Although she had devised what she believed to be a foolproof strategy, surviving midterms was a far more pressing matter than raising the Second Female Lead’s favorability. After spending three days bribing her feline instructor with dried fish snacks, Que Tang breezed through her exams using her "cheat codes" until the very last subject was finished.
Because of the midterms, the school graciously allowed the students to leave at noon. With no classes, no work yet, and no friends to invite her out for a post-exam celebration, Que Tang considered the distance between her job, her home, and the school. She immediately decided to take her bag to the pavilion in the school garden for a nap.
She had discovered this place by accident when she was lost. No students ever came here after school. She quickly finished her lunch, opened a bag of dried fish for the kitten to munch on, tucked her bag under her head as a pillow, and fell fast asleep.
However, as it turned out, the illogical existence of a sprawling garden and a pavilion in a high school campus wasn't just there for her to sleep in.
Not long after she lay down, the faint sound of a man and a woman talking drifted from nearby. Irritated, Que Tang pulled earplugs from her bag, but before she could put them in, the conversation turned into an argument.
"Go ahead, scream. Even for a young lady like you, I’m afraid no one will come no matter how much you scream your head off." It was a classic line from a cannon-fodder male character.
"Let go. Are you not afraid of my family’s retaliation?"
Que Tang’s hand, poised to insert the earplugs, froze in mid-air.
"You guessed right, it’s the Second Female Lead, meow~ Just like last time, you can choose to save her or not. But I’m not sure what the consequences will be if you don't, meow~"
Que Tang slammed her earplugs down. "Tell me the plot here first!" Having been misled once before, she had learned her lesson.
"The original plot for this scene is: after the exams, the Female Lead comes here in a great mood to enjoy the scenery. Unexpectedly, she overhears the Second Female Lead in a heated argument with a male student. Driven by curiosity, she runs over. Seeing the male student attempting to assault the Second Female Lead, she impulsively rushes in with more heart than brains, naturally becoming a burden to her teammate. Then, the Male Lead passes by and saves them both."
"This plot development is completely devoid of logic. Which 'Great Author' wrote this?!" Que Tang couldn't help but complain again. Why was everyone hanging around here instead of going home after exams? Despite her grumbling, she resigned herself to her fate and walked toward the direction where the words **"THE WORLD'S SECOND FEMALE LEAD"** were hovering in massive, glowing letters.
Reaching the girl's side, she put on the face of a righteous, hot-blooded, brainless girl. She struck a "chunibyo" pose—one hand on her hip, the other pointing at the cannon-fodder guy—and demanded loudly, "What do you think you're doing?!"
"Que Tang?" The Second Female Lead’s eyes widened in surprise at her appearance.
"This is none of your business, beat it," the cannon-fodder guy replied, following his script perfectly. "A lowly commoner like you better stay out of my way, or I’ll make it impossible for you to stay in this school!"
Then, the Second Female Lead watched as Que Tang stood her ground without flinching. Frowning, Que Tang declared, "How could I just stand by and watch you bully her? Even if I can't study at this school anymore, I won't leave her side!"
In that instant, an unexplainable emotion flooded the Second Female Lead’s heart, prompting her to reach out and take Que Tang’s hand.
"Friendship Value with the Second Female Lead has reached 75. 'Close Friend' stage unlocked, meow~"
"What the heck is that?!" Que Tang was momentarily stunned by the notification in her head.
"The Friendship Value was unlocked after you saved her last time; I just forgot to mention it, meow~"
"Could you be any more unreliable..." Que Tang’s face went dark.
"Friendship Value is something you can use to ride someone's coattails, meow~" A crunching sound followed as the cat chewed on a snack. Under Que Tang’s silent urging, it continued to explain: "Friendship Value is divided into stages. 0 is Stranger, 25 is Acquaintance, 50 is Friend, 75 is Close Friend, and anything above 90 is a Bestie."
"And what happens when it's full?" Que Tang asked curiously.
"Then you can unlock the 'More than Friends, Less than Lovers' side-story branch, meow."
Que Tang was speechless once again. Just what kind of unscrupulous, bizarre system had she transmigrated into?
While she was mentally bickering with the cat and the cannon-fodder guy was hesitating because of her presence, the Male Lead finally passed by the scene.
"The Male Lead has appeared, meow~"
Que Tang immediately snapped back to reality. In the distance, a pillar of seven-colored light shot into the sky, accompanied by a flashy diamond-border effect. Under the massive label **"THE WORLD'S MALE LEAD,"** a figure slowly walked toward them. When the person appeared before her eyes, Que Tang was shocked.
Silver hair, blue eyes, a mixed-race appearance, a wild and unrestrained aura, and a lingering melancholy in his gaze.
"Even without that floating text, I probably could have recognized him as the Male Lead with a setting like that." While she was complaining internally, the Second Female Lead beside her whispered the Male Lead's name.
"Ren Aotian."
"...His name is actually Aotian. Truly a Male Lead." Que Tang felt like coughing up a liter of blood.
