After Cannon Fodder A Accidentally Marked the Cold Film Queen - Chapter 32

The subsequent procedures were standard. The director announced the upcoming performance segment, where trainees would form teams with their respective mentors, based on their chosen mentor, to collectively complete a stage performance.

Only Zhu Songning’s group was an exception, as Shen Qingyu had only her as a trainee mentee.

The production team argued for three whole days, torn between letting Zhu Songning and Shen Qingyu perform together, or randomly assigning Zhu Songning to another group.

In the end, the chief director made the final decision.

It was laughable to consider breaking them up. Shen Qingyu’s singing and dancing performance—did they know how much traffic that would generate?

Shen Qingyu was rumored to have studied traditional folk dance previously, but she had never showcased her talent in any program.

If their show became the venue for her debut performance, it would undoubtedly cause a massive sensation online.

“No splitting them up!” The director slammed the table firmly. “Let them be bound together! Locked in!”

Over the next few days, all five groups, including Shen Qingyu’s, would compose their choreography and songs based on the demo tracks they had drawn.

Late at night, after showering, Zhu Songning lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

The events of the day were still vivid in her mind: the harsh words she had spoken to Shen Qingyu, and the final revelation of the truth.

Guilt surfaced in her heart.

She switched on the lamp and suddenly noticed that the rabbit plush toy beside her had moved slightly.

Zhu Songning: “!?!”

Is the room haunted?

Was she too tired and exhausted, starting to hallucinate?

She closed her eyes again, rubbed them hard, and then reopened them.

The rabbit was wiggling even more vigorously, its two small, stubby paws flailing in the air.

Damn it.

It wasn’t her imagination.

The plush toy was actually moving!

Zhu Songning quickly grabbed the scissors from the bedside table, aiming them at the plush, when a familiar voice abruptly sounded from inside the furry rabbit’s body.

【Host! Host! It’s me!】

【Spare the system!】

It was 001’s voice.

Zhu Songning suspiciously lowered the scissors and pinched the rabbit’s long ears.

“001? Why are you here?”

When did it sneak in?

How did she not know 001 had this function, being able to possess other plush toys?

【Hehe. Didn’t I tell the Host before? I applied to the system for bug compensation, and now I have a body and can move?】

“That’s not right,” Zhu Songning patted the rabbit’s large head. “Even if it’s compensation, shouldn’t it be given directly to me? Why did it go to you?”

【Well, about that…】

The rabbit scratched its head awkwardly, and Zhu Songning actually saw a hint of shyness in its dark bead eyes.

【We are one, Host and System, so my gain is also your gain.】

Alright.

Zhu Songning hadn’t really paid attention to this so-called “compensation.”

Her fundamental goal had always been to find someone.

She picked up the plush and spun it around until dizzy circles appeared in 001’s eyes before she finally stopped.

“That’s enough. Get out of the plush toy.”

Zhu Songning said.

001: 【???】

“I need to hug this rabbit to sleep,” she stated frankly. “Tomorrow I’ll buy another plush toy for you to possess, but not this one.”

She glanced at the large, pink, cute rabbit with a look of disdain.

“Otherwise, hugging you to sleep feels creepy.”

001: 【…………】

What a cold and heartless Host!

What’s wrong with hugging it to sleep? How dare she be disgusted by it!

As if sensing 001’s resentment, Zhu Songning raised an eyebrow and added.

“Perhaps you don’t understand, being a system, but I am a person with a family now.”

The light in the plush toy’s eyes flickered even more frequently, as if malfunctioning due to anger.

The blue light blinked once before reappearing in the ear-mounted device.

【There’s no need for a new plush—only this one is special enough for me to possess.】

【You sleep first. I’ll possess it again when you wake up.】

001 hesitated before continuing to speak to her.

【By the way, Host, besides this, I have also applied to the main system for a clue about the person you’ve been searching for, as compensation and a reward for successfully completing the previous missions. It’s pending approval.】

Zhu Songning was touched: “Good system.”

Hugging the plush toy, she turned off the light, and a familiar sleepiness gradually enveloped her.

