After Becoming a Cannon-Fodder Lackey, I Swore to Protect the Young Lady to the Death - Chapter 8

The banquet ended amidst the smoke of a silent war.

No matter how overbearing Gu Yan tried to be, he didn’t dare lay a finger on the Eldest Miss of the Lu family in front of so many witnesses. Even as they walked out of the hall, Li Gangjiao was still in a state of utter bewilderment.

Wasn’t the surveillance footage in the clothing store supposed to be broken? How did a video suddenly appear? And why did it go viral so fast? A string of questions swirled in her head, but with her current mental bandwidth, she couldn’t quite connect the dots.

“I told you I’d get back at him for you,” Lu Jiaoyue said as she settled into the car, looking utterly relaxed and languid.

“Huh? But how…”

“The cameras weren’t broken. I only said that back then because you were clearly furious, and I thought it wouldn’t be good to stop you from landing a few hits. I paid the manager a bit extra to copy the footage to my email first. Besides, you know the Lu family sells luxury goods; it’s not exactly surprising that we keep a few marketing accounts on retainer, is it?” Lu Jiaoyue explained patiently, watching Li Gangjiao’s confused expression.

“My father still has reservations about moving against the Gu family, but as of today, I’ve officially burnt that bridge…” Lu Jiaoyue murmured, staring at the scenery flashing past the window.

“Then your father…”

“Will you stay with me?”

They both spoke at the exact same time.

“Of course! I’ll protect you with my life, Jiao Jiao!” Li Gangjiao declared without a second thought, immediately clocking back into “loyal henchman” mode.

“You performed well today. You deserve a bonus.” Lu Jiaoyue promptly transferred 20,000 yuan to her.

Li Gangjiao: And once again, I have successfully succumbed to the irresistible charm of the villainous Eldest Miss.

“I want to go somewhere for a walk. Accompany me?” Lu Jiaoyue stared at Li Gangjiao, her relaxed posture belying a hidden, intense seriousness.

“Sure,” Li Gangjiao nodded.

“To the beach?” Lu Jiaoyue asked.

City A was landlocked. Li Gangjiao checked the nearest flights on her phone. “How about the 9:00 PM flight to City C?”

“Fine. Uncle Liu, to the airport,” Lu Jiaoyue instructed.

Once they arrived, Li Gangjiao followed Lu Jiaoyue like a shadow. They hadn’t even brought luggage; they had nothing but their phones. To be honest, Li Gangjiao had never even been on a plane before, let alone sat in a first-class lounge.

Her childhood experiences had made frugality an instinct carved into her very marrow. Only the constant accumulation of wealth could soothe her restless heart.

“Here, eat.” Lu Jiaoyue picked up a pastry from the lounge spread and held it to Li Gangjiao’s lips.

Seeing food, Li Gangjiao didn’t stand on ceremony. Back at the banquet, the dessert area had felt like it was protected by an invisible barrier. Nobody but the female lead could get near it. It was as if the food itself was reserved for the protagonist alone.

Li Gangjiao grumbled internally: The author of this world really has zero logic. Such a huge dessert spread and us ‘supporting characters’ weren’t even allowed in? Please. If the author could hear her, they would surely snap back: “I did all that to drive the plot! How else was I supposed to write it? If you’re so smart, you try it!”

The flight was short. By the time they reached City C, it was only 10:00 PM. They took a taxi to the shore and booked two rooms at a five-star hotel right on the beach.

In the ink-black sky, a bright moon and a scattering of stars hung high. Bonfires illuminated the sand, where crowds of people were laughing and dancing near barbecue pits.

“You got it set up that fast?” Li Gangjiao asked, walking out of a beachside shop with a jacket in her hand.

A light breeze swept across the night shore. Even though the temperature wasn’t low, there was a distinct chill in the wind. Setting up a bonfire required building a wooden frame; Li Gangjiao had intended to do it herself after returning from the shop, but Lu Jiaoyue had already finished the task.

“You bought a jacket?” Lu Jiaoyue accepted the juice Li Gangjiao handed her, noticing the extra garment.

“I bought it for you. I was worried the sea breeze would give you a cold…” As she sat down, Li Gangjiao realized she was also wearing a dress and awkwardly tucked the hem under her to sit on the sand.

“Thank you.” Lu Jiaoyue laughed softly as she took the jacket. Then she added, “Your geography is truly terrible, isn’t it?”

“Huh?” Li Gangjiao looked lost, but that didn’t stop her from popping open a beer.

“There is no sea breeze at night,” Lu Jiaoyue noted with a smile, taking a sip of her juice.

“Is that right? I had no idea.” Li Gangjiao laughed along with her.

The two sat in silence by the bonfire, watching the stars as the occasional breeze brushed against their faces.

“Who… are you?” Lu Jiaoyue asked suddenly, her voice shattering the tranquility.

“I’m Li… Xi,” Li Gangjiao replied. Her head felt a bit fuzzy. She was just wondering when her alcohol tolerance had gotten so low when she remembered that this wasn’t her own body.

“You aren’t Li Xi,” Lu Jiaoyue said with absolute certainty.

“Uh…” With a whole beer in her system, Li Gangjiao felt heavy and sluggish, unsure of how to respond.

“I don’t know who you really are, but you are the only variable in an otherwise fixed destiny. My life seemed to have a predetermined ending; no matter how hard I tried to change things, I would always, through some twist of fate, end up right back where I started…” Lu Jiaoyue’s eyes were clouded with a faint sorrow and a lingering sense of defiance.

No one understood her pain. Her life had been trapped in the same old timeline over and over again, a cycle of infinite loops that wore down her will until she reached the point of collapse, despair, and eventually, numbness.

“It wasn’t until you appeared that everything changed. You couldn’t possibly be Li Xi. Or rather, you couldn’t be the original Li Xi.” At this, a smile returned to Lu Jiaoyue’s face; one full of irrepressible warmth.

Li Gangjiao’s appearance was like the dead lake at the center of the Southern Ring Nebula suddenly erupting into a starburst; a dying star had suddenly exploded with dazzling vitality, giving birth to a brand-new galaxy.

“To me, you are the only variable left.”

In a stagnant life, hope had finally appeared. This time, she was being sheltered by this strange star who, through her violent and reckless methods, had smashed open a path of possibility for her.

“I don’t know how much longer you can stay, but if possible, I want to remember your name.” Lu Jiaoyue’s tone was calm, but her eyes glistened with unshed tears.

“Li Gangjiao. My name is Li Gangjiao!” Seeing the tears, Li Gangjiao reached out frantically to wipe them away.

Under the moonlight, the two of them shared a long embrace.

Much later, after Lu Jiaoyue had composed herself, Li Gangjiao finally asked the question burning in her mind: “How did you realize I wasn’t her?”

“Li Xi wouldn’t get two out of three multiple-choice questions wrong. She doesn’t know how to fight, and she definitely wasn’t this… attentive.” Lu Jiaoyue buried her face in Li Gangjiao’s shoulder, letting out a soft, light laugh.

Li Xi would bring back milk tea, sure. But she was never the type to carefully wipe the condensation off the cup and insert the straw before handing it over.

Support