Strategy to Conquer the Vicious Female Supporting Character [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 23

Getting up, Qi Lin went to the kitchen and brought back crystal purple sweet potato rice balls, placing two small bowls on the coffee table in front of the sofa.
“The ones we made on the show weren’t edible, but I was craving some. I thought you liked them too, Ah Zheng, so I came home and made a bit. Before, it was always you making them for me — this time, will you try my cooking?”

The person before her smiled so gently and sweetly that all of Dong Zheng’s unease, irritability, and tangled worries instantly vanished, leaving only calm and peace.

Dong Zheng nodded. “Okay.”

She picked up a spoon and scooped one of the rice balls, which was obviously different from the ones she herself made. With a light bite, the soft glutinous rice split open, and the sweet fragrance of purple sweet potato immediately filled her mouth.

…The rice balls had been boiled a little too long; the glutinous rice was starting to dissolve. The sweet potato hadn’t been ground finely enough, leaving some larger chunks that affected the texture.

Just from one bite, Dong Zheng could pick out so many flaws.

A bowl of rice balls that had nothing at all to do with perfection.

…Yet she liked eating it anyway.

Perhaps the answer had long been clear to her, but she just hadn’t dared to take that crucial step.

Qi Lin sat with her in silence until they finished the rice balls. The warmth of the heater and the steaming food drove away every trace of cold that had clung to them from outside.

Qi Lin looked at Dong Zheng. Her Ah Zheng was already much more relaxed than when she had first entered the villa.

“Ah Zheng must really like this kind of life, right?” Qi Lin’s tone was like casual conversation — unhurried, gentle, and kind. “Liking living together with me, liking coming home and seeing me right away, liking eating meals together.”

Dong Zheng unconsciously pinched the hem of her skirt with one hand. “…Mm.”

Qi Lin smiled. “I like it too.”

“Not just those past few years, and not only this moment now.”

“For all of my future, I want to spend it with you, Ah Zheng.”

“As the one I love.”

Even though Dong Zheng had expected these words, hearing Qi Lin say them herself, clearly and firmly, still made her whole body tense up.

When Qi Lin spoke the first three sentences, Dong Zheng had almost blurted out, we can be lifelong best friends.

But Qi Lin’s last line completely cut off that way out.

Dong Zheng knew she was being selfish — wanting to enjoy Qi Lin’s care without giving the kind of love Qi Lin wanted in return. But she was truly afraid. She had no idea what lay beyond that step if she dared to take it.

This was not a time that was very tolerant of homosexuality. Not to mention that as public figures, if they were accidentally exposed, what kind of negative impact would it bring them? And how much support could they expect from their families?

Even if they overcame all those external obstacles, they still could never have a legally recognized marriage. Too many failed relationships already stood as proof of the hidden dangers in that.

Besides, no matter how compatible two people were, living together long enough would bring boredom. When love is worn away year after year by trivial daily matters, how could resentment not arise?

If not for you, how would I have ended up like this? If not for being with you, how would I have fallen into such a state these years?

Rather than letting things reach that point — both of them exhausted, scarred, parting unhappily — wouldn’t it be better never to take that first step at all?

At least, as friends, no matter how close, the distance between them would never be as suffocating as between lovers. There would always be room to turn back…

These thoughts had circled in Dong Zheng’s mind for half a year already, tormenting her to the point of madness.

She didn’t want to bear those risks, but neither was she willing to part from Qi Lin…

“Ah Zheng.” Qi Lin called her softly.

Dong Zheng lowered her head, as if afraid Qi Lin would see the selfish thoughts crammed inside her heart.

If it gets found out, maybe Xiaoxiao won’t even want to be friends with me anymore…

Even if all I can do is delay the inevitable ending, I still want to spend a little more time with you…

Qi Lin could never fail to notice what Dong Zheng was thinking.

After all, those suffocating thoughts that twisted around the heart — Ji Huaixu had already told her everything after they got together.

Qi Lin reached out to hold both of Dong Zheng’s hands, her grip gentle,
“I know, I know. Ah Zheng just cares too much about me. You’d never think of dating me casually, only to break up casually later on. That’s why you consider the worst possibilities for the future. That’s why you’re afraid. That’s why you want to run away.”

“Ah Zheng, it’s only because you care about me so much.”

The hands Qi Lin held gave a noticeable tremor.

Is it really just… that I care too much about Xiaoxiao?

Seeing Dong Zheng so torn and uneasy made Qi Lin’s heart ache.

The truth was, once she completed her two missions, she would leave this world. And just like the ending of a novel, this world would freeze at the moment of her departure. Whether or not Dong Zheng was with her wouldn’t affect her progress, and in the grand scheme, it held little meaning — because she would eventually return to the real world.

