Gold Medal Mediator [Quick Transmigration] 58p1

Chapter 58: I’m Really Not the Female Lead of a Novel (V) p1

When Hua Baihe received her reply, she was holding her phone, utterly confused. “…???”

She pondered for a moment before typing on her phone, “Ah? Then let’s just forget about it?”

It was just a casual meeting with an author she admired. But if it caused domestic unrest for the other party and led to some disharmony in their emotional life, that wouldn’t be very nice.

Outside the door, Jiang Xue, who was about to leave, saw her reply and was speechless. “…”

She had thought that after chatting with Xue Ling for over half a month under the guise of ‘Firefly,’ they should have some sort of friendship. But unexpectedly, the other party showed no great interest in meeting in person.

In a fit of anger, Jiang Xue stuffed her phone back into her pocket and stormed towards the ‘The Secret of Mankind’ shop next door.

At first, Hua Baihe saw that she hadn’t replied for a long time and thought she was busy with other things. But half an hour later, she received a sales record from the store manager, with an attached message:

“Boss, your friend is so supportive of our business! She just came in and bought over a hundred thousand worth of things in one go! Wow! A rich person!”

With that, she sent another picture of a receipt. The total amount on it was clearly written: 136,500.

Hua Baihe was stunned for a moment. She couldn’t figure out who this friend was for a moment.

Until the manager sent her another picture of a bank card consumption signature slip. On it was only a simple word: “Ying” (the same character as in Firefly).

Hua Baihe: “…”

Hua Baihe: “!!!”

She quickly forwarded the picture to Firefly’s chat box, sent a string of exclamation marks, and asked the other party, “Did you just go to our shop and buy something?”

Firefly only typed an emoji with letters: xd

Hua Baihe subconsciously said a thank you. Just as she was about to take the opportunity to suggest a meeting, her gaze suddenly fell on her legs, which were covered by a blanket.

Her fingertips suddenly bounced off the screen.

…Never mind.

She thought, although she didn’t mind it herself, and that no matter what identity she had, it was just a game of play and bickering between her and the System. But in the eyes of others in this world, seeing her so weak, their eyes would always have a hint of pity.

This virtual network, on the contrary, was the easiest way for her to interact with people on an equal footing.

Such a thought only flashed through her mind. Hua Baihe looked at the flowery praises she had just typed, a hint of a smile flashing in her eyes like a fleeting light, and then quickly disappeared as she locked the screen and put her phone in her pocket.

She said to Xue Jiming, “I’m going back first.”

Seeing that this silly younger brother now had a firm belief in pursuing Zhao He, her role of giving him a little push was enough. As for the rest, she would just take it one step at a time.

Especially little classmate Zhao He. She had to think of a way to make Zhao He firmly stand on Xue Jiming’s side at the critical moment.

* * *

Hua Baihe thus easily forgot about her chat with Firefly. But she didn’t know that the other person was outside, so cold that her hands were about to lose feeling. She finally compromised and put on her gloves, but still stubbornly held her phone, staring at the dialogue box and waiting for a long time—

Still no sign of her taking the initiative to ask for a meeting.

Although it was freezing weather, Jiang Xue, very unscientifically, had puffed herself up like a pufferfish in front of that ‘The Secret of Mankind’ shop.

So much so that her friend, Lin Wanxiu, who was originally hesitating in the century-old shop next door about what to buy for her partner for New Year’s and wanted to come over for her opinion, saw the person standing in front of that conspicuous shop at a glance.

Her eyes were full of sparks, and even her cheeks were flushed red.

Lin Wanxiu, who had always known that this young lady of the Jiang family would only get paler in the cold, was immediately curious.

“Who pissed you off? To make you so angry, is it that serious? To the point of being a greeter at this kind of shop?”

Following her instructions, Jiang Xue looked back. Sure enough, behind her was the ‘The Secret of Mankind’ billboard. She had been standing here straight, attracting the attention of countless passersby.

Jiang Xue silently gritted her teeth and left without a word.

Just then, she heard Lin Wanxiu follow her, asking as she walked, “Hey, isn’t it New Year’s soon? Do you think it’s better for me to buy my partner a Christmas special edition or a New Year limited edition? This big brand is finally keeping up with the times and trends. It’s really touching to the customers.”

The moment her voice fell, she noticed Jiang Xue’s disdainful gaze, and then her lips parted slightly, and she spat out a word:

“Ugly.”

Lin Wanxiu was at a loss and asked more specifically, “Are you saying the Christmas special edition is ugly? Or the New Year limited edition is ugly?”

Jiang Xue said calmly, “Both are ugly.”

Lin Wanxiu was shocked. “No way? But when the design drawings came out, everyone thought they were beautiful. I remember last month when someone posted a picture in the group chat, you said ‘not bad’?”

Jiang Xue said without changing her expression, “Did I? I don’t remember.”

