218 - I Don’t Want to Be Turned Into the Female Protagonist by the System

Chapter 218: Today is a Good Day After the court session, Su Qi was exhilarated. She had just received a call from her brother's manager, Liu Qi. The director, Zhang, decided to reward her with 100,000 yuan because a video of her sword dancing had gone viral, boosting the popularity of "The Merry Couple" and indirectly saving the production's marketing costs. Hearing this news, Su Qi felt as if her entire world had brightened. After all, she had been prepared to work hard to help with her brother's acting career, never expecting such a substantial reward in return. Thinking about the 300,000 yuan mentioned by Lawyer Lin Zi and the current 100,000, Su Qi’s mood soared at the thought of all that money coming in. Her delicate and fair face was full of joy, with two deep dimples forming on her cheeks. Her normally innocent eyes shone brighter than ever due to her happiness, and she even found herself unconsciously bouncing a little as she walked. Seeing this, normally stern Lin Zi couldn’t help but smile at Su Qi’s delight. Meanwhile, Lu Ran had initially intended to scold her daughter after the court session. While Su Qi’s donation was a good deed and positively influenced the case's verdict, donating everything could be problematic. How could you live without keeping anything for yourself? Just as she was about to lecture her, she caught sight of her daughter’s adorable, beaming face, as happy as a carefree little bird. After some thought, Lu Ran decided to let it go. After all, a girl’s happiness is the most important. Money isn't a big deal; if she donates it all, she can just give her more. If someday she truly gives everything away, Lu Ran imagined herself sheltering her daughter, giving her a monthly allowance of 100,000 yuan. The thought of Su Qi acting coquettishly to ask for money made Lu Ran realize this scenario might not be so bad after all. Su Qi had no idea her mother was mentally painting her as a helpless girl. At the moment, her attention was focused on her two partners and her new roommate, Gu Panpan, walking towards her. Although Gu Panpan's looks didn’t quite match those of An Ning and Zi Jin, she was undoubtedly a beauty in her own right. For some reason, whenever Su Qi saw Gu Panpan, she recalled the amusing scene of Gu Panpan hopping around after being playfully kicked by Zi Jin. Excited by the recent developments, Gu Panpan had just shared the captivating court footage on the forums. In under half an hour, it had made its way to the trending searches. Numerous people mentioned her, and her followers shot up by several thousand, turning her from a silent observer on social media into a trending topic. Giggling at the thought of boasting about this in the dorm later, Gu Panpan’s eyes were filled with excitement. Looking at Su Qi, who had brought so much attention her way, Gu Panpan found her even more endearing today. Noticing Su Qi’s exquisite, delicate skin and creamy cheeks, Gu Panpan quickly thought up a playful gesture common among girls. Without a second thought, she broke from the group and ran towards Su Qi. Caught off guard, Su Qi was startled by Gu Panpan’s enthusiasm, wondering why she seemed even happier than herself. Before she could react, Gu Panpan had enveloped her in a tight hug. They were almost the same height, so as Gu Panpan leaned forward, her red lips brushed against Su Qi’s cheek. Both Su Qi and her two partners were taken aback by Gu Panpan’s sudden move, as if time had stopped. Gu Panpan found the sensation delightful—Su Qi’s skin was as bouncy as jelly, just as she’d imagined, and free of any cosmetics. She was just about to plant a kiss on the other cheek when she saw An Ning approaching, each step loaded with intent. “It’s just a friendly girl thing!” Gu Panpan hurriedly explained, sensing danger as she retreated. But An Ning ignored her excuses, swiftly delivering a kick, sending Gu Panpan hopping like last time while clutching her lower back. Watching the spectacle, Su Qi’s attention shifted back to her partner, Zi Jin. Zi Jin took a tissue from her bag, gently wiping the spot Gu Panpan had targeted. “You careless girl, if you keep letting your guard down, I’ll have to discipline you!” Zi Jin murmured softly. The possessive note in her words made Su Qi blush. Where had her partner learned this new teasing, punishing act? Strangely, the thought of being reprimanded like that was thrilling. After Lawyer Lin Zi finished organizing the materials, the group of them discreetly slipped out the back door with the help of the staff. The reason being, the front was swarming with people waiting for Su Qi. As the car left the courthouse, Su Qi gazed back at the throng by the entrance, feeling like she had just had a close escape. She never imagined she, such a small-time figure, could attract this much attention. Glancing at her brother driving, she realized fame might not be so great after all. Thanks to Wang Dahua, Su Qi's popularity had recently soared, and Gu Panpan’s video spread rapidly. The highlight was the shot of Su Qi’s donation receipt. Seeing Su Qi donate nearly all her profits from Bilibili and gaming accounts, netizens unanimously declared her an angel. In Hangzhou, inside the Ali company, as it was nearing the end of the month, employees were busy tallying Huabei repayments. Higher-ups had also seen the news. As a result, when Su Qi returned home, she received a call from Ant Financial. Initially, she wondered if it was a scam—how bold had scammers become lately? However, upon answering, she realized it was no hoax. It was genuinely someone from Alibaba. After hanging up, Su Qi felt dizzy; Ant Financial had announced they would erase her overdue Huabei debt as a reward for her contribution to disaster relief. Checking Alipay, she saw her past due was indeed cleared, and her Huabei limit was raised to 500,000. Su Qi marveled at how being debt-free at last meant no more monthly 10% interest payments. Even though she was wealthier now, a little windfall was always welcome. The Alipay executive quickly published a Weibo post saying all her expenses were waived for the month as a reward for her angelic contributions. This PR move might be the most cost-effective way to ride the current wave of popularity, considering Su Qi owed less than 10,000, but the post soon garnered thousands of likes. Following Ant’s example, JD also took action. After hanging up yet another call, Su Qi was bewildered by all the competing generosity. But it wasn’t over. Another call interrupted her thoughts. Answering, she discovered it was from her student loan provider, Ailoan, which she had borrowed from to attend college. She was shocked as they canceled her 20,000 yuan educational loan. Did this mean she was finally debt-free? Thinking about winning the lawsuit, having debts absolved, and soon receiving two substantial payments, Su Qi felt today was extraordinarily blessed. At that moment, she thought only the song "Today is a Good Day" could capture her current mood. In a world where one finds happiness, others may face despair. Back in her dorm, Gu Panpan, eager to show off her newfound internet fame, heard a click as Wang Zi Jin locked the door. She watched as An Ning pulled a red rope from the closet. Gu Panpan, eyeing the two as they approached, felt a strange familiarity with this scenario. And then nothing more happened.