After Cannon Fodder A Accidentally Marked the Cold Film Queen - Chapter 8

[Time-limited Task Two: The Host must hold hands with the target and interlock fingers! Failure to complete the task will result in termination!]

A rare sense of absurdity rose in Zhu Songning’s heart.

She had done everything possible to stay away from Shen Qingyu, and yet, at this critical moment, the system’s time-limited task popped up.

Damn it.

How could she have forgotten about the system’s new series of tasks she was bound to?

And based on her understanding of the system, the style of a task series is usually consistent.

Just like the Lu Conghuan series of tasks she completed last time, the core theme revolved around being a “dog lover” (a submissive, devoted follower).

So, this time…

Zhu Songning recalled the first task, which was helping Shen Qingyu successfully get through her heat period, and now the second task is holding hands.

Could this be some sort of fluffy, sweet romance script from a novel?

“Do you realize I just finished giving someone a harsh warning?”

Zhu Songning clenched the blue earbud in her hand.

“Next time, if a situation like this arises, can you at least give me a heads-up?”

The system’s voice returned to normal, the crackling sound of static electricity buzzing in her ear.

【I’m sorry, Host. I have no choice.】

【Tasks are always transmitted directly from the main system; I cannot know them in advance.】

She steadied herself. A girl with a sweet, coiled bun inside the dorm room noticed she hadn’t gained her footing and quickly came to help her.

“Are you okay?”

Zhu Songning wasn’t comfortable with physical contact and subtly avoided the hand the person extended to help her.

“Thank you, I’m fine. I just didn’t see the threshold.”

“Oh, okay.” The girl withdrew her hand, showing no sign of awkwardness in her expression. “That’s good. My name is Song Yu, and I’m from Yuanhe Entertainment.”

Yuanhe Entertainment?

Zhu Songning knew that name.

It was one of the three major entertainment companies, also the company of Lu Conghuan and Xu Zhe, and had groomed many popular young idols.

Zhu Songning nodded: “Zhu Songning, an individual trainee.”

Song Yu looked at her in surprise: “You’re the trainee whose appearance completely ignited the stage today, right? Your lens signature was so creative; even Film Empress Shen liked it.”

She then added enviously, “Film Empress Shen’s hair color today is so beautiful. I wish I could be as gorgeous as her.”

This was a comment Zhu Songning found hard to respond to.

She lowered her eyes to look at Song Yu and noticed that her eyes were also a pure black, similar to Shen Qingyu’s, and her outfit was a style that Shen Qingyu had once popularized.

Is she also a fan of Shen Qingyu?

Shen Qingyu is indeed very popular.

After exchanging simple greetings with the other people in the dorm, besides Song Yu, there was one more person from Yuanhe Entertainment, but she was more introverted, almost the complete opposite of Song Yu.

After washing up, Zhu Songning went to bed to rest.

After one day, she had roughly grasped the overall structure of “Youth Trainee 2.”

If her guess wasn’t wrong, the trainees sent by Yuanhe Entertainment this time were fundamentally centered around Xu Zhe.

Several of them were high-ranking trainees, like A and B, presumably teammates carefully selected for Xu Zhe, with a few lower-ranked ones used as distractions. Furthermore, with Luo Conghuan as one of the mentors, coupled with the promotional buzz before the show aired, her debut spot was practically confirmed.

Zhu Songning slowly calculated in her mind, recalling the plot of the book.

She had originally intended to have no further entanglement with the male and female leads after the task was over, but Xu Zhe wouldn’t let her go and even used his power to put her into the show as cannon fodder.

“Youth Trainee 2” was not “Trainee 1.” Following the immense success of the last season, major companies entered the scene, and the number of individual trainees sharply decreased.

If there were any, they were individuals with exceptional ability. She didn’t believe her selection had nothing to do with Xu Zhe.

Zhu Songning lay on the bed, propping her head with her hand, staring at the pure white ceiling.

She was already prepared for tomorrow’s initial evaluation. However, regarding that hand-holding task issued by the system…

【Host… are you alright?】 001 cautiously poked its head up.

“I’m perfectly fine,” Zhu Songning’s voice was filled with despair, “if it weren’t for your tasks.”

【Haha. Have you figured out how to solve it?】

“Perhaps.” She lay in bed, closing her eyes. “I’m considering the feasibility of sneaking out of the trainee dorm tonight, climbing through Shen Qingyu’s window, and holding her hand while she’s asleep.”

The system’s current abruptly short-circuited.

【A… are you serious?!】

Zhu Songning paused, then fiercely knocked on its head.

“How could I be? Shut up and go to sleep.”

She wasn’t some kind of master thief; how could she possibly do something like that?

She could only wait until she woke up tomorrow and take things one step at a time.

Zhu Songning’s sleep quality was still poor. Waking up and seeing the two dark circles under her eyes in the mirror, she sighed softly.

Her roommates all had agencies and had generally gone to breakfast in groups. Song Yu did try to invite her along, but seeing the crowd of Yuanhe Entertainment people around her, Zhu Songning wisely declined.

Instead, Luo Chuanhe, whom she met yesterday, was leaning against her dorm door, waiting for her.

“Why are you here?”

Zhu Songning found it odd as she walked side-by-side with her toward the cafeteria.

Luo Chuanhe shrugged: “I’m the only one from my company, unlike them who come in groups.”

“Also,” she said, leaning in mysteriously and lowering her voice to Zhu Songning, “I feel like my celebrity-chasing luck is surprisingly good when I’m with you.”

Zhu Songning took a bite of her bun and didn’t reply.

