I, A Loyal Dog, Awaken to My Fate as Cannon Fodder - Chapter 18

The dim spiral staircase led to the second floor of the aquarium. The staircase wasn’t very long, and it was as “wide” as a children’s slide.

It was barely enough for two people to walk side-by-side.

However, things improved once they exited the stairs; the 2-meter-wide open view felt expansive compared to the cramped spiral staircase.

Cheng Wanqiu asked indifferently, “Have you eaten?”

Shen Yinan was momentarily surprised.

Their hands were still held together. From the moment they left the noisy crowd and entered the empty stairwell, they remained joined.

Come to think of it, she was no longer the Cheng family’s dog; she should be able to take the lead and hold Cheng Wanqiu’s hand back.

Thinking this, Shen Yinan did exactly that.

“You…”

Their hands were tightly clasped, the temperatures of cold and heat transferring between them.

To Shen Yinan, it felt like a long-awaited rain in a heatwave—cool, slightly chilly, and strangely comfortable.

To Cheng Wanqiu, it felt like a hand warmer pressed against her palm, warming her all the way to her heart.

“I haven’t eaten yet. What about you? Shall we go together?”

This was the first time Shen Yinan had taken the initiative to hold Cheng Wanqiu’s hand.

“Sure.”

They both seemed to have forgotten that, at this moment, they were supposed to be strangers.

Being led by the “puppy,” the corners of Cheng Wanqiu’s mouth almost reached behind her ears, her face full of doting affection.

On the second floor of the aquarium, there were street vendors selling food. It was a very small stall with a limited selection: burgers, hot dogs, and soda. That was it.

There were no large restaurants because the aquarium lacked the space.

“Do you want to eat anything?”

Shen Yinan asked through her mask, her voice muffled and low, possessing that unique raspiness of someone who had just woken up.

The sound sent a tingling sensation straight into Cheng Wanqiu’s heart.

Suddenly, a light chuckle was heard. “Pfft.”

Shen Yinan frowned in confusion and looked at Cheng Wanqiu with a searching gaze.

Looking at Cheng Wanqiu again, there was no sign of anything unusual on her face. Was that chuckle just a hallucination?

Cheng Wanqiu looked at Shen Yinan with a bewildered expression. “What’s wrong?”

Shen Yinan’s eyes flickered as she quickly said, “Nothing.”

“I thought I heard someone laughing just now,” Shen Yinan said honestly.

“Ah? Is that so? But no one is laughing.”

Cheng Wanqiu looked innocent, as if the laughter from a moment ago had absolutely nothing to do with her.

Shen Yinan began to doubt if she was experiencing auditory hallucinations.

“Maybe I really did mishear it,” Shen Yinan muttered, scratching her head, unaware she was being teased.

She changed the subject. “What do you want to eat? A burger? Or a hot dog?”

Watching Cheng Wanqiu think seriously about her question—her index finger tapping her chin, her bright eyes darting around—she looked simple and adorable.

It turns out the Young Mistress has no guard up against strangers at all, Shen Yinan thought.

Cheng Wanqiu lowered her finger and smiled at Shen Yinan. “I’ll have a burger.”

Shen Yinan, however, was staring at Cheng Wanqiu’s face and didn’t respond immediately.

“Ahem, if you keep staring at me like that, I’ll get very shy.”

A palm waved in front of Shen Yinan’s eyes, and she jumped slightly, her body jolting in surprise.

Coming to her senses, she hurriedly looked away and said apologetically, “I’m sorry.”

Upon closer inspection, the tips of her ears were flushed red. She had no idea she was being played with like this.

“You’re so cute, just like the puppy I keep at home,” Cheng Wanqiu said, blinking.

“Cough, cough, cough—” Shen Yinan nearly choked on her own saliva. She pretended to be calm and asked indifferently, “Is that so?”

She acted as if she didn’t care at all about the phrase “the puppy I keep at home.”

But today, she wasn’t some Young Mistress’s pet dog.

