The Cannon Fodder Crazy Beauty Has Awakened [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 5

“Are you afraid I might do something to you?”

No. 031 was speechless.

When the host counterattacked the male and female leads in the previous world, there wasn’t a trace of social anxiety to be seen.

Could this excuse be any more half-hearted?

[Host, what do you plan to do now?]

Jiang Mengyu fell silent again.

All her belongings were still in the classroom, but Jiang Mengyu didn’t bother to pack them up. She hailed a taxi with her backpack and returned to her place.

The two protagonists of this novel were born into wealthy families, raised with silver spoons in their mouths. In contrast, Jiang Mengyu, the cannon fodder, had a far more troubled background.

She was an orphan, raised in an orphanage, and had moved out to live alone after turning fourteen. Over the years, she had survived on government subsidies and part-time jobs.

On the way back, Jiang Mengyu glanced at her phone’s balance, 2,000 yuan.

That was all the savings she had.

Soon, she would have to pay rent, and her utilities were running low. For the first time in both her lives, Jiang Mengyu experienced the feeling of financial strain.

She unlocked the door with her key and stepped into a shabby, cramped room that could be taken in at a glance.

The bed and cooking area were in the same room, with only the bathroom partitioned off. A makeshift desk of wooden planks stood by the bed, piled with her belongings.

The place was so small that having even two more people inside would make it hard to turn around.

Jiang Mengyu closed the door behind her, set her backpack aside, and sat on the bed to think about her next steps.

No. 031, mistaking her silence for discouragement, tried to console her in a soft voice:

[Don’t worry, host. There’s always another way. Beginner tasks usually aren’t too difficult, and the restrictions on the host are minimal. You can act freely, just complete the mission in the end.]

No. 031 intended to motivate Jiang Mengyu to strive harder, but Jiang Mengyu only caught the words “act freely.”

“I remember,” Jiang Mengyu opened her eyes. “I have a beginner’s gift pack, don’t I?”

No. 031: [Yes! It’s already in your backpack!]

Jiang Mengyu opened the system backpack and saw a new item, a golden gift box tied with a red ribbon in a bow.

She refrained from commenting on the system’s aesthetic taste.

When she clicked to open the box, a golden light flashed before her eyes, accompanied by a jingling sound. Three items appeared in front of her.

Their names were quite interesting.

No. 031: [Congratulations, host! You’ve obtained a rather useless rose, a bottle of unremarkable red wine, and a miraculous potion that can alter your physique!]

Jiang Mengyu: “…”

The first two items paled in comparison to the last one.

No. 031 seemed to sense her thoughts and explained sheepishly: [Ahem, host, it’s always like this.]

[Not every item in the prize pool can be top-tier, right?]

There had to be some junk to lower the odds and make the rewards seem more valuable.

Jiang Mengyu: …

She took out the bottle of physique-altering potion, holding the small vial in her hand. The liquid inside was even green in color, looking nothing like something drinkable.

Jiang Mengyu frowned as she unscrewed the cap and gave it a sniff, it was odorless.

System No. 031 assured her: [System products, guaranteed quality and effectiveness!]

Jiang Mengyu believed it. The system wouldn’t give her something toxic to drink.

She closed her eyes, tilted her head back, and downed the entire bottle in one go. The next second, her body stiffened violently, as if she had been hit with a paralysis spell.

Remembering there was only one bottle of this stuff, Jiang Mengyu forced herself to swallow despite the discomfort. How could she describe the taste? It was like chugging a mouthful of concentrated bitter melon juice, leaving a trail of bitterness from her throat all the way down to her stomach.

Why was this thing so disgusting?!

Before she could voice her complaint, No. 031 quickly interjected: [Host, listen to me this potion is seriously useful! It can upgrade your level!]

Its voice carried a hint of guilt: [Since its effects are this amazing, the taste being a little bad shouldn’t matter, right?]

Jiang Mengyu took a deep breath, her tone icy. “Then why didn’t you mention that earlier?”

No. 031: [You didn’t ask whether it tasted bad or not.]

It had only guaranteed the quality, not the flavor.

Jiang Mengyu: “…”

She closed her eyes, feeling warmth spread from her stomach, a current of heat flowing through her limbs, filling her entire body with strength.

