I, A Loyal Dog, Awaken to My Fate as Cannon Fodder - Chapter 5

Shen Yinan went nowhere; she simply followed Cheng Wanqiu. Having learned that she was the existence capable of shielding the male lead’s halo, she followed Cheng Wanqiu with a clear conscience.

Her presence made Hu Ying look like a clown, performing all sorts of unsightly antics on the side. Passersby evaluated him as nothing more than a “phoenix man.”

Picking up a pretty little trinket, he would hint, both subtly and overtly, for Cheng Wanqiu to buy it for him. He truly thought he was something special, regarding himself as highly as the heavens.

Especially regarding the small gift in Cheng Wanqiu’s hand labeled “Couples’ Box,” he was supremely confident, certain that he had already successfully won Cheng Wanqiu over.

In contrast, as Shen Yinan followed quietly by Cheng Wanqiu’s side, the two of them were the ones who truly looked like a pair.

To outsiders, it was perfectly clear that the box in Cheng Wanqiu’s hand was intended for the girl silently following beside her.

Only Hu Ying remained immersed in his own fantasy, self-importantly projecting the word “couples” onto himself and Cheng Wanqiu.

The packaging box, which was labeled “Couples & Besties,” was torn open by Cheng Wanqiu. She pulled out two necklaces that joined as one and held them up to the sunlight, which burst into dazzling, five-colored rays. The little bear’s heart changed colors, shifting from a transparent crystal white to a ruby red.

Hu Ying, standing to the side, was stunned. He didn’t think the bear necklaces were cute; he was simply breathless at the high-class spectacle of the scene.

All of this would soon be his. Cheng Wanqiu would personally put that bear necklace on him.

His gaze was greedy and blatant, like a blood-sucking mosquito salivating, as he rubbed his hands together.

Passersby cast looks at him as if he were a lunatic—much like someone holding a proposal ring while an entirely unrelated person assumes the ring is for them, acting impatient, pretentious, and self-righteous.

Hu Ying was exactly that type of person. Without the male lead’s halo to disguise him, his vile nature was exposed for all to see.

Contrasted with the true owner of the necklace, Shen Yinan was quiet and still. She did not place much importance on material things; her eyes held only the pure reflection of the other person. Her gaze was fixed solely on Cheng Wanqiu—intense but not scalding, perfectly measured, appearing both close yet distant.

With her hands behind her back, she watched quietly as her Young Mistress unpacked the necklace. When Cheng Wanqiu held it up to the sun and it emitted five-colored light, the elder girl turned her head back to look at her with a look of surprise and a smile, flaunting it as if she had found a rare treasure.

Shen Yinan saw it all. To her, the Young Mistress was a radiant presence.

“Shen Yinan, come here.”

Cheng Wanqiu raised her hand and hooked her finger. She shook the necklace in her hand, her meaning self-evident: she was about to personally put the bear “couples’ necklace” on her dear little puppy.

To maintain her composure and show no abnormality, Shen Yinan surreptitiously bit down hard on the tip of her tongue. The pain traveled to her brain, and she tasted a hint of copper in her mouth.

She acted just as she usually did, appearing a beat slow to catch on to such romantic gestures. “Does the Young Mistress need something?”

They stood extremely close. There was barely a centimeter of distance between the tips of their shoes before they would collide. This was already Shen Yinan’s limit.

Passersby were on the verge of covering their mouths and gasping—were these two ladies going to kiss in broad daylight?!

Shen Yinan’s heart beat like a drum. Thinking she was about to overstep, she took a timid small step back to widen the gap.

But that bit of distance was far from enough. One of Shen Yinan’s hands was grabbed by Cheng Wanqiu. Unbeknownst to her, the Young Mistress had summoned a sudden burst of strength to pull her forward a step. Their shoes touched, and Shen Yinan stumbled slightly before steadying her body.

The onlookers let out a series of gasps and long sighs.

