I, A Loyal Dog, Awaken to My Fate as Cannon Fodder - Chapter 23

The sound of rain pattering against the window filled the air. The early spring rain still carried a lingering chill, causing the temperature to plummet to around 10 degrees Celsius inside the room.

It felt as though winter’s snows had returned.

Shen Yinan sat cross-legged on the carpet at the foot of the large hotel bed, her head nodding forward like a chick pecking at grain as she drifted in and out of sleep.

A small bedside nightlight remained lit. Cheng Wanqiu was afraid of the dark, so there was always a light on wherever she slept.

Without her master’s permission, Shen Yinan was not allowed to go up to the bed to sleep. Shivering uncontrollably from the cold, she could only wrap her arms tightly around herself.

This scene happened to be caught by Cheng Wanqiu’s eyes—a pitiful and helpless little puppy, looking like a stray abandoned in a cardboard box.

When Cheng Wanqiu woke up and opened her eyes, she found herself in an unfamiliar place. After a long moment of recollection, she remembered that she had run into Shen Yinan drinking with several upper classwomen yesterday. In a fit of pique, she had gone to the bar and ordered a cocktail, only to end up drunk.

She seemed to recall seeing a man, and then Shen Yinan had chased him away.

Looking at the decorations on the ceiling, she realized Shen Yinan must have brought her to a hotel.

Wait, where is Shen Yinan?!

At that thought, Cheng Wanqiu sat up abruptly and looked around.

Under the glow of the nightlight, Shen Yinan was bathed in a warm yellow light, looking like a little kitten.

Seeing her sleeping on the floor like that, Cheng Wanqiu felt more heartache than anything else.

The “Little Dog Shen” was shivering from the cold, huddling into herself. In this state, how was she any different from a stray dog outside?

Cheng Wanqiu’s heart felt as though it were bleeding.

“Shen Yinan, get up here and sleep.”

Shen Yinan had been resting her eyes. Hearing that familiar voice telling her to come to bed, she couldn’t help but wonder for a few moments: Is this a dream?

“Hurry up.”

The voice near her ear didn’t sound fake; she wasn’t dreaming.

Shen Yinan slowly opened her eyes and looked up, her gaze filled with uncertainty.

She saw Cheng Wanqiu sitting at the head of the bed, shifting over to give her half of the large mattress.

After a two-second daze, she finally realized she really wasn’t dreaming.

“Miss… will this disturb your sleep?” Shen Yinan asked apprehensively.

She was afraid all of this was just Cheng Wanqiu teasing her for fun.

“Hmm? You’re unwilling? Or do you prefer sleeping on the freezing floor?”

As if receiving a grand surprise, joy exploded in Shen Yinan’s heart, and a hint of excitement appeared on her face.

“Then… excuse me.”

She patted her backside, stood up, cautiously lifted the corner of the warm duvet, and crawled in.

The warmth inside the blankets instantly granted her a spiritual and soulful elevation, banishing the chill in a second.

“It’s raining outside. You know what the weather in City A is like; why would you sleep on the floor when it’s this cold?”

Cheng Wanqiu’s eyes were full of pity. “You silly dog, what if you catch a cold?”

Given Shen Yinan’s physical constitution, she rarely caught a cold even once a year.

Shen Yinan didn’t speak. Now that she was in a warm place, drowsiness began to overwhelm her.

“Miss, I’m sleepy,” Shen Yinan said piteously. For a moment, it truly felt as if one could see her ears and tail—they would surely be drooping, listless.

This look made Cheng Wanqiu’s heart feel as though it were being cut by a knife.

“Sleep then. It’s really been hard on you.”

Hearing that “Sleep then,” Shen Yinan could no longer hold back. She was actually a sensitive person at heart; she had grown up amidst scolding and verbal abuse during her childhood. No one had ever spoken to her as gently as Cheng Wanqiu did.

Shen Yinan closed her eyes. She didn’t even realize that she talked in her sleep.

