The Beautiful Female Supporting Character is Flirtatious and Amorous [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 28

Chapter 28: I’m Convinced After Being Severely Educated by My Rival (5)

Fu Ying dazed out for a moment before shifting her gaze away. “I wonder if Gan Duanling and Deng Bokai found any ingredients.”

She sat on the lush green ridge of the field, one hand propping up her cheek, her small face wrinkled in a frown. “That god-awful program crew really set us up. We’re doing all this hard labor, yet they won’t even give us enough to eat. I think the crew is doing this on purpose, trying to sow discord among us!”

“Daughter is absolutely right!”

“My precious looks so beautiful even when she’s angry and frowning!”

“It’s fine, if the crew doesn’t give us food, we’ll just snatch it. Let’s see who wins.”

“…”

As they say, fans take after their idol; this bandit-like overbearing behavior was exactly the same.

Hearing this, Xu Yangyang stopped what she was doing. “I think…” Fu Ying immediately perked up her ears. “…you should prepare yourself to go hungry.”

Fu Ying’s expression instantly slumped, and the last shred of hope and luck in her heart vanished. She didn’t mind personally—her appetite was small—but Xu Yangyang was different. She had done so much physical labor to help her; she must be starving by now, wishing for a feast.

Fu Ying glanced at the bullet chat with furrowed brows and finally made a decision. If the others really couldn’t find ingredients for lunch, she would go straight to the director and snatch his.

She thought smugly: I am the eldest miss of the Fu family, the precious daughter and pearl in the palm of the sponsors and investors. I doubt Director He would dare say much to me.

Fu Ying felt she was incredibly cool. Like a mother hen protecting her chick, she brought Xu Yangyang under her wing, her spine straightening unconsciously.

With about an hour left until lunchtime, Fu Ying chatted idly with Xu Yangyang for a bit before scurrying over to the Village Chief. “Chief, I’ll help you.”

The Village Chief chuckled and politely declined. “No need.”

Fu Ying didn’t give up. “Chief, I’m not helping for nothing. Look, it’s almost time for lunch. If I help you finish sowing the seeds earlier, you can go home and rest sooner, right?” She continued, “Chief, I don’t want much from you. How about this: just give the two of us a little lunch, okay?”

Village Chief: “…” He gave a meaningful smile. “Just the two of you?”

Fu Ying nodded.

The Chief asked again, “Then what about your other four friends? You’ll just watch them go hungry?”

“Whether they go hungry or not is none of my business,” Fu Ying said without a second thought. “They’re all adults in their twenties and thirties. Am I supposed to solve their three meals a day? I’m not their nanny.”

“Besides, they have three men over there. If they still can’t find food, then I can only say it’s natural selection and survival of the fittest.” Fu Ying lifted her chin huffily. “If they were half as brilliant as I am and helped the elderly in the village, they wouldn’t be in such a miserable state that they can’t even eat.”

At the end, Fu Ying advised the Chief earnestly: “Chief, karma is a cycle, and retribution is swift. We must learn to respect the fates of others.”

The Village Chief was left speechless.

Fu Ying didn’t want to give up this great opportunity and nagged the Chief for a good while before succeeding. She immediately followed happily behind the Chief, learning as she watched. Although her movements were clumsy, she eventually looked like she knew what she was doing.

With help, the Chief quickly finished the sowing. Xu Yangyang was also tired and prepared to pack up and go back to rest. Fu Ying immediately abandoned the Chief and ran to Xu Yangyang’s side. She wanted to reach out and massage her shoulders or back, but feeling that their relationship wasn’t quite close enough for such intimacy, she despondently dropped the idea.

As expected, Gan Duanling’s group hadn’t found much to eat. A few wild fruits had long since disappeared into the stomachs of the four hungry people. Although they had pulled some wild vegetables, it was clearly not enough for six portions.

Duan Qingli looked worried, while Ying Chen remained expressionless. “It’s fine. There’s a small stream behind the mountain. We can go check for small fish or crabs this afternoon.”

Xu Yangyang immediately interrupted him. “Then why didn’t you catch them this morning? Were you saying your goodbyes to them?”

Ying Chen was already in a bad mood from hunger, and being targeted by Xu Yangyang made his face darken instantly. “We were searching for ingredients all morning, we didn’t stop for a moment…”

“Where are the ingredients then? Let me see.”

One sentence from Xu Yangyang successfully shut Ying Chen up.

Gan Duanling and Deng Bokai felt this was their failure, as finding ingredients was their specific task. They were about to take the blame to rescue Ying Chen, but Xu Yangyang saw through them and didn’t give them a chance to speak. She chuckled mockingly. “Then you might as well go loosen the soil.”