“How can you say someone is like your dog…” Shen Yinan grumbled with a look of unhappiness, her voice neither too loud nor too soft.

Her phoenix eyes stared resentfully at Cheng Wanqiu; upon closer inspection, there was a rare hint of coquettishness in them.

“Yes, yes, you aren’t the dog I keep at home.”

Cheng Wanqiu gave a sly smile and asked, “Then who are you?”

“Can you tell me your name? I think I like you.”

???

Shen Yinan’s eyes widened. “You… you like me?”

Shen Yinan repeated Cheng Wanqiu’s words in disbelief.

She took a step back in fear, a strange sourness rising in her heart, and her tone became less pleasant.

“How can you be so frivolous? This is only the first time we’ve met.”

Being called frivolous didn’t upset Cheng Wanqiu. “Frivolous?” Her fingernails pressed slightly into Shen Yinan’s arm.

“Who exactly is being frivolous?”

After all, it was Shen Yinan who was currently holding Cheng Wanqiu’s hand. What kind of strangers interlock fingers the moment they meet?

Shen Yinan’s momentum was clearly not as strong as Cheng Wanqiu’s; she looked like a thief crying “stop thief.”

“I’m not talking to you anymore. I’m going to buy the burgers.”

Shen Yinan let go of Cheng Wanqiu’s hand and strode toward the small stall.

Looking at that retreating figure, Cheng Wanqiu thought it was amusing that Shen Yinan believed she wouldn’t be recognized just because her outfit was different.

Cheng Wanqiu covered her mouth with her hand, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably as she let out a soft laugh.

Soon, Shen Yinan returned with two burgers and two cups of iced cola.

There was no proper dining area in the aquarium, so everyone just ate while walking.

The two burgers and colas cost three times the price outside; they weren’t particularly delicious, just enough to fill the stomach.

“Here.”

She handed the bag containing the burgers and drinks to Cheng Wanqiu.

After holding them out for a few seconds, Cheng Wanqiu’s eyes shimmered as she thanked her. “Thank you,” she said, taking the food and drinks from Shen Yinan.

Buzz— Buzz—

Suddenly, Cheng Wanqiu’s phone vibrated.

She gave Shen Yinan a polite smile, holding the food in one hand while taking her phone out of her handbag with the other.

“I need to take this call,” she said, pointing to a nearby empty space.

“Mhm,” Shen Yinan nodded obediently.

The voice of a greasy middle-aged man came from the other end of the line—it was Shen Yinan’s father.

Cheng Wanqiu turned her back to Shen Yinan to talk, listening to the flattering, fawning voice on the phone.

[Young Mistress… has the Young Mistress eaten yet?]

The Shen family was currently on the verge of bankruptcy, relying entirely on secret relief to survive.

“Uncle Shen, Yinan and I are just about to eat. Is something the matter?”

Her voice was soft and gentle; it hardly sounded like her usual self.

Cheng Wanqiu had never even spoken to Shen Yinan like this.

In the Shen family’s old residence, Father Shen found it difficult to speak. For a middle-aged man in his 40s to ask a young girl who had just turned eighteen for money—where could he hide his face?

The Shen family had “face-saving” written into their DNA. They wouldn’t show it on the surface or say it aloud, but inside, they loathed the other party.

Cheng Wanqiu realized that this situation was making a middle-aged man lose face. If it were anyone else, she wouldn’t care, but this was Shen Yinan’s father.

She loved Shen Yinan and, by extension, her family. Faced with this middle-aged man she disliked, she put away her Young Mistress temperament and gave him plenty of respect.

“Uncle Shen, is the Shen family short of money again? How much do you need? I’ll find a way to help you.”

The man laughed awkwardly. “It’s too much trouble for Miss Cheng.”

The man steeled himself and opened his mouth wide. “5 million.”

Even for the wealthy Cheng Wanqiu, hearing “5 million” made her draw in a sharp breath. She hadn’t taken control of the Cheng family yet; while 5 million was pocket money to her, it seemed a waste to spend it on a greasy middle-aged man.

