Cannon Fodder And The Protagonist Are A Perfect Match [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 1

Yu Yan was 25 years old and had just landed his dream job after finishing graduate school. He had no complaints about his life and was even a little smug about his success. Therefore, he never imagined that something as absurd as binding a system would happen to him.

“Ding! Hello, Mr. Yu. I am Research System 001, dispatched by the JJ General Bureau. The theme of this research is A Feasibility Study on the Compatibility of Cannon Fodder and Protagonists. The method is field investigation.”

The stiff electronic voice in his head was unmistakable. Yu Yan froze. “Field investigation?”

Cannon fodder and protagonist were just labels for character archetypes; they were not tangible things. How could one investigate them in the field?

“Yes, Mr. Yu. You will randomly experience four volumes out of several hundred Pure Love novels provided by the JJ Bureau. You will inhabit the role of the cannon fodder to pursue the protagonist. Do you have any other questions?”

Yu Yan naturally had one. “Can I refuse?”

001 did not answer immediately. Instead, it projected an image into his mind. In a sterile white hospital room, a man with features as delicate as a painting lay on a narrow bed. His expression was tranquil, as if he were merely sleeping. However, the heart rate monitor by his head showing a flat line proved otherwise.

Yu Yan recognized that man instantly. It was himself.

The electronic voice spoke again. “You may refuse, but Mr. Yu will die.”

Yu Yan, who very much wished to stay alive, sighed with a hint of melancholy. “Fine.”

“No need for sadness, Mr. Yu. After the research ends, the system will restore your body’s vitality, and you will be resurrected.”

“Well, thanks for that,” Yu Yan muttered.

“You are welcome. Any other questions?”

Yu Yan shook his head.

“Very well. The investigation begins in three seconds. Due to a busy schedule, please leave a message if you need anything.”

When Yu Yan opened his eyes again, the first thing he saw was a blank ceiling. Then, a flood of information rushed into his mind.

The first book he transmigrated into was called Crystal Love. It told the story of the protagonist, Xu Yansheng, who dealt with a psychological knot by helping a bullied classmate, Li Li. Eventually, Li Li helped him heal, and the two fell in love.

His current identity was the cannon fodder responsible for Xu Yansheng’s psychological trauma, a character who received only a few brief mentions in the original text.

Xu Yansheng never knew that a boy could like another boy. When others told him that the gloomy, head bowed youth in class liked him, his instinctive reaction was disgust. Yet, due to a moment of spiteful words, he was forced to become the youth’s desk mate.

During their time as desk mates, he restricted his movements as much as possible to maintain distance. He thought this would be an insignificant footnote in his life, but it became the most profound mark, for it was the youth’s suicide note.

On the day the college entrance exam results were released, under the scorching sun, Xu Yansheng was dragged by a friend to see who the lowest ranked person in school was. Upon seeing the name, he gasped in surprise. A helpful classmate nearby clarified his confusion.

Xie Jin was dead. He jumped off a building on the first day of the exams.

Xie Jin was the name of this body. He was eighteen years old and a high school senior. Both parents had died in a car accident, and he lived off the compensation money. Currently, he had been suspended and was staying at home because his secret crush on Xu Yansheng had been exposed. Today was the day his suspension ended.

Yu Yan stood up and surveyed his surroundings in the pale light of dawn. Ordinary furniture, ordinary decor, everything was mundane except for a carefully framed photograph on the wall. It was a photo of a basketball court under a clear blue sky. The subject was a handsome youth mid jump for a shot, the very definition of spirited and radiant.

Even with the hidden angle and amateur photography, it was undeniably a beautiful photo. Yu Yan looked closely and did not miss the neat handwriting in the bottom left corner: 2013.04.12, Basketball Court, Xu Yansheng.

A vibrant youth like that was indeed a lethal weapon on campus. But what did that have to do with Yu Yan? Although the system told him to pursue the protagonist, this was just a feasibility study. Is it not normal for a research project to fail a few times?

The six o’clock bell rang. Yu Yan, washing up in the bathroom, looked at the boy in the mirror with long hair obscuring his eyes. He calmly picked up a pair of heavy black rimmed glasses from the counter and put them on. He did not care about his appearance, nor did he want to pull an overnight makeover. For a salted fish like him, the original owner’s inconspicuous life was the best way to experience this world.

However, Yu Yan did not expect to be face-slapped so quickly.

At 6:40 AM, as the bell for morning self study rang, Yu Yan walked to the original owner’s seat amidst the mocking glares of his classmates. The isolated desk at the back corner now had a companion. Sitting in the adjacent chair was the same youth from the photograph, looking even more vivid in person.

Sensing his arrival, the youth’s fine brows twitched. He stood up with slight awkwardness. “I am too tall, and Zhang Yue kept complaining that I blocked his view, so I moved here. Do you mind?”

The youth’s voice was clear and pleasant, but his words were a lie that could be seen through at a touch. Zhang Yue was Xu Yansheng’s best friend and a well known playboy from a rich family. He either slept or messed around in class; there was no way he would kick his best friend away for blocking his view. And it just so happened that Xu Yansheng chose the seat right next to Xie Jin.

Yu Yan looked over at Zhang Yue’s seat and, sure enough, saw a face full of mischievous smirks. It was the joy of a successful prank. Having read the original text, Yu Yan knew that this was all because of a spiteful remark Xu Yansheng had made. After the love letter the original owner wrote was found during P.E. class, Zhang Yue had immediately pulled strings to get it into Xu Yansheng’s hands.

Xu Yansheng had been shocked and angry. Provoked by Zhang Yue’s jab, “You are not homophobic, are you?” he impulsively blurted out the words he would regret for a lifetime: “I am not even afraid of being his desk mate, so how is that possible?”

