After that meeting of eyes, the two separated. Ji Huaqing turned to look out the window and deliberately remarked, “Technology has developed so fast.”
Compared to fifteen years ago, it was a leap as vast as flying.
Gu Yining reminded her: “You can go online and look up the technological developments from 2009 to this year. You’ll be stunned, too. Are you still stuck on the spectacle of the 2008 Olympics?”
“Pretty much.” Ji Huaqing’s vague, uncertain eyes suddenly cleared and even took on a shine.
Gu Yining looked at her again, her gaze carrying a double layer of joy. “Look up the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Even more spectacular.”
“How do I watch it?” Ji Huaqing took out her phone and swiped. The phone dinged—a friend request popped up.
She opened the green app. Pei Yirou had sent a message: 【Sorry! Cheng Qingtang wanted your contact info, so I passed it along. My apologies. She’s just jealous—she likes Sister Gu.】
Ji Huaqing smiled faintly, glancing at Gu Yining, who sat upright, eyes fixed on the computer screen, expression stern.
She typed back: 【How much does she like her?】
Pei Yirou: 【Very, very much.】
Ji Huaqing: 【I won’t be angry, but it’s simple—tell me about Gu Yining’s suicide attempt.】
Pei Yirou: 【You’re asking the wrong person. I don’t know much; I just heard about it. The one who knows best is Zhou Hui—Principal Zhou of Jing City Foreign Language School. I have her contact. Do you need it?】
Zhou Hui? Ji Huaqing’s eyes deepened. She replied: 【Got it. No need. Thanks.】
Then she looked at Gu Yining. “Give me the household registration booklet.”
Gu Yining handed it over.
Gu Yining was busy with company matters, sparing her only a glance, and said, “On the green app, you can take a photo and send it directly.”
“Okay.” Ji Huaqing replied softly.
Gu Yining’s finger trembled at the sound of that voice, typing a wrong character. Shocked, she looked over. Streetlight and shadow interwove on the road outside; the Ji Huaqing before her seemed like a figure from a movie, indistinct.
Gu Yining’s heart was in chaos. Looking at the documents on her screen, heat rose in her chest, and she felt inexplicably restless.
Ji Huaqing opened the page with Gu Yining’s registration, took a photo, sent it to Zhou Hui with the caption: 【Do you believe me now?】
A reply came quickly: 【Where the hell did you go?】
The corner of Ji Huaqing’s mouth lifted; she seemed to be adapting to this world. She replied: 【Myanmar.】
Zhou Hui: 【I don’t believe you. I’ll interrogate you later. Your niece is in the Gu household, Ji Ningning. Let me tell you—you ran away for fifteen years, and Gu Yining was a daughter to your mother for ten of them. You owe her. You can never repay it.】
Reading it, Ji Huaqing sank into thought.
Zhou Hui: 【Where did you really go?】
Ji Huaqing didn’t reply.
Zhou Hui again: 【Do you still remember how to be a teacher?】
Ji Huaqing: 【I had a dream, and when I woke up, it was 2024. Naturally, I remember how to teach.】
Zhou Hui: 【Come to my school. I’ll hire you at a high salary. We’ll talk when you get back.】
Then Zhou Hui sent a location pin.
Ji Huaqing: 【Can I ask about Gu Yining’s suicide?】
Zhou Hui: 【It’s a long story. When you come back, come to my school, and I’ll tell you. Where are you? I’ll come find you.】
Ji Huaqing: 【I’m in Hang City. I’ll come find you when I’m back.】
Zhou Hui replied with a single “okay.”
Ji Huaqing turned off the screen and looked out the window at the receding buildings. One person’s word could be doubted—but three people had all said Gu Yining tried to kill herself.
In her memory, Gu Yining had held a knife against her own relatives, carrying an unyielding spirit.
How could someone so resolute and brave give up on life?
Life was precious. How could it be thrown away lightly?
The car stopped. Gu Yining closed her laptop and got out with it.
Song Mingyao asked about the next arrangement: “Are you going back to the office? Qi Luo asked to see you. Will you meet her?”
Qi Luo was the influencer who’d been dragged through the mud on trending searches. She was a member of the company.
“The company’s decision is the company’s decision. I won’t question it, so no meeting.” Gu Yining was firm, all business.
Song Mingyao nodded, then asked, “How long will you be here?”
“I don’t know. I’ll see. Get a hotel and rest for now. Wait for my notice.” Gu Yining frowned. She couldn’t say for sure—she had personal matters to handle first.
