When The Scheming Female Supporting Character Is Forced To Seduce The Female Lead - Chapter 30

About a week after New Year’s Day, Jiangcheng University would be on holiday, marking the start of the year-end preparations.

In previous years, the school had always asked Du Jingmo if she wanted to perform or host the New Year’s Eve arts show. She always declined, claiming she could only draw and had no other talents.

The truth was she was lazy, didn’t want to take on extra work, and especially disliked being the center of attention. Being the Young Miss of the Du Family already drew enough attention.

This year should have been the same, but due to certain unspoken reasons, she felt even more repulsed by the idea of the arts show.

The memories in her mind told her she was right—time flowed day by day, and her moments with Zhao Qingdai were crystal clear. Yet she couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d woken up to a completely changed world. Even the white hair on Auntie’s head had thickened, making her seem almost unfamiliar.

The only constant was Zhao Qingdai.

But when the teacher came to ask her again if she wanted to perform at the recital, the words of refusal were already on her lips when Zhao Qingdai’s face suddenly flashed through her mind.

“I’ll think about it,” she said. “The recital is in three days, but I haven’t even rehearsed yet.”

The teacher, who had been working tirelessly for four years and finally saw a glimmer of hope, immediately brightened. “No need for rehearsals,” she said, taking charge of everything. “You can perform anything you want. Just tell me what position you’d like in the program, and I’ll arrange the timing for you.”

Some things shouldn’t be given in, because once you do, it becomes hard to refuse.

That day, Du Jingmo returned home and opened the music room, revealing the piano that hadn’t been played in ages—just looking at it made her feel rusty.

Hearing the sound, Zhao Qingdai came over and pulled up a stool to sit beside her. “Why has Sister suddenly remembered how to play the piano?” she asked. “Didn’t Uncle force you to learn when you were little, and you haven’t touched it since you were a teenager?”

“I have to perform at the New Year’s Day show this year. I’ve turned down my teacher for three years already; it would be heartless to refuse again,” Du Jingmo said, her excuse sounding quite noble. “But I’m really out of practice—I need to practice more.”

Drawing was her true passion; playing the piano was something her parents had forced her to learn. It wasn’t just the piano either; she had been made to learn many things as a child, none of which she had chosen voluntarily. Drawing was the only thing she had stuck with.

She tuned a few notes and casually played a short melody, barely managing to keep it smooth. Her brow furrowed slightly, that stubborn spirit of hers stirring again. She opened a music score and picked a familiar piece. Before her fingers touched the keys, she asked, “If I perform on stage, will you come watch?”

“Absolutely!” Zhao Qingdai replied firmly. “How could I not be enthusiastic about watching a fairy perform? That would mean I have a problem with my head!”

Du Jingmo pressed her lips together, but a smile still shone in her eyes.

A school cultural performance didn’t require exceptional skill. After three days of intensive practice, Du Jingmo was more or less ready. She knew well that her primary role wasn’t to deliver a dazzling performance, but to serve as a good-luck charm, adding festivity to the year’s show.

On the day of the performance, Du Jingmo had planned to wear a starry halter dress with a shawl. But as soon as she finished changing and stepped out of the bedroom, Zhao Qingdai pushed her back inside.

Worried like a mother, Zhao Qingdai pleaded earnestly, “You’re wearing too little! If you go out in this cold, you’ll surely develop rheumatism next year. We can’t let that happen! You need to change!”

Leaning against the doorframe, Du Jingmo protested weakly, “But this is the only outfit I prepared. The performance is about to start—there’s no time to change.”

“Then call someone to deliver another outfit immediately! At least cover your arms and legs.” Zhao Qingdai stood firm, showing no intention of backing down.

Du Jingmo had wanted to perform today to please Zhao Qingdai. After a moment’s thought, Zhao Qingdai relented, reasoning that it would be counterproductive to upset her before the performance even began.

She took a photo of the dress she was wearing and sent it to Du Zhong, asking her brother to deliver a similar outfit that covered her arms and legs—urgently, as she needed to get to the performance quickly.

Du Zhong replied with an affirmative. Twenty minutes later, someone knocked on the door.

Zhao Qingdai and Du Jingmo gathered around the box, unwrapping it to reveal a sleek women’s suit.

Du Jingmo: “……?”

What does this have to do with the evening gown I just tried on?! This clearly only meets the requirement of covering my arms and legs!

Du Zhong anticipated his sister’s outburst and sent a message: “It’s too cold out there. No dress is as warm as a proper outfit with a thermal layer underneath. Perfectly practical!”

“Remember to send me a video of your performance. I’ve got to head to overtime now. See you tomorrow.”

With that, he vanished.

Du Jingmo took a deep breath and tried to go back to the dress, but Zhao Qingdai had already swiftly packed it up and sent it away, spreading out the three-piece suit on the table.

She wheedled like a saleswoman, pleading earnestly: “Please wear this. It’s beautiful and stylish, absolutely stunning! Trust me, Sister!”

