Transmigrating as the Female Supporting Character: Dumb with Deep Pockets - Chapter 34

Chapter 34: You Must Be Chen Jia

Chen Jia clicked her tongue.

“You’re just casually letting someone move into your house? Do your parents know?”

Su Su sniffled. “They do. I already told my aunt, and she told me… well, anyway, she agreed. My mom knows too. Besides, you’re not just ‘some random person.’ We’ve already met each other’s family! I’ve already filed all the reports, so please don’t reject me—I’d lose so much face.”

The one who stays close to the stage gets the best view. Regardless of whether Chen Jia was straight or not, Su Su’s priority was to “trick” her into coming home first.

Chen Jia was actually thinking that having such a wealthy friend brought a lot of pressure. Anyone else might have been consumed by an inferiority complex; fortunately, she wasn’t “anyone else.” She just felt a bit guilty.

“You’re always pulling out your wallet for me. I feel like I’m losing face, too.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

The two were at a deadlock for a while, Su Su’s face turning red as she feared her plan was failing. Suddenly, Chen Jia spoke.

“Living in the dorm is indeed a bit inconvenient right now. But I won’t stay for free. I’ve picked up some freelance work lately and make a few thousand yuan a month. I’m paying you rent.”

“I don’t want your money!” Was she someone who craved cash?

Chen Jia felt Su Su was too naive—she’d get scammed one day if she didn’t know better. She had to break Su Su of this habit of giving without seeking return. “If you don’t take it, I won’t go.”

“Fine, fine, fine! I’ll take it! Let’s move this weekend. I’ll have my aunt handle the school paperwork.”

And so, with Bai Li’s help, the two moved out of the dorm. Since it hadn’t been long since the semester started, Chen Jia didn’t have much. The difficulty lay in Su Su’s endless bags and boxes. When they first arrived, they had help, but now that classes had started, outsiders weren’t allowed in the dorms. The two of them had to huff and puff, carrying everything themselves.

Li Sisi and Sun Yimiao watched them work, asking a few casual questions but offering little else. It took two days to fully move Su Su’s belongings.

The villa was massive, and with only the two of them there, it didn’t feel luxurious so much as a bit eerie. For dinner, Chen Jia ordered takeout. It looked delicious and glossy, but after a few bites, the grease became overwhelming. Since they were living on their own now, basic survival skills like cooking had to be addressed.

Chen Jia suggested, “Let’s start cooking at ‘home’ from now on.”

Home. Su Su found the word music to her ears. “Oh, okay.”

Seeing Su Su’s blank expression, Chen Jia explained, “I’ll do it. I’ll learn slowly.”

Living in such a high-end neighborhood for just over a thousand yuan in rent was already a steal; letting her pampered landlord cook for her would be going too far. Su Su, meanwhile, was thinking: Ah, she’s worried about me. She nodded with a beaming smile. “Great!”

After they moved out, the looks from their classmates became even stranger. Chen Jia didn’t care much, as they didn’t spend much time with them outside of class anyway. However, as the class’s Recreation and Sports Representative, Su Su had to interact with them more.

No sooner had the arts performance ended than the basketball tournament arrived. Every class had to field a men’s and women’s team. Since their major lacked girls and the boys preferred “rotting” in the dorms, Su Su was struggling to fill the rosters.

Because of the rumors, the students weren’t very kind to her.

“Are you annoying or what? I said I’m not interested. Can’t you stay away from me? Or are you bored of Chen Jia and decided you like me instead?”

The tall, thin boy had once hovered around Su Su, but because she and Chen Jia never bothered to explain the rumors, he had become a laughingstock. Now, he was taking his resentment out on her.

Taking the Representative position was Su Su’s biggest regret of college. She exhaled slowly. “I’ll never lose interest in Chen Jia, and I’ll never like you. That would be disgusting.”

This enraged him. “You—!”

The snickers from around them spurred him to raise his hand to strike. But before the slap could land, Chen Jia intercepted his wrist.

“She didn’t say anything offensive. Resorting to violence… isn’t that a bit beneath you?”

He snorted. “You two are a pair; I’m alone, I can’t out-talk you. But there’s no way in hell I’m joining the basketball team. You people make me sick.”

