I, A Loyal Dog, Awaken to My Fate as Cannon Fodder - Chapter 29

After her awakening, Shen Yinan knew that the downfall of the Cheng family was not far off. The family’s modest fortune had been entirely usurped by collateral relatives, leaving Cheng Wanqiu with absolutely nothing.

Now that she was considered half a member of the Cheng family herself, it was impossible for her to stand by and watch the family decline or see Cheng Wanqiu end up wandering the streets.

This was a game of chess; one was either a pawn or the player.

And Shen Yinan was a natural-born strategist.

As the engagement banquet drew to a close, Cheng Xian left the children some time to celebrate on their own.

Shen Yinan and Cheng Wanqiu planned to go to a KTV to celebrate, inviting their class monitor and best friends along.

As for who the “clown” of the evening was—that goes without saying.

Cheng Xian still needed to maintain his public image. Seeing Shen Yinan and the others heading out to play without including Luo Yejun, he gave a simple, brief reprimand.

Very well. Shen Yinan was a master of pretense; she offered a polite, formal invitation: “Young Master Luo, would you like to come to the engagement party for the lady and me?”

Watching Luo Yejun look as if he had just swallowed a bitter melon while forcing a smile to reply, “I’m not feeling well.”

Shen Yinan and Cheng Wanqiu struggled to suppress their laughter; this was a classic case of giving someone a taste of their own medicine.

Shen Yinan only remembered drinking continuously afterward. Tao Ye arrived, and Ni Zhen came as well, both offering their blessings.

The four of them drank together. It was a rare moment of indulgence for her, consuming a large amount of alcohol and experiencing that dizzying sensation of being drunk for the first time.

Shen Yinan knew that if she didn’t get drunk, she would never have the courage to initiate physical intimacy with Cheng Wanqiu.

So, she let herself get wasted, surrendering herself to Cheng Wanqiu.

When it came time to settle the bill, Shen Yinan was being supported by Cheng Wanqiu. She was well-behaved and didn’t become a rowdy drunk.

With hazy eyes, she stared affectionately at Cheng Wanqiu, her gaze misty and alluring.

“Miss… when are we going back to the hotel?”

Cheng Wanqiu’s heart felt a tingling sensation as she replied, “Very soon.”

Unable to stand the couple’s sickeningly sweet display, Tao Ye and Ni Zhen urged them, “You two go ahead and get busy; we’ll handle things here.”

Cheng Wanqiu felt quite embarrassed, but the weight of Shen Yinan pressing against her shoulder was indeed difficult to manage.

“Then I’ll take Shen Yinan back to the hotel first.”

Just as the words left her mouth, in the next second, Shen Yinan kissed Cheng Wanqiu right in front of everyone.

Mwah—

The receptionist at the front desk, Tao Ye, and Ni Zhen were all stunned.

The person being kissed stared with wide eyes, equally shocked.

Cheng Wanqiu’s face turned beet red, feeling as though the oxygen was being drained from her lungs, like someone drowning.

A sweet taste was exchanged between their mouths, as if they had both swallowed a piece of candy.

Shen Yinan had kissed her.

Her brain stalled instantly. She closed her eyes, responding purely out of instinct.

The kiss ended before everyone’s jaws could hit the floor.

Shen Yinan looked enchanting, wiping the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand, her eyes shimmering with light.

It had been a long time since she looked so radiant.

Her current appearance was like a puppy that had just received a reward; her tail was surely wagging frantically.

Cheng Wanqiu gasped for air, a silver thread of saliva lingering on her lips.

Her first kiss had been taken just like that, in a muddled blur by Shen Yinan.

Looking at the “silly dog” smiling so happily, she sighed. Given her years of understanding Shen Yinan’s personality, she knew the girl only had the nerve to strike at a time like this.

“Oh my, I can’t watch this. You two hurry up and leave,” Ni Zhen said, covering her eyes.

“Cheng Wanqiu, take Shen Yinan away quickly. She’s acting so…” Tao Ye didn’t finish her sentence, her own face flushing red at the sight.

