Transmigrating as the Female Supporting Character: Dumb with Deep Pockets - Chapter 33

Chapter 33: Why Not Stay at My Place?

Lin Yue’er wasn’t one to meddle in other people’s business; she knew that if she caused trouble, she had no way to fix it.

But Su Su was different. Lin knew that Su Su didn’t like Jiang Hanting, and she knew that Su Su had endured a lot of Jiang’s temper on her behalf because of her own timidity and low self-esteem.

So, she had to stand up.

The President and Vice President exchanged looks. Ultimately, they decided to double down on their arrogance. College is a micro-society; within the club and the Student Union, they were influential figures. As long as they played their cards right, hiding the truth from school leadership was easy.

They viewed the resistance of these “ants” with utter contempt.

“We did it. So what? We can kick you out of the club. What are you going to do, hit us? Fighting is much more serious than accidentally breaking some junk. Besides…” The President sneered, looking at them with disdain. “You’re just a few girls. If we want, you’re the ones who will get beaten up, and you’re definitely the ones who will get expelled.”

Su Su had just managed to stop crying, but hearing this, her eyes turned red again—this time out of pure rage.

“You’re shameless!”

Chen Jia bit her lip. She had seen shameless people before, but never on this level. “Are you really going to do this?” she asked through gritted teeth.

The Vice President, thinking he looked cool, winked at the other club members. “You’re the ones who provoked us. If you had just stayed quiet today, we would’ve looked the other way. But since you insisted on making a scene, don’t blame us.”

Chen Jia smiled, raised her phone, and said in a calm voice, “Professor, you heard all that, right? While the whole school is working hard to maintain our rankings, someone is openly bullying students. If this kind of malicious incident gets out, it would be a huge blow to the school’s reputation, wouldn’t it?”

From the other end of the line came the furious roar of Zhang Yi, the Director of the Digital Media Office and their Web Design professor.

“Which department?! Such arrogance! Did you not listen to a single word Principal Xiao said at the assembly the day before yesterday? Art Club students, right? I’ll remember this. Chen Jia, come to my office right now and tell me exactly what happened.”

Although Zhang Yi was only an office director, no one in the Student Union failed to recognize his voice.

“Professor Zhang…”

They tried to speak, but Zhang Yi had already indignantly hung up.

Normally, college issues are solved by students themselves. But Chen Jia was different. Even as a freshman, she was a “golden egg” in the eyes of the faculty; they needed her for upcoming competitions. More importantly, this situation required making an example out of someone.

Ultimately, Su Su, Chen Jia, and Lin Yue’er left for Zhang Yi’s office under the murderous glares of the rest of the Art Club.

“You’re here?”

Zhang Yi was usually all smiles and very approachable, but when he got angry, he was truly terrifying. His expression was grim. Su Su, who usually slacked off in his class because she hated coding, felt an instinctive guilt. she lowered her head and tried to become invisible. Lin Yue’er, not being in this major, wasn’t quite as scared.

Zhang Yi poured them each a cup of water.

“I have a general idea of the situation. I called you here to get the details.” He sighed, looking at Chen Jia. “And you—don’t just bury your head in your books. When you encounter this kind of thing, you have to fight back.”

Chen Jia knew there were only two ways: call the police or tell a teacher. In their current environment, calling the police would likely result in her being dragged into a bureaucratic mess, so she had chosen the “teacher” route by keeping the line open during the confrontation.

She smiled. “Didn’t I just ‘fight back’ by telling you, Professor?”

Zhang Yi nodded approvingly. “You did well. Now tell me everything…”

…

By the time they left Zhang Yi’s office, it was almost dark.

Su Su looked at the clean-faced Lin Yue’er. Fidgeting with her fingers, she said a bit awkwardly, “Thank you. I said some mean things before… please don’t take them to heart.”

Lin Yue’er was stunned. In her mind, rich girls were always haughty and arrogant. She shook her head shyly. “It’s okay. I was hostile toward you back then, too. But not anymore. I’ve broken up with him, so there won’t be any more drama. If anyone should apologize, it’s me. I didn’t stop him from saying those offensive things to you.”

Chen Jia’s jaw dropped slightly. She had only suggested it back then; she didn’t expect Jiang Hanting to actually break up with Lin Yue’er. According to the original book, he was supposed to go abroad and return only when he was strong enough to face his family. Chen Jia forgot exactly how many years that would be, but their story definitely wasn’t over.

