Strategy to Conquer the Vicious Female Supporting Character [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 25

Applause once again erupted from every corner of the venue. This was the first time in the history of the Golden Film Festival that two winners shared the title — an unprecedented “double Best Actress.” Everyone’s surprise and curiosity only grew, and the applause was even louder than when Dong Zheng’s win had just been announced.

A moment ago, Qi Lin had nudged Dong Zheng two steps forward. The instant she heard the host’s words, Dong Zheng stopped in her tracks. She turned back, her eyes fixed on Qi Lin, filled with a joy that sparkled so brightly it couldn’t be hidden.

Dong Zheng extended her hand toward Qi Lin.

Qi Lin snapped out of her daze, gave a sweet smile, showing the dimple on her left cheek, and clasped Dong Zheng’s hand.

The moment their palms touched, Dong Zheng naturally tightened her hold in return.

Two actresses holding hands wasn’t anything too unusual — it just showed closeness. The venue quickly filled with good-natured cheers and applause. After all, two Best Actress awards being given out was unprecedented, and well worth celebrating. The atmosphere instantly became even more lively.

The red carpet wasn’t particularly long or short. Hand in hand, Qi Lin and Dong Zheng walked forward at a steady pace, the applause around them never once dying down.

For a moment, Qi Lin felt an illusion, they weren’t walking the red carpet of the Golden Film Festival, but the aisle of a wedding ceremony, surrounded by guests showering them with blessings.

Qi Lin couldn’t help but laugh, turning her head to look at Dong Zheng. At that very same moment, Dong Zheng also turned to her. Their eyes met, and once again, smiles they couldn’t suppress bloomed in both of their gazes.

They were thinking the exact same thing.

– “Holy crap, I just tuned into the Golden Film live broadcast, and the first thing I see is this blindingly dazzling moment—are you kidding me?!”

– “Two goddesses of such breathtaking beauty — I’m losing it!!!”

– “Wait a second… doesn’t this scene feel familiar?”

– “Exactly! Last year’s Golden Film had that AnDong smile exchange too! But back then, Goddess An was on stage receiving Best Newcomer while Film Queen Dong was down in the audience.”

– “Can’t believe four years passed so quickly… feeling sentimental out of nowhere…”

– “Four years ago, I was on stage, you were in the audience. Four years later, we’re hand in hand, standing together on stage.”

– “Suddenly so touching… and I’m embarrassingly moved TT!”

– “Is no one noticing Film Queen Dong’s smile?! This is honestly the first time I’ve seen her smile this much!”

– “Probably because once Goddess An is by her side, it’s not strange no matter how much Dong smiles…”

– “Hahahaha exactly!”

– “My Zheng really did smile all the way to the stage! And my Xiao too! They’re so sweet — if you tell me they’re not actually dating, I won’t believe it!”

By now, the AnDong CP had already become a national-level, ultra-popular pairing. Seeing them smiling so sweetly and walking hand in hand to the stage, the host didn’t miss the chance to tease,

“Two film queens — are you here to receive your trophies, or to receive a marriage certificate?”

The audience immediately burst into laughter and applause.

“Of course we’re here for our trophies!” Qi Lin replied in mock seriousness, selling her cuteness. “But if Sister Host is also handing out marriage certificates, we could take one of those too!”

– “Ahhhhhhh AnDong girl here screaming like a groundhog ahhhhhhh!!!”

– “AnDong fandom everyday = New Year’s celebration (1/1)”

– “Shouldn’t it be n/n instead? The amount of AnDong sugar just from this one ceremony is insane hhhh”

– “That host’s face — completely stuffed with dog food 2333¹”

The Best Actress trophy was heavier than Qi Lin had imagined — it had some real weight to it. She held it carefully in both hands, and lightly bumped it against the one Dong Zheng was holding.

Like a toast in celebration.

Dong Zheng played along, clinking her trophy against Qi Lin’s. Listening to the cheers erupt again from the audience, she looked at Qi Lin with an expression carrying a trace of worry only the other woman could understand.

…Qi Lin (An Xiaoxiao) was being far too high-profile today.

Although whenever they appeared together in front of cameras, Qi Lin always showed plenty of affection toward her, Dong Zheng was naturally sharp. And besides — Qi Lin wasn’t just anyone. She was the person sharing her bed, her partner night and day.

Dong Zheng clearly sensed something unusual about Qi Lin.

A strange premonition surfaced in Dong Zheng’s mind. She couldn’t tell whether it was a good omen or a bad one.

Of course, Qi Lin instantly picked up the signal her lover sent her.

But she didn’t respond.

…Because she couldn’t respond.

[403: Ding――]

[403: Congratulations, Host, for completing the career storyline of this world. You have been awarded the Best Actress Award.]

[403: Host’s final score for the ‘romance storyline’ in this world: 100 points. Final score for the career storyline: 100 points. Both storyline tasks have been perfectly completed.]

[403: The <20,000 experience points> prepaid to the Host at the start of this world’s mission are now offset.]

[403: Host has earned an additional <10,000 experience points> for the perfect completion of both storyline tasks in this world.]

