I, A Loyal Dog, Awaken to My Fate as Cannon Fodder - Chapter 30

Back at the Cheng residence, everything happened exactly as Shen Yinan had anticipated: she was met with a torrential downpour of verbal abuse.

Cheng Xian called her a useless thing. Already burdened by deep-seated inferiority, Shen Yinan felt the grievance in her heart but silently accepted his judgment.

Yet, there was a spark of defiance; she had to find Cheng Wanqiu!

“Uncle, stop scolding Shen Yinan. She didn’t do it on purpose,” Luo Yejun chimed in from behind.

“Isn’t that right, Shen Yinan?”

Fuming with rage, Cheng Xian pointed a finger at her. “Ah, you!” He was speechless with anger.

“Yejun, don’t speak up for her. She has to bear the consequences of her own mistakes!” With a wave of his hand, he stormed off in a fit of pique.

A romantic rival would never be so kind as to help. Shen Yinan had long seen through Luo Yejun’s intentions; he was merely fanning the flames from the sidelines, making Cheng Xian loathe her even more.

Once the others had left, Shen Yinan lifted her head and looked Luo Yejun straight in the eye.

Luo Yejun wasn’t afraid of her in the least. He felt he finally had some leverage over her. “What are you looking at? I was being kind enough to speak for you. Right now, you should be worried about how to atone for your sins to Uncle.”

His tone shifted sharply. “Actually, I think you should just tell Uncle to give Wanqiu to me. Someone like you doesn’t deserve Sister Wanqiu at all.”

Shen Yinan clenched her fists. She didn’t need Luo Yejun to tell her anything—who did he think he was?

“You…” Before she could finish her sentence, she was interrupted by a servant.

“Shen Yinan, the Master wants you to go give your statement.”

Shen Yinan relaxed her fists and gritted her teeth, deciding to let Luo Yejun off the hook for the moment.

“Alright, I’m coming.”

Luo Yejun let out a mocking laugh. “Go on, then. I’ll be sure to say plenty of ‘good things’ about you in front of Uncle.”

He was using the fact that she had lost Cheng Wanqiu as a threat.

While the entire Cheng family, including Shen Yinan, was sick with worry over whether Cheng Wanqiu was in danger, he was the only one who could find the leisure to harass Shen Yinan.

“Hahaha, women should stick to women’s business. Why would a woman like you try to fight me for Cheng Wanqiu? You’re sick.”

Luo Yejun spoke these arrogant words in a moderate volume, as if he were merely discussing the weather. To him, this was the absolute truth; a sense of status-based superiority maintained his confidence.

Shen Yinan remained composed, biting the tip of her tongue to stay focused.

Now was not the time to teach Luo Yejun a lesson. Her primary goal was to find Cheng Wanqiu.

Give the statement, cooperate with the police, and Cheng Wanqiu will be found soon, Shen Yinan told herself repeatedly.

The police were investigating with full force. By the time Shen Yinan returned from giving her statement, the sky had turned dark. The hour was late, and the entire Cheng household was plunged into a deathly silence; no one could sleep.

Several servants crowded around her to ask, “Shen Yinan, has there been any progress with the police?”

They weren’t gossiping; they were genuinely concerned for the young mistress’s safety.

Shen Yinan shook her head, keeping her chin down without saying a word.

Cheng Wanqiu always said that Shen Yinan was well-liked, but she herself was no different. She never lost her temper with the servants; if her reputation hadn’t been so good, she wouldn’t have gone out to help that classmate who called for her.

“Ah, what should we do? The Young Mistress is such a good person, and the kidnappers haven’t even asked for money yet.”

If the kidnappers didn’t want money, what did they want?

Shen Yinan pondered. Could it be a business rival of the Cheng family?

From what she knew, the Cheng family was already in decline. Their commercial rivals were likely busy fighting over the remaining scraps of the business and wouldn’t have time for a kidnapping.

