Fake Cannon Fodder A Becomes a Sensation in Romance Variety Shows - Chapter 46

The afternoon sun peeked out, and the wintersweet blossoms quietly unfurled, basking in the warm glow of sunlight.

A gentle breeze stirred as Wen Huiyun and Ye Zhuoyan walked up to a long table adorned with fresh flowers and decorative cloth, where Easter egg-shaped gift boxes were arranged.

The director, dressed in formal attire with a small red bowtie beneath his collar, smiled and announced that today’s tea party was meant to liven up the atmosphere. “Reach into the colorful eggs, there’s a surprise inside!”

Wen Huiyun shot him a skeptical glance but complied with the production team’s request, dipping her hand inside to fish around.

There was something in there.

The director said, “You can only take one.”

Wen Huiyun pulled out a candy wrapped in colorful paper, its flavor unidentifiable from the packaging. She popped it into her mouth, and the smooth, creamy taste of milk spread across her tongue.

Beside her, Ye Zhuoyan’s light voice chimed in, “Hmm, this is my favorite candy.”

Ye Zhuoyan had also picked one.

The director gestured toward another long table, where several cute-shaped memo clips were placed.

“Go take a look and stand behind the memo that matches the flavor of your candy.”

What did that mean?

They walked around to the back of the memo clips and discovered that each had two different sides. The side facing them earlier had been blank, but now they could see illustrations on the reverse.

Every memo had a drawing on its other side.

Wen Huiyun stood behind the one depicting a glass of milk, while Ye Zhuoyan walked along the table before stopping beside her.

Ye Zhuoyan wore a straight-collared lambskin jacket with hidden buttons, her hair styled simply, loose strands lazily cascading over her shoulders.

She leaned closer to Wen Huiyun, examining the drawing on the memo as if confirming whether it matched the flavor of the candy in her mouth.

“Yours is milk too?” Ye Zhuoyan asked.

“Mm.”

Ye Zhuoyan straightened up, only to wince as a sharp tug at her scalp near her ear made her gasp softly. Wen Huiyun immediately bent down her brooch had snagged on Ye Zhuoyan’s stray strands of hair.

“Don’t worry, don’t worry.” Wen Huiyun carefully removed the brooch, gently untangling the strands from the pin. “There, try moving now. Does it still hurt?”

Ye Zhuoyan gingerly touched her temple and shifted slightly. The pain was gone, so she shook her head with a smile.

Ke Yuxin watched them, the force of her teeth grinding into her candy growing louder crunch, crunch.

Hmph. I underestimated Ye Zhuoyan before, she’s got some tricks up her sleeve.

Ke Yuxin lifted her eyelids, the whites of her eyes flashing.

But what does it matter if she’s cunning? Showing off in front of me is pointless.

Only an idiot would cling to a sinking ship. I heard Wen family’s Transcendence Tech already had its assets frozen by the bank.

The taste of liquor-filled chocolate seeped across her tongue, and Ke Yuxin licked the chocolate smeared on the inside of her cheek.

A pair of polished leather shoes approached, their shadow falling over the memo clip.

A voice laced with obvious doubt: “You got this flavor?”

Huh?

Ke Yuxin looked up to see a face with a deeply furrowed brow.

The label depicted a bottle of liquor, no mistake there.

“Yeah, liquor-filled chocolate.”

Cheng Xiaoming dragged a finger along his brow, expressionless. “I can see that. On your front teeth.”

“Sorry.” Ke Yuxin hastily turned away, pulling out a compact mirror to fix her appearance. A thick smear of chocolate was stuck to her front teeth.

Cheng Xiaoming idly glanced away, his peripheral vision still observing.

From behind the mint-flavored memo, crisp high-fives sounded.

Give me five!

The secret signal Jiang Yining and Gu Rufeng used as kids when launching pranks.

One New Year’s Eve, they had once soaked all the elders’ chopsticks in wasabi water.

She once took all the toilet paper when a particularly show-off relative went to the bathroom.

