I, A Loyal Dog, Awaken to My Fate as Cannon Fodder - Chapter 13

On the night before New Year’s Eve, A City Airport was crowded with travelers. Among them was Cheng Wanqiu’s young uncle, Cheng Xian, and a childhood companion the uncle had brought back from abroad.

Cheng Xian helped the gloomy young man with his luggage, his usually cold face showing a rare warmth.

“Ye-jun, it’s been ten years since you last saw Wanqiu, hasn’t it? They’ll be back from the hot spring resort tomorrow. I’ll have Wanqiu show you around then; the country has changed a lot over the years.”

Luo Yejun also called Cheng Xian “Young Uncle.” Because he had heard Cheng Wanqiu calling him that since they were little, he had followed suit, and the habit had stuck until now.

“Thank you, Young Uncle. I really want to see Wanqiu soon. I thought about her every day abroad, dreaming of the day we’d meet again.”

A sinister, eerie smile played at the corners of his mouth. He would never leave Cheng Wanqiu again.

He had always remembered their childhood promise; whenever he thought of it, a hint of sweetness would flicker through his bitter heart. During those ten years abroad, the thought that he could see Cheng Wanqiu once he endured it all had driven him mad with longing.

“I still remember how Wanqiu used to bully you when you were little,” Cheng Xian remarked. “She’s grown up now, so she probably won’t bully you anymore.”

Luo Yejun and Shen Yinan shared a similar temperament—both appeared well-behaved and quiet in the eyes of adults. However, only they themselves knew what their inner worlds truly looked like.

At the hot spring resort, on their final night, Cheng Wanqiu broke protocol and pulled Shen Yinan into her room to sleep together.

Once this night was over, Shen Yinan would have to return to the Shen family to visit her parents. Every winter and summer break, the Cheng family gave Shen Yinan the opportunity to go home. Whenever Shen Yinan left, Cheng Wanqiu was always loath to see her go.

The lights in the room were turned off. The two lay on their respective futons, the moonlight filtering through the thin curtains. Soon, Shen Yinan could see the entire room by the moonlight, including the face of the Young Mistress.

Under the moonlight, the Mistress looked bright and moving, her eyes fixed candidly on her.

She was asked, “Shen Yinan, how long are you going to stay at the Shen house this time before coming back?”

Shen Yinan always felt as though the Mistress was on the verge of tears.

Looking at the ceiling, Shen Yinan said, “Just a week, I suppose.”

There was nothing good about the Shen family. Father Shen and the Matriarch didn’t welcome her. Only her biological mother, who remained at the bottom of the social ladder without any change, was worth visiting; she would give her some money and then leave.

Cheng Wanqiu said with a pained tone, “Alright, go home and have a good reunion with your parents. You spend more time at the Cheng house than you do with the Shens anyway.”

“Miss.”

“Hmm?” Cheng Wanqiu responded. “What is it?”

Shen Yinan turned her head to look at Cheng Wanqiu. She actually wanted to say she didn’t want to return to the Shen family this time. But on second thought, she let it go. If asked why, it would be hard to find a reason.

Cheng Wanqiu always believed the Shen family treated Shen Yinan well, and Shen Yinan had always maintained that illusion of a good relationship. She didn’t want the Young Mistress to know she was the child of a mistress—a pathetic dog who was constantly bullied within the Shen family.

“I’ll be back very soon. I can only stand my father’s enthusiasm for a few days.”

Hearing this, Cheng Wanqiu’s eyes instantly lit up. Even though it felt wrong to hog Shen Yinan, she still expressed concern with a touch of feigned reluctance.

“It’s fine if you stay a few more days. I have other servants to take care of me.”

“Mhm, then I’ll stay a few more days,” Shen Yinan said calmly, as if she couldn’t tell the truth from the lies in Cheng Wanqiu’s words.

She knew that the moment the Mistress heard those words, she would want to slap herself twice for speaking out of turn. Sure enough, Cheng Wanqiu’s face was full of regret for having misspoken, but since the words were already out, she couldn’t take them back. She was filled with remorse.

Shen Yinan curled her lips into a smile.

Whenever she left the Cheng household, she never knew where to go. Every time she “left,” she would just stay in a hotel for a few days and then return. This time, she wanted to go somewhere different.

Ever since she saw those two older girls kissing, her heart had reacted violently. That night, she had even dreamed of herself and the Mistress kissing in the hot springs.

The Class Monitor, her good friend, was a “Yuri” (Girl’s Love) fan who liked to collect various types of Yuri manga. Shen Yinan knew this and had even caught a lucky glimpse of them once.

After leaving the hot spring resort, the Cheng family’s car dropped Shen Yinan directly at the Shen family home—a gaudy, old-fashioned manor.

The Shen family used to be decent, comparable to the Chengs, but they had declined by her grandfather’s generation. When it was handed over to Father Shen, his management nearly drove them to bankruptcy.

“Hello, Xiao Ye? Can I come stay at your house for a few days?”

The Class Monitor, Tao Ye, who was sleeping groggily during the winter break, answered with a muffled voice, “Sure.”

Thinking it was an old classmate looking for her, Tao Ye agreed without a second thought. She never expected it to be Shen Yinan, because that girl had an honest disposition and never took the initiative.

“Then I’m coming over.”

“You’re coming…” Finally realizing something was wrong, Shen Yinan heard a shriek from the other end of the line. “Holy crap! You… you… you’re Shen Yinan!!!”

Shen Yinan held the phone a bit further away, not knowing what to say.

“Monitor, is it not okay?”

