I'm Not Playing This Vicious Female Supporting Character Anymore! - Chapter 19

Qin Yuzhen had no interest in what had happened with the Zhao family; she was only waiting for them to apologize. The appointed time for the apology was this Saturday. When the two Zhao family members arrived, only Mother Rong was home. Upon entering, their expressions darkened momentarily.

Zhao Pàohuī, still hospitalized, didn’t attend, and Qin Yuzhen didn’t press the matter. After all, he would have to apologize publicly before the entire school later.

Mother Rong sat on the largest sofa, Qin Yuzhen and Rong Xi on another, while the two Zhao family members faced them. Qin Yuzhen relished this seating arrangement, allowing her to clearly observe their expressions.

“Madam Rong, where is CEO Rong?” CEO Zhao asked.

“He’s in B City and hasn’t returned yet,” Mother Rong replied, glancing at Qin Yuzhen. “Besides, Zhenzhen is the focus of this matter. His presence or absence makes no difference.”

Before Father Zhao could speak, Qin Yuzhen interjected with a sweet smile:

“Thank you for making the trip. This is the first time I’ve been grabbed by the hair and beaten, and I simply can’t swallow this humiliation. So, I kindly ask both of you to apologize.”

Mother Zhao glared at Qin Yuzhen. Father Zhao remained unaware, but she knew the truth: Qin Yuzhen was the one who had beaten up Zhao Pàohuī. She couldn’t understand how such a young girl could act so pretentious, lying through her teeth with such blatant falsehoods.

Father Zhao’s expression darkened. “My apologies, Miss Qin. My son has truly offended you.”

Rong Xi’s lips twitched. Not even a proper ‘sorry’? What kind of apology is this?

“It was indeed an offense,” Qin Yuzhen said with a smile, glancing at Mother Zhao. “But only because I happened to be so fragile. Next time, if he offends someone else, he might end up needing more than just bed rest.”

Mother Zhao’s expression grew even more sour. She felt Qin Yuzhen was threatening her.

Mother Rong, who had remained silent throughout, didn’t particularly respect the Zhao family. In her view, they were merely second-rate nobility trying to climb the social ladder by attaching themselves to the Rong family. Thus, she saw nothing wrong with Qin Yuzhen’s behavior.

“Host, Mother Zhao has likely figured out that you were the one who beat up her son,” the System said.

“I noticed,” Qin Yuzhen replied.

“This won’t happen again,” Father Zhao said. “Since CEO Rong isn’t here, we’ll take our leave now.”

Qin Yuzhen narrowed her eyes.

Beside her, Rong Xi couldn’t help but mutter under her breath, “Aren’t both of them supposed to apologize? Why hasn’t Madam Zhao said a single word?”

Though Rong Xi’s voice was low, it wasn’t quite soft enough to escape the ears of everyone present.

Mother Rong glanced at her daughter and smiled. “Our children are straightforward. They say exactly what they mean.”

Mother Rong’s explanation offered no suggestion that Madam Zhao shouldn’t apologize.

Madam Zhao took a deep breath. “Miss Qin, I’m truly sorry about this.”

“Not sincere at all,” Rong Xi muttered again.

[ Host, you’ve clearly corrupted Xixi. ] the System remarked.

Rong Xi’s blunt remark fell like a heavy silence over the room. Madam Zhao felt her face burning with embarrassment.

Rong Xi glanced around, suddenly realizing her mistake. She blinked, shot Qin Yuzhen a quick look, and quietly scooted closer to her.

“Xixi is just naive,” Qin Yuzhen said with a gentle smile. “She speaks her mind without tact. Madam Zhao, I’m sure you won’t mind, right?”

Father Zhao frowned at Qin Yuzhen. To be honest, he couldn’t see any fragility in her. Her posture and expression radiated an aura of someone not to be trifled with.

“Alright, since the apology has been made, we’ll be taking our leave now,” Father Zhao said, eager to escape. He’d never been so humiliated in his life, especially by a woman decades his junior.

“I had intended to invite you both for lunch, but if you’re in such a hurry, we’ll dispense with that,” Mother Rong said politely, though she hadn’t even informed the kitchen of the matter.

