Shift! The Side-Character Heroine

Zhao Youyue reverted to her passerby state once again, observing the world in her dark corner, from a passerby’s perspective. It felt good.

The hot topic about Zhao Youyue’s true identity on the internet had gradually subsided as well. Many people probably heard about Ah Yu only, not Zhao Youyue anymore.

Ah Yu’s live streams remained as popular as ever, but her peerless appearance seemed to have become the stuff of legends. She had stated that she would never switch on her webcam, and she stuck to it, even if it led to the loss of some fans.

But anyway, those that remained were the most loyal fans. They did not focus on Ah Yu’s appearance, but her epic performances in playing games, how she played musical instruments and sang, how she performed with her violin

Whether it was gaming or music, there was no need to open the webcam. Ah Yu was not the type of streamer who relied on her appearances for a living.

Whenever short-haired Zhao Youyue walked on the streets, she did not need to hide behind a mask anymore. Many did not know that she had cut her long hair short. In everyone’s minds, she seemed to be forever the black long straight hair Goddess with a noble Lady’s temperament.

October came in a blink of an eye. During this period last year, as a student of the eleventh grade, Zhao Youyue had participated in the Autumn Sports event, and had exploited the “Zhou Chun card” to win the championship in all sorts of long-distance running events, causing those Sports students to begin doubting themselves.

The rules had been lax, and it had worked to her advantage. Or else, how would she be allowed to eat and drink during her running? Imagine her eating and drinking throughout an 800-meter event. Zhao Youyue’s “Zhou Chun card” could only be used for such informal Sports event.

But now, “Zhou Chun card” had been sacrificed. Even if Zhao Youyue spared it, a high popularity card would still end up expiring over time. After all, it was not an iconic character. It would only be popular for a fixed period, and was destined to be forgotten.

Therefore, the best way for Zhao Youyue to utilize it was to use it as a sacrifice, entering into the literary world that she personally wanted, and create a truly iconic character. This was its fate.

The school Sports event this year had nothing to do with Zhao Youyue, the twelfth-grade student. As students of the tenth and eleventh grade sweated out on the field, the twelfth graders could only study diligently in their classrooms. But, they could watch the fun during recess, if they chose to.

Zhao Youyue had already lost her interest in the Sports events. If “Killing Sports” manifested itself in reality, her interest might just be piqued.

Recently, Zhao Youyue spent most of her time on “Wen Qingyu’s card.” She would switch on “Wen Qingyu’s card” to eat some books when she had nothing to do. She would certainly focus on eating those books that she originally could never settle down to read. Now, she exuded a bookish scent. But due to her short hair, not many people had noticed.

As Zhao Youyue’s deskmate, Bai Yunshan had clearly noticed that. She felt very relieved.

Zhao Youyue would always be bent over, occupied with over something incredibly dull during recess. Bai Yunshan considered it a total waste of time. For example, the mini 4WDs. Wasn’t it just a toy that would only be played by primary students?

But now, Zhao Youyue would be reading masterpieces carefully during recess. Her mouth would seem to mumble constantly, as if she was ‘chewing’ those masterpieces!

Bai Yunshan considered Zhao Youyue’s super attentive solemnity as she read masterpieces to be extremely admirable. She felt that Zhao Youyue was the kind of person who had always denied putting in any effort on anything, and made a complete waste of her time, but was a scholar in actuality, through and through!

Zhao Youyue was indeed the head student among the Arts students in this school! Bai Yunshan considered herself extremely privileged to be able to become best friends with an elite student like Zhao Youyue

Unsure if it was an illusion, Bai Yunshan had a feeling that Zhao Youyue was indulging herself in fancy gourmet delicacies as she read those masterpieces. Were those masterpieces that enjoyable?

To improve her own reading comprehension capability, Bai Yunshan would take the initiative to read masterpieces as well. However, most masterpieces were relatively boring.

That’s right. Boring was the word. They did not seem to care if people bothered reading them. To an extent, if they had not been given the title – “masterpiece,” no one would probably read it.

Perhaps these masterpieces were indeed well-written. Their ideological implications were simply too profound. As long as one has eaten it thoroughly, he would be able to upgrade his personal taste and style. However, ordinary people often gave up before finishing the whole book

Bai Yunshan had certainly encountered such a situation as well. If it was not because of her powerful sense of self-control that allowed her to forcefully finish the book while making some notes afterwards, she would have given up a long time ago.

What depressed her the most was that in spite of her vigilance, she never received any new epiphanies, any new outlooks on life, or the dawning of a new aspiration. Only after reading the comments of others on the masterpiece, would she realize —— Oh, so that’s what this masterpiece intended to convey.

Bai Yunshan saw Zhao Youyue reading the book “Les Miserables”[1] by Victor Hugo. She could not resist asking, “Zhao Youyue, is this novel truly that enjoyable? You’re actually reading it so attentively and seriously”

In his book “Les Miserables,” Victor Hugo demonstrated the cruel reality of capitalist societies enslaving people, forcing women into prostitution through his outstanding artistic charm. This legendary work by Hugo, had etched out the long history that led to the modern social and political life in France. The whole book spanned over nearly half a century. The combination of personal fate and historical themes were magnificent and colorful, which exemplified Hugo’s outstanding talent in etching out narratives to their maximum. In terms of the richness, depth, and complexity of the content, the book undoubtedly ranked first among Hugo’s numerous works.

At the moment, Zhao Youyue still had the “Wen Qingyu card” switched on. Wen Qingyu was a quiet, gentle person. She was forthcoming and gentle. It was way more pleasing to speak to her, compared to Zhao Youyue, who was gentle on the outside but had a black heart, and was a total hypocrite.

Zhao Youyue, or rather, Wen Qingyu, replied, “‘Les Miserables’ may be as bitter as coffee, but is rich and refreshing. Only when you have tasted it carefully, would you feel the complexities of its taste, its beauty, its magnificence. I don’t know what flavors should I use to describe it. Anyway, it’s like a great meal that’s worth careful, slow savoring. It’s a complicated journey. Many people lose their patience and give up before they even reach the rich core.”

Bai Yunshan could not understand what Zhao Youyue meant, but it sounded incredible. But there was one thing she was now certain of. Zhao Youyue actually tasted the masterpieces like food

“That sounds interesting. If that’s so, why don’t you write down more about the flavors of these masterpieces, and share it with everyone else?” Bai Yunshan suggested.

Such a reminder suddenly gave Zhao Youyue an idea on how she should write her maiden novel. Why doesn’t she write about the taste of “food”? It was worth trying out.

Zhao Youyue even notified Han Leng that her literary career was about to set off.

Han Leng decided that Zhao Youyue was way over her head. Did she really plan to play about with literature, with that poor writing of hers? She had no semblance of talent, or the soul for literature, and she’s the laziest slob around!

Lady Zhao, can’t you just settle down and remain as a reader?

Translation Note:

[1] “Les Miserables” – A long novel by a French writer, Victor Hugo in 1862.