Lin Wanxiu did not see through her friend’s sinister intention of “breaking up a couple is a couple” because she was single. She subconsciously followed her footsteps and asked:

“Ah, then what brand should I buy? Do you have any recommendations?”

Jiang Xue did not turn her head. “No.”

Lin Wanxiu: “…”

So what should she buy?

She was so torn.

She just followed Jiang Xue all the way, hoping to hear some suitable brand recommendations from her. But the other party suddenly stopped in her tracks and looked back at her.

“You want me to recommend something?”

Lin Wanxiu quickly nodded.

Jiang Xue’s eyes rolled, and then she thought of another matter and immediately said, “Alright, do me a favor.”

Lin Wanxiu quickly asked, “What favor?”

It wasn’t her fault for putting her own status too low. It was just that her friend’s aesthetic taste was quite good, and the combinations she pointed out often had unexpected effects. Lin Wanxiu was now used to referring to her opinions for whatever she bought.

* * *

Jiang Xue and her friend’s figures gradually faded into the distance at the end of Culture Road. And at the entrance of the original ‘Human Warmth’ coffee shop, there were still a few figures standing.

Xue Jiming pushed Hua Baihe’s wheelchair out of the door, not forgetting to wrap her scarf tightly around her neck, and carefully instructed the family’s maid that it was cold and the road was slippery, so she should be careful when pushing the wheelchair.

He had been nagging for a long time and still showed no sign of turning back to the restaurant, making Hua Baihe and the maid stand outside and eat a few mouthfuls of cold wind.

In the end, Hua Baihe couldn’t take it anymore and said casually, “Alright, you’re so long-winded. Anyone who didn’t know would think you’re my mom.”

But the moment she said this, she and Xue Jiming were both stunned.

Hua Baihe realized she had spoken out of turn, but she didn’t know how to take it back. She could only hold her neck stiffly, with a stubborn look of “I’ll never take back what I’ve said.”

On the contrary, Xue Jiming was stunned for a long time. He didn’t know what she meant by her sudden words. He suspected that she was mocking him and could only squeeze out a sentence after a long time:

“No, I… I didn’t mean that.”

Hua Baihe watched his face change for a long time, and finally heard his words. She immediately replied, “I know.”

Her face was full of light indifference, as if she were not talking about her own affairs:

“I didn’t mean anything else. Some things have been in the past for a long time, and it has nothing to do with you. You don’t have to think too much.”

Xue Jiming vaguely understood the meaning behind her words. She was telling him that the matter of his mother Liu Lu had little to do with him, and he didn’t need to take on the grievances of the previous generation.

But…

Xue Ling insisted that “every injustice has its perpetrator, and every debt has its debtor.” Xue Jiming also understood the principle of “the son pays the father’s debt.” In any case, Liu Lu was his mother. If it weren’t for what she had done back then, he would not have grown up under the education of the Xue family today.

His birth was originally the misfortune of another family.

This was his original sin.

Thinking of this, Xue Jiming’s lips moved. In his bright, jade-like eyes, a faint layer of sadness was cast.

He said, “I know…”

But on one side was his mother, and on the other was the half-sister that he and his mother were sorry for. The only thing he could do was to be a little better to Xue Ling.

Only in this way could he repay the debt of the two of them.

This was what Xue Jiming had planned, but he had never thought of mentioning it to Xue Ling. No matter what her attitude towards him was, in short, he just needed to maintain his own heart.

Hua Baihe looked at the deep and shallow changes in his eyes, and finally settled on a certain firmness. She had no idea what he had imagined.

But…

Fortunately, the identity of Xue Ling was just a persona created by the System for her convenience in the mission. Once she left, it would not affect the operation of this world.

That is to say, it was okay for her to be as good to Xue Jiming as she wanted.

She had no interest in pursuing anything with Xue Cheng and Liu Lu in this world for the sake of the story background. Anyway, she was now well-fed and clothed. She just didn’t like this couple, that’s all.

“Then sis, you should get in the car quickly. Look at my memory. It would be terrible if you caught a cold from the cold.”

After Xue Jiming made up his mind, he realized what a harsh environment this conversation was taking place in. He quickly asked the maid to take Hua Baihe home.

Fortunately, the maid was also wearing thick clothes. It was not a big deal to talk outside for a while, and it did not affect her skillful pushing of the wheelchair.

The Xue family’s car could not enter this commercial pedestrian street and was parked at a crossroads not far away. Xue Jiming watched the two of them leave and only then turned back to the coffee shop with a relieved heart.

* * *

That evening.

When Zhao He returned to her dormitory, she did not immediately flop onto her bed. Instead, she walked around the room with a rosy face. One moment she was checking if the trash can in the restroom had been emptied, and the next moment she was taking the initiative to wash the mop and mop the entire dormitory floor.

By the time her roommates came back from studying in the library, they almost stepped on the sparkling floor inside. They were immediately startled.

“Wow! Who did such a good deed!”

The moment she finished speaking, Zhao He’s head popped out from the restroom next to her. She gave a bright smile and replied, “I had nothing to do in the dormitory today. The floor was a little dirty, so I just mopped it.”

