Qi Xiaojia was stunned.
She had imagined countless ways to counter Qiao Chuchu's words, but she never expected that Qiao Chuchu simply didn't care about it at all.
Her mind raced as she lifted her chin: "Well, even if you draw comics, you might not achieve anything, right? Because your studies are poor, you definitely can't create anything good!"
Qiao Chuchu frowned and couldn't help but show a look of pity: "Guess how much I make a month?"
Qi Xiaojia hesitated for a moment, then tentatively whispered, "Ten thousand?"
Qiao Chuchu: "No, two hundred thousand."
Qi Xiaojia: "?"
Qiao Chuchu added smugly, "Two hundred thousand is just the minimum."
Others: "?"
Two hundred thousand minimum?!
Qiao Chuchu looked at Qi Xiaojia's pale face with disdain: "I've always hoped to become a manga artist since I was a child. I've heard all the ridicule you people throw at me, but I never cared because I know I was born for my dream, and I have indeed succeeded."
Qi Xiaojia: "..."
Qiao Chuchu pityingly patted her shoulder: "The recent hit TV drama was adapted from my manga, and the merchandise sold out instantly. Speaking of which, you must have guessed which drama it is, right?"
Qi Xiaojia's face turned green as she trembled while picking up her phone and unlocking the screen.
The screen displayed a beautiful manga wallpaper of a blonde beauty and a brunette handsome man.
Qiao Chuchu glanced at it and smiled brightly: "Yes, the couple you have as your lock screen wallpaper? That's my work."
Qi Xiaojia: "!"
How could this be?!
Her favorite manga protagonists, her favorite manga artist!
It was Qiao Chuchu?!
Qiao Chuchu's gaze was sharp as a sword as she asked Qi Xiaojia: "In the path I've chosen, I may not be at the top, but I'm certainly in the upper tier. Where do you rank in your life's path?"
Qi Xiaojia felt like she had been struck by lightning, stiffening and unable to speak.
Qiao Chuchu spoke softly: "I'm the same age as you, and I haven't mocked you for earning less than me, yet you come to ridicule me for not being as good at studies as you. Of course, you can continue to mock me; I am indeed a poor student, and you are indeed excellent in your studies. That's a fact, so you do you."
Qi Xiaojia opened her mouth, but she was left speechless.
The manga artist she had admired for years was Qiao Chuchu, and she had mocked Qiao Chuchu for being incapable, only to be outsmarted.
And Qiao Chuchu's attitude towards her... how should she put it?
It was a kind of disregard, as if she wasn't even worth considering.
It was like looking at a stray dog barking wildly!
All the rationality Qi Xiaojia had built up crumbled, and she couldn't help but sob, covering her face and running away!
Qiao Chuchu called out to her: "Wait."
Qi Xiaojia tearfully looked at her.
Qiao Chuchu, hands in her pockets, said coldly: "Call a moving truck to take Xia Xuechun away, and I'll cover the fare."
Qi Xiaojia bit her lower lip in humiliation, then ran off without saying another word.
The entire hall fell silent once more.
Qiao Chuchu returned to the sofa and took a sip of water when she suddenly felt everyone's eyes on her.
?
She looked around doubtfully and met Lin Qing's nearly obsessive gaze: "Chuchu, you're quite commanding when dealing with problems. I feel like you've turned me gay."
Qiao Chuchu: "?"
Pei Buxian, holding a dog, said in a daze: "Qiao Chuchu, I never knew you had a brain."
Qiao Chuchu: "??"
Pei Youchuan cleared his throat and turned away indifferently: "I thought you were a softie, but you're actually quite tough when faced with threats. And you're a big name in the manga world, with published works. Why didn't you tell us?"
The other brothers nodded in agreement.
Qiao Chuchu: "..."
【Of course I'm tough. Before I transmigrated, I was a penniless wretch.】
Everyone: "?"
A penniless wretch?
【After all, I started as an orphan with no one to adopt me, wearing clothes donated by kind-hearted people, attending schools funded by the state, and bullied by classmates because I was poor, ugly, and academically stupid. The only talents I had were drawing and sports, but I had no money for art supplies or to attend sports school. I couldn't afford to order dishes for lunch, and even a one-yuan pack of pickles had to be eaten sparingly. The only free pastime was crying quietly in the bathroom.】
Qiao Chuchu sneered and curled her lips: [When I had a fever, I had to work; during holidays, I had to work because taking a day off would cost me three hundred yuan, and working on holidays came with overtime pay. If Aunt Wang had introduced me to a job paying thirty thousand a month back then, I would have endured being slapped in the face by the employer, let alone argue.]
The brothers listened, their hearts aching as if being squeezed.
Lin Shen's gaze grew increasingly pained.
Only Qiao Chuchu's expression grew darker.
【But the poor me is dead. The current me must hold onto the happiness I have now!】
Qiao Chuchu checked the time and became alert: 【Isn't there a scene with Pei Fengnong today?】
Pei Fengnong, who had been lost in thought, looked at Qiao Chuchu in surprise.
Qiao Chuchu thought carefully: 【It seems that today, Pei Fengnong encountered the male lead, Ji Yanchuan, while racing. That idiot male lead was in a bad mood and deliberately caused trouble for Pei Fengnong, swerving into his path and causing an accident that landed Pei Fengnong in the hospital. That's when the feud between Ji Yanchuan and the Pei family began.】
The Pei brothers were astonished.
Lin Qing was even more shocked.
How dare that idiot Ji Yanchuan swerve into someone else's path?!
That guy can't even figure out how to breathe properly!
Lin Shen, meanwhile, stared at Qiao Chuchu in a daze.
So this is what it feels like to hear someone's thoughts and predict what will happen next.
Suddenly, both Lin Shen and Lin Qing's phones vibrated.
It was Pei Youchuan who had added them to a WeChat group.
Pei Youchuan: "Let's communicate in this group. This way, we won't expose ourselves, and we can coordinate our plans for what's coming next."
Lin Shen frowned, not entirely agreeing: "I don't understand why we can't just be upfront with Qiao Chuchu. Wouldn't it be better to discuss things with her?"
At this, everyone gave him a big eye roll.
Lin Qing was the first to rebut: "Brother, I get that you like Qiao Chuchu and want to confess your feelings to her, but you also have to understand us. We're all 'villainous side characters' in this story. If this world finds out we know our own endings, we might be erased by the world! Just like Qiao Chuchu."
Lin Shen: "? Is Chuchu being erased by the world?"
Pei Buxian: "Speaking of erasure, Qiao Chuchu has died twice today. She has ten chances to be reborn, and now she only has seven left."
Everyone: "?"
Rebirth chances?
Pei Buxian: "I was going to tell you all when I got back, but I got distracted baking strawberry cakes and dealing with Xia Xuechun's antics, so I forgot about it."
The group chat exploded!
Lin Qing scolded him: "How could you forget something so important!"
Lin Shen was deep in thought: "So that means Chuchu has already died three times? How did she die the first three times? Why weren't you protecting her if she was in danger?"
Pei Youchuan: "Lin Shen, what tone are you using to talk to us? You hurt my sister so badly, and we haven't even settled that score yet!"
Pei Che: "Enough, you're hurting my eyes. Let Pei Buxian explain what kind of rebirth this is."
Pei Buxian: "? How would I know? I just saw her escape from danger and say she used two lives. I can't see it, but I can confirm that as long as the male or female lead is present, Qiao Chuchu is at risk of dying."
Everyone: "?"
So that means...
Qiao Chuchu could very likely die today?
