Fake Cannon Fodder A Becomes a Sensation in Romance Variety Shows - Chapter 55

The sky was just beginning to lighten, and bubbles gurgled in the pot.

Chop, chop neatly prepared ingredients fell onto the cutting board.

Wen Huiyun wielded the knife, scooping up scallions and ginger to toss into the noodle broth.

Hurried footsteps echoed from the living room as a draft swept in from the entryway, mingling the cold air with the warmth of the heating.

Wrapping her coat tighter, Wen Huiyun glanced through the glass partition a long, deep brown overcoat cast a lengthy shadow.

Fragments of a phone conversation drifted in: “Get Legal on it immediately.”

“Don’t panic. Wait for me.”

“The board? With me there, there’s no need to fear them. Don’t change a single line of the proposal, not even a paperclip at the scene. I’ll be there by noon.”

A Rolls-Royce waited silently outside the entrance.

The car was a pristine black, its headlights diffusing a hazy glow as fine rain drizzled through the mist.

A secretary stood by the mansion’s front door, holding a straight-handled umbrella open with respectful deference. “President Cheng.”

Wen Huiyun watched quietly as the figure at the door stepped out. Only when the shadow crossed the threshold did she snap back to reality, turning the stove to its lowest setting before leaving the kitchen.

“Ming-jie, do you have to leave?” Wen Huiyun asked.

During the show, all guests were required to stay at the Lianlian Mansion. Since renovating a “love nest” took time, filming lasted at least three months.

Before joining, the production team confirmed multiple times with participants to ensure they could stay without unauthorized absences.

If a guest had urgent matters forcing them to leave, they could apply for permission.

Cheng Xiaoming was clearly such a case.

Both the secretary and Cheng Xiaoming paused.

Cheng Xiaoming turned back. The car’s headlights illuminated her sharply defined profile her straight nose, the faint crease of her double eyelids, dotted with a few raindrops blown in by the wind.

“Something came up at the company. I won’t be around for a few days.”

Her voice was soft, carrying a warmth like embers in a snowy cabin despite the biting wind and rain.

“I’m leaving in a hurry. Could you say goodbye to everyone for me? Thank you, Huiyun.”

“Oh!”

Wen Huiyun wanted to ask what had happened, but Cheng Xiaoming was in a rush, and prying into work matters felt inappropriate. So she just waved goodbye.

At breakfast, Wen Huiyun mentioned it to the other guests.

“Yining, what’s wrong?”

Wen Huiyun noticed Jiang Yining zoning out mid-bite, her spoon sinking into the soup.

“Huh? Oh, nothing. This spoon’s just too short.” Jiang Yining fished it out with her chopsticks.

Wen Huiyun headed to the kitchen. “I’ll get you a longer one.”

By the time she returned with the longer spoon, Jiang Yining had already left the table.

Exchanging a glance with Ye Zhuoyan beside her, Wen Huiyun handed it over. Ye Zhuoyan said, “I’ll take it. I could use some soup.”

The most concerned about Cheng Xiaoming’s departure was Ke Yuxin, who rushed off to question the producers but came back empty-handed.

With one guest temporarily gone, the third round of dates was postponed.

Ye Zhuoyan bought a ball of red knitting yarn to fiddle with. As home renovation videos played on the projector, she knitted quietly, chatting in low tones with Wen Huiyun around the kotatsu.

“I heard Cheng Xiaoming mention notifying the legal department on the phone.”

“Big corporations deal with lawsuits all the time. It’s normal.”

Ye Zhuoyan’s yarn tangled, and she lifted it with a flick of her wrist. Wen Huiyun instinctively helped untangle it. “But at her level, ordinary lawsuits wouldn’t require her personal involvement.”

“I also heard something about a leaked proposal. Sounds serious.”

“If Ming-jie knew how much you care, she’d be thrilled.”

Wen Huiyun knew Ye Zhuoyan was deliberately teasing her with jealous remarks. Wait, no, why would she be happy about Cheng Xiaoming’s concern?

