After Transmigrating Into a Cannon Fodder, I Got a Happy Ending with the Female Lead [Transmigration Into a Novel] - Chapter 37

Fan Xing felt a little embarrassed, but she didn’t deny it—she really did miss Xu Ruoci.

Mother Fan handed her a peeled apple, wiped her hands, and her expression turned troubled.

Fan Xing’s heart sank. Forcing out a smile, she asked:
“Mom, did something happen while I was unconscious?”

Mother Fan looked at her daughter’s still-bruised face, her eyes slowly turning moist. She knew how much her daughter cared about this friend. She truly couldn’t bear to say those words, but if she didn’t, her daughter would always hold onto hope.

“Xing Xing, Xiao Ci won’t be coming again.”

Fan Xing’s heart sank deeper, as if it had dropped with a thud into an icy lake.

“Mom, what are you talking about? There’s no way Xu Ruoci wouldn’t come to see me.”

Before Mother Fan could say more, her eyes reddened. She grabbed Fan Xing’s hand, choking up so much she could hardly speak.

“Xing Xing, let’s not think about her anymore, okay? You’ll make other friends. Our Xing Xing is so wonderful—of course you’ll have many good friends.”

The more her mother spoke, the more uneasy Fan Xing became. She took out her phone and dialed Xu Ruoci’s number, only to hear the automated voice: “The number you have dialed is no longer in service.”

When she had first been moved to a general ward, she’d immediately tried calling Xu Ruoci, wanting to wish her a belated happy birthday. But the phone had always been off.

And now—it was disconnected altogether.

Clutching her phone so tightly her fingertips went pale, Fan Xing looked at her mother, her voice breaking.

“Mom, did she tell you something?”

Looking at her fragile, red-eyed daughter, Mother Fan’s tears fell uncontrollably.

“Xing Xing, forget her. She never cherished you.”

“Mom, please, just tell me. I beg you.”

Fan Xing stubbornly needed to know—had Xu Ruoci come while she was unconscious? And what exactly had she told her mother to make her act this way?

“She only stayed for a little while during your surgery. Then she disappeared for days. When she came back, she told me she had decided to sign with an entertainment company. She said she wouldn’t be visiting you again.”

Fan Xing fought to hold back the sting in her eyes. “Signing is good. She’s talented enough to shine in the industry. But that’s not a reason to abandon me. Mom, are you sure you didn’t mishear? Could it be a misunderstanding?”

“She said—even if you woke up, you wouldn’t be able to enter the industry. She told you not to drag her down.”

Fan Xing froze. It took her a long time before she finally whispered:
“So that’s how it is… I understand.”

She gave a self-mocking smile. The sight of her struggling to hold back tears was heartbreaking.

Mother Fan pulled her into her arms and said through sobs:
“If you want to cry, then cry. No one will see except Mom.”

Fan Xing didn’t want to cry—but at those words, tears gushed uncontrollably, falling as though to drain her body dry.

From that day on, Fan Xing grew much quieter. She never mentioned Xu Ruoci again. She tried to look cheerful, but Mother Fan knew—inside, her daughter was deeply hurt.

Since the day they met, the two girls had been inseparable. Even she, as a mother, knew her daughter had a wonderful friend named Xu Ruoci.

After being discharged, Fan Xing stayed home for a while. One day, she saw Xu Ruoci on television.

She was playing a minor role, dressed plainly, with even a rag on her head. Yet she was dazzlingly beautiful, outshining every other actress on set.

Xu Ruoci instantly became the most popular actress of the series. News about her flooded everywhere, so much that Fan Xing saw it without even searching.

She stared at one of her interviews—her makeup perfect, her spirit radiant, more beautiful than Fan Xing had ever remembered.

Lowering her gaze, Fan Xing muttered:
“Fame really does make people glow.”

Later, she herself debuted, walking the exact same career path as Xu Ruoci. But thanks to their different looks and temperaments, no one compared them.

Fan Xing’s luck was good. She gained recognition in her first year, and by her third year, her popularity rivaled other rising actresses. At events, she could even sit beside Xu Ruoci.

