Cannon Fodder And The Protagonist Are A Perfect Match [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 3

Dinner time for high school seniors was always brief and precious. Since Xu Yansheng had difficulty walking, he released his grip on Zhang Yue’s arm once they left the teaching building. “I will call my nanny to bring dinner over later. You should go back and eat first.”

Zhang Yue did not move. Instead, he pointed at a pure-looking girl with a low ponytail who had just stepped out of the building. “Do you know who she is?”

Xu Yansheng followed Zhang Yue’s finger. The girl happened to be chatting with a friend. Her smile was sweet, and her faint dimples flickered through the crowd.

He shook his head. “I do not know her. Is she your new girlfriend?”

Zhang Yue waved his hands dismissively. “I am not interested in that ‘innocent’ type. She is the one who likes you.”

“Oh,” Xu Yansheng replied. Many people liked him. Not long ago, there was even a rumor about a man liking him, though its credibility was currently questionable.

Zhang Yue lowered his voice mysteriously. “Her name is Wang Shan. I bet she is the one who posted Xie Jin’s love letter on the bulletin board.”

Xu Yansheng froze. “Did they not say the nearby surveillance cameras were broken and that no one saw who did it? How do you know it was her?”

Zhang Yue grew agitated and his voice rose. “That brings me back to when I went to the infirmary to find you this afternoon! Do you know what I saw?”

Curious, Xu Yansheng asked, “What did you see?”

“I saw”

Zhang Yue was interrupted from behind just as he started speaking. He turned around impatiently, but his expression instantly shifted to one of horror. He stammered, “Xie Jin? How did you get behind us?”

He had been staring at the building entrance the entire time and had not seen him come down.

Yu Yan ignored him. He walked straight to Xu Yansheng, who was sitting on a flower bed, and handed him an object. His voice was dry and tense. “I accidentally took this when I was helping you with your medicine at noon. I figured you might need it at home, so I ran down the stairs from the opposite building to catch you. Luckily, you had not gone far.”

Because the university entrance exams were approaching, the seniors finished school later than the other grades. The building Yu Yan mentioned belonged to the sophomores and was connected to the senior building by a long corridor. Usually, seniors avoided the sophomore stairs because the corridor was so long that taking that detour rarely saved any time.

Looking at Xie Jin’s chest, which was still heaving from the intense exercise, Xu Yansheng shyly took the liniment. The glass bottle still held the warmth of the boy’s palm. The warm, smooth sensation made Xu Yansheng’s ears turn red as he whispered, “Thank you.”

Yu Yan’s gaze was as soft as water. “It is nothing. If you need anything, just call me anytime.”

Zhang Yue watched the exchange, dumbfounded. Once Xie Jin was out of earshot, he nervously warned his friend, “Do not lose yourself while trying to test him. Xie Jin is brutal. He would break someone’s hand without blinking an eye.”

Zhang Yue tried his best to exaggerate, recounting the time he witnessed Xie Jin fighting and describing him as a cold-blooded, violent maniac.

After listening, Xu Yansheng was not repulsed. Instead, he asked in confusion, “They were bullying Xie Jin. Is it not normal for him to fight back? Besides, even if Wang Shan took Xie Jin’s notebook, there is no direct evidence proving she is the one who posted the letter, right?”

Zhang Yue wanted to say more, but Xu Yansheng cut him off. “It is getting late. Go eat. We will talk during evening self-study.”

Zhang Yue checked his watch. It was indeed late. He gave a hurried parting instruction: “Then watch out for yourself. Call me if anything happens.”

Xu Yansheng waved him off impatiently. “I know, I know.”

How could I ever fall for a man? At most, I am just being tolerant toward an admirer, he thought.

Besides, it was not even certain if Xie Jin actually liked him. The thought made Xu Yansheng feel like a turkey on a rotisserie. On one side was his confidence in his own charm, and on the other was his doubt regarding Xie Jin. Both sides were burning hot, roasting him to a golden brown.

If Xie Jin liked him, why did he refuse the offer for tutoring today? But if he did not, why was he being so incredibly caring?

He is such a contradictory person.

Yu Yan felt the same way.

Inside the bustling cafeteria, students were either chatting excitedly or focusing on their meals. He sat alone in a corner, his chopsticks mindlessly stirring a bowl of bean paste noodles that could not be stirred any further.

Since I can already resist the original host’s consciousness, why did I just go and deliver that medicine like some kid eager to see his lover?

Granted, Xu Yansheng was handsome, had a good temper, and came from a great family. He was perfect in every way, but that should not be a reason to catch feelings. It had to be the original host’s consciousness acting up again.

It is a well-known fact that when you miss someone, the whole world seems to reflect their image.

While Yu Yan was spiraling, a coarse, malicious voice suddenly reached his ears. “Damn it, that kid Xu Yansheng got lucky today. Falling off the basketball hoop and only spraining an ankle.”

Another flattering voice chimed in. “It is fine. Is the Hundred-Day Oath Ceremony not coming up in a couple of days? Everyone will be busy moving chairs, so no one will be watching him. We will take the chance to push him down the stairs. That will definitely cause a nasty fall.”

Yu Yan looked toward the source and saw two smirking faces. He calmly scanned the ID badges pinned to their chests.

• Class 24, Grade 12: Sun Hao.
• Class 35, Grade 12: Gao Da.

Their conversation continued. Gao Da was tall and built like a wild gorilla, with a square face to match his rough voice. “How could Wang Shan like a guy with such thin arms and legs? He is so pale that he looks like a sissy.”

