Shift! The Side-Character Heroine

Zhao Youyue stayed focused on “the Two Dimensional Gate”. On the other hand, Han Leng was happy to inform Lady Zhao that he successfully persuaded Du Hang to join Lady Zhao’s Food Research Society…

With five members, Zhao Youyue submitted her application to form a new society. As she had been exposed as the legendary Lady Zhao, her application hardly received any resistance.

The Senior level of the student union was well-informed. They knew that Zhao Youyue’s mother was the famous professor at Jiangnan University, Wang Hua. She was also the deputy dean of the College of Liberal Arts. This was why the senior members of the student union were so lenient.

The current President of the Student Union was certain that Lady Zhao was simply too bored with her studies. She was just doing this to kill time, or perhaps she did not want to be a low-level member of another society. There would be too many constraints and rules in place. As the President of her own society, she could enjoy her freedom while earning some free credits…

The President of the Student Union thought that he understood the thoughts of the wealthy very well. After all, he was born wealthy, himself. Who would have expected that to be Zhao Youyue’s first step towards knocking him off his throne?

Either way, it was none of his concern. He did not plan to occupy that chair for long, he had already planted his name in the long list of past Student Union Presidents.

Zhao Youyue rented her own community classroom with a small amount of funding. The fund was given based on the quality of activities, amount of members and performance record in-university. Her society would not have been approved if someone else had been in her position. With merely five members, the Student Union would raise questions concerning its possible activities and contribution to the university. If everyone decided to make a society with members of their chatting group, would that not be chaotic?

Today, the society held its first meeting ever. Zhao Youyue was there way before everyone else. She had modified the layout of the room to suit the purpose of a secret base. A long table sat in the middle of the room. At the end of the table was a grand seat for the President. The rest of the members would be seated on both sides of the table. She had placed a set of expensive, exquisite tea sets on the table. Every food research would begin with tea.

Who would question Lady Zhao’s mastery in the art of tea brewery?

Actually, Zhao Youyue knew nothing about it. She just loved to act, pretending that she knew what she was doing. The tea leaves she used were not cheap. It was meant to cover up her ineptitude when it actually came to making tea…

After this magnificent display of class, would you dare say that her tea was not good?

As Han Leng and Du Hang got deep into some hipster topic that both parties seemed to enjoy thoroughly, they caught sight of something pleasant. Ladu Zhao was so serious about making tea, the tea she made was not merely a drink, it was the “Way of Tea” [1]

It was just like a master swordsman slaying his opponents, not for the sake of killing people, but to sharpen his skills…

One look at Lady Zhao’s eyes, and it was clear that they had been asked to experience the “Way of Tea.” They promptly halted their discussion and sat down as orderly as they could, tasting the tea that had been so passionately brewed.

A long time after, Zhao Youyue was finally done with her tea ceremony. She would not have gained the respect of these two capable members if she had not done so.

“Please help yourself,” said the goddess Zhao Youyue, her long and silky hair catching the light in the room.

Han Leng and Du Hang were flattered. The luxurious cups of tea in their hands costed more than a few thousand RMB apiece. These cups had been custom-made in a manner that ordinary people would be deceived into underestimating their value.

Even so, Han Leng and Du hang felt that Lady Zhao was far too generous to them, and it worried them…

Thanks to their last meeting, Du Hang had begun to dislike Lady Zhao, yet now, he felt like he was at home. He would not have been here if he had not been invited by Han Leng. It was Han Leng’s remarkable writing skills that drew Du Hang here.

Out of courtesy, Hang Leng and Du Hang both tasted Lady Zhao’s “exquisite” tea. They could not rush through it like thirsty dogs, could they?

They both had no idea on what the “way of tea” was, but they had to at least pretend to have some knowledge. After all, they were both learned authors who had a wealth of knowledge concerning literature and culture.

Zhao Youyue turned around to look out the window, her back facing them. She had to hide her smile from both men. When she turned back, her face was solemn, intent. In a faint voice, she asked, “How was my tea?”

It was just tea, but Han Leng pretended to study the lingering aftertaste on his lips and replied “It was good. Your way of tea was splendid! You have put in a lot of practice and effort, it was amazing!”

Du Hang stared at Han Leng incredulously. He thought Lady Zhao was faking every moment, just like a freaking anime character. She was roleplaying one of those classy characters!

He did not reject the idea of a noble Lady Zhao. He rejected the idea of blatantly imitating an anime character. Other authors and artists knew the archetype all too well. Very, very few must have seen the true Zhao Youyue at her best.

Du Hang too did not know anything about the “Way of Tea.” He bluntly described the tea as nothing but ordinary tea and thanked the president for her afternoon tea.

Zhao Youyue smiled with satisfaction. She asked Han Leng, “Great Scholar Han, you once claimed that you are familiar with the authors of light novels. I am looking for a person.”

Han Leng shook his head, “Not really. I do have some exposure to the authors of youth literacy and online literature… As for light novels, Du Hang should be very familiar.”

A ray of light shimmered in Zhao Youyue eyes. She had sensed that Du Hang was talented in something. Was he perhaps a light novelist?

Zhao Youyue’s eyes were full of hope. Du Hang could sense her intent – she hoped for an honest, sincere answer.

Seated at the far end of the long table, Du Hang spoke rather softly, “I do some light writing – you may call that light novel – sometimes.”

“And… your pen name is?” Zhao Youyue asked anxiously.

Translation Note:

[1] The Japanese tea ceremony, also called the Way of Tea, is a Japanese cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of matcha (抹茶), powdered green tea. In Japanese, it is called chanoyu (茶の湯) or sadō, chadō (茶道), while the manner in which it is performed, or the art of its performance, is called (o)temae ([お]手前; [お]点前). Zen Buddhism was a primary influence in the development of the Japanese tea ceremony. Much less commonly, Japanese tea practice uses leaf tea, primarily sencha, in which case it is known in Japanese as senchadō (煎茶道, the way of sencha) as opposed to chanoyu or chadō.