I'm Not Playing This Vicious Female Supporting Character Anymore! - Chapter 35

With the sports meet approaching next week, a few of us went to the supermarket together and stocked up on snacks.

“Sister, do you think our teachers will let us go out and have fun with how strict they’ve been lately?” Rong Xi asked, a hint of worry in her voice. Though she loved studying, she didn’t want to stay cooped up in class during the annual sports meet—especially since this would be her last one in high school.

“I doubt it,” Qin Yuzhen replied. “Didn’t Old Wang even cancel our physical education classes?”

“I hope so, but I’m afraid other teachers might show up.” Rong Xi took a deep breath.

“Anyway, I’ll definitely make you come cheer me on. Don’t worry, you won’t be stuck in class.”

Rong Xi: …

“Senior, are you participating in the sports meet?” Cong Mian asked.

“Mm-hmm,” Qin Yuzhen replied, glancing at Rong Xi. “Rong Xi signed me up for a bunch of events.”

“Wow, Senior, you’ll definitely win first place! I’ll be there to cheer you on!” Cong Mian said excitedly.

“Thanks,” Qin Yuzhen said with a smile. “But I’m not guaranteed first place.”

“Senior’s the best! You’ll definitely win!”

Rong Xi shot Qin Yuzhen a disapproving look.

Since we had school the next day, we parted ways after the supermarket.

As soon as Rong Xi got in the car, she massaged her calves. “I’m exhausted.”

“We didn’t even walk that much today,” Qin Yuzhen said, a little exasperated.

“For me, that was plenty!” Rong Xi glanced at Qin Yuzhen. “Speaking of which, now that you have a junior cheering you on, do you even need me anymore?”

“Junior is one thing, you’re another. Don’t even think about escaping.” Qin Yuzhen ruffled Rong Xi’s hair. “Now come here and cheer me on properly.”

Rong Xi sighed. “You’re so greedy.”

“Absolutely,” Qin Yuzhen nodded in agreement.

The sports meet was on Wednesday. Perhaps because this event held special significance for the senior class, the teachers didn’t keep non-athletes confined to the classroom for self-study. Instead, they released everyone to enjoy the day.

When Qin Yuzhen arrived at school that morning, she saw her race number pinned to her desk: 3011.

“I’ll pin this to your shirt for you,” Rong Xi said cheerfully, picking up the number. “I’m definitely going to take tons of pictures of you today.”

Qin Yuzhen turned her back to the desk, leaning against it and letting Rong Xi fuss behind her. “No need.”

“Why not?”

“I just have a feeling you’ll end up taking unflattering photos of me,” Qin Yuzhen said.

“Sister, how could you think that of me?” Rong Xi feigned hurt. “I’ll definitely make you look stunning in all the pictures.” Though if any embarrassing ones slip through, that’s on you.

“Tsk.”

The sports meet kicked off with an assembly. The principal kept her remarks brief, likely because the November playground was much chillier than the auditorium.

Each class had a designated banner carrier, and Rong Xi was chosen for their class. Today, she even wore a skirt, while the rest of the class donned their distinctive Class 1, Year 3 uniforms.

Qin Yuzhen could only say that the class uniform was pushing the limits of her aesthetic tolerance. If Rong Xi hadn’t forced her, she would never have worn such a thing. She should have taken the banner-carrying job herself.

After circling the playground, Class 1 members uniformly slipped on their school jackets, their coordination impeccable. Compared to the class uniform, the school uniform was practically a work of art.

“Aren’t you cold?” Qin Yuzhen glanced at Rong Xi’s calves.

“I’m alright,” Rong Xi replied. “It’s not too cold. Just remember to run in your class uniform during the race.”

“No way,” Qin Yuzhen immediately refused, then added quickly, “Stop acting cute. That won’t work this time. I brought athletic clothes and will change as soon as the opening ceremony is over.”

“Fine,” Rong Xi sighed, sounding slightly disappointed.

“I just knew you wanted to snap some embarrassing photos of me.”

“How could I? Besides, even the ugliest clothes can’t diminish Sister’s beauty.”

“Right.”

Qin Yuzhen had competitions scheduled for both the morning and afternoon, leaving her little time to rest. Rong Xi followed behind her, saying, “Your first race is the 400 meters at 9 a.m., the 800 meters at 10 a.m., and the shot put is in the afternoon.”

“Mm,” Qin Yuzhen replied, emerging from the restroom stall after changing her clothes.

“So, you have about forty minutes to kill.”

“Your group has athletes, Sister. Can you even beat them?”

“Speaking of which, Sister, with your strength, how far do you think you’ll throw the shot put this afternoon?”

“You’re so naggy,” Qin Yuzhen said, straightening her clothes in the mirror.

“Sister, we’re just concerned about you.”

“Thanks, Junior,” Qin Yuzhen replied in a mock-sweet voice.

“Sarcasm much?”

“Thanks for the inspiration, Junior.” Qin Yuzhen grabbed Rong Xi and dragged her to the track.

Just before Qin Yuzhen was set to run, Gu Si and Cong Mian found her, along with the three girls they’d eaten with earlier, who were now gathered nearby.

“Good luck, Senior!” Cong Mian waved, her chest heaving slightly from rapid breathing. She’d hurried over after being told Qin Yuzhen had already arrived at the registration area, barely making it in time.

Qin Yuzhen nodded, her face breaking into a radiant smile.

Four hundred meters—just one lap around the track.

As she stood at the starting line, Qin Yuzhen noticed that quite a few of her classmates had come to watch.

