Transmigrated into a Historical GL Novel as the Scumbag Heroine - Chapter 2

Though he said otherwise, Qiu Erlang didn’t really hold out much hope. His sister had passed the county-level student exam at fourteen, but after repeated attempts up to age twenty, she still hadn’t qualified as a scholar. The family’s savings had long been drained on her attempts, and there was still no sign of success.

Even so, she was the only family he had left. While he complained aloud, deep down he still supported her. Whatever small sums he managed to get through sneaky side gigs or petty theft, he always handed over to help Qiu Luo buy paper and ink. The siblings had always been close.

Without delay, Qiu Erlang headed to town and bought a few meat buns. But when he returned home, Qiu Luo was nowhere to be seen.

Where had she gone?

Qiujia Village sat just outside the county seat, and Qiu Luo had taken the five hundred taels of silver and gone into town to “investigate the local customs.”

Yes, investigate the customs—not sneak off to eat delicious food.

The autumn sky was crisp and clear. Qiu Luo found a small restaurant, holding a chicken leg in one hand and tearing into lamb with the other. She let out a satisfied burp.

Having transmigrated into a novel, how could she afford to mistreat herself—especially when it came to food? She had been a foodie in the modern world; now that she was in ancient times, she wasn’t about to hold back.

Just as she was eating happily, someone tapped her on the shoulder.

“Qiu Luo, did you hear? The eldest daughter of the Cheng family went missing last night. She only came home early this morning. They say she looked dazed and disheveled—God knows who she was fooling

around with all night. Tsk, tsk.”

Qiu Luo stared blankly at the woman beside her. The face seemed familiar. According to the original owner’s memories, this woman in a green robe was from the same village and also bore the surname Qiu. Her name was Qiu Shuang, and she was the scumbag’s only friend.

Qiu Luo hadn’t heard about Cheng Yu going missing—but she knew who Cheng Yu had been with last night.

Her.

Putting down the bones, Qiu Luo wiped her hands and asked, “No, I hadn’t heard. How did you find out?”

Qiu Shuang swayed her head dramatically. “You’ve really read yourself stupid. This news is all over town! They say Cheng Yu got drunk at the poetry gathering and ran off without her maid. The poor girl couldn’t find her and rushed back to the estate in a panic.

The Cheng family searched all night and raised quite the ruckus. Then Cheng Yu just strolled back home this morning. I bet she was… hehe, you know what I mean.”

Qiu Shuang waggled her brows, grinning lasciviously.

Qiu Luo took a sip of water. “Heh.” A dry laugh, nothing more.

She remembered this part from the original novel: the heroine’s reputation had been deliberately ruined by the county magistrate’s daughter—who happened to be the biggest villain and one of the male lead’s admirers. The setup had worked perfectly, and the “scumbag” (Qiu Luo) had reaped the benefit while the heroine’s name was dragged through the mud.

Fortunately, the male lead didn’t mind. In the end, he helped the heroine get revenge on the scumbag, and after much hardship, the couple lived happily ever after.

Qiu Luo suddenly lost her appetite.

Because she now was that scumbag—targeted and eventually ruined by the hero and heroine together.

Even though she hadn’t followed the original plot to pester the heroine this time, why did she still feel so frustrated?

Just as she was about to settle the bill and leave, she noticed Qiu Shuang wasn’t moving. Her hand paused mid-reach for the silver note. “Oh, I forgot to bring money. Can you cover me? I’ll pay you back.”

A hundred-tael banknote was far too conspicuous—there was no way the scumbag Qiu Luo should be carrying that kind of money.

Luckily, the original Qiu Luo was known for being stingy and unfriendly, so it made sense she had no real friends—except this one girl from her village.

Sure enough, Qiu Shuang sighed after eyeing the empty plates. “Honestly, what can I say? Here—this is all I’ve got.”

She handed over a pathetic little sliver of broken silver.

Qiu Luo wasn’t even sure it would be enough. She waved to the waiter to settle the bill.

“One tael in total—you’re still short by half.”

The mood immediately grew awkward.

Qiu Shuang gritted her teeth. “Wait here. I’ll run home and get more.”

Such a sincere response left Qiu Luo feeling a bit guilty. Was this really the only friend the scumbag had? She didn’t want to ruin it.

She hesitated, debating whether to pull out the silver note. But Qiu Shuang had already run off.

So, Qiu Luo waited quietly, feeling conflicted.

But after a long wait, it wasn’t Qiu Shuang who returned—it was the waiter, looking scornful.

“Miss, your friend said something came up and she couldn’t come back. She asked me to let you know. So… how would you like to pay?”

Trying to look rich with no money—ordering so many expensive dishes—and she looked so refined, too. Who would’ve thought she was dining and dashing?

Qiu Luo’s heart sank. She had misjudged. A moment ago she was touched by the scumbag’s lone friend, but now it was clear: even that was fake.

Just then, a soft voice came from behind her.

“I’ll cover this young lady’s bill.”

Qiu Luo turned around. Her eyes froze for a moment, and a flicker of awkwardness passed over her face.

It was Cheng Yu. Who knew how long she had been standing there.

While Qiu Luo was still in shock, Cheng Yu had already paid. She glanced back calmly. “We’re even.”

Her tone was gentle but distant.

Qiu Luo stood up abruptly and chased after her. “Wait, I really had money! That was all just a misunderstanding.”

She hadn’t meant to dine and dash.

But Cheng Yu clearly didn’t want to hear it. She looked her over from head to toe and said coolly, “If one lacks the means to earn wealth, one should at least know how to manage it.”

Just last night she had paid this woman five hundred taels. Now she couldn’t even settle a meal bill. As the reports said, this woman really was unreliable.

Forget it. She had done enough. To persist further would only bring trouble.

Qiu Luo opened her mouth, but at the sight of the fierce-looking maid beside Cheng Yu, she decided not to explain further.

As a cannon-fodder character in the novel, if she wanted to avoid her tragic fate, staying away from the heroine was her top priority.

So, she stayed silent. What was the point of explaining? To grow closer? That was the last thing she should do.

She sighed inwardly and turned to leave the restaurant—only to spot her unlucky brother walking over with Qiu Shuang in tow.

Apparently, Qiu Shuang had a pang of guilt and went to fetch Qiu Erlang for help.

As soon as Qiu Erlang saw Qiu Luo, he started shouting, “What kind of black-hearted place charges a whole tael for two dishes? Don’t they know who I am? No one dares scam me on this street!”

Qiu Luo’s eyes widened. She glanced nervously at Cheng Yu, who had turned to look.

She hadn’t just ordered two dishes.

She’d eaten a roast lamb leg, a beggar’s chicken, and even downed a pot of wine. Of course it cost a tael.

But Qiu Erlang didn’t get the hint. He kept yelling, “Sis, don’t worry. If they try to rip you off, we’ll make them pay medical expenses! Just look at you—your eyes are twitching already!”

Qiu Luo’s expression twitched too. Twitching eyes? Seriously?

Before he could say another word, she slapped her hand over his mouth and forced a laugh at the waiter. “Sorry! He’s half-asleep and rambling nonsense. Sorry for the trouble. We’ll be leaving now.”

If they didn’t leave quickly, people really would think she was trying to skip the bill. And Cheng Yu was still watching.

Sure enough, in just a few minutes, five or six people had already gathered at the restaurant entrance.