I, A Loyal Dog, Awaken to My Fate as Cannon Fodder - Chapter 14

Cheng Wanqiu’s parents passed away in a car accident when she was only eight years old. It wasn’t until she was ten that she met Shen Yinan for the first time.

During those two years without Shen Yinan, Luo Yejun was the one who stayed by her side.

Later, when Luo Yejun was taken abroad by his parents to study, he couldn’t let go of his feelings for Cheng Wanqiu, so he made a promise to her.

“Sister Wanqiu, once I return to the country, I will never leave you again. I want to protect you forever.”

At the time, Cheng Wanqiu was silent and despondent all day long. Hearing those words, she simply nodded with hollow, empty eyes. She only did so because she didn’t want to be an impolite child; she never imagined that her casual nod would be etched so deeply into Luo Yejun’s heart, becoming a sacred vow between them.

Faced with no other choice, Cheng Wanqiu got out of bed to open the door for Luo Yejun.

“I’ll scan you,” Cheng Wanqiu said.

Luo Yejun fumbled unskilfully with his phone. He was searching for WeChat on the newly purchased device.

Cheng Wanqiu glanced at it and found it instantly. She slid her index finger across Luo Yejun’s screen and opened the app. She taught him patiently, “Click here, and then…”

Luo Yejun’s QR code appeared. In the center was his profile picture—a black kitten that looked decidedly gloomy.

Cheng Wanqiu scanned it with her phone. With a sharp “ding,” she withdrew her device.

“Done.”

Hearing that “done,” Luo Yejun felt a wave of numbness spread through his heart. What Cheng Wanqiu had touched wasn’t just his phone; it was his hand, his very soul. He could hardly suppress the upward curve of his lips.

“Thank you, Wanqiu… Sister.”

If he hadn’t said it, it might have been fine, but the moment he did, Cheng Wanqiu lost her composure. Her eyelid twitched. That final “Sister” made her skin crawl with goosebumps.

She gave a polite but forced smile and shut the door with a “bang,” cutting off their line of sight and escaping the awkwardness brought on by that title.

Shen Yinan and Luo Yejun were born in roughly the same months, both a few months younger than Cheng Wanqiu. While Luo Yejun couldn’t wait to call her “Sister” at every turn, asking Shen Yinan to call her “Sister” was like trying to kill her.

They say “forced fruit is the sweetest,” but if Shen Yinan had even half of Luo Yejun’s thick skin, Cheng Wanqiu would be happy to death.

Back on the large bed, Cheng Wanqiu pulled out her phone. The blinding blue light illuminated her face as she stared at the contact name she had given Shen Yinan: “Little Stupid Dog.”

“Shen Yinan, you little stupid dog. So many people are chasing me; why aren’t you nervous at all?”

Cheng Wanqiu scolded the phone, feeling a sour, empty ache in her heart. Having few inhibitions, she called Shen Yinan directly, never stopping to consider if Shen Yinan was currently enjoying a peaceful reunion with her family. She was a young miss, after all; she didn’t think that far. She only knew she missed Shen Yinan right now and wanted to hear her voice.

When the call went through, Shen Yinan’s three-year-old phone—a budget model worth about 2,000 yuan—vibrated incessantly on the small round table in the living room.

Startled from the plot of her manga, Shen Yinan looked up. Her eyes were filled with a clear, innocent sort of stupidity—utterly dazed. She closed the manga book, preparing to see who was calling.

But just as her hand reached out, Tao Ye pinned it down.

“Xiao Ye, what’s wrong?” Shen Yinan asked, puzzled. She was just grabbing her phone; why was Tao Ye stopping her?

“Shen Yinan, it’s that Young Miss calling. She’s definitely going to order you around again, making you run here and there to buy things for her!”

“???”

Shen Yinan expressed her total lack of comprehension. “The Miss probably has something she needs me for,” she said, sounding a bit intimidated by Tao Ye.

Tao Ye slammed the table. “What could she possibly need? She only knows how to bully you!!!”

Little did anyone know that while Tao Ye was reading The Anecdotes of the Young Miss and the Loyal Dog, the part she looked forward to most was the Miss bullying the dog.

Shen Yinan didn’t understand why Tao Ye cared so much about her being bullied. In Tao Ye’s eyes, Shen Yinan was a silly child who needed protection, and Tao Ye guarded her like an overprotective mother.

“Xiao Ye, my phone…”

Shen Yinan hadn’t forgotten—she was supposedly at the “Shen family home” right now. Why would her high school class monitor be at the Shen house?

Tao Ye gave her a look of helpless resignation. “Fine, here’s your phone. But if Cheng Wanqiu bullies you again, you must tell me. I’ll scold her to death.”

Shen Yinan neither nodded in agreement nor shook her head. She hurriedly took the call and stepped out.

“Miss…” Shen Yinan whispered into the phone.

“Shen Yinan, why did it take you so long to answer? Are things going well at the Shen house?”

Shen Yinan leaned against the wall. The white-painted hallway made her look ethereal, like a dream. From a distance, with her feet shifting slightly, one might mistake her for a celebrity doing a photoshoot in a residential neighborhood.

“Miss, everything is very good.” She began to describe her life at the “Shen family home.”

“Father had the servants prepare a whole table of food for me.” “My siblings asked how I was doing at the Cheng house, and I told them I was doing very well.” “My foster mother served me food…”

Cheng Wanqiu listened intently. She was genuinely happy that the “little dog” had a happy home. She twirled a lock of her hair around her index finger, loop after loop.

“It’s good that you’re having fun. Give my regards to your parents, Shen Yinan.”

“Mm.”