At a famous director’s wife’s birthday party, both were invited. Fan Xing watched Xu Ruoci mingle gracefully with industry veterans, her every move refined, and her memories grew hazy.

The Xu Ruoci of today no longer overlapped with the warm-smiling girl in her memory. They seemed like two entirely different people—same face, completely different soul.

Fan Xing suddenly realized she couldn’t tell if what she couldn’t let go of was Xu Ruoci herself, or the beautiful memories of youth.

Later that night, Xu Ruoci, drunk, sat alone in a lounge, staring at a piece of cake she didn’t eat.

Fan Xing, who had never liked such occasions, was exhausted from endless pleasantries. She found a quiet seat, not realizing Xu Ruoci was nearby.

As she closed her eyes to rest, a sweet fragrance suddenly filled her nose. Fan Xing opened her eyes sharply and saw Xu Ruoci standing in front of her.

Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes lowered, her posture unsteady.

Fan Xing’s heart skipped a beat, and she sat up straight. Xu Ruoci pushed the cake toward her face, smudging cream on her nose.

“Strawberry cake, Xiao Xing Xing, eat.”

Xu Ruoci leaned closer, wiped the cream off her nose, then put her finger in her mouth.

Fan Xing’s mind spun, her body restless.

“Miss Xu, you’re drunk.”

Xu Ruoci pressed her hand on Fan Xing’s shoulder and quickly kissed her lips. Then she stared straight into her eyes, a playful glint shining.

“You…”

Fan Xing froze.

Her first thought wasn’t about being seen—but wishing Xu Ruoci were sober.

Xu Ruoci pushed the cake at her again.
“Xiao Xing Xing, eat. I saved it just for you.”

Fan Xing took a bite, chewing mechanically. Xu Ruoci’s lips curled into a satisfied smile, her expression soft, like a child who had just gotten candy.

The music swelled, applause burst from the dance floor. In the unnoticed corner, Fan Xing ate the whole piece of cake straight from Xu Ruoci’s hand.

Xu Ruoci licked the remaining cream from her fingers, then stroked Fan Xing’s head, her voice tender:
“Good girl.”

Then she sat down beside her, leaning against her shoulder.

“I’m a little dizzy. I’ll nap a bit. You’ll take me home, right?”

From the moment she saw her, Fan Xing’s eyes hadn’t strayed once. And now, with Xu Ruoci resting naturally on her shoulder, a bittersweet ache filled her heart. Tears spilled before she knew it.

Was this regret? A drunk whim?

When the music ended, Fan Xing took Xu Ruoci away.

She intended to drop her off at home. After unlocking the door and dragging her inside, she turned to leave.

“Get some rest. I’ll go now.”

But arms wrapped tightly around her waist. A warm, soft body pressed against her back.

“Xiao Xing Xing, don’t go…”

Fan Xing wanted to lash out, but her throat was dry, no words came.

Xu Ruoci tilted her chin up, her breath laced with alcohol, inescapable.

“Xing Xing, I missed you. I missed you so much.”

Her voice blurred, replaced by the sound of lips and breath mingling.

The next day, standing outside Xu Ruoci’s building, Fan Xing couldn’t understand. How could someone change so quickly?

Passionate as fire one night, cold as a stranger the next.

Was it really just the alcohol?

Or was Xu Ruoci simply too proud to admit? Fan Xing still clung to hope—until Xu Ruoci sneered at her for clinging to her fame, shamelessly leeching off her.

That was when Fan Xing finally woke up.

“Xu Ruoci, remember this—I’ve tried my hardest for us. Whatever regrets remain, they won’t be mine.”

It wasn’t a cruel declaration—just her truest thought.

In this relationship, she had been true to herself and to Xu Ruoci. She owed nothing to anyone.

Xu Ruoci said nothing, her face cold as she walked away.

Fan Xing turned in the opposite direction. From then on, the two never spoke again. Just as the outside world speculated, they became sworn rivals.

But in Fan Xing’s dream, things unfolded differently.

