I'm Not Playing This Vicious Female Supporting Character Anymore! - Chapter 20

Mother Rong glared at Qin Yuzhen, visibly angered by her disrespectful tone. After all, Qin Yuzhen hadn’t been raised by her since childhood, and she dared to speak to her like this.

The room’s soundproofing was excellent; Rong Xi hadn’t heard any of the conversation outside until she opened the door and saw the two women facing each other on the stairs. Only then did she realize what was happening.

She instinctively wanted to close the door, but mustered the courage to ask, “What are you two doing standing on the stairs?”

Both women turned to look at Rong Xi, who blinked, already shrinking back into the room.

“Nothing,” Qin Yuzhen said.

The System scoffed inwardly.

Since Qin Yuzhen refused to explain, Mother Rong naturally remained silent.

“I just came up to check when I heard you rushing up the stairs,” Mother Rong said with a warm smile.

Rong Xi shook her head. “It’s nothing. Sister said I have a weak constitution and wants me to exercise, but I don’t want to exercise, so I ran away.”

Mother Rong’s smile froze for a few seconds, while Qin Yuzhen stood to the side, watching coldly.

“Good,” Mother Rong said with another forced smile, then turned and went back downstairs.

Qin Yuzhen let out a cold laugh.

Rong Xi sidled up to Qin Yuzhen. “What happened? Did you argue? Was it because of me?”

“Didn’t I say it had nothing to do with you?” Qin Yuzhen asked. She had avoided mentioning it precisely to prevent Rong Xi from nagging, never expecting that even her silence would make him connect it to himself.

Rong Xi stared at her. “I’m not blind or stupid, you know.”

“You’re so annoying. I’m going back to my room.” Qin Yuzhen shoved her hands into her pockets and stormed away.

“Tsk tsk tsk,” the System clicked its tongue again.

“Is your brain broken?”

“And you were saying you didn’t like the female lead. Looks like you do care after all.”

“My brain is definitely broken.”

“If you don’t like her, why do you care if she’s upset about what happened?” the System pressed. “Host, just admit you like her. You’ve liked so many sisters and younger sisters before; what’s one more?”

Qin Yuzhen: …

“It’s just that she’s annoying,” Qin Yuzhen muttered.

The System chuckled again.

“Shut up,” Qin Yuzhen snapped, refusing to acknowledge it. She was convinced that Rong Xi was the king of self-inflicted annoyance.

Qin Yuzhen stroked her chin. “Did I ever officially transfer my household registration to the Rong Family?”

“No, they just transferred a property into your name and set up a new account for you,” the System replied.

Qin Yuzhen propped her chin in her hand. “Didn’t they need to consult me about something like that?”

“Host, it’s perfectly normal for bugs to exist in a novel world,” the System said. “Don’t worry about these minor details.”

“Utterly lacking in rigor,” Qin Yuzhen remarked.

System: …

Qin Yuzhen leaned back against the sofa. Although she possessed a substantial amount of money, transferring it to this world required a suitable method.

“Should I buy a lottery ticket tomorrow?” Qin Yuzhen suggested. “Let’s start with ten million.”

System: …

“Host, what are you planning to do?”

“Move out.”

“Host, the plotline requires your presence,” the System sighed.

“Have I ever actually followed the plot?” Qin Yuzhen retorted irritably.

“We’re still in a precarious situation,” the System explained. “Until we establish contact with the Main System Space, it’s best not to make any drastic moves. Even if you’re not actively following the plot, your presence here is crucial. If you were to leave entirely, real problems would arise.”

“I shouldn’t have given them that life-saving item in the first place,” Qin Yuzhen lamented. “If I hadn’t, I could have escaped even after the world shattered.”

“But if you could do it over, you’d give it to them again, wouldn’t you?”

Qin Yuzhen was silent for two seconds, then smiled. “That’s not necessarily true.”

“Are you going out?” Rong Xi asked, watching Qin Yuzhen put on her shoes.

“Mm,” Qin Yuzhen replied absently, not even looking up.

“I’ll go with you,” Rong Xi said, immediately standing up and rushing upstairs. “Wait here. I’ll grab my bag.”