“They’re going to kiss, aren’t they?!!”

“Quick, push their heads together!!! Today they have to kiss whether they want to or not!!!”

“The older sister is so domineering, and the puppy’s eyes are full of panic, hahaha.”

With a panicked and helpless expression, Shen Yinan called out softly to Cheng Wanqiu, “Young Mistress.”

Cheng Wanqiu was smug. She did not rush to respond to that call of “Young Mistress.” Instead, she stood on her tiptoes and, with extreme intimacy, placed the bear necklace around Shen Yinan’s neck.

Looking at those dangling hands that didn’t know whether to embrace or stay still, the passersby all broke into “auntie smiles” at Shen Yinan’s helplessness.

She understood the sense of distance all too well; she wanted to get closer but didn’t dare, wanting to wrap her arms around Cheng Wanqiu’s waist but not daring to move. It was driving the onlookers crazy!

“Hug her!!! Why are you so cowardly!!!”

“The sister has already pressed her body right in front of you, just take the initiative!!!”

“They are going to worry us to death!!!”

“Young Mistress, you…” Shen Yinan would not dare to boldly hug Cheng Wanqiu just because of a few words of egging on from strangers. Cheng Wanqiu was the master, and she was the dog.

The necklace was already hanging around her neck; why hadn’t the other girl moved away from her yet?

Cheng Wanqiu brought her lips close to Shen Yinan’s ear. Her seductive words teased right against her ear canal: “A reward for you. Don’t be unhappy anymore.”

“Ahhh!!! Is the sister going to bite the puppy’s ear?” the passersby speculated wildly.

Without them realizing it, another circle of people had gathered. Shen Yinan and Cheng Wanqiu were surrounded like celebrities.

“The puppy’s ears are turning red! Sister, stop teasing and just take a bite!!!”

Yet, Shen Yinan acted like a bashful young bride. Her earlobes were a vivid, dripping red as she resolutely turned her head away, avoiding this excessive intimacy.

She did not like being watched. The more people there were, the more nervous she became. It wasn’t that she was indifferent to Cheng Wanqiu’s flirting; rather, her heart was jumping into her throat, and she felt a fearful urge to flee.

“Don’t hide, don’t hide!!! Is the good puppy this shy?”

“Shh, let’s stop talking for a moment. The puppy is shy because of us, right?”

“Ah, is that so? Please ignore us, please continue, I beg you!!!”

The crowd grew larger, but they tacitly stopped their noisy chatter, leaving space for Shen Yinan and Cheng Wanqiu to act.

In the context of the entertainment industry, Shen Yinan and Cheng Wanqiu’s looks surpassed those of top-tier A-list stars by several streets. Moreover, their natural sense of “CP” (Couple) chemistry was unlike the forced versions seen in show business.

Cheng Wanqiu cast a cold glance at the crowd. She liked being praised, but that didn’t mean she liked being surrounded like a monkey in a zoo, especially when they claimed they weren’t “disturbing her and Shen Yinan from doing business”…

Heh.

“Alright, I’ll stop teasing you.”

Cheng Wanqiu whispered into Shen Yinan’s ear. She straightened the collar of Shen Yinan’s clothes, then took two steps back with her hands behind her back. She gave a shallow smile, her eyes seemingly connected to Shen Yinan’s by invisible silk threads—separated, yet not entirely; that lingering connection left infinite room for imagination.

The onlookers looked disappointed, yet they found a bit of sweetness in Cheng Wanqiu’s flirtatious eyes and perked up again.

Shen Yinan’s highly-strung nerves finally relaxed. It was only then that she belatedly felt the weight of the bear necklace. She had almost forgotten that the Young Mistress was merely putting a necklace on her, not actually molesting her.

Left out in the cold, Hu Ying was furious. That necklace should have been his. It was all because of Shen Yinan, that little beast!!! Little beast!!!

The crowd finally dispersed. It was at this moment that Hu Ying seemed to discover the other two large words on the packaging box: “Besties.”