Cheng Xiaoming was the official Alpha lead. If anyone should be happy, it should be Ye Zhuoyan caring for her, or at the very least, Jiang Yining.

Wen Huiyun chuckled, “Cheng Xiaoming wants to go on a date with you. She’d be happy if you cared about her.”

Ye Zhuoyan sighed, setting down her knitting needles and yarn to stare at Wen Huiyun.

“What’s wrong…?”

The intensity of Ye Zhuoyan’s gaze made Wen Huiyun uneasy.

“Why do you think Ming-jie wants to ask me out?”

“Because she… uh, likes you the most among the four omega guests?”

Ye Zhuoyan shook her head, pulling up the “Love and Nest 4” AA pairing fan page on her phone and showing it to her. “Do you think all these AA shippers came out of nowhere?”

Holy crap!

The endless stream of AA fanfics and fanart sent a chill down Wen Huiyun’s spine.

She’d vaguely heard of this ship but assumed it was some obscure niche thing.

This was anything but obscure!!!

Wen Huiyun wanted to gouge her own eyes out.

A rivals-to-lovers plotline like this would never happen, not in the original novel nor in the storyline she’d transmigrated into!

Ye Zhuoyan leaned against Wen Huiyun, sorting through yarn. “No ship sails without wind. Between the two of you, at least one must be real.

“Hmph, the fans have sharp eyes.”

“??!!!”

Wen Huiyun’s expression twisted in horror as she frantically clicked on an AA analysis post. It was filled with detailed arguments, thousands of words of analysis, backed by evidence and flawless logic so convincing even Wen Huiyun almost started believing it.

[Wen Huiyun jumps into the water to save a cat, Cheng Xiaoming drapes a coat over her.]

[Cheng Xiaoming asks Ye Zhuoyan about Wen Huiyun’s condition, a drunk Alpha’s heart isn’t with the omega.]

[Cheng Xiaoming disrupts Wen Huiyun when she calls for Ye Zhuoyan.]

[Cheng Xiaoming uses a wish card to invite Wen Huiyun to the Love Nest.]

[Cheng Xiaoming plans to date Ye Zhuoyan to provoke Wen Huiyun.]

“……”

Wen Huiyun: “They’re just making things up. You don’t actually believe this, do you, Zhuoyan?”

“Putting everything else aside, you’re gentle, considerate, and domestic exactly her type.”

And you haven’t presented yet. The future is full of possibilities.

Ye Zhuoyan smiled faintly.

Wen Huiyun’s face darkened. “Zhuoyan, I swear to you, all of this is just baseless rumors.”

Whether true or false, she’d treat it all as false. AA relationships weren’t strange, but in the original novel, Cheng Xiaoming didn’t like Alphas.

Ye Zhuoyan resumed knitting, deflecting with a vague remark: “The internet has everything.”

The TV played a foreign home renovation show, this episode resembling Ye Zhuoyan’s Love Nest. She paused her knitting to watch intently.

From the top of the stairs, Jiang Yining’s tired voice drifted down: “Gu Rufeng, come here.”

Gu Rufeng, who had been repotting strawberry seedlings, craned her neck and replied, “Okay!”

Wen Huiyun blinked. Ye Zhuoyan blinked back.

“Yining’s in a bad mood because she heard Ming-jie left.”

Wen Huiyun said, “So she’s worried about Cheng Xiaoming. But why did she call Gu Rufeng upstairs?”

Ye Zhuoyan leaned in close to Wen Huiyun’s ear and whispered, “Look at Taozi.”

Wen Huiyun turned. Mi Tao silently picked up the strawberry seedlings Gu Rufeng had left behind.

Mi Tao tended to the little strawberries with meticulous care, her expression focused.

She was the youngest of all the guests, the most straightforward with her emotions.

When Jiang Yining called Gu Rufeng away, Mi Tao didn’t show the slightest displeasure.

Ye Zhuoyan gathered her yarn, lowering her eyes. “I can’t even understand them anymore.”

Wen Huiyun lowered her head with a faint smile, her sketchbook spread open on her lap. “As long as you understand me, that’s enough.”

Drawing a cake.