This time, she didn’t walk away. She followed Xu Ruoci home, saw her collapse in pain, crying silently.

Fan Xing rushed to catch her. The moment she touched Xu Ruoci, time sped like a film reel, flashing scenes she’d never known.

Xu Ruoci had been watching her, silently, all along.

Three years later, Xu Ruoci approached a director, asking to join a dating reality show with Fan Xing.

Sensing her life nearing its end, she wanted to spend her final days memorizing every smile of Fan Xing’s.

But according to her pact with a demon, being close to Fan Xing only hastened her death. Every moment together was borrowed from her dwindling life.

Pain throbbed in Fan Xing’s head, until she could hear nothing but Xu Ruoci’s voice speaking to the demon:

“If you want to save her, you must sacrifice yourself. Can you do it?”

Xu Ruoci whispered:
“An exchange of life for life, isn’t it? As long as she lives, I’ll do anything.”

“You’re willing to trade your life?”

“I am.”

Fan Xing was thrust out of the dream by an unseen force. Darkness enveloped her—except for the warmth in her arms.

The faint breath of the woman she held, threatening to vanish at any second, terrified her. She clutched Xu Ruoci tighter, wishing she could merge her into her very flesh and blood.

“Why are you so foolish?”

Tears fell in fat drops onto Xu Ruoci’s face, making her lashes tremble.

“Xiao Xing Xing, don’t cry.”

Yue Xi declined Yu Qing’s invitation to the Daoist conference. As for the escaped demon she mentioned—it was probably long gone.

If it could slip away under her very nose, that meant its power rivaled hers. Acting rashly might only bring harm.

Her goal was always clear: earn some money to support herself and Xiao Qing. She’d never do anything dangerous.

But now… Xiao Qing didn’t need her support anymore.

With the real girlfriend here, what place did a side character like her have?

A day passed. Yue Xi lay in bed, uneasy. The door creaked open, and Xiao Qing walked in.

“You didn’t wait for me.”

She pouted playfully, climbing into bed and into Yue Xi’s arms. But Yue Xi didn’t dare hold her as before.

“Xiao Qing, maybe you should sleep in your own bed tonight?”

Xiao Qing looked up, displeased. Yue Xi quickly explained:
“You’re grown up now. It’s not really proper for us to share a bed, right?”

Truthfully, Yue Xi was scared. Every time she thought of the book’s ending, her heart trembled. Even toward Xiao Qing, she now felt a kind of reverence.

She might look soft and adorable—but she was still a demon, able to crush her with a finger.

“Why can’t grown-ups sleep together? I saw lots of adults on TV do it.”

Xiao Qing tilted her head innocently.

Yue Xi wanted to say, Because I’m afraid your girlfriend will kill me. But she couldn’t. That would take endless explaining.

They were all characters trapped in a book. Only she knew it. More absurd than magic itself.

“Jiejie, I’m sleepy.”

Xiao Qing snuggled closer, warm and soft. Yue Xi couldn’t bring herself to refuse.

Just as the little bunny in her arms was about to fall asleep, Yue Xi whispered:
“Xiao Qing, if I ever did something you didn’t like… would you kill me?”

Xiao Qing hooked her arms around her neck and kissed her lips.
“No. I like Jiejie the most.”

I’d only catch you, lock you up, and train you every day until you stopped doing things I didn’t like.

Relieved, Yue Xi thought—after all her care, Xiao Qing must feel something for her. Even if it wasn’t a hundred percent, surely she wouldn’t crush her bones to dust.

Besides, as long as she avoided trouble in the future, she’d be fine.

The little bunny’s breathing grew even, and Yue Xi relaxed at last. Sleepless all night, she finally slipped away with her bundle at dawn.

Half-asleep, Xiao Qing felt movement but thought it was just Yue Xi going to the bathroom. She didn’t mind.

So when Ji Shuang later brought her the note Yue Xi had left, she turned utterly dark.

“You two fought? Yue Xi’s so old but still pulls a runaway act? Childish!”

Xiao Qing crushed the note in her hand, lips curling into a dangerous smile.

“She won’t get far.”

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