Sun Hao was thin as a monkey with a face full of acne. A lewd smile twisted his ugly features. “They say guys with high nose bridges are well-endowed. Maybe Wang Shan just likes his sharp nose.”

Gao Da grumbled, “I made a girl scream for mercy just the day before yesterday. Wang Shan really does not know what quality is.”

The conversation devolved into increasingly disgusting territory. Feeling nauseated, Yu Yan abandoned his meal and headed back to the classroom.

There were still over ten minutes before evening self-study began, so the senior building was not crowded yet. Xie Jin’s classroom, Class 23, was on the fourth floor, separated from Sun Hao’s Class 24 only by a stairwell.

As Yu Yan reached the landing between the third and fourth floors, an arrogant female voice stopped him. He looked up.

A girl stood at the top of the stairs, backlit and looking down at him with a mocking tone. “I wondered what kind of prodigy would make Xu Yansheng volunteer to be his seatmate. Turns out it is just a rat living in the sewers.”

As she spoke, dimples flashed on her cheeks, though her pure beauty was marred by her malicious expression.

This was someone Xie Jin did not know.

Yu Yan looked down at the ID badge on her chest. Noticing his gaze, the girl cursed angrily, “You shameless cockroach, where are you looking?”

Yu Yan replied innocently, “I was just looking at your ID. And I think the fact that I like Xu Yansheng is something the whole school already knows.”

Yu Yan’s voice was clear and strong. It traveled directly into the ears of Xu Yansheng, who had just said goodbye to his nanny and reached the third floor.

He felt a mix of shame and an irrepressible joy. Xu Yansheng instinctively lightened his footsteps and ducked around the corner of the third-floor wall to eavesdrop.

It is not that I want to know what else Xie Jin will say. I am just worried it will be awkward if I go out there now!

Hearing footsteps below, Yu Yan impatiently urged the girl, “Can you just say what you want? I need to study.”

The girl sneered. “With your rank at 580th in the grade, wasting this bit of time will not stop you from getting into some second-rate university anyway.”

Her tone shifted as she gave Yu Yan a cruel smile. “Speaking of which, you should thank me for your confession to Xu Yansheng.”

Yu Yan, previously bored, suddenly became interested. “How so?” he asked playfully.

She looked smug. “My name is Wang Shan. Our school principal is also named Wang. I should not need to explain the rest to you bit by bit, right?”

Yu Yan replied, “You are so impressive.”

Wang Shan bristled, but then she seemed to remember something. Her angry brow smoothed over. “Let me tell you one more thing. The breakfast you bring for Xu Yansheng every day? He gives it all to Zhang Yue.”

She feigned pity. “How pathetic. Xu Yansheng does not care about you at all. How does it feel to have your heart trampled on?”

Yu Yan’s expression remained flat. “It feels like nothing, because I knew that since the first day.”

Xu Yansheng, listening below, was shocked. His heart skipped a beat.

Yu Yan’s voice took on a provocative edge. “Not only did I know, but starting from the second day, I have been adding ‘extra ingredients’ to the breakfast. It was either extra vinegar or extra spice. Did you know that?”

Wang Shan’s pupils dilated. “Are you not afraid Xu Yansheng will find out?”

Yu Yan’s voice was inscrutable. “Who knows?”

As they spoke, the sound of many footsteps rose from below. The peak rush for self-study had arrived. Wang Shan finally stated her purpose. “If you keep your distance from Xu Yansheng from now on, I can let you off. But if you keep pestering him, that love letter was only the beginning.”

Yu Yan smiled. “I look forward to your next move.”

A passing student broke the tension of their stare-down, and Wang Shan turned to leave first. With the path cleared, Yu Yan returned to his classroom. Xu Yansheng waited a moment before following him up.

Soon, the classroom was full and evening self-study began. While the homeroom teacher spoke at the podium, Xu Yansheng was preoccupied with other thoughts.

Maybe Zhang Yue was right. Maybe Xie Jin is not that simple. But why am I not afraid? Why am I worried about what Wang Shan might do to him instead? Am I crazy?

Suddenly, a crumpled ball of paper landed on his desk. He looked toward the source and saw Zhang Yue acting like a thief, gesturing for him to check his phone.

Xu Yansheng rarely used his phone in class, but under Zhang Yue’s persistent urging, he surreptitiously pulled it out. As soon as he turned it on, a message from Zhang Yue popped up.

“I went to the security room and stole the hard drive from the day Xie Jin’s love letter was posted. Turns out the surveillance near the bulletin board was not broken. Someone deleted the footage. The restored video just finished. Attachment: zip.”

Xu Yansheng could not wait to open it, but the school’s signal jammers made the internet speed slow. As he stared anxiously at the download progress bar, a large hand reached over, covering both his phone and his hand. He looked up blankly just as the homeroom teacher walked by.

The teacher’s already deep frown deepened further upon seeing their joined hands. He tapped the desk with his knuckles. “Xie Jin, come to my office after class.”

Yu Yan complied. After watching the teacher walk away, he released Xu Yansheng’s hand and returned to his usual focused posture of solving problems.

The gossiping glares of his classmates felt like needles on his back. Xu Yansheng no longer cared about the video. He just wanted to disappear into a hole in the ground.

He put his phone away as a strange voice echoed in his heart: Has Xie Jin been secretly watching me this whole time? He is so clingy.