However, after a brief hesitation, she thought about how she couldn’t let Shen Yinan lose her home. Shen Yinan’s parents were so good to her, and Shen Yinan wouldn’t want to see them out on the streets.

“Okay,” she agreed without a second thought.

Shen Yinan was completely unaware of this.

Cheng Wanqiu hung up the phone and returned.

She looked at Shen Yinan, who had secretly pulled down her mask to take large bites of her burger, looking like a fluffy large dog.

Her eyes were alert, scanning the surroundings as if terrified of being discovered.

Cheng Wanqiu couldn’t help but smile.

She waited for the “large dog” to finish her last bite of the burger and drink the rest of her cola before putting her mask back on and walking up to her.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

Cheng Wanqiu went up to greet her.

Shen Yinan glanced sideways at Cheng Wanqiu, wondering who she had been talking to for so long.

The most likely candidate was Luo Yejun, who was at the police station.

Thinking about the Young Mistress talking to Young Master Luo for such a long time made Shen Yinan feel an indescribable discomfort, a wave of bitterness rising in her heart.

She was unhappy.

“Hurry up and eat. The burger won’t taste good once it’s cold.”

Such obvious jealousy—how could Cheng Wanqiu not notice?

“Alright, alright.”

The love in her eyes was almost overflowing. Cheng Wanqiu especially enjoyed Shen Yinan’s occasional small tantrums.

Under the watchful “puppy” gaze of Shen Yinan, she chewed and swallowed the entire burger slowly.

If Shen Yinan could stay like this, spending another 5 million would be worth it.

At that moment, the aquarium’s broadcast announced a dolphin show at 11:30.

Instantly, the small path on the second floor where food was sold was swamped with people. The 2-meter-wide road was packed with thousands.

Like an oncoming tide of bodies, those at the front were forced to move along with the crowd.

Reacting instinctively, Shen Yinan used one hand to protect Cheng Wanqiu’s head and pulled her into her embrace.

At the same time, she said in a low voice, “Be careful.”

The refreshing scent of cedar drifted from Shen Yinan’s neck; even her clothes carried her scent.

Plunging into it felt like being in the middle of a vast, frigid mountain—an endless sky, broad and boundless. It was silent, yet reassuring.

Inside, you were alone; you could shout as much as you wanted, and no one would care or judge you.

Shen Yinan was like that vast mountain, blocking danger and allowing Cheng Wanqiu to run wild in the safe zone she protected.

The crowded throng soon passed, and Shen Yinan released her hold on Cheng Wanqiu.

The posture of the two was extremely ambiguous. From a distance, it looked like Shen Yinan was pinning Cheng Wanqiu against the wall, as if one was “kabedon-ing” the other.

In truth, it wasn’t far off; the only thing missing was a kiss.

“Are you okay?” Shen Yinan asked worriedly, her brows furrowing slightly as her concerned gaze swept over Cheng Wanqiu to see if she was injured.

Seeing Cheng Wanqiu shake her head, she breathed a sigh of relief.

For a moment, the warm and soft sensation in her arms felt like a fleeting hallucination. She had experienced auditory hallucinations today, so a visual or tactile one seemed normal.

But the lingering warmth and the mess on the ground proved that what had just happened was real.

She had held the Young Mistress. In that moment, she hadn’t thought about anything else. She wasn’t the Cheng family’s dog, and the Young Mistress wasn’t just a member of the Cheng family.

The only thought in her mind was Cheng Wanqiu. She wanted to protect Cheng Wanqiu.

And Cheng Wanqiu also wanted more.

Why was it only for such a brief moment? She hadn’t smelled enough of the cedar scent on Shen Yinan.

“Do you want to go see the dolphin show together?”

Cheng Wanqiu reached out her hand, this time letting Shen Yinan take the lead.

Shen Yinan gritted her teeth and boldly took Cheng Wanqiu’s hand.

“Okay,” she agreed readily.