The Cannon Fodder Crazy Beauty Has Awakened [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 52.1

Jiang Mengyu was like a little dog she had adopted.

Jiang Mengyu’s recovery period was peaceful. Gu Lanqiu didn’t visit her often, and whenever she did, she would only stay for a short while before leaving.

Rather than a lifesaver, Jiang Mengyu was more like a little dog Gu Lanqiu had adopted something to play with when she felt bored, then quickly forgotten.

She rarely replied to Jiang Mengyu’s messages. Sometimes, even after Jiang Mengyu sent a long string of texts, Gu Lanqiu would only respond with a brief “Hmm” or “Got it.”

System 031 saw all this and grew anxious.

The host’s injuries would take months to heal was she really going to spend all that time stuck in the hospital with Gu Lanqiu?

Gu Lanqiu hadn’t restricted Jiang Mengyu’s freedom, so the moment the breakup announcement was posted on Weibo, Jiang Mengyu knew about it.

The villainess was skilled at maintaining her public persona and had a decent following online. Netizens’ impressions of her were mostly “melancholic artist,” “wealthy heiress,” and “fiancée of a business heir.”

As for Xu Zeyan, he liked to flaunt his cars and watches. Though he didn’t have as many fans as the villainess, he wasn’t completely unknown either.

The sudden announcement of their breakup left netizens stunned. Just days before the post went up, the two had been photographed having an intimate dinner together, looking very much in love.

Gossip was human nature, especially when it came to matters of the heart, people were eager to know the reason behind the split.

Jiang Mengyu opened the comments section under her post, where fans were asking if something had upset her.

She didn’t reply. This matter had already been handed over to Gu Lanqiu to handle. Whatever the follow-up response would be, it was up to Gu Lanqiu to decide.

The male and female leads must have seen it by now, right?

Jiang Mengyu glanced toward the hospital room door. She knew Gu Lanqiu had stationed bodyguards outside, and the caretaker watched over her 24/7. For Zhou Xinying and Xu Zeyan to get in would be nearly impossible.

But she knew they would come eventually.

After all, they were the protagonists.

What the protagonists wanted to do, they would always find a way to accomplish.

Zhou Xinying walked into the hospital wearing a mask. Only after entering Xu Zeyan’s room did she finally take it off.

Compared to his usual composed and handsome self, Xu Zeyan now looked haggard, his gaze sharp and hostile.

Zhou Xinying lowered her eyes slightly. “Senior, I heard that Sister wants to call off the engagement. Is it true?”

At the company, she always addressed Xu Zeyan as “President Xu.” Only in private, when they were alone, would she switch to the more intimate “Senior.”

Xu Zeyan had noticed that when she walked in, her limp seemed to have disappeared. Under normal circumstances, he would have first asked about her well-being, but now he gritted his teeth and said, “Who knows what madness has gotten into her?”

It was unclear whether “her” referred to Jiang Mengyu or Gu Lanqiu.

“Did Sister not explain it to you?”

Seeing Xu Zeyan’s dark expression, Zhou Xinying softened her tone. “I don’t think Sister is the type to act impulsively. Could there be some misunderstanding?”

Her words only made Xu Zeyan angrier. “What misunderstanding?”

“She even dared to hit me!”

Zhou Xinying froze. “Your injuries… were from Sister?”

Xu Zeyan had always explained his injuries to outsiders as accidental falls. After all, being beaten up by a woman especially by his once gentle and devoted fiancée was an utterly humiliating experience for him.

Xu Zeyan was furious. “I have no idea where she’s hiding.”

He turned his head, his gaze dark and brooding as he stared at Zhou Xinying. “Didn’t your father mention anything to you?”

Zhou Xinying bit her lip, her expression uneasy. “You know how it is, Dad has always preferred my sister. He’s never paid much attention to me.”

Beneath the sorrow in her voice lay a deeply concealed note of sarcasm.

There was no way her father didn’t know about something this significant. Yet, he had deliberately kept her in the dark. If not for the official announcement on Weibo, how much longer would he have continued hiding it from her?

He, Jiang Mengyu, and Jiang Yi were the real family. What did Zhou Xinying even count for?

Jiang Yi was Mrs. Jiang.

Xu Zeyan was well aware of her family situation. In fact, it was Zhou Xinying’s pitiable circumstances that had drawn him to her in the first place. Having lost his own parents at a young age, he felt a kindred sense of suffering with her.

But now, Xu Zeyan couldn’t hide his displeasure. “You’re still part of the Zhou family. Why would they keep this from you?”

Zhou Xinying twisted her fingers nervously, her voice timid. “Then I’ll go ask Dad where my sister really is. As soon as I find out, I’ll let you know immediately, Senior.”

Only then did Xu Zeyan grudgingly seem satisfied. “Go ahead.”

This was how he had always treated Zhou Xinying, when he was in a good mood, he might indulge her with a few sweet words, but when displeased, he could dismiss her with a wave of his hand. It didn’t matter; Zhou Xinying was blindly devoted to him. No matter how harshly he treated her, she remained unwavering.

Zhou Xinying put her mask back on. “I’ll take my leave then, Senior. Rest well and recover soon.”

Xu Zeyan: “…Mhm.”

Picking up her bag, Zhou Xinying turned and walked out. Xu Zeyan’s attention returned to his phone. Head lowered, he didn’t notice that Zhou Xinying didn’t even glance back at him. With her back turned to him, the timidity that had once filled her eyes vanished, replaced by an eerie calm.

Had Jiang Mengyu really been willing to break up with Xu Zeyan?