“Loosening soil requires even less brainpower.”

Xu Yangyang was clearly insulting Ying Chen. Ying Chen’s expression could no longer be described as merely gloomy; he stared at Xu Yangyang with a gaze that almost pierced through her. He didn’t understand why someone who had been so passionate and tried so hard to please him before had changed so drastically.

Was it because he had been slow to respond to her feelings, so she had turned her love into hatred? If so, such feelings were too fragile and cheap.

Ying Chen felt very unhappy. He really wanted to have another proper talk with Xu Yangyang, but the priority now was how to clear his name and reduce the audience’s criticism. “The tasks were decided by drawing lots,” Ying Chen said in a low voice. “We tried our best to help Little Gan and Little Deng.”

Fu Ying was happy to see Ying Chen fail. She immediately stood with her hands on her hips. “You’re just shirking responsibility. Not finding ingredients is not finding ingredients. Why are you making so many excuses?”

“Will your excuses fix anything? Will you stop being hungry?”

Duan Qingli keenly caught the key point in Fu Ying’s words. “You?” She blinked in confusion. “What about you? You aren’t coming with us?”

“Of course not.” Fu Ying raised her chin proudly. “I helped the Village Chief with work this morning, so the Chief decided to provide lunch for the two of us.”

Then, Fu Ying looked at Ying Chen with disdain. “It’s one thing to use sophistry, but you don’t even have a brain. With the looks of you people, if you had said a few kind words to the villagers and rushed to help with some work, would they really watch you go hungry?”

“This is a variety show, not a survival show. If anything happens to us, forget whether the crew takes responsibility; even your fans wouldn’t let it go.”

These words were like a sudden enlightenment to Duan Qingli. She looked at Fu Ying gratefully. “Thank you.”

Fu Ying was very smug. “No need for thanks. We’re going to eat at the Chief’s house. Goodbye.”

“Let’s go.” Fu Ying pulled Xu Yangyang and ran off quickly.

Envy flashed in Duan Qingli’s eyes. Although the internet said Xu Yangyang and Fu Ying had a bad relationship, in these difficult times, the two were helping each other. She suddenly felt a bit of regret—regret for signing the “ship” contract with Ying Chen and being tied to him. Otherwise, could she have joined them and become friends too?

Duan Qingli stared longingly at the doorway, a complex taste in her heart.

Gan Duanling and Deng Bokai snapped out of it and said tentatively, “Maybe… we should also be thick-skinned and beg the Chief or other villagers? If we promise to help them with work this afternoon, they shouldn’t mind an extra pair of chopsticks.”

They were idols and were good at wracking their brains to please fans; this wasn’t a difficult task for them. But Ying Chen was proud and naturally refused to bow and beg. He turned his gaze to Duan Qingli. “Let’s go to the stream behind the mountain to catch crabs now.”

Duan Qingli didn’t really want to stay with Ying Chen anymore, but it wasn’t easy to refuse, so she nodded. “Okay.”

Gan Duanling and Deng Bokai exchanged looks, seeing the helplessness in each other’s eyes. Why go through all that trouble when a few sweet words could get them a meal? But Ying Chen was older, had debuted earlier, and most importantly, had higher status. They couldn’t resist and could only follow dejectedly.

Fu Ying ate in small bites, whispering to Xu Yangyang: “I think Duan Qingli is a bit pitiful. She followed Ying Chen around all morning with no water, no food, and now has to work overtime.” Fu Ying curled her lip. “I feel tired just watching her.”

Xu Yangyang took a bite of meat. “Like I said, Ying Chen is a jinx. Whoever gets close to him gets unlucky.”

Fu Ying thought about it and realized it was true. During the time she was trying to please Ying Chen, people in her social circle started talking behind her back, and fans and passersby cursed her, significantly affecting her reputation. Most importantly, she lost endorsements! Several good brands were planning to hire her, but as soon as they heard about the drama between her and Ying Chen, they turned to Duan Qingli instead.

Thinking of her lost resources, Fu Ying said indignantly, “One day, I will take back everything that belongs to me!”

Xu Yangyang: “…” I should probably let this kid read fewer novels. She’s becoming a bit of a dork.

With the Village Chief’s permission, Xu Yangyang brought a small bowl of rice for Duan Qingli.

Duan Qingli had followed Ying Chen to the mountain for nearly an hour. In the end, they found no crabs or fish, and she was left sweaty and dizzy with exhaustion. She dragged her tired body back to her room, feeling a growing resentment toward Ying Chen. If he didn’t have the skills, he shouldn’t take on the work. His blind leadership had yielded no results and only made others suffer.