It wasn’t that Cheng Wanqiu didn’t want to; it was that she couldn’t do anything with Shen Yinan.

She was truly afraid that Shen Yinan would do something outrageous while drunk.

“Shen Yinan, let’s go.”

They were still out in public with so many people watching.

“Miss, I like you so much.”

Cheng Wanqiu looked around awkwardly. “Yes, yes, I know you like me.”

So this was what Shen Yinan was like when drunk—actually quite cute, if a bit troublesome.

“Let’s go. When we get back to the hotel, you can tell me exactly how much you like me.”

Like a kindergarten child, Shen Yinan reached out her hand, wanting Cheng Wanqiu to hold it.

She didn’t say a word; a simple gesture was enough for Cheng Wanqiu to understand her meaning.

“Fine, fine. Hold my hand and just follow me.”

Waking up the next day, Shen Yinan remembered nothing. Finding herself in bed with Cheng Wanqiu, both of them completely naked, she gasped.

Looking at the scene, she had a rough idea of what had happened.

Last night must have been a “dry wood and raging fire” situation, venting the love she had kept hidden in her heart.

Shen Yinan lifted a corner of the quilt and saw Cheng Wanqiu’s snowy-white shoulder exposed, covered in red hickeys. The sight made her blood race.

She quickly tucked the quilt back in, covering that alluring sight.

Lying back on the pillow and staring at the white ceiling, a feeling of pure joy gradually took over her mind.

Only then did the realization hit her: she finally possessed Cheng Wanqiu.

“Awake so early?” Cheng Wanqiu said, her voice thick with sleep.

Shen Yinan turned her head, resting on her arm, and their eyes met.

Noticing the marks on Cheng Wanqiu’s neck, her face turned crimson.

“Does Miss feel uncomfortable anywhere?” Shen Yinan looked away, pretending nothing was wrong.

“Do you remember what happened last night?” Cheng Wanqiu yawned, drawing out her words.

Was this a trap or a simple inquiry?

Shen Yinan felt uneasy because she truly didn’t remember.

It would be quite disappointing if she didn’t remember something like this, right? Their first time together had passed in a total blur.

“By the look on your face, you don’t remember,” Cheng Wanqiu said teasingly.

Last night, after Cheng Wanqiu brought Shen Yinan back to the hotel, she came out of the shower to find Shen Yinan already lying down, shoes still on and clothes unchanged.

Helplessly, she went over to help Shen Yinan take off her shoes and change.

But as she was unbuttoning the clothes, this rascal Shen Yinan woke up, opened her eyes, and wrapped an arm around her waist.

And so, they had clumsily done it.

“I’m sorry, Miss.” Shen Yinan was filled with self-reproach. She hadn’t expected that her drunken state would lead to memory loss or that she could be so bold.

While she was looking down in deep guilt, a hand suddenly touched her cheek, fingertips scratching lightly—seductive and captivating.

Shen Yinan glanced at Cheng Wanqiu. This was a provocation, an invitation.

“Aren’t we going to do it again?”

With that immensely charming tone, Cheng Wanqiu guided Shen Yinan’s hand to her lower abdomen to stroke it.

“Alright.”

Lights out!

After Shen Yinan and Cheng Wanqiu made their relationship official, every day at school was sweet and inseparable.

Before, they sat in the same classroom; they still did now, only now their hands had to be linked during class.

Previously, Shen Yinan would handle Student Union matters when she had no classes; now, she would spend that time strolling around the campus with Cheng Wanqiu.

In short, a ray of sunshine had been added to her dull, repetitive life. Being together meant there were more and more things they wanted to do, and time never seemed to be enough.

As school let out for the weekend, Shen Yinan received a WeChat message from Cheng Wanqiu.

[I’m waiting for you in the car.]

Shen Yinan, who was in a Student Union meeting, took out her phone and replied with a simple [Okay.]

Ten minutes later, another message came from Cheng Wanqiu.

