I Was Just a Scumbag Extra, But She Loved Me Anyway [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 13

In the original Su Chenli’s house, Su Chenli watered the plants while skimming through the original novel via the system feed.

It had been almost a month since the car accident on the mountain. She had stayed in J City, half-heartedly showing up to work, while most of her energy went into analyzing the plot.

According to the original story, the beautiful older sister had kept the car accident a secret from the delicate Omega, Ruan Shengsheng.

Whether it was because she didn’t want to worry her, or because it was inconvenient to explain, Su Chenli couldn’t be sure. In any case, the next round of conflict between Ruan Shengsheng and Zhong Li wasn’t caused by the older sister this time.

In previous conflicts between Ruan Shengsheng and Zhong Li, the older sister often ended up being the scapegoat. But this time, since she wasn’t even in J City, it was finally becoming clear who the real problem was.

In the original plot, after Zhong Li managed to coax Ruan Shengsheng into forgiving her and winning her back, she started facing the clingy side of Shengsheng at home every day. For a while, it was sweet—but soon enough, Zhong Li got bored and started thinking about finding something “new.”

At the same time, Ruan Shengsheng was quietly making up her mind. This time, Zhong Li promised to love her forever. If she lied again… Ruan Shengsheng swore she’d never trust her again.

Su Chenli snorted and said to the system, “They really are a perfect match when it comes to being dramatic. One’s stubborn beyond reason, the other can’t stand not getting her way—but doesn’t know how to cherish things when she does.”

[Well, it is a classic ‘chasing-wife-through-hell’ arc. You know protagonists—they struggle to communicate like normal people.]

The system replied with a laid-back tone.

Su Chenli made a sound of disdain.

Annoyed as she was, the mission still had to be completed.

She and the system kept following along with the original story. As expected, during a business dinner, Zhong Li clicked with a potential partner, and they ended up going to an entertainment club together.

At the last minute, Zhong Li had a flicker of guilt and thought of Ruan Shengsheng. But before she could push the little Omega away, Ruan Shengsheng—tipped off by a friend—walked through the door and saw the scene for herself.

Zhong Li didn’t even have time to explain. Ruan Shengsheng, who had already been burned too many times, immediately slapped her hard and walked away.

After that, she refused to see Zhong Li again. She even stopped going to school just to avoid her.

Su Chenli: “…”

Dramatic, yes—but if Ruan Shengsheng kept skipping school, wouldn’t her seniors or professors start asking questions? And if anyone mentioned it, wouldn’t the beautiful older sister find out?

To preserve the plot, Su Chenli had actually hinted to some of her father’s business contacts to find ways to keep Jiang Youning stationed in Lin City a bit longer. She didn’t dare bring it up directly, and no one else dared mention it, so as of now, Jiang Youning still had no idea her student had snuck off to date her ex—and broken up shortly after.

But it was about time for the beautiful older sister to return to J City.

The plot couldn’t be stalled forever. Su Chenli didn’t want to approach Zhong Li directly and risk disrupting the story’s structure by interfering with a central character. Instead, she could only calculate the next scene carefully.

According to the timeline, Zhong Li should have already been dumped. The next development would be Zhong Li frantically searching for Ruan Shengsheng, eventually finding her in Jiang Youning’s hospital room—where, due to her teacher’s condition, Ruan Shengsheng would lash out and deliver a brutal emotional blow to Zhong Li.

But since Jiang Youning wouldn’t be at the hospital now, Su Chenli would need to find a new way to push the plot along.

She thought for a moment, then called Zhong Li.

“Hello?” Zhong Li’s voice came through, hoarse and low—completely unlike her usual confident self. She sounded like she hadn’t slept in days.

Su Chenli hadn’t expected her to be in such rough shape. She paused before asking, “What happened to your voice? Is it because of Ruan Shengsheng? I heard she ran off again.”

Zhong Li was silent for so long that Su Chenli started to wonder if she’d fallen asleep. Then finally, she spoke, sounding defeated: “…She didn’t run. She’s hiding. Refuses to see me.”

…Well, that lined up perfectly. Su Chenli made a mental note—she had timed this just right.

If she wanted to keep the story moving smoothly and steer it toward Jiang Youning’s upcoming involvement, then checking in with Zhong Li now was ideal—especially since Jiang Youning’s storyline was the only one that had deviated so far.

As for Ruan Shengsheng’s current location… Su Chenli actually had a clue. But of course, she couldn’t just hand it to Zhong Li. She needed to set the stage for that pivotal heartbreak moment first.

“Zhong Li, do you really want Ruan Shengsheng to come back?” she asked.

“Why else would I be out looking for her!” Zhong Li’s voice cracked. Then, as if catching something in Su Chenli’s tone, she paused and asked sharply, “Wait—why are you asking? Do you know where she is?”

Su Chenli: “…”

No wonder she’s supposed to be the high-IQ, overbearing CEO type. Zhong Li was sharp—painfully so.

“Chenli, don’t do this to me right now,” Zhong Li begged, her voice raw. “We’ve been friends for years. If you know where she is, please—just tell me.”

Su Chenli sighed. “Calm down. I’m not even sure myself. Besides, if you just show up out of nowhere, how do you know she won’t run again? From the looks of it, she’s really done with you this time.”

“Done? No—she can’t just be done! Not unless I say we’re done!” Zhong Li snapped, nearly shouting.

Su Chenli winced and pulled the phone slightly away from her ear. “…Okay, okay, fine. But have you ever thought about why you two keep fighting over and over again?”

Zhong Li was quiet for a moment. Then, uncertainly, she guessed, “Jiang Youning?”

Su Chenli: “…”

Honestly, she was starting to think she should just let Zhong Li wander lost forever.