“You—”

“Sick?” Chen Jia smiled meaningfully. Before he could respond, she took Su Su’s hand and waved it in front of him. “How about now? If your mind is dirty, everything you see is filthy. Do other female friends not hold hands, eat together, or hug?”

“But nobody saw anyone else in the bathroom—”

Chen Jia scoffed. “So you’re just repeating hearsay? Did you see us doing something ‘shameful’ with your own eyes? Do you have proof?”

She knew that in this situation, only a stronger presence could suppress the crowd. Sure enough, he was left speechless.

“She’s just doing her job as a representative. If you don’t join, she won’t force you. But you know that every activity in college goes on your resume. As far as I know, this tournament counts toward credits. Grants and scholarships are based on performance and credits. If you don’t want it, there are plenty of people behind you waiting for the chance.”

Since the school’s ranking was low, grant and scholarship spots were scarce and competition was fierce. Everyone understood this logic; slowly, people began to sign up.

There was one spot left. Su Su was going to write her own name down, but Chen Jia stopped her. Chen Jia had been dragged into basketball teams before to make up the numbers. She wasn’t great, but she had experience. Most people were there just to fill space, meaning games often devolved into “accidental” shoving matches. Su Su was tall but lacked physical strength; she’d get hurt on the court.

“I’ll do it. Didn’t the cheerleaders ask for you? I heard their captain really likes you. You can’t split yourself in half.”

As she spoke, Chen Jia wrote her own name on the list.

The following period was hectic for Chen Jia. Since she was making money from website commissions, she quit her work-study job at the cafeteria. She spent her evenings practicing basketball. Su Su had joined the cheerleading squad; she wasn’t much of a dancer, but the captain insisted on her joining because of her face. She was given a backup position, which meant she had plenty to do every day too.

During training sessions, the two went their separate ways. Chen Jia was being taught by a senior from the university’s basketball club, starting from how to hold the ball and the basic rules. Chen Jia, who could listen to complex coding lectures with gusto, found the rules of basketball mind-numbing.

“Hey, you’re Chen Jia, right? Nice to meet you!”

A cute girl with two little “tiger teeth” when she smiled carefully moved from the back row to sit next to Chen Jia. Chen Jia frowned, finding the girl familiar.

“I’m Ning Qingyuan, from Class 2. I hear the professors mention you all the time—they say you’re amazing. I’ve seen the webpages you made; they’re incredible. Have you done this before? You couldn’t have mastered it so fast otherwise.”

Chen Jia had become more outgoing, but she still wasn’t used to such high-energy people. The conversation was a bit awkward at first. But Ning Qingyuan was a computer enthusiast and idolized “god-tier” students like Chen Jia. She really wanted to be friends so they could discuss coding together.

Chen Jia nodded uncomfortably. “Yeah, I was interested in it before.”

“Me too! Since we have a common interest, can I ask you for help if I run into problems? I won’t take up too much of your time. I just want to solve things faster—two brains are better than one!”

Though not used to the closeness, Chen Jia saw no malice and sheepishly agreed. Their whispering soon drew the attention of the senior leading the practice.

“You two! What are you doing? Did you learn what I just explained? Come up and demonstrate for everyone!”

The senior, having been in the Student Union for a while, had a bit of an ego and a sharp tone. Ning Qingyuan stuck her tongue out at Chen Jia and whispered, “We’re dead.”

Helplessly, the two went up to demonstrate. Chen Jia had experience, and Ning Qingyuan was naturally athletic, so the senior couldn’t find any faults.

By the time practice ended, the stadium lights were glowing. Ning Qingyuan walked beside Chen Jia, sharing funny stories about their professors, until a crisp voice rang out: “Chen Jia!”

Su Su arrived, her eyes filled with a hint of hostility as she looked at Ning Qingyuan. Ning Qingyuan smiled awkwardly.

“You must be Su Su. I know of you, you’re very pretty.”

One doesn’t hit a smiling face, but Su Su wasn’t having it if this girl was trying to “steal” Chen Jia. There wasn’t a trace of a smile on Su Su’s face. “Thanks. You too. It’s late and we need to go home. You should head back soon, too.”