Rong Xi thought she was moving quickly, but by the time she came downstairs, Qin Yuzhen was no longer at the entrance. Feeling slighted, she tightened her grip on her bag, pushed the door open, and glanced outside.

Qin Yuzhen leaned against a pillar near the gate, head down, engrossed in her phone. The slanting sunlight cascaded over her, framing her figure in a golden glow.

“You’re so slow,” Qin Yuzhen said, lowering her phone and looking at Rong Xi. “Aren’t you coming?”

“Oh, I’m just putting on my shoes.”

Qin Yuzhen’s expression grew more disdainful. “So slow.”

“Why didn’t you wait inside? I thought you’d left,” Rong Xi grumbled.

“I never planned to take you along in the first place,” Qin Yuzhen retorted, standing with her hands in her pockets. “A good student like you should be studying at home at this time.”

“I was worried you’d get lost.”

Qin Yuzhen laughed. “Sorry, ‘getting lost’ isn’t in my vocabulary.”

Rong Xi: …

How does Qin Yuzhen manage to make everything she says sound like a gold medal for her?

Rong Xi put on her shoes and ran to Qin Yuzhen’s side. The two of them left together.

“What are you buying? Why didn’t you let the driver take us?” Rong Xi asked.

“Lottery tickets.”

“Huh?” Rong Xi exclaimed. “Why are you buying lottery tickets?”

“To save some secret money.”

Rong Xi: …

Rong Xi stared at Qin Yuzhen, wondering if there was something wrong with her brain. “You don’t actually think you’ll win the big prize, do you?”

“I really do,” Qin Yuzhen replied.

Rong Xi opened her mouth. “I think you should give up that idea sooner rather than later.”

The residential complex was huge. It took them over half an hour just to walk to the gate.

Qin Yuzhen glanced around, then headed toward the bus stop. There was no lottery shop nearby, and Rong Xi followed behind her.

“Do you know how to get there?”

“Yes.” Qin Yuzhen shot a glance at Rong Xi. “Didn’t I say I won’t get lost?”

Rong Xi silently turned off the navigation app and put away her phone.

The two boarded the crowded bus. Rong Xi rarely used public transportation, and there were no seats available. Qin Yuzhen found a spot to stand, gripping the overhead bar.

“Why didn’t we take a taxi?” Rong Xi asked.

Qin Yuzhen: …

“To experience it,” Qin Yuzhen replied.

She didn’t mention that when she asked the System for directions, it had suggested a bus route, causing her to completely forget about the option of taking a taxi.

She wondered if spending too much time with Rong Xi had made her brain dull.

“What does this have to do with Rong Xi?”

“I’ll delete you as soon as I get back,” Qin Yuzhen said with a frown.

System: …

“I can’t help it,” the System murmured. It rarely eavesdropped on Qin Yuzhen’s thoughts, but sometimes it couldn’t resist, especially when she stubbornly refused to admit defeat. The System knew these moments usually held unexpected surprises.

The bus swayed and jolted. Rong Xi found gripping the overhead bar uncomfortable. After about two minutes, she reached out and took hold of Qin Yuzhen’s arm. By the five-minute mark, she had both hands firmly grasping Qin Yuzhen’s arm.

Qin Yuzhen looked down at Rong Xi. “Did you know? You’re actually quite heavy.”

Rong Xi: “……”

“I can’t keep my balance, and my arms are cramping from holding you up,” Rong Xi said.

Rong Xi noticed her own body swaying, but Qin Yuzhen stood motionless on the bus, like a bell. She realized it had little to do with the overhead strap above her. She glanced at the other passengers.

Even those standing the steadiest usually swayed a bit, but Qin Yuzhen remained perfectly still, as if she were standing on solid ground.

“Have you practiced some kind of martial arts?”

“Huh?”

“Otherwise, how could you be so steady? You don’t even sway!” Rong Xi asked.

“Quite imaginative,” Qin Yuzhen replied.

Rong Xi pursed her lips. Qin Yuzhen shot her a sidelong glance. When the bus jolted again, Qin Yuzhen suddenly swayed. Rong Xi jumped, colliding into Qin Yuzhen and instinctively grabbing her waist.