He stared for a few seconds before feeling relieved, giving himself an explanation for Shen Yinan and Cheng Wanqiu’s behavior. They must have worn those necklaces because they were “besties.”

“Senior Hu Ying, let’s go have lunch.”

Cheng Wanqiu spoke indifferently, maintaining a one-meter distance from Hu Ying.

“Um, okay.” He raised his head, his eyes full of gloom, yet he forced a smile that he thought was sunny and handsome.

In any case, it left both Shen Yinan and Cheng Wanqiu stunned and startled.

“Yo, yo, yo, isn’t this the eldest miss of the Cheng family?”

Before they had walked more than a few steps, a voice came from afar—one that sounded familiar but was instantly annoying.

Watching a woman with a hot figure and long, black, wavy hair walk over, Cheng Wanqiu’s lips curled into a half-hearted smile.

Seeing the woman, Shen Yinan lowered her head slightly and greeted her, “Hello, Miss Ni Zhen.”

Toward Shen Yinan, Ni Zhen showed some restraint. Shen Yinan’s reputation outside was exceptionally good; even an unrefined, stubborn socialite like Ni Zhen felt a sense of pity and affection for her.

“Little Yinan, if you can’t stand staying at the Cheng house anymore, come to my Ni family. At least I won’t bully you like Cheng Wanqiu does,” Ni Zhen said while tossing her wavy hair.

Shen Yinan just pursed her lips and smiled, saying nothing.

When these words reached Cheng Wanqiu’s ears, she wasn’t naive enough to think it was just a joke.

Ni Zhen was her childhood best friend. The two of them had identical tastes and liked the same things; she wasn’t surprised at all that they both had their eyes on someone like Shen Yinan.

As if declaring ownership, Cheng Wanqiu took Shen Yinan’s hand and said, “Long time no see, Ni Zhen.”

Ni Zhen’s gaze shifted downward, landing on their joined hands.

She gave a light “hmpf” and nonchalantly tossed her curls again.

Two sets of well-defined hands were clasped together. Beneath the fair skin were clear, sexy veins. Shen Yinan’s palm was larger than Cheng Wanqiu’s, yet she wasn’t the dominant one in the grip; she was the one being held.

“Protecting her so tightly… will the Cheng family ever let you be together?”

Ni Zhen said something that sounded quite sour.

Protecting whom?

Hu Ying happened to be standing behind Shen Yinan and Cheng Wanqiu. He heard the young miss ask whom Cheng Wanqiu was protecting so tightly; even a straight man like him could hear the jealousy in her tone.

However, no matter how jealous this young lady was, he wouldn’t become her man, because he was now Cheng Wanqiu’s man.

He felt quite gratified that Cheng Wanqiu was “protecting” him behind her.

“The Cheng family will agree.”

Hu Ying jumped out to speak.

Shen Yinan really wanted to facepalm. The male lead’s IQ was truly non-existent.

Just as she expected, Miss Ni sized up the male lead. Her gaze shifted from initial appreciation to total disdain in less than a second; she could tell that Hu Ying was nothing more than a piece of manure plated in platinum.

Anyone would have to hold their nose to deal with him.

Ni Zhen took a step back in utter disgust and mocked Cheng Wanqiu sarcastically, “Who is he?”

Cheng Wanqiu glanced at Hu Ying and replied coldly, “Just a senior from school.”

Looking at the tense atmosphere between the two young misses, Shen Yinan looked anxiously at Senior Hu Ying behind her, who still carried his male lead halo.

In the book, she was a minor cannon fodder, while Miss Ni Zhen was the vicious female supporting character—the woman who fought her Young Mistress for the man.

She didn’t know if her “Male Lead Halo Shielding” cheat was actually working. The Young Mistress was the female lead, and Ni Zhen was the villainess. Now that all three important characters were together, she, the little cannon fodder, felt like she might easily end up “GG” (Game Over).