Cannon Fodder And The Protagonist Are A Perfect Match [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 4

After the first period of evening self-study ended, Yu Yan was called to the office. Xu Yansheng pulled out his phone. The download was complete. Although the video was laggy and blurry, he could still recognize the girl who had blocked Xie Jin in the stairwell earlier that day.

Xu Yansheng stared blankly while holding his phone. Since Xie Jin was so good to him, should he do something in return? For instance, he could help solve the trouble named Wang Shan.

In the noisy corridor during the break, Yu Yan ignored the pointing fingers of those around him. His expression was calm and his pace was steady. A long-unheard electronic voice spoke in his mind, sounding as rigid as it did when they first met.

001 said, “Mr. Yu, the system has received your message. How can I help you?”

Yu Yan had waited a week for 001. Naturally, he had questions. His first priority was to ask, “Is Xie Jin still in this body?”

001 replied, “Mr. Xie is living happily in a parallel world.”

Yu Yan understood the implication: Xie Jin was gone.

If Xie Jin was not here, how could Yu Yan explain his own strange behavior lately? He voiced his confusion, and 001 quickly provided a vague answer.

001 said, “Mr. Yu, the protagonist is the darling of the world. It is not surprising that you would be attracted to him.”

Yu Yan wanted to deny it, but upon self-reflection, he realized he truly did have a favorable impression of Xu Yansheng. However, the source of this affection felt too eerie. He changed his approach and asked, “Is this world real?”

001 answered, “Mr. Yu, that is a difficult question. But in your world, there is a saying: ‘What you think is what you see, and what you see is what you get.’ Perhaps you can use that as a reference. Furthermore, you never fell in love in your own world. Why not treat this as a beautiful dream and enjoy the process? As for the answer, you can leave that to your future self after the investigation ends.”

Leaving future matters to his future self seemed like a lazy approach, but Yu Yan could not think of a better way. After saying goodbye to 001, he knocked on the office door.

The homeroom teacher had been waiting for a long time. Hearing the knock, he immediately waved Yu Yan over. After a long, earnest lecture, Yu Yan looked at the teacher’s wrinkled face and suddenly asked, “Teacher, which is more important, the process or the answer?”

The teacher, who was a mathematics instructor, answered without hesitation, “Of course the process is more important. If the process is correct, you still get points for the steps. If the result is right but the process is wrong, you do not get a single point.”

Yu Yan felt a sudden moment of clarity. He said sincerely to the teacher, “Thank you. You really are a good teacher.”

The teacher blushed. After a few more words of caution, he allowed Yu Yan to leave.

On his way back, Yu Yan was blocked again. It was not Wang Shan this time, but a boy with a wild and arrogant aura followed by two lackeys. The boy stood in the middle of the corridor, looking him up and down boldly. His voice was light and reckless. “Are you Xie Jin?”

Yu Yan replied, “Yes.”

The boy seemed satisfied with his calm demeanor. He grinned and asked, “Are you the one who beat up the guys with the side-swept bangs?”

Yu Yan feigned confusion. “Did they not fall down on their own?”

The boy burst into laughter. Once he stopped, he straightened up and asked, “Do you want to hang out with me?”

Yu Yan answered, “No, I need to study hard.”

Before the boy could respond to the rejection, a lackey spoke up angrily, “Brother Jin is giving you face by asking you to join us. Do not be ungrateful.”

The surname Jin was rare. There was only one person with that name who acted so boldly in school. Yu Yan quickly found a name in Xie Jin’s memories: Jin Fei. He was the new school bully who had transferred less than a week ago and taken over the top spot. He was also known to like boys. This was why students only dared to whisper about Xie Jin’s crush on Xu Yansheng. They were afraid that if they acted out, Jin Fei would beat them up for discriminating against gay people.

Thinking of this, Yu Yan looked at the boy again. He had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes with a straight nose and thin lips. He did not fit the traditional stereotypes.

Noticing the gaze, Jin Fei arched an eyebrow. “What? Have you taken a liking to me?”

The class bell rang at that moment. Yu Yan felt speechless. “No, I am rushing to class.”

Jin Fei stepped aside compliantly. He said dramatically, “Please go ahead, good student. But we will meet again.”

Yu Yan did not take it to heart. He knew it was inevitable to bump into people in the same building, but he did not expect to see him again so soon.

After evening self-study ended, Yu Yan was in a deep alleyway. He had just retrieved his backpack from the face of a semi-conscious Gao Da when a playful voice came from behind. “Look at this. What have I stumbled upon?”

Jin Fei stood at the entrance of the alley with the light behind him. As he walked inward and saw Gao Da’s unrecognizable face on the ground, he clicked his tongue. “This person really had a terrible fall.”

Yu Yan felt no guilt about being caught. He agreed calmly, “Indeed.”

With that, he slung his backpack over one shoulder and brushed past Jin Fei. The alley was narrow and dark, making Jin Fei more aware of the warm presence passing him. A fresh scent mixed with the smell of blood drifted by. Jin Fei’s adrenaline spiked. His racing heart urged him to turn around and shout at the departing figure, “Hey, do you really like Xu Yansheng that much?”

The figure nearing the exit of the alley replied without looking back, “Yes.”

The next day, news spread that Gao Da from Class 35 had been beaten up by an unknown person in an alley.

