Transmigrating as the Female Supporting Character: Dumb with Deep Pockets - Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Doesn’t Look Like Friends

Chen Jia looked up at Su Su, who was still sitting by the entrance.

She was indeed very beautiful.

Acknowledging this, Chen Jia nodded. “Yes.”

Qin Mingxing couldn’t quite pin down the relationship between Chen Jia and Su Su. She probed, “She followed you here, and you’re just letting her sit at the door?”

Chen Jia, currently a straight-laced person in this life, didn’t catch the underlying meaning. She explained, “She can’t stand staying in the dorm alone.”

Qin Mingxing understood, a wider smile spreading across her face. “So you’re roommates? For the watermelon, just cut it into even chunks like I showed you. Practice with that first.”

“Okay.”

Su Su was idly picking at her fingernails when a shadow fell over her. She looked up and met Qin Mingxing’s smiling eyes.

“Hello.”

“Hello.”

Su Su maintained a level of caution around people she didn’t know, her tone polite but distant. Qin Mingxing didn’t seem to mind. She squatted down in front of her, squinting slightly as she blocked the late-afternoon sun with her palm. “It’s a bit hot out here. Why don’t you come inside and sit?”

Su Su glanced back at Chen Jia, who was busy working behind the counter. “Is that okay? I won’t be in her way?”

In that moment, Qin Mingxing felt a pang of envy for the simple bond between straight girls. She stood up and patted the creases out of her pants. “Not at all.”

With that reassurance, Su Su finally felt at ease. She took her bag and sat on a stool next to the counter, watching Chen Jia cut fruit with focused intensity. Chen Jia’s fingers were long and slender, her nails neatly trimmed. Though her movements were still a bit stiff, she was incredibly diligent.

As Su Su watched, Qin Mingxing’s voice drifted over again: “Would you like some water?”

Su Su looked up, and like a light switch flipping, her focused expression vanished, replaced by that same polite, distant mask. “No, thank you.”

It was rare to see someone whose emotions were so transparent. Qin Mingxing found it fascinating. She was also puzzled; she had to admit Chen Jia was attractive—even in plain clothes and messy hair, her features were delicate. Her “apricot eyes” were particularly striking, but they rarely held any emotion, giving her sweet face a layer of icy indifference.

Qin Mingxing couldn’t help but touch her own face. “Am I that scary?”

Su Su shook her head. “No.”

She wasn’t socially anxious, but that only applied when she was dealing with people who talked less than she did. If someone was more talkative than her, she became tongue-tied and felt a sense of dread and awkwardness.

She had hoped that by staying quiet, Qin Mingxing would find a cooler place to hang out, but Qin Mingxing proved to be persistent. Ignoring Su Su’s clear discomfort, she kept chattering in her ear.

“What’s your major? Maybe you’re my direct junior.”

“I’ve been at this school for four years. I know the area and the campus inside out. If you need anything, just ask.”

“How about we exchange contact info? It’ll be easier to stay in touch.”

Qin Mingxing placed a hand on Su Su’s shoulder. The contact made Su Su’s skin crawl; she jerked her stool back so fast she nearly toppled over. For the first time, she realized how annoying she must seem to Chen Jia. She also experienced, for the first time, what “harassment” felt like from another girl.

Suddenly, a hand—chilled by the cold fruit—pulled her up from her stool. Chen Jia pressed a twenty-dollar bill into her palm.

“I’m thirsty. Go buy me some water.”

The discomfort evaporated like a mist in a breeze. Su Su gripped the money, nodding blankly. “Oh. Okay.”

She took a few steps toward the door, then turned back. “What do you want to drink?”

“There’s a milk tea shop on the way we came. I want milk tea.”

But that shop was a bit of a walk.

Su Su noticed Chen Jia’s expression wasn’t great. In the month she’d known her, she had never seen such a visible emotion on her face.

She was angry. Is she angry because I was being picked on?

Su Su’s posture straightened instantly. At this point, she wouldn’t just walk for milk tea; if Chen Jia asked her to bike to the south side of the city to buy a car tire, she’d sprint there.

Once she left, Chen Jia turned to Qin Mingxing, whose face had soured after being interrupted.

“Respectful pursuing means both people feel comfortable. Your behavior just now was offensive to my friend.”

Qin Mingxing let out a scoff. “Friend? Doesn’t look like that to me.”

She had planned to take things slow, but the way Su Su looked at Chen Jia was anything but “just friends.” That was why she had pushed so boldly. She was convinced they were a couple who were just hiding it well.

“Whether we are or not is none of your business.”

“Is that so? Auntie Cai mentioned you really need this job. I’ve worked for her for three years. If I tell her you’re not a good fit, do you think she’ll keep you?”

“Are you threatening me?” Chen Jia asked.

Eight hundred yuan used to be pocket change to her; being threatened over it now felt almost comical. Although she had initially wanted to stay away from Su Su when she first arrived in this world, after a month of living together, she couldn’t stand by and watch even a pet get bullied—let alone Su Su, who was a living, breathing person who stuck to her like glue.

Qin Mingxing thought she had found a weakness and smirked. “That’s right. I heard your family is from the mountains in F Province. Looking at your tacky clothes, eight hundred yuan is a lot to you, isn’t it? Can you really afford to lose it?”

Qin Mingxing looked decent enough, but the words coming out of her mouth sounded like they’d been plucked from a dumpster.

“It is a lot. But you’ve also been working here for three years, so you’re probably not much better off than I am. When you mock me, do you ever think about yourself?”

Qin Mingxing’s face twisted. She raised her voice in a fit of rage: “How could I be anything like someone like you?”

Chen Jia gave a small, calm smile. “Is that so?”

It felt like a heavy punch landing on a bale of cotton. Qin Mingxing was fuming. “You’re really not afraid I’ll tell Auntie Cai?”

Chen Jia gave her the answer she wanted, but with zero sincerity: “I’m so scared.”

“…”

Qin Mingxing’s “cool senior” facade shattered completely. She whipped out her phone. “You just wait.”

“Okay.”

In truth, Chen Jia had never held a part-time job during her first time through university. This time, she just wanted enough to eat. However, she had recently noticed that the work-study positions arranged by the school were much more relaxed. If she hadn’t already committed to this shop, she would have left already.

A moment later, Qin Mingxing returned, looking triumphant. “I spoke to Auntie Cai. You don’t need to come back tomorrow.”

She expected to see regret on Chen Jia’s face. Instead, Chen Jia remained calm—even looking a bit relieved—as she began packing her things. Qin Mingxing felt a sudden, irritating sense that she had actually done Chen Jia a favor.

Chen Jia didn’t care about Qin Mingxing’s feelings; she just wanted to get back to campus to see if the cafeteria work-study jobs were still open.

“Chen Jia!”

Su Su returned with the milk tea. Seeing Qin Mingxing, the smile on her face faltered. Chen Jia stepped in front of her, shielding her from the older girl, her eyes dropping to the dozen or so cups of milk tea Su Su was struggling to carry.

“You bought all this with twenty yuan?”