Jiang Yining’s tongue slid across her lips as she smiled at Gu Rufeng, “Why bother with mint candy? You’re refreshing enough.”

Gu Rufeng lowered her head, thinking to herself that she couldn’t choose her pheromone scent, it wasn’t her fault.

To some, it looked like a mix of shyness and smugness after getting her way.

Ke Yuxin held a bottle of mint-flavored mouthwash and asked Cheng Xiaoming if she wanted some.

The liquor-filled chocolate was sticky Cheng Xiaoming probably had it sticking to her teeth too.

See? Wasn’t this the kind of detail that showcased Ke Yuxin’s charming, considerate nature?

Heh~ Got it in the bag.

“You can have another one,” Cheng Xiaoming said about Ke Yuxin’s mint mouthwash.

“Huh?” Ke Yuxin didn’t understand what she’d done wrong, why was Cheng Xiaoming snapping at her?

She was just trying to be nice by offering mouthwash.

Cheng Xiaoming took a step back, exuding the icy aura of a double-door refrigerator.

Mi Tao walked over behind the fruit-patterned sticky note with a candy ball in her mouth, exchanging a knowing smile with Liang Yuan, who was waiting there.

“What a coincidence.”

“Hehe.”

Liang Yuan glanced toward Ke Yuxin, while Mi Tao blinked slowly, looking at the fruit on the sticky note.

Both stayed quiet, only exchanging that initial greeting before idly glancing around.

Wen Huiyun and Ye Zhuoyan observed everyone’s expressions each one hiding something beneath the surface.

She asked Ye Zhuoyan, “Do you think we’ll all succeed in pairing up?”

Ye Zhuoyan gave her a realistic answer: “The first three seasons didn’t have everyone pair up, maybe one or two couples.”

“Then, are we in that one or two?”

“That depends!”

The director interrupted, “Everyone, look at the person beside you, she’s your partner for the fifth activity!”

Wen Huiyun smiled at Ye Zhuoyan, “Hello, partner.”

“Let’s do our best.” Ye Zhuoyan curled her lips slightly, picking up the milk-themed sticky note to fiddle with.

Hopefully, they could stay together for all the upcoming activities.

The show’s crew thoughtfully let the guests finish their afternoon tea before bringing out the props for the next game.

Four magnetic dartboards, each two meters in diameter.

Staff members carried out four trays of specially treated darts their tips were soft, so they wouldn’t hurt if they hit someone, and they’d quickly stick to the board when thrown close enough.

The moment Wen Huiyun saw the darts, her nerves tightened.

In her memory, the original host had taken Ye Zhuoyan out to party, lost a game of darts, and forced her to perform a striptease. For someone as dignified as Ye Zhuoyan, a professional dancer, it had been a humiliating, soul-crushing experience.

As the director explained the rules, Ye Zhuoyan’s breathing grew heavy, the words barely registering.

The dartboards’ red-and-black patterns overlapped in concentric circles, like some sinister abyss.

Staring too long made her eyes sting, creating the illusion that the patterns were spinning, dizzying her.

Ye Zhuoyan’s fingers turned icy, as if she’d been dragged back to that scorching summer day.

“Throw it already, what’s the hold-up? Wen Huiyun, scared now? If you suck, don’t play with us.”

“Yeah, just leave your senior here, and we’ll call it even for the money you owe.”

“How about it? Good deal, right?”

The arcade buzzed with noise, the pixelated beeps of video games, the dizzying red-and-blue lights flashing against gaudy wallpaper.

The air was thick and humid, cicadas screeching outside the glass windows, grating on everyone’s nerves.

“Play her? She’s been with me for two years and won’t even let me touch her legs you guys are dreaming.”

The original host twirled a dart in her hand, her gaze venomous and disdainful. “Last time, using the aphrodisiac you guys provided guess what? The person forced themselves to take suppressants and even threatened to jump off a building.”

Several lecherous eyes raked over Ye Zhuoyan as a group of ruffians jeered, “Ohhh! The aloof senior likes it spicy, huh? Just wonder how wide those splits can go, hahahaha!”

