Chapter 5: Saving the PUA’d Supporting Female Lead (5)

Contrary to her own expectations, Luo Xue didn’t sleep restlessly in the unfamiliar environment. Instead, she slept very soundly. The room was pitch black, yet Luo Xue felt a sense of security she had never experienced before. In this large apartment, there was only her and Tang Qi. Even though Tang Qi was separated from her by a thick wall, she still felt at ease.

“Luo Xue, time to get up.”

“Mmm…” Luo Xue reluctantly opened her eyes. Rubbing her bleary eyes, she stared blankly at the unfamiliar layout. When she finally focused on Tang Qi in front of her, all sleepiness vanished instantly. “T-Tang Qi, when did you wake up? What time is it?”

She scrambled to grab her phone to check the time, then grabbed her hair in frustration and despair, mussing it up like a bird’s nest. “Ahhh, I overslept!”

Luo Xue had envisioned a perfect morning: she would wake up early, buy breakfast, tidy up the apartment, and wash and dry the clothes they had worn yesterday.

Instead… she felt utterly dejected.

“Get up and eat breakfast. There’s still time.” Tang Qi checked the time, not understanding why Luo Xue was saying she overslept. “Go brush your teeth and wash your face first.”

Luo Xue hurriedly got up. Arriving at the dining area, she saw Tang Qi had already bought breakfast: steaming hot millet porridge and fragrant meat buns.

Tang Qi peeled an egg and gave it to her. Luo Xue quickly finished her portion of the breakfast. “Tang Qi, let me take last night’s clothes to wash and dry them. Otherwise, we can’t wear them today.”

There had to be something she could do, right?

Tang Qi pointed to the dryer. “I’ve already washed them.”

By the time Luo Xue had changed, Tang Qi had already cleaned the apartment spotlessly, leaving it just as it was when they arrived. Not even a strand of hair remained. Before leaving, she gathered all the trash, bagged it, and carried it downstairs.

From start to finish, Luo Xue hadn’t done a thing. For a moment, she felt utterly useless.

“I’ll take you to work.” Tang Qi hailed a taxi. Luo Xue snapped out of her dejection. “Don’t you have things to do?”

“My class is in the afternoon.”

Luo Xue didn’t hesitate any longer. Her workplace was quite a distance away; any more dithering and she’d be late. They arrived at the fast food restaurant, and Tang Qi escorted Luo Xue to the entrance before turning to leave.

Luo Xue rushed inside to change into her work uniform. A nearby shop assistant sidled over mysteriously. “Ooh la la, looks like the date went well! You’re still wearing yesterday’s clothes. You stayed out, huh.”

“What are you talking about?” Luo Xue’s face flushed bright red.

“Don’t try to hide it, I saw everything! Someone brought you to the shop entrance just now and watched you come inside before leaving. Such a considerate person.” The Shop Assistant Sister patted Luo Xue’s shoulder, winking and giving a good-natured teasing look. “Now I know why you didn’t want that person to visit before. Don’t worry, I have no problem with it.”

Luo Xue was stunned. “What are you saying?”

“Still pretending! But wow, your girlfriend is so good-looking. Even though she’s a girl, she’s tall and has such a presence. You better hold onto her. Good-looking girls like that are super popular now. Didn’t you see how many people were sneaking glances at her just now?” The Shop Assistant Sister spoke rapidly. “By the way, how was the movie yesterday?”

“It was good, very interesting.” Luo Xue was successfully distracted. It wasn’t until later that she realized the other woman had mistaken Tang Qi for her lover.

Luo Xue wanted to explain but didn’t know where to start. In the end, she just let the misunderstanding stand.

Tang Qi took the subway back to the school. The whole way, she listened to the System cackling like a mother hen. “Host, do you know what Luoluo’s side is misunderstanding right now? Her coworker thinks you’re her lover! Praising you for being handsome and considerate.”

The System laughed uproariously. “I think you and Luoluo are a perfect match, Host. Why don’t you just steal her away? Don’t let that bastard benefit.”

Tang Qi closed her book. “Being a mistress is immoral.”

“Then you can bear to watch Luoluo suffer? Don’t you like Luoluo? If you don’t like her, why are you so good to her?” The System protested.

Tang Qi didn’t answer. She helped Luo Xue simply because she couldn’t bear to see a girl cry. Nothing more. She also didn’t feel she was being particularly good to Luo Xue; she was just doing what she felt was right.

Luo Xue was her roommate. Wasn’t it normal for her to help when the other was in trouble?

The System screamed in frustration. Tang Qi quickly muted it.

The short break passed in the blink of an eye. Luo Xue received her first-ever paycheck. Seeing the numbers on her bank card, she was over the moon. She immediately transferred three hundred yuan to Tang Qi, then quickly sent a text: “I got paid! Dinner’s on me tonight.”

After thinking for a moment, she added another message: “Want crawfish? Or maybe hotpot?” A few minutes later, her phone rang. Without checking the caller ID, she answered, her eyes full of smiles. “Tang Qi, what do you want to eat? We have to celebrate tonight!”

“Little Xue!” Li Chengyu’s voice came from the phone. Luo Xue’s joyful mood instantly plummeted. She subconsciously gripped her phone tighter, feeling a sense of disappointment and tension even she hadn’t noticed. “Che-Chengyu.”

She gulped and forced a dry laugh. “Do… do you need something?”

“You’re my girlfriend. Can’t I call you even if nothing’s wrong?” Li Chengyu sounded displeased. “What have you been doing these past few days? Why haven’t you contacted me?”

“I’ve been working part-time.” Luo Xue chose her words carefully, then habitually explained, “You got angry last time. I wanted to wait until you calmed down.”

