The Cannon Fodder Became the Empire's Beloved Omega - Chapter 1

Planet Produce, Konan.

The cat, pure white from head to toe, purred contentedly under the gentle strokes of a hand. It rolled over, exposing its belly to Yu Ruan standing by the flowerbed, and let out a soft “meow.”

Yu Ruan took out a dried fish snack and placed it beside the languid cat. Then, adjusting his backpack, he sighed softly.

The little creature picked up the fish snack and tilted its head, staring at the young man’s delicately sculpted profile as if curious about the reason for his sudden sigh.

“Starting tomorrow, I won’t be coming to see you anymore,” Yu Ruan said, patting the cat’s small head with a tone of earnest concern. “I hope you’ll meet other kind strangers in the future and live a happy life as a little cat.”

The cat meowed again and rubbed against his leg. But Yu Ruan could tell the little thing didn’t truly understand his words, it was merely acting on instinct, showing affection.

This cat was a stray Yu Ruan had met outside the shop where he worked part-time. It was very well-behaved. After finishing his shifts, Yu Ruan would often bring it some treats. Over time, they had developed a bond.

The cat was quite attached to him. Unfortunately, starting tomorrow, he would be moving away from the area.

The reason? He was a cannon fodder character.

A cannon fodder character is someone destined to be humiliated by the protagonist, to serve as a foil for the protagonist’s shining moments, and to be effortlessly crushed in any comparison. Yu Ruan’s role in this story was to persistently oppose the protagonist for a good portion of the book. With such a substantial part, his eventual fate was especially tragic.

As for how he knew all this, it was because he was special. He was a transmigrator who had coincidentally skimmed through the novel titled The Rules of an Alluring Omega.

In this story, the protagonist, Ji Huai, was an alluring Omega with a top-tier pheromone that no one could resist. This led him to cross paths with the wealthy Alpha heir, Li Hong, and the two embarked on a sweet romance.

Yu Ruan, on the other hand, was an Omega disguised as an Alpha. Driven by jealousy toward Ji Huai, he relentlessly schemed against him. After being thoroughly humiliated by the protagonist and losing everything, he was marked by an unknown Alpha and ultimately died during an illegal gland removal surgery.

Originally, Yu Ruan had only read the novel to pass the time. Little did he expect that after an accidental death, he would become the foolish and venomous cannon fodder antagonist in the book. The only difference was that, during his transmigration, he had unexpectedly acquired a system.

As the antagonist, Yu Ruan was not only dirt poor but had also grown up in an extremely harsh environment. This was because the “plot gods” had decreed that his character must be insecure and envious, requiring a miserable past to make it believable to the audience.

This was what the system had told him.

The happier the protagonist was, the more miserable the cannon fodder had to be and this was absolutely irreversible. At first, Yu Ruan had tried to struggle, attempting to tear up the script and escape. But he soon realized that all his efforts were in vain.

The cannon fodder persona clung to him like an unshakable halo, ensuring that no matter what he did, misfortune would follow. Not only that, but it would also unfortunately drag down those around him, causing anyone who helped him to suffer alongside him.

After a few attempts to resist, Yu Ruan gave up.

Since trying hard led nowhere, it was better to just lie down and accept it. At least that way, he wouldn’t have to face disappointment after disappointment.

The system secretly informed Yu Ruan that although the plot couldn’t be reversed, as long as he faithfully followed the storyline, it would help him live an ordinary life. At the very least, he wouldn’t end up in the same miserable state as in the original work.

Fortunately, Yu Ruan was quite accepting of his fate. After resigning himself to the role of a cannon fodder character, he actually felt a renewed sense of hope for life.

It was almost enough to bring tears to one’s eyes.

Today marked his final scene as the antagonist. Once he finished today’s part getting publicly humiliated by the protagonist and expelled from school, he could finally put an end to his miserable existence as a cannon fodder villain.

Thinking about this, Yu Ruan felt both a bit happy and a little melancholic. After all, he had been playing the role of cannon fodder for so long that he could hardly remember what an ordinary life felt like.

To stay in character, while everyone around him gradually differentiated and spent their days flirting with their crushes, Yu Ruan was forced to juggle multiple part-time jobs, working hard just to make ends meet. Worse still, he had to spend all his earnings on suppressants to disguise himself as an Alpha, leaving him so broke that he could only rely on the school’s free cafeteria for meals.

The school cafeteria was notoriously awful, but it was still better than starving.

In short, he was born unlucky, a poor, miserable cannon fodder villain. But today, he would finally escape this wretched life!

Yu Ruan had already planned his future: once he broke free from his cannon fodder villain destiny, he would move to a small town, open a cozy little shop filled with fluffy animals, and spend his days brewing tea, reading books, and petting cute creatures. He could open the shop whenever he felt like it and rest whenever he wanted, enjoying every single day.

