When The Scheming Female Supporting Character Is Forced To Seduce The Female Lead - Chapter 5

Using tricks like staged falls and feigned pity only makes you look foolish if overused.

Besides, Du Jingmo might not say it, but she secretly despises fools.

After returning from the hospital, she threw herself into her studies, calling the nurse daily to check on Zhao Qingdai’s condition. Since that day, Zhao Qingdai had become much more cooperative, and Du Jingmo could tell the nurse actually quite liked her.

After hanging up, Du Jingmo flexed her slightly stiff fingers, and Zhao Qingdai’s face, her eyes red from crying like a rabbit, suddenly flashed before her.

Now that she thought about it, during the two weeks Zhao Qingdai had been in the hospital, she had only visited twice.

The memory of Zhao Qingdai’s pleading expression when she said she missed her visits stirred an inexplicable itch in her heart.

This strange feeling drove her to go to the hospital early the next morning.

When she arrived, the nurse had gone to buy breakfast, leaving Zhao Qingdai alone in the room.

Her face bore a visible air of boredom as she craned her neck to gaze out the window for a long time. With a sigh, part disappointment and part resignation, she finally withdrew her gaze.

Du Jingmo’s heart stirred.

Could she be waiting for me?

Has Zhao Qingdai really been looking out the window every day these past few days, waiting for me?

A sudden pang of guilt struck her.

In the hospital room, Zhao Qingdai, having failed to see the person she was waiting for, skillfully lowered her legs from where they’d been propped up. Leaning on the bed frame, the wall, and anything else she could grasp for support, she slowly shuffled toward the bathroom.

The memory of Zhao Qingdai’s fall and its aftermath, still fresh in Du Jingmo’s mind, prompted her to rush in and steady the woman.

Zhao Qingdai froze for a moment, then her face lit up with immense joy. “Sister! You came to see me!”

The questions that had been on the tip of Du Jingmo’s tongue were swallowed back down. She unconsciously softened her voice. “Have you forgotten your condition? Why not wait for Auntie to come back before using the bathroom?”

“It’s just a habit,” Zhao Qingdai replied, then her smile froze as she realized her mistake. She quickly covered her mouth.

At that moment, the caregiver returned with two servings of breakfast.

Du Jingmo frowned, scanning the two women. “What do you mean ‘she’s used to it’? Auntie, didn’t you tell me she became very cooperative afterward? That you were the one helping her with washing and toileting?”

Auntie’s plain face flushed crimson. Embarrassed, she rubbed her hands awkwardly, but before she could explain, Zhao Qingdai spoke up: “Sister, don’t be angry with Auntie. It’s all my fault.”

The familiar opening made Du Jingmo’s brow furrow.

“I asked Auntie not to tell you because I was afraid you’d worry. And I haven’t fallen since!” She tugged cautiously at Du Jingmo’s sleeve. “Please don’t be mad at me. I shouldn’t have lied. I know I was wrong.”

Du Jingmo: “……”

What could she say? Zhao Qingdai had said it all. Moreover, she could tell that despite Zhao Qingdai’s sincere-sounding apology, she was clearly the type who would think, “I was wrong, but I’ll do it again.”

“Let’s go to the bathroom first.” She helped Zhao Qingdai into the bathroom, shut the door firmly, and went out with Auntie.

In front of Auntie, she abandoned the gentleness she’d shown Zhao Qingdai. “Exactly how has she been these past few days? Give me a proper account.”

“Auntie, I hope you understand who your real employer is. I don’t tolerate employees who hide things from their employers or lack professional integrity.”

Her voice was gentle, but Auntie, the caregiver, was nearly in tears. “Little Zhao told me to say that. When her condition was severe a few days ago, I helped her into the bathroom. The day before yesterday, when she could move around on her own, she insisted I stop helping her.”

“She said if anything happened to her again, you’d definitely fire me. I was scared, so I listened to her.”

Now Auntie felt nothing but regret—deep, overwhelming regret.

These two young women were each more beautiful than the last, and their personalities were just as fiercely strong.

“I understand,” Du Jingmo said, with no intention of making things difficult for the caregiver. “Just remember who your real employer is. Go get breakfast now.”

Auntie nodded and hurried away, forgetting to even grab her breakfast.

Du Jingmo glanced into the hospital room. Zhao Qingdai had already emerged from the bathroom, repositioned her injured leg in the sling, and was now sitting with her hands neatly folded over her abdomen, her back straight, looking at her.

Like a grade school student waiting to be scolded, she was almost too obedient.

Du Jingmo was momentarily lost in thought.

It reminded her of the first time Zhao Qingdai had admitted her mistake.

At thirteen, Zhao Qingdai had secretly touched Du Jingmo’s art supplies and accidentally knocked over her paint. Having never seen paint before, the girl didn’t know how to clean it up and only made a bigger mess.

When Du Jingmo discovered her, Zhao Qingdai was crying while scrubbing the floor.

Hearing Du Jingmo enter, Zhao Qingdai quickly stood up, hiding her hands behind her back. She didn’t even wipe away her tears, her eyes brimming with panic.

Later, Du Jingmo asked why she had been so frightened. Did she look that scary?

Zhao Qingdai replied softly, “I was afraid that if Sister got angry, she’d throw me away.”

Now, in a similar situation, Zhao Qingdai reacted the same way. “I know I was wrong. Will Sister stop being angry with me?”