Cheng Wanqiu’s feet swung back and forth, her posture completely relaxed. “When will you be back? I… miss you a little.”

“…”

It had been less than six hours. Was the Miss hinting at something? Shen Yinan didn’t dare overthink it. She was originally supposed to be away for a week, but the Miss had hinted this much already.

In reality, Cheng Wanqiu only said it because she truly missed her. While she missed her, she also wanted the dog to have a proper reunion with her family.

“I’ll be back the day after tomorrow. Is there anything you’d like to eat, Miss? I can bring something back for you.”

“The day after tomorrow?”

Hearing this, Shen Yinan hesitated. She stood up straight away from the wall, feeling nervous. “No, Miss, I can come back tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?”

This made Shen Yinan even more confused. Did she want her back today?

“Miss… I miss home,” Shen Yinan said with a sob in her voice, sounding pitiful and helpless, much like a stray puppy.

“No, no, no,” Cheng Wanqiu explained quickly. “I was just surprised to hear you say you’d be back tomorrow. Do you really not need to spend more time with your family?”

Cheng Wanqiu sat up in bed. The hair she had been twirling uncoiled in a spiral and bounced. “Is coming back tomorrow too early?” Her voice was much softer and gentler than usual.

Shen Yinan said firmly, “It’s not.”

Unbeknownst to them, their conversation was being eavesdropped upon by Class Monitor Tao Ye, who was just on the other side of the wall. She was pressed against the door; the walls of the old apartment weren’t very soundproof, so she heard everything clearly.

“Why does this scene feel so familiar?” Tao Ye’s eyes darted around as she thought.

She tiptoed back to the living room where Shen Yinan had been reading and picked up The Anecdotes of the Young Miss and the Loyal Dog. Flipping to a matching plot point, she indeed found a chapter where the Miss calls to flirt with the dog.

Shen Yinan and Cheng Wanqiu flirting… that might be a stretch. Shen Yinan would subconsciously avoid it, while Cheng Wanqiu knew to take things step by step.

But in the manga, it was very direct. The Miss would roll dice over the phone and make the dog guess the number. If the dog guessed wrong, the punishment was squats or frog jumps… The dog was bullied mercilessly, left panting for breath, while the mistress laughed wildly on the other end, listening to the dog’s heavy breathing.

That was a real Master and Dog relationship. By comparison, Cheng Wanqiu’s so-called punishments for Shen Yinan were mere child’s play. It was because Cheng Wanqiu showed restraint. If she didn’t truly care for Shen Yinan, she would have treated her exactly like the Young Miss in the manga—toying with her whenever she was bored, regardless of where the dog was or what she was doing.

Tao Ye had a sudden realization. “So Cheng Wanqiu and Shen Yinan have that kind of relationship.”

She closed the manga, feeling she could never look at the two of them the same way again. So they were flirting. As a fan of “Girls’ Love,” she couldn’t help but let out a secret giggle.

When Shen Yinan returned from the call, the moment she opened the door, she was greeted by the “motherly” class monitor’s knowing, auntie-like smirk. It was the same look the crowds at the amusement park had given them—the onlookers who had cheered for her and Cheng Wanqiu.

She shrank back in slight fear…

“Shen Yinan, do you like Cheng Wanqiu?!”

“???”

Shen Yinan shook her head in absolute denial. Watching Xiao Ye rise from the sofa and gradually approach her, she stammered, “Xiao… Xiao Ye, what’s wrong with you?”

Shen Yinan’s obedient, pitiful expression was enough to make anyone’s heart ache.

“Shen Yinan, when you go back, you must read that manga I gave you!!!”

“Uh, okay.”

Tao Ye suddenly grabbed Shen Yinan’s hand. Shen Yinan swallowed hard, feeling utterly lost. “Xiao Ye, thank you.”

The class monitor shook her head. “No, I should thank you. You make sure to stay with that Young Miss.”

“???”

What happened to Tao Ye while I was out making a phone call?

The sunrise made the snow that had fallen all night glow brilliantly, gilded with a layer of gold. It looked even whiter and cleaner—almost sacred. The sides of the road were decorated with festive red Chinese knots. A cool morning breeze ruffled the surface of the water under the bridge, creating layers of ripples.

Shen Yinan made it back to the Cheng residence on New Year’s Day. Because she arrived early, the rest of the Cheng family wasn’t up yet.

Except for Cheng Wanqiu.

“Shen Yinan, you’re back!”

Cheng Wanqiu had been standing at the entrance of the residence waiting for her. Seeing Shen Yinan get out of the car, the Young Miss rushed forward excitedly to help carry her luggage.

“Miss, I can handle these things myself.” Shen Yinan tried to refuse.

But she couldn’t withstand Cheng Wanqiu’s insistence on doing something for her. Because Shen Yinan could have had a week off, but ended up with only one day because of her words, she felt quite guilty.

“It’s fine. You’re back safe and sound, so leave these to me—your Miss.”

Shen Yinan felt a wave of warmth near her ear.

“Right, Little Dog?” Cheng Wanqiu stood on her tiptoes and whispered softly into Shen Yinan’s ear.

Suddenly, the tips of Shen Yinan’s ears turned so red they looked ready to bleed.

“Miss, we are at the front gate of the Cheng house,” Shen Yinan said, not backing down, the words slipping out as if by accident. It didn’t seem like her usual personality to use such a line to needle Cheng Wanqiu.

Cheng Wanqiu was instantly startled, looking left and right in a panic. Seeing no one, she breathed a sigh of relief.

“Let’s… let’s go. Welcome home, Shen Yinan.”

Shen Yinan raised an eyebrow and gave a soft “Mm.”

She was home. The Cheng house was her home.