The female supporting character, yet a charmer to everyone

A love letter appeared before everyone’s eyes. It was pink with a heart pattern, and its meaning needed no explanation. The atmosphere was already heating up.

The person giving the love letter was a sweet-looking girl. She was wearing a pink blouse with ruffles and a skirt like a cake, carrying a shoulder bag with a bear pattern, and her cheeks were flushed.

It was just after the match and the crowd had not yet dispersed.

The boy who had just scored the winning goal was sitting casually on the steps, staring blankly at a bottle of mineral water.

When he wasn’t smiling, his lips were set and his originally handsome baby-faced profile looked a little cold.

The team members, eager to join in the fun, gathered around him and started talking.

“She’s a freshman, a junior in high school, majoring in nursing. When the new students posted their photos, a lot of people left comments underneath them.

I think her name is Yu Xianxian. It’s such a pretty name.

I told you, she keeps coming over for no reason.

‘Qiao Rui, your junior is giving you something.’

A memory finally brought Qiao Rui out of his daydream.

He lowered his head and looked at the love letter. He knew what was going on, after all, the girl had asked for his contact information several times.

His eyelids lifted, ready to refuse as usual, but when he saw the bear pattern on the shoulder bag, he was instantly reminded of a hazy night long ago when his heart was pounding.

And there were two bags of bear-shaped biscuits in her hand.

He suddenly felt a headache coming on.

‘I’m sorry…’

His lips parted slightly, expressionless except for the hair at the front of his forehead, which hung down, giving him a somewhat listless appearance.

The girl’s nails gripped the love letter. Knowing that there was no room for hesitation at this point, she closed her eyes and said with all her might:

Senior, I know you have no plans to fall in love, but there are some things you can only know if you try. Please allow me to introduce myself, my name is Yu Xianxian…’

Yu?

Qiao Rui’s headache got worse.

–

The unsatisfactory ending. The onlookers shook their heads, sighed, and left, muttering things like ‘unaware of blessings in the midst of them’.

Qiao Rui left those meaningless words behind and instead got into the car with his childhood friend, who drove to the school gate and showed up at his friend’s welcome dinner.

What’s wrong with you? I’ve called you eight hundred times and you haven’t come out once. Do you want to become a monk?’ his childhood friend asked him offhandedly.

Qiao Rui was about to reply, but then he heard him say, ‘But your toned body is getting more and more noticeable. You must have worked hard at the gym. Are you in a relationship?

Qiao Rui’s lips trembled twice and his words were swallowed, too lazy to bother with him.

The welcome dinner was for a friend who had returned from studying abroad. The boy had grown up in the same compound as them, but as a teenager he had a rebellious temperament and often got into trouble, so his family elders sent him abroad.

This time he had returned wearing an oversized T-shirt with an exaggerated pattern, his flamboyant red hair too big for a cap, and a shiny silver stud in his ear.

He still looked unruly and headstrong.

Qiao Rui casually found a seat, took a sip of the low-alcohol drink, stared blankly, took another sip, and, as if emboldened by the alcohol, quietly and skilfully clicked his way into Qin Yunye’s circle of friends.

Before Qin Yunye, he would never post to his Moments. His space was as dull and uninteresting as the man himself.

Then someone came along, a young girl who liked to have fun and fool around, and took his phone to post.

After that, the habit changed.

Qin Yunye also got into the habit of recording his life. The life that belonged to him was posted for the young girl to see, and the photos about the young girl were for him to keep for himself.

No new ones were posted.

Among the dense array of photos, Qiao Rui skilfully clicked on a few with people in them.

This one was a snapshot of her in the hazy night, looking at the camera for a split second, the brightness of the auto exposure clearly showing her features.

This one was taken when she was looking down, concentrating on eating a muffin, with her hair falling over her ears, and it seemed as if he was sitting on the other side of the short distance.

…

Qiao Rui was staring at the person in the photo, lost in thought, when suddenly a voice came from beside him: ‘Long time no see.

He turned abruptly and the bright red hair caught his eye.

Before he could put his phone down, Fu Xian was already lying on the back of the sofa, looking very familiar, and he looked at the girl’s face on the screen of his phone, raised his eyebrows and smiled: ‘Girlfriend?

‘No.’

Qiao Rui quickly denied.

Fu Xian was clearly not convinced and let out a long ‘oh’.

After a while, someone mentioned Qin Yunye and said that he had someone by his side.

Fu Xian was curious, so someone who was good at such things found a photo somewhere and showed it to him.

Fu Xian took the phone and his eyes fell on the girl in the photo. Qiao Rui’s jaw clenched as he pressed the black screen phone and felt Fu Xian’s gaze.

Fu Xian seemed to be laughing.

Qiao Rui thought he was going to announce it and looked at him coldly, but then he heard the man say slowly, ‘Don’t you think she looks a lot like Meng Chengyi?

The noise stopped for a moment, and the attention of many people was drawn over.

‘Meng Chengyi? The one Qin Brother loved but couldn’t have.

‘You don’t say, you really don’t say.’

‘Damn, she really does look like her.’

When Miss Meng went abroad, even Qin Brother’s tears at the airport couldn’t change anything. I thought he had given up hope, but is this what happened…’

Is this what happened?

Qin Yunye took her as a replacement.

She had been deceived.

Qiao Rui felt as if a nail had been driven into his heart. The emotions that had been building up and solidifying for so long finally broke through and began to flow again. The pain tingled and he felt it for Yu Huan.

Isn’t Meng Chengyi coming back soon?

‘Yes, I heard that too. Her fiancé betrayed her, so she’s going back to China.

‘But Qin Brother and this one are getting along quite well.

‘Do you think true love is important, or an alternative that resembles true love?

In that case, when Meng Chengyi returns, this one might not have a good time?

Qiao Rui’s mind was filled with words, and he told Qiao Xi everything without missing a word.

Qiao Xi, with his temperament, could hardly sit still.

–

Villa, Study.

Qin Yunye wore a pair of glasses on his nose, with a subtle, unobtrusive gleam in the silver frame. He held an expensive fountain pen and went about his work calmly and quietly.

The curtains are open, the outside is full of lush greenery, but inside there is a minimalist black, white and grey interior, with just a few serious pieces of furniture such as office desks and chairs, rows of bookshelves and a leather sofa.

The only thing that breaks up the cold style is a new pink plush rug with little flower patterns under the sofa, the colour as fresh as the bright spring flowers.

Yu Huan sat lazily, leaning against the sofa, tilting from side to side and occasionally falling over. Her design sketches were scattered all over the floor, along with a few colourful comic books.

Bored, she sneaked over and quietly took Qin Yunye’s teacup, taking a sip and smacking her lips to taste the flavour.

Unfortunately, Qin Yunye had switched to a new type of tea that she wasn’t used to, and it made her frown.

Qin Yunye looked up and saw the young girl who had been sipping the tea frowning deeply as she stared at the cup, trying to figure out what kind of tea it was.

He couldn’t hold back any longer and pinched her soft cheek.

Yu Huan lowered her head and tried to bite him, but just as her lips touched his jaw, her phone suddenly rang.

So all movements stopped and she answered the phone.

It was Qiao Xi, asking her out for afternoon tea.

Although they had graduated and were no longer together, they had always been close and it was only natural that they would continue to hang out and have afternoon tea together after graduation.

Qin Yunye drove her there.