Transmigrating as the Female Supporting Character: Dumb with Deep Pockets - Chapter 28

Chapter 28: A Lucky Thing

“Don’t you think performing ‘Two Tigers’ on a university stage is a bit… inappropriate?”

Chen Jia put it as tactfully as possible. Su Su frowned, appearing to be deep in thought as if she were genuinely weighing the issue.

Except…

The thinking process failed.

“Who says college students can’t use that song? The main point of this performance isn’t whether the music is ‘high-end’ or not—it’s about you. The piano is high-end enough, right? Most people can’t even play, but you can. As for the dancing, just leave that to me.”

And so, for the remaining days of the National Day holiday, Chen Jia bit the bullet and pretended to be a complete novice, learning the piano from scratch under Su Su’s guidance.

Chen Jia sat on the piano bench while Su Su pulled up a chair behind her, grasping Chen Jia’s hands to guide her through the sheet music bit by bit.

“Come on, take it slow.”

“Wow, Chen Jia, you’re so smart! I only showed you a few times and you’ve already got it.”

“…”

This was the result of Chen Jia trying her hardest to act like a beginner until she simply couldn’t fake it anymore.

Their current posture was incredibly intimate. With Su Su reaching around her, it felt as though she were holding Chen Jia in her arms. Her head rested affectionately on Chen Jia’s shoulder; if Chen Jia moved her head even slightly, their breaths would mingle.

Chen Jia tilted her head away slightly. Feeling a bit self-conscious, Su Su stood up and grabbed her phone to head upstairs.

“I promised my aunt I’d call her tonight. Practice on your own a couple of times; I’m going to make that call.”

She hurried upstairs. Chen Jia looked at the black and white keys, feeling zero motivation to practice. Just then, her phone rang.

Before the holiday, Chen Jia’s parents had wanted her to come home, but she had refused under the pretext of working a part-time job. Although she still didn’t really want to answer, she picked up.

However, this time it wasn’t the original host’s parents on the line, but her younger brother, Chen Hao.

“Sis, are you doing okay?”

Chen Hao’s voice was low. In the original host’s memory, despite their parents being harsh, the younger brother was a good kid. Sometimes when their mother said something particularly cruel, he would even talk back to defend his sister. Because of this, Chen Jia held a good deal of affection for him.

“I’m doing fine.”

“Are Mom and Dad refusing to give you money? I saved up some from my summer job. Do you have WeChat? I’ll have someone transfer it to you.”

In her previous life, Chen Jia was an only child. When she first arrived in this world and realized how much the original host’s parents favored boys over girls, she had felt some resentment toward Chen Hao. Now, she suddenly felt at peace with it.

“I’m fine. I can earn my own money. Just focus on school and don’t worry about me.”

“I’m not as smart as you at school anyway. In a couple of years, I’ll stop studying and go to work to support your education.”

“No!” Chen Jia rejected the idea immediately. “If you don’t stay in school, what will you do later?”

“I’m just not cut out for it. I’ve been bad at school since I was a kid. Studying now is useless. I’ve already checked—after I finish high school, I’ll go to the city to work with Second Uncle.”

He had his future planned out. He couldn’t even solve junior high problems, and with the final year of high school approaching, no amount of effort seemed likely to change his trajectory.

Chen Jia sighed softly.

Chen Hao spoke with forced cheerfulness. “Alright, don’t try to persuade me. I know you’ve never liked me because of Mom and Dad, but I actually really like you as a sister.”

Likely embarrassed, Chen Hao hung up immediately after saying that. Chen Jia stared at the darkening screen, her heart filled with a complex mix of emotions.

Meanwhile, Su Su’s phone call lasted nearly an hour and a half. When she finally finished, she looked like she was in a bad mood, but upon seeing Chen Jia, a smile instinctively surfaced.

She leaned her head gently on Chen Jia’s shoulder. Though she didn’t say a word, Chen Jia could feel her sense of reliance.

“What’s wrong?” Chen Jia stroked her hair, seeing her this downcast for the first time.

“Nothing. I just suddenly realized a Great Truth.”

“What is it?”

“Not telling. You’ll understand later,” she said enigmatically, before suddenly reaching out to tuck a stray lock of hair behind Chen Jia’s ear. She withdrew her hand just before Chen Jia could look over.

“Chen Jia, you’ll be my friend forever, right? Even if I do something… not so great, you can forgive me, right?”

“What are you planning to do?” Chen Jia frowned. It was hard to imagine someone like Su Su doing anything so terrible that it required such a serious expression.

“I can’t tell you yet. Let me think about it more.”

Su Su realized her feelings for Chen Jia were… different. However, the only thing less likely than “the person you like also liking you back” is “discovering you’re queer and finding out the person you like is also queer and likes you back.”

She had only found one friend as compatible as Chen Jia in all these years; she didn’t want to lose her over this. She needed to figure out how to deepen their friendship first. That way, if Chen Jia ever found out about her “sordid” thoughts, she wouldn’t immediately be sentenced to social death.

…

The National Day holiday ended quickly, and the other two roommates returned to the dorm. They were chattering away, swapping stories about where they had traveled.

“Chen Jia, didn’t you go to Su Su’s place? Was it fun?”

“It was alright.”

Normally, such a cold response would kill a conversation. But having lived with Chen Jia for a while, they understood her personality. Besides, she was currently using Su Su’s laptop to finish a group project. She was essentially the “parent” of the dorm; after a few more words, they sheepishly shut up and retreated behind their bed curtains to play on their phones.

Su Su had her curtains pinned wide open. She was half-reclined on her bed, appearing to play on her phone, but her eyes frequently drifted toward Chen Jia.

After the umpteenth time, Chen Jia finally looked up and caught her red-handed.

“What are you looking at? Did you finally have a change of heart and decide to do the work yourself?”

“Of course not. I was just checking to see if you were slacking off.”

Actually, she wanted to say that Chen Jia looked really beautiful when she was focused.

The assignment was almost finished. Chen Jia shut the laptop. “I’m not like you.”

Su Su pouted. “If you started ‘rotting’ like me, we’d be doomed.”

As she packed away the computer, Chen Jia finally asked the question she’d been wondering about.

“You said we’re performing together. My piano is basically ready, but I haven’t seen you practice your dance at all.”

Su Su looked away dismissively. “Do I even need to practice? Relax, I’ve got this.”

For some reason, the more Su Su said that, the more Chen Jia had a lingering sense of impending doom.