Chapter 21: Draft Paper

Su Mi thought back to the only time she mentioned the so-called “family banquet,” and it was when she was asking about Ren Yue. How did it get twisted into her wanting to attend the banquet in Shen Han’s mind?

She opened her mouth, about to explain that she didn’t want to go, but then a memory from the original owner’s experiences flashed through her mind. It was the original owner, in a humble demeanor, cautiously asking Shen Han about something. The memory was blurry, but she vaguely recalled it being about qualifications for the family banquet.

Su Mi: …

Alright. Considering the original owner was someone who craved vanity, how could she miss out on such a prestigious event that could enhance her status?

Good thing she didn’t blurt out her explanation just now. She felt a bit relieved and tried to calm herself down. The image of the original owner with a fawning expression lingered in her mind, but Su Mi knew she couldn’t mimic that. Instead, she looked up innocently and quickly acknowledged, “Well, I can handle it.”

Shen Han seemed a bit taken aback by her quick admission, her gaze lingering on Su Mi’s face as if she had something to say, but then she dismissed the thought. Finally, she nodded slightly and said, “I’ll think about it.”

?

“Think about it.” Was she really considering taking this pawn along?

Su Mi was equally surprised, and the two of them, one sitting and one crouching, stared at each other for a while.

In her mind, Su Mi quickly went through the known plot. There was no mention of a family banquet. But before she could think further, the bell signaling the start of the parents’ meeting rang.

Shen Han glanced at the teacher already standing on the podium and snapped her fingers in front of Su Mi’s face.

“Snap out of it.”

“Oh!”

Su Mi realized the bell had rung and quickly stood up. However, she had been crouching for too long, and when she stood up suddenly, her vision blurred, and a wave of numbness spread through her legs. Her body swayed, and she was about to fall backward.

In an instant, she felt a strong, undeniable force lifting her up from her waist. The force disappeared as quickly as it had come, and Su Mi almost thought she had steadied herself—almost.

Once she regained her balance, several concerned parents behind her spoke up:

“Su Mi, be careful.”

“Oh my, that was close.”

“Su Mi’s reflexes are quick; she must be good at sports.”

The teacher on the podium also asked, “Su Mi, are you alright?”

Su Mi: …What just happened?

She stood there, bewildered, looking at Shen Han, who hadn’t moved and still had the same calm expression.

Was it an illusion?

But there was no time to dwell on it. Su Mi quickly waved to the teacher and thanked the concerned parents before turning back to Shen Han.

The latter gave her a puzzled look as if to say she could leave now.

Scratching her head, Su Mi chalked it up to her imagination.

Out of professional habit, Su Mi whispered, “Sister, I’ll wait for you outside,” before heading out.

The corridor outside the classroom was almost empty, with hardly any students around. Su Mi leaned against the railing, her thoughts drifting back to the family banquet. Not only the banquet, but the original plot also had very little description of the Shen family, mostly focusing on their influence in the capital city.

Su Mi had thought about why that was. She figured it was because Shen Han was meant to be the late-stage big boss of this story’s small world. Early on, the plot obstacles were primarily caused by Su Mi and other minor characters. The original author probably intended for Shen Han and the Shen family to officially become antagonists after discovering the protagonists’ relationship. But since the small world and its characters couldn’t last until that plot point, Shen Han and the secrets behind her remained a mystery.

Thinking about it, Su Mi felt that completing her task was a long journey. No. Su Mi patted her face.

Don’t overcomplicate the task. Currently, her plan to promote the feelings between the heroine and the villain was progressing smoothly. At this rate, completing the task would be a piece of cake.

Exactly! The villain, no matter how scary, was just a romantic fool. The blackening value would only drop sharply in Xu Nanqiao’s presence. She just needed to endure this task period, and then she could soar freely in this world!

Su Mi’s imagination ran wild, and she snorted disdainfully at Shen Han through the glass window.

Immediately, Shen Han, as if sensing something, turned her head and looked straight at her.

Su Mi: …!

Even from a distance, Su Mi felt a pang of guilt as if she had been caught.

Forcing a smile, Su Mi quickly moved to the back door, out of Shen Han’s sight.

Alright, the villain was still very intimidating.

The parents’ meeting didn’t last long. After wandering around the floor for a while, Su Mi found a chair and watched an online lecture until she heard the sound of the classroom door opening.

Parents walked out in groups, heading to the hall for a social event.

Su Mi went to meet Shen Han. Entering the classroom, she saw Shen Han still sitting in the seat that didn’t quite match her. She seemed to be examining something.

Su Mi thought Shen Han was looking at her homework and felt a surge of pride. She was about to emphasize how hard she had worked to fulfill Shen Han’s task of getting into the capital university when she noticed Shen Han was holding a piece of paper with messy notes.

As she got closer…

Wait…

Su Mi froze, wanting to turn and leave.

It looked like a draft paper where she had absentmindedly written Xu Nanqiao’s name all over it!

Standing across the classroom aisle, Su Mi looked at Shen Han’s calm profile and felt a strong urge to die.

Would the villain misunderstand?

After all, last time, the villain seemed a bit jealous about her calling the heroine “Nanqiao.”

This paper was likely from the morning when she was doing problems and got distracted by thoughts about the parents’ meeting plot. Somehow, like the heroine’s story, she had mindlessly written Xu Nanqiao’s name all over it.

It wasn’t intentional, QAQ!

Su Mi wanted to cry but had no tears. She forced herself to suppress the urge to run and reluctantly walked over.

“Sister…”

Feeling guilty, Su Mi’s voice was full of grievances.

“I-I can explain.”

Shen Han put the paper back on the desk, her expression indifferent, and asked, “Explain what?”