She looked up at Qin Yuzhen, but the latter didn’t meet her gaze, her expression remaining unchanged. Still, Rong Xi knew she had done it on purpose! She pinched Qin Yuzhen’s waist.

Qin Yuzhen lowered her head, Rong Xi looking utterly innocent. “You scared me! Why did you suddenly sway like that?”

“Your acting has improved, but you still lack a certain finesse.”

Rong Xi maintained her innocent expression.

When the bus stopped, the two got off together. Qin Yuzhen glanced around, then headed in a certain direction, Rong Xi following behind.

Rong Xi watched Qin Yuzhen in surprise. City A was vast, with many places she’d never visited. Qin Yuzhen was clearly visiting this place for the first time, yet she navigated with surprising familiarity.

They found a lottery kiosk.

“Of age?” The clerk behind the counter glanced up at them.

Qin Yuzhen: …

“Oh, Host, minors can’t buy lottery tickets without a guardian. Even if they win, they can’t claim the prize without a guardian present,” the System said.

Rong Xi wanted to laugh at Qin Yuzhen’s expression. She tugged at Qin Yuzhen’s sleeve. “Give up.”

“Stop laughing.” Qin Yuzhen hadn’t expected to make two fools of herself in one day.

After living for centuries, she was now being turned away because she was a minor.

“Host, what do we do now?”

Qin Yuzhen’s lips twitched. Normally, she could contact the System Space, and it could arrange for an NPC to deliver money to her. But now…

What’s it feel like to have money but not be able to spend it?

“It’s just that you can’t buy lottery tickets, right? Is that really that upsetting…? Just wait until next year. You’ll be eighteen then,” Rong Xi said.

Qin Yuzhen sighed. “You don’t understand.”

“So where are we going now?” Rong Xi asked.

“Host, you could participate in an online lottery. I can rig it so you win,” the System suggested.

“Who runs a lottery with a ten-million-yuan prize?” Qin Yuzhen retorted irritably.

Seeing that Qin Yuzhen was ignoring her, Rong Xi tugged on her sleeve again. “Where do you want to go?”

“Where do you want to go?”

Rong Xi replied sheepishly, “There’s a dessert shop over there. I’ve always wanted to try it…”

“Let’s go, then.”

“You finished your homework, right?” Rong Xi asked.

“Yep,” Qin Yuzhen replied, realizing that Rong Xi had a knack for making her already foul mood even worse.

“That’s good.” Rong Xi pulled out her phone.

“So, when you said ‘give me directions,’ you just meant looking up the route on the navigation and telling me how to get there?” Qin Yuzhen asked, standing to the side.

Rong Xi: …

“I’ve never been here before, okay?” Rong Xi defended herself.

“If you’ve never been here before, how can you guide me?” Qin Yuzhen asked, watching Rong Xi’s flustered expression, suddenly feeling quite pleased.

“You’re being so stubborn,” Rong Xi said, looking up at Qin Yuzhen with a serious expression.

“That’s called asking reasonable questions,” Qin Yuzhen replied.

Rong Xi snorted coldly. “I’ve never seen you talk to Gu Si like this.”

“That little girl is so cute! Why would I talk to her like that?”

Rong Xi: Suddenly lost her appetite for sweets.

“Didn’t you say you’re not the cute type, but the mature, independent type? What, now you’re upset because I didn’t call you cute?”

Rong Xi: ???

I never expected this! How could she twist it like that?

“I can’t win against you,” Rong Xi said, quickening her pace. But no matter how fast she tried to walk, Qin Yuzhen kept pace beside her.

“Host, that’s going too far. The poor girl hasn’t done anything to you.”

“Oh.”

The two of them wandered around the mall for two circles.

“Still can’t find it?” Qin Yuzhen asked.

Rong Xi, though reluctant to admit it, nodded.

“Why didn’t you say so earlier? It’s right over there!” Qin Yuzhen pressed her hands against Rong Xi’s shoulders and turned her toward the dessert shop.

“You saw it all along?”

“Yep.”

Rong Xi took a step back, landing her heel precisely on Qin Yuzhen’s foot.

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