili came out of the kitchen and saw her mother’s shocked expression and the complicated look on her face as she looked at Ji Wan. Jiang’s mother was interrupted by Jiang Zhili and quickly retreated to her original seat, wiping away the tears that were uncontrollably falling.

“Nothing… nothing. I was just looking at this child, Wanwan. She reminds me of someone I know very well.”

“Mm,” Jiang Zhili didn’t say anything more. She just gave Ji Wan a strange look, wondering what she had said.

Even though her child was right in front of her, she couldn’t acknowledge her. It had been more than twenty years. This child had her own life, so how could she go and acknowledge her now? Jiang’s mother forcefully controlled her emotions, but her eyes still kept looking at Ji Wan’s face, filled with a complex emotion.

Seeing that her goal was achieved, Ji Wan didn’t want to upset Jiang’s mother anymore. It was too early to acknowledge her identity now. She just needed to let her know she existed for the time being.

After seeing Jiang’s mother off, Ji Wan turned to go home, only to see Jiang Zhili leaning against her door, watching her. Ji Wan felt a little awkward and wanted to quickly go back inside, but Jiang Zhili was blocking her door.

“Um, Director Jiang. Is something wrong?” Ji Wan asked, not daring to look Jiang Zhili in the eye.

Jiang Zhili didn’t let Ji Wan’s evasive gaze go unnoticed. She lowered her head and leaned closer to Ji Wan’s face.

“Ji Wan, I’ve never had feelings for your so-called fiancée, and I’ve never planned anything,” Jiang Zhili said calmly.

“Do you really have to pretend you don’t know who I like?” Ji Wan’s eyes darted away, feeling guilty. She avoided the question, “Sorry, I have to go back.”

Jiang Zhili didn’t stop her. She just watched Ji Wan hurry into her apartment and close the door tightly. Jiang Zhili’s hand touched Ji Wan’s door, her eyes filled with obsession. “I won’t give up.”