“We won’t trouble Madam Rong with lunch,” Mother Zhao said. She and Father Zhao then left the Rong residence.

Mother Rong yawned, glancing at the two figures on the sofa. Her gaze lingered on Qin Yuzhen for a brief moment before she said, “I’m going upstairs. Have someone call me when lunch is ready.”

“Understood,” Rong Xi nodded.

Host, Mother Rong clearly believes you’ve corrupted Rong Xi. The old Rong Xi would never have spoken like that.

“Oh,” Qin Yuzhen said, leaning back against the sofa and watching Rong Xi. “I didn’t realize you were so skilled at finishing people off, little sister.”

“It’s mainly because those two are so detestable,” Rong Xi said, her indignation growing with each word. “Their own son committed such a reprehensible act, yet they show not a shred of remorse. And they completely disregard you!”

Qin Yuzhen sighed. “Well, I’m nobody important. It’s only natural they don’t care about me. Their apology was likely just a courtesy to the Rong family.”

Rong Xi tugged at her sleeve. “If you regained your status, they’d never treat you like this.”

Qin Yuzhen felt a mix of exasperation and helplessness. She realized how deeply Rong Xi was fixated on this matter. “I’ve already told you, I don’t care.”

“But I care!” Rong Xi had initially hoped that if Qin Yuzhen cared, she could find a plausible reason to distance herself. Now that Qin Yuzhen claimed not to care, she was at a loss.

“If I beat you up, would you stop dwelling on this?” Qin Yuzhen asked.

Rong Xi opened her mouth, hesitated for a long moment, and finally managed to utter, “Huh?”

“Alright then, it’s settled. I’m going to beat you up now.” Qin Yuzhen flashed Rong Xi a friendly smile.

Rong Xi: ???

Ten minutes later, both women stood in the home gym, clad in comfortable, athletic attire. Rong Xi couldn’t figure out how she’d ended up in this situation.

“Go easy on me…” Rong Xi said cautiously, glancing at Qin Yuzhen. The thought of Qin Yuzhen’s strength made her tremble.

“Host, this is the female protagonist! Isn’t beating her a bit… inappropriate?” the System fretted. Why did this person always act so unpredictably?

Qin Yuzhen stepped closer to Rong Xi, clenched her fist, and swung it toward Rong Xi’s face. Rong Xi instinctively closed her eyes but didn’t dodge. After a long pause, she still felt no pain.

She cautiously opened her eyes. Qin Yuzhen was pinching her cheeks and pulling them outward.

Rong Xi: ……

“Rong Xi!”

Qin Yuzhen flicked Rong Xi’s forehead. “There.”

Rong Xi clutched her head, then touched her face. It didn’t really hurt, but she felt utterly embarrassed.

“Now that I’ve smacked you, please don’t mention it again,” Qin Yuzhen said, sitting down in a nearby chair.

“But it was just that… why did you need to change your clothes?”

Qin Yuzhen glanced at Rong Xi. “Do you need to change after a simple smack? Does getting hit require a wardrobe update?”

Rong Xi: …

“Do you really think I would hit you?” Qin Yuzhen asked, staring intently at Rong Xi’s face.

Rong Xi’s gaze drifted. “I don’t know.”

“Ah, what a waste of time changing your clothes.”

“It wasn’t a waste. Now, go run for an hour on the treadmill before you can come down.” Qin Yuzhen nodded toward the treadmill with her chin.

Rong Xi: ???

“Your constitution is too weak. You need proper exercise.”

“Who said my constitution is weak?!” Rong Xi retorted.

“I did.”

“You already changed your clothes,” Qin Yuzhen pointed out.

Rong Xi: …

“Even the clothes are changed…”

Rong Xi stepped onto the treadmill and glanced at Qin Yuzhen, who was playing with her phone.

“You should exercise with me,” Rong Xi said.

“Little sister, you’re making it sound a bit misleading,” Qin Yuzhen remarked casually.

“What do you mean, ‘misleading’?” Rong Xi frowned slightly. “Exercising alone is boring and demotivating.”

Qin Yuzhen looked up and quirked an eyebrow. “What kind of exercise requires two people?”

Rong Xi fell silent for a moment before realizing what Qin Yuzhen meant.