Duan Qingli fell into deep thought again. Was signing the contract with Ying Chen really the right choice? Although everyone said Yan Man and Fu Ying were deeply in love with Ying Chen and were subservient to him, she hadn’t seen a trace of that in these two days. Those two not only didn’t like Ying Chen, they despised him.

Xu Yangyang aside—she hadn’t liked Ying Chen since the start of the show and was quite poisonous with her words. But Fu Ying, who was initially full of hope for Ying Chen, had also started hating him after a day of interaction. Why?

If it were just Xu Yangyang, Duan Qingli might think it was because the “ship” failed and she was holding a grudge. But now even Fu Ying was the same. Duan Qingli began to feel something was wrong. Fu Ying’s conditions were top-tier; she was more than a match for Ying Chen and had no need to covet anything of his. After all, Ying Chen couldn’t satisfy anything she wanted except love.

Duan Qingli sank into thought. Was it possible that Ying Chen was indeed the problem, and those two had successively seen through his true face?

While she was feeling lost, a knock suddenly sounded at the door. Duan Qingli was startled, but quickly composed herself and managed her expression before opening the door.

Xu Yangyang and Fu Ying stood outside, handing her a box of rice and two boxes of side dishes. “Lunch for you. Eat quickly before it gets cold.”

Duan Qingli froze, her eyes filled with confusion. “Why?”

“Why so many whys? Just eat it when we give it to you.” Xu Yangyang signaled Fu Ying, who immediately stuffed the items into Duan Qingli’s arms. “Are we supposed to watch you go hungry while following Ying Chen?”

The warmth in her arms rose suddenly. Duan Qingli instinctively caught the meal, her emotions complex. She opened her mouth to ask more, but in the end, what came out was: “What about the three of them? Do they have food?”

This time Fu Ying answered for Xu Yangyang: “Of course not, we only brought it for you. Honestly, why do you care about them? Will those three grown men starve to death if they skip one meal?” Fu Ying said dissatisfiedly, “You aren’t allowed to share our kindness with others, or we’ll break off our friendship with you!”

Fu Ying waved her fist in a mock-vicious threat. Duan Qingli couldn’t help but laugh, feeling she looked like a little cat trying to act tough. “I know, I won’t.” She thanked them sincerely, “Thank you both.”

“Better not.” Fu Ying was impatient; she was so sleepy she could barely keep her eyes open. “We won’t bother you. We’re going back for a nap. See you this afternoon.”

The moment Xu Yangyang and Fu Ying left, a new notification sounded in Xu Yangyang’s mind: [Mission Progress +10%, Current total mission progress: 30%.]

Xu Yangyang listened to 0357’s mechanical voice, her lips curving up in a good mood where Fu Ying couldn’t see. As long as she was gentle and considerate enough, there was no “official couple” she couldn’t break up.

“Wooo, I apologize for cursing Yan Man and Fu Ying before. They are so nice.”

“Sigh, though our eldest miss is arrogant, she’s also a sweet baby who knows how to care for others! Seeing her so sensible, this ‘old mother’ is shedding tears of relief.”

“Yan Man is the best. If she hadn’t taken over Fu Ying’s task, none of this good stuff would have happened.”

“Yes, yes, you’re all right. Sister Yan Man’s hands are so pretty and strong, I really want to be her puppy…”

“??? The person above, put some pants on.”

Ying Chen was very frustrated. He felt things shouldn’t be developing like this. In his plan, he should be surrounded by the three women—Xu Yangyang, Fu Ying, and Duan Qingli—watching them get jealous and fight over him.

But now? Not only was he despised, but even Duan Qingli had opinions about him. Failing to find food today was an oversight; after all, it was his first time. Besides, none of the four had any harvest, which only meant they had bad luck, not that it was entirely his fault.

While Gan Duanling and Deng Bokai didn’t show any dissatisfaction, what stuck in Ying Chen’s throat was the occasional questioning look from Duan Qingli. It felt like a slap to his face, leaving him feeling burning hot and devoid of dignity.

Ying Chen clenched his fists but soon released them. He was too hungry; his stomach was cramping, and his face was turning pale. He had a stomach condition that he hadn’t paid much attention to before because his agent reminded him to take medicine, and Fu Ying and Yan Man would constantly prepare meals, so it rarely flared up.

But things were different now. That cunning woman Xu Yangyang had lured Fu Ying away and brainwashed her somehow, making her look at him with disdain as well. Ying Chen felt he couldn’t let things continue like this, or he would end up with nothing.

Having made up his mind, Ying Chen got up. First, he shamelessly asked Director He for some snacks to give to Gan Duanling and Deng Bokai. Then, he tried to sneak off to talk to Fu Ying, only to be told she was napping. Ying Chen endured it, comforting himself that there was no rush.