Shen Yinan sounded pitiful. Over the phone, she sounded like a stray dog abandoned outside, making one want to pick her up and take her home.

On the other end, Tao Ye immediately scrambled out of her warm blankets. “It’s okay, it’s okay! Of course it’s okay! I… I just didn’t expect the person taking the initiative to call me would be you…”

Standing outside the snow-covered gates of the Shen family, Shen Yinan didn’t give the house even a glance. She got into another car heading toward the Monitor’s home.

“I have nowhere else to go.”

For a moment, she really did look like a stray dog—standing in the snow, boredly kicking at the ground with her toes.

After hanging up, Shen Yinan took a deep breath. Watching the Shen house recede in the window, the scene felt like a flashback to when she was ten years old and was taken away by the Cheng family.

“Welcome, welcome! Have you had breakfast, Shen Yinan?”

At the door of Tao Ye’s house, the Class Monitor—dressed in grey checkered cotton pajamas and wearing black-rimmed glasses—opened the door for Shen Yinan. She greeted her with familiarity.

Shen Yinan nodded blankly. She hadn’t come to Tao Ye’s house for a free meal; she was here to find “study materials.”

“Xiao Ye, can I borrow your manga?”

Shen Yinan really didn’t know how to socialize. Being someone of few words, the only thing she could think of was to ask directly.

“Manga?”

Seeing Tao Ye’s eyes flicker and dodge, Shen Yinan wondered if she had said something wrong. She scrambled to think of a way to fix it.

Instead, she heard Tao Ye speak in a nervous, extremely unnatural tone: “Sure… what… what kind do you want to see?” She seemed to be trying to hide something. “By the way, I recently bought one where the male lead is a young master from the Beijing social circles…”

Shen Yinan directly stated what she wanted to see. “I want to see the Yuri manga you usually read, Xiao Ye.”

Pfft!

The fact that she was a Yuri fan had been discovered? When did that happen?

“I quite liked the one you were reading last time, Xiao Ye. I saw you reading it right before the college entrance exams.”

Pfft pfft pfft!

“The Young Mistress and the Loyal Dog: A Few Incidents”

That was the book Tao Ye had been reading on the eve of the exams—the kind that was irresistible yet filled one with shame. Even as a veteran Yuri fan, she had rolled around on her bed while reading it. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it “study material”; the entire story was filled with scenes of the Young Mistress teasing the loyal dog.

After her thoughts spun a thousand times, Tao Ye snapped back to reality. She stared fixedly at the seemingly foolish Shen Yinan. It felt as if a child not even six years old was asking for “study materials” on how to cuddle. In Tao Ye’s eyes, Shen Yinan was only six years old.

“Xiao Ye, is it not okay?”

Tao Ye raised her eyes, alert. Was she… was she really going to give Shen Yinan that manga? Wouldn’t it corrupt the child?

“You… you can. But you’d better take it back and read it secretly by yourself.”

Shen Yinan’s innocent eyes seemed unable to fathom the meaning behind those words. She nodded with a silly air.

The Cheng Residence

Cheng Xian, the head of the household, personally went out to greet his niece. Standing beside him was Luo Yejun.

Watching Cheng Wanqiu get out of the car, Cheng Xian, as an adult, restrained himself from showing the emotions of missing his family over the past month. In front of Cheng Wanqiu, he always modeled himself as a resilient, dignified, and reliable patriarch, keeping the soft light in his eyes tucked away.

“Wanqiu, come say hello to Ye-jun. He’ll be living with us from now on.”

Cheng Wanqiu froze for a moment after stepping out of the car. Her eyes drifted toward the man standing straight behind her uncle; at first glance, he appeared gloomy and brooding.

Luo Yejun seemed to know she was looking at him. He lowered his head slightly, but he bit his lower lip hard, desperately trying to suppress a smile. He had missed Cheng Wanqiu so much; she was the light of his life.

“Wanqiu, hurry and greet Ye-jun. Didn’t you two play together all the time when you were little?”

Cheng Wanqiu withdrew her probing gaze and offered a polite, elegant greeting.

“Ye-jun…” Cheng Wanqiu didn’t know what to say, so she settled for a pleasantry. “If there’s anything you don’t understand now that you’re back in the country, you can ask me.”

Luo Yejun looked up instantly. There were dark circles under his eyes, and his snake-like gaze stared intently at Cheng Wanqiu as if she were prey.

“Wanqiu… you haven’t changed at all.”

Looking at the man, Cheng Wanqiu frowned. With her uncle present, she couldn’t rudely show her discomfort or step back. She forced a fake smile and just stayed silent.

Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Cheng Xian cleared his throat. “Let’s go inside to talk. It’s cold out here.”

Back in her room, Cheng Wanqiu locked the door and lay on her bed. It had only been three hours since Shen Yinan left, and she already missed her to death.

She took her phone out of her pocket, hesitating whether or not to call Shen Yinan. Just then, a knock came at the door. She had just finished dealing with her uncle and Luo Yejun; why were they looking for her now?

The voice was a relatively clear male tone. “Wanqiu, Young Uncle said we should add each other’s contact information.”

Luo Yejun had somewhat feminine features; his jawline wasn’t very sharp, but rather rounded. Whenever he acted pitiful, he could make many people feel sorry for him. Combined with his naturally “well-behaved” personality, he was easily liked and doted upon.

But Cheng Wanqiu didn’t go for that type. She only liked girls who were tall and cool like Shen Yinan.

“Wanqiu, we haven’t seen each other for so long. Don’t you have anything you want to say to me?”

Like, for instance, about their childhood promise.