Healing the Black Lotus Female Supporting Character (Transmigration into a Book - ABO) - Chapter 19

When Hua You realized the man was chasing her, she cursed her luck internally.

She didn’t have any of that protagonist plot armor, for crying out loud!

Although Hua You wasn’t particularly bad at sports, she was still recovering from that “special time of the month” a few days ago. Seeing that she was about to be caught, she had no other choice but to yell, “Robbery!” and dash straight onto the main road.

Cars screeched to a halt in a disorganized mess. At that moment, Hua You honestly hoped she’d get hit by a car—it’d be better than falling into the hands of that thug. In fact, if she got killed, maybe she could even return to her original world…

Just as her thoughts spiraled while her strength gave out, she suddenly crashed headlong into someone in the middle of the road.

Hua You didn’t want to drag anyone else into her mess. Almost without thinking, she instinctively tried to run again—but the person grabbed her and pulled her into their arms.

“What are you running around for?” the person said.

They gripped her shoulders firmly, steadying her, then gently rubbed her back in a calming gesture. That familiar sea breeze scent filled her senses, jolting her awake.

Wait… huh?

Confused, Hua You looked up. She was met with Bian Chengyi’s face—his eyes unusually cold and shadowed—staring straight past her at the man behind her.

From the nearby car, her driver and bodyguard stepped out as well, sharp gaze locked on the thug. The man froze in place, then awkwardly tried to back away as if nothing had happened.

“Second Miss… shall I?” the bodyguard asked.

“Let’s get in the car and lock the doors first. If you can catch him, do it. But don’t chase too far—he might have accomplices,” Bian Chengyi said calmly. Then, supporting the visibly shaken Hua You, she guided her to the back seat.

Inside Bian Chengyi’s car, the bitter sandalwood aroma from the car diffuser was pervasive. Hua You’s own sweet scent clashed subtly with it. She coughed a little and stared nervously out the window.

Meanwhile, Bian Chengyi kept gently rubbing her palm. Only when her breathing began to even out did she finally ask, “What happened?”

Hua You gave a rough explanation. She changed the story slightly, saying that the girl who’d confessed to Fang Jinyu had also tried to recruit her to scheme against him. Hua You claimed she refused, felt uneasy, and decided to follow the girl for a while—only to accidentally stumble upon the current situation and get dragged into it.

“So… your solution was to run into oncoming traffic?” Bian Chengyi raised an eyebrow. “And after bumping into someone, you didn’t even call for help? You just kept running?”

“I didn’t want to get anyone else involved…” Hua You mumbled. After all, I might still have a sliver of a chance to go back to my original world. But you guys… you’re really stuck here. If you die… that’s it.

“Well, don’t worry—I’m not afraid of dying,” Bian Chengyi replied, looking down and studying Hua You’s hands.

Her hands were small and delicate, like fine silk—warm and gentle to the touch. Bian Chengyi quietly tightened her grip, but the tone of her voice remained light, almost teasing, as if to comfort her.

But Hua You knew—she meant every word.

“How could anyone not be afraid of death…” Hua You murmured, head bowed, as if talking to herself. “I’m really scared of dying.”

“If I died, I wouldn’t be able to see all the beautiful things in this world anymore. I wouldn’t get to eat all the delicious food. And all the people who care about me would be heartbroken. What would I do then?” She spoke in a single breath, her eyes turning red, as if the fear from earlier was finally hitting her all at once.

Bian Chengyi had lived a second life. Sometimes she wondered—what was it truly like to die?

In her past life, she never found out.

And in this one…

She looked at Hua You’s expression. The faint scent of peach blossoms wafted from her in response to her fluctuating emotions. She looked like a frightened, wronged little rabbit, her hand trembling slightly in Bian Chengyi’s grasp.

—In this life, Bian Chengyi wasn’t ready to find out either.

“It’ll pass,” Bian Chengyi said gently, comforting her again and giving her hand a reassuring squeeze.

In that moment—just the two of them in the car—she revealed a rare glimpse of the poised and admired “Class Rep Xishi” persona that classmates often praised.

But to others, that poise was merely politeness and formality.

Here and now—it was genuine care.

It was a strange feeling. For the longest time—through both this life and fragments of her past one—Bian Chengyi had felt nothing but mutual dislike toward Hua You. That feeling had never changed… until the moment Hua You asked her for a temporary mark to avoid punishment.

Since then, it felt like everything had begun to shift.

In Bian Chengyi’s past, her world had only existed in three shades.

Black sky, white lights, and red marks on test papers.

That had been Bian Chengyi’s world.

But now, her world…

It included indecision over lunch options, the companionship of good mentors and friends, the occasional cat she ran into during walks—and those clear, bright apricot eyes that reflected her very image.

If only…

If only things could stay like this forever…

Her gaze deepened. Beneath her gentle, considerate exterior, a seed named obsession had quietly begun to take root and grow.

At that moment, Hua You received a notification from the system:
Progress bar has reached 70%.
Along with it came a cheerful reminder:

“Heads up! The further you go, the harder it becomes to increase progress. We hope student Hua You continues to work hard!

