I Was Just a Scumbag Extra, But She Loved Me Anyway [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 46.1

Father Su didn’t have any urgent reason for calling them together—he had just returned from a business trip and simply wanted Su Chenli and Pei Nanxu to join him for a family meal.

The two of them came downstairs one after the other. They didn’t exchange a glance, and on the surface, it looked like nothing had changed. But the air between them felt noticeably different.

Father Su noticed the shift immediately. He quietly observed both Su Chenli and Pei Nanxu, but chose to say nothing.

Over the next few days, this routine continued. Every evening, the family gathered in the dining room for dinner. With Father Su on a short break, Pei Nanxu was often called away to discuss work. Even the housekeepers were going up to the third floor more frequently. Su Chenli barely had a chance to be alone with her.

“No chance to cuddle with the pretty older sister,” Su Chenli muttered, glancing at her phone. “Guess I’ll have to kill time with Cheng Shijing and Cheng Xi.”

A message had come in from the person she’d assigned to follow Cheng Shijing. It contained just two words: “It’s done.”

But the attached photo said a lot more.

Taken from above, the image showed a street blocked off by police cars. A group of dejected-looking people was being escorted out of an alley by officers. In the middle of the group was none other than Cheng Shijing.

Su Chenli stared at the photo for a moment, then stood up and made her way to her father’s study.

Besides the photo, she was also carrying a USB drive—evidence from some time ago. It contained an audio recording that Cheng Shijing had tried to sell to the tabloids after failing to get anything from Cheng Xi. With both the recording and the arrest photo, she had more than enough to give her father something to think about regarding how to deal with the Cheng family.

She entered the study with the evidence and had a private conversation with Father Su that lasted nearly thirty minutes. No one knew what was said—except the system, who had no choice but to observe it all.

[I have to admit, I didn’t expect Chairman Su to be this cooperative,] the system said, sounding a bit surprised.
[He even agreed to deal with Cheng Xi too. Though… I didn’t expect it to be this complicated. There were a lot of things involved.]

Su Chenli stretched lazily.
“Doesn’t matter. As long as no one bothers Pei Nanxu again, I’m fine.”

[That’s true… but Host, are you really not going to tell the loyal supporting character that you did all this for her? You went through a lot.]

“What’s there to say?” Su Chenli replied casually. “I like her. Of course I want her life to be better. If I bring it up, it just sounds like I want her to owe me. That’s not how I want things to be.”

[…I don’t really get how you humans think,] the system muttered, still confused.

Su Chenli didn’t respond. She walked down the hall, her steps light and quick, making her way to the other side of the villa. Sure enough, she spotted Pei Nanxu getting ready to head downstairs.

“Going to work?”

She ducked behind a corner and waited. When Pei Nanxu got close, she suddenly stepped out and leaned against the wall with one hand, flashing her a smile.

Pei Nanxu was startled and took a step back. But once she realized who it was, she let out a laugh. On instinct, she moved as if to hug Su Chenli, but halfway through, she paused. Glancing down the hallway behind Su Chenli, she stopped herself and instead tugged gently on her sleeve.

“What are you doing? What if someone sees us?”

Su Chenli reluctantly lowered her hand but hooked her pinky around Pei Nanxu’s and gave it a light shake.
“So what if they do?”

Pei Nanxu felt a pang of guilt. Holding Su Chenli’s hand, she realized this kind of sneaking around probably felt unfair to someone like Su Chenli—a girl who had never faced this kind of restriction before. After a moment of hesitation, she whispered,
“How about tonight? When I get back, I’ll come to your room.”

Su Chenli raised an eyebrow.
“Don’t you have a meeting tonight?”

“I canceled it,” Pei Nanxu said without even thinking.

Su Chenli’s eyes curved into a bright, happy smile. Her entire mood did a complete 180.

“I’m fine,” Su Chenli said, still gently hooking her finger around Pei Nanxu’s. “Yes, I miss you—but you don’t have to cancel work just to be with me. I’m not some canary locked in a cage.”

[Wow, that’s a low blow… Host, you’re such a menace, honestly,] the system muttered as it floated by.

“But…” Pei Nanxu hesitated, her eyes dropping as a faint frown formed on her brow.

“It’s fine,” Su Chenli said, giving her fingertips a little squeeze. “If you’re feeling guilty, how about this—next time you go on a business trip, take me with you. We’ll get a hotel room out of town. Then we won’t have to hide from anyone, and we can do whatever we want, as loudly as we want.”

Pei Nanxu, usually pale and composed, suddenly flushed at her words. She quickly pulled her hand back and shot Su Chenli a look—half annoyed, half embarrassed.
“You’re already doing all sorts of things with me at home… Isn’t that enough?”

“Nope,” Su Chenli grinned mischievously. “There’s so much more I could show you. Are you really not curious, even a little?”