And so, the System witnessed the first instance of Qin Yuzhen being hit.

Rong Xi’s face flushed crimson as she grabbed a nearby napkin and hurled it at Qin Yuzhen, hitting her squarely on the forehead.

“You’re so annoying!” Rong Xi declared, punctuating her words with a defiant “hmph,” though the sound carried no real force.

“Little sister, what kind of nonsense are you thinking about? Why is your face so red?” Qin Yuzhen picked up the fallen napkin and looked up at Rong Xi, her expression suddenly dawning with realization. She clicked her tongue three times. “Tsk tsk tsk, I never would have imagined… Little sister, you’re actually… this kind of little sister.”

Rong Xi stared at Qin Yuzhen, astonished by her sheer audacity. “You’re the one twisting the truth!”

“When have I ever twisted the truth?” Qin Yuzhen blinked innocently. “I was just clearing up the misunderstanding that you don’t want to exercise properly. And the second part was a question. There are plenty of partner exercises out there—why did you hit me?”

Rong Xi covered her burning cheeks. “You’re despicable.”

“Rong Xi, I haven’t even gotten my revenge for you hitting me!”

“I did hit you!” Rong Xi declared, leaping off the paused treadmill and fleeing the room.

The System could only remark, “Host, you’re truly a dog.”

“What does this have to do with me? Her mind was dirty to begin with,” Qin Yuzhen said, her smile widening.

“Host, we both know the truth. Stop pretending.”

“Who are you?” Qin Yuzhen raised an eyebrow.

The System: …

The System: Today is the day I wish a real boss would come and beat up that slacker.

Rong Xi retreated to her room, pulled out her diary, and began scribbling furiously without even bothering to write the date.

Qin Yuzhen was utterly despicable! She was the one with impure thoughts, yet she had the nerve to accuse me! She deliberately set me up and now refuses to admit it!

Shameless, twisting right and wrong, spouting nonsense.

Too bad throwing a napkin doesn’t hurt. I should carry a self-defense tool from now on. I’ll look online for one when I have time.

After Rong Xi left, Qin Yuzhen didn’t linger at the gym. She strolled back to the third floor, glancing at Rong Xi’s tightly shut bedroom door.

“Zhenzhen.”

“Hmm?” Qin Yuzhen heard Mother Rong’s voice and turned to see her standing on the stairs.

“Did you bully Xixi? I heard her run upstairs just now.”

“Why does her running upstairs mean I bullied her?” Qin Yuzhen looked at Mother Rong, utterly baffled by this logic.

“Xixi usually doesn’t make such a commotion at home.” Mother Rong frowned slightly, displeased with Qin Yuzhen’s attitude. “And today’s incident… Xixi wouldn’t normally speak like that. I hope your bad habits don’t influence her. Once you graduate from high school, I’ll arrange for you to have an etiquette teacher.”

Qin Yuzhen smiled faintly, her lips curving slightly. “I believe my manners are impeccable, and I don’t find it shameful to seek justice. So, what exactly are you dissatisfied with?”

“Speaking to your elders like this is disrespectful.”

“I’m calm and composed, not cursing anyone. I’m simply asking a question.” Qin Yuzhen rested her hand on the railing. “Where exactly is the lack of manners?”

Mother Rong took a deep breath. “Since you’re now in the Rong family, you must abide by our rules. I only want to hear you say ‘yes’.”

“My surname is Qin, and I’m a distant relative of the Rong family.” Qin Yuzhen’s smile remained unchanged.

The System noted that Qin Yuzhen truly deserved a slap.

“Host, you’re using their resources and living in their home. How can you argue so boldly with such confidence?”

“Thick skin.”

The System: …

“Next, calculate how much my accumulated points can be exchanged for this world’s currency. Tell me if I shouldn’t have this confidence. Worst comes to worst, I’ll pay back what I owe and leave.”

The System glanced at the conversion table. “Too many digits. Don’t feel like calculating.”

As Qin Yuzhen casually chatted with the System, Mother Rong stood before her, too furious to speak.

“Truly a child raised in the countryside, lacking proper upbringing.”

“Respecting others is a fundamental part of one’s cultivation. Do you possess such refinement?”

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