Sixteen layers, each one different.

The lounge was filled with the scent of alcohol.

Gu Rufeng bent down to pick up an empty bottle. “Was it you who leaked the Changxin proposal?”

The woman sat on the floor, her head tilted against the sofa, her platinum-blonde hair splayed messily across the cushions.

“Maybe.”

“Maybe?”

Gu Rufeng reached out and plucked a stray strand of hair from Jiang Yining’s lips. “Then it was you.”

Jiang Yining didn’t answer, patting the seat beside her instead. “Have a drink with me.”

“No.” Gu Rufeng refused bluntly. “I still need to transplant the strawberries.”

Jiang Yining brushed the hair from her eyes and laughed softly. “Heh.”

Gu Rufeng noticed a fruit platter on the coffee table. “Want me to peel an apple for you?”

She still remembered, Yiyi-jie had this habit.

If you’re sad, eat an apple.

Jiang Yining was being melodramatic. “No. I only eat the ones she peels.”

Gu Rufeng nodded and sat in the corner to play on her phone.

After a stretch of silence, Jiang Yining reached for another bottle, the glass clinking. Gu Rufeng grabbed her wrist, frowning.

“Yiyi-jie, why did you agree to that dating show? For Cheng Xiaoming?”

“No. If possible, I’d rather never see her again for the rest of my life.”

“Then just do what you need to do. The Cheng family’s enemies are their own karma.”

“I altered the documents, but it’ll still hurt her.”

“You did your best. This is inevitable you didn’t hurt Cheng Xiaoming.”

Gu Rufeng’s voice turned icy. “If anyone was hurt, it was the Cheng family who harmed Teacher Ning and you.”

Jiang Yining lay on the floor, staring at the ceiling.

“I know. I just need time to calm down. Ah-Feng, there’s something I want to ask you.”

Gu Rufeng watched her lips part.

She took a small comb with a mirror from her bag, gently smoothing Jiang Yining’s long hair before tying it up with a hairband.

Even as a child, Yiyi-jie never knew how to properly comb her hair.

She once hacked at her beautiful locks until they looked like a dog had chewed them.

Later, when she heard the second daughter of the Cheng family liked girls with flowing long hair, she grew it out again.

Gu Rufeng said, “Alright. I promise you.

“Auntie once told us, we’ll always be your home.”

If only, on that day. That night of swirling snow.

Auntie had arrived at the Cheng family’s old mansion just a little sooner.

If only she had been a little faster.

Yiyi-jie wouldn’t be so heartbroken now.

“Rufeng, what are you doing?”

“It’s cold. The birds can’t find food, so I’m scattering some grain on the windowsill.”

Wen Huiyun had fed stray cats and dogs before, but this was her first time encountering someone who fed birds.

Birds were wild, not stray animals, she’d never considered them.

Gu Rufeng’s focus always seemed a little unusual.

“Done watching TV?” Gu Rufeng asked.

“Huh?”

“You and Zhuoyan were watching that home renovation show in the living room earlier.”

“Oh, no, not yet. I came up to find you.”

“Me?”

Wen Huiyun gestured toward the closed lounge door. “Is Yining not doing well?”

Gu Rufeng’s gaze grew slightly distant, as if deliberately avoiding the topic. “She had a bit to drink.”

Wen Huiyun pressed gently, “What’s wrong? She seemed off ever since hearing about Ming-jie leaving this morning. Just worrying wouldn’t make her like this.”

She paused, then ventured carefully, “Rufeng, did Jiang Yining, you, and Cheng Xiaoming. know each other before?”

Jiang Yining might seem outgoing, but in truth, she kept people at a distance.

Ye Zhuoyan and Jiang Yining had been roommates for two months when Ye noticed Jiang was always meticulous, she would press the door handle down when closing it, push her chair back in place when leaving, and even return a borrowed tissue by the end of the day.

She kept everything calculated.

Owing nothing. As if silently declaring it to everyone.

Someone like this could laugh freely, cry boldly, and express emotions openly but would never easily reveal the feelings buried deep in her heart.