Pei Nanxu’s expression grew even more awkward. Her ears turned bright red, as if they might start dripping blood. Trying to keep a straight face, she tugged on her coat and walked past Su Chenli.
“If you’re not going to say anything serious, I’m leaving for work.”

Su Chenli turned around with a bright smile and called after her,
“Then I’ll take that as a yes! Next time you go on a trip, I’m tagging along!”

Pei Nanxu paused mid-step, then gripped the stair railing and practically fled downstairs.

Su Chenli stood there, laughing quietly to herself for a while. Only after Pei Nanxu’s figure had completely disappeared did she lift a hand to wipe the tears from her eyes. She let out a soft sigh.
“Well, the pretty older sister has gone off to work. I guess it’s time for me to clock in at the company too…”

[Wait—don’t go just yet,] the system suddenly cut in.
[As much as I don’t enjoy watching you two flirt nonstop, I didn’t pop up for that. There’s something you should see. Check your phone.]

“…?” Su Chenli pulled out her phone and scrolled through her messages. It took a second before she noticed a photo sent by Zhou Manqing. Judging from the angle, it looked like it had been taken secretly.

The photo showed a dim, colorful nightclub backdrop. Zhou Manqing was front and center with an exasperated expression, but in the upper-left corner, just barely in frame, was Chu Ningxin—head in her hands, looking utterly defeated. The rest of the table was covered in a chaotic mess of empty bottles and glasses.

The message had been sent half an hour ago. At the time, Su Chenli had been in the study with her father, discussing how to deal with the Cheng family, which explained why she hadn’t noticed it sooner.

She glanced at the short message Zhou Manqing had included:
“Chu Ningxin looks like she can’t go on without Yu Xi.”

Su Chenli let out a long sigh.
“Do I really have to take care of this too?”

[Technically, yes,] the system answered right away.
[We’re just about to reach the part of the story where Scumbag A begs for forgiveness. If you don’t go give Chu Ningxin a nudge, the plot might break—or worse, someone else might get hurt. Either way, the story has to move forward. Sooner or later, Scumbag A has to find out where her little canary Omega is.]

Su Chenli: “…”

This damn system really knew how to hit her where it hurt.

“Fine, fine. I’ll handle it,” she muttered, typing back a quick message to Zhou Manqing:
[I’m on my way.]

By the time Su Chenli arrived at the address Zhou Manqing had sent, the bar was nearly empty. She stepped inside, heels clicking against the floor, and accidentally kicked an empty bottle that had rolled near the entrance.

Su Chenli paused, frowning.

This scene… felt strangely familiar—like something straight out of the original novel.

Wasn’t this the point in the original story where the original Su Chenli covered for Pei Nanxu? Even after finding out Pei Nanxu was hiding Yu Xi, she never told Chu Ningxin the truth—only promised to bring Yu Xi to her eventually.

It seemed that, at least right now, she was doing exactly the same thing the original had done.

Su Chenli stepped into the bar. As expected, it was completely empty—just like it had been described in the book. She sighed and walked toward the back of the bar, stopping briefly in front of the table, then reluctantly sat down beside Chu Ningxin.

“Where’s your staff?” she asked.

“I told them to take the rest of the night off,” Chu Ningxin replied hoarsely from the sofa, her arm draped over her eyes.

Su Chenli sighed again.
“Exactly like the book,” she muttered under her breath.

She wasn’t in the mood to reenact the original plot. Cutting straight to the point, she asked,
“So… you’ve completely given up on finding Yu Xi, is that it?”

Chu Ningxin froze, then suddenly reached out and grabbed her arm.
“Wait—did you find her? You found Yu Xi?”

The sudden pull made Su Chenli stumble a bit. She looked down at Chu Ningxin’s hand gripping her arm, remaining silent for a moment.

She didn’t want to tell Chu Ningxin anything about Yu Xi. But the story was pressing forward. If she didn’t intervene now, things could spiral out of control—and that might affect Pei Nanxu.

It was better to keep everything under her control than to risk unexpected consequences.

After all, she wouldn’t be staying in this world forever. She didn’t know exactly what would trigger Pei Nanxu’s departure from this world, but at the very least, Su Chenli wanted to make sure everything was in place before then—no loose ends, no hidden dangers.

She didn’t want Pei Nanxu to be left cleaning up a mess after she was gone.

“I guess you could say I found her,” Su Chenli finally said. “Someone spotted her in District Two of the Ziguang Pavilion complex in the north side of the city. I don’t know the exact building, but if you wait around long enough, you’ll probably see her.”

Chu Ningxin went completely still, like she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Her alcohol-flushed eyes filled with a thin sheen of moisture.
“…Ziguang Pavilion?”

Su Chenli nodded. “Mm-hmm.”

Chu Ningxin stood up abruptly. She swayed a little as she got to her feet.
“I’m going now!”

“Hey—!” Su Chenli reached out, but missed. She didn’t even manage to catch the corner of Chu Ningxin’s sleeve before she rushed out the door.
“Find a driver or get a ride service!” she called after her.

