Strategy to Conquer the Vicious Female Supporting Character [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 17

Qi Lin: “……”

What the hell is this title? How come I don’t know I’m in a relationship? Sure, my wife’s already living with me, but I haven’t even successfully pursued her yet!

For all sorts of reasons, Qi Lin, who still maintains a close “bestie” relationship with Dong Zheng, suddenly felt her knees ache a little.

Wait a second… Looking closely, isn’t this… a photo from two years ago?

Who would’ve thought there were paparazzi back then already… They sure know how to pick an angle. In the photo, one of the leads is shown from the side, and the other is backlit — you can’t see their faces at all. Even as someone directly involved, it took Qi Lin a few seconds to recall what this was about.

Even though their faces aren’t clearly visible, once people insert the names of the two rumored leads and look for evidence, it doesn’t take long to make the connection. Qi Lin herself could guarantee that the photo is real, without a single trace of photoshop.

The other person in the photo was none other than Liang Dongxu, who played one of the three male leads — the domineering campus heartthrob — in Qi Lin’s first idol drama “There’s a You in the Rose Castle” years ago.

Ever since Qi Lin debuted playing Nan Zhi in “The Bl00d-Stained Hairpin,“ she’s rarely been involved in scandals. There were occasional rumors, of course, but every single one fell apart under scrutiny and vanished without a trace within days. Part of that was thanks to the “female lead halo” protecting her, and part of it was because Qi Lin herself was cautious and discreet.

But gossip is only human nature, especially when it comes to celebrities like Qi Lin — such rumors undoubtedly have huge appeal for the public. The fewer there are, the more people want to know.

Even those flimsy, baseless rumors in the past had plenty of netizens enthusiastically discussing them.

Now look at this news article — the authenticity of the photos alone was enough to stir the pot, not to mention how logical and well-structured the written analysis was. Anyone who didn’t know the full story would easily believe it was true.

Even Dong Zheng believed more than half of it.

When Qi Lin went to the bathroom, Dong Zheng had clicked into the article out of curiosity. Liang Dongxu had been a popular male star appearing in various idol dramas and variety shows over the years, so of course Dong Zheng recognized him. The article claimed that two years ago, An Xiaoxiao (Qi Lin) and Liang Dongxu developed feelings for each other while working on a drama together, and had been secretly dating ever since. The article included not only detailed, seemingly airtight analysis of subtle clues but also hard evidence like this photo of the two meeting privately at a five-star hotel.

Dong Zheng’s hand holding the tablet subconsciously tightened, her fingertips turning pale.

Xiaoxiao… is in love? With someone else?

The moment this thought crossed her mind, a wave of panic and grievance crashed over Dong Zheng.

She had always, consciously or not, paid attention to anything related to Qi Lin. She knew Liang Dongxu and Qi Lin were friends… So those so-called “friends’ gatherings” — were they actually secret dates between a couple?

Maybe it was because Qi Lin rarely had any rumors. Now that such a solid-sounding one popped up, no matter how she looked at it, it felt real…

Dong Zheng’s heart was in utter chaos. The content on the screen was blinding, yet her obsessive tendencies forced her trembling hand to keep scrolling, reading the entire article bit by bit.

Including the comments:

– “I knew it! How come Goddess An had no scandals all these years? Turns out it was a secret relationship! So sweet!”
– “Crying like a dog, my boyfriend isn’t single anymore! But since it’s Goddess An, I guess I’ll cry while sending my blessings… wuwuwu.”
– “What?! My wife and my husband got together?!”
– “Add me on WeChat to see An Xiaoxiao’s private photos [heart emoji]”
– “Wow! Congratulations! Take good care of our Xiaoxiao, okay!”
– “Honestly, Liang Dongxu is just a pretty face with no real talent — totally not worthy of An Xiaoxiao…”
– “An-Dong shippers crying, I can already predict today’s updates will all be heartbreak…”
– “But your goddess just likes our brother, hehehe~”

– “All day long it’s always about these celebrities—what’s the big deal? Isn’t it annoying!?”

– “Think back to when “There’s a You in the Rose Castle” aired, axx wasn’t even as popular as ldx. It’s only been two years, and axx¹ is already one of the top female stars in the country, while ldx² is still playing those over-the-top, mysterious roles in all sorts of idol dramas…” 

– “Can I just say, I was already shipping this CP when “There’s a You in the Rose Castle” aired two years ago? I didn’t think it would actually come true! Anyway, I’m off to rewatch “There’s a You in the Rose Castle” again!”

– “Liang An³ is real ahhhhh!! I’m literally screaming like a groundhog!!”

Dong Zheng bit her lower lip.

Her slender fingers swiped across the screen with force, and the news page slid back up to the headline.

[“Sweetheart Goddess” An Xiaoxiao’s Secret Relationship Exposed! Turns Out They’ve Been Dating for Years!]

It wasn’t until Qi Lin walked over that Dong Zheng finally exhausted all her acting skills to put on a calm, composed facade, shifting her gaze from the screen to Qi Lin, pretending to react like any ordinary person finding out her best friend had a boyfriend,

“Why didn’t you tell me before?”

Just like an average reaction when you find out your best friend is in a relationship.

Qi Lin had just been complaining in her head, Ah Zheng, how do you switch expressions so fast, when Dong Zheng’s question left her momentarily stunned.

