I, A Loyal Dog, Awaken to My Fate as Cannon Fodder - Chapter 2

Since Shen Yinan could remember, she had lived at the very bottom of the Shen family hierarchy. Her nominal foster mother despised both her and her mother, getting by on giving her two or three plain steamed buns a day and making her work.

This was all because she was the result of Father Shen’s indiscretion with a domestic maid while the foster mother was away traveling with the children.

When the foster mother returned, she found her own servant eight months pregnant with her husband’s child. It was only through Father Shen’s desperate intervention that the foster mother was prevented from forcing an abortion. To atone for his inability to control his lower half, Father Shen allowed the foster mother to exile Shen Yinan and her mother to a life of servitude.

The phrases she heard most often were “child of a mistress” and “the culprit who destroyed someone else’s relationship.” When said enough, these words became deeply branded into her bones; Shen Yinan truly believed she was a curse.

Before the age of ten, Shen Yinan’s life could only be described as miserable.

She heard from the siblings who bullied her that the Cheng family was coming to the Shen household to find a companion for the young Miss Cheng. Even at a young age, she was very calculating. Thus, she would drag a long-eared rabbit plushie she had salvaged from a trash can and wander around the main courtyard every day, hoping Miss Cheng would “pick her up” and take her home. She did not want to live in the mire anymore.

When Cheng Wanqiu arrived at the Shen house, she spotted Shen Yinan at first glance. She was so small. Out of all the clean and tidy Shen children, Cheng Wanqiu didn’t pick any; instead, she pointed a single finger at the filthy Shen Yinan, who was dragging her rabbit plushie.

“Her. I want her to be my companion.”

At ten years old, Shen Yinan felt as if fireworks were exploding in her heart at that moment, but she didn’t show a single trace of emotion on her face, acting as if she were completely surprised by being chosen.

In reality, it was not so. Everything was within her arrangement. Her heart was deep; she had known early on that she had to get ahead of everyone else to meet Cheng Wanqiu. To prevent her “master” from knowing her lowly status, she cooperated with the Shen family to create the illusion that they treated her well. Consequently, Cheng Wanqiu always believed that Shen Yinan was pampered within the Shen family.

A month had passed since the opening banquet. The last class of the morning was “Situation and Policy.” As soon as the bell rang, there was no movement inside the classroom, but the hallway outside was swarmed with people.

Shen Yinan organized the notes from the entire morning’s classes and handed them to Cheng Wanqiu . Cheng Wanqiu merely spared them a glance before turning back to look at the scenery outside the window. Taking many notes was useless for someone like Cheng Wanqiu , who hated studying. Every time exams approached, it was Shen Yinan who worked overtime to tutor her.

However, she didn’t find Cheng Wanqiu difficult to serve; the young lady had her own charms.

“I’ve put the notes in your backpack,” Shen Yinan said gently.

Cheng Wanqiu gave a side-eye but offered no reaction. Shen Yinan said nothing more.

The crowd outside was dense because a properly dressed senior named Hu Ying was standing nervously at the door. Everyone knew that for the past month, Senior Hu Ying had been pursuing a freshman named Cheng Wanqiu . When things like this happened, people naturally stirred up trouble. Men whistled for Cheng Wanqiu to come out, while women covered their mouths in disbelief that the campus heartthrob of A-University was chasing a girl.

The chants of “Together! Together!” grew louder and louder. Usually, when someone pursued a girl, they would bring a bouquet of roses, but Hu Ying brought nothing—he had only dressed himself up.

Shen Yinan saw that her young lady finally moved; she was no longer a “melancholy girl.” Cheng Wanqiu turned her head toward Shen Yinan, staring at her. The face that had been weary from a morning of classes now showed a hint of delight. It was like a cat finding a ball of yarn.

Cheng Wanqiu stared straight at Shen Yinan with those frank, innocent eyes. She propped her head up with one hand and leaned in, bringing her face close to Shen Yinan’s expressionless one.