The world he had transmigrated into was set in a sci-fi novel, the Gaia Empire, a technologically advanced and prosperous nation. Despite his personal misfortune, ordinary civilians still enjoyed a decent quality of life.

Cats were adorable, but a bright future was obviously more important.

After feeling happy for a while, Yu Ruan reached out and gently scratched the cat’s neck, murmuring, “Remember to take good care of yourself from now on.”

The cat purred contentedly, as if sensing his imminent departure. It stretched out a soft paw, giving him a simple farewell with a gentle “meow.”

Yu Ruan high-fived the cat’s paw, then cheerfully slung his backpack over his shoulder and stepped into the school.

As soon as he entered the campus, he overheard the whispers around him.

“How dare Yu Ruan show his face here? After what he did to Ji Huai last time, he still has the nerve to come to school? Talk about shameless!”

“Who gave him the courage? He’s nowhere near as good as Ji Huai, yet he still tries to compete with him. Doesn’t he know his own place? Alphas really have all the privileges. If he were a Beta or an Omega, he’d have been dead a hundred times over!”

“Exactly! He has no dignity at all, what an embarrassment to Alphas! Does he really think Nebula University would accept someone like him? As if any teacher would let someone like him in!”

“I heard he even resorted to framing others. How terrifying.”

Hearing these false accusations, Yu Ruan couldn’t help but feel a bit helpless. Still, he didn’t bother defending himself and simply pretended not to hear as he headed toward the classroom.

As a cannon fodder character with a predetermined fate, Yu Ruan understood all too well that even if he didn’t do certain things, the blame would somehow fall on him anyway. It was all the irresistible force of the plot resistance was futile.

For instance, the face-slapping plot he was about to experience. In the original story, he had competed with the protagonist, Ji Huai, for a spot at the Empire’s prestigious Starcloud University. He had actively framed Ji Huai for cheating during the exam. However, Ji Huai cleverly turned the tables by claiming the cheating note was his, successfully getting Yu Ruan expelled from school. From then on, Yu Ruan ended up wandering the streets, living a miserable life.

But now, even though Yu Ruan hadn’t actively tried to harm Ji Huai, during the exam, he inexplicably received that small cheating note. By a twist of fate, the note rolled right to Ji Huai’s feet, making it look like a premeditated “frame-up.” They were caught red-handed by the teacher.

The embarrassment was absolutely earth-shattering. Besides, his reputation at school was already quite poor, so being mocked and ridiculed was only to be expected.

Yu Ruan had grown accustomed to it. His mindset remained calm, and he even felt a faint sense of excitement.

This was solid proof that he had completed his mission! He could already see the dawn of victory fluffy little animals were waving at him in the distance!

The only thing Yu Ruan regretted was not being able to experience the cafeteria at Starcloud University.

After all, it was hailed as the best cafeteria in the entire Empire. Everyone who had eaten there raved about it. On the Star Network, there were no fewer than a hundred glowing essays praising the chefs, each one heartfelt, calling the food a divine delicacy. Not having tasted it was practically a disgrace to being an Empire citizen.

Most importantly, the cafeteria was free for its own students!

Having endured his school’s terrible cafeteria for so long, Yu Ruan couldn’t help but daydream about this legendary place.

As the highest institution of learning in the Gaia Empire, Starcloud University not only produced countless elites but also housed the Empire’s largest collection of books. The nationally renowned Imperial Library was located within Starcloud University on the capital planet.

Yu Ruan didn’t have many hobbies reading and petting small animals were among his few joys. He was genuinely curious about this unfamiliar interstellar world. Now that he had missed this opportunity, it was impossible to say he wasn’t disappointed.

But compared to the wonderful life that awaited him, these small hobbies didn’t seem so important anymore.

Lost in his beautiful fantasies of the future, Yu Ruan was halfway down the path when he suddenly felt as if he had bumped into someone.

A faint, bittersweet fragrance wafted into his senses. The person paused, reaching out to steady him, sparing Yu Ruan the embarrassment of falling to the ground and making a fool of himself again.

Yu Ruan quickly straightened up and stepped out of the other’s embrace. Feeling deeply apologetic, he raised his head to apologize but was met with a strikingly handsome face.

Deep gray eyes, a tall nose bridge, and thin, pale lips. Curled strands of black hair fell beside his forehead. The top button of his white shirt was undone, and his sleeves were casually rolled up to his forearms. On his left wrist, he wore a retro-style silver watch that clearly looked expensive.

Could it be? his Star History professor, Ye Yizhou?

Yu Ruan’s mind was still a bit muddled. Ye Yizhou released him and, noticing his dazed expression, revealed a gentle smile in his deep gray eyes.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

To be honest, Yu Ruan wasn’t very familiar with him, even though Professor Ye had recently taken on the role of their class’s homeroom teacher.

