After Becoming a Cannon-Fodder Lackey, I Swore to Protect the Young Lady to the Death - Chapter 4

“Jiao Jiao~ Oh, Jiao Jiao~” Seeing that Lu Jiaoyue hadn’t rejected the nickname, Li Gangjiao decided to push her luck. She adopted an affected, overly dramatic tone that was, quite frankly, painful to witness.

Lu Jiaoyue pressed a hand to her forehead, thinking: Is it too late to pretend I don’t know her?

“Thank you. Thank you all, and thank you, Teacher. I’ll be going now.” Su Momo bowed to the group in gratitude before turning to leave.

Once Li Gangjiao’s wounds were treated, she followed Lu Jiaoyue out. Before they left, the math teacher gave her one last stern warning not to be so reckless next time.

In the original plot, Lu Jiaoyue was supposed to lead Li Xi in bullying Su Momo, resulting in a three-day suspension. For some reason, however, Lu Jiaoyue hadn’t followed the script. Instead, those three other girls had been the ones to lay a hand on the female lead.

******

Just after English class, Shen Nana—the class’s self-appointed information hub, couldn’t wait to share her latest scoop.

“Transferred?!” Li Gangjiao was shocked to hear that the three bullies had collectively jumped ship.

“Word is that the girl surnamed Su recorded them bullying her in the restroom. She took the recording straight to the police, and they sent investigators to the school,” Shen Nana whispered, pulling Li Gangjiao into a corner.

Once she was sure no one was listening, she added, “My cousin is in Class A, and she said the reason they were forced to withdraw immediately was actually because Young Master Gu stepped in.”

It didn’t take a genius to figure out that “Young Master Gu” referred to Gu Yan.

“Oh? So you think he did it to stand up for Su Momo?” Li Gangjiao played dumb, despite knowing exactly how the tropes worked.

“I suspect there’s something going on between them…” Shen Nana nodded, launching into a detailed breakdown of her secret investigations and theories.

The two of them stood close together, whispering and laughing. From Lu Jiaoyue’s perspective, Li Gangjiao was practically glued to Shen Nana’s side, the two of them looking entirely too happy.

“Li Xi. I want milk tea.” Lu Jiaoyue’s voice suddenly rang out. She had lowered her eyes and set down her pen, speaking with an unusual volume.

Lu Jiaoyue was usually the picture of cool composure; she had never spoken quite that loudly before.

“Huh?” Li Gangjiao’s head snapped toward her.

“I’m on it! I’ll go right now!” Realizing the Eldest Miss looked displeased, Li Gangjiao bolted to fetch the drink.

Shen Nana sighed. I wasn’t even done with the gossip! Guess I’ll have to find someone else to talk to. Just then, Chen Wan walked by, clutching her notebook. Shen Nana grabbed her arm. “Do you want to hear about Gu Yan and—”

“No. I’m not in the mood,” Chen Wan interrupted, shaking her head.

Shen Nana blinked in disbelief. “What? You’re usually the first person to care about this stuff.”

“The new season is about to end, and I’m still trying to figure out how to boost my combat power. I don’t have time for drama right now.” With that, Chen Wan walked away.

Lu Jiaoyue’s words from the other day had struck a chord. Her status as a top-ranked Han Xin player was not something she could allow to be threatened.

Shen Nana: “…”

By the time Li Gangjiao sprinted back, she was carrying a milk tea and a slice of chocolate mousse cake, both for Lu Jiaoyue.

“Reporting in!”

The geography teacher, a stern middle-aged man, pointed first at the clock and then at the items in Li Gangjiao’s hands. “How long ago did the bell ring?” he roared. “You’re five minutes late! Now I have to waste time lecturing you. There are thirty people in this class; if you waste one minute of everyone’s time, you’ve wasted thirty minutes of class time!”

Li Gangjiao hung her head, feeling the awkward sting of the public scolding.

“I’m sorry, Teacher. I asked her to buy those for me, and I didn’t keep track of the time,” Lu Jiaoyue said, standing up with an earnest expression.

“Fine. Go to your seat,” the teacher muttered, waving her off. He suddenly remembered the new laboratory building the Lu family had donated last month.

The power of the Almighty Dollar strikes again, Li Gangjiao thought. She hurried to her seat, tucked the snacks into Lu Jiaoyue’s hands, and began rummaging through her desk for her textbook.

Lu Jiaoyue quietly slid the items into her drawer.

Halfway through the lecture, something entered Li Gangjiao’s field of vision. She stopped taking notes and looked closer—it was a small slip of paper. The handwriting was very familiar; she had been copying it for days. It simply said: I’m sorry.

Surprised, Li Gangjiao glanced sideways, but Lu Jiaoyue was already back to taking diligent notes.

******

After class, Lu Jiaoyue pulled the snacks out of her drawer.

“I didn’t ask for cake,” she said, staring at the chocolate mousse.

“I just took a chance. I wanted to buy it for you, Miss,” Li Gangjiao replied. As she watched Lu Jiaoyue carefully unwrap the packaging, she couldn’t help but admire her. The Eldest Miss really is so elegant.

Aware of the intense gaze, Lu Jiaoyue kept her face neutral, though the tips of her ears flushed a faint pink. Why does she keep staring at me like that?!

“Jiao Jiao, let me accompany you to the banquet next month,” Li Gangjiao said suddenly, remembering a major plot point.

In the original story, Lu Jiaoyue had spent weeks meticulously preparing for that event, hoping to finally win the male lead’s heart. Instead, he had made a grand entrance with Su Momo on his arm. Bitter and ignored, Lu Jiaoyue had spent the night hurling insults at the female lead until the hero intervened, leaving the villainess alone and fuming in the ballroom.

Li Gangjiao was already mentally calculating if she could get away with wearing a hoodie and sweatpants to the gala.

“We’ll go pick out dresses on Saturday,” Lu Jiaoyue said, taking a small, elegant bite of the cake. “You should get a few things for yourself too. I’ll handle the bill.”

So sweet.

“Really?!” Li Gangjiao beamed. This was the peak of the “henchman” lifestyle—shopping on someone else’s dime!

******

Meanwhile, the original Li Xi had finally accepted the fact that she wasn’t hallucinating.

“Isakana, this mission… are you serious?” Li Xi stared at the task panel in disbelief.

【There’s no other way. I was supposed to be in the ‘Mainline Synchronization’ department, but since I linked to the wrong person, we have to take whatever missions are left in this world.】

The remaining “leftover” genres for this world included Urban Cultivation, Urban Mystery, and Urban Infinite Flow.

【We have to choose from one of these three.】

Li Xi stared at the options, unable to find the words.

【Don’t worry, these are just the hardest possible tasks available,】 Isakana’s voice was calm, but it was the calm of pure despair.

If there had been an option for “Leisurely Farming,” “Super-Rich Tycoon,” or even a “Red Envelope Chat Group,” they wouldn’t be in this mess.

“Fine. Just close your eyes and pick one.”

【Congratulations, Host! ‘Urban Cultivation’ has been activated!】

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