Zhu Songning selectively let go of the myriad complex thoughts and emotions in her heart, turning off her brain.

Separated by one door, the light was still on by Shen Qingyu’s bed.

“Hello.”

She stood by the window, tall and elegant, like a graceful silhouette painting.

The phone on the table showed an ongoing call.

[Shen Qingmu]

“Done. Everything you asked me to do is handled.”

Shen Qingmu had spent a lot of effort on Shen Qingyu’s matters these past few days.

She even made a special trip to the company under the Shen family where she held a position, just to distribute the milk, bird’s nest, and other supplements that were purchased as employee benefits.

“It would be easier for you to do it yourself. Why insist on having me do these things?”

Shen Qingyu controlled over half of the Shen Group, with several direct subsidiary companies under her, yet she insisted on using Shen Qingmu’s hands, and deliberately kept the vote count suppressed to second place, below the Bai family’s.

She truly couldn’t understand the twists and turns in Shen Qingyu’s mind.

“Thank you. The expenses will be covered by my private account. I’ve already had my assistant transfer the funds to you, plus an extra million.”

Shen Qingyu’s gaze rested on the bright moonlight outside the window.

“She doesn’t like me interfering in her affairs.”

Shen Qingmu didn’t understand, but she was a fool not to earn money.

Especially Shen Qingyu’s money.

She earned it the most happily.

“Alrighty.” Shen Qingmu chuckled.

Shen Qingyu’s eyes retracted from the window: “And you. With that Luo…”

She tried to recall the person’s name.

“Luo Chuanhe.” Shen Qingmu quickly supplied.

“Yes.” Shen Qingyu slightly raised an eyebrow. “What’s going on between you two? You voted for her quite a bit?”

“Nothing much. I just watched the show and appreciated her ability,” Shen Qingmu explained, pulling at the corner of her mouth helplessly. “Otherwise, what did you think? I’m just an Omega with a gland defect. I’m probably destined to be without love and romance this lifetime. You just focus on doing well.”

“You shouldn’t say that.”

Shen Qingyu wanted to say more to her, but Shen Qingmu hastily excused herself, saying she was busy, and hung up the phone.

Staring at the phone that suddenly exited the call interface back to the home screen, Shen Qingyu lowered her gaze, the expression in her eyes hard to discern.

Ultimately, it turned into a sigh that dissipated with the evening breeze into the cold air.

The next day, Zhu Songning woke up early.

She had slept so soundly that she didn’t notice the slight movement of the rabbit plush toy’s ears after she fell asleep.

After washing up, she prepared to go out for breakfast, hoping desperately not to run into Shen Qingyu. And indeed, she didn’t encounter her.

She peeked at Shen Qingyu’s door; there was no movement.

Zhu Songning quietly sighed in relief, yet there was also an indescribable feeling of disappointment.

But no matter what, she couldn’t avoid the inevitable forever.

They still had a mentor-mentee collaboration stage to discuss; it was an unavoidable matter.

Zhu Songning hadn’t proactively contacted her, and Shen Qingyu hadn’t reacted either.

Perhaps she should find a suitable time to approach Shen Qingyu and properly discuss ideas for the performance.

She didn’t run into Shen Qingyu, but she did bump into the director head-on.

“Little Zhu!”

The director greeted her enthusiastically, waving his hand.

“Thank you so much.”

Zhu Songning was utterly confused: “What do you mean?”

Thank who?

Her and who?

She didn’t remember helping the director anywhere.

“Look at you, still pretending with me—”

The director glanced at her.

“Ah, if it weren’t for Film Empress Shen helping to shoulder the pressure and handle the relationships with the sponsors, how would our production team dare to publicly release the vote counts and purge those fraudulent data?”

“Thank you both so much for allowing my show to continue fairly and justly.”

“What are you talking about?” Zhu Songning’s expression froze instantly. “Shoulder the pressure? What?”

She… knew none of this.

The director then suddenly realized that Zhu Songning was completely unaware of what Shen Qingyu had done and quickly clapped a hand over his mouth.

