Striving for Harmony After Transmigrating as an Alpha Female Supporting Character - Chapter 29

In the phone call, Jing Nianxun shared so much; she was in high spirits, showing an endless interest in every blade of grass and every tree at the Academy of Fine Arts.

“Nianxun, I brought some snowflake crisps. I’ll leave them here, help yourself if you want some.”

Another girl’s voice came through the line, followed by the sound of footsteps and a chair dragging. It seemed Nianxun had a roommate. Xiaoyu remembered her mentioning the double rooms. Before she could ask, Nianxun spoke up first: “That was Senior Yuan Wen. We’re rooming together.”

“Oh,” Xiaoyu replied. Yuan Wen. Well, that was fine then.

Nianxun asked, “What about you? Are you bored at home?”

Xiaoyu wanted to say she was incredibly bored, but she caught herself. “Not really. I’m planning to have Li Shuqing over tomorrow.”

Nianxun hesitated. “To our house?”

Xiaoyu gave a muffled “Mhm” and explained, “Li Shuqing asked me to help her review math for the cultural exams. Her graduation tests are coming up soon, but she’s still only scoring a few dozen points in math.”

Li Shuqing was taking the art student route; she had already passed all her professional art exams, but her academic scores still had to meet a minimum threshold, or she wouldn’t get into the Academy.

“Then good luck to you both,” Nianxun said. “I’ll be back as soon as things wrap up here.”

After hanging up, Nianxun stared at her phone for a long time. Her mind was filled with images of Li Shuqing and Ai Xiaoyu together.

“Finished your call?”

Nianxun turned to see Yuan Wen leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed as she watched her. “That was nearly an hour.”

Nianxun didn’t address the comment. Instead, she asked, “Senior, how are Li Shuqing’s academic grades?”

Yuan Wen arched an eyebrow. “Why do you ask? Hmm… is she over at Xiaoyu’s for tutoring?”

Nianxun nodded.

Yuan Wen walked over, pulled up a chair, and sat down with her legs leisurely crossed. “True, Xiao Qing is great at art, but she loves to play. She rarely pays attention in class, so it’s no wonder her academics are a mess. I planned to help her out after this training ended, but she must be desperate if she’s seeking help from a high school junior.”

Nianxun remained silent. Yuan Wen leaned in closer, a playful smirk on her face. “What? Are you jealous? Afraid Xiao Qing will steal your girlfriend?”

Startled, Nianxun jumped up, nearly knocking her chair over. She waved her hands frantically. “No, no! I don’t like Ai Xiaoyu like that.”

“Oh, if you say so,” Yuan Wen narrowed her eyes slightly. “But why such a big reaction?”

Nianxun stood stiffly. After a moment, she lowered her head and whispered, “Maybe… maybe it’s just because of the pheromones. I can’t control myself.”

Yuan Wen stood up and walked slowly toward Nianxun, stopping so close they were almost touching.

“Do you feel anything right now?” Yuan Wen asked.

Nianxun shook her head in confusion.

Yuan Wen clapped her hands once. “I just released a bit of my pheromones, and yet you felt nothing. If you say it’s ‘just because of pheromones,’ then why do you only react to Ai Xiaoyu? Isn’t it really because… she’s special to you?”

Yuan Wen retreated to her own room. Nianxun remained standing, lifting her hand and staring at her palm. That hand had touched Xiaoyu countless times; she could still feel the phantom sensation of Xiaoyu’s fingertips tracing her skin.

The training period flew by. Aside from wandering the campus, sketching in the studio, and listening to professors, Nianxun spent most of her time in one place: the exhibition hall dedicated to her parents’ work. Mountains, lakes, seas, kitchens, and love—within those small rooms, she traced their youth through glass, exploring the distances they had traveled and the horizons she had yet to reach.

A few days later, Nianxun boarded the bus for home.

As she walked out of the station exit, she saw a strange sight… or rather, a giant rabbit. It was a massive grey rabbit with a pink bow on its fluffy ears. The rabbit was nearly twice the size of a person, sitting quietly on a waiting bench and taking up two seats. The ears weren’t quite right—one stood tall while the other flopped over its head. The rabbit had its hands on its knees in a “The Thinker” pose.

A nearby child was staring at the rabbit, offering it a balloon. The rabbit didn’t take it, so the balloon just bobbed against its ear.

Jing Nianxun found the rabbit strangely familiar and walked toward it. Seeing her, the rabbit lifted its heavy head, stood up, and gave her a massive, plush hug.