Jiang Yining had locked herself away, yet she invited the newly arrived Gu Rufeng to drink with her. It was hard for Wen Huiyun to believe they hadn’t known each other before.

Instead of answering, Gu Rufeng countered, “Did you and Ye Zhuoyan know each other before? You seem very familiar with her.”

Wen Huiyun wasn’t good at lying. Caught off guard, she stammered, “Y-yes, we did.”

“I knew her from afar. Zhuoyan debuted as a dance star, and I liked her after seeing her on TV.”

“Which of her works made you like her?”

“The Luckiest Coquettish Alpha.” Thankfully, she had memorized one of Ye Zhuoyan’s dramas.

“Which character did she play in it?”

“……” Wen Huiyun racked her brain.

She hadn’t memorized the character’s name.

Gu Rufeng smiled faintly and patted Wen Huiyun’s shoulder. “Huiyun, seems like you haven’t done enough homework as a fan.”

Mi Tao waved from downstairs, “Gu Rufeng, are you done? I need to move the strawberries to the third floor.”

“Coming.”

Wen Huiyun snapped back to reality.

Ah, she had been led astray by Gu Rufeng!

Ye Zhuoyan had knitted a section of yarn, and the beginnings of a shape were taking form.

Wen Huiyun recognized it, a knitted hat.

Probably for me, she thought.

Last night, she had shed a few precious tears in Ye Zhuoyan’s arms, and Ye had comforted her, promising a small gift to make up for them.

Mi Tao and Gu Rufeng carried the strawberries upstairs.

Only the two of them remained in the living room.

Ye Zhuoyan asked, “How’s Yining? What did Rufeng say?”

“Had a bit to drink.” Wen Huiyun tapped on her phone.

“And?”

Ye Zhuoyan leaned closer. “Talk to me properly, stop playing with your phone.”

Wen Huiyun hurriedly turned off the screen, but Ye Zhuoyan’s sharp eyes caught her hesitation. What is she hiding?

“Is it Ke Yuxin?”

“No! No!”

“I can’t see?”

“It’s not that.”

“Show me.”

“Zhuoyan, please don’t look.” Spare me some dignity, QvQ

In her fluster, plop Wen Huiyun dropped her phone.

Ye Zhuoyan bent to pick it up, but Wen Huiyun lunged to grab it. Her thumb accidentally pressed the unlock button, and the screen lit up with a click.

On display:

Ye Zhuoyan’s Acting Career

XX Year: Golden Orchid Award, Classical Dance Gold Prize

XX Year: First TV drama The Luckiest Coquettish Alpha, playing **

XX Year: Joined the dating show Love and Nest 4 co-produced by Orange Video and Le TV, forming the popular CP #WenYe# with guest Wen Huiyun.

Ye Zhuoyan froze for a moment, then couldn’t decide whether to be annoyed or amused. “You were secretly reading my profile?”

Oh no!

Wen Huiyun covered her face busted.

Ye Zhuoyan would be mad, right? How could someone not even memorize their own wife’s full career history? TAT

Gu Rufeng was right, she hadn’t put in enough effort as a fan.

Not enough effort in winning her wife’s heart either QwQ

Ye Zhuoyan pinched a strand of yarn and poked Wen Huiyun’s cheek, tickling her.

“Hey, Wen Huiyun, don’t tell me you still can’t remember all the TV shows and movies I’ve been in?”

“I remember!” Then in a very small voice, “It’s just that some of the character names are a bit fuzzy.”

“Oh. I see.”

Ye Zhuoyan smiled, her face blooming like a flower. “That’s okay.”

Whispers of love that night.

『10:30 PM, third-floor secret base.』

Wen Huiyun gently pushed open the door. On the screen was a paused frame of The Luckiest Coquettish Alpha.

Ye Zhuoyan sat on the beanbag chair, smiling as she waited for her.

Starting tonight, she would accompany her in watching. They would watch every single drama she had acted in.

And they would act them out too.

“Huiyun, read the lines.”

“Sis, sister it hurts, kiss.”

Mmm.

Kiss kiss.