Shen Yinan could effortlessly smell the faint scent of orange candy coming from the young lady. It was as if she were already chewing an orange soft candy; even her saliva felt sweet like orange. She didn’t dare get close to radiant people, fearing her own filth would stain them.

The classrooms at A-University were equipped with one table and one long bench. By now, Shen Yinan had been pushed to the point where she was almost sitting on the floor. With every move she made to retreat, Cheng Wanqiu moved a step closer. With only one centimeter to spare, Shen Yinan was about to fall off.

In a panic, Shen Yinan asked, “Does the Miss have some business?”

Hearing this question, Cheng Wanqiu finally stopped her advance.

“Shen Yinan, someone is trying to pursue your lady. What should you do?”

The classroom was also in a chaotic state. The large room held over a hundred people, and they were all rhythmically chanting, “Together! Together!”

The way Cheng Wanqiu was leaning forced Shen Yinan to keep her neck arched back; otherwise, their lips would have touched and they would have kissed.

“I understand.”

With a “shua” sound of rustling clothes, Shen Yinan stood up and walked solemnly out of the classroom to face the instigator, Senior Hu Ying. Looking at Shen Yinan’s departing back, Cheng Wanqiu smiled like a fox.

The situation was quickly quelled by Shen Yinan, and Senior Hu Ying fled in disgrace.

She had simply said, “Senior Hu Ying wants to pursue a girl without bringing anything; there’s no sincerity at all.”

Hearing these words, the crowd seemed to wake up. The public sentiment shifted instantly, and their verbal barbs nearly drowned Hu Ying. Everyone echoed Shen Yinan’s words.

“Yeah, I didn’t think much of it before, but hearing it now, Senior Hu Ying is so stingy.”

“He wouldn’t even spend money on a single rose. He really wants to get something for nothing. That’s the Cheng family he’s talking about.”

“Phoenix men” (men from humble backgrounds who achieve success) are very concerned with “face.” Shen Yinan felt that Hu Ying wouldn’t be looking for her young lady again anytime soon.

Shen Yinan stood outside the classroom, her upright back faintly revealing a sense of triumph. She was like a child, and at times, it was undeniably cute. Sitting in the classroom, Cheng Wanqiu couldn’t help but curl her lips and smile.

A few days later, in the four-person dormitory of A-University, Cheng Wanqiu woke up feeling wrong. She felt weak all over, and more importantly, her stomach hurt. She knew this was her monthly visit from her period. The pain was so bad she couldn’t get out of bed.

The relationships in the dorm were just mediocre—at least for Shen Yinan. Cheng Wanqiu was quite unpopular in the dorm, especially when the others saw Shen Yinan constantly bringing her food and making her bed, serving her like a princess. The imbalance in the hearts of the other two roommates was palpable.

Why should a rich miss like Cheng Wanqiu be able to boss around a “commoner” like Shen Yinan?

Shen Yinan’s kindness toward the others included telling them immediately whenever there was important news from the student union. If they had questions about their studies, she would patiently teach them until they understood. Knowing such a good person was being bullied by an arrogant young lady, they finally understood why former classmates had told them to take good care of Shen Yinan.

After class, Shen Yinan returned carrying a container of hot preserved egg and pork porridge. This wasn’t something you could buy on campus; she had to walk over ten minutes to a shop outside the school.

When the two roommates saw the porridge in Shen Yinan’s hand, their anger flared. The dorm leader slammed the table, her eyes full of rage as if she wanted to kill the Cheng Wanqiu who was lying in bed in agony. She angrily looked away and turned toward the seemingly indifferent Shen Yinan, walking over to her.

She spoke in a voice neither too loud nor too soft, right in Shen Yinan’s ear: “Stop spoiling this pampered miss. At worst, we can go to the counselor and ask to change dorms.”

In the small dormitory, her “whisper” wasn’t a whisper at all; everyone heard it, including Cheng Wanqiu .