Like the soft whimpering of a puppy, she murmured, “Miss…”

Cheng Wanqiu couldn’t hear what followed.

Cheng Wanqiu’s eyes were full of doting affection, looking at Shen Yinan as if looking at a child.

She gently tucked the corner of the quilt around Shen Yinan and whispered softly, “Goodnight, Shen Yinan.”

A few days later, Shen Yinan ran into the upper classwoman again. The woman asked gloomily where she had gone last time.

Shen Yinan had the foresight to have had someone take the other girls to a hotel.

She lowered her eyes and said softly, “I went back to school.”

The upper classwoman believed her without a doubt, but she was still angry.

Shen Yinan had actually just dropped her at the hotel and left. Why didn’t she stay and look after her?

“If you went back to school, why couldn’t you have stayed to watch over me?”

“Does Senior want me to stay by your side and be your dog?”

Shen Yinan stopped pretending to be weak. She raised her gaze with a scrutinizing look. “Senior, do you want me to be your dog?”

A look of shock appeared in You Mingzhi’s eyes. She had never seen this side of Shen Yinan, and she took a step back.

She didn’t know if that was what she wanted; she just knew that when she liked something, she wanted that thing to be by her side at all times.

Just like her love for the Malus spectabilis flower—she had people specifically create a perfume with its scent.

“Shen Yinan, whatever you want, I will give to you, as long as you stay by my side.”

Shen Yinan lied without needing a draft, her face not reddening and her heart not racing.

“As long as I can stay by Senior’s side, that is enough.”

Hearing this, You Mingzhi was pleasantly surprised; those words felt like a confession.

“Once this semester is over, come with me to develop our careers abroad. You said you’d stay by my side, so you aren’t allowed to go back on your word.”

Shen Yinan accepted this readily; this senior had finally fallen into the trap.

She nodded calmly. “Mhm, I will accompany you.”

Little did You Mingzhi know that she was being toyed with; she had merely become a stepping stone for someone else.

There wasn’t a hint of guilt in Shen Yinan’s eyes for using someone. The environment she grew up in was one of mutual exploitation; her heart had long been filled with calculations.

During the Student Union meeting, Shen Yinan handed in the materials from the previous task. Her work capability went without saying; the President didn’t even glance at them, having complete trust in her.

To put it another way, the Student Union was already under Shen Yinan’s control. She didn’t sit in the highest position, but she was more powerful than those who did.

After the meeting, many children of wealthy families took the initiative to curry favor with her, as did those who had nothing but talent.

Every word she spoke was scrutinized and pondered over a thousand times by others. Seeing the people talking to her acting timid and cautious gave her an addictive sense of controlling hearts and minds.

She would occasionally curl her lips into a slight smile.

“Oh, isn’t this Young Master Luo?” Several wealthy heirs of similar status surrounded Luo Yejun.

“Did you know he was scared out of his wits by a mouse last time?”

One of the wealthy heirs spoke to another, but his eyes were fixed on the trembling Luo Yejun.

“Wow, so Young Master Luo is afraid of mice. What a coincidence.”

The man pulled a small hamster out of his pocket and threw the struggling creature onto Luo Yejun. The hamster’s shrill cries frightened Luo Yejun so much that he screamed at the top of his lungs.

Luo Yejun’s screams only invited the mockery of those around him.

Just around the corner of the hallway, Shen Yinan stood at the entrance of the meeting room.

Shen Yinan and Luo Yejun’s situations were diametrically opposed.

Both were surrounded by people, but Shen Yinan was listening to the compliments of those around her.

Luo Yejun, meanwhile, was hearing endless variations of insults.

“Vice President, can I join the next activity?”

“Vice President Shen, are we going to the party together?”

…

Shen Yinan skillfully declined them one by one with clever rhetoric. She was a natural center of attention, treated like a star wherever she went.

“I’ve been a bit tired these past few days.”

As soon as they heard she was tired, everyone showered her with concern.

Finally, someone said, “Then Vice President Shen should rest well. We won’t disturb you further.”