At first, her roommates praised her for being a clever little angel and did not ruin her hard work. They walked into the dormitory on the dry parts and then heard her ask another question:

“I’m going to put my clothes in the washing machine. Do you guys have anything to wash? You can bring them over and wash them with mine.”

The moment she said this, those who were a little slow-witted happily answered “yes, yes, yes,” and then quickly went to get their dirty clothes and put them in her basin.

Only one, a top student who was on good terms with her, pushed up her glasses, stared at the smile that had been on her face for several minutes, and asked:

“That’s not right. Xiao He, are you in love? You’re smiling foolishly and giving everyone warmth—confess, which pig is it?”

“What? Xiao He is in love!”

“Oh my god, I bet on myself to be the first to get out of being single in the last dormitory bet. How did the face-slapping come as fast as a tornado?”

The roommates who were busy looking for dirty clothes were not in a hurry anymore. They all gathered in front of Zhao He, their faces all saying “leniency to those who confess, severity to those who resist.”

Zhao He was suddenly surrounded by her three roommates and couldn’t handle it. Her face was as red as a tomato, but she was still resisting stubbornly.

“No… no, don’t listen to the top student’s nonsense!”

The top student snorted and decided to prove her emotional intelligence today. “No my ass. You’re like a wilted eggplant every time at the end of the term, listless, and you won’t review until the last minute. But now you have to hand in the first draft of your graduation thesis, and you’re not in your bed before dawn every morning, and you come back happy at night.”

“I was still wondering where you got the chicken blood to suddenly become so passionate about learning. What, does learning not only make you happy but also make you love to do housework now?”

Under her reasonable deduction, Zhao He was speechless.

After holding it in for a few seconds, she whispered, “Is it that obvious?”

The whole dormitory said in unison, “Yes!”

The roommates’ gossip souls were burning. “So tell us quickly, who’s the other dog?”

Zhao He couldn’t resist and honestly confessed the matter between the two of them. Then she said, “We just got together today. Can I have him treat you guys to a meal in a few days?”

But this was no longer important.

The girls in the dormitory all had a look of excitement on their faces as if they had just eaten a huge melon.

After a long silence, the first sentence in the dormitory sounded:

“I remember, at the last department meeting, a bunch of old seniors were betting on which freshman girl could win over Xue Jiming.”

“Didn’t someone say before that Xue Jiming would only ever marry a book in this life?”

The roommates thought of the various gossip they had heard before and looked at Zhao He with a look of “I didn’t expect you to be this kind of Zhao He,” “you’re hiding it so well,” “there’s always someone better,” “one shot, one kill”…

Zhao He: “…”

“Is it that exaggerated?” A hint of embarrassed confusion appeared on her face.

Only the top student who had seen through everything sighed and said to her, “I didn’t expect you to have been a homebody in the dormitory for four years, and the moment you came out, you won over the school hunk. Tell me, which seven-star hotel are you treating us to to celebrate?”

A shy look reappeared on Zhao He’s face. She took out her phone and asked them:

“Then, should I ask him?”

A chorus of cheers immediately sounded in the dormitory!

* * *

The roommates, having been promised a big meal in the future, were all very happy. After the cheering, they didn’t continue to surround Zhao He and gossip, leaving her enough time to chat with her new boyfriend.

As a result, Zhao He was happily lying on her bed, telling Xue Jiming on her phone about how she had been exposed the moment she returned to the dormitory.

Xue Jiming sent a head-patting sticker and was a little amused on the other end of the phone—

It wasn’t something that needed to be hidden from others anyway. Why did it feel like they were in a secret relationship?

He said, “It’s fine. It’s good that they know. It won’t be so sudden when I treat them to a meal next time.”

When Zhao He saw his words, she was immediately a little embarrassed. She had originally planned to find an opportunity some other day to invite her roommates and Xue Jiming together, and then she would pay for the meal.

After all, although the Xue family’s financial situation was very good, she had no intention of immediately relying on her boyfriend.

But the other party was much more serious than she had imagined.

Zhao He was immediately a little embarrassed. Her heart was filled with a sense of sweetness, and her original wavering also settled down. She always felt that…

She was really a little lucky.

Just as her roommate had said, she had been a homebody in the dormitory for four years and had just come out of seclusion, and then heaven had directly sent love to her.

Thinking of the scene when she had first met him, Zhao He raised her hand to cover her face.

No, she can’t let her partner know that she has a hobby of reading 18+! She must hide it well!

“Ding-dong!”

While she was lost in thought staring at her phone screen, a notification suddenly popped up.

It was a Weibo post from her special attention, the author “Firefly.”

Zhao He subconsciously clicked in, but found that it was not the author’s new book promotion, nor was it a notice of a commercial collaboration—

This post was about one thing.

The book of the author “Firefly” had been plagiarized by an eighteenth-tier small writer!

The color palette had already been made!

* * *