“Go, Lao Qin, go!”

“Yeah! Go, Lao Qin!”

Qin Yuzhen: …

What kind of bizarre nickname is this? Why is a young girl like me being called “Lao Qin”?

The referee called out, “On your marks.” Qin Yuzhen leaned forward slightly, waiting for the gunshot.

Her starting reaction time was no slower than that of the athletic students beside her. However, by the 200-meter mark, Qin Yuzhen had fallen slightly behind.

“Sister, you can do it!”

“Senior, go for it!”

“Zhenzhen! Come on, come on!”

“Lao Qin!”

Qin Yuzhen could clearly distinguish who was calling her name from the crowd. Rong Xi’s shy voice made her want to laugh.

She finished second, three seconds behind first place. The third-place runner was about a hundred meters behind them.

As soon as Qin Yuzhen reached the finish line, Rong Xi handed her a bottle of water.

“Tired?” Rong Xi asked.

“Not really,” Qin Yuzhen replied, taking a sip. She didn’t feel particularly winded.

“So fast! Senior, are you good at everything?” Cong Mian marveled.

Qin Yuzhen smiled but didn’t answer the question. She went to the judge to register her time, then found a spot to sit down.

“Did you hold back?” Rong Xi asked.

“Why do you ask?”

“Because you looked so… effortless and casual while running.” Rong Xi opened her phone’s photo album, where she had recorded a video.

Qin Yuzhen was silent for two seconds. “That’s just how I run.”

“Hmph.” Rong Xi scrolled through the album again. “Look, I didn’t even get a single unflattering shot of you.”

Indeed, every photo of Qin Yuzhen in the album was stunning. Rong Xi was secretly amazed; she hadn’t managed to capture a single unflattering angle.

Qin Yuzhen flashed a mysterious smile. To prevent any unflattering photos, she had specifically used an Item Card.

Many people were snapping photos of Qin Yuzhen, including Liang Xuzhou, who had brought his DSLR just to capture her contorted expressions for memes. Who could have imagined… that every single photo would turn out stunningly beautiful and perfectly composed?

It was practically toxic. He had even taken burst mode photos, but no matter how many times he checked, every angle was flawless. Finally, he had to accept his fate.

“Sister, let’s take a photo together.”

“We’ve never taken a photo together before,” Qin Yuzhen remarked.

“Right?” Rong Xi said, leaning against Qin Yuzhen and holding her phone. Their arms brushed as they posed. “Okay, look at the camera—1, 2, 3!”

Rong Xi dragged Qin Yuzhen through a barrage of photos. At first, Qin Yuzhen managed to smile, but by the end, she was thoroughly numb.

“Sister, smile! Why are you being so half-hearted?” Rong Xi tugged on Qin Yuzhen’s arm, swinging it gently.

“What do you mean ‘too many’? We only took a few!” Rong Xi protested, opening her photo album. After a two-second silence at the sheer number of photos, she hastily turned off her phone.

“Ah, I’m just so excited because I’ve never taken a photo with you before, Sister. You don’t mind, right?”

Qin Yuzhen chuckled, glancing at the playground. “Isn’t that Liang Xuzhou running in second-to-last place?”

“Looks like it,” Rong Xi said. “Is he doing it on purpose, or is he really…”

“Just slow,” the System interjected.

“He’s probably just slow,” Qin Yuzhen agreed.

Rong Xi paused for a moment. “So that’s the big shot from Ninth Middle School?”

Qin Yuzhen: “……”

“How exactly did he save you back then?” Rong Xi asked, curious.

“I don’t know. I was in a daze at the time,” Qin Yuzhen replied.

Rong Xi narrowed her eyes, studying Qin Yuzhen. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that something about the relationship between Qin Yuzhen and Liang Xuzhou seemed… off.

Liang Xuzhou was clearly afraid of Qin Yuzhen, and he even lost an arm-wrestling match to her. The Zhao family member was even more terrified of Qin Yuzhen. And Cong Mian, whom Liang Xuzhou had saved, seemed closer to Qin Yuzhen than anyone else. Moreover, given Qin Yuzhen’s strength, it was entirely possible that she could have pinned the Zhao family member to the ground and given him a thorough beating.

“What are you thinking?” Qin Yuzhen asked.

Rong Xi shook her head. “Nothing.”

“You’re clearly thinking about something,” Qin Yuzhen said, leaning closer.

“You have your own secrets you’re not telling me. Why should I share mine with you?”

“Fine.” Qin Yuzhen lowered her head and began Photoshopping Liang Xuzhou’s photo.

Rong Xi moved closer and saw Liang Xuzhou’s mouth agape, his expression twisted. Qin Yuzhen had already Photoshopped the words “Life is Unbearable” onto the image and sent it to Liang Xuzhou.

Rong Xi laughed. “You’re so mischievous.”

“This is called artistic creation,” Qin Yuzhen replied. “What’s so mischievous about it?”

After his run, Liang Xuzhou felt like he was about to die. When he checked his phone and saw the meme Qin Yuzhen had sent, he stumbled and nearly fell.

Liang Xuzhou: …

What kind of human tragedy is this?

[Liang Xuzhou: Can’t you just act like a decent person?]

[Qin Yuzhen: Didn’t you also take a picture of me?]

Remembering the photo he’d taken, Liang Xuzhou felt like crying even more. The boy supporting him looked worried.

“Lao Liang, being dead last is fine. Don’t cry.”

“I’m not crying!” Liang Xuzhou roared.

“Alright, alright, you’re not crying. You’re definitely not crying.”

“Damn it.”

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