When The Scheming Female Supporting Character Is Forced To Seduce The Female Lead - Chapter 15

As Zhao Qingdai’s emotions surged, so did her dangerous Blackening Value.

The System crackled with sparks, warning her, “Being a green tea is enough—don’t turn into a stalker! Stacking too many buffs will get you electrocuted!”

“…I know! You’re so annoying!”

The day Du Jingmo attended the charity gala, Zhao Qingdai maintained her usual routine, not letting anything disrupt her daily activities. She continued to move alone, most people merely nodding in passing, unaware of the irritation simmering beneath her composed exterior.

After leaving school, she wandered through the supermarket, bought ingredients for a single serving dinner, and meticulously organized the leftovers. Her display of domestic perfection was so excessive that even the System was shocked.

It couldn’t help but ask, “Are you really not going to do anything today?”

This is unscientific!

Zhao Qingdai glanced at it, raising an eyebrow with a smirk. “Of course not. What are you thinking? I’m a dedicated Vicious Female Supporting Character, after all.”

Without her, the plot wouldn’t advance. As a crucial character, how could she possibly remain idle?

“I’m just preparing the groundwork,” she said, rummaging through the liquor cabinet and selecting a moderately priced bottle. She poured two generous glasses and downed them in quick succession.

A rosy flush quickly spread across her cheeks, and a glimmer of intoxication sparkled in her eyes. Smiling, she asked, “Do you know the essential skill for a green tea girl like me?”

The System humbly inquired, “I don’t know.”

“It’s just that if I want to find Sister, I’ll pour her a glass of milk.”

But drinking milk for real was out of the question; it would be too disrespectful to Du Jingmo’s intelligence. Two glasses of red wine were the absolute minimum.

To stay alert, Zhao Qingdai splashed cold water on her face after downing the wine before hailing a taxi to find Du Jingmo. She sat ramrod straight in the taxi, her slightly flushed cheeks the only hint that she might be tipsy.

The banquet was held on the top floor of a five-star hotel. Upon arrival, she found a quiet stone step to sit on. Her body felt limp, as if her bones had melted away. Behind her, swaying tree shadows concealed her, blending her into the darkness.

The System grew concerned. “Why do I feel like you’re actually drunk? Do you even know how to drink?”

Otherwise, your acting is simply too good.

Zhao Qingdai answered honestly, “No, I don’t.”

She was genuinely drunk. She had only forced herself to stay upright in the taxi for safety’s sake. Now that she was alone, she allowed herself to relax a little.

The System panicked. “You don’t know how to drink, and you’re putting on this show? Isn’t this dangerous?”

Zhao Qingdai watched the System’s avatar spin anxiously in mid-air, its comical head turning this way and that, and couldn’t help but chuckle.

To the System, her laughter was a sign of drunken foolishness. It fretted endlessly: “But how are you going to get inside?”

A drunk young woman sitting alone outside was dangerous enough, let alone a beautiful one like Zhao Qingdai.

“Who’s drunk, me or you? I don’t have an invitation, so how am I supposed to get in?” Zhao Qingdai poked the System’s avatar twice. “Stop talking nonsense, be good.”

System: “……”

Heavens above! What sin had this mere System committed to be stuck playing the role of a mother trying to save a rebellious teenager?

Fortunately, the hotel’s security was thorough; not a single stray passerby lingered nearby. The most suspicious figure in sight was Zhao Qingdai herself.

With a ding, her phone lit up. This time, she didn’t even glance at the message before turning off the screen.

The System gasped. “You’re actually not replying to the Female Lead’s message? Such a groundbreaking moment!”

“Shh, shut up. Don’t remind me.”

She couldn’t reply now.

As long as she didn’t look, she wouldn’t give in.

At the banquet, Du Jingmo stared at her phone, frowning deeply at the unanswered message that had lingered for far too long.

Zhao Qingdai usually responded promptly. The last time she hadn’t was when she’d been cornered at the girls’ dormitory entrance, ambushed by a forceful confession.

This memory made Du Jingmo uneasy. She wanted to call, but a small charity auction was underway, and everyone was seated, bidding with numbered paddles. Suddenly standing up would draw too much attention.

“What’s wrong? Is something the matter?” Gu Cheng asked, sitting beside her.

Their seats were close, and Gu Cheng leaned slightly toward her as he spoke, maintaining a careful distance that appeared intimate at first glance but was actually measured—the kind of demeanor that made it difficult to find fault with.

Du Jingmo shook her head slightly, her tassel earrings swaying and catching the light like scattered sparks.

Like the woman herself—beautiful and cold, unwilling to give anyone a chance to approach.

Gu Cheng asked casually, “I haven’t seen you bid yet. Is there something you like?”

Du Jingmo was all too familiar with these dating clichés. The moment she heard this, alarm bells went off in her head. “No. Don’t you dare try to win an expensive auction just to gift me something.”

“Stupid.”

Gu Cheng pursed his lips, all his carefully prepared lines suddenly useless.

“It seems you have a bias against me,” he said, genuinely perplexed. “Why is that?”

“I admit our first meeting was unfriendly, but afterward, I did everything I could to make amends. I even apologized to Miss Zhao, but…”

He abruptly stopped.