Nianxun pulled the rabbit head off. “Xiaoyu?!”

“Ow, ow! You’re pulling my hair!” Xiaoyu smoothed down her tangled hair. “Welcome home.”

Nianxun didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Why are you wearing this?”

“Well… you were gone, and I was bored. I saw a milk tea shop looking for people to wear mascot costumes, so I went for it.”

Truthfully, she just really wanted to wear the grey rabbit suit.

They sat back down on the bench. The child next to them saw the rabbit grow a human head and gasped in horror. “Mom! The rabbit has a human head! It’s scary!” The child ran away crying, leaving the balloon tied to the armrest.

Xiaoyu claimed the balloon, holding the string with a fluffy paw, and went home with Nianxun.

Having the suit meant doing business; Xiaoyu spent time at the milk tea shop attracting children. In the dead of winter, the suit wasn’t hot, it was actually quite cozy, if a bit clumsy. Children kept pulling on the rabbit’s ears until they were crooked, and Nianxun would gently straighten them.

They handed out dozens of flyers, wishing passersby well and promoting the shop.

“Miss Rabbit! Miss Rabbit! Can I take a photo with you?” A girl in a thick red scarf shook the rabbit’s short arm. Xiaoyu nodded, her big ears wobbling.

Others saw the photo and joined in. Xiaoyu was forced to strike several ridiculous poses tugging her own ears or tilting her head. One particularly pretty girl joked, “Miss Rabbit, can I be your girlfriend?”

Xiaoyu: “…”

“Nope,” Xiaoyu reached out with a stubby arm and pulled Nianxun over. “I already have a girlfriend. See?”

The girl laughed and winked. “Then I wish you both happiness!”

“Thanks!” Xiaoyu waved a paw. “Come again soon!”

Nianxun stayed by Xiaoyu’s side all day. She mostly sat and played on her phone or handed out a few flyers, but Xiaoyu had to stand and take photos until she was exhausted.

By the end of the day, Xiaoyu used the wages she had earned over the past few days to buy the grey rabbit suit for herself.

On the way home, Xiaoyu carried the massive suit while they both sipped milk tea. Thinking about what Xiaoyu had said to the girl, Nianxun asked cautiously, “What you said today…”

Xiaoyu was struggling to poke her straw into the cup. Once Nianxun helped her, she asked, “About… being your girlfriend…”

Xiaoyu realized what she meant. “Oh, that? You don’t mind, right? I was just playing around.”

Nianxun stared at her for a few seconds. Xiaoyu’s tone was flat, devoid of any special emotion, exactly as she said: “playing around.”

“Oh… it’s fine.”

Xiaoyu sensed Nianxun might be a bit unhappy. She figured it was because the original novel said Nianxun would differentiate as an Alpha; an Alpha being called another Alpha’s “girlfriend” was probably weird. “I won’t say it again, then,” she added.

Nianxun nodded, then shook her head, and finally fell silent.

As the Spring Festival approached, it finally snowed.

When Xiaoyu woke up, she heard firecrackers and saw a white blanket covering the ground. She pulled the curtains shut, then opened them again three seconds later. The world was a mix of festive red and snowy white.

The firecrackers made it feel like any of her previous 26 years. The snow felt real. Spring Festival. Chinese New Year. These lively, mundane words didn’t quite fit the vibe of a “cool” web novel, yet she had been here for half a year—from the scorching summer to the falling leaves of autumn, and now to winter.

She would welcome the new year here, growing up slowly as if in the real world.

Xiaoyu stretched and walked out of her room. Nianxun’s door was open and empty. Downstairs, the housekeeper was mopping. “Be careful, it’s slippery out,” she said. “Your mom went to your dad’s place; they’ll be back in two days for the New Year.”

“Thanks for the hard work, Auntie. You should go home early for the holidays too,” Xiaoyu said.

“Our Xiaoyu is getting so mature,” the housekeeper smiled. “I’ll leave tomorrow night. I’ll make you something delicious today.”

Xiaoyu looked around but couldn’t find Nianxun. She stepped into the courtyard and saw a figure in a blue padded coat sitting on a small stool, back to her.

She walked over and saw Nianxun sketching the snow.

“So hardworking,” Xiaoyu said behind her.

Nianxun turned with a smile. “You’re up.”

“Mhm.” Xiaoyu squeezed a snowball, stood up, and sneakily dropped it down the back of Nianxun’s collar.

“…”

Nianxun glared at her, shook the snow out of her clothes, and tossed her drawing board unto the ground.

“It’s on!”

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