“I swear, it’s true.” The spoon Luo Chuanhe was holding clattered back into her bowl. She nudged Zhu Songning’s shoulder. “A-A-A-A-A Film Empress Shen is here!”

“Why is she eating breakfast at our trainee cafeteria too!”

Zhu Songning’s bun also dropped back onto her plate.

She looked woodenly towards the entrance, just catching sight of Shen Qingyu walking into the cafeteria, followed by a flurry of cameras.

As if by telepathy, Shen Qingyu’s gaze met hers but quickly moved away.

Completely like a stranger.

“Sister, you have some kind of metaphysics about you.”

Luo Chuanhe was dumbfounded.

“Just a coincidence.”

Shen Qingyu looked away, but Zhu Songning’s eyes were fixed on Shen Qingyu’s hand hanging by her side.

Damn.

A hand right in front of her eyes.

The mission target was right there, within reach.

Shen Qingyu truly kept their agreement in mind, choosing a seat quite far from her.

But it wasn’t too far, and it was perfectly within Zhu Songning’s line of sight; one couldn’t help but be drawn to that stunning figure just by looking up.

A strong sense of presence.

Zhu Songning felt thirsty from eating her bun and suddenly stood up, startling Luo Chuanhe across from her.

“I’m going to buy some yogurt.”

Luo Chuanhe: “O… okay.”

A few minutes later, Zhu Songning returned from the tuck shop with two bottles of yogurt in one hand.

She pushed a blue bottle across the table to Luo Chuanhe opposite her, with a gesture like pushing chips, a gentle nudge.

“Here.”

Luo Chuanhe was a little overwhelmed; the stud on her ear flashed.

“For me?”

“Mhm.” Zhu Songning put on her signature smile, the look in her eyes gentle. “The yogurt at the tuck shop was on sale, an extra dollar for the second bottle. I’ll have to trouble you to drink one with me.”

“Don’t worry, I know you all need to maintain your figures, so I bought you the sugar-free one.”

In the distance, Shen Qingyu had finished her meal.

She had only had a bowl of millet porridge; her appetite was quite small.

Zhu Songning’s fingers tapped idly on the table, using her geographical advantage to observe Shen Qingyu.

She was engrossed in thinking about her 24-hour time-limited task and didn’t notice that Shen Qingyu’s fingers, which she had been looking at, had slightly curled moments ago.

Preoccupied with thoughts of Shen Qingyu, she didn’t realize that Luo Chuanhe’s gaze across the table had become somewhat unusual.

Zhu Songning came back to her senses, her light-colored eyes focused on Luo Chuanhe: “What is it?”

Luo Chuanhe, holding the yogurt Zhu Songning gave her, hesitated: “Zhu Songning, I’m not an Alpha lesbian… don’t keep looking at me like that.”

Zhu Songning was speechless for a moment: “…There’s a camera behind you.”

Shen Qingyu, having finished her meal, was passing by with the crew of photographers following her.

Zhu Songning hadn’t forgotten the phrase “full live broadcast format” from the contract she signed for “Youth Trainee 2.”

Perhaps even her having a meal was being live-streamed right now.

Luo Chuanhe turned around, saw Shen Qingyu behind her, her face flushed, and then seeing the cameras, her face went pale. She hurriedly covered her mouth, looking apologetically at Zhu Songning.

【Is it this exciting right after waking up?】

【Hahahaha Luo Luo’s face changed color! The child was scared stiff.】

【Am I the only one who cares if Trainee 101 is really a lesbian Alpha? Her aura doesn’t seem fake; I suggest checking.】

【Above, maybe our Trainee 101 just looks deeply emotional at everyone (dog head), just like Film Empress Shen.】

Shen Qingyu must have overheard their conversation, as her composed steps paused.

She turned her head, her gaze uncontrollably falling back onto Zhu Songning.

Her eyes first slid over the name tag pinned to Zhu Songning’s chest before slowly moving back up to Zhu Songning’s face.

“Is Trainee Zhu’s orientation Alpha-attracted?”

The question was abrupt.

But Shen Qingyu seemed to feel nothing improper, slowly smoothing out the question.

“We respect Trainee Zhu’s sexual orientation. However, if that is truly the case, perhaps the production team should consider rearranging Trainee Zhu into a single room.”

Shen Qingyu turned back to the assistant director following her: “I recall there’s an empty room next to Building 1?”

Zhu Songning had studied the map of the area last night; Building 1 was where Shen Qingyu lived.

Luo Chuanhe spoke awkwardly: “Film Empress Shen, we were just joking here.”

Zhu Songning stood up, meeting Shen Qingyu’s gaze.

Unlike every previous time they had met eyes, this time, the obsidian pupils met the Alpha’s light eyes, seemingly full of hostility, yet carrying a unique atmosphere that others couldn’t intrude upon.

Zhu Songning leaned close to her ear, her warm breath caressing Shen Qingyu’s ear, and in a voice only the two of them could hear, she said:

“Are you unclear if I’m a lesbian Alpha?”

What kind of lesbian Alpha would help an Omega with a temporary mark?

After speaking, her body retreated slightly, one long leg leaning bonelessly against the dining table.

“Mentor Shen, you worry too much. Nice to meet you; I am trainee Zhu Songning, gender Alpha, orientation Omega-attracted.”

When she said this, she didn’t deliberately avoid the camera or the surrounding crowd; her voice was loud, and she even gave the camera a flirtatious hook of her mouth.

The magician’s best trick is misdirection, fooling everyone’s eyes.

So, please be careful.

Just as everyone’s attention was focused on the conversation between the two, Zhu Songning’s white-gloved hand had silently changed position, discreetly slipping into Shen Qingyu’s palm.

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