But Chu Ningxin didn’t respond. Within seconds, she had rounded a corner and disappeared from view.

Su Chenli stood there in silence for a moment, then let out a breath and dropped her hand.
“…Seriously.”

Chu Ningxin really did seem to have the plot armor of a main character. Su Chenli had thought that, by only giving her the name of a residential complex, she’d at least buy some time. But somehow, by the next day, Chu Ningxin had already run into Yu Xi.

Even more dramatic—she didn’t tell anyone. She just quietly moved into the apartment directly across the hall from Yu Xi’s.

Su Chenli hadn’t even known until the system notified her that the storyline had advanced.

But since Chu Ningxin didn’t say anything, and Yu Xi didn’t bring it up either, Su Chenli chose not to mention it in front of Pei Nanxu.

Not until the day arrived—the day Pei Nanxu arranged for Yu Xi to leave the country.

Apparently, Chu Ningxin had found out ahead of time and knew exactly when Yu Xi was supposed to leave. Even though Yu Xi tried to leave early to avoid her, she still ran into Chu Ningxin at the entrance of the residential complex.

Yu Xi, pulling her suitcase, froze in place.

“…You…”

“You’re leaving, aren’t you?” Chu Ningxin asked, her gaze fixed on her. Her voice was calm, but her eyes were turbulent. “You didn’t want me to find out. That’s why you picked this time to leave. You were trying to avoid me.”

Yu Xi lowered her head and pulled the suitcase closer, turning her gaze away. She didn’t say a word.

Yu Xi’s avoidance seemed to completely shatter Chu Ningxin’s last line of defense.

“Since the moment we reunited, have I ever forced you to do anything?” Chu Ningxin’s voice trembled, on the verge of tears. “How could you be so heartless? You couldn’t even tell me you wanted to break up—you’d rather just disappear without a word?”

By the end of her sentence, her voice had cracked. Yu Xi, startled, glanced at her—just in time to see a tear slip down from the corner of Chu Ningxin’s eye.

Yu Xi froze.

The word “breakup,” which had been lingering on the tip of her tongue, got stuck in her throat.

Chu Ningxin—always so proud and aloof—had never shown this kind of desperate vulnerability in front of her. She’d never even imagined that Chu Ningxin had a side like this.

Was this change really all because she was leaving?

While Yu Xi stood there in stunned silence, Chu Ningxin seemed to finally lose control. She stepped forward, pulling Yu Xi into her arms and sobbing as she said:

“I’m sorry. Maybe it’s better you didn’t tell me. Because if I knew you were leaving, I really wouldn’t be able to let you go. I can’t. Everything before—everything was my fault. Please… give me another chance. I’ll change. I swear, I’ll change everything.”

Yu Xi was caught off guard, suddenly enveloped in a familiar embrace. That reassuring scent—Chu Ningxin’s pheromones—wrapped around her again, stirring her emotions. She couldn’t help but clench tightly onto Chu Ningxin’s clothes, not sure if she was trying to let out her pain or confess her feelings.

Across the street, just a few meters away, the window of a black Maybach slowly rolled up after silently witnessing the scene.

In the driver’s seat, Su Chenli took off her sunglasses and turned toward the passenger side.

“See?” she said with a smirk. “Told you—they might not actually want to break up.”

Pei Nanxu, seated beside her, withdrew her gaze from the window and looked calmly at Su Chenli.
“And how do you know Yu Xi won’t still leave?”

Su Chenli gave a small, confident smile, her fingers lightly tapping the steering wheel in rhythm.
“Oh, I just know. When the feelings are real, even if there are moments when they don’t recognize each other, they still can’t bear to let go.”

She said it casually, without a second thought, never considering what Pei Nanxu might hear in her words.

But Pei Nanxu felt a sharp pang in her heart. She understood what Su Chenli truly meant.

She had never told Su Chenli, but sometimes, she too dreamed about their past. Those two painful farewells—they remained vivid in her memory.

Su Chenli turned to her again with a cheerful grin.
“Anyway, let’s just leave this whole thing to them. Let them sort it out however they want. …Wait, what’s wrong?”

Pei Nanxu quickly masked her expression under Su Chenli’s curious gaze and replied calmly,
“Sure.”

Thankfully, Pei Nanxu had always been good at hiding her feelings. Su Chenli didn’t notice anything unusual. She just reached out and took Pei Nanxu’s hand with a smile.

“Let them deal with their drama. We’ve got our own love story to focus on.”

Pei Nanxu was caught off guard by the words. She glanced at Su Chenli in surprise and quietly asked,
“Are we… really in a relationship?”

Su Chenli looked straight at her, and Pei Nanxu couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence.

“…Aren’t we?” Su Chenli’s voice softened, her eyes filled with a sad, puppy-like vulnerability—like a dog abandoned in the rain, left shivering at the door.

“…We are,” Pei Nanxu replied softly, nodding. There was no other answer she could give.

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