After Becoming a Cannon-Fodder Lackey, I Swore to Protect the Young Lady to the Death - Chapter 37

As Li Gangjiao flipped through the novel in the system space, she noticed that the black-and-white text began to fade once the story reached a certain point.

“This is…” Looking at the pale text describing the “sweet” plot points, she felt an indescribable sense of wrongness. The image of Su Momo’s forced smiles flashed through her mind.

Li Gangjiao realized that the novel was gradually losing its color. As she continued to read, the ink became lighter and lighter, as if signaling the disappearance of a predetermined fate. Suddenly, an entire page turned completely white; the words had vanished. She stared at the blank page in shock, a strange sensation welling up in her heart. She flipped forward hurriedly, only to find every subsequent page the same. The story had simply been cut off.

Just as she was reeling from the confusion, the novel in her hands emitted a brilliant light. Once the glow faded, a brand-new book appeared before her. This one had a vivid, multi-colored cover, and the title shimmered with an eerie radiance.

Li Gangjiao opened it curiously and found that the text inside was now kaleidoscopic. “What is going on?”

Even more shocking was the fact that the plot development in this new version was an exact mirror of their recent experiences.

Has the storyline been changed by us? she wondered.

The new story had no ending yet; the pages following their current timeline were entirely blank. Li Gangjiao muttered, “So this thing updates in real-time?”

She swiped the electronic screen in front of her to the mission interface, where her task was clearly stated: Help Lu Jiaoyue bully Su Momo.

Li Gangjiao: Well, I guess I’ve technically finished half of it. She had helped Lu Jiaoyue, but she certainly hadn’t bullied Su Momo. After three seconds of realizing her brain couldn’t handle this level of meta-logic, she decided to find a way back to Lu Jiaoyue. This place was simply too boring.

*****

The Villa:

Outside the window, the night was as dark as ink, with stars flickering like tiny pinpricks in the distant sky. Inside, the room was silent, save for the faint scratching of a pen against paper.

This set of math competition problems was not easy, even for Lu Jiaoyue. As she finished the last sub-question, a wave of intense exhaustion washed over her. It felt as though her strength had been drained, leaving only her mental fortitude to hold her body upright.

Ring— ring—

Her phone rang; it was a call from her father.

Gu Yan had not been having a good time lately. Even if his connections intended to protect him, they couldn’t ignore the sheer volume of his crimes. Even if each sentence was light, the cumulative effect was enough to keep him behind bars for a significant portion of his life.

“Jiaoyue, the Gu family has fallen.”

Hearing this, Lu Jiaoyue didn’t seem surprised. Her father had been in business for years and was a “sly old fox.” Several subsidiaries under the Gu Group were performing well, so her father had simply stepped in while the Gu family was in crisis. Under the guise of “providing help,” he had essentially acquired them at rock-bottom prices.

Gu Yan’s high-profile, arrogant behavior had already offended many people. Previously, they hadn’t dared to show their resentment because of his power. Now, however, he was too bogged down by lawsuits to manage his empire. The massive Gu Group had become a piece of prime meat—not only did outsiders want a cut, but those within the company were eager for a share as well.

The business world was a battlefield. Yesterday’s friends could become today’s enemies for the right price. The young heirs who had once swarmed around Gu Yan were only there for profit; now that there was no profit to be had, they scattered like dust.

*****

In a way, perhaps Gu Yan loved Su Momo because she didn’t crave money or power. He had simply forgotten that those who do not crave such things are also the ones who will never surrender to them.

Ring— ring—

This time, it was Su Momo.

“Gu Yan is in! He’s been sent to the juvenile detention center!”

Lu Jiaoyue could clearly feel the irrepressible excitement in Su Momo’s voice. Infected by the emotion, her own lips curled into a slight smile.

“Congratulations,” Lu Jiaoyue said. Congratulations on finally being free of him.

“Is… has Li Xi woken up yet?” Su Momo asked tentatively. She knew how much Lu Jiaoyue had been hurting and didn’t want to upset her, but the doctor had said Li Gangjiao might wake up in the next few days. She felt it was only right to ask.

“Not yet. I’m hanging up now,” Lu Jiaoyue replied, her tone dipping back into despondency.

Beep— beep—

She tossed her phone aside and reached for the sketchbook on the shelf. In the corner of a black-and-white garden sketch, there was a bright, messy patch of blue. This was Li Gangjiao’s “contribution.”

“The sedum has bloomed,” Lu Jiaoyue whispered.

She gripped her fountain pen tight, unsure of what her heart truly wanted to draw. Eventually, she began to sketch a full page of four-leaf sedum on a new sheet. Mid-way through, she realized she had subconsciously drawn the shape of a handgun.

“Did I water them today?”

She asked herself the question before putting the sketchbook back and throwing on a jacket to head into the garden. Early summer was approaching, and many flowers had already begun to fade. In the silent corners, petals were withering and falling onto the green grass. Their vibrant colors had dulled, and the once-plump petals were now dry and fragile, looking as if they would shatter at the slightest touch.

The “Snow Roses” grew slowly, but their roots had taken hold quickly; tiny seedlings had already sprouted.

“Forget it, I won’t water them.”

Lu Jiaoyue picked up the watering can but suddenly remembered that Snow Roses disliked excessive moisture. She set it back down.

During those first few days after the incident, she had rarely visited this part of the garden. The night Li Gangjiao fired that shot had truly terrified her. No matter how much she tried to convince herself otherwise, she couldn’t escape the lingering fear of what lay beneath the Snow Roses.

When did that fear start to fade?

She could only vaguely recall returning from the hospital one day. Li Gangjiao still hadn’t woken up, and the stress of dealing with Gu Yan while preparing for her competitions had left her in a state of constant irritability. That day, she had smashed everything in sight.

Debris had scattered everywhere, turning her neat space into a chaotic mess. Shards of glass glittered on the rug, and a genuine masterpiece on the wall had been torn down, its frame shattered.

But this time, there was no one waiting outside her door with a bowl of fish soup, looking lost and concerned.

After her outburst, a crushing sense of powerlessness had overwhelmed her, making her feel as though she were drowning. For some reason, she had walked out to the garden. It was only when she stood before the Snow Rose seedlings that her heart finally began to find its peace.

“Li Gangjiao…”

The night wind drowned out her murmur, scattering the sound into the distance.

Support