Shu Er looked at the novel in her hands, growing angrier the more she read.
As she reached the later parts, although there was still more than half of the book left, she couldn’t help but throw it away, wanting it out of sight.
It was already past eleven at night. She rubbed her tired eyes and headed to the bathroom in her pink pajamas.
While brushing her teeth and washing her face, she couldn’t help but mutter, “Is the male protagonist an idiot? He just immediately assumes that the female supporting character is his childhood benefactor without even asking, just because Shu Er and Shu Er¹ sound the same? Also, the female lead is really vicious! The female supporting character hasn’t done anything wrong; just because the male protagonist treated her a bit well during the period of mistaking her for someone else, she ends up selling the female supporting character off to the mountains to dig coal, never letting her return for the rest of her life? Is that something a human being would do? What did the female supporting character do to anyone to end up in such a miserable situation? It’s simply a disaster from heaven!”
This wasn’t Shu Er’s first time reading a novel, but it was the first time she felt genuine anger.
There were two reasons for her anger. The first reason was that the female supporting character in the book was truly innocent. At first, the male protagonist said nothing, and just suddenly started treating her well. She was both flattered and terrified. She was fearful and joyful every day, afraid that she had done something wrong. But that kindness was soon taken back, and not only was it taken back quickly, but she also got into a lot of trouble because of it.
The second reason was that she has the same name as the miserable female supporting character!
This was such a pitiful situation.
But in the end, it was just a novel. After venting her feelings a bit, Shu Er put the matter aside.
After all, the events in the book were merely the author’s way of creating drama, and it should not be taken seriously. Anyone who would take it seriously would be an idiot.
Thinking of this, she went to bed and fell into a deep sleep.
–
A voice gently whispered in Shu Er’s ear, “Shu Er, wake up! Mr. Tang has sent you fruits and milk again.”
Shu Er was not in a bad mood when she was woken up. She just felt a bit confused as she propped herself up from her desk. Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she slowly opened them.
But a few seconds later, her eyes widened in shock!
Wasn’t she sleeping in her bed at home? How come she was back in class after waking up?
Clearly, she had just received her college acceptance letter and was preparing to go to college in a month! What was going on?
While Shu Er was still dazed, trying to understand what was happening, the fruits and milk that the man had just mentioned were already being passed to her from the table closest to the window in a relay fashion.
The whole process actually only took a minute or two. The students in the class seemed to have gotten used to passing things to Shu Er.
She subconsciously looked at the transparent box on her desk and opened it.
Inside was a variety of colorful fresh fruits, and there was even a disposable plastic fork thoughtfully provided on the side.
Shu Er opened the plastic bag, took out the fork, picked up a piece of mango, and ate it.
Wow, it’s so sweet.
Can you taste food when you’re dreaming?
While Shu Er was enjoying the fruit, a few sour voices came from beside her.
“Shu Er, what’s your relationship with Huo Chao? Why does he send people to send you fruits every day?”
“Yeah, this is the third day already.”
“Shu Er, did you already know Huo Chao before transferring here?”
Huo Chao? Which Huo Chao?
Before Shu Er could figure it out, the voice she had heard earlier suddenly exclaimed, “Quick, stop talking! The teacher is here!”
The nearby girls reluctantly halted their discussion.
Before Shu Er could react, her deskmate had already helped her stash the fruits on her desk into the hole in the desk, saying, “The teacher hates people eating in class the most.”
Shu Er replied dryly, “Oh.”
After the class, Shu Er finally realized that she had somehow transmigrated into Extreme Obsession, the very book she had just read before sleeping, and had become the unfortunate female supporting character!
This was so frustrating. She had just said that novels shouldn’t be taken seriously, and now she had become a part of one!
At this point, the plot was just starting.
The female supporting character transferred to the male protagonist’s high school during her second year of high school. On the first day of school, the male lead happened to hear her name, Shu Er, and mistakenly thought she was his childhood savior, Shu Er, who had rescued him during an earthquake, prompting him to repay her in his own way.
Regardless of whether the male protagonist’s method of repaying her was appropriate, his initial intention was actually not too bad. He genuinely wanted to be kind to the female supporting character, his “savior,” and help her adjust to the new environment after her recent transfer. So he decided to be her strong support and help her become familiar with her classmates. Every morning after physical exercise, he would send someone to bring her food.
In fact, the female supporting character did enjoy a brief period of being the center of attention because of his actions. The girls in class would subtly inquire about Huo Chao and try to flatter her, afraid of offending her. This left her both surprised and delighted, as if she had struck gold.
However, the good fortune didn’t last long. Soon, the male protagonist’s real savior appeared, and after the heroine showed up, the female supporting character was cast aside.
After losing the male protagonist’s attention, she fell from grace. Initially, the girls in class had fawned over her, but soon they began to mock her. The female lead viewed her as an eyesore, believing she was intentionally impersonating her.
But that wasn’t the case at all. In Shu Er’s opinion, the female supporting character was truly innocent. The male protagonist acted on his own assumptions, showing kindness without informing her about anything. In fact, their interactions were pitifully sparse.