Tell you what?

By the time she processed it, Qi Lin couldn’t help but laugh,

“Ah Zheng, even you believe this kind of nonsense?”

She plopped back down beside Dong Zheng, resting her head on Dong Zhen’s lap,

“Let me see what ridiculous stuff they’ve made up this time.”

Dong Zheng subconsciously relaxed her whole body because of the familiar warmth in her lap and handed the tablet to Qi Lin.

Qi Lin casually scrolled through the article, quickly skimming it,

“The written part is all rubbish. You can ignore that. But… the photos are real.”

…The photos are real?

Qi Lin’s words made Dong Zheng stiffen up again, but Qi Lin’s expression and tone were far too open and calm — she even looked a little excited, like she was ready to enjoy the drama — which made Dong Zheng feel a faint, hidden sense of hope.

What if…

What if what? What if Xiaoxiao isn’t actually with Liang Dongxu?

But why would she feel hopeful, even happy, over something like that?

Aren’t she and Xiaoxiao best friends? Shouldn’t she be happy if her best friend’s in love? Why would she be more excited if her best friend’s relationship turned out to be fake?

Dong Zheng didn’t have time to figure it all out before Qi Lin pointed at a hotel entrance photo on the screen and started explaining,

“This photo’s from back when we were filming that idol drama. It wasn’t just the two of us there — there were two other guys outside the frame. The three male leads invited me to the hotel for hotpot and mahjong, I think to celebrate something. They said the hotel’s mahjong setup was comfortable. But those three got drunk — the other two could at least help each other walk, but old Liang? I couldn’t drag him an inch… We weren’t very cautious back then, and didn’t pay attention to the paparazzi nearby. Classic misleading photo, completely taken out of context.”

Dong Zheng: “…”

Booking a five-star hotel… to play mahjong?

That question only flashed through Dong Zheng’s mind for a second before it was completely drowned out by overwhelming relief and joy.

Xiaoxiao wasn’t secretly meeting someone at a hotel — thank goodness…

“This kind of old, irrelevant stuff suddenly getting dug up again? Definitely not a coincidence.” Qi Lin handed the tablet back to Dong Zheng and took out her phone to make a call, “Let me ask old Liang what’s going on.”

The heart Dong Zheng had just managed to settle suddenly jumped up again.

There was nothing romantic happening back then, but Qi Lin and Liang Dongxu have stayed in touch these past two years…

It’s totally possible… feelings could have developed over time…

As soon as the call connected, Qi Lin immediately put it on speaker.

“Hello? Sister An?” On the other end, Liang Dongxu’s voice carried a hint of urgency. “I was just about to call you! It’s about that lunatic’s report. That incident happened years ago — why bring it up now?”

Liang Dongxu lowered his voice a little, “Sister An, you need to be careful. You just won Best Actress at Huazhang, some jealous people probably can’t sit still… They even dug out photos from two years ago, who knows how long they’ve been watching you… Right now, it’s just spreading rumors about us, looks harmless on the surface, but who’s to say the next step won’t be fabricating scandals with others, slapping you with a ‘messy private life’ label, or simply claiming you got Best Actress through shady deals… Tsk, if they put half this energy into real work, they’d have won multiple Best Actor or Actress awards by now. Serves them right to be stuck in the shadows, secretly stewing in jealousy.”

“Mm, I know. Thank you,” Qi Lin replied. “Sorry for dragging you into this mess. What are you planning to do?”

“Ah, this doesn’t really affect me. When have I not had rumors? Being linked with you in a scandal actually boosts my reputation,” Liang Dongxu chuckled twice. “The situation doesn’t seem too serious for now. Let’s nip it in the bud. I already clarified things on Weibo, you can do whatever you like.”

“Alright, sorry to trouble you.”

After hanging up, Qi Lin opened Weibo. Sure enough, ten minutes ago, Liang Dongxu had posted an update, along with a photo of the delicate snowflakes outside the window,

It’s almost April and it’s still snowing. Makes me crave some hotpot and a few drinks. Let’s set a date, maybe play some mahjong too?

He tagged Qi Lin and the other two male leads from their romance drama.

The actor playing the cold, aloof school tyrant quickly replied,

Forget it. With your drinking tolerance, Sister An will be stuck carrying you out of the hotel again.

Liang Dongxu immediately responded,

As if you two are much better. Didn’t both of you stumble around all over the place while Sister An had to remind you which way was east, south, west, and north?

The actor playing the gentle childhood friend chimed in too,

At least we could still stand. You were completely passed out on the floor. [doge]

The comment section flooded with laughter, with many people remarking how genuine the friendship between the four of them was.

This short, playful interaction cleared up everything about why, in those photos, Liang Dongxu was leaning on Qi Lin, and why out of the three male actors, only Liang Dongxu had Qi Lin’s support.

Anyone who had seen that fake report would naturally understand the truth now.

With all three of her friends backing her up, Qi Lin naturally had to respond. She reposted the updates with,

An Xiaoxiao V: Hotpot and mahjong, let’s go! But remember, drink in moderation~

Reading through the entire interaction, all the tangled, painful knots in Dong Zheng’s chest were completely cast aside. She furrowed her brows and asked coldly,

“Do you have any idea who’s behind this?”

She couldn’t believe it — someone had schemed against Xiaoxiao right under her nose…