(GL) The Supporting Female Character Strategy Manual - Chapter 16

“What money? Wasn’t that a special gift from my daughter-in-law to show her filial piety?”

“Three times, no, four times.”

“How would I know? It’s your fault for not giving me any money.”

The fragmented words trickled out from the receiver. Bei Nana watched the man across from her as he crossed his legs and occasionally ran a hand through his messy hair. His replies were casual and indifferent. She suddenly went berserk and pounded her fists on the glass.

“You stupid pig! You ruined Ruxue’s future! Why don’t you just go and die…”

Bei Nana was thrown out of the police station. The cold wind blew away most of her indignation. In an instant, she seemed to age more than ten years. Her eyes were lifeless as she wandered aimlessly down the main road. Passersby could vaguely hear her muttering the same phrase over and over again. So it was you.

Jian Tongyao and Qian Wanyu were now lying on the leather sofa in the office, watching the rabbits. The sugar mommy had given birth to a litter of four bunnies. They were bald and looked like four little puppies. Although Bei Nana had delayed her and she had missed the birth, a few of her attentive senior classmates had been a great help.

“You’re not allowed to take them to school anymore.”

“Why?”

That was how it was with pets. No matter the reason for bringing them home, feelings for them grew over time.

Jian Tongyao was afraid her partner would ask her to pack them all up and give them away. She hugged her arm and whined, promising, “I’ll keep them clean. I won’t let you smell even a hint of a bad smell.”

Qian Wanyu used her other hand to lift the cover of the four little rabbits’ nest. “You need to focus on your studies. Carrying them everywhere you go is just not right. I’ll have my assistant take care of them.”

Oh, so she wasn’t going to send them away.

Qian Wanyu’s finger poked through the cage and gently tapped a baby rabbit’s head.

“This round one will be called Xiao Jian. The weaker one will be Xiao Tong. This one that always likes to squeeze around is a bit naughty, we’ll call it Xiao Yao.”

Jian Tongyao was dumbfounded. In the blink of an eye, her partner had claimed the naming rights for three of the bunnies, which together spelled out Jian-Tong-Yao.

“No, no way. I don’t want to become a rabbit.”

Qian Wanyu loved seeing her look so silly. She leaned down and gave her a kiss. “You’re not a little rabbit. You’re my little fool.”

Jian Tongyao pouted, feeling more and more that her partner was a wolf in sheep’s clothing, holding a grudge all this time.

“Then the last one will be called Qian Wanyu.”

Qian Wanyu didn’t respond, only saying, “Didn’t your Senior Jing want to raise one? Give that one to him.”

The poor little thing being reluctantly given away had spots on it and looked rather ugly at first glance. It took Jian Tongyao a moment to react before she leaped onto Qian Wanyu’s back.

“Tell me, are you jealous? Are you?”

Qian Wanyu placed her on the swivel office chair, gave it a spin, then leaned down and trapped her in her arms.

“If I weren’t afraid of delaying your studies, I would lock you by my side and not let you go anywhere.”

Ding.

The happiness progress bar had reached eighty-six and was quickly approaching ninety.

Jian Tongyao’s eyes dimmed slightly. She tilted her head up and kissed those sexy lips. “I would be more than happy to.”

She believed that at this rate, the happiness bar would soon be full. For a long time after that, she clung to Qian Wanyu every day, as if the world might end at any moment. Days turned into a year, then into years. She graduated from university. Qian Wanyu brought the original owner’s long-suffering mother to Linjiang City to live out her retirement. She began to stand at the operating table as a chief surgeon. Still, the progress bar moved like a snail. It finally reached ninety-five and then stopped.

She would ask the same question every year.

“Dingding, is there something wrong with the system?”

“No.”

After asking a few times, Jian Tongyao stopped. She was sure it wasn’t the system that had a problem, but that her partner’s happiness was not yet complete.

What was still missing?

On this day, she walked out of the operating room in a bit of a daze. Three consecutive surgeries had pushed her to her limit. Just as she came out, she ran into a nurse rushing over. “Doctor Jian, you have a visitor.”

Jian Tongyao took off her surgical gown, gloves, and cap, and cleaned up before heading out. The moment she opened the door, she found the hallway lined with people on both sides. Everyone was smiling at her mysteriously, a smile that left her completely bewildered.

“What’s wrong with all of you?”

“Doctor Jian, congratulations.”

“Congratulations, congratulations.”

Then, she was engulfed in bouquets of fragrant lilies. Jian Tongyao’s nose was filled with the scent of flowers. She was wondering what special occasion it was today. Did she get a promotion? A raise?

It wasn’t until the clack-clack-clack of high heels approached that the nurses, doctors, and even patients scattered. A slender hand pulled her out from the sea of flowers. The tenderness in her partner’s eyes was enough to melt her.

“Why did you suddenly come here?”

Qian Wanyu touched her hair and, like a magic trick, produced a sparkling silver ring.

“My dear Doctor Jian, are you willing to accept this ring and accompany me for the rest of our lives?”

Jian Tongyao gasped and covered her face. The young nurses beside her saw her stunned expression and urged her to say yes. Clearly, without her knowledge, this whole group had been bribed.

“Why are you crying now? They’ll think I bully you all the time.”

“No, I’m just too happy. These are tears of joy.”

