I, A Loyal Dog, Awaken to My Fate as Cannon Fodder - Chapter 4

“Good morning, Senior Hu Ying. I hope we didn’t keep you waiting long?”

At the entrance of A City’s largest amusement park, Cheng Wanqiu greeted Hu Ying, with Shen Yinan following beside her.

Hu Ying looked up, his eyes sparkling as he gazed at Cheng Wanqiu. However, the very next second, his gaze flickered toward Shen Yinan standing next to her. His eyes instantly dimmed, and his face darkened by a noticeable degree.

“Hello, Senior Hu Ying,” Shen Yinan struck first, offering a polite, formal greeting.

Hu Ying glared at her. He had originally wanted to ask Cheng Wanqiu why she had brought Shen Yinan along, but the words got stuck in his throat, neither coming out nor going down. He was forced to change his tune, forcing a bitter, strained smile as he said to Shen Yinan, “Hello.”

Shen Yinan flashed a wicked smirk—one that only Hu Ying could see. No one else, including Cheng Wanqiu, noticed it.

Hu Ying was fuming internally, cursing her: You little brat, you little brat… once I finally have Cheng Wanqiu, I’ll make your life a living hell!!!

He kept cursing in his head until he felt satisfied, only then allowing his expression to return to normal. Little did he know that outsiders could clearly sense his inner gloom, let alone someone like Cheng Wanqiu, who had been raised in the complexities of a wealthy, elite family.

“Miss, where shall we go?” Shen Yinan asked, cutting in before Hu Ying could speak.

“Hmm,” Cheng Wanqiu tapped her chin with her index finger, thinking for a moment. “Let’s go to the gift shop.”

“What do you think, Senior?” Cheng Wanqiu turned the question to Hu Ying.

Hu Ying, of course, wanted to choose the haunted house. That way, he could take advantage of the chaos to ‘protect’ Cheng Wanqiu and show off his masculinity. But since Cheng Wanqiu had already suggested the gift shop, it wasn’t easy for him to object.

“Then let’s go to the Haun—no, let’s go to the gift shop.”

Cheng Wanqiu pretended not to hear the word “Haunted.” She simply nodded with a smile.

Shen Yinan and Cheng Wanqiu had purchased their tickets in advance, so they stepped inside ahead of Hu Ying. Hu Ying gritted his teeth, feeling resentful that someone as wealthy as Cheng Wanqiu hadn’t even bought a ticket for him.

The amusement park scenery was quite lovely—a brown bear-themed park. Costumed bears wandered everywhere, available for photos, and some held hydrogen balloons for sale.

As Shen Yinan and Cheng Wanqiu took in the childlike atmosphere, feeling as though they had stepped into a storybook, their eyes widened in unison. They followed the movements of the bear mascots like children who had never seen the world before.

It could be said that their meager sense of childhood wonder had been awakened. Both felt a rare sense of relaxation; it was a form of spiritual decompression.

Just as a childlike smile began to grace the corners of Shen Yinan’s mouth, she thought of the Shen family and her own background. A sharp voice screamed in her mind: “You don’t deserve to show such innocent joy. It doesn’t belong to you.”

Her smile vanished amidst the surrounding laughter. She masked her emotions, putting on a cold, distant face.

Feeling a tug on her arm, she turned her head and looked down slightly.

“Shen Yinan, let’s head to the gift shop first. I told Senior Hu Ying that the queue for tickets is very long.”

Seeing the joy on her mistress’s face, Shen Yinan felt it was all worth it.

“Shen Yinan, smile. Don’t be so stiff.”

Cheng Wanqiu used her two index fingers to trace a smiling arc in front of Shen Yinan’s mouth.

Shen Yinan felt a wave of embarrassment, a look of surprise crossing her eyes. Her first instinct was that her mistress was teasing her. She didn’t want to smile, but under Cheng Wanqiu’s playful pressure, she managed a forced grin.

This scene happened to be caught by passersby. People stopped in their tracks, staring at Shen Yinan’s fleeting smile. Their whispered discussions reached the ears of both girls.

“Holy crap, they’re a couple, right? They have to be. So sweet!”

“It looks like a caring older sister teaching a gloomy, serious ‘puppy’ how to smile. They’re such a good match! The puppy looks so good when she smiles!”

“A puppy should smile more! If I had a puppy like that, I’d bring her to the Bear Theme Park every day!!!”

Shen Yinan listened awkwardly to the comments. Her ears turned slightly red; she wasn’t fond of being watched like a celebrity.

Cheng Wanqiu’s outfit today was the epitome of “Big Sister” energy. She was nearly as tall as Shen Yinan, standing at 175cm. She wore a slim-fit brown wool coat that didn’t look bulky at all, paired with long leather boots that made her legs look incredibly long and slender.

In contrast, Shen Yinan’s style was low-key—mostly all black, occasionally with a hint of red. Even though her clothes were plain, her natural build made them look incredibly trendy, as if clothing vendors would beg her to be their model.

The clash of their styles only fueled the bystanders’ desire to “ship” them. One was the “Big Sister,” the other the “Puppy”—the chemistry was undeniable.

Unable to stand the scrutiny any longer, Shen Yinan whispered, “Miss, let’s go.”

She lowered her head and gently tugged on a corner of Cheng Wanqiu’s wool coat.