Jiang Mengyu carefully observed the changes in her body, it was hard to put into words. She didn’t know how much time had passed, but when she opened her eyes again, she could clearly feel her limbs brimming with newfound power.

“What level am I now?” Jiang Mengyu asked the system.

No. 031: [Host, please wait a moment. Let me check… Huh?]

The system’s voice took an odd turn, as if it had seen something utterly unbelievable.

Jiang Mengyu furrowed her brows and opened the system panel herself. She navigated to the level section, only to find that the space where her level should have been displayed was now replaced with a question mark.

Jiang Mengyu: ?

She narrowed her eyes. “Didn’t you say ‘system products, guaranteed quality’?”

She distinctly remembered the original text mentioning that Cannon Fodder A was at B-rank. After drinking the physique potion, she should have at least reached A-rank. So what did this question mark mean?

No. 031 was equally baffled.

[That’s not right, how could this…]

It ventured a guess: [Could it be that your level is too high now, so it can’t be displayed?]

Jiang Mengyu didn’t respond, only letting out a cold laugh.

Did it even believe its own words?

Still, she did feel a significant improvement in her physique. The system probably hadn’t lied to her. Jiang Mengyu decided she’d go for a medical checkup when she had the chance, but right now, she was broke this would have to wait.

With that in mind, Jiang Mengyu pulled out her phone from her backpack. She opened WeChat and scrolled through her contacts until she found Chi Jingyan.

According to the system, they had added each other months ago, but they had never exchanged a single message. Chi Jingyan probably had no idea who she was otherwise, she would never have accepted the friend request.

Jiang Mengyu tapped on Chi Jingyan’s profile picture and sent her a direct message without hesitation.

[This is Jiang Mengyu. Can we meet? There’s something I want to talk to you about.]

After a moment’s thought, she added, “It’s related to Chu Muyao.”

System 031 was puzzled: [Host, why are you suddenly asking to meet Chi Jingyan?]

A hint of mockery flickered in Jiang Mengyu’s eyes. “Didn’t you tell me to apologize to her?”

Upon hearing this, System 031 immediately perked up, it had thought the host wasn’t going to listen to it!

The naive system still hadn’t grasped the gravity of the situation, innocently believing that Jiang Mengyu genuinely intended to apologize to Chi Jingyan.

After its initial excitement, it asked Jiang Mengyu doubtfully: [Given your current relationship with Chi Jingyan, will she even agree to meet you?]

Jiang Mengyu’s tone was calm but carried an air of certainty. “She will.”

Isn’t that how it always goes in novels?

No matter how flimsy the excuse, as long as it involves the other protagonist, the main character always falls for it in the end.

Chi Jingyan was probably in class and didn’t reply immediately.

Jiang Mengyu set her phone aside, rubbed her temples, grabbed some clean clothes, and headed to the bathroom for a shower.

Through the small mirror hanging on the bathroom wall, Jiang Mengyu saw that her face was still the same as before alluring and expressive, even the tiny mole at the corner of her eye remained. She curled her lips slightly, and the reflection in the mirror smiled back at her.

By the time she finished showering, she noticed a new message on her phone from Chi Jingyan.

[Chi Jingyan: ?]

Jiang Mengyu lowered her gaze and typed a reply: [Are you scared?]

The response came swiftly this time, carrying Chi Jingyan’s trademark arrogance and aloofness.

[Chi Jingyan: Address.]

Jiang Mengyu sent her a location, an abandoned construction site nearby.

System 031: [?]

Wait, is the host planning to apologize to Chi Jingyan here?

System 031 ventured cautiously: [Host, shouldn’t discussions usually take place somewhere like a café?]

Jiang Mengyu didn’t respond.

She had chosen this place for no particular reason, it was simply close to where she was currently staying. She had spotted it earlier when taking a taxi back to her rented apartment.

The site was quiet, free from outsiders, making it the perfect spot for her conversation with Chi Jingyan.

Most importantly, it didn’t cost a dime far more cost-effective than a café.

Every penny she had was earmarked for something important; she couldn’t afford to waste any on Chi Jingyan.

Jiang Mengyu had no interest in explaining such trivialities to the system. She continued typing her reply to Chi Jingyan.

[Jiang Mengyu: 7 PM today. Don’t be late.]