As if afraid she would change her mind, Jian Tongyao quickly took the ring and put it on her own ring finger. It was a perfect fit. They had been in love for seven years. Qian Wanyu often made appearances in front of her friends, and years ago, she had even mentioned in a press interview that she had a girlfriend. Jian Tongyao had even accompanied her to business banquets a few times. The whole world knew they were a couple.

But to promise to stay with her until old age…

She couldn’t make that promise.

Seeing her cry even harder, Qian Wanyu could only apologize to the doctors standing by before leading her away.

“You’re a grown woman. Why do you cry at the drop of a hat? Aren’t you afraid people will laugh at you?”

Jian Tongyao buried her face in her chest, playing dead.

“Let them laugh. Haven’t you laughed at me enough?”

The corners of Qian Wanyu’s mouth lifted, and she kept stroking her hair soothingly.

“Once you put on the ring, you’re mine. I’ve checked the calendar. In a few days, when everything is ready, I’ll go inform our parents.”

Jian Tongyao had no objections. For all these years, they had lived together like a real married couple. Besides, they had already cleared the family hurdle. After suffering a triple blow, Father Qian was now a zen-like health enthusiast who didn’t meddle in anything, leaving all family and business matters to Qian Wanyu.

When Qian Wanyu brought her to see Father Qian, he didn’t show much opposition, only telling them to live well. Similarly, the original owner’s mother was a farmer who had worked hard her whole life. After Qian Wanyu brought her to Linjiang City, she remained in a daze for a long time. She did not dare say much about their relationship. She only felt that something was missing, as it seemed incomplete for two women to live together without a child.

They had discussed the issue of children privately. If it came down to it, they would adopt from an orphanage. If one wasn’t enough, they’d get two.

“Wipe your tears. I’ve made an appointment with the owner of the bridal shop.”

“Now?”

Clearly, Qian Wanyu planned everything in advance. The two headed straight for their destination. Jian Tongyao noticed her bare fingers. “Why aren’t you wearing a ring?”

Qian Wanyu parked the car in the underground plaza. The bridal shop was across the street. They waited patiently for the red light, their fingers intertwined. “When you personally put it on for me, my life will belong to you.”

Looking at her partner’s happy smile, Jian Tongyao suddenly felt a pang of sadness. She didn’t know how much longer she could be with this person. If, if…

“Ah!”

“Get out of the way!”

Chaotic shouts came from a distance. Out of the corner of her eye, Jian Tongyao saw a truck careening uncontrollably toward them from across the intersection. She forcefully pushed the person beside her away. Facing the oncoming truck, she could only pray that her death wouldn’t be too gruesome.

Zzzzt!

Boom!

The intense pain never came. Instead, she seemed to hear a familiar sound of an electrical short. The front of the truck that should have crashed onto the sidewalk was strangely deformed, flipped backward, and toppled over with a loud crash amidst countless screams.

Jian Tongyao was still in shock and completely dumbfounded. Then she was pulled into a tight embrace as the person frantically touched her face and arms.

“Are you hurt anywhere? Don’t scare me. Say something.”

“Dingding?”

“Dingding.”

“Zzzzt… zzzzzt…”

Jian Tongyao came to her senses and realized that Qian Wanyu was the one who was hurt. She had scrapes, probably from being pushed to the ground so forcefully, and her hands wouldn’t stop shaking.

“I’m fine.”

Then she was hugged tightly.

Ding!

The happiness progress bar was full, emitting a dazzling golden light, much like the glow from a golden statue in a temple when a great deed is accomplished.

Tears streamed from Jian Tongyao’s eyes, mostly from the bright light. She hugged her back with all her might.

“Even if I’m not here one day, you have to continue to be happy.”

After the traffic police arrived, medical personnel arrived shortly thereafter.

The couple, having survived the disaster, was sent to the hospital for a check-up. As Qian Wanyu was being pushed into the examination room, she held onto her hand tightly, refusing to let go. No matter how the doctors and nurses tried to reason with her, their words were useless. In the end, Jian Tongyao was pulled in for a check-up as well.

And the system remained silent.

The car accident left Qian Wanyu with a severe aftereffect. She had nightmares for three consecutive months, waking up in a panic every night and holding the person beside her until dawn.

Compared to her aftereffects, Jian Tongyao was also living on borrowed time. She pushed aside all her work to spend every second with her lover.

The happiness bar was full. She knew she would be leaving this world soon.

It could be in the blink of an eye, the moment her lover turned around, or at any other time. In this anxious wait, she arranged her affairs meticulously. During that time, Qian Wanyu was like a dragon guarding a treasure in its cave, never letting her precious jewel out of her sight.

Time healed the wounds in both their hearts. In the second year of their marriage, they adopted a little girl from an orphanage and named her Qian Lele.

Year after year passed. Flowers bloomed and withered, spring came and autumn went.

When Qian Wanyu was too old to walk and was lying in a hospital bed after a fall, the two people who had been together for more than sixty years were still holding hands. Qian Wanyu felt that this was it for her.

“When I’m gone, you move in with Lele. She will take good care of you for me.”

Jian Tongyao had rarely been sick over the years and was in excellent health. She smiled. “I’m not going. We said we’d be together until we’re old, until death. You walk a little slower and wait for me up ahead. We’ll go together.”

Ding.

“Hello, Host. System 1314 at your service.”

“Host, please prepare to leave this world. The countdown will now begin.”

“5, 4, 3… 1.”

The two old women lying on the bed closed their eyes at almost the same time. Qian Lele pushed open the door and saw them holding hands, their faces peaceful. These two women had loved each other for a lifetime.