And a gentle warning: as your progress affects the world’s trajectory, the supporting character Bian Chengyi is now at risk of entering a state of uncontrollable ‘blackening.’

Current Blackening Progress: 10%.”

Internally, Hua You raised a fist at the system in frustration.
She wanted to shout, This mission is insane!

What do you mean “blackening”? I’ve already helped the heroine let go of her obsessions, I’ve been by her side practically every day, and no one else has gotten a second glance—so where the hell is this blackening coming from?!

Before she could grill the system further, she heard Bian Chengyi answering a phone call. From the conversation, she learned the police had arrived and caught the man. Hua You needed to give a statement.

Hua You also called her father.

Before dialing, she batted her eyes at Bian Chengyi and whispered, “Sister Bian… can you help me lie?”

As a result, her father was informed that Hua You would be having dinner at Bian Chengyi’s home and wouldn’t be returning tonight. First, he scolded her for being an ungrateful little brat, and then, laughing, reminded her to behave properly and be polite as a guest.

After the statement was taken, Bian Chengyi also contacted Fang Jinyu and Fang Huai. Fang Huai had picked up Fang Jinyu after hearing about the attempted assault. Luckily, they were both fine.

Then, Bian Chengyi accompanied Hua You back to the café where she had left her luggage.

By now, only the last bl00d-red trace of sunset clung to the sky, soon to be devoured entirely by the encroaching dark.

Hua You held her suitcase and tried to say goodbye:
“I’ll just find a place nearby for dinner. I’ve already taken up too much of your time today, Sister Bian!”

Bian Chengyi smiled. “Weren’t you coming to my place for dinner?”

Ah… Huh?!

Hua You panicked a little, pulling out her phone to use the front camera as a mirror.
“I’m still in my school uniform, my face is all dusty… I don’t look presentable at all…”

“You look beautiful.”

Bian Chengyi affirmed every word, slow and deliberate.

Hua You stood frozen on the spot.
She couldn’t believe those four words had just come out of Bian Chengyi’s mouth—about her, no less.

“To be honest,” Bian Chengyi added, her face tinged with pink as she glanced away, “my mother really wants to meet you too.”

“She heard about what happened earlier and wants to invite the ‘Sleeping Beauty Demon Queen’ over as a guest.” She chuckled suddenly, as if recalling something. “After all, she had a pretty good impression of you last time.”

When they arrived at Bian Chengyi’s home, Hua You finally understood what “pretty good impression” truly meant.

“What a lovely young lady! We’ve all been looking forward to you visiting!”

It was a standalone duplex villa. Bian Chengyi’s mother had come to open the ornate iron gate herself and welcomed Hua You in warmly.
“You must’ve been frightened today. Thank goodness it wasn’t anything serious. Come in, have something good to eat and regain your strength.”

Inside the house, her mother’s demeanor subtly shifted into the graceful ease of someone from an affluent background. Her voice grew a touch languid.
“Start serving the food. Get the two young ladies cleaned up first.”

Bian Chengyi seemed used to being treated like a background fixture by her mother. She said nothing, simply allowing the maid to take her school blazer and hand her a warm towel.

Turning slightly, she picked up the towel and gently wiped Hua You’s face.

Hua You’s eyes widened.
She had no recollection of ever being treated like this by Bian Chengyi—she didn’t even know if she should let her do it. But then, her mother smiled with satisfaction.

“Our Chengyi doesn’t have many strengths. She’s a bit introverted by nature, but when it comes to taking care of people, she’s second to none. After all, she’s been class rep for so long.”

Introverted…

Hua You’s mind involuntarily flashed back to that moment when Chengyi had sunk her teeth into her neck. Her eyebrows twitched unconsciously.

Dinner felt more like a full-blown Hua You Interview Session.
What did her family do? What were her parents’ jobs and genders? Was school stressful? How did she study?

Question after question, Hua You barely dared to pick up a second piece of meat. She focused all her attention on fielding Bian Chengyi’s mother’s inquiries.

Still, something struck her as odd. The maids all called Bian Chengyi “Second Miss,” yet there was no sign of any other children in the house. Even the large family photo in the living room only showed three people.

Of course, Hua You wasn’t about to ask.

Bian Chengyi placed a piece of beef onto Hua You’s plate and gently said to her mother,
“Mother, let’s eat first. We can talk after dinner.”

But her mother didn’t respond to that. Instead, as if something suddenly occurred to her, she said,
“Oh my, it’s so late already. If we keep chatting afterward, it’ll get even later. Little Hua, why don’t you just stay the night here?”

“You’ve got your suitcase with you, and we’ve got extra guest rooms! You can even study with our Chengyi in the study later. Didn’t you just say you often go to the library together at night?”

“No refusing,” she added, catching the subtle movement of Hua You’s lips and giving a mock-scolding smile.
“Chengyi’s never mentioned you to me before. That just means she didn’t care enough. As her mother, I’ll make up for that lack of care myself.”

Didn’t care…?

Hua You choked on her drink and coughed twice, a bit guilty as she looked over at Bian Chengyi.

She figured… she’d probably need to thank Bian Chengyi properly later for not mentioning what she used to be like.