When Xu Yangyang woke up, she shouldered her hoe and went out without waking Fu Ying. She estimated today’s workload and then worked vigorously and efficiently. The Village Chief showed appreciation and affirmation in his eyes; out of these six guests, only this girl seemed reliable. The others were either too delicate or too arrogant.

Xu Yangyang guessed the tasks would change daily, otherwise she’d be exhausted tilling this whole hill herself. So she calculated to complete about the same amount of work as the morning.

Halfway through, Fu Ying appeared again. She was still carrying that little basket, yawning as she walked. Standing before Xu Yangyang, Fu Ying unscrewed the water and handed it to her. After scanning the surroundings, her eyes widened in shock. “You’ve done so much already?!”

“Mhm,” Xu Yangyang grunted, drinking the water in large gulps.

Fu Ying found it unbelievable. “Where do you get so much strength? If it were me, my back would ache after two swings of the hoe.”

Xu Yangyang laughed. “I usually work out, so this task isn’t too hard for me.”

“I see…” Fu Ying’s thoughts suddenly became a bit subtle. Since meeting her, she had always been trying to win against her for some reason. It seemed to be—she frowned, recalling—the egging on of the people around her?

Yes! Fu Ying’s eyes lit up. She was certain. It was because several classmates she had a decent relationship with kept saying bad things about her rival that she developed the desire to compete. Otherwise, one school beauty is a school beauty, and two school beauties are still school beauties. No matter who was the “second,” it couldn’t affect her own beauty and status. Besides, she had her family background; even looking at the whole school, she was top-tier. With such advantages, would those people dare not give her face?

Fu Ying was deeply annoyed. She was so stupid, being manipulated by those around her to be used as a weapon to hurt another innocent girl. And the other person was good-tempered enough not to hold it against her.

Fu Ying sighed repeatedly, her exquisite face full of sorrow, looking charming and pitiable.

Xu Yangyang put down the water bottle. “What are you thinking about?”

Fu Ying opened her mouth, hesitated for a moment, and instead of answering, she asked: “Yan Man, do you hate me?”

Xu Yangyang raised an eyebrow. “Why do you ask?”

“I just want to know,” Fu Ying explained. “Since we met, we’ve been fighting tooth and nail. Do you really not hate me? To be honest, when you said you’d help me last night, I was very surprised. Given our history, I thought you’d gloat and say harsh things to me.”

Fu Ying curled her lip. “After all, we are rivals.”

“I never thought of it that way.” Xu Yangyang looked down at Fu Ying. She stood against the light, her long wavy hair tied in a high ponytail. Fine, warm light enveloped her, carrying a hint of mystery and holiness.

Fu Ying was a bit mesmerized. She knew the other woman was beautiful—charming, soft, mature, and soulful. But at this moment, without makeup and dressed simply, her bare face had a rare handsome and free beauty that made Fu Ying unable to look away.

“Those were other people’s evaluations of us, but I never felt that way. The healthy competition with you has benefited me a lot, so I think we could be considered friends.”

Fu Ying’s heart trembled, a subtle feeling rising within. Looking at Xu Yangyang’s serious face, she couldn’t help but break into a smile, like a hundred flowers blooming, dazzlingly bright. “True. Frenemies—how can that not be considered friends?”

Seeing the timing was right, Xu Yangyang chatted casually: “By the way, tell me about you and Ying Chen.”

Fu Ying looked puzzled. “What do you want to know?”

“Just… how you tried to please him, and what gifts you gave him.”

If it were before, Fu Ying would have thought Xu Yangyang was gathering intelligence to get ahead of her, but now she didn’t think so and answered honestly: “Some designer watches and jewelry, ties and belts, and the latest runway bags, ready-to-wear clothing, things like that. I haven’t counted the specifics, but whenever a new style came out, I’d buy it all and send it to him.”

After finishing, Fu Ying asked curiously, “What have you given him?”

Xu Yangyang was an influencer, and her earning power was among the best in the circle. Logically, she shouldn’t lack money, so she should be quite generous.

Fu Ying braced herself, only to hear Xu Yangyang say with a half-smile, “A rumor.”

Fu Ying was stunned. “???”

“That’s it?!” Her eyes widened in disbelief. “Nothing else?!”

Xu Yangyang repeated calmly, “That’s it. Nothing else.”

Fu Ying: “…” The sucker was actually me.

[Mission Progress +17.5%, Current total mission progress: 47.5%.]

Xu Yangyang looked at the system panel, her lips curling up slightly. This “silly sweet” girl must have—no, definitely—had her worldview shattered. Otherwise, how could the mission progress be precise to a decimal point?