The original host smirked coldly, her arm wrapped around a sweet and innocent-looking blonde omega, Ke Yuxin.

Seated on her lap, Ke Yuxin occasionally had her white skirt flutter in the breeze from the fan.

“Yun, ah~” Ke Yuxin fed the original host a cherry.

Ye Zhuoyan stood there, drenched and disheveled, her thin silk clothes clinging to her graceful figure, water dripping steadily from her.

She had just climbed out of the swimming pool. Because she failed to catch Ke Yuxin’s volleyball, costing them the game, Ke Yuxin got angry and goaded the original host into pushing her into the pool.

“Wen Huiyun, pay back the money you owe, and fast.”

“Such a coward. We won’t invite you to play anymore, no fun at all.”

The original host threw the dart. “Stop nagging, I’m throwing it now.”

Outside the circle.

The crowd burst into laughter. “Missed! How pathetic!”

Ke Yuxin took the original host’s hand and cooed, “Why the rush, everyone? Isn’t Yun’s senior still here?”

She continued, “Since Yun lost, let’s have the senior take off a piece of clothing. She’s already soaked anyway, it’s not good to stay in wet clothes and catch a cold. She’ll have to take them off eventually.”

Ah, how considerate.

“Don’t you think so, Senior Ye? If you feel cold, you can always warm up later. There are so many alphas here, all willing to keep you company.”

One alpha leaned in, sniffing deeply near Ye Zhuoyan’s ear, and whispered, “So sweet. How could such a delicious omega never have tasted an alpha’s touch? One bite, and your legs won’t even stay straight, hahaha!”

Ye Zhuoyan wrapped one arm around the other, her back straight, her eyes like ice.

She tilted her head away from the repulsive alpha and fixed a cold stare on Wen Huiyun.

Dignity? Decency? Compassion?

What were those?

Ye Zhuoyan lowered her lashes. From the day she married the original host, she had lost all those precious things in life.

Faced with Ye Zhuoyan’s icy, questioning gaze, the original host crossed her legs, curled her lips, and silently warned her not to bargain.

Ye Zhuoyan clenched her fists, her nails digging crescent marks into her palms, the faint taste of blood spreading in her mouth.

“Fine, I’ll take it off.” She lifted her chin.

Even sinking in the mire, covered in filth, she maintained her frigid pride.

“But Wen Huiyun, you must keep your promise. The funds you agreed to must be transferred.”

“Otherwise, I’ll hate you for the rest of my life.”

“Even as a ghost, I won’t let you go.”

The original host scoffed, looking down at her. “Is your hatred worth anything?”

The room erupted in laughter.

Ye Zhuoyan’s last shred of pride shattered like fragile cellophane, snap into irreparable pieces.

Ke Yuxin chirped, “Take it off while dancing. Doesn’t Senior love to dance? That’s how you seduce alphas. Unlike me, I could never learn, could never dance as beautifully as Senior. All I can do is take Yun to symphonies and feed her cherries.”

Ye Zhuoyan shut her eyes, her teeth chattering uncontrollably.

Ke Yuxin was a monster. A demon who devoured people without spitting out the bones.

Step by step, she lured the original host, consuming Ye Zhuoyan’s innocence, her dignity, her pride and now, her very soul.

The dart flew from the original host’s hand, missing the inner circle entirely.

The demons clapped, laughed, jostled Ye Zhuoyan, and tugged at the scraps of fabric barely covering her body.

“Take it off! Take it off! Take it off!”

“Jump! Let those tits bounce!”

“Do the splits again! Ahahaha!”

Ye Zhuoyan bit her lip, her hand reaching behind her back to slowly pull down the zipper. Every inch felt like a cleaver hacking down her spine.

Her lips turned pale, her bony fingers trembling.

The only thing Ye Zhuoyan could do was hold back the humiliating tears in her eyes, this was the last shred of dignity she had left.

Amid the clamor, the original host’s expression suddenly flickered, her gaze dazed before slowly sharpening with fury.