[403: Host will depart from this world in three minutes. Countdown begins――]

Qi Lin: “……”

Three minutes. So rushed.

At that moment on stage, the ceremony was moving into the acceptance speech segment. The host was about to ask which of the two would go first to keep the atmosphere lively when Qi Lin directly said, “I’ll go.” She took the microphone handed to her.

Dong Zheng’s sense of foreboding only grew stronger.

“Long story short, thank you to all the friends who helped me on the road to winning this award.” Qi Lin’s voice echoed to every corner of the venue through the microphone. “But the one I must thank most is still — my lover.”

The entire hall erupted.

Lover?!

An Xiaoxiao, who had never had a single reliable scandal since debut, was actually announcing a relationship at the very moment of winning Best Actress?!

No — if she said “lover,” could it even mean marriage?!

Dong Zheng couldn’t help but widen her eyes, staring at Qi Lin.

Qi Lin turned her head and smiled at her. The microphone still in her hand, she declared, “It’s Dong Zheng, the one who won this award together with me!”

Before the crowd could even react, Qi Lin wrapped an arm around Dong Zheng’s neck, pressed her hand against the back of Dong Zheng’s head, and kissed her.

Right in front of the host.
In front of every guest in the hall.
In front of tens of thousands of viewers on the live broadcast screen.

Qi Lin kissed Dong Zheng.

403 had mentioned before, once both storyline tasks in a world were completed, the Host would immediately leave. The mission world would then freeze forever — like a novel ending at its final chapter — fixed in that moment for all time.

Qi Lin was conveying something to Dong Zheng.

――I love you, and this moment is eternal.

[403: Three-minute countdown complete. Host is about to proceed to the next novel world.]

A flash of white light filled her vision. When Qi Lin opened her eyes, she found herself sitting… in a classroom?

Above her, a ceiling fan creaked as it spun. On the window to her left, a few tattered sheets of newspaper were pasted up — whether to block out the glaring sunlight, or to prevent teachers and administrators from peeking in on the students, she couldn’t tell.

On the podium, a balding teacher was drawing solid geometry diagrams with chalk. Qi Lin glanced down at the test paper on her desk — it was a math exam for second-year high school.

…So this time she had entered a campus novel?

[403: Transmitting information about this mission world to you……]

Qi Lin’s guess was correct — this time, the novel’s world was mainly set against a high school backdrop. The original character she had transmigrated into was Hua Xiyu, the school beauty of No. 1 High School.

Qi Lin: “……”

Looking at the realistic and simple surroundings, she almost felt like she had gone back to her own high school days. But to think the female lead’s setting would have this kind of vibe?

The male lead’s name matched the female lead’s style well, Murong Shuyan. He came from a powerful family, had a gloomy and withdrawn personality, and was unpredictable.

Originally, Murong Shuyan and Hua Xiyu were simply two people in the same year but in different classes. Murong Shuyan hardly socialized, and all the gossip and rumors floating around the school seemed boring and childish to him, so he had no idea who the famous school beauty Hua Xiyu even was.

But of course, the male and female leads had to encounter each other under the turning gears of fate. One day after school, it rained. Murong Shuyan stayed later than usual, and on the roadside he saw Hua Xiyu holding an umbrella over a stray cat. He was struck by her beauty that suited his tastes, and moved by her kindness and compassion. In short — love at first sight.

For some unknown reason, Murong Shuyan neither opened an umbrella nor used his jacket or schoolbag to shield himself. He just stood there in the rain, getting drenched like a drowned rat, looking completely miserable.

The stray cat was startled by the sudden appearance of the male lead and bolted, which made the female lead notice him. With her white-lotus² personality, Hua Xiyu of course immediately offered her umbrella to him, along with a smile that could kill.

And so, the male lead fell completely.

But since this was a male lead recognized by the system as a scumbag, there was no way he’d simply start a sweet and innocent campus romance with the female lead. Murong Shuyan’s way of showing his affection for her was — finding people to bully her.

Although his personality was genuinely awful, his family background and good looks gave him the undisputed title of school prince. Plenty of boys wanted to curry favor with him, and plenty of girls wanted to chase him. Murong Shuyan only needed to casually give an order, and a crowd would rush to carry it out. Even many teachers simply turned a blind eye.

Thus, Hua Xiyu started being deliberately targeted by the girls in her class. When she tried to defend herself, they only retaliated with even harsher humiliation. Eventually, the entire class isolated her. No matter what she did, someone would mock and insult her. It escalated into outright bullying — one group of girls once locked her in the bathroom overnight, and several boys ganged up on her in a beating. Incidents like this went on throughout her entire second year of high school.

When she turned to friends for help, they dodged and avoided her. In the end, while they didn’t personally bully her, they still joined in on isolating her.

When she turned to teachers for help, they instead criticized and lectured her,
“Hua Xiyu, why don’t you reflect on yourself? Why is it that they only cause trouble for you and not for others? Don’t you think you might be at fault, even just a little?”

Driven to the edge of madness, the female lead cried herself to sleep every day and even contemplated suicide.