After Transmigrating Into a Cannon Fodder, I Got a Happy Ending with the Female Lead [Transmigration Into a Novel] - Chapter 36

“Hello, may I sit here?”

On the first day of high school, Xu Ruoci arrived late. All the seats in the classroom were already taken. She walked straight to the last row and asked the girl lying on the desk.

The girl lifted her head, her eyes still hazy, faint marks pressed into her face from sleeping.

“Sure.”

Her voice was slightly hoarse, but warm and pleasant to hear.

Xu Ruoci sat down. The girl rubbed her eyes and mumbled softly, “So many people already.”

Xu Ruoci turned to glance at her. A ray of sunlight happened to fall across the girl’s face. She squinted slightly, gaze unfocused somewhere in the distance.

So beautiful.

That was Xu Ruoci’s first thought.

The girl’s features were striking, her skin pale and smooth, pores faintly pink, lips slightly parted, chest rising and falling with each breath…

Xu Ruoci quickly averted her eyes, staring instead at the word (“early”) carved into her desk by someone.

Beside her came a small chuckle, then the girl’s voice: “What era is this? Still imitating Brother Xun*?”

[a reference to writer Lu Xun]

Xu Ruoci looked up, only to fall straight into the girl’s eyes—clear black-and-white pupils with not a speck of impurity, revealing the owner’s pure heart.

Perhaps her stare was too direct. The girl coughed lightly, breaking the silence.

“My name’s Fan Xing. What about you?”

“Xu Ruoci.”

Fan Xing narrowed her eyes into a smile. “Ruoci, what a beautiful name.”

And Xu Ruoci heard the pounding of her own heart.

From then on, they became friends.

They went to class together, ate together, even spent weekends together. The two were inseparable, like twin lotus blossoms on the same stem.

A year passed in this closeness, until the time came to split into science and liberal arts tracks.

On a summer night, they walked side by side through campus. The streetlamps cast long shadows, the air filled with cicadas’ steady chirping.

Xu Ruoci glanced sideways and asked, “Are you going to choose science?”

Based on past grades, Fan Xing was stronger in science than in liberal arts.

Fan Xing shot back, “What about you? What do you plan to choose?”

Xu Ruoci was hopeless at physics—forty points on a good day. She didn’t really have a choice.

“L-Liberal arts.”

Fan Xing drew a deep breath. “Then of course I’ll pick liberal arts too.”

Xu Ruoci felt her heart tickled, itchy with curiosity.

“But why? You’re better at science…”

“Do I really have to spell it out?” Fan Xing interrupted, eyes flickering with shyness. “It’s just… I don’t want to be apart from you.”

She hurried ahead before Xu Ruoci could reply, steps uneven.

Xu Ruoci pressed down the wild beating in her chest and followed.

They stayed in the same class. Fan Xing struggled with the material, but Xu Ruoci patiently recited key points over and over until Fan Xing memorized them by rhythm.

Their second year passed quietly, still inseparable. More than one person remarked their closeness seemed excessive.

Xu Ruoci only smiled. She relished Fan Xing’s reliance, and even if they were “just friends” forever, she would stay by her side.

When senior year began, the classroom atmosphere grew tense. No more play during breaks—everyone dove into study.

After the first mock exam, Xu Ruoci scored twenty points higher than Fan Xing. Fan Xing cried at her results.

“I should’ve picked science.”

Xu Ruoci’s heart sank. Gently, she asked, “Do you regret it?”

Through teary eyes, Fan Xing shook her head. “No regret… but with such a gap, what if we can’t get into the same college?”

Relief washed over Xu Ruoci. She patted her head softly. “Three months left. We still have time.”

Even if Fan Xing scored the same again, Xu Ruoci was determined to apply to the same school.

Fan Xing sniffled and handed her a booklet. “I can’t seem to remember this politics section. Can you read it to me again?”

Xu Ruoci agreed without hesitation.

Fan Xing worked harder than ever, studying day and night. Their dorm beds were head-to-head. Every time Xu Ruoci awoke, Fan Xing’s desk lamp was still on.

“Xing Xing, it’s almost 3 a.m. Go to sleep, or you won’t have energy tomorrow.”

Fan Xing murmured assent. After some rustling, Xu Ruoci’s curtain was drawn back and a soft body slipped into her bed.

“Xu Ruoci, I’m so anxious.”

Feeling Fan Xing’s warmth, Xu Ruoci froze. Fan Xing lay on her side, face buried in Xu’s shoulder, arms around her waist.

“I can’t memorize anything… I’m so stupid.”

“If this goes on, we won’t make it into the same school. What should I do?”

