Transmigrating as the Female Supporting Character: Dumb with Deep Pockets - Chapter 26

Chapter 26: You’re Only After My Money

Chen Jia glanced at the patrolling police officers standing nearby, who were ready to arrest the small-time thugs at any moment.

“I’ll stand behind you and watch,” she said.

Su Su had expected to hear something sweet, like “Don’t be afraid, I’ll protect you.” She hadn’t expected Chen Jia to be so unromantic.

“Wow, Chen Jia, you didn’t use to be like this!”

The two of them chatted as if no one else was there, making the expression on Fu Xuejia’s face nearly crumble.

“Junior Su, it’s no use looking at your friend. She’s just a girl; she can’t protect you.”

“What’s wrong with being a girl? Aren’t you one too?” Su Su shot back. “If I don’t look at her, should I look at you? You’re hanging out with these guys—how can I trust you? Or are you just pretending to be their friend while I’m your true love?”

She said it casually, but the gang’s gaze toward Fu Xuejia immediately changed. Fu Xuejia relied on sweet talk to stay in their circle; if she failed to suck up to Su Su and offended these thugs at the same time, she’d be in deep trouble.

Fu Xuejia forced a smile. “Don’t misunderstand, everyone. Junior Su is a very interesting person, and I really do want to be her friend. But if she looks down on my friends, I certainly won’t go out of my way to embarrass myself.”

She secretly hoped Su Su would say something even harsher to provoke these immature punks. She didn’t believe Su Su and her friend—with their thin arms and legs—wouldn’t eventually have to beg for her help.

Brother Feng, acting as the leader, spoke up slowly. “How about this: we won’t ask for much. Since you’re so rich, giving everyone here two thousand yuan shouldn’t be too much, right?”

Though Chen Jia’s voice remained cold, she instinctively moved to shield Su Su. “This is extortion.”

The conflict wasn’t yet physical, but people like Brother Feng—who fancied themselves hardened “society men”—hated it when people cited the law to their faces.

“Extortion? We’ll show you what real extortion looks like.”

Even though they were just out “playing,” they carried various illegal tools, ready to fight at a moment’s notice.

This was the first time in her life Chen Jia had faced such a situation. She had to admit, dangerous individuals were called that for a reason; they truly looked menacing.

Before they could fully commit to any violence, the police officers who had been watching for a long time marched over. One of them shouted with a booming voice, “What do you think you’re doing?”

Instead of being afraid, the gang members whistled mockingly, as if they had watched too many edgy movies. Someone yelled, “Cops!” and the group sped off on their loud motorbikes.

The punks fled, and the police car gave chase. Watching them disappear into the distance, Chen Jia finally let out a breath of relief.

Su Su reached out and felt Chen Jia’s back, which was damp with sweat. “You were that scared, yet you still stood in front of me?”

Chen Jia had acted calm, but it was impossible not to be afraid. Hearing Su Su’s words, she pursed her lips and lifted the bags of snacks she was carrying. “I had to. I’ve eaten your food, after all. Since you’ve spent money on me, I have to be worth the investment.”

The smile on Su Su’s face gradually faded.

“Do you treat me so well only because I spend money on you? What if one day I stop? Would you just cut me off?”

She had experienced this many times before with others, but it had never hurt as much as it did now. She wasn’t an idiot; she knew when people approached her with ulterior motives. But she was lonely—she desperately wanted a friend.

Chen Jia was the only one who didn’t seem to be after her money at first. Even her family liked her. So why was it still like this?

The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt. Her lip trembled, and she wanted to cry. Despite her heartache, she didn’t want Chen Jia to laugh at her, so she tried to laugh through her tears. “Fine, you’re something else! I’m not spending another cent on you. Go away, I’m done playing with you!”

The two of them joked around often, but Chen Jia never imagined Su Su would be this hurt by that remark. Su Su cared about her far more than she had anticipated.

Chen Jia fell silent, her heart aching as she watched Su Su’s tears. She reached out to wipe them away, but Su Su swiped her hand aside.

“Do you pity me? I don’t want your pity! If I wanted, plenty of people would be willing to hang out with me.”

“I don’t pity you. And I’m not with you because of your money.”

Su Su wasn’t going to be coaxed easily; she was extremely sensitive on this topic. “I don’t believe you!”

Stupid Chen Jia!

Chen Jia, as usual, had no idea how to comfort someone. “I’m telling the truth. Don’t be angry.”

Usually, other people’s emotions didn’t matter to Chen Jia. She believed that no one was indispensable. But for the first time, someone’s anger made her feel wretched—it was a gnawing, anxious feeling that drove her to make things right.

“You tell me not to be angry and I’m just supposed to stop? We’ve known each other for over a month. I’ve been so good to you, I think of you whenever something good happens, I share all my secrets… If we break up, the first thing you have to do is delete all our chat records…”

Wait?

Su Su suddenly stopped. The chat records. She never filtered herself when gossiping to Chen Jia. If anyone else saw those logs, she’d never be able to show her face in public again!

Her sudden silence broke Chen Jia’s train of thought. “I really am not with you for your money. I can earn my own, and when we first met, you weren’t spending anything on me.”

Strictly speaking, when they first met, it was Su Su using Chen Jia’s money.

Su Su thought about it. It was true. She still hadn’t even paid Chen Jia back for those initial medical expenses. The only money she’d really spent on Chen Jia was for clothes, and Chen Jia had even written her an IOU for that. Knowing Chen Jia’s personality, if they truly ended the friendship, she’d probably starve herself just to pay the money back immediately.

Despite her anger, Su Su didn’t want Chen Jia to go hungry. My damned kindness, she thought.

“Fine. I’m not angry anymore. Let’s go back.”

The forgiveness came so easily that Chen Jia stood there in disbelief. Su Su, seeing her looking so socially clueless, suddenly felt at peace with it.

Forget it. Chen Jia couldn’t read her mind to save her life. If she were actually trying to scam Su Su for money, she’d be doing a terrible job.

“I’m really not mad. But don’t say things like that again, or I’ll actually be furious.” She added, still worried about their history: “And don’t show our chat logs to anyone.”

“Huh?” Chen Jia wondered why she would ever do that.

Peace was restored as if the argument had never happened. On the way back, they saw the police cars parked by the road. The once-arrogant “ghost-fire” punks were now huddled like frightened quails, looking utterly ridiculous.

At that moment, Chen Jia finished the thought she hadn’t quite completed earlier:

“In the future, if this happens again… your safety is the most important thing.”