Ren Aotian was in a foul mood. Ever since his encounter with that incredibly stupid woman last time, he hadn't been able to find her again. He didn't know why he cared so much about that foolish woman. She was a commoner who had nothing and was dim-witted to boot, with only a decent face, yet he couldn't forget her.
So, he followed his heart and came to the place where they first met. He thought that if they were fated, they would meet again.
He lifted his head elegantly. When his melancholic gaze swept over Que Tang, it flared with wild joy.
Unaware of the complex psychological journey the Male Lead was undergoing, Que Tang simply looked away, unable to bear the sight of his ridiculous character design. The Male Lead took this as shyness. He quickened his pace, only then noticing some random thug was giving her trouble.
"You, cannon-fodder man! What are you doing to that stupid woman?!" he questioned angrily.
Que Tang lowered her head helplessly. *Is this really a genius with an IQ of 200?*
Because of this gesture of exasperation, she missed the complicated expression on the Second Female Lead's face.
"Meow, the Second Female Lead’s favorability toward the Male Lead has dropped by ten. Current favorability is 40."
The cannon-fodder guy fled in terror the moment Ren Aotian appeared.
The three of them were left standing there, each with their own thoughts.
Suddenly, Que Tang put on a "flower-crazy" fangirl expression. Her voice jumped sixteen pitches as she shrieked, "It’s Young Master Ren! Young Master Ren is so handsome!"
Ren Aotian: "..."
The Second Female Lead: "..."
"Young Master Ren is truly too handsome! He scared that thug away and saved me with just a single word!" She lunged forward, wiggling her body as if trying to get close to him. "I really love Young Master Ren so much! Since Young Master Ren saved me, I can only repay you by offering myself in marriage!"
"...Stay away from me." Ren Aotian began to suspect that the "special girl" he saw before was an illusion. By contrast, the Second Female Lead on the other side remained indifferent, not even sparing him a glance from start to finish. This caused his favorability toward her to spike instantly.
Perhaps spending time with this childhood friend wouldn't be such a bad thing after all.
Hearing the Male Lead’s words of disgust, Que Tang’s body stiffened. She put on a pained and sorrowful expression, turned her head, and ran toward the pavilion as if on the verge of tears. However, the moment she ran out of their line of sight, her face returned to its normal expression.
"The Male Lead’s favorability toward the Second Female Lead has risen to 60. Romance Mode unlocked, meow~"
"I told you, these 'chunibyo' Male Leads love girls who don't give them the time of day. He’s the poster boy for the 'M' in masochism. Plus, with me acting as a foil next to her, the speed of the increase is even faster. You need a comparison to see who's better." She had stopped running and was strolling leisurely toward the pavilion. "See? I don't even need to show up anymore. The Male Lead’s favorability will increase automatically. I can enjoy my student life in peace until the mission in this world is over."
"Meow~ The Second Female Lead’s favorability toward the Male Lead has dropped by ten. Current favorability is 30."
Que Tang paused. "What happened? Can we even reach a romance ending if her favorability keeps dropping?"
"I don't know, meow~"
"Do you know anything besides dried fish?"
"Meow~"
"I know 'meow'."
"Meow~"
Que Tang returned to the pavilion. With nothing to do and no longer sleepy, she played a game of "bat the paws" with Little Shiitake. Just as she was about to be smacked in the face by a cat paw again, a low chuckle came from behind her.
Startled, she spun around. She saw the Second Female Lead smiling for the first time, looking at her with a gentle and kind expression.
*Wait, is the plot going a bit off-track?*
"Que Tang." Seeing her startled reaction, the Second Female Lead straightened her face and called her name coldly.
"Huh?" she responded instinctively.
"Are you busy?"
"No." Que Tang, still trying to figure out the plot, couldn't understand the girl's behavior.
"Then come have afternoon tea with me."
Que Tang tried to refuse without a second thought.
But the Second Female Lead gave her no room to decline. She grabbed Que Tang’s hand directly, scooped up the kitten with her other hand, and headed toward the school gates.
Que Tang was left completely bewildered.
"The Second Female Lead’s Friendship Value with you is high, so her linked favorability is also high, meow~" Only Que Tang could understand the cat’s words; to anyone else, it just sounded like a kitten acting spoiled. At that moment, it was meowing cutely in the Second Female Lead’s arms, prompting the girl to switch to linking arms with Que Tang so she could pet the kitten more easily. "That’s why I said this is a useful value for riding someone's coattails, meow."
"..." Fine. Filling the void in the Second Female Lead’s social life could be considered part of the mission, right?
***
**Glossary**
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
:--- | :--- | :---
任傲天 | Ren Aotian | The Male Lead. "Aotian" (Proud Sky) is a stereotypical name for an overpowered protagonist.
友情值 | Friendship Value | A mechanic tracking the bond between the protagonist and other characters.
闺蜜 | Bestie | The highest level of friendship (90+), often used for very close female friends.
友达以上、恋人未满 | More than friends, less than lovers | A phrase describing a relationship that is deeper than friendship but not yet romantic.
任少爷 | Young Master Ren | A respectful/formal way to address Ren Aotian.
抖M | Masochist | Slang for someone who enjoys being treated coldly or poorly (the 'M' stands for Masochist).