Even if he was good to her, he didn’t do everything himself.
Just like now, the fruits and milk were not delivered by Huo Chao himself; he just found a boy in his class, paid a bit, and had him run the errand. After all, he had money to spare.
These were merely superficial acts of kindness.
Over the past three days, the female supporting character hadn’t even seen any of Huo Chao’s friends, let alone Huo Chao himself. All she knew was that the delicious food she was eating was sent by Huo Chao, a big shot among the seniors.
Shu Er snorted coldly. Was the male protagonist afraid that the female supporting character might try to repay his kindness and take advantage of him?
But he wasn’t entirely wrong.
The actual female supporting character wouldn’t have thought of it, but she would. School had been in session for three days, and Huo Chao had already sent her delicious food for three days straight.
Even though the original character did nothing wrong, in the eyes of the petty female protagonist, she had already been branded as “her impersonator” and accused her of “deliberately flirting with Huo Chao.”
From this moment on, even if she wanted to keep a low profile to protect herself, it was already too late. The female protagonist would not let her go. After all, being mistaken for the male lead’s benefactor was already her original sin.
Since that was the case, it would be better to lean into it rather than try to evade it and fully embrace these two labels.
This rich, foolish male protagonist with a bad judgment would learn a lesson from her.
As for the heroine, Shu Er felt no guilt. From the moment she transmigrated, she had stood in opposition to the scheming female protagonist, who might even sell her off to the mountains to dig coal for a lifetime. Besides, it was 2019; and the idea of “owing a life debt and repaying it with oneself” was outdated. Otherwise, why hadn’t the male lead immediately started dating the female supporting character when he mistook her for someone else?
He hadn’t even shown his face!
After school in the afternoon, Shu Er said a few words to her deskmate, Ning Meng, who had woken her up earlier, before taking her the fruit box she had eaten and heading toward Class 36 of Senior 3.
The female supporting character had felt a mix of shyness and anxiety over the past two days, so she hadn’t thought of looking for him. Even if she had considered it, she wouldn’t have dared to act. The original character was too introverted and overly sensitive.
But she wasn’t going to shy away.
The male protagonist was in Class 36.
While Shu Er made her way to find Huo Chao, his friends were chatting with him.
Xu Chen, a big guy, leaned slightly forward, resting his hands on his desk, and curiously asked, “Ah Xiao, are you interested in that transfer student from the second year?”
Huo Chao was nonchalant, showing no interest in the conversation. “No.”
“Then why have you had someone deliver fruit to her for three days? Or did your nanny specially cut it and pack it for her?”
Huo Chao smirked slightly, having already prepared a response for this. “I have a bit of a connection with her from before. I promised her I would look out for her a little.” In reality, Huo Chao was being vague; he had actually vowed to protect her for life when he was eight years old, but he felt like it was unnecessary to share that with his brothers right now.
Xu Chen, in his usual boisterous manner, replied with evident surprise, “Look out for her? To what extent? You better not get played!
Huo Chao didn’t respond; he naturally had his considerations in mind.
This is also the reason why he has not shown up himself in the past three days.
It had been ten years since the accident that changed his life. The girl who saved him was now seventeen, and he wondered how much she had changed. He still remembered her name but hadn’t told her his. He intended to keep his promise to look after her, but he would approach it gradually, starting with basic needs.
If Shu Er knew about this conversation, she would roll her eyes. To her, Huo Chao was foolish; his reckless actions had ruined the life of the female supporting character. She knew that the girl had quietly fallen in love with him because of his initial kindness, and she struggled for years while reminiscing about their “sweet” moments.
Now that she was in the role of the unfortunate character, she wouldn’t just sit back. If Huo Chao didn’t want trouble, he shouldn’t have provoked her!
Though his personality was somewhat extreme and obsessive, Shu Er wasn’t scared. She had seen enough anime to know that obsessive types will only focus on their love interests and eliminate existence that will pose a threat to themselves. As Huo Chao’s “savior,” she felt safe from that kind of attention.
Once in his classroom, she asked a boy sitting by the window to call out for Huo Chao. Even though it was after school, many students were still around, including Huo Chao, the school’s top figure.
After a moment, Shu Er soon saw two boys walking out one after another.
The boy in front had thick eyebrows and big eyes, his gaze bright and energetic. He was a little big and looked very lively, so he probably wasn’t the male protagonist.
As for the one behind him…
As soon as Huo Chao stepped out, Shu Er’s eyes lit up.
Just as she expected, he was tall and impeccably handsome. His striking features were unforgettable, the kind that most girls, both before and after Shu Er’s transmigration, would find appealing.
His brows were furrowed, and his unruly and carefree demeanor was concealed behind his deep-set, narrow eyes.
Shu Er took a couple of steps forward and cheerfully called out to Huo Chao, “Brother!”
Notes:
¹Shu Er and Shu Er: The miserable female supporting character, Shu Er (书耳), and the female protagonist who deeply resent her, Shu Er (舒尔), have the same pin yin and pronunciation ദ്ദി(ᵔᗜᵔ)
