Shift! The Side-Character Heroine

The new deskmate of Zhao Youyue was Jiang Qing, an arts and literature committee member, a name which appeared the most times during every midnight chattering in the male dormitory. If the guys were to vote for the prettiest girl in class, Jiang Qing would most likely be chosen. Her visibility was far better than Zhao Youyue’s.

Jiang Qing’s test results were considered slightly below average, and even worse than Zhao Youyue. But she had a pleasant voice when it comes to singing. Wearing a traditional costume in New Year Night Festival, she could enchant the entire crowd with the song “Ban Hu Sha”. Immediately, this elevated her to become her class symbol. It was then known to everyone that in Class 3 of the freshman year, there was this great beauty who sang beautifully. Not to mention, she was quite a buxom!

Some busybodies had created a “Love Block” thread in the school bulletin. A lot of guys would come by to bump up the post of their own “goddess” to show support for them.

After that, a few rumors about Jiang Qing started to spread among the class. Rumors had it that some handsome seniors from the second year were quite fond of her and seemed to be going after her. Besides, there would always be either love letters or presents appearing in her store room’s locker behind the classroom. To put it in a simple way, there were no girls in class who were not envious of her, simply because she was too popular among the guys.

Of course, Zhao Youyue was not one of them. Her personality was as if she was a saint, treating everyone fair and equal. On top of that, she was used to be a side character. With or without Jiang Qing who was like someone in “You Are the Apple of My Eye”[1], she would still be invisible. Who would’ve ever noticed her?

Occasionally, Zhao Youyue kind of loved the feeling of not being noticed. She could do her stuffs quietly (mainly playing her phone), and also…. self entertaining brings joy too, doesn’t it?

Without a doubt, Jiang Qing and Zhao Youyue became deskmates as she fell out with her ex-deskmate Tang Yan. Needless to say, for a commuting student such as Zhao Youyue who was not interested in gossips and only cared about playing with her phone, would definitely not know about the contradiction within.

In fact, Jiang Qing and Tang Yan were in the same dorm. In the beginning, their relationship was fine. However, as Jiang Qing gained more and more attention, they started to drift apart. The little conflicts started to accumulate. For instance, Tang Yan loved to take advantage of Jiang Qing on petty little things. She would use Jiang Qing’s shampoo and body wash, this really pissed Jiang Qing off and finally their friendship reached its end.

Jiang Qing was not popular amongst the girls. Well, nobody wanted to be a sidekick afterall. Moreover, the slight arrogance in her caused her personal relationship to worsen. By right, someone with an outgoing personality like her was supposed to be excellent in bonding with others. Sadly, a lot of girls felt she was like a sham, and the smile which appeared frequently on her face was nothing more than just a mask.

On the contrary, as time goes by, plenty of girls who got to know Zhao Youyue had a good impression on her, although she was one of the very few commuting students and did not fit into the groups of the girls in the beginning. Being around her felt easy and comforting, also worry not she would steal the limelight away.

Before Jiang Qing became deskmates with Zhao Youyue, she knew nothing about her.

Zhao Youyue was supposed to be a girl with a low profile in Jiang Qing’s impression. She gave an impression of someone who goes by the book. Always plain and simple regardless of the hairstyle or sense of fashion. The school did allowed students to wear something other than the dowdy white and blue sports uniform on Sundays. Therefore, plenty of girls who cared about the outlook would dress up on this day, letting out their grudge against the school uniform. Obviously, there was no difference for Jiang Qing who cared about her appearance. On the contrary, Zhao Youyue was not even tempted, she continued to wear her cleanly washed uniform to school.

This caused Jiang Qing to think that Zhao Youyue was a strait-laced and obedient girl. Thinking that becoming deskmates with her would end up having no common topic. Still, she was afraid that Zhao Youyue world be envious of her and world bring her trouble. After all, Jiang Qing did not laugh much after her incident with Tang Yan. She started to be aware of the difference between both senior high and junior high.

After Jiang Qing became deskmates with Zhao Youyue, she was amazed that Zhao Youyue was actually pretty adorable. If only she could maintain a long hair, she would surely be a goddess. Besides, her skin was so smooth, as white as snow. The truth is, with the appearance of Zhao Youyue, it was weird that she had a lack of visibility. Why didn’t she notice this person before?

On the first day she became deskmates with Zhao Youyue, she was greeted with a warm smile, “My friend Jiang Qing, you really do have a voice of an angel, I truly admire you!”

If it were as before, Jiang Qing would have accepted Zhao Youyue’s compliment. It was the truth anyway. However, Jiang Qing had now learned to watch her steps. Only after she was certain that Zhao Youyue was not teasing her, she replied with a faint smile, “Good day to you, and thank you for the praise.”

Initially, Jiang Qing kept herself in a cool manner whenever she was around Zhao Youyue. Afterall, she had realized that she did not mingle well with the girls. There were always some masqueraders backstabbing her. That was also why she fell out with her former close friend, Tang Yan. Taking advantage from her was just the trigger point, most of all, Tang Yan’s face-to-face acts were indeed disgusting in comparison to how she behaved behind her.

Despite the cold attitude of Jiang Qing, Zhao Youyue did not mind at all. She was like a saint, calmly sitting above the clouds. No matter who she faced, she would treat them the same.

Soon, the coldness of Jiang Qing was melted by the hidden saint Zhao Youyue. This deskmate of hers was unbelievably wealthy, though she had never attempted to show off her wealth, but unknowingly, she showed her sleeves. This totally awed Jiang Qing who had some acquaintance in branded goods. She also tried to discuss about skin care products by praising on Zhao Youyue’s skin. As a result, there was nothing that Zhao Youyue did not know. She spoke with confidence and composure, and immediately Jiang Qing was put down.

How did she manage to keep such a low profile? Jiang Qing could not understand why. Then, without much thoughts, “Lady Zhao” rolled off her tongue, creating a new nickname for Zhao Youyue.

Following Lady Zhao around certainly brought about tons of benefits. Occasionally, she could get a taste of some top grade snacks from Lady Zhao which she was not willing to spend on normal days. The only thing was that she was not bold enough to had snacks in class, where Lady Zhao took it as a matter of course. Due to her lack of sense of presence, the teachers rarely asked Zhao Youyue to answer questions.

In addition, the problems of charging her phone was completely solved for Jiang Qing, as long as Zhao Youyue brought it home and charged it for her. This easy going Lady Zhao would never refuse such simple request. At the same time, Jiang Qing also acquired quite a number of knowledges which she could show off. She could borrow various kinds of books including fashion magazines from Zhao Youyue at anytime. Then, she could own the girls in the dorm, feeling good about herself from pretending to know it all. Anyway, as long as she continued tagging along with Lady Zhao, Jiang Qing felt that her school life was really a great joy… After all, there was still time to come.

Soon, Jiang Qing noticed that her deskmate Lady Zhao looked obedient on the surface, but did not actually put her heart into her studies. She was stuck with the addiction towards her phone. Still, Jiang Qing willingly watched out for her, monitoring the movements of the teacher all the time.

So how did Zhao Youyue feel about her new deskmate? Simply marvelous! Mr. Qiu was a responsible class teacher indeed, for sending her the little angel Jiang Qing just when she needed one.

…

At the same time, in the manga studio of the highly famous mangaka Su Li, a huge fight between the artist and the editor started.

The topic turned out to be none other than the grand finale of “Pure Romance”!

Translation note:

[1] 那些年,一起追过的女孩 – “You Are the Apple of My Eye”

A famous Taiwanese romance film, featuring school life and love live in high school. It is used as a substitute word for “someone unforgettable from high school”, just like the heroine in the love story.