Her voice trembled with a nasal whimper, like a kitten curling closer.

Heart aching, Xu Ruoci embraced her, gently patting her back.

“Don’t pressure yourself too much. Even with a difference of twenty or thirty points, we can still apply to the same school.”

“But then you’d be holding yourself back. Your scores would go to waste.”

Fan Xing didn’t want to drag Xu Ruoci down. Quietly, she resolved to work even harder.

“I’ll catch up to you, I swear…”

Her words grew slurred with drowsiness.

Xu Ruoci looked down. Though the curtain blocked the moonlight, she could imagine Fan Xing’s face—adorable, surely.

Her throat tightened. Carefully, she pressed a kiss to Fan Xing’s forehead, then fell asleep holding her.

Fan Xing’s efforts paid off. When results came, they differed by only three points. Except for the very top schools, they had their pick.

They chose a nearby province’s university—close to home, with a mild climate, and above all a diverse, open culture.

The day they collected admission notices, they stumbled upon auditions for a talent show and signed up on a whim.

On the way back, Fan Xing regretted it.

“Our singing isn’t that great. What if we get cut in the first round?”

“Everyone else has instruments too. Should we…?”

She turned to Xu Ruoci. “Do you play anything?”

Embarrassed, Xu Ruoci admitted, “I learned guitar for a few years.”

Fan Xing clicked her tongue. “You never told me? Keeping secrets from me?”

“I wasn’t hiding it! You just never asked.”

Fan Xing smirked mischievously. “Good thing I can play drums. Otherwise you’d outshine me.”

“?” Xu Ruoci blinked, then realized. “So you were hiding something too?”

Fan Xing’s smile turned sly. “You never asked either.”

Seeing her playful look, Xu Ruoci couldn’t help smiling herself.

With youthful energy and good looks, they advanced all the way to the top twenty.

From there, performances were broadcast live. Each match mattered. But with school starting, time was short.

“Classes begin the day after tomorrow. What about tomorrow’s contest?”

“Maybe we should…”

Just a glance between them, and they understood.

For the top-20-to-10 round, they chose an unfamiliar song—alternative rock.

They expected poor scores but instead wowed the judges and crowd.

When the host announced they’d advanced, both were stunned.

Fan Xing: “What do we do now?”

Xu Ruoci sighed. “We’ll just have to try harder next time.”

While others fought to advance, they fought to lose.

Eventually, their reckless choices ended their run at top ten, missing top five by a single vote.

Only the top three got contracts with the country’s biggest entertainment company. But their popularity drew offers anyway.

Sitting in the campus pavilion, they debated.

“Maybe we should focus on school. We never planned on the entertainment industry.”

Xu Ruoci nodded. She always followed Fan Xing’s lead.

Fan Xing rubbed her cheek, teasing. “Why are you so obedient?”

Heat rushed to Xu Ruoci’s face, especially where Fan Xing touched.

By the end of freshman year, the company reached out again, with even better terms, certain they would succeed.

Fan Xing deflected, saying she’d think about it. Xu Ruoci followed her answer.

On Xu Ruoci’s birthday, Fan Xing planned a surprise dinner. She carried a bouquet of carola roses, heart soaring.

I’ll confess tonight.

Then—screeching brakes. The flowers fell, splattered with muddy water.

Xu Ruoci waited at the restaurant, table decorated romantically, nervously fiddling with a handmade ring.

Would Xing Xing accept? She should, right?

Minutes stretched, anxiety mounting.

Her phone rang—Fan Xing’s name flashing.

She answered, and her smile froze.

Soon she stood outside the ICU, staring at Fan Xing’s body covered in tubes, tears spilling endlessly.

After more than ten hours of surgery, doctors couldn’t save her. They issued a critical notice—Fan Xing might vanish at any moment.

Her mother had fainted several times. Now she sat exhausted, eyes swollen from crying.

“Ruoci, go home and rest. We’ll stay here.”

Xu Ruoci looked at Fan Xing’s aging parents, voice hoarse: “Alright.”

She wanted to stay, but feared breaking down and adding to their grief.

Outside the hospital, snowflakes fell on her tear-streaked face.

She crouched, face buried in her arms, muffling sobs.

“Do you want to save her?”

Xu Ruoci jerked her head up, eyes blurry—no one was there.

“I can save her. But you must sacrifice yourself to me.”

…

Fan Xing miraculously survived, her body slowly recovering. Even doctors called it a miracle, given her injuries.

When transferred to a regular ward, her mother took over bedside care.

Sitting up in bed, Fan Xing kept glancing toward the door. Her mother paused, asking, “Are you waiting for Ruoci?”

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