At that moment, Du Jingmo finally gave up the fight. She changed into the suit, donned a thermal layer, and stuck several warming patches inside.

As she waited to perform, she couldn’t help but sigh: “Some people look so glamorous on the outside, but underneath their suits, they’re wearing thermal layers and warming patches, unable to even wear a proper dress.”

How pitiful.

Du Jingmo’s performance time came during the latter half of the cultural arts showcase, nearing its end. She knew her piano skills weren’t worthy of closing the show, so she had specifically asked her teacher to schedule her at this time.

Her piano playing was clearly amateur-level; anyone with even a basic understanding of music could tell with a single listen. Yet the moment she stepped onto the stage, everyone who had been bored and distracted, fiddling with their phones, snapped their attention to her.

This was the Female Lead, favored by the Creator herself. Her presence was utterly unique. As she sat with confident poise, she outshone even the stage lights, radiating a dazzling brilliance that made even the tips of her hair seem exquisitely refined.

At that moment, her skill level didn’t matter. Her mere existence was captivating enough.

This was precisely why her teacher, despite knowing she wasn’t a professional and having been rebuffed three times before, kept coming back to her.

A natural-born mascot, just posting a three-minute video of her performance online would surely swell next year’s applicant pool.

As the three-minute performance finally ended, Du Jingmo quietly exhaled when no one was looking.

She’d been pushing herself too hard, cramming three days of rushed practice before the performance. She’d probably missed a few notes just now. She hoped Zhao Qingdai, sitting in the third row with her phone, hadn’t noticed.

She stood up to bow and exit the stage, but when she turned around, her gaze met that of a girl in the third row, holding up her phone with a smile.

Zhao Qingdai’s eyes practically lit up like stars as she waved enthusiastically and made a heart gesture.

The last traces of Du Jingmo’s nervousness vanished in the face of Zhao Qingdai’s beaming gaze, leaving only a bittersweet ache in her chest and a deep sense of satisfaction that this trip had been worthwhile. She bowed and retreated from the stage, the applause that followed echoing behind her. She wondered if any of it had come from Zhao Qingdai.

No sooner had Du Jingmo stepped backstage to wait than Zhao Qingdai appeared, carrying a bulky, overstuffed package.

“What’s this?” Du Jingmo asked.

“A down jacket,” Zhao Qingdai replied.

Du Jingmo’s wardrobe consisted only of trench coats and wool coats, lacking any down jackets or padded clothing. With Jiangcheng’s sudden snowstorms, her thin layers left her vulnerable to catching a cold.

Though grateful for the gesture, Du Jingmo was momentarily speechless. “When did you even get this?”

“The day of the big snowstorm,” Zhao Qingdai said cheerfully. “Don’t worry, it’s a lightweight model and it looks great. Sister, put it on quickly!”

The moment she discovered the Grand Time Technique, she had already been shopping online for clothes, and they had just arrived the past couple of days.

Since she was already wearing a suit over a blouse, Du Jingmo stopped resisting and obediently slipped on her down jacket. “How was my performance just now?” she asked. “I think I missed a few notes. Did you notice?”

“Of course not! I don’t understand music at all. I couldn’t tell if you played correctly or not,” Zhao Qingdai replied confidently. “Besides, my attention was entirely on Sister. I was too busy admiring how beautiful you looked to notice anything else!”

What a master of flattery, Du Jingmo thought.

Du Jingmo’s performance today had been for one person only, so naturally, she cared only about that person’s opinion. Checking her watch, she saw it was almost midnight and grabbed Zhao Qingdai’s hand, rushing her to the rooftop.

Jiangcheng held an annual New Year’s Eve fireworks display that lit up the sky precisely at midnight, a cultural highlight of the city.

When they reached the rooftop, it was already crowded with young couples, groping in the darkness to find their partners.

Du Jingmo saw nothing out of place about two single women standing among the couples. She clasped her hands and gazed upward, nudging Zhao Qingdai with her elbow. “It’s almost midnight. Remember to make a wish for good luck.”

Her gaze was fixed on the sky, but Zhao Qingdai’s attention was solely on her.

How could fireworks compare to the person beside her?

“Three.”

“Two.”

“One.”

As the countdown ended, a bang echoed, and the fireworks exploded instantly, illuminating the night sky.

Du Jingmo closed her eyes, her posture exuding genuine sincerity as she made her wish.

Zhao Qingdai leaned closer, their sleeves brushing against each other. She murmured, “I wish for this day to repeat every year, for this moment to return with each passing season.”

Watching fireworks and making wishes together with Du Jingmo—there was nothing more beautiful in this world.

Du Jingmo had been about to say that wishes lose their power when spoken aloud, but upon hearing Zhao Qingdai’s wish, she swallowed the words already on her tongue. Instead, she said, “Your wish will come true.”

She, too, wished for their bond to remain unchanged year after year.

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