Maybe she should just hang up. This conversation was going nowhere.

The system, which had been silently watching the drama unfold like an eager bystander, immediately spoke up when it noticed Su Chenli’s expression darken.

[No, no, no—Host! Whatever you’re thinking, calm down! You’re still carrying the weight of your own fate and the fate of the devoted supporting character. You can’t just walk away now!]

Su Chenli clenched her jaw. The system’s panicked voice snapped her back to reality, forcing her to suppress the urge to go off on Zhong Li.

“She’s not the reason,” she said coldly. “Jiang Youning is an outsider—there’s no way she’s the root of your relationship mess… Not that you’d listen anyway. Fine. I’ll keep Jiang Youning out of your way. You just go chase after Ruan Shengsheng. According to what I’ve found, maybe check the people she’s closest to. Someone might be sheltering her.”

That was all she was willing to offer. Whether Zhong Li listened or not was up to her.

In the original storyline, Ruan Shengsheng hid at an old house that belonged to her best friend. If Zhong Li put in some effort, she could probably find it. But in her current state—completely clueless about where she went wrong—it’d probably just lead to another round of emotional whiplash. More mutual damage.

“But…” Su Chenli paused and frowned. “Something still feels… off.”

The system went quiet for a second.

[…Maybe it’s the reason Ruan Shengsheng lashes out at Zhong Li that’s missing? If the plot keeps unfolding like this, Zhong Li might just pull some dramatic act—kneel down, cry a little, threaten to hurt herself—and Ruan Shengsheng might give in. She is the delicate flower type, after all…]

Su Chenli jolted.

That was it.

Everything else could be brushed over. But if Ruan Shengsheng didn’t have a reason to be ruthless, then the emotional climax wouldn’t land—and the plot couldn’t continue the way it was supposed to.

She jumped up and immediately called her business contact in Lin City.

If Ruan Shengsheng needed a reason to harden her heart… then Jiang Youning might still be at risk. That wasn’t acceptable.

Su Chenli didn’t care what excuse she had to invent to push the plot—as long as it didn’t involve Jiang Youning getting hurt. Anything else, she could handle. But not that.

The ringtone buzzed. Once. Twice. Each pause felt like it dragged on for centuries. Su Chenli anxiously tapped her fingers against the table.

Come on. Pick up. Pick up!

Finally, the call connected.

“Hello? Miss Su? What’s got the big boss calling me all of a sudden?” The voice on the other end was teasing, friendly.

But Su Chenli didn’t have time for pleasantries.

“Where’s Jiang Youning? Is she still there with you? Try to keep her in Lin City a bit longer—don’t let her return to J City yet.”

“Huh?” The man on the other end was caught off guard. “But… didn’t she already leave? Chairman Su’s own secretary arranged everything. I assumed you knew—”

“What?” Su Chenli froze. “She already left?”

A wave of dread swept over her. It felt like everything had reset—like she was right back at the beginning again.

Her contact kept talking, but she didn’t catch a word. She clutched her phone tighter and turned to the system, voice sharp and urgent.

“Where is Jiang Youning right now? Is she already on the road? Can you locate her? Is she okay?”

The system practically sobbed:

[I—I don’t have real-time tracking permissions! And calculating altered fate trajectories is really complicated! I can only see what the story used to be. If you’ve already changed it… I—I just don’t know!]

So she couldn’t see anything.

Su Chenli gripped the edge of the table as her head started to spin.

Why?

Had she been wrong to go against the story in the first place?

Had she… made the wrong choice?

She stared blankly, lost in thought—until her previously silent phone suddenly buzzed again. Two consecutive notifications popped up with a distinctive alert tone: messages from the research center’s internal group chat.

Su Chenli numbly picked up her phone and glanced at the screen.

A message from Jiang Youning’s assistant read:

[@Everyone: Professor Jiang was involved in a minor accident on her way back to J City today. She won’t be returning to work immediately.]

Su Chenli’s breath caught in her throat.

…So something did happen?

What kind of accident? How serious was it? “Won’t return to work” could mean anything—severe injury, memory loss, coma, or… No. No way. If the beautiful older sister died, then how would the story between Zhong Li and Ruan Shengsheng even unfold?

It couldn’t be that bad… right?

Then, a second message popped up:

[Professor Jiang sustained a light injury. She’s currently getting IV treatment at the hospital and will likely return to the center after work hours. She asked me to remind everyone to have your monthly reports ready for review.]

W-What?

A light injury?

Su Chenli froze. For a moment, she completely forgot how to react. Her expression went blank with shock.

Just a light injury? That’s all?

[Ding~ Congratulations, Host! You’ve unlocked a new “Face-Gain Mission”: Prevent Zhong Li from lashing out during the hospital breakup scene with Ruan Shengsheng~]

The system’s chirpy voice rang out, but Su Chenli barely registered it. Her head was still full of fragmented thoughts.

The system got there first:

[Host!!! You did it! Look—this new mission means the world is stable again! The supporting character only got hurt because the delicate flower needed a reason to get truly angry with the scummy Alpha. You did it—you changed Jiang Youning’s fate! In the original story, she was in a coma for nearly a month after that crash. But now? A light injury! You made it happen! The next scene is the hospital confrontation. You’re almost there—go finish the job!]

Su Chenli stayed quiet for a long moment. Then she said, calmly but with unmistakable determination:

“You’re right. I should go see her.”

[Wait—no, I mean you should go do the mission—]

“And if I do it cleanly next time,” she added, gaze locking on some invisible point in the air, “maybe I really can change things for good.”

[…]

Ah. The system understood now.

Its rebellious host had made another dangerous decision.

Influencing character fate and speeding up the plot wasn’t enough—now she wanted to rewrite destinies entirely.

This was going to be a headache.