“What, scared now? Where was all that fear when you were intimidating the Auntie caregiver?” Du Jingmo scoffed coldly.

Zhao Qingdai could tell from the tone that Du Jingmo’s anger had subsided.

Regaining her courage, she argued, “That wasn’t intimidating! I was just explaining the consequences to Auntie.”

Du Jingmo couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Sister, let’s eat together! I got one portion just for you, according to your taste!” Zhao Qingdai said, opening the box. “Don’t worry, I washed my hands really thoroughly.”

“How did you know I’d be here?” Du Jingmo asked, puzzled. “Did you know I was coming today?”

Zhao Qingdai paused for a moment. “I… didn’t know.”

“I just figured you might come by at some point. You’ve never liked breakfast, so I had to have something ready for you.”

The image of Zhao Qingdai waiting downstairs earlier suddenly flashed before Du Jingmo’s eyes.

Du Jingmo told herself, Zhao Qingdai has been putting on the act since she was a child. You can probably believe three out of ten of her words. Yet she also wondered, How could anyone fake it so flawlessly?

Lost in thought, she found herself already sitting down to eat breakfast with Zhao Qingdai.

The System, witnessing everything from an omniscient perspective, sneered.

This Female Lead is too naive. Zhao Qingdai isn’t someone you can believe three out of ten words of—none of her words are true!

She had long since figured out Du Jingmo’s visiting pattern. The moment Du Jingmo arrived, Zhao Qingdai saw her. Everything after that was an act! All of it was an act!

The only truth Zhao Qingdai spoke that day was that she did indeed ask Auntie to buy two breakfasts every morning.

Du Jingmo asked, “What did you do with the two breakfasts when I wasn’t here a few days ago?”

Zhao Qingdai’s face flushed slightly. “I… to avoid wasting food, I ate both portions myself.”

When she was really hungry, she’d even considered scavenging trash. Wasting food was a major taboo for her.

Du Jingmo laughed, wiped her mouth, and looked Zhao Qingdai up and down. “With your tiny frame, you can actually eat two portions?”

“You haven’t gained any weight though. Where does it all go?”

As she spoke, she reached out and patted Zhao Qingdai’s stomach. “Still flat as a pancake, not a hint of fat.”

Caught off guard by the sudden touch, Zhao Qingdai froze for a moment before her cheeks erupted in a crimson flush. Even her chopstick hand trembled.

Something exploded in her ears, a relentless barrage of pounding sounds, one after another, never stopping.

It took her a long moment to realize what it was: her own heartbeat, so loud it felt like it would rupture her eardrums.

“What’s wrong?” Du Jingmo asked, surprised by Zhao Qingdai’s extreme reaction.

She put herself in Zhao Qingdai’s shoes; if someone suddenly reached out and patted her stomach, she’d probably feel uncomfortable too.

“Sorry, I…”

“It’s fine!” Zhao Qingdai reacted strongly. “Sister, you don’t need to apologize. You haven’t done anything wrong.”

“And I’ll never be angry with you.”

She tried to change the subject. “I’m finished eating. Sister, wait here a moment while I tidy up.”

Du Jingmo pressed down on her busy hands. “Don’t move. I want to ask you something.”

“Would you like to come stay with me until you’re fully recovered?”

Zhao Qingdai had prepared for this moment, but she was a composed, reserved woman. At first, she was delighted, then hesitated. “Wouldn’t that be too much trouble? In my condition, wouldn’t I just be a burden on you?”

“My house has a maid,” Du Jingmo replied.

Zhao Qingdai: “……”

Oh my goodness, I forgot she’s a proper young lady of the upper class.

Zhao Qingdai stopped resisting and agreed, her face flushed, her voice light and cheerful. “Yes, yes!”

Du Jingmo was a little surprised. “Why are you blushing again?”

“I’m just happy.”

The fact that Du Jingmo was still the same person she remembered was enough to make her blush and her heart race with joy.

Du Jingmo assumed she was still acting childish and went to consult the doctor about when Zhao Qingdai could be discharged.

The doctor told her she could leave at any time.

Du Jingmo frowned. “But she was severely injured and spent a whole day in critical care. It’s only been half a month.”

The doctor produced medical reports showing Zhao Qingdai’s remarkable recovery.

Du Jingmo still felt something was odd, but with the reports right in front of her, she had no choice but to believe them.

“How strange,” she murmured.

Zhao Qingdai’s rapid healing reminded Du Jingmo of that uncontrollable feeling she had on the day of the car accident.

Zhao Qingdai also found it strange. “How come we never realized before that we always heal so quickly after getting hurt?”

Time flowed differently in the novel world than in the real world, and their physical conditions were merely a few keystrokes from the author’s keyboard.

“Let’s go. You’re discharged,” Du Jingmo said, having already handled the paperwork. “The car’s waiting outside. I’ll help you out.”

Though Zhao Qingdai had clearly been able to use the restroom independently just days before, she now acted frail and helpless, leaning heavily on Du Jingmo. Yet she maintained perfect balance, clinging close without feeling heavy.

From a distance, the two women resembled a pair of lotus blossoms growing from the same stem.

The System couldn’t bear to watch, finding the sight almost painful to behold.

While the System was displeased, Zhao Qingdai’s mood only improved. Just as she was about to lean her head against Du Jingmo, a figure suddenly appeared nearby.

Her expression instantly turned cold.

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