The other man was exceptionally good-looking and an Alpha. In New Joy Academy, where most students had already presented, the pressure exerted by an adult Alpha was immense, making it easy for them to gain mindless admiration from the students.

However, he himself didn’t seem particularly interested in such matters.

After this stumble, the number of hostile gazes around them noticeably increased. Yu Ruan quickly lowered his head and apologized, “Professor Ye, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. I’m really sorry.”

After apologizing, he anxiously waited for the other’s response.

Everyone in the school knew that their Professor Ye was an elite from Capital Star. Though no one knew why he had come to Kenan, a poor and backward resource planet, there had been transfers from Capital Star before, so no one found it suspicious.

Hadn’t they seen Li Hong over there? He came from a wealthy family and still chose to study on Kenan. Putting themselves in Ye Yizhou’s shoes, maybe he was even getting the better end of the deal!

The students’ attitudes were stable, but Yu Ruan didn’t dare to be so casual. After all, he was the unlucky one designated by the plot gods, and the other clearly had a powerful background. He didn’t want to complicate his bright future.

Fortunately, Ye Yizhou was as gentle as he appeared. “It’s fine, just be more careful next time.”

He then looked Yu Ruan over again and asked with concern, “What about you? Are you hurt anywhere?”

Yu Ruan felt a bit embarrassed by the question: having played the role of a cannon-fodder antagonist for so long had darkened his mindset. He had misinterpreted the other’s intentions, which was not a good habit.

He repeatedly thanked Ye Yizhou, even feeling a bit flattered.

Because the cannon-fodder halo bestowed upon him by the plot was practically indestructible, over the years, Yu Ruan had rarely experienced pure kindness. While thanking the other, he also felt uneasy, afraid that his bad luck might rub off on Ye Yizhou.

Professor Ye was a good person; he had answered many of Yu Ruan’s silly questions before. Yu Ruan didn’t want to drag him down into misfortune.

Unexpectedly, Ye Yizhou smiled at him and asked, “You seem lost in thought. What’s on your mind?”

Hearing this, Yu Ruan could only politely smile back and awkwardly brushed off the topic.

He couldn’t very well say that he had just been daydreaming about becoming a convenience store owner, could he? Someone as elegant and refined as Ye Yizhou, a high-class Alpha elite, had probably never even set foot in a convenience store in his life.

“Nothing much,” he mumbled, “just thinking about yesterday’s exam.”

Ye Yizhou showed an understanding expression. “The entrance exam for Nebula University? I heard they changed their policy this year, allowing Omegas to enroll as an exception. How was it? Did you find the questions difficult?”

“A bit difficult.”

Yu Ruan answered honestly.

The original host had dreamed of studying at Nebula University since childhood and had worked hard toward that goal. Unfortunately, the university almost exclusively admitted Alphas, so after undergoing differentiation testing, the original host had resolved to disguise himself as an Alpha to enter Nebula University and had made extensive preparations.

As the university of his dreams, Nebula University’s entrance exam was naturally very difficult. Still, Yu Ruan was confident he could pass.

If it weren’t for that incident during the exam.

Yu Ruan couldn’t help but think regretfully.

Ye Yizhou said, “So, does that mean I should congratulate you in advance for getting into Nebula University?”

Hearing this, Yu Ruan looked up in surprise.

He had initially thought that Ye Yizhou already knew about what had happened the day before. But judging by the other’s reaction now, it seemed Ye Yizhou was unaware that he had been expelled for “cheating” and had lost his qualification to enroll at Nebula.

This immediately filled Yu Ruan with a sense of shame: Cheating was such a sensitive issue, and once tainted by it, things could get very messy. If others misunderstood and thought Ye Yizhou was shielding a cheater, wouldn’t that be a terrible situation!

No, he couldn’t let that happen.

Thinking of the good people who had been implicated by him in the past, Yu Ruan hardened his resolve and bid farewell to Ye Yizhou: “Professor Ye, I’m sorry, but I have other matters to attend to. I must take my leave now. Goodbye!”

Ye Yizhou raised an eyebrow, seemingly quite surprised. However, he didn’t try to stop him, merely nodding calmly and saying, “Go ahead.”

Yu Ruan bowed to him, tightened the straps of his backpack, and walked alone in silence toward the classroom.

The classroom was bustling with noise.

From a distance, Yu Ruan could see Ji Huai laughing and chatting with classmates, the atmosphere lively and harmonious. Yet, the moment he stepped into the classroom, the heated atmosphere instantly turned as cold as if a freezer had been cranked to its maximum, so silent that the drop of a pin would be audible.

The entire class turned their eyes on him in unison.

If glares could materialize, Yu Ruan thought, he would have been riddled with holes on the spot.

Without even a chance to beg for mercy.

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