With no parents left in the classroom, Su Mi looked around and sat in Xu Nanqiao’s seat in front of Shen Han. Gripping the chair’s back, she turned to face Shen Han, trying to look sincere.

“This paper… I know you might misunderstand, but! You know I’m quite dumb and single-minded. Sometimes I write things down unconsciously when thinking. This paper is like that, written absentmindedly while Xu Nanqiao was helping me with problems.”

“I definitely don’t have any other thoughts about Xu Nanqiao!”

To prevent further misunderstandings, she even referred to Xu Nanqiao as “classmate.”

Saying this felt like a big sacrifice. Even admitting to being dumb was part of her act. Shen Han should believe her, right?

Shen Han’s expression didn’t change as she asked, “Does it matter if you have thoughts?”

To Su Mi, Shen Han seemed confident. Indeed, to Shen Han, she was just a powerless Beta. Any Omega would choose the much more exceptional Shen Han.

Su Mi sincerely replied, “Of course, it doesn’t matter to you, but it’s quite important to me.”

After all, if Shen Han misunderstood her relationship with Xu Nanqiao, it could hinder her task.

It would be like an ethical drama where the sister and the adopted sister fall for the same person…

Thinking of this, Su Mi couldn’t help but shiver.

She only wanted to be a perfect buffer and supporting role, without any romantic entanglements.

Little did she know, her words gave Shen Han a completely opposite impression.

Shen Han paused slightly, giving Su Mi a complex look. Remembering her earlier thoughts when she found the paper, Shen Han asked, “Why?”

Su Mi blinked. Why?

Su Mi thought for a moment and said, “Because… I’m a Beta?”

After a brief pause, she added, “A very ordinary Beta.”

Shen Han responded with a simple, “And you support Beta-Beta relationships.”

Ah, right!

Su Mi almost forgot her fabricated orientation from the hot springs.

Nodding quickly, she added details to emphasize her sincerity, “That’s right. My dream is to find a similar Beta and build a normal, warm family. Xu Nanqiao and I are just ordinary friends. Please don’t misunderstand.”

Shen Han’s lips curled slightly. “What could I misunderstand?”

She tilted her head, her icy blue eyes piercing through Su Mi.

“Good luck with your dream.”

Su Mi felt even guiltier under her gaze. Swallowing hard, she murmured, “…Thank you, sister.”

She felt Shen Han didn’t really believe her. Wasn’t it just like the usual novel trope? High blackening value villains had strong possessiveness. Shen Han probably still found her suspicious.

It seemed she needed to downplay her friendship with Xu Nanqiao in front of Shen Han.

Su Mi sighed. At least this misunderstanding seemed to be over.

The parents’ meeting lasted over an hour, followed by a social dinner.

After Su Mi reminded Shen Han, she waved her off, “Go home.”

Su Mi: Oh!

She was relieved. She had thought Shen Han dressed up to attend the dinner. But it made sense. The villain hardly participated in these kinds of events. In the original owner’s memory, there was even some resentment about this. After all, if Shen Han didn’t attend such upper-class social events, the original owner’s identity wouldn’t be flaunted.

To maintain her persona, Su Mi made a token gesture to persuade Shen Han to stay. Just one sentence. After being refused with “You can go if you want,” Su Mi readily agreed, “Of course, it’s more important to take sister home.”

After all, she was an exemplary lackey!

She then happily led Shen Han to the underground garage.

How could the big boss be expected to walk through the parking lot to fetch the car herself? Su Mi asked Shen Han to wait outside the garage while she quickly jogged to get the car.

Sitting in the driver’s seat, she checked her smartwatch. With Shen Han around, she felt like an office worker whose cubicle was right next to the boss’s, not daring to slack off.

She had sent several messages to Xu Nanqiao earlier, asking how things were going. Apart from an initial reply saying she had arrived at the hospital, there had been no further updates. Xu Nanqiao was probably still busy.

Scrolling further, she saw a message from Su Yi’s preschool teacher, informing her that she could pick him up anytime as his classes were over. There was also an attached photo of Su Yi eating fruit.

Su Mi opened the photo and looked at it several times. The picture showed Su Yi’s side profile, his little cheeks puffed up, holding a small spoon, feeding himself apple slices.

She replied with a thank-you message to the teacher and quickly received a short video in return.

In the video, Su Yi faced the camera, smiling brightly, his mouth full, and in a sweet, childish voice said, “Sister!”

Su Mi replayed the video several times, unable to resist the cuteness of her little brother.

Perhaps this distraction caused a slight delay. Just as she replayed the video once more, the passenger door opened.

Bending slightly, Shen Han sat in the passenger seat.

Su Mi: …? Huh.

She looked at Shen Han and then turned to look at the spacious back seat she had adjusted earlier.

Wasn’t she supposed to be the driver? Why was Shen Han sitting in the front seat?

Meanwhile, the video on her smartwatch was still playing.

Su Yi’s cute voice saying “Sister” played again.

Shen Han glanced briefly at Su Mi’s smartwatch and then asked, “Are you going to pick up your brother?”

Su Mi replied with a simple “Uh-huh.”

Shen Han nodded, “Let’s go.”

Su Mi, slightly dazed, asked, “…Uh?”

Wasn’t some CEO or manager still waiting at the Shen Group’s headquarters…?

Seeing Shen Han raise an eyebrow, Su Mi, who had learned to read Shen Han’s expressions, immediately fell silent.

Without another word, the car sped off.

The acceleration was so fast that the sense of being pushed back into the seat was intense. Shen Han silently noted: …It’s better not to give her a sports car in the future.

Author’s Note:
Some of the SS-level mental strength settings aren’t just for the sake of ranking. Little Su Mi, who has ignored this, will regret it one day… ^_^