After Becoming a Cannon-Fodder Lackey, I Swore to Protect the Young Lady to the Death - Chapter 20

Chen Wan was deeply engrossed in her game when a familiar voice broke her concentration. She looked up, startled to see Li Gangjiao who had skipped school that day was standing right there in the internet cafe.

Given Chen Wan’s obsession with gaming, Li Gangjiao wasn’t particularly surprised to run into her here. However, the guy sitting next to her didn’t look like anyone from their school, yet he and Chen Wan seemed quite close.

Chen Wan had evidently come straight here after the evening study session. Her hair was pulled into a somewhat messy bun, she was still in her school uniform, and her backpack was tucked under her chair. The guy beside her wore a simple white T-shirt with a black jacket draped over the back of his seat. Beneath a mop of reddish-orange curls sat a pair of golden eyes. His pale skin looked almost translucent under the neon lights, and his eyes were long and narrow, giving him a cat-like appearance.

After swapping out her gear, Chen Wan pulled off her headset and introduced her companion. He was a friend she’d met through gaming; they had teamed up constantly in middle school until he moved abroad to study, causing them to drift apart. He happened to be back in the country, so they had met up to grind ranks the moment school let out.

“Li Gangjiao! I didn’t expect to see you in a place like this,” Chen Wan said, her expression one of genuine surprise.

“Yeah, well, I haven’t won a single match yet today. Want to carry me?” Li Gangjiao lied through her teeth, closing her file folders and sliding the USB drive safely into her pocket.

Chen Wan readily agreed, and the three of them dove into the game. Chen Wan and the golden-eyed guy moved with lethal synchronicity, harvesting the enemy team like they were cutting grass. The guy played support, perfectly complementing Chen Wan’s aggressive style.

After a few rounds, Li Gangjiao had to admit that Chen Wan’s skills were top-tier. Admiring her easy win-streak, she praised her, “Chen Wan, you’re actually incredible at this!”

Chen Wan gave a smug little grin but kept her words humble. “It’s nothing, really. I’ve just been playing a lot lately—lots of practice.”

“I’m serious. Most people don’t have this kind of mechanical skill,” Li Gangjiao insisted.

“Haha!”

Just as they were hitting their stride, Li Gangjiao’s phone rang. After a quick conversation, her expression turned grim. “I have to go. See ya!”

She hurried downstairs, settled her bill for the snacks, and bolted out of the cafe. After picking up some painkillers at a nearby pharmacy, she hailed a taxi and sped toward the Lu villa. Lu Jiaoyue had called to ask where she was, and her voice sounded weak—as if she were in significant pain.

I shouldn’t have played those extra matches, Li Gangjiao cursed herself.

******

Meanwhile, in the pocket dimension, the original Li Xi had finally managed to cross the threshold of basic cultivation after days of fasting and meditation.

Her space had evolved from a primitive thatched hut into a modern loft apartment. She patted the large, soft bed, sighing in relief. “Ah, this apartment… I mean, this space… is actually pretty comfortable.”

While it couldn’t compare to her former luxury penthouse, it was cozy and fully furnished according to her personal tastes. In the beginning, this place had been little more than a “shell” house—thatch roof, unpainted concrete walls, and zero charm.

【Ding! World System Side-Quest issued.】

“Do you want to take on some side-quests?” Isakana asked, lazily ‘lying like a corpse’ on the bed. The system had manifested a human form for herself to read manga in the apartment, finding it far too boring to just stay as a voice in Li Xi’s head. As a trainee system, she usually wouldn’t touch such “trashy” entertainment, but the thought of being stuck here for centuries made a little time-wasting seem acceptable.

“What do I get out of it?” Li Xi asked, staring blankly at the ceiling.

“Experience points, which I can convert into cultivation progress for you…”

“Sign me up for two easy ones!” Li Xi interrupted, her eyes sparkling. Anything was better than the mind-numbing boredom of solitary cultivation.

“Alright, let me look.” Isakana felt a surge of motivation; the faster they finished, the sooner she could become a permanent system. The quest interface flickered with rapid-fire invites. Isakana scrolled through several pages before reaching the bottom.

“Hmm… these look a bit difficult for you?” Isakana noted.

“Let me see.” Li Xi leaned over to look at the screen.

【The Poor Boy’s Revenge: Face-Slapping the Gold-Digging Ex-Girlfriend】

【The Matrilocal Son-in-Law: Secretly the Descendant of the War God】

【Just an Average College Boy Building a Harem】

【The Cultivator Returns to be a Stay-at-Home Dad】

“Are you sure I can do any of these?” Li Xi’s brow furrowed. She wanted a shortcut, not a gender reassignment! “Is there nothing for women?!”

“This is a ‘Male-Frequency’ sub-world,” Isakana explained, closing the data panel. “Most of the quests are centered around male protagonists.”

Li Xi let out a long, heavy sigh. It was a dead end.

“Keep calm,” Isakana comforted her, picking her manga back up. She was a professional system; she wouldn’t force a host to switch genders just for a quest.

Cultivation remained a tedious affair. Li Xi eventually drifted off into a deep sleep, missing the resentful look Isakana shot her. At this rate, I’ll be on minimum wage forever. My career path is looking real long and real rocky.

“Sigh.” Isakana turned a page of her manga, the rustling sound a testament to her boredom.

Li Xi’s head nodded lower and lower until she started leaning forward in her sleep.

“Hey! Wake up! You slept for twelve hours last night, stop sleeping!” Isakana grabbed her shoulders and shook her vigorously. Is this girl a pig in a past life? Why did I have to bind to the wrong person?

“I know, I know,” Li Xi mumbled, being shaken awake. She pointed at the cultivation manual. “But studying this is just so… tiring.”

“Well… wait! What if you went to a Cultivation Academy?” Isakana’s eyes widened as she pulled up the world’s detailed lore. “There would be teachers to watch over you, and you’d get a systematic education.” The more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea. She even hopped off the bed to start packing Li Xi’s clothes.

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