Perhaps it was because that movie had genuinely been fun to watch, and the crawfish had been so delicious. These past few days, she had subconsciously avoided thinking about Li Chengyu. Whenever she thought of him, she remembered those suffocating, breaking-point moments.

Lately, Tang Qi returned to the dorm early every day, always bringing dinner and waiting for her. After eating, they’d watch a movie together and chat for a while. Although Luo Xue did most of the talking and Tang Qi listened, Tang Qi was never impatient.

With Tang Qi, she felt a level of respect she had never received from Li Chengyu.

For the first time, Luo Xue realized that she had never been respected in her relationship with Li Chengyu.

“I wasn’t really going to stay mad at you. Wait for me to eat dinner together tonight.” Li Chengyu’s voice was laced with laughter. Luo Xue’s heart sank. A text message notification chimed. Luo Xue opened it to see Tang Qi’s reply: “I’ll be back very late tonight. Another day.”

Li Chengyu didn’t wait for Luo Xue to answer, continuing on his own. “I’ll send you the address in a bit. Remember to go back and change into something nice.”

And he hung up just as abruptly.

Luo Xue returned to the dorm and changed into a dress. Looking at her closet, she suddenly realized she hadn’t bought new clothes in a very long time.

Ever since she started university and met Li Chengyu, her life had revolved entirely around him. When he had no money, she gave it. When he was unhappy, she comforted him.

But what about herself?

Luo Xue crouched down on the spot, inevitably recalling all those previous incidents, all that oppressive history, all those times she had walked on eggshells. It felt like a mountain pressing down on her heart, making it hard to breathe, causing her immense pain.

It reminded her of the days when her parents argued, the times they told her to be a good, quiet girl.

Luo Xue arrived at the address Li Chengyu sent and found it was a Western restaurant near the school.

Could it be that Li Chengyu realized his mistake and wanted to make amends? Luo Xue’s mood lifted a bit. After all, Li Chengyu was her first love, and she still wanted to try to maintain this relationship.

Seeing Luo Xue, Li Chengyu smiled and quickly walked over. “You’re here. They’re waiting for us.”

“They?”

“A guy in our dorm, Lao Liu, started dating, and he’s treating us and his girlfriend to dinner.” Li Chengyu said. Luo Xue understood and walked arm-in-arm with Li Chengyu into the private room.

The room was already full. Luo Xue recognized the people from Li Chengyu’s dorm, but this was her first time formally meeting them. Seeing Luo Xue, the others hooted and hollered. “Sister-in-law’s here! Chengyu, you’ve kept her too well-hidden. We’ve wanted to meet you for so long.”

Li Chengyu put his arm around Luo Xue’s shoulder and laughed. “Get lost, all of you. I was afraid you’d scare Little Xue.”

“Ooh la la, so smitten! Boss, can you smell the stench of their love?”

Luo Xue offered a perfectly measured smile. She remembered suggesting they meet for a meal once before, and back then Li Chengyu had said, “Dating is about the two of us. There’s no need to waste our time on other people.”

During the meal, Li Chengyu remembered her preferences and put food on her plate, something she used to find incredibly sweet. The others teased them every time he did this.

It should have been a purely joyful time, but Luo Xue couldn’t help thinking back to that day Li Chengyu walked away from the cinema without looking back.

Afterward, he didn’t apologize. He offered no word of comfort, never asked how she got back or if she was scared. When it was just the two of them, she was always the one tiptoeing around his feelings.

It seemed only when there were other people around that Li Chengyu became the Li Chengyu she liked.

By the time Tang Qi returned to the dorm, everyone else was there, but Luo Xue still hadn’t come back. The System grew anxious. “Host, aren’t you going to check on her?”

It quickly scanned for Luo Xue’s location. “Good grief, that dumbass is drunk. Luoluo is helping him walk back to the boys’ dorm.”

Tang Qi remained unmoved. The System cried out in alarm, “Luoluo fell! And that dog of a man is actually laughing!” It was frantic. Tang Qi set down the snacks in her hands—gifts from Sister Zhou and Brother Xu.

“Host, don’t you have a band-aid? Luoluo scraped a huge patch of skin off her leg. Her skirt is torn, too.”

Tang Qi checked the time. Fifteen minutes until the dormitory curfew. It seemed she really did have to go. Otherwise, Luo Xue would be spending the night outside.

Following the System’s guidance, she approached the boys’ dormitory area. From a distance, she heard Li Chengyu’s voice. “Seriously, how could you be so careless? Does it hurt?”

Luo Xue shook her head but hissed sharply in pain as she spoke. “It’s okay.”

“You really are too careless. Go back quickly and wash that out, disinfect it, and bandage it,” Li Chengyu crouched in front of Luo Xue and said gently, “You really don’t know how to take care of yourself. What would you do without me?”

The others from the dorm were also extremely drunk, shouting, “Chengyu… burp… taking care of your wife… we should all learn from you.”

“I am fucking done. His concern is all talk! Does asking if it hurts heal a wound?” The System gnashed its teeth.

Luo Xue looked down at her bleeding knee and her dirt-stained skirt. She gritted her teeth and tried to stand. But Li Chengyu’s entire weight had just been on her, and she’d fallen directly onto the brick edge of the road. Now, any movement caused excruciating pain.

Seeing her try to get up, Li Chengyu moved to help her, but he recoiled the moment he saw the dirt on her clothes. “Seeing you in pain makes me ache inside. Hurry back to your dorm; don’t stay with us.”

Tang Qi walked over and firmly grasped Luo Xue’s arm. Before Li Chengyu could react, a pair of hands reached out, and Luo Xue was lifted into someone’s arms. “I’ll take her back first.”