[A classmate called for me, I’m stepping out for a bit. Seems like something is up.]

Shen Yinan’s phone vibrated. She flipped over her face-down phone, glanced at it, and sent another [Okay.]

Shen Yinan was looking forward to going home with Cheng Wanqiu. Cheng Xian had prepared a large room for the two of them so they could sleep together, unlike the cold beds at school.

Cheng Wanqiu didn’t participate in many club activities, so she was usually the one waiting for Shen Yinan in the car.

Everything seemed perfectly normal.

Shen Yinan felt no panic or ill omens because she lacked the power of foresight.

If she had it, she would have skipped the meeting by any means necessary to be with Cheng Wanqiu.

Shen Yinan simply addressed the driver as “Uncle.”

With her shoulder bag slung across her, she tapped on the window and asked, “Uncle, has the Lady not returned yet?”

The driver also found it strange. Usually, Cheng Wanqiu would be waiting inside the car for Shen Yinan.

“I don’t know. Just now a girl knocked on the window, and the Lady left with her.”

Shen Yinan nodded slightly, opened the rear door, and sat in the car.

She took her phone out of her pocket and typed: [Miss, when are you coming back?]

A long time passed, but there was no response from Cheng Wanqiu.

Shen Yinan thought it was odd but figured Cheng Wanqiu was helping out and might have her hands full.

She sent another message: [Miss, do you need my help?]

The Friday afternoon sun was still particularly scorching. By 5:00 PM, the horizon looked as if a fire had been lit.

Things were becoming increasingly wrong. What kind of matter could keep her busy until it was nearly dark?

In a panic, Shen Yinan dialed the number, and the voice that made her feel despair spoke:

[The number you have dialed is powered off…]

“Powered off?”

Refusing to believe it, Shen Yinan dialed again, only to hear the same message: [The number you have dialed is powered off…]

The driver looked through the rearview mirror and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“The Lady is missing,” Shen Yinan finally concluded.

As she said those words, Shen Yinan’s mind went blank, and her hands began to shake.

“I need to call the police! I need to call the police!”

“Alright, you go to the police, and I’ll go inform the Master.”

The Master…

Shen Yinan realized that if Cheng Xian found out she had lost Cheng Wanqiu, she would surely be treated with the same contempt as Luo Yejun.

She had finally managed to be with Cheng Wanqiu; she couldn’t let it end like this.

“Wait, Uncle, I’ll go look for her. Maybe her phone just ran out of battery.”

The driver put down his phone. “Fine. I’ll stay parked here. But if she isn’t found by nightfall, I have to go back and tell the Master.”

Shen Yinan’s teeth were chattering. “Okay.”

If Cheng Xian knew she was incompetent, she would definitely be kicked out.

She had to find Cheng Wanqiu now; only then would the “disappearance” never have happened.

Then she wouldn’t have “lost” the Lady, and she wouldn’t be a useless waste.

“Uncle, did you see which direction the Lady went?” Shen Yinan asked as she opened the car door.

“That way,” the man pointed.

Shen Yinan looked over; that direction led toward the outskirts of town.

To hide her inner turmoil, she uttered just one word: “Okay.”

Stepping out of the car, Shen Yinan began to sprint. The further she went in the direction he pointed, the fewer people there were, and the buildings became more dilapidated and old.

“Miss—!”

“Miss, where are you?”

Someone as thin-skinned as Shen Yinan was actually grabbing passersby to ask questions in her desperation to find Cheng Wanqiu.

“Excuse me, have you seen a tall girl with an oval face?”

The people she asked all shook their heads.

She knew calling the police was the best choice, but doing so meant that if she lost Cheng Wanqiu, Cheng Xian would look down on her.

If Cheng Xian could go back on his word and choose Shen Yinan on the spot, he could just as easily change his mind back to Luo Yejun.

Darkness fell, and the last sliver of light vanished completely.

The time agreed upon with the driver had arrived.

Shen Yinan broke down in tears, crying out to the sky like a helpless child, “Miss, where are you?!”