Today I Will Also Be the Male Protagonist’s Rival - Chapter 57

“Ladies and gentlemen, teachers and students, according to the investigation conducted by the school, Student Su Yu from Class 5 of the third year did not engage in any form of cheating during the examination. All achievements are solely a result of her own diligent efforts. We encourage all students to learn from her example.”

Inside the classroom,

The entire class erupted into lively chatter.

“No cheating? Damn, Su Yu’s pretty impressive.”

“Wow, amazing!”

“She’s truly a top-tier talent.”

Hearing the admiration from her classmates, Huo Shu slightly curled her lips, a hint of pride flickering in her expression.

Of course, she’s from the Su family—what else could be expected?

Su Yu had just stepped out of the discipline office when she received a call.

The caller ID read: Chen Shimei.

She froze for a moment, racking her brain for any information on this contact, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t figure out who Chen Shimei was.

Had the original host dated someone?

She thought about it—unlikely.

The original host had only dated once, and that was with Xu Jincheng.

Now, because of her arrival, everything had changed. So at present, she was technically someone who had never dated.

After pausing in slight confusion for two seconds, she pressed to answer. “Hello?”

“You think you’ve really grown up now, huh? So grown up you don’t even want to answer my calls?”

The moment the call connected, an angry male voice roared from the other end.

Immediately, all of the original host’s memories about him rushed back into Su Yu’s mind. He was her biological father—Su Hai—who ran a company and held a modest amount of influence in Jin City.

After achieving success, he’d had a falling out with his wife and chose to divorce. Soon after, he married a new wife.

That new wife bore him a son. And as the daughter of the ex-wife, Su Yu’s presence naturally became increasingly unwelcome.

She curled her lips and smiled, asking, “What are you talking about? Are you saying I’m not answering your call right now?”

Her tone was casual, almost perfunctory, clearly carrying a hint of mockery.

“What kind of mess have you gotten into at school? You’d better come clean right now!”

Su Hai snorted. “I heard you cheated on an exam at school. Are you trying to disgrace me completely?”

“How did I end up with a disobedient daughter like you? Don’t you ever give me a break? I already have to worry about work every day, and now I have to deal with your nonsense too. When are you going to grow up?”

Hearing this, Su Yu lowered her eyes slightly and felt a laugh rise in her chest.

This kind of talk was almost funny. Ever since divorcing the original host’s mother, Su Hai had done nothing for her apart from transferring money every month. He didn’t involve himself in her life at all. If he had, maybe the original host wouldn’t have gone astray.

“Dad, aren’t you feeling a bit guilty saying all this? You know as well as I do whether or not you’ve ever taken care of me.”

“You—are you trying to make me blow a fuse?!”

Su Hai shouted furiously on the other end of the line.

Then a soft and gentle female voice chimed in, “Ah Hai, come on, why are you arguing with a child? She’s still young—just be more understanding.”

That voice, unsurprisingly, belonged to Su Yu’s stepmother.

“She’s still young? I was already out working at her age. I’m not asking her to earn money—just not to give me trouble.”

“That was then, and this is now. It’s a different era. Besides, she’s a girl. Don’t be too hard on her.”

“What’s so different? She’s just a headache. A girl should at least act like one. She’s always hanging out with a bunch of boys—how am I supposed to tell people she’s my daughter without shame?”

“Stop it. Saying things like that will only hurt her.”

The bickering continued on the other end of the phone.

Su Yu lowered her gaze and hung up with a snap.

No wonder the original host had changed his contact name to Chen Shimei—it was clear she’d long since given up on him.

Note: Chen Shimei (陳世美) is a fictional figure from Chinese opera, notorious for abandoning his wife and child after rising to power. Calling someone this is a scathing insult, implying betrayal and selfishness.

It made sense. A man like that—who only cared about his own career and ignored his family—no wonder the original host had given up and let herself spiral.

Their so-called happy family only reminded her that she was a child from a previous marriage.

“Ding ling ling.”

Slap!

“Ding ling ling.”

Slap!

Her phone kept ringing. Su Yu frowned, then simply powered it off.

Now that no calls could come through, she let out a breath of relief and walked back to class.

The young girl inside was hunched over her desk, focused on solving problems. Her soft bangs fell gently over her forehead, making her look all the more well-behaved and adorable.

Su Yu’s lips curled into a smile. All the frustration she had been holding onto just melted away in an instant.

“Huo Huo…”

Huo Shu’s eyes lit up. She was about to say something but then pressed her lips together and responded modestly with a simple “Mm.”

Su Yu sat down beside her, smiling as she asked, “Want me to walk you home tonight?”

Huo Shu’s face instantly turned red. She stammered, “Th-That’s not necessary, is it?”

She had heard people say that once two people were in a relationship… there might be some intimate behavior.

And Su Yu—she was already prone to teasing. If she gave her the chance, who knew what she might do?

She spat lightly in her mind, the tips of her ears flushing red.

Su Yu raised an eyebrow. “What are you imagining again, little miss?”

“Nothing…”

“Really?”

Huo Shu let out an “mm” and, after a moment’s thought, put on her class monitor demeanor and glared at her.

“I told you there’s nothing going on, and there really isn’t. You’re so annoying—why don’t you believe me?”

Su Yu clicked her tongue lightly but didn’t expose her.

This little girl was thin-skinned. She had just managed to coax her into a good mood, so she might as well let her be.

“Fine, I’ll believe you this once.”

Huo Shu let out a sigh of relief, though the tips of her ears were still red.

Fortunately, the class bell rang soon after, and the subtle atmosphere between them gradually faded.

