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

## Chapter 233: Bai Miao Returns In a fifteenth-floor apartment in Green City Community, Su Qi was dressed in a school uniform ensemble, engrossed in a massive tome. Beside the book lay a charging phone, untouched, with Barbara, a character from 'Genshin Impact,' moving around the game interface autonomously. It was the fifth day since Su Qi’s two wives had left. During this time, Su Qi's routine was to wake up and immerse herself in a guide on stock trading, dedicating nearly every moment to it except for mealtimes. If one were to ask why Su Qi was so enthused about reading, she would simply reply that stocks indeed made money. On the first day, she invested ten thousand and earned nearly a thousand yuan by day's end. With funds totaling three hundred thousand, she pondered and put in eighty-nine thousand the next day, earning a profit of about four thousand. Having tasted success, on the third day, she thought to herself that since she wasn't using the money otherwise, she left aside ten thousand yuan for herself and invested the rest. As a result, after earning almost ten thousand on that day, by the fourth day, Su Qi not only lost all previous gains but also suffered a severe loss of capital, ending up with a -21000 yuan return. Even with this result, she managed to beat 30% of users in the country, according to the stock statistics. Realizing she couldn't sit idle any longer, Su Qi, on the morning of the fifth day, following a perplexing series of short-term trades, saw her total return hit a staggering -35000 yuan. Reflecting on the hefty losses, Su Qi converted her sorrow into motivation, diving deeper into her stock trading guide, less eating and sleeping. After five days of relentless effort, she finally made it halfway through the guide. Meanwhile, during Su Qi's reading marathon, the system assistant was diligently playing 'Genshin Impact,' completing all activities and making numerous in-game friends who reverently called it the "Lucky One!" Su Qi was feeling a bit anxious, as the stock market on her computer screen was completely in the red. She had even forgotten about lunch, entirely consumed by how to maneuver the stocks she had lined up for the afternoon. Just then, her phone suddenly rang. Seeing the caller's name, Su Qi was taken aback because it was Bai Miao, who had been missing for days. Answering the call, she heard Bai Miao's familiar voice: "Little girl, are you at home right now?" Su Qi had barely replied with a yes before the call ended abruptly, leading her to think it might be a network issue. Just as she considered Bai Miao might call back, the doorbell rang. Peering through the peephole, Su Qi saw Bai Miao, whom she hadn't seen for a long time. However, Bai Miao looked somewhat drained and listless, lacking her usual vibrancy. As Su Qi opened the door, Bai Miao immediately pulled her into a hug. Confused, Su Qi found herself wondering what was going on. She then heard Bai Miao mutter softly, "Let me recharge for a bit, dear." Looking up at Bai Miao, Su Qi noticed deep exhaustion etched in her brows. Despite the light makeup on her fair skin, Su Qi could still detect faint dark circles at this close range. Recalling how Bai Miao had been busy since before she went to Zhejiang City, it had been over ten days now. Su Qi couldn't help but pity her, thinking, is this really what it means to be an adult in society? It seems so harsh! After roughly thirty seconds, Bai Miao finally released Su Qi, then stepped out of the room to retrieve the lavish meal box she had left outside the door. Observing this, Su Qi thought if Bai Miao was truly so tired, wouldn't it make more sense to pick up the meal box first before embracing her? This thought only reinforced how arduous life seemed. After removing her shoes and slipping on slippers, Bai Miao entered the room, which she hadn't visited for a long time. The room was filled with a faint fragrance reminiscent of the little girl, which put Bai Miao at ease. Additionally, Bai Miao noticed that the room seemed to have more items than before; it felt less stark and more lived-in. Turning her attention to her ideal little sister, whom she had been missing dearly over the past few days, Bai Miao took in her appearance. Gazing at Su Qi in her school uniform, Bai Miao noticed that her large eyes still held the same innocence as before. However, this time, Su Qi exuded an air of dignity and professionalism. Bai Miao quickly recalled the high-profile court case that Su Qi must have experienced in her absence. It was surely this ordeal that brought about Su Qi's transformation from carefree to more guarded. As the realization struck, Bai Miao felt her heart aching with sorrow. Her ideal little sister had faced her toughest moment alone. Bai Miao felt she had failed to protect her, allowing the carefree girl to become someone wearing a hedgehog's facade. Guilt overwhelmed Bai Miao. Looking at Bai Miao, Su Qi noticed the delicate face, the furrowed brows, and the hesitant expression, making her wonder if Bai Miao had some difficulty she wanted to share. Su Qi speculated anxiously—was Bai Miao about to ask her for money? That couldn’t be; she knew Bai Miao was far wealthier. The two were deep in unrelated thoughts. Growl— Thankfully, at that moment, Su Qi's stomach interrupted their silent ponderings. Hearing the sound, Bai Miao glanced at the food container in her hand. With that, she led Su Qi over to the coffee table since they had shared a meal there before. Su Qi felt a bit embarrassed as she was pulled to the sofa. She always thought Bai Miao was like a fairy tale figure, showing up with food every time she was hungry. The thought of the meal box brought back memories of when Bai Miao had asked if she could have a bite of the shrimp inside. Su Qi had nodded, leading to a playful and teasing evening. Remembering that, Su Qi blushed, realizing she had even forgotten to breathe back then due to nerves. Watching the little lady's cheeks turn slightly red, Bai Miao found it amusing, thinking that Su Qi was so gluttonous that she became excited just from the thought of eating. Slowly opening the food container, Bai Miao looked at the girl across from her. Su Qi, sitting primly, had large eyes filled with anticipation, betraying her eagerness. Today's meal was simple: dumplings. Each dumpling had a different color, hinting at a variety of flavors; they were the latest trend, blind box dumplings. Bai Miao guessed that the little girl would love the mystery these dumplings presented. She had even ordered prawns specially for Su Qi, knowing it was one of her favorites. "Here, Su Qi, open your mouth," Bai Miao offered a prawn to Su Qi. Recalling their close bond, Su Qi felt a bit shy but the enticing prawn in front of her was irresistible, and she took a bite. The familiar taste and texture brought a happy smile to Su Qi's face. Indeed, eating her favorite food when hungry was a truly wonderful experience. Seeing Su Qi happily eating the shrimp, Bai Miao felt her fatigued spirits lift significantly. Watching Su Qi, her rosy lips moving as she chewed, her pristine white teeth, and cherry blossom-colored tongue further emphasized her youthful charm. Thinking back to the time she had snagged a piece of shrimp from the little girl and their previous interactions, Bai Miao swallowed hard, restraining her idle thoughts. Instead, Bai Miao, feeling more accountable, picked another dumpling for Su Qi, this one filled with corn and pork—sweet and perfectly to Su Qi's taste. After finishing the dumpling, Su Qi saw Bai Miao reach with her chopsticks for another one and asked: "Aren't you going to eat, Bai Miao?" Bai Miao replied, wishing to fill Su Qi's belly first: “I’ll eat once you’re full!” Hearing Bai Miao's response triggered alarms in Su Qi's mind. Wasn’t this similar to a scene from a week ago with her two wives? Did this mean that once she was full, they intended to claim her? Thinking of this, Su Qi quickly stood up and took a step back. Not again? No way! Su Qi wasn’t about to make the same mistake twice.