During the break, the gossip-loving Zhang Yue visited. He said happily to Xu Yansheng, “If I knew who beat up Gao Da, I would want to send them a commemorative banner.”

Xu Yansheng did not speak. He stared at Yu Yan’s profile as he solved problems and fell into thought.

After evening self-study ended again, Yu Yan prepared to leave to deal with Sun Hao. However, someone grabbed the hem of his shirt. He looked back in surprise to see Xu Yansheng looking hesitant. Yu Yan’s expression softened as he asked, “What is wrong?”

Xu Yansheng’s eyes flickered. “Zhang Yue is busy tonight. Can you walk me home?”

Yu Yan instinctively looked at Zhang Yue’s seat. It was empty. Knowing that tomorrow was the Hundred-Day Oath Ceremony and that he would have no other chance to stop Sun Hao, Yu Yan stopped and said softly, “Okay.”

The night sky was clear and the bright moon hung high, lighting the path for the boys. Their figures leaning on each other stretched out long until they merged into one.

Xu Yansheng lived in a complex with an elevator. Yu Yan stopped at the entrance of the building. A light breeze carried Xu Yansheng’s goodbye. Yu Yan felt his heart beating steadily and powerfully. He waved at the smiling boy under the warm yellow light. “See you tomorrow.”

The day of the ceremony was perfectly sunny. After breakfast, the classes followed their teachers to the playground with their stools. Because of his leg injury, Xu Yansheng planned to wait until the crowd passed. Yu Yan and Zhang Yue both stayed behind as well.

Seeing two pairs of expectant eyes, Xu Yansheng instinctively leaned closer to his seatmate. Zhang Yue wailed in disbelief, “You choose love over friendship! Unbelievable!”

The corners of Yu Yan’s mouth quirked up. Xu Yansheng stared blankly and said, “You just smiled.”

Yu Yan’s expression flattened. “I am not a statue.”

Zhang Yue said gloomily, “I hope the hero who beat up Gao Da beats you up too.”

Yu Yan stood up and handed a chair to Zhang Yue. “I hope your wish comes true.”

A moment later, Zhang Yue carrying three chairs and Yu Yan supporting Xu Yansheng entered the playground. Sun Hao, hidden in the crowd of Class 24, kept his eyes on them. He remembered Gao Da’s slurred but vicious voice: “I am in the hospital now. You have to handle the plan alone. If I find out you failed when I get back, do not expect me to protect you anymore.”

After a long introduction, the school leaders took turns speaking. When it was time for the finale, the background music became grand. Xu Yansheng stared at the portly man on stage and whispered to Zhang Yue, “I told you to find Wang Shan last night. What did she say?”

Zhang Yue sighed in frustration. “Do not even bring it up. I got scolded. She called me an ignorant amoeba.”

Xu Yansheng sighed. “Then we can only approach this through the parents.”

Zhang Yue asked curiously, “Are you sticking up for Xie Jin? Do you really like him?”

Xu Yansheng denied it instinctively. “Of course not. It is just that Xie Jin is a good person.”

Zhang Yue rolled his eyes. “A good person who made me eat a week of heavily seasoned breakfast? And I thought that was just a feature of cheap stalls.”

Xu Yansheng felt guilty. “Fine, I will not force you to eat it anymore.”

Zhang Yue gave a mischievous smile. “I want to eat it. It is nice to have a surprise every day. I am looking forward to what he adds tomorrow.”

Xu Yansheng was speechless. “You are a masochist.”

The two of them whispered as if no one else was there. Yu Yan’s gaze darkened, and he slammed his book shut. The loud thud caused people nearby to look over, including Xu Yansheng.

The boy’s profile under the clear sky looked sharp. His fingers holding the book were fair and long. The passionate speech on stage seemed to fade away. Xu Yansheng could only see the boy’s defined jawline until Zhang Yue nudged him. “Why is Xie Jin reading A Brief History of Time? Should he not be reading an exam prep book?”

Xu Yansheng was also curious. He knew Yu Yan often carried a book in his pocket to read whenever he had time, but this was the first time he saw the title. Wanting to know the reason, he leaned toward Yu Yan and asked, “Did you not say you wanted to go to the same university as me? How do you have time for leisure books?”

Yu Yan stroked the cover of the book gently. “This is not a leisure book. This is the essence of science.”

Zhang Yue gaped. “It is over. This guy has studied so much he has gone crazy.”

Xu Yansheng felt a bit angry, but he did not know what right he had to be angry. He grew more frustrated and turned into a silent, brooding person.

When the speeches ended, the crowd dispersed. The three of them waited until the crowd was gone. Zhang Yue, wanting to avoid being a third wheel, carried the chairs and left first.

Looking at Xu Yansheng’s unhappy face, Yu Yan had no idea why he was angry. He simply accepted the weight of the other person intentionally leaning against him.

At the entrance of the senior building, Sun Hao saw the familiar figures approaching from behind the flower bed. He rushed to the third floor and splashed soapy water he had prepared on the top step. He did not use much. It was hard to see on the black and white marble floor, but it was enough to make someone with poor balance slip.

After finishing, he hid in the fourth floor corridor and waited anxiously for the sound of a heavy fall. One second, two seconds. Time passed slowly. Sun Hao felt like every second was a year. Finally, after a long wait, he heard the sound he wanted.