Huo Shu listened attentively. From the corner of her eye, she noticed Su Yu sleeping at her desk. She thought about waking her but decided against it.

Maybe there really were geniuses in this world—people who could achieve success effortlessly without putting in much work.

But Huo Shu knew clearly that she was never that kind of genius. If she wanted to succeed, she would have to work hard.

She pressed her lips together and focused on the lesson.

Midway through the fourth period, a middle-aged man in a suit suddenly barged in, face cold as he pushed the door open.
“Su Yu! Come out here!”

The teacher put down the book and looked up.
“You are?”

Facing the teacher, Su Hai restrained himself slightly and forced a smile.
“I’m Su Yu’s father. I have something to discuss with her. Sorry to disturb you.”

The teacher nodded and turned toward the class.
“Su Yu, your father is here to see you.”

Su Yu was fast asleep, not showing any sign of waking. Huo Shu’s face went a little pale, and she reached out to poke her.
“Su Yu, Su Yu, your dad’s here to see you.”

She called out for quite a while, but the girl didn’t respond at all.

She started to panic, her voice turning anxious.
“Su Yu, wake up!”

“Yu… Yu… wake up!”

“Finally calling me properly?”

The girl slowly opened her eyes, a mischievous glint in them.

Huo Shu’s face flushed red in an instant.
“What’s with you? I was so anxious and you were just messing with me!”

“No rush.”

Su Yu replied casually and stood up abruptly to head outside.

Her face showed impatience, and she frowned.
“What is it?”

“That’s your attitude when speaking to your father?”

Su Hai was furious. He suddenly raised his hand, voice sharp and stern.
“I’ve fed and clothed you all these years, and this is how you repay me? You ungrateful brat!”

“What kind of upbringing did your mother give you?”

“You really don’t know what kind of upbringing my mother gave me?”

Su Yu sneered and stopped his hand. “You want to discipline your daughter, fine, but don’t bring your problems onto me. I’m not putting up with it!”

After the original Su Yu’s parents divorced, they both started new families, and she became the most unnecessary part of either one.

Her mother didn’t have time for her, and her father treated her like the plague. Neither side wanted her. While girls her age were still cuddling up to their parents, she had no home.

For a girl like that, it was already a rare thing that she could keep even a basic level of kindness. How could anyone expect more?

“Unfilial! Truly unfilial!”

Su Hai clutched his chest, clearly furious.
“Now I finally see it—you’re just an ungrateful brat! Haven’t you always wanted to go live with your mother? Fine! I’ll take you to her right now. From now on, don’t come asking me for money—go ask your mom!”

Su Yu said nothing and followed him out of the school.

More than half an hour later, the three of them met at a café.

Su Hai looked at his ex-wife for a long moment before breaking the silence.
“This child is yours now. Didn’t you always want her? She’s yours.”

“No.”

Xu Zhi frowned.
“You wanted her back then, so keep raising her. Now suddenly you want to throw the burden at me—what’s that about?”

Note: “甩鍋” (shuǎi guō) literally means “to throw the pot,” and it’s a slang phrase meaning to shift blame or responsibility to someone else.

Throw the blame?

Su Yu’s lips twitched.

How amusing. Her own parents were comparing her to a burden being passed around.

Perhaps realizing her words were inappropriate, Xu Zhi coughed lightly and turned her head.
“Yu-yu, you’re not a kid anymore. You need to learn to be considerate of your mom. I’m married into another family now, and I can’t just do whatever I want.”

“You stay with your dad. Don’t be willful anymore. Listen to him. I’ll come visit when I can.”

As she said that, she shifted her gaze away from Su Yu and looked toward Su Hai, wearing a helpless smile.
“Yu-yu is still young and doesn’t understand. Don’t always lose your temper at her. You’re her father—be more patient.”

“Hmph! I wish I weren’t! Giving birth to a little debt collector like this!”

Su Hai was still furious.
“Your Aunt Lin treats you well, doesn’t she? And yet you keep acting out and causing trouble.”

“Xu Zhi, I brought her here today because there’s no room for negotiation. You must take her. Mei Mei’s kid is growing up too, and raising kids isn’t cheap. I can’t afford to support two.”

Xu Zhi’s expression turned sour, and her tone hardened.
“No room for negotiation?”

Su Hai’s tone was firm. “None.”

“Su Hai, do you even have a conscience? Yu-yu is your child too—how can you be so heartless?”

Su Hai sneered. “You talk big, Xu Zhi. All these years, when have you ever bought anything for her?”

“You…”

“Enough with the arguing already?”

Su Yu cut them off, her expression cold. “If you’re done yelling, shut up. Since neither of you wants me, then fine—don’t take me. I never begged you to raise me.”

Xu Zhi was momentarily stunned and gave her a mildly scolding look.
“You silly child. You’re still young—how are you going to earn money?”

“Su Hai, are you really going to push the child to this point?”

Su Hai remained firm, his attitude unchanged.
“She’s yours. I don’t want her.”

The two of them started quarreling again.

Su Yu suddenly felt it was all very boring. She curled her lips and walked out of the café.

She didn’t know why, but at that moment she felt a strange sense of resonance—a deep sorrow for the original Su Yu, born into such a family.

After school—

Huo Shu waited a long time but never saw Su Yu return. She sighed and walked home with her backpack.

“Did you hear? Su Yu sells herself outside. That’s why her dad came to school to find her.”

“No way, really? I didn’t think she was that kind of person.”

“You never can tell by appearances, huh? Tsk tsk.”