Shen Yinan nodded, and only then did the crowd disperse.

Straightening her clothes, Shen Yinan brushed past Luo Yejun. She didn’t show the slightest hint of a “villain’s success” expression.

She didn’t care enough to waste effort dealing with a stinking rat from the sewers.

Luo Yejun looked at Shen Yinan hopefully. Since they lived under the same roof, he thought Shen Yinan would have a burst of kindness and save him.

His eyes were fixed on her, his mouth twitching slightly.

“Shen…”

But Shen Yinan didn’t even give him a direct look, as if he didn’t exist while being surrounded by the crowd. He was like air to her.

Did Shen Yinan have to save him? In Luo Yejun’s mind, she had to save him.

Was there anything strange about a dog saving its master?

“Good one, Shen Yinan! Just wait until I go back, I’ll definitely tell Second Uncle!” Luo Yejun hissed under his breath, his eyes glaring viciously at the departing Shen Yinan.

The next second.

“Hey, Young Master Luo, what’s with that expression? We’re just playing with you!” A man chewing gum shoved Luo Yejun’s shoulder.

“You just stepped on and killed my hamster. How are you going to compensate me?”

Luo Yejun didn’t know how to answer these people.

He could only fantasize in his mind about killing them all with a knife, just like how he had used a knife against a maid when he was a child.

Luo Yejun had always been very fond of the term “yandere.” He stared at each of them with gloomy eyes, as if by staring like that, they would become afraid.

Shen Yinan walked past Luo Yejun, letting out a mocking smile afterward.

What “yandere male lead”? He was nothing but a coward who bullied the weak and feared the strong.

Even if you gave him ten times the courage, he wouldn’t dare take action; he only dared to indulge in fantasies.

Shen Yinan called Cheng Wanqiu, who was back in the dormitory. “Miss, what would you like for lunch?”

“Bring me a portion of Chicken Pot.”

It happened to be the time when students just finished class, and the cafeteria was packed.

But Shen Yinan agreed immediately, just to bring lunch to Cheng Wanqiu.

“By the way,” Cheng Wanqiu didn’t hang up the phone, telling Shen Yinan, “Next week, I’ll accompany you back to the Shen family home.”

Shen Yinan’s expression soured at the mention of the Shen family. Cheng Wanqiu had mentioned this to her last time, but she thought Cheng Wanqiu would have forgotten about it.

Shen Yinan was stunned for a moment, her brain working at high speed.

“Miss, it’s too much trouble. Besides, I only just went back to the Shen house.”

Cheng Wanqiu had her own agenda. “This young lady is accompanying you, and you’re not happy about it?”

“No!” Shen Yinan’s emotions fluctuated rarely. She could only adapt to the situation, softening her tone. “I am of course happy to have Miss accompany me. Thank you, Miss.”

The hand Shen Yinan used to hold the phone wouldn’t stop trembling. To her, the Shen family was a nightmare-like existence. There wasn’t a single day there where she smiled.

The Shen family meant constant nervous tension—if she wasn’t careful and offended someone, she would be scolded or beaten.

Cheng Wanqiu hung up the phone and remained silent for a long time.

Shen Yinan’s reaction was definitely not simple.

“It seems the Shen family really is exactly what I imagined for Shen Yinan.”

Caring for Shen Yinan on the surface, but a blood-sucking leech behind her back.

Cheng Wanqiu’s phone lit up; it was a call from Shen Yinan.

Upon answering, she heard Shen Yinan say:

“Miss, if I go back to the Shen house, I need to bring some gifts again. I don’t know what would be good to bring this time.”

“Miss, my nephews and nieces are very naughty. Every time I go back, they pester me to bring them gifts.”

Hearing these words, Cheng Wanqiu couldn’t help but wonder if she had misunderstood something.

Was Shen Yinan actually on very good terms with the Shen family?

After hanging up the phone, Shen Yinan’s face darkened.

Was her lowly status about to be discovered by the Young Miss?