Since she played a part in this, she felt a bit guilty, but she also wanted to keep Su Su out of future trouble. “It’s fine,” Chen Jia said, stirring the pot. “It’s just a breakup. You’re so pretty, plenty of people will like you.”

A bit wicked of her.

Lin Yue’er shook her head. “I’m not thinking about that right now. You two…” She paused, her gaze shifting between Su Su and Chen Jia.

Standard “best friends” could be close, but Lin Yue’er felt an invisible barrier around the two of them—a sense that no one else could truly intervene. Chen Jia and Su Su understood what she meant, and for some reason, neither of them explained. The three fell into a strange silence.

Lin Yue’er gave a forced laugh. “I didn’t mean anything by that.”

Su Su waved it off. “Really? Hahaha, we believe you.”

Another silence followed until they reached the dorm. Su Su remembered today’s events; she had Chen Jia to talk to, but what about Lin Yue’er? She had broken up with her boyfriend and didn’t seem to have any other friends.

“Don’t go to the Art Club anymore,” Su Su said. “Chen Jia doesn’t always have time to be with me. If you don’t mind, you can hang out with me.” She thought for a second, then added—fearing Chen Jia might be uncomfortable—”Of course, if I’m with Chen Jia, I won’t have time for you.”

Lin Yue’er hadn’t expected Su Su to be so blunt. She covered her mouth and laughed. “Is it I who needs looking after, or you, Miss Su?” Before Su Su could argue, she agreed. “Alright, I understand. If she’s not around, I’ll come find you.”

Su Su felt the phrasing was a bit weird, like she was doing something behind Chen Jia’s back. Before she could say anything else, Lin Yue’er had walked away.

Watching her leave, Chen Jia lowered her head in thought. It had to be said—whether it was the male or female lead, as long as they weren’t together, their brains worked perfectly. Lin Yue’er’s current behavior was a far cry from the “love-brain” character Chen Jia remembered from the book.

She was so deep in thought she didn’t notice Su Su calling her name.

“Chen Jia!”

The final shout finally snapped her back. “Huh? What is it?”

Seeing Su Su’s unhappy expression, Chen Jia was confused. “What’s wrong? Are you upset that Lin Yue’er is going to hang out with me?”

“No?”

Chen Jia explained, but Su Su didn’t believe her. She muttered to herself, “Don’t worry, I just think she looks lonely.” Then, she added shyly, “If you’re available, you’re always my number one priority.”

“Well, I guess I should thank you then.”

“You don’t believe me?”

“I do believe you!”

“Liar.”

The dark stairwell lit up floor by floor as they walked up, their voices echoing.

…

Back in the dorm, Chen Jia went to the balcony to make a call. The other two roommates acted normal, but there was an intentional distance in their daily interactions. Even the boys in class who used to crowd around Su Su had begun to pull back.

Both girls could feel it, but neither spoke of it. In a sense, the Art Club incident had made them “infamous”—the perpetrators had been publicly criticized, with notices posted outside the cafeteria.

On Friday after class, Su Su suddenly asked, “Don’t you find living at school a bit… boring?”

“Hmm?”

Su Su bit her lip, finally bringing up the plan she’d been cooking. “You stay up late every night coding, and the atmosphere in the dorm is so suffocating. If you don’t mind, why don’t you move in with me at my place?”

Afraid Chen Jia would refuse, she added frantically, “Given our relationship, I won’t charge you rent. You don’t have to worry about the cost. You just have to… help with the cleaning or something.”

“I’m not being shy,” Chen Jia replied. Truthfully, she didn’t feel that kind of awkwardness with Su Su anymore. She was just considering the ethics of “best friends” constantly taking advantage of each other.

Su Su wasn’t the smartest, but after spending so much time with Chen Jia, she could read her mind. “I don’t feel like you’re taking advantage of me.”

Chen Jia arched an eyebrow. “I’m just wondering if we can survive living together. First off, I can’t cook, and I know you can’t either.”

Su Su was about to say she had money they could both spend, but Chen Jia looked at her with a smile. “Even siblings keep clear accounts. What if I spend all your money and then run away?”

Su Su froze, asking blankly, “Would you run away?”

Even though it was just a hypothetical, the mere thought made Su Su’s nose sting. “How could you be like that? Spending my money and then running away…”