But perhaps because Ji Huaixu had slept for so long, Qi Lin’s fear and unease had quietly grown unchecked. Now that she had finally found Dong Zheng, she clung to her like a drowning person clutches driftwood — desperate, unwilling to ever let go.

Even if this was just a fictional novel world, Qi Lin could not bear an ending where she and Dong Zheng weren’t together.

The truly selfish one was her.

“Ah Zheng, every couple in this world has to face countless difficulties together. We’re no exception,” Qi Lin said softly. “I believe in myself, and I believe in you. No matter how great the hardships in the future, as long as we’re together, we can overcome them.”

“Ah Zheng, can you try to have more confidence too? Trust me, and trust yourself. No matter what happens, as long as we’re together, we can handle it.”

“As for public scrutiny — in at most five years, I’ll step away from the screen and move behind the scenes. By then, my exposure will drop drastically. And on your side, there are hardly any who dare to report recklessly. As long as we stay low-key, it’ll just be our own private life. Nothing to worry about.”

“As for our parents, I can handle mine. If things are harder on your side, we can take it slow.”

“As for the lack of legal protection, we can hire a professional lawyer to draft a property contract — one that makes breaking up too costly to bear.”

Dong Zheng listened as Qi Lin laid out, one by one, all the things buried deep in her heart. She didn’t make empty promises of a flawless future. For the things she couldn’t guarantee, she still offered feasible solutions.

And that made her sincerity shine all the more.

Qi Lin had truly given her everything she could.

“Xiaoxiao,” Dong Zheng’s voice was hoarse.

“There’s no need for all that trouble. I’ll say yes.”

Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears as she looked at Qi Lin and said, with all seriousness,
“I don’t know what the future holds for us, but I want to try walking down every road ahead together with you.”

“If I refuse now, I don’t know if you’d ever wait for me again.”

“Compared to an uncertain future, what I fear most… is a future without you.”

Dong Zheng pulled her hands free from Qi Lin’s, only to throw her arms around her.

“Xiaoxiao… even though I kept running away before…”

“I’ve never once denied that I like you.”

“The Fourth Dagger” entered production after the Spring Festival.

When the two female leads arrived on set at the same time, it caused quite a stir.

One was the youngest peak achiever in film history, the other the most popular and in-demand actress of the moment. These two, with the most screen time, were also the biggest names in the cast. No matter the reason, everyone’s attention was bound to be drawn to Dong Zheng and Qi Lin.

Within the industry, many didn’t believe in the so-called “AnDong friendship.” After all, when benefits are at stake, who cares who you are? The two of them were each other’s biggest threats. At best, it was just a crafted public persona — behind the scenes, who knew how they might trip each other up.

As the saying goes, two tigers cannot share one mountain.

But Qi Lin and Dong Zheng, these two who had only recently clarified their feelings, were a young couple in the middle of a passionate romance. Every gesture, every glance between them carried sweetness. Anyone with working eyes could see there wasn’t the slightest trace of discord between them.

It’s true two tigers can’t share one mountain — but what if the two tigers are a pair?

Crew members secretly watching Qi Lin and Dong Zheng ended up, without realizing it, consuming who knows how many tons of “dog food” (public displays of affection).

The two in question were completely oblivious. Aside from each other, the only thing that held their attention was this film —
a film aiming for the Golden Film Awards, and strong enough to defend the title.

The script was an original — something rare in today’s IP-dominated landscape — but its quality was undeniable.

The ‘heroine’, Zhou Qingyi, is an outstanding police officer who, due to an accident, is assigned as the leader of a special operations unit.

This unit, tasked with handling difficult and dangerous cases, hadn’t been established long. Under its former leader, it hadn’t achieved much. But the old leader was deeply respected; after going through life-and-death situations with the members many times, their bond with him was strong.

Then, suddenly, the old leader was dismissed, and a young, beautiful woman parachuted in as the new captain. The members not only felt the old leader had been treated unfairly, but also resented Zhou Qingyi, believing she had pushed him out. Looking at her age and looks on her file, who knew what connections she had used to get there?

At that moment, one of the members, our ‘second heroine’, Ye Ling, smiled and said, “With her age and looks, if she really wanted to rely on connections, why bother joining our unit, where we can’t even be sure we’ll live to see tomorrow’s sun?”

But the ‘male lead’, Xuan Wu, the most openly opposed to Zhou Qingyi in the team, bared his teeth and snapped, “Ye Ling, whose side are you on? Did you forget how humiliated our captain was when he left? No reason given, just one order and he was told to pack up and leave. Who’s to say it wasn’t that Zhou-whatever deliberately pulling strings?”

It was then that Zhou Qingyi pushed open the office door — just in time to hear Xuan Wu running his mouth, vowing to “teach her a lesson.”