After Becoming a Cannon-Fodder Lackey, I Swore to Protect the Young Lady to the Death - Chapter 25

Su Momo returned quickly, having clearly taken a moment to wash her face. Aside from her hair, which was still a bit messy and tangled, she no longer looked like someone who had just survived a desperate flight. She wore a cream-colored sweater paired with a pure white skirt, topped with a soft, primrose-yellow trench coat that made her look simple yet vibrant.

“Where are we headed now?” Su Momo asked as she climbed into the back seat.

“Back to our villa,” Lu Jiaoyue replied, pulling off the voice changer and tossing it into a roadside trash can. “It’ll keep you from getting snatched back again.”

“Thank you so much. I’m sorry for the trouble,” Su Momo said with a grateful smile, her clear features appearing exceptionally striking in the morning light.

Li Gangjiao: Is it just me, or does she have a literal blinding protagonist halo glowing behind her head right now??

*****

Upon their arrival at the villa, Auntie Wu was so stunned she was momentarily speechless. She pulled Lu Jiaoyue aside for a hushed interrogation before heading to the kitchen with a look of feigned indifference. Li Gangjiao, who hadn’t intended to eavesdrop, happened to be standing by the door just in time to catch their conversation.

“Jiaoyue, isn’t that the girl who’s so difficult to please?” Auntie Wu whispered frantically. “I heard she wouldn’t even eat food prepared by the winner of the national culinary competition! Apparently, she used to smash bowls and throw tantrums…”

“She was just in a bad mood back then because of certain… circumstances,” Lu Jiaoyue’s voice acted like a calming pill for the older woman. “Just cook whatever you like. It’ll be fine.”

Auntie Wu finally relaxed. Su Momo was assigned to a guest room on the first floor, separated from Auntie Wu by only a single wall so the housekeeper could keep an eye on her. Having escaped with nothing, Su Momo lacked basic necessities, but the guest rooms were well-stocked. Auntie Wu had even thoughtfully tucked a few changes of clothes into the wardrobe.

“So, are we actually going to school today?” Li Gangjiao asked after helping Su Momo settle in. This was the question weighing most heavily on her heart.

“No.” The moment Lu Jiaoyue shook her head, Li Gangjiao’s face lit up with a brilliant grin. Lu Jiaoyue couldn’t resist teasing her: “If your math teacher saw that smile, she’d be heartbroken.”

“With my math skills, she’d be even more heartbroken if she actually saw me in class!” Li Gangjiao retorted, setting down her cleaning rag. The image of her teacher’s stern yet kindly face flickered through her mind.

Auntie Wu, seemingly taking Su Momo’s presence as a professional challenge, spent the morning preparing a literal feast. Before the food was even on the table, Li Gangjiao was practically drooling. She rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn’t dreaming before scurrying into the kitchen to help carry the dishes.

Seeing the spread, Su Momo froze. Feeling it would be rude to just sit and wait, she grabbed a cloth and started scrubbing the stovetops to help out. This resulted in a bizarre scene where the only person sitting at the massive dining table was Lu Jiaoyue, silently sipping her fermented bean milk.

The douzhi seemed to taste worse with every sip. Eventually, Lu Jiaoyue stood up and dumped it in the sink. Forget it, she thought. I’ll indulge just this once.

In the center of the table sat a roasted suckling pig, flanked by crucian carp soup, sliced mutton hotpot, and roasted squab. Side dishes like Mapo tofu and sweet and sour pork filled the gaps, while the outer ring featured various vegetables and snacks—even “junk food” like french fries and fried chicken made the cut. Even the pickiest eater would have been tempted to try a bite of everything.

Auntie Wu had clearly treated Su Momo’s arrival as the second great challenge of her culinary career. By the time everyone returned to the table with clean hands, they looked ready to descend on the food like a pack of starving wolves. Between the day’s exhaustion and the intoxicating aroma of the feast, no one could resist.

“I’m truly grateful to you both for getting me out,” Su Momo said after she had finished a decent portion of the meal. She wiped her mouth elegantly with a tissue and looked at Lu Jiaoyue with a serious expression. “Jiaoyue, could we talk? Just the two of us?”

“Of course. There’s a tea room right here on the first floor.”

Lu Jiaoyue rose and led the way, with Su Momo following close behind. This left Li Gangjiao to continue feasting alongside a very proud Auntie Wu, whose real name was Wu Hongmei and the two cleaners, Xiao Liu and Xiao Zhang, who had just arrived for their shift.

The group ate with gusto, utterly unaware that several kilometers away, Gu Yan was descending into a state of absolute madness.

******

“Where is she?! I asked you, WHERE IS SHE?!”

Gu Yan kicked over the tray of hot tea a maid was bringing in. He grabbed a bodyguard by the collar and roared into his face. Upon learning that Su Momo was gone, his fury peaked. “You useless piles of trash!! Every single one of you can go cut off an ear to atone for this!!”

Hot tea scalded the maid’s skin as it soaked into her uniform, but she remained hunched over, trembling, not daring to make a sound. The hulking bodyguards stood with bated breath, heads bowed, offering no defense. Gu Yan was ruthless; the number of people who had died by his hand was beyond counting. No one dared to cross him.

He ripped off his tie and hurled it onto the sofa. Still unsatisfied, he delivered a brutal gut-punch to one of the guards. The man doubled over, clutching his stomach as cold sweat broke out on his forehead. “Boss, please… calm down…”

Before he could finish, Gu Yan smashed a wine glass over the man’s head. The glass shattered, and it was impossible to tell if the liquid dripping down his face was wine or blood.

Thud—

The bodyguard collapsed to the floor. The servants and the remaining guards were terrified into absolute silence, their heads bowed low.

“Su Momo… you’ve got guts. Since you dared to run, you’d better pray I never catch you!” His rage began to simmer into a cold, sharp edge. Gu Yan sat on the sofa and lit a cigarette, the smoke curling around his fingers and obscuring his murderous expression in the dim light.

The injured guard still lay on the floor. No one moved to help him. The silence was absolute.

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“What was that sound?” Gu Yan’s eyes darted around with a cold, piercing glare, but no one replied.

The rage he had just suppressed flared up again. He kicked the coffee table over, sending precious tea leaves and collector-grade tea sets crashing to the floor. The sound of porcelain shattering echoed through the living room.

“Get out. All of you. And drag this one out with you,” Gu Yan commanded, closing his eyes and waving them away.

He walked up the stairs to his private collection room, which was filled with expensive antiques and vintage firearms. He pressed a hidden catch on a wooden carving atop his desk. With a low rumble, the automated display cabinets slid apart to reveal a hidden room.

The three walls of the small chamber were covered in beautiful, intricate carvings, some of which were stained a deep, vivid red. Hanging upon them were dozens of sketches—portraits drawn from every possible angle, all featuring the same person: Su Momo.

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