“Okay, I’ll wait for your notice.” Song Mingyao agreed.
Gu Yining entered the residential compound, and Ji Huaqing followed. Song Mingyao gave her a fawning smile. Ji Huaqing smiled. “Little Song, you don’t have to flatter me.”
“Teacher Ji, my boss is here. You should understand what that means.” Song Mingyao adjusted her glasses, revealing her most intelligent side. “You’re a smart woman. You should know what my boss is thinking. You can start feeling it out now—she’s truly wonderful.”
Ji Huaqing stopped. She felt she didn’t know Gu Yining anymore, so she asked: “Cheng Qingtang says she’s a lunatic. Does she have depression?”
“No, no, no. Teacher Ji, think about it: what’s the premise for calling her a lunatic?” Song Mingyao rushed to defend her. “Miss Cheng wants my boss to forget you and accept her instead. My boss refused, which makes her seem a little crazy. As for the depression, I’ve made appointments with doctors, and she’s actively cooperating with treatment. That’s all.”
Watching her tense expression, Ji Huaqing’s lips curved almost imperceptibly. The evening breeze blew, aching her chest.
She turned and went up the stairs, then immediately came back down. “When’s the appointment? She won’t go, will she?”
“It was supposed to be yesterday. She didn’t go, so I rescheduled it for today. You saw—she didn’t go again. Now I’ve booked tomorrow, the day after, and the day after that.” Song Mingyao laughed at her own words.
“Send me the appointment times. I’ll take her there.” Ji Huaqing didn’t refuse, her eyes curving. She added, “I’m not trying to steal your job.”
Song Mingyao smiled. “You don’t need to fight me for it.”
Why fight over a job? Fight for the title of Mrs. Gu instead.
They said goodbye. Ji Huaqing received a schedule on her phone. She glanced at it and noted the times, then pushed open the door and changed her shoes in the entryway.
The sound of running water came from the kitchen. She peeked in; a bag of groceries sat at the door. She said, “I’ll cook.”
“Okay.” Gu Yining agreed offhandedly, untying her apron and handing it to her. “I have a few things to handle. Season it to your taste.”
The night deepened, like spilled ink that couldn’t be stirred away.
Gu Yining returned to the living room and made several calls in a row. Her voice was cold, melting into the night, commanding respect.
Ji Huaqing listened as she worked, until the voice suddenly turned gentle.
“Auntie, what’s the matter?”
Ji Huaqing froze. She held her breath and even turned off the fire to listen.
“I don’t like her.”
“She’s very nice. Perfectly matched to you, and good for your company, too. I heard from Little Rou that you’ve known each other for many years.”
“Auntie, what does knowing each other for years have to do with it? I don’t like her, so I don’t.” Gu Yining was smiling, but the cold curve at the corner of her mouth was involuntary.
Her voice was jarring—cold and soft at once, unpleasant to hear.
“I don’t like her, and that’s all there is to it. Auntie, don’t play matchmaker.”
“You’re thirty-three years old.”
“Auntie, I have things to do.”
The call ended.
Ji Huaqing was still dazed when a shadow fell before her. Gu Yining, done with her call, stood in front of her, blocking the light.
Ji Huaqing’s eyelid twitched.
“Teacher Ji, why is your fire off?”
A faint smile crossed Gu Yining’s fair, delicate face, like the misty rain of the south drifting down her neck.
“Gu Yining, you’re very domineering.” In the three days of getting back in touch, Ji Huaqing finally found a shred of her authority as a teacher. She raised her head and met her eyes. “You’ve changed a lot.”
Gu Yining bent her finger, then reached up boldly to touch her cheek. “We’re both adults. No—I’m older than you now. I can afford to be a little domineering.”
Her hand was cold, with fine skin. The touch felt good. Ji Huaqing didn’t resist, her clean face reddening. Enduring her shame, she said, “So this is how you’re crazy?”
“Teacher Ji, I’m only crazy for you.” Gu Yining brushed past her burning face, enticed by it, and said, “We could do what adults do.”
Ji Huaqing was no longer the woman who’d just returned, knowing almost nothing about this world. She asked calmly, “You mean going to a hotel?”
Gu Yining burst out laughing. She raised both hands, cupping Ji Huaqing’s face devoutly. “Teacher Ji—welcome to 2024.”
![The Overachieving Female Supporting Character Quits [Quick Transmigration]](https://i0.wp.com/dobytranslations.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/jk.png?resize=151,215 "The Overachieving Female Supporting Character Quits [Quick Transmigration]")