Looking out across the spacious hall, she noticed a piercingly bright light in the back garden.

“Is someone in the garden?” Shen Yinan asked, puzzled.

A maid turned to look and then realized. “It’s Young Master Luo.”

“Young Master Luo asked us to prepare fine wine and grapes for him. He said he wanted to appreciate the moon in the middle of the night.” The maid spoke with irritation. “The Young Mistress is missing, yet he has the leisure to moon-gaze. It’s as if he’s the only one in the whole family who doesn’t care whether she lives or dies.”

“Exactly. Didn’t he used to like the Young Mistress? Has his affection faded so quickly?”

Hearing this, an answer formed in Shen Yinan’s mind: Luo Yejun was behind all of this.

“Shen Yinan, where are you going?”

Shen Yinan walked straight toward the back garden, her gaze terrifying beyond words. She didn’t speak, but her back looked chillingly cold.

Several maids exchanged glances. Some were looking for drama, but most were afraid that Shen Yinan would get into trouble. If she caused a scene at a time like this, Cheng Xian would certainly not forgive her. Even if Cheng Wanqiu was eventually found, Shen Yinan would be kicked out of the Cheng house. That was exactly the kind of thing Cheng Xian would do.

“Young Master Luo, how elegant. The entire Cheng family is worried about the Young Mistress, yet you are the only one in the mood to enjoy the moon.” Shen Yinan pushed open the back door to find Luo Yejun pouring red wine from a bottle into a tall glass.

“You’re the one who lost her, what does that have to do with me?” The more normal Luo Yejun acted, the more abnormal it was. Shen Yinan couldn’t help but suspect him. It wasn’t that she was intentionally targeting him, but given his intellect, kidnapping someone was exactly the kind of thing he would do.

As if convinced by his words, Shen Yinan nodded slightly and then put on a show of dejection.

“I didn’t have the ability to protect the Young Mistress. If she is found, I will certainly…”

She noticed Luo Yejun’s ears twitch. “It’s good that you’ve realized that. Once Wanqiu returns, you must take the initiative to tell Uncle to give her to me.”

“But the Young Mistress is in the hands of kidnappers.”

“Sister Wanqiu will be fine, she’s…” Luo Yejun was just about to say that Cheng Wanqiu had been drugged and locked in an abandoned factory in the mountains.

“Where is she?” Shen Yinan walked over with a cold face. She didn’t scream or shout; she simply looked down, scrutinizing the man sitting in the rattan chair.

Realizing he had slipped up, Luo Yejun clamped his mouth shut.

“Not going to say it?” Shen Yinan’s patience was wearing thin. She had confirmed it: Luo Yejun was the one who kidnapped Cheng Wanqiu.

A stubborn fool. Luo Yejun insisted, “I don’t know.”

How could he not know when he looked so guilty? Shen Yinan was being driven to the brink of madness. She wanted to deal with this man immediately—just like Hu Ying, whom she had locked away in a mental asylum.

Luo Yejun swallowed hard. Under the pressure radiating from above him, he didn’t even have the courage to look Shen Yinan in the eye. This type of man was the definition of someone who bullied the weak but feared the strong.

Shen Yinan had her own way of dealing with such people.

She leaned down gracefully, her hands behind her back, appearing harmless. Yet, the words she spoke made his skin crawl. Her low, sharp voice echoed in Luo Yejun’s ear.

“The police will find you very soon. Do you think Cheng Xian will let you have Cheng Wanqiu after this? He will only be even more disappointed in you. Right now, I am actually saving you.”

“Sav… saving me…”

Luo Yejun thought it over again and again, and a cold sweat broke out on his back. He never considered the consequences of his actions—after all, he considered himself a “yandere.”

Shen Yinan continued to entice him. “I can act as if none of this ever happened. Once the Young Mistress is found, neither you nor I will be guilty.”

