Transmigrating as the Female Supporting Character: Dumb with Deep Pockets - Chapter 22

Chapter 22: The Secret Sanctuary

After dinner that evening, it was still quite early. Su Su felt that since she had brought Chen Jia back to her home city, they couldn’t just stay cooped up indoors all day.

“Come on, I’ll take you for a ride.”

The two of them scanned a pair of shared bikes by the roadside and pedaled slowly along the streets of the old district. Su Su wasn’t particularly skilled at cycling; the bike wobbled under her, but since there was little traffic, it was safe enough.

“How do you dare to go on the road like this?” Chen Jia asked, leading her by a wheel’s length.

Su Su let out a giggle. “That’s why I’m letting you go first! Don’t worry, I know where the brakes are.”

Though it wasn’t yet November, the leaves of the plane trees lining the street had begun to turn yellow. A breeze swept through, creating a soft, rustling chorus. Following Su Su’s directions, they crossed the old town and stopped in front of an aged apartment building.

“I don’t really have many places to go. My aunt and I used to live here. Even though we have better houses now, I still feel happiest when I’m here.” Su Su explained as she led Chen Jia up the stairs.

The old building had no elevator. The October heat lingered, and by the time they climbed to the fourth floor, their T-shirts were damp with sweat. Although the place hadn’t been lived in for a while, it was remarkably clean.

“Auntie Pan comes back to tidy up every now and then. But she’s going abroad soon, so we’ll probably have to hire someone to do it later.”

Chen Jia took a look around. Despite being an old apartment, the decor was incredibly cozy; every ornament reflected the owner’s care. Suddenly, a picture frame on a shelf caught her eye.

In the black-and-white photo, Bai Li and Pan Yuanyuan looked very young, likely in their early twenties. They were holding hands, eyes brimming with laughter. Between them stood a chubby little girl, beaming with joy. The entire photo radiated an atmosphere of pure happiness.

Seeing Chen Jia standing still in front of the shelf, a flash of realization hit Su Su. She remembered the photo was there and dashed over, but she was too late—Chen Jia had seen everything.

Su Su covered her face, looking like her world had ended. “Ah! You saw it?”

She stood in front of Chen Jia, her cheeks flushed deep red—whether from the heat or embarrassment, it was hard to tell. To her, childhood photos were no different from “ugly shots.”

In truth, Chen Jia thought she looked quite adorable and couldn’t stop her lips from curling upward.

Su Su turned the photo face-down, intending to set it back up only when they left. Turning around, she caught the look on Chen Jia’s face. “Are you laughing at me?”

Chen Jia immediately smoothed her expression. “No.”

“I saw it!”

“I don’t think it’s funny. I just think it’s very cute.” Chen Jia’s eyes were clear and bright; when she spoke without a smile, she always sounded incredibly sincere.

Su Su rubbed her fingers together, her head hanging low. A stray lock of hair fell over her eyes. “Do you really think so?”

“I’m not lying to you.”

“Oh.”

Even with Chen Jia’s repeated reassurances, Su Su’s mood remained a bit low. Before Chen Jia could ask why, Su Su spoke in a low voice: “But when I was little, I didn’t have any friends because I was fat.”

That was why even though she was thin now, she was so disciplined about her diet. Her words were brief, but Chen Jia could sense the heartache buried in the memories she was reluctant to revisit.

Chen Jia reached out, pulling her into a hug and patting her shoulder. “That’s only because you hadn’t met me back then. If I had met you earlier, I definitely would have wanted to be your friend.”

Su Su sniffed, wiped the moisture from her eyes on Chen Jia’s white T-shirt, and looked up with watery eyes. “Really?”

“Yes. I didn’t have many friends when I was little either.”

“Why?” Su Su asked. Chen Jia was so pretty, had a good temper, and was so helpful. Why would anyone not like her?

Chen Jia pursed her lips. “I didn’t talk much as a kid. People thought I was ‘acting cool,’ but I didn’t care.” Meeting Su Su’s confused gaze, Chen Jia smiled. “Since they ignored me, I just studied hard. I figured if I became excellent enough, one day they wouldn’t even be able to look up at me.”

“Did… no one in your school get into a better place than Q University?”

“…” Perhaps, Chen Jia thought, this dork isn’t as sad as she looks.

“I don’t know.”

Realizing her slip, Su Su rubbed her nose awkwardly. “Actually, when I first started living with my aunts, I wasn’t that fat. But Auntie Pan’s cooking was too good. I accidentally became a ‘fatty,’ and the kids in class gave me a nickname—’Big-Headed Carp.’ Somehow Auntie Pan found out. she went to school and pretended to be a ‘big sister’ gang leader. She scared the life out of everyone, and after that, no one dared to bully me again.”

Back in elementary school, the “Shamat” (visual kei/emo) style was all the rage. The brighter your hair, the tougher you looked. Pan Yuanyuan had worn a multicolored wig, walked into the classroom, slammed her hand on a desk, and warned everyone that if they called Su Su that name again, the “Cleaver Gang” would come for them.

Even after all these years, Su Su could still remember the look of sheer awe in her classmates’ eyes; they almost asked to be her subordinates in this “Cleaver Gang.”

Chen Jia found it impossible to imagine the gentle Pan Yuanyuan having such a side. Su Su saw her expression and knew what she was thinking. “Incredible, right? When my parents weren’t around, my aunts were my superheroes. This house was my sanctuary.”

She pulled Chen Jia over to see her childhood treasures. A massive cabinet was filled with various gifts. Many items looked outdated now, but each one was a “tear of the era.”

“These are all my treasures. I wanted to take them with me, but I felt like they wouldn’t want to leave this place, so I left them here.”

In a corner of the cabinet sat a delicately wrapped box. Su Su opened it to reveal several neatly arranged diaries with “Little Princess” covers. “Ah, I left these here too.” The pages had yellowed, and the handwriting was childish—clearly written when she was very young. Even now, Su Su kept the habit of writing in a diary every day.

Su Su tucked the diaries away instead of putting them back. “Do you know why I like writing diaries?”

Chen Jia shook her head.

“Because when I was little, I watched TV shows where the protagonists always kept secrets in their diaries. I thought when I found someone I liked, I could let them read those diaries. That way, they could see every day I spent before we met. I’ll keep writing even after we’re together and married. If I’m unlucky and leave this world first, she can use my diaries to remember every single day we spent together.”