After Becoming a Cannon-Fodder Lackey, I Swore to Protect the Young Lady to the Death - Chapter 27

“I’ll be in your care, then.”

Su Momo didn’t offer a polite refusal.

By the time the two women stepped out of the study, Auntie Wu had already finished tidying up and left for the day; the living room was silent and empty.

“Auntie Wu is gone. Should I handle dinner tonight?” Su Momo asked, remembering her own decent cooking skills.

“No need. Auntie Liu is coming for the evening shift.”

Lu Jiaoyue confirmed the room was empty and headed toward the second floor.

“Wait!” Su Momo called out urgently just as Lu Jiaoyue reached the stairs. “My parents and Shen Nanshu… they’re all taken care of, right?”

“Don’t worry.”

That single sentence was enough to soothe Su Momo’s frantic, aching heart.

****

“I thought you were in your room, but here you are in the gym…” Lu Jiaoyue’s hand brushed the sensor, and the electronic lock chimed open. Inside, she found Li Gangjiao putting in serious work with the iron.

“Jiao Jiao?” Li Gangjiao looked up, surprised. A bright, sunny smile immediately broke across her face. “Are you two finished talking?”

“Mhm. How about barbecue tonight? I have a feeling you’d really enjoy that.” Lu Jiaoyue grabbed a disposable towel and began gently wiping the sweat from Li Gangjiao’s brow before playfully mussing up her short hair.

“I’d love that! Hey, check my ear—is it better yet? I really want to wear those earrings!” Li Gangjiao nodded eagerly, her mind momentarily split between the promise of grilled meat and her new jewelry.

The skin around her earlobe was still a dull, dark red, and the swelling hadn’t fully subsided, though thankfully there was no sign of infection.

“Not yet. We have to wait until the inflammation is completely gone,” Lu Jiaoyue declared. The moment she finished speaking, she was pulled into a hug. Li Gangjiao began peppering her ears and cheeks with small kisses before letting out a long, dramatic sigh.

“Sigh.” She sounded genuinely dejected.

So, she wants to be pampered, Lu Jiaoyue thought. Her gaze darkened slightly as a smirk played on her lips. She wrapped her arms around Li Gangjiao’s waist, coaxing her with a tender, honeyed tone.

“Be good. Let me apply your medicine, okay?”

“Mmm… okay.” Li Gangjiao nuzzled into Lu Jiaoyue’s neck like a puppy, earning a gentle pat on the shoulder.

“This stuff is a bit itchy when it goes on.”

“It’s Mupirocin ointment—a topical antimicrobial. A little itching is normal as it works on the wound. If it starts to burn or itch intensely, let me know; that might be an allergic reaction.”

As she applied the ointment with a cotton swab, Lu Jiaoyue explained the process softly, her eyes full of affection. Once she was finished, she decided to stay in the gym. A place she rarely visited just to keep Li Gangjiao company.

Li Gangjiao went back to her workout while Lu Jiaoyue scrolled through her phone. As Li Gangjiao hit her thirty-fourth push-up, a phone screen suddenly appeared in front of her face, playing a TikTok video.

In the video, a girl in a white dress sat shyly on her boyfriend’s waist while he performed effortless, focused push-ups.

“That’s gotta be fake. That guy didn’t even engage his core; there’s no way he could pull that off,” Li Gangjiao said, her underground fighter instincts kicking in with a skeptical look.

“Could you do it?” Lu Jiaoyue asked.

“Do what?” Li Gangjiao looked confused.

“If I sat on your back, could you keep going? I’m just curious; you don’t actually have to do it.” Lu Jiaoyue pulled the phone back.

“I’m not sure, but you’re welcome to try.” Li Gangjiao dropped to one knee and braced herself.

She rested for two minutes before getting into a perfect push-up stance, her back straight and steady, signaling she was ready.

“Forget it. Just keep practicing on your own,” Lu Jiaoyue laughed, reaching out to ruffle Li Gangjiao’s messy hair. “Your hair is getting a bit long. Maybe I’ll braid it for you later…”

She stood up and walked toward the floor-to-ceiling windows. Outside, the garden was meticulously kept. The roses and peonies against the wall were in full bloom—vibrant, seductive, and exceptionally beautiful. The purple lobelia at the base of the wall added a striking splash of color.

“The sedum hasn’t bloomed yet.”

Lu Jiaoyue pulled a sketchbook and a fountain pen from a cabinet near the equipment rack. The last entry was dated September of the previous year. Even the most inconspicuous nandina bushes had their own detailed sketches in this book.

The sky today was an extraordinary shade of blue—a hue somewhere between a deep mountain stone and the shimmering peak of an autumn wave. It felt as if the sunlight itself were slightly tipsy. In this moment, the world felt perfectly still.

It reminded Lu Jiaoyue of a poem by Xi Murong, one of her favorites:

I love that state of twilight, when all colors have grown quiet, yet the night has not yet arrived. I love a life at twilight, where all the stories have taken shape, yet the ending has not yet come…

“…”

Li Gangjiao appeared silently behind her, picking up a blue oil pastel. “Aren’t you going to color the sky?”

The question pulled Lu Jiaoyue out of her reverie. She looked down at the pen sketch of the garden corner in her hand. “I don’t usually add color…”

“Can I do it?” Li Gangjiao asked, her eyes shining as she looked at the drawing. The lines clearly outlined the flowers, grass, trees, and clouds, like a coloring page waiting to be brought to life.

“Sure.”

The moment Lu Jiaoyue agreed, Li Gangjiao began filling in the sky. She worked with a mix of casual ease and intense focus. While a gradient is a basic technique for most, Li Gangjiao had never studied art; she simply filled in the “boxes” according to her own understanding.

The black-and-white image had been delicate and cold, but as the blue began to dominate the upper half of the page, the neat lines became a bit messy—yet they vibrated with a sudden, unbridled vitality.

******

Beep-beep.

The sound of a guest key card being inserted broke the silence.

“Uh… dinner is ready!!”

Su Momo stood in the doorway, looking awkwardly at the scene before her. From her angle, it looked exactly like Li Xi was holding Lu Jiaoyue from behind while they shared a kiss!!

In reality, they were just coloring together. It was entirely a matter of perspective.

Su Momo’s face turned a vivid shade of crimson. She questioned herself internally: Why did I have to open the door right then?! This is so embarrassing!!

Lu Jiaoyue: ???

Li Gangjiao: ???

“Are you hot? Why is your face so red?” Li Gangjiao racked her brain but couldn’t guess Su Momo’s train of thought. She assumed the air conditioning was failing.

“I’m not hot! Not hot at all! I’ll go first. You guys keep going! Keep doing… whatever you’re doing!!” With that, Su Momo bolted like a frightened rabbit, her very silhouette radiating awkwardness.

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