Chi Jingyan didn’t respond again, but Jiang Mengyu knew she had seen it.

Scrolling through her other contacts, Jiang Mengyu was surprised to find she still had Chu Muyao on her friends list. However, upon clicking the chat, she discovered Chu Muyao had already blocked her.

Jiang Mengyu wasn’t the least bit surprised.

She casually deleted the chat with Chu Muyao, then unfollowed all the unimportant public accounts until only Chi Jingyan remained in her messaging interface.

Setting her phone down, Jiang Mengyu sifted through the items on her desk and found a few part-time job flyers. System 031, thinking she was interested, eagerly highlighted the easiest and highest-paying option.

The host was short on money right now, this job would bring in cash the fastest!

Yet Jiang Mengyu showed little interest and soon set the flyers aside.

She spent the day doing nothing, first taking a nap in her rented apartment. By the time she woke up, only an hour remained before her scheduled meeting with Chi Jingyan.

System 031 hadn’t expected its host to actually fall asleep. It assumed that as a newcomer, the host would naturally be curious about everything around her.

Jiang Mengyu tidied up briefly, tying her hair into a high ponytail. She still wore the same school uniform, didn’t bother with a jacket, and left empty-handed.

The mid-March night carried a lingering chill. Dressed lightly, Jiang Mengyu walked along the roadside, drawing occasional glances from passersby.

It was now 7:20 PM. The streets were lit up, but as Jiang Mengyu walked further, the surroundings grew increasingly desolate. In the distance, the construction site loomed dark and deserted, not a soul in sight.

Jiang Mengyu casually found a spot to squat, boredom setting in. She pulled a lollipop from her pocket and popped it into her mouth to pass the time.

System 031: [Where did you get that candy?]

Jiang Mengyu: “Took it from the desk.”

She hadn’t eaten lunch and was starving by now. The candy helped stave off the hunger.

Her phone screen flickered on and off. Only five minutes remained until their agreed meeting time.

Jiang Mengyu had little patience. Expressionless, she waited, chewing on the candy. In the final minute, the sound of an approaching car finally reached her ears.

Crunching the last of the candy, Jiang Mengyu stood up just as the black Cayenne pulled to a stop in front of her. The headlights made her squint, and she took a step back as the driver emerged from the front seat. Under her watchful gaze, he opened the rear door.

Soon, Chi Jingyan’s figure came into view.

She stood at a distance, her voice icy. “What did you want to say to me?”

Jiang Mengyu glanced at the burly driver  more like a bodyguard standing beside Chi Jingyan. Her sharp eyes caught the bulge at his waist, hinting at something concealed.

She raised an eyebrow and countered, “Standing so far away, are you afraid I’ll do something to you?”

Chi Jingyan shot a look at the bodyguard behind her. After a moment’s hesitation, she took a few steps closer. “Speak.”

Still unsatisfied, Jiang Mengyu met her gaze, then turned and walked deeper into the site without another word, only tossing over her shoulder, “Follow me.”

Her attitude grated on Chi Jingyan. The young mistress’s brows furrowed tightly, her first instinct to turn and leave. But the mention of Chu Muyao held her back. After a long pause, she swallowed her pride.

“Wait here,” she told the bodyguard.

The bodyguard objected. “Miss, I must ensure your safety.”

“What’s there to fear?” Chi Jingyan extended her hand.

The bodyguard handed her the black pistol holstered at his waist. Chi Jingyan casually chambered a round and tucked it into her pocket. “I’ll be back soon.”

What did she have to fear? Even if Jiang Mengyu dared to harm her which she doubted, a mere B-rank Alpha was no match for her.

Chi Jingyan didn’t give Jiang Mengyu a second thought.

The sound of footsteps behind her didn’t surprise Jiang Mengyu in the least.

This was the protagonist.

Arrogant and self-important, convinced no one in the world could rival her.

Without plot armor, she’d have died countless times already.

Tang An had been the same. Chi Jingyan was no different.

Jiang Mengyu tilted her head to gaze at the pitch-black sky. How could she ever accept defeat at the hands of someone like this?

If she could turn the tables on Tang An, then of course she could also “counter” Chi Jingyan just with different methods.

Resign to fate?

Hah, not a chance.

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