Wen Huiyun shook off Ke Yuxin’s arm, which had been looped through hers.

“Are you all out of your damn minds?”

The noise died down as a circle of strange stares turned toward her.

Wen Huiyun took off her shirt and draped it over Ye Zhuoyan. “In broad daylight, under the open sky, I’m calling the police!”

“Wen Huiyun, have you lost your mind?!”

“What the hell? You brought her here yourself, and now you won’t let us have fun? Just now, you were even—”

Wen Huiyun’s voice was icy. “I brought her here, so if you’ve got a problem, take it up with me.”

“Can’t win the competition, so you resort to dirty tricks, huh?”

“Let me tell you, I don’t play by these rules.”

“Yun?” Ke Yuxin looked bewildered. Just a moment ago, everything had been fine, why was she acting so strange now? It was like she’d become a different person.

The ceiling fan spun overhead, its shadow spiraling, clicking once, then again.

Ye Zhuoyan clutched the gaudy Hawaiian shirt, curling in on herself as the tears she’d been holding back finally broke free.

She was like a discarded, broken doll anyone could tug at her, anyone could step on her.

No one cared, so she’d grown used to the pain.

But why pick her up and hold her now?

Hypocrite.

Wen Huiyun, do your wicked deeds haunt you in nightmares at night?

Is that why you put on this disgusting act to ease your guilt?

But it’s useless, Wen Huiyun.

Ye Zhuoyan shook her head, forcing away those awful memories.

She looked at the Wen Huiyun beside her, her brows righteous, her gaze clear, not a trace of the original host left. Instead, she resembled those few times when the original host had suddenly changed personalities.

Ye Zhuoyan felt dazed. In literature, there were tropes like time travel but was there such a thing as a person being “reborn”?

Wen Huiyun’s DNA was identical to before, except for her undifferentiated gland like a computer rebooted with a single click.

Rebooted into this gentle, kind Wen Huiyun.

The director had already finished explaining the game rules and blew a whistle. “Game start!”

Ye Zhuoyan panicked, she hadn’t absorbed a single word of the rules =.=||

“Zhuoyan, throw this at me. Don’t worry about the balloon, just have fun. Scoring doesn’t matter.” Wen Huiyun placed the magnetic dart in Ye Zhuoyan’s hand.

Ye Zhuoyan held the dart, blinking rapidly. She was supposed to throw it at Wen Huiyun?

Meaning Wen Huiyun was the target?

She glanced at the other three groups of guests.

Since alphas usually played darts more, in human dart games, omegas typically acted as targets.

Ke Yuxin and Mi Tao stood in front of the dartboard with small balloons on their heads, letting Cheng Xiaoming and Liang Yuan throw the magnetic darts.

Jiang Yining: “Sis, today I’m gonna nail a perfect score!”

Gu Rufeng smiled, balancing the balloon on her head as she obediently leaned against the dartboard.

Back when Yi Yi was still in the special forces, her sniping and grenade-throwing skills were legendary, let alone something as simple as darts.

The two traditional groups of guests froze, Cheng Xiaoming’s expression turning sour.

Gu Rufeng’s well-behaved demeanor came across as somewhat affected and hypocritical in the eyes of certain alphas.

Wait a minute, Jiang Yining, that unconventional omega, was one thing, but Wen Huiyun and Ye Zhuoyan’s team also had the alpha acting as the target?!

Ke Yuxin recalled past events and tugged at the corner of her mouth in displeasure.

Oh? So even with a damaged brain, Wen Huiyun still remembers Ye Zhuoyan’s striptease act?

Still protecting her like some precious treasure, huh? Disgusting.

Let’s see how long you can keep her precious!

Ke Yuxin waved over the show director, her voice sweet and saccharine, “Director, director~ I have a little suggestion to make the show more exciting.

“Playing darts usually involves some kind of wager otherwise, what’s the fun?

“How about this, if you win, you score points, but if you lose, you drink a penalty shot or take off a piece of clothing.”

“What, are you selling yourself here?”

Support