Transmigrating as the Female Supporting Character: Dumb with Deep Pockets - Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Disguised Jealousy

Bai Li narrowed her eyes slightly at Su Su’s suggestion but didn’t say much.

“Fine. As long as your friend doesn’t mind, do as you please. It wasn’t easy getting her to visit, so don’t go bullying her.”

“Auntie, what nonsense are you talking about? How could I possibly bully Chen Jia?”

Su Su hooked her arm through Chen Jia’s and led her upstairs.

The moment they stepped into Su Su’s room, Chen Jia could tell exactly how pampered she was at home. Every inch of the decor was filled with a youthful, “girly” aesthetic.

Su Su plopped down on the bed and beckoned Chen Jia over.

“Come try my bed! Isn’t it way softer than the ones at school?”

As if to prove her point, she bounced up and down on the mattress. Chen Jia’s lips twitched in a half-smile, and a second later, an impatient Su Su dragged her onto the bed beside her.

“Well? How is it?”

“Not bad.”

This behavior felt a bit too childish for Chen Jia, but seeing Su Su’s excitement, she played along and bounced a couple of times as well.

Su Su was genuinely happy. She jumped up and threw open her wardrobe, which was bursting with all kinds of clothes.

“I have so many clothes, and a lot of them haven’t even been unpacked yet. Let’s unbox them together tonight!”

For some reason, looking at her, Chen Jia felt it wasn’t just about “unboxing” clothes. Su Su’s gaze was far too transparent.

Su Su puffed her cheeks out. “It’s really just unboxing. My aunt bought all of these for me, and they might not necessarily fit me. If there are ones that don’t suit me, I’ll give them all to you. You’re not allowed to refuse!”

She thought she was being clever, but she had already completely exposed her intentions. Since it was her aunt buying them, how could they possibly not fit?

However, looking into those sparkling eyes, Chen Jia didn’t have the heart to call her out. She could only follow along with her logic. “I’m not refusing. So… when is Jiang Hanting coming over for dinner?”

The moment that hated name was mentioned during such a happy time, Su Su’s face instantly dropped.

“Look at you, here we go again. You didn’t come home with me just so you could see Jiang Hanting, did you?”

She felt a stinging sense of betrayal, as if their friendship was being used. She slammed the wardrobe door shut, and the entire room was suddenly enveloped in a heavy, low-pressure atmosphere.

Chen Jia finally realized how hurtful her frequent mentions of Jiang Hanting were to Su Su—someone who had been burned by “friendship” countless times before.

She didn’t know how to explain herself for a moment. She certainly couldn’t mention that they were in a book. She reached out and pinched Su Su’s finger gently. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

Su Su brushed her hand away. “Then what did you mean? Once or twice is one thing, but it’s every single time. I’m not going to believe you anymore.”

Despite her words, Su Su remained standing there, waiting for an explanation. As long as Chen Jia explained, she was willing to believe her just one more time.

The silence stretched for two or three minutes. Chen Jia realized she truly cared about Su Su, and she couldn’t bear to stand by and watch Su Su be led by the nose by the novel’s plot in the coming days.

“I don’t like him.”

Su Su, who had been waiting for this, looked up the instant the words left Chen Jia’s mouth. “Really?”

“Yes. I really don’t like him.”

After the previous vague responses, Su Su decided she needed to get to the bottom of this. “Why don’t you like him?”

“There is no ‘why’.”

He was the male lead; she was trying to avoid him at all costs, let alone like him. Besides, she had never liked anyone before and had no idea what “liking” someone even felt like.

However, to Su Su, this honest answer sounded incredibly perfunctory.

“What kind of answer is that? You’re not even trying. Are you really so unwilling to even come up with a decent excuse for me?”

She had finally made a friend, only to suspect they had ulterior motives. Why was she always so unlucky?

For a moment, every tragic experience from her childhood flashed through her mind. She felt so wronged that her voice carried a suppressed sob. “What’s wrong with your taste anyway? He’s so ugly. If I were you, I’d never like someone like that.”

Chen Jia felt a massive headache coming on, but she suddenly caught that last sentence and became intrigued.

“Really?”

Su Su looked up, blinking rapidly to keep the tears from falling so she wouldn’t lose her momentum. “What ‘really’?”

“You really think Jiang Hanting is ugly? You would never like someone like that?”

Was that even a question? From the first moment she saw Jiang Hanting, she thought his “nose-in-the-air” attitude was incredibly obnoxious.

“If I ever like him, I’ll go blind. I dare to swear it—do you?”

Su Su loved beauty more than anything; for her to make such a “venomous” vow meant she truly had no feelings for Jiang Hanting.

Chen Jia breathed a sigh of relief and didn’t forget to follow suit. “If I like him, I’ll go blind too.”

Since she put it that way, Su Su couldn’t keep doubting her. She sniffed. “In that case, I’ll believe you one more time. But this is the last time! As your best friend, I wouldn’t actually be mad if you liked someone… it’s just that Jiang Hanting. He clearly isn’t a good person. You absolutely cannot be with him.”

Even as she said it, the mere thought of Chen Jia flirting with any guy made her unhappy. If Chen Jia had someone else, she definitely wouldn’t have time to care about Su Su anymore.

Thinking about it, men were so annoying—trying to steal her Chen Jia away.

Of course, she would never tell Chen Jia that. This level of possessiveness was a bit much, and she was worried Chen Jia would find her too clingy.

A knock came at the door. Su Su’s mother, Bai Xue, spoke from outside. “Baby’s back! Mama hasn’t seen you in so long. I’m bringing some fruit for you and your friend, and to steal a look at my baby.”

Su Su blinked rapidly and grabbed Chen Jia’s arm. “Do my eyes look okay?” She didn’t want Bai Xue to think she and Chen Jia had been fighting.

“They’re still a little red. I’m sorry, I—”

“If you’re sorry, then don’t mention Jiang Hanting in front of me again. I really, really don’t like him.”

It seemed there was no explaining her way out of this one. Chen Jia felt helpless but nodded in agreement. “Okay.”

In the end, it was Chen Jia who opened the door.

“Hello, Ma’am. I’m Chen Jia.”

Bai Xue was taken aback for a moment when she saw Chen Jia, then smiled knowingly. “You must be the Chen Jia our Baobao (Baby) always talks about? I heard you take great care of her at school. Thank you.”

“I haven’t really done that much…”

The Su family was so warm and welcoming that Chen Jia began to feel her past care for Su Su hadn’t been nearly thorough enough.

As Bai Xue entered with the fruit, Su Su came out of the bathroom. Her face was covered in water droplets, and her eyes were still quite red.

Seeing this, Bai Xue scolded her with a tone full of heartache: “Look at you! You’re a grown-up now, why are you still so clumsy? You’ve washed your face so hard you’ve turned your eyes into little rabbit eyes.”