Cheng Wanqiu was actually quite happy to accept the praise directed at her and her “puppy,” but it seemed her puppy was uncomfortable. Fine then—it was good to indulge a taciturn puppy once in a while.

“Mm-hmm,” Cheng Wanqiu hummed, signaling for Shen Yinan to lead the way.

Understanding the cue, Shen Yinan ignored everything else. She suddenly transformed into an assertive “puppy,” pulling her “sister” away from the noisy crowd. The onlookers erupted in excitement.

“When the puppy gets assertive, it’s over! She went from ‘soft puppy’ to ‘wolf’ in a second!!!”

“I might be fake, but they are definitely real!!!”

“So cool! The puppy’s sense of distance is perfect—pulling the corner of the coat while looking away, and the sister following behind with that doting smile. Hahaha!”

Hearing that detailed description, Shen Yinan quickly turned back to look at her mistress to see if she really was laughing at her.

Her upper teeth lightly bit her bright red lower lip, looking both bullied and pitiful—the kind of look that made people want to rush up and pat her head in comfort.

Cheng Wanqiu, being led along, indeed had a face full of indulgence. She was smiling, exactly as the passersby described. However, the moment Shen Yinan turned around, she immediately restrained herself, offering the usual smile that Shen Yinan could never quite decipher—complex and mysterious.

Shen Yinan immediately turned her head back. Her emotions, which usually felt like a stagnant pool of water, felt as if a stone had been thrown in, creating ripples that spread outward.

Eventually, Shen Yinan pulled Cheng Wanqiu out of the crowd. Her expression returned to normal as they stood before the bustling gift shop. She spoke up unhappily, “Miss, you’re toying with me again.”

Regarding the accusation of “toying,” Cheng Wanqiu merely arched an eyebrow noncommittally. She felt she had been quite restrained.

After a brief thought, she started to reach out a finger to tilt Shen Yinan’s chin up but caught herself and withdrew her hand. She said casually, “Come on, let’s go in. I’ll buy you a small gift as a reward for your good performance.”

Hearing about a “reward,” Shen Yinan didn’t react like a real dog—bouncing with joy or dying of excitement internally. She wasn’t an actual dog, after all. She simply felt the sting of being teased smoothed over by her mistress’s words, though she kept her face neutral.

Following her mistress into the shop, they were met with a dizzying array of merchandise: fuzzy hats, silly bear surfing goggles… even adults would find it hard not to buy a souvenir or two.

Shen Yinan exercised great restraint, not letting her eyes scream “I want everything.” However, she was genuinely impressed.

The most expensive items weren’t the trinkets on display, but the “Bear Couple & Bestie Pendants” inside the vending machines near the central rest area. They were magnets shaped like two bears using their paws to make a heart; when brought together, the bears would snap together to complete the heart.

Shen Yinan and Cheng Wanqiu split up to browse. Shen Yinan forced herself not to linger on the cute bears. Like a dull, straight-laced girl, she gave things a quick glance before looking away. Not a single bear could make her stop and pick it up for a closer look. To an observer, she seemed entirely uninterested.

Just then, Hu Ying finally made it inside after buying his ticket. He came running, leaning over with his hands on his knees and gasping for air once he reached the gift shop.

Shen Yinan noticed him. She watched as he caught his breath and looked around the shop. To a “straight man” like him, a shop full of bears meant for children held no appeal or interest. He was the truly dull one.

Hu Ying noticed her too. Eager to win over Cheng Wanqiu, he softened his tone toward the girl he secretly called a “brat” and asked, “Junior Shen, where is Junior Cheng?”

It wasn’t that Shen Yinan didn’t want to tell him, but the nearby shoppers were already whispering and casting side-long glances.

“Is that guy pursuing someone? He doesn’t seem to have any heart in it.”

“Heh, he doesn’t even want to look around.”

“How superficial. Looks like he’s just trying to latch onto a rich girl.”

Shen Yinan gave Hu Ying a look that said ‘See for yourself.’

She realized that wherever she was, bystanders began to doubt the “Male Lead’s Aura.” In other words, she could neutralize his protagonist’s luck. She decided she should stay by her mistress’s side more often—this was her “cheat code.”

Purposefully ignoring the “Phoenix Man,” Shen Yinan turned her head away. After all, her reputation in public was exceptionally good; if she was targeting Hu Ying, wouldn’t people assume it was his fault?

Being talked about behind his back felt like a critical hit to Hu Ying’s ego. He was so angry he wanted to rip Shen Yinan apart.

Just then, Cheng Wanqiu appeared, her hands full of trinkets. She glanced at Shen Yinan, who immediately acted “good,” nearly tucking her hands behind her back like a well-behaved kindergartner.

“Miss,” Shen Yinan called out.

She noticed her mistress was holding a box containing the “Couple & Bestie Bear Necklace.” Her heart felt complicated, her eyes hiding her shifting emotions.

Hu Ying noticed the box too. He naturally ignored the word “Bestie.” Since “Couples” usually meant a man and a woman, he confidently assumed the box in Cheng Wanqiu’s hand was intended for him. He even shot a smug look at Shen Yinan.

However, because of Shen Yinan’s presence neutralizing his “aura,” in the eyes of the public, Hu Ying just looked like a creepy, gold-digging “Phoenix Man” who could barely hide his greed.

“That guy is so gross.”

“So off-putting. He’s staring at the box in her hand like he’s about to snatch it. What a turn-off.”