Luo Yejun’s hand holding the wine glass shook uncontrollably, and his legs trembled against the rattan chair.

“Young Master Luo, I am here to save you.” After saying this, Shen Yinan placed a hand on his shoulder. As she stepped back, the heavy sense of oppression gradually dissipated.

“You should think it over carefully.”

A group of maids arrived with Cheng Xian in tow. They were afraid that Shen Yinan would lose her mind and beat Luo Yejun. If that happened, it really would be over.

But to everyone’s surprise, Shen Yinan was perfectly calm. They had misunderstood; she had merely placed a hand on Luo Yejun’s shoulder.

Cheng Xian rushed over and saw her hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Shen Yinan!!!”

His first instinct was to think she had struck him. Once he realized he was wrong, he couldn’t take back his shout, so he cleared his throat. “Go back to your room and stay there.”

No one mentioned the fact that she had been yelled at; they all lowered their heads.

Shen Yinan shot a sharp glance at Cheng Xian. It was like a whetted blade flashing with a cold light, an aura that was second to none. Then, she withdrew that sharpness, like a sword returning to its scabbard. That momentary chill was enough to make anyone’s blood run cold.

Her simple “Alright” was enough to make hearts tremble.

Shen Yinan withdrew her hand from Luo Yejun’s shoulder. Suddenly, the atmosphere returned to stability, and she resumed her gentle appearance. It was as if that sharp glance had never happened.

The maids gasped, all of them worrying for Shen Yinan’s future. There weren’t many people left who dared to glare at Old Master Cheng like that.

Yet, Cheng Xian found himself liking Shen Yinan more and more, his admiration growing. However, he knew that keeping someone around who could threaten him required caution, lest he get burned. The flames had to be suppressed and utilized for his own ends.

Finally, Shen Yinan mouthed a few words specifically for Luo Yejun: “Think it over well.”

She suppressed a smile. Luo Yejun had already fallen into her trap. She didn’t need anyone else to find Cheng Wanqiu; she had the power to protect her.

The Abandoned Factory in the Mountains.

Cheng Wanqiu’s eyelashes fluttered slightly. The roof of the abandoned factory was full of holes, and the cold wind whistled through them.

“Cold…” Cheng Wanqiu shivered, instinctively hugging her body and curling into a small ball. Her eyelashes blinked rapidly, like the wings of a struggling butterfly.

In the mountains, there were no lights to illuminate the darkness. The wind moved the branches, creating dancing shadows, accompanied by the occasional piercing cry of a bird. Legend had it that lonely ghosts and wild spirits loved to haunt such gloomy forests.

Cheng Wanqiu slowly opened her eyes. Her body was incredibly weak; she didn’t even have the strength to move a finger. Lying on the dirty, mud-stained ground, she recalled what had happened.

She had been lured into an alleyway by a girl. As someone who didn’t even recognize all her classmates, she had naturally tried to help when she heard someone mention a fellow student. She was not a cold-hearted person, but her kindness had been exploited.

The last thing she saw before losing consciousness was Luo Yejun.

“That’s right.” Cheng Wanqiu immediately realized that Luo Yejun must be doing this to target Shen Yinan.

“I wonder if Shen Yinan is worried sick.” She forced herself to try and sit up, but her body lacked even an ounce of strength.

Luo Yejun didn’t have the skills to do this himself; he had hired that girl.

Tonight, the wind was exceptionally strong, looking as if it were about to rain. Heavy rain in the mountains was never a good thing, as it often brought landslides.

The wind grew stronger, and dark clouds obscured the moon.

The person Shen Yinan was waiting for finally arrived.

“Please speak, Young Master Luo.”

Luo Yejun looked around uneasily before stammering, “Cheng Wanqiu is in the forest on the mountain near the school. I have one condition: you must take me with you.”

Even now, he was still thinking about using Cheng Wanqiu to threaten Shen Yinan.

Shen Yinan agreed without hesitation. “Fine.”