The smartest thing to do now was to expose this flimsy lie and refuse. But Yu Yan heard himself say uncontrollably, “I do not mind.”

Almost as soon as he spoke, a roar of laughter erupted around them. The homeroom teacher, who had just entered, sensed the whispering and sternly urged Yu Yan, who was still standing in the aisle, to sit down.

Yu Yan sat, but he could not process a single word in his textbook. That surge of excitement and palpitations just now was clearly the original owner’s feelings for Xu Yansheng. If the original owner’s emotions could override his own decisions, this was going to be a problem.

While Yu Yan was dazing out, Xu Yansheng was stealing glances at him. Why is he so calm? Xu Yansheng wondered. What happened to the line from the letter: “You are the only light in my life, and I am willing to do anything for you. If I could just be near you, I would willingly let a demon take my soul”? Was that love letter a prank Zhang Yue played on him?

The more Xu Yansheng thought about it, the more he believed it. As soon as morning self study ended, he dragged Zhang Yue by the neck to the stairwell. Ensuring no one was listening, Xu Yansheng whispered urgently to his friend, “You did not trick me, did you? I watched Xie Jin all morning, and he did not even look at me once. If he does not actually like me, I am making a total fool of myself today.”

Zhang Yue replied with his usual lackadaisical air, “No way. The notebook with the letter had Xie Jin written clearly on it, and the class notes in the front were in the same handwriting. It is definitely him. Besides, if he does not like you, is that not better? You can just move your desk back while everyone is at breakfast.”

Seeing Xu Yansheng’s gaze turn cold, Zhang Yue quickly changed his tune. “Or why don’t you make him do something for you? If he does it, does that not prove he likes you?”

Xu Yansheng hesitated, but curiosity won out. “What should I make him do?”

“Ask him to buy you limited edition sneakers?” Zhang Yue suggested.

“He is poor, how could he afford that? Pick something else.”

“Ask him to buy Char Siu from M-Shop?”

M-Shop was a wildly popular fast food place near the school gate. It was cheap, delicious, and did not take reservations. Their Char Siu was a signature dish that was almost impossible to get unless you were an athlete who could sprint there the moment the bell rang.

“Our senior building is far from the gate,” Xu Yansheng countered. “With his skinny arms and legs, he would never beat the crowd. Try again.”

“Ancestor, if it is not difficult, how can you test his sincerity?”

Xu Yansheng frowned. Just then, a couple walked by, holding hands and carrying breakfast. A spark lit up his eyes. “How about I make him bring me breakfast every day?”

Zhang Yue swallowed his urge to roast his friend and lied through his teeth. “Great! One or two days is nothing, but we have over a hundred days until the exams. If he does not like you, he will definitely give up halfway!”

Xu Yansheng, buoyed by the praise, returned to the classroom to put the plan into motion. Only a few students were left in their seats, including Xie Jin. The youth in the dark jacket sat upright, a black pen twirling between his long fingers. The morning light illuminated the tip of his nose and cast a soft shadow over his thin lips.

As if sensing something, the youth stopped writing and looked up, his gaze meeting Xu Yansheng’s from across the room. Xu Yansheng instinctively looked away, then felt annoyed at himself. What am I hiding for?

Carrying that annoyance, Xu Yansheng sat down next to him, pulled out his phone, and pretended to call his housekeeper. “Auntie, when are you coming back from your vacation? The breakfast shops at the gate are so crowded I cannot even get in. I am still hungry. What? You do not know when you will be back? What am I going to do?”

He peeked at Xie Jin from the corner of his eye. Just as he was about to run out of acting talent, the youth finally stopped writing. A low, magnetic voice drifted over. “If you do not mind, I can bring breakfast for you.”

Outside, the school radio started playing a melodic tune. Yu Yan’s heart was drumming against his ribs; it was Xie Jin’s heart. He tried his best to stay composed. “You can tell me what you want to eat a day in advance. I will prepare it until you no longer need me to.”

Xu Yansheng stammered, “Then, then I will trouble you.”

The day passed uneventfully until the last period of evening self study. Just as Xu Yansheng and Zhang Yue were busy exchanging meaningful glances, a scrap of paper was handed over. It had neat, clean handwriting: “What do you want to eat tomorrow?”

Xu Yansheng turned his head and collided with a pair of pitch black eyes. They were like the dense night outside, mysterious yet making one want to peer inside. He looked away and wrote back: “Two boiled eggs, three meat buns, a cup of hand ground soy milk, and a tray of soup dumplings.” He thought for a moment, crossed out the soup dumplings, and handed it back.

Xu Yansheng lived in a luxury apartment near the school. Usually, his daily life was handled by a housekeeper. He had breakfast at home before leaving. As soon as Xie Jin had agreed that morning, Xu Yansheng had regretted it, feeling he had acted too impulsively. What if Xie Jin actually brought it? Would he throw it away? That would be wasteful. So, he had written down Zhang Yue’s appetite and preferences instead. If Xie Jin actually brought it, he would just shove it into Zhang Yue’s stomach.

The next day, Xie Jin brought not only the items on the list but also the crossed out soup dumplings. As Xu Yansheng thanked him, Yu Yan’s face quietly flushed red. He clutched his chest, wondering how he was going to survive this mission.

For a week, Yu Yan was manipulated by Xie Jin’s body, catering to Xu Yansheng’s every whim. The barrier between the two had begun to blur. So, when he heard that Xu Yansheng had been injured playing basketball, he immediately dropped his exam papers and ran toward the infirmary, only to be blocked on the way.