After Becoming a Cannon-Fodder Lackey, I Swore to Protect the Young Lady to the Death - Chapter 7

Gu Yan didn’t send any more goons to stir up trouble over the following days; he was likely too busy being entangled in his usual drama with Su Momo. By the time the night of the gala arrived, Li Gangjiao hadn’t seen a trace of either protagonist.

“Is that updo still not finished?” Li Gangjiao asked, looking at the stylist in shock after finishing yet another round of a mobile game.

“Almost there, almost there,” the stylist replied. She was a trendy middle-aged woman hired specifically to do Lu Jiaoyue’s hair.

Li Gangjiao: Is every banquet this high-maintenance nowadays? I guess a plebeian like me just doesn’t get it.

Thirty minutes for bathing, thirty for makeup, thirty for picking the outfit, and now another thirty just for the hair… Li Gangjiao had powered through several matches, and the session still wasn’t over. She looked at Lu Jiaoyue, whose sheer radiance was practically blinding her, and then caught a glimpse of her own simple, lightly made-up reflection in the mirror.

Being a rich miss seems like way more work than I thought. Sigh. Back to scrolling through short videos.

“Li Xi, where is that pendant I bought you? Why aren’t you wearing it?” Lu Jiaoyue asked suddenly.

“Oh… I accidentally broke it,” Li Gangjiao replied, quickly putting her phone down.

She hadn’t thought much of the attempted ambush, so she’d never mentioned it to Lu Jiaoyue. But since the pendant had come up, Li Gangjiao decided to tell her the whole story.

“Did that man hurt you?” Lu Jiaoyue asked. She looked shocked and worried, but if one looked closely, a faint, icy chill flickered in the depths of her eyes.

“No way. I gave him a total beatdown,” Li Gangjiao replied proudly, shaking her head.

“Since when did you become such a fierce fighter?” Lu Jiaoyue asked, lowering her gaze to her reflection.

“Oh, you know, I just practice a bit in my spare time.” Feeling quite flattered by the praise, Li Gangjiao scratched the back of her head sheepishly.

“I see. Come over here and see if there’s anything you like. Take whatever you want.” Lu Jiaoyue pulled open a drawer on her right, revealing an array of stunning necklaces nestled together.

When she saw that Li Gangjiao wasn’t moving to choose, Lu Jiaoyue simply picked up several strands and tossed them to her.

“You’re going to a banquet; you have to wear at least one.” With that, Lu Jiaoyue went back to inspecting herself in the mirror.

Li Gangjiao stared at them for a long time before deciding to just wear all of them. The concept of “stealth wealth” was lost on her—mostly because she’d been too poor to ever have the opportunity to practice it.

When Lu Jiaoyue finished her styling and saw Li Gangjiao’s neck, she froze. “Are you using your neck as a jewelry display case?”

“It’s fine! I’ll be standing next to you the whole time anyway. You’re so beautiful that no one is even going to notice what’s on my neck,” Li Gangjiao said, her voice brimming with pride.

Not only is my sugar mommy generous, but she’s also a total knockout! A literal blessing for a visual-snob like me!

Once the stylist left, Lu Jiaoyue smiled and took Li Gangjiao’s hand. “At the banquet tonight,” she whispered, “I’m going to make Gu Yan pay for what he did.”

For a split second, Li Gangjiao saw a flash of cold fury on Lu Jiaoyue’s glamorous face. She didn’t know exactly what the plan was, but the realization that she was “being protected by the Eldest Miss” made her dizzy with joy.

Aaah! If this keeps up, I’m seriously going to fall head-over-heels for her!!

******

The lavish banquet hall was a whirlwind of activity. The clinking of crystal glasses echoed through the crowd, and the scent of expensive wine drifted through the air. A piano played a graceful, winding melody as guests exchanged pleasantries and soft laughter.

Li Gangjiao: Oh no. This banquet hall is an ‘unfamiliar server.’ My CPU is about to overheat and crash!

“Don’t be nervous. Just stay with me,” Lu Jiaoyue whispered, sensing her discomfort. Feeling Lu Jiaoyue’s hand in hers, Li Gangjiao’s anxiety began to melt away.

In the original author’s world, this gathering of young socialites didn’t have much of a real purpose; it was mainly a stage for the leads to humiliate the villainess. Before the main characters arrived, Lu Jiaoyue was the center of attention, surrounded by people eager to curry favor. Most of them were busy showering her with compliments on her beauty.

Creak—

The grand doors of the hall swung open. It was time for the leads to make their “stately” entrance. Gu Yan wore his classic custom suit and leather shoes. Su Momo walked beside him in a pink floor-length gown with a trailing hem, a delicate bow adorned with a pink gemstone cinched at her waist. Crystal heels peeked out from beneath her skirt.

Under her light makeup, Su Momo looked dainty and adorable, her loose hair adding a touch of gentleness to her appearance. If one could ignore the blatant look of annoyance in her eyes, they would have looked like the perfect, enviable couple.

“Let me introduce everyone. This is my girlfriend—Su Momo,” Gu Yan announced flatly.

The news sent a ripple through the crowd. Girls began whispering and boys exchanged meaningful glances; clearly, no one had seen this coming. Gu Yan’s presence acted like a magnet, drawing guests forward to offer pleasantries. No one wanted to offend the “Prince of the Underworld.”

Su Momo, meanwhile, lifted her skirt and headed straight for the dessert table to eat in peace.

Li Gangjiao let out a quiet sigh of relief when she saw that Lu Jiaoyue wasn’t making a move to start trouble. She knew the Eldest Miss valued her dignity. After all, she wouldn’t have spent two hours getting ready if she didn’t. If she were humiliated in front of all these people, Jiao Jiao would be devastated.

For some reason, Gu Yan suddenly began walking toward them. Li Gangjiao instinctively stepped in front of Lu Jiaoyue, her grip on the other girl’s hand tightening.

Lu Jiaoyue maintained her composed, elegant smile. She glanced at the clock on the wall and murmured softly, “It’s starting.”

Neither Li Gangjiao nor Gu Yan heard her clearly, but before they could ask, a sound cut them off.

The massive screen above the stage suddenly flickered to life, displaying today’s trending news. Three of the top ten spots were about Gu Yan.

[BREAKING: Young Master of the Gu Family Caught Snatching Clothes!]

[Why Would the Heir to the Gu Empire Do Such a Thing?]

[Young Master Gu Dragged Out by Security?!]

Clearly, these media outlets were masters of the clickbait headline. The screen appeared to be connected to a computer, as the trending topics were being clicked on and scrolled through one by one for the whole room to see.

Li Gangjiao stared at the screen, then whipped her head around to look at Lu Jiaoyue, who had a faint, satisfied smile playing on her lips.

“This…” Before Li Gangjiao could finish her sentence, another voice drowned her out.

“Was this your doing?!” Gu Yan’s handsome face was twisted with rage, his right hand curling into a tight fist. Being publicly humiliated like this had pushed his fury to the breaking point.

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