He could sense that if he said anything negative about Zhao Qingdai today, Du Jingmo’s opinion of him would plummet irreparably.

“I know you think poorly of me now, but… can’t you at least give me a chance to pursue you?”

Du Jingmo tucked a stray hair behind her ear, remaining silent.

Compared to the strange men Zhao Qingdai had previously encountered, Gu Cheng was practically a paragon of excellence. He even sought permission to pursue her.

No, even without comparing him to that strange male type, Gu Cheng was exceptional. Otherwise, her father wouldn’t have been trying to bring the two families together, and their businesses wouldn’t have maintained such a long-standing relationship.

But…

The final item was finally settled with a decisive hammer strike. Half-hearted applause filled the room as attendees rose to move on to the next event.

Du Jingmo stood with the crowd, lightly lifting the hem of her skirt. She turned to Gu Cheng, leaving him with only a refined profile. “Mr. Gu, you’d do well to avoid tactics like pressuring my father to force our joint appearances in the future. They only breed resentment.”

But what did this have to do with whether she disliked Gu Cheng?

“Wait!” Gu Cheng called out, a note of urgency in his voice. He quickened his pace, reaching out to grasp Du Jingmo’s wrist, then lowered his hand again. Lowering his voice, he asked, “Why? I deserve to know where I went wrong.”

Du Jingmo paused, pondering the source of her aversion to Gu Cheng. She shrugged, a faint smile creeping into her eyes. “Perhaps because, in my eyes, you just don’t look like a good person, Mr. Gu.”

She couldn’t help but wonder if Zhao Qingdai’s influence had brainwashed her.

The biggest mistake Gu Cheng ever made was offending Zhao Qingdai.

Without pausing, she walked out to find a quiet place to make a call. Suddenly, a man carrying a glass of champagne appeared before her, accompanied by his entire family—a row of three standing firmly in her path.

Du Jingmo’s composure remained unbroken, but the repeated interruptions were beginning to annoy her. Just as she was about to politely sidestep them, she froze upon recognizing the man.

Zhang Xinlan was actually here.

Her expression betrayed her surprise, but Zhang Xinlan’s reaction was even more pronounced, her visible discomfort and resistance making her face pale slightly.

“Miss Du,” the man said. He was nearing fifty, his frame slightly portly, and his temples streaked with silver, yet he carried himself with vitality and energy in his well-tailored suit.

Du Jingmo had encountered many like him—businessmen who had grown their enterprises to a respectable size but not large enough to warrant direct contact with the Du family’s true decision-makers. They hoped to gain leverage with the Du family by befriending her.

She handled such interactions with practiced ease, her impatience completely concealed. While nodding along with the man’s conversation, her attention remained focused on Zhang Xinlan. The longer they spoke, the more Zhang Xinlan’s unease grew palpable.

Beside Zhang Xinlan stood a lively young boy who bore a slight resemblance to Zhao Qingdai. He couldn’t stand still for long before trying to leave, only to be subtly restrained by Zhang Xinlan pinching his arm.

Du Jingmo began to piece together the situation. She reached into her purse, skillfully dialing a speed-dial number, summoning Du Zhong—the perfect social decoy—to handle the unwanted conversation.

The man’s original purpose had been to befriend Du Zhong, and he was quite pleased with the scene, his eyes shining with satisfaction.

“I have other matters to attend to, so I’ll be taking my leave now. I won’t disturb you any further,” Du Jingmo said with a faint smile, a barely perceptible malice flickering in her eyes. “I hope we can meet again, Aunt Lan.”

Zhang Xinlan, who had pretended not to recognize Du Jingmo from the start, shuddered at these words.

Du Jingmo could already imagine the questions her husband would ask when she returned, and the elaborate excuses she’d have to fabricate to cover her tracks.

Finally free of prying eyes, she dialed Zhao Qingdai’s number.

Nearly an hour had passed without a response, pushing Zhao Qingdai’s patience to its limit.

The moment the phone rang, she answered immediately: “Sister, are you coming back soon?”

Du Jingmo stood by the window, concealed behind a potted plant. “Not yet, but I’ll be there as soon as I can. Why didn’t you reply? Where are you?”

“I’m… um… I’m somewhere very close to you, Sister.” She let out an involuntary burp, the alcohol on her breath unmistakable.

But over the phone, Du Jingmo couldn’t tell the nature of the burp and assumed Zhao Qingdai had simply eaten too much.

Just talking to Zhao Qingdai made her relax unconsciously. She leaned against the windowsill, shedding the goddess-like demeanor she maintained in public, and gazed out at the hotel’s surroundings.

“What did you have for dinner?” she asked, her gaze focusing on a particular spot. “There seems to be a girl downstairs who looks a bit like you… Someone’s approaching her.”

Two men had just exited the hotel. They hurried past at first, but upon noticing a drunken girl sitting in a corner, they doubled back.

Du Jingmo frowned deeply, about to call security to investigate when an unfamiliar male voice came through the phone.

“We’re lucky today, bro! We found a drunk girl here and she’s pretty too!”

Du Jingmo’s hand tightened around the phone, and she swore under her breath. “Fuck!”

It was Zhao Qingdai!

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