“Haha, I was just talking nonsense…”

“Please explain clearly before you leave, Director.”

Zhu Songning’s tone was extremely polite, but the hand blocking the director’s path showed no sign of letting go.

“…” The director forced himself to speak. “Actually, it’s nothing much. It’s just that people from Yuanhe Entertainment were involved with the production team and the sponsors. They wanted to tamper with the votes. Film Empress Shen discovered it and intervened, adding more investment to the show, and reached some agreement with the sponsors, and then…”

The result that followed, Zhu Songning already knew without the director having to say it.

The fraudulent data created by Xu Zhe was cleared, and everyone who questioned her vote count was silenced after the concrete data was made public.

None of this was due to Zhu Songning’s good luck. It was because someone was consistently protecting her and supporting her from behind the scenes.

Allowing her to pursue her path freely on this show.

A gust of wind swept past the director.

“Hey, Little Zhu! Slow down! Hey, be careful not to fall!”

The director’s words were completely forgotten by her.

Zhu Songning frantically ran along the familiar path, turned the key, and pushed the door open.

Shen Qingyu had slept late last night; she was still in bed, having just woken up.

Hearing the noise, she hadn’t even had time to get up from the bed before Zhu Songning tackled her back onto it.

Zhu Songning’s head pressed against her chest through the blanket.

The Omega’s soft body was held in her arms, filling what felt like an empty heart.

Her heart pounded wildly.

“What are you doing—”

“Jiejie.”

Zhu Songning called out to her.

The question Shen Qingyu was about to ask instantly got stuck in her throat.

She lowered her head and saw Zhu Songning’s pitiful, upward-gazing expression. Her eyes softened involuntarily.

“Jiejie Jiejie Jiejie Jiejie Jiejie…”

Shen Qingyu’s head ached from being called so much. She bent her wrist and gently tapped Zhu Songning’s head.

“What nonsense are you up to now?”

Zhu Songning fell silent.

After a while, she called out softly again: “Yuyu Jiejie…”

“I’m sorry. I was a jerk before.”

Zhu Songning took her hand and pressed it against her own hot, burning face.

“Hit me again, punish me, do whatever you want to me—”

“I’m not a psycho.”

Shen Qingyu desperately tried to pull her hand out of Zhu Songning’s grasp, but was held even tighter.

“Then don’t abandon me.”

The little puppy tucked away its claws, obediently lying by its owner’s side.

“I made a mistake, said the wrong thing, so I should be punished.”

Otherwise, her heart wouldn’t be at peace.

This feeling of instability was like a rushing river, threatening to wash her away at any moment.

Her buttocks were suddenly smacked.

Zhu Songning’s body trembled violently, watching Shen Qingyu calmly withdraw her hand.

“There. That’s the punishment for the little puppy.”

A tingling numbness rapidly spread from the spot where she was struck to her entire body. Zhu Songning’s breathing also became disordered.

Shen Qingyu didn’t notice the sudden darkening of her eyes.

By the time she realized it, the Alpha had quietly pushed off the blanket covering her body, replaced it by covering Shen Qingyu herself, kneeling on both sides of her legs, tightly restricting her.

“Not enough.”

How could such a big mistake she committed be simply glossed over by Jiejie like this?

Zhu Songning’s hand slid onto her waist.

“How is this punishment enough?”

She looked at Shen Qingyu, like a fanatic finally seeing the divine being they had long adored.

No fanatical believer wouldn’t want to drag their high and mighty deity down from the altar.

She wanted to see her snow-white hair tainted with filth, to see her pale face flushed with color from torment, to see her eyes no longer calm and composed.

Zhu Songning retrieved an alcohol swab from the side, meticulously cleaning each of her fingers.

They were long and strong.

Due to the nature of her profession, she had always maintained her hand care, applying hand cream, using hand masks, and exercising her hand muscles to achieve the best magic effects.

She never expected that one day, it would become her advantage in another aspect.

“Jiejie, let me pleasure you.”

Pleading with the deity for mercy, to bestow dew upon her sacred believer.

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