The other roommate added in a high-pitched, sarcastic tone, “Oh, some people really need to check their ‘princess syndrome.’ Once you’re out in society, no one will do everything for you. What’s the use of a good family background? You really think you’re a princess.”

Shen Yinan simply assumed they were upset because she hadn’t bought a portion for them. People are greedy and tend to use one another. Shen Yinan had her own ways of dealing with them—digging pits, using laxatives, and so on. She was a “natural bad seed,” rotten to the core.

Cheng Wanqiu propped herself up and pulled back the bed curtain, looking at Shen Yinan gloomily. She mouthed the words: “Tell them to shut up.”

Shen Yinan understood instantly.

“Dorm leader, the student union has two volunteer spots, and I was thinking…”

The student union controlled many of the school’s resources. As a member, Shen Yinan often gave her roommates first-hand information. Before she could finish, the dorm leader called the other girl to get out of bed.

“Let’s go. The student union always hides the good stuff from us.”

The other roommate grumbled, “If it weren’t for Shen Yinan, who knows how long they’d keep us in the dark.”

The roommate scrambled off her bed. The door slammed shut with a “bang.” The dorm was finally quiet.

Cheng Wanqiu pulled the curtain open and said flatly, “You really have a way with people.”

She was clearly angry. Shen Yinan said nothing, not because she didn’t realize the young lady was mocking her.

“Does it still hurt?”

She climbed the ladder of Cheng Wanqiu ’s bunk holding the porridge. The fragrance of the rice wafted around them. Smelling the fresh scent, Cheng Wanqiu ’s stomach let out an involuntary, soft “Gulu~”

Cheng Wanqiu blushed and asked, “You heard that?”

Shen Yinan looked puzzled. “Heard what?”

To Cheng Wanqiu , Shen Yinan’s unabashed gaze was like a mirror. In Shen Yinan’s eyes, she saw her own blushing face.

“Hmph,” Cheng Wanqiu turned over in annoyance, giving Shen Yinan her back.

Shen Yinan didn’t find her difficult to serve; she found the young lady quite cute. It was just that she wasn’t good with words; she didn’t know how to coax her like Hu Ying did.

“Miss, eat before you go back to sleep.”

Shen Yinan held the bowl, hanging onto the ladder quite presumptuously. She was like a persistent little dog.

Cheng Wanqiu said spitefully, “I’m not eating. I’m not hungry. Unless…”

Shen Yinan’s throat moved. “Unless what?”

“Unless you get in bed and warm it up for me. I’ll eat once it’s warm.”

What Shen Yinan didn’t know was how happy Cheng Wanqiu was as she said this. She was waiting for Shen Yinan to take the bait.

“This… this…” Shen Yinan was flustered and hesitant. She didn’t dare climb into Cheng Wanqiu ’s bed; she would surely be scolded if she were caught.

“You’re unwilling? Fine, forget it. Until you’re willing, I won’t eat anything.”

After thinking for a long time, Shen Yinan gritted her teeth. “I’m willing.”

For some reason, she heard a faint “pfft” sound of a laugh.

Forget it, she thought. To be able to climb into Cheng Wanqiu ’s bed in this lifetime is happiness.

Cheng Wanqiu was different from everyone else; she didn’t think about how to use her. In Shen Yinan’s heart, she was a pure existence that couldn’t be polluted by those with filthy minds. She herself, a “cancer,” certainly couldn’t stain her either.

October in A-City wasn’t actually that cold; sometimes you still needed the AC to sleep at night. But Cheng Wanqiu seemed to naturally have cold hands and feet; no matter how thick the blankets were, she couldn’t get warm, as if she were in Antarctica.

Shen Yinan slipped into the bed and shivered from the chill under the covers. She was like a winter furnace, and Cheng Wanqiu wrapped her arms and legs around her tightly, clinging to her like a koala.

“Miss, you’re holding me a bit tight.”

“What’s wrong with this lady holding you for a bit?”