And Jiang Yi hadn’t made a fuss?

Hadn’t she always wanted Jiang Mengyu to marry Xu Zeyan?

So much so that she had even stolen Zhou Xinying’s golden locket and passed Jiang Mengyu off in her place.

Zhou Xinying had known about this for a long time. She had deliberately kept silent, waiting for the right moment when Xu Zeyan’s feelings for her grew deeper to deliver a fatal blow to Jiang Mengyu.

Her plan had been progressing smoothly until now, when something entirely unexpected had happened.

A thoughtful expression crossed Zhou Xinying’s face. She refused to believe Jiang Mengyu and Jiang Yi had suddenly changed their ways. If they had given up on Xu Zeyan so abruptly, did that mean Jiang Mengyu had already found a more suitable target?

Recalling Xu Zeyan’s impotent rage earlier, Zhou Xinying grew even more convinced of her speculation.

For Gu Lanqiu to agree so readily, even disregarding his nephew’s dignity entirely, Jiang Mengyu’s new target had to be someone on equal footing with Gu Lanqiu himself.

Who could that person be?

Glancing back one last time at the closed hospital room door, Zhou Xinying let out a silent scoff.

If Jiang Mengyu truly intended to abandon Xu Zeyan, then Zhou Xinying had no interest in continuing this little game of senior and junior with him.

The only reason she had agreed so readily to Xu Zeyan’s request was that she, too, wanted to know, where exactly had Jiang Mengyu gone?

The answer to this question soon became clear.

Just as Jiang Mengyu had anticipated, Zhou Xinying, being the protagonist, managed to learn about Jiang Mengyu’s recent situation through certain channels, despite Gu Lanqiu’s efforts to suppress the news.

“Suicide?” Zhou Xinying’s face registered shock. “Is it true?”

Seated across from her was a young doctor in a white coat. Like the standard trope in every romance novel, Zhou Xinying also had a devoted second male lead who was hopelessly in love with her.

Coincidentally, he happened to be the surgeon who performed Jiang Mengyu’s operation.

Hospitals strictly prohibited doctors from disclosing patients’ private information. But faced with the woman he loved, Chen Moqi hesitated for a moment before nodding slightly.

“The wound was very deep. It didn’t seem staged.”

Zhou Xinying remained silent for a long time. “Who arranged for her hospitalization?”

Chen Moqi paused. “You know that person too.”

“It’s Gu Lanqiu.”

Zhou Xinying understood immediately.

No wonder even Xu Zeyan couldn’t refuse.

But after resolving her initial confusion, Zhou Xinying found herself even more perplexed.

Had she misjudged the situation? Was Jiang Mengyu’s reliance not on someone else, but on Gu Lanqiu herself?

But why would Gu Lanqiu do this?

If she was acting out of concern for Jiang Mengyu as her nephew’s girlfriend, why had she gone out of her way to annul their engagement? What was Gu Lanqiu really thinking?

As a straight woman, Zhou Xinying couldn’t fathom any other entanglement between two women.

Chen Moqi, however, had an inkling. After all, Jiang Mengyu had repeatedly murmured Gu Lanqiu’s name while unconscious, her tone didn’t sound like she was calling out to an elder, but rather more like…

Yet, seeing Zhou Xinying’s furrowed brows and puzzled expression, Chen Moqi kept his suspicions to himself. He had no concrete evidence, and he had already crossed a line by privately disclosing Jiang Mengyu’s condition to Zhou Xinying.

“Xinying, President Gu is keeping a very close watch on Miss Jiang. Don’t act impulsively.”

Unlike Xu Zeyan, who was blindly arrogant, Chen Moqi had a vague understanding of Zhou Xinying’s true nature far from the timid and harmless persona she projected.

Zhou Xinying snapped out of her thoughts and smiled at Chen Moqi. “Brother Moqi, don’t worry. What could I possibly do?”

Then she immediately turned around and told Xu Zeyan everything.

Xu Zeyan was equally surprised to learn that Jiang Mengyu was in the same hospital as him.

“Suicide?”

His first thought was that Jiang Mengyu had done it for him. The frustration in his heart suddenly dissipated. He had known it, how could Jiang Mengyu just stop loving him out of the blue?

“Senior, what do you plan to do now?”

“It must be because my aunt dislikes Jiang Mengyu, so she’s forcing us to break up like this.”

Xu Zeyan clenched his fists. “I need to see her.”

A hint of mockery flashed in Zhou Xinying’s eyes, but her face showed only disappointment. “Go ahead. Some things are better said face to face.”

Xu Zeyan felt reassured and even found the energy to comfort Zhou Xinying. “Don’t worry, this has nothing to do with you. Mengyu is just being jealous for no reason. I’ll explain everything to her.”

Zhou Xinying: “…Alright, Senior.”

Jiang Mengyu sat by the window, painting. Her artistic style remained as enigmatic and inscrutable as ever.

When Gu Lanqiu entered, she happened to see Jiang Mengyu holding a paintbrush with her delicate hand, dipping it into pigment and applying it to the canvas. That charming face was still pale, her lips lightly colored, her slender figure hidden beneath the hospital gown, her neck long and fair.

Gu Lanqiu stood by the door, quietly admiring the scene for a while. Her fingers itched slightly, and she suddenly felt the urge to light a cigarette. But considering Jiang Mengyu’s sensitivity to smoke, she dismissed the thought.

A gentle breeze lifted Jiang Mengyu’s long hair, faintly carrying the subtle fragrance of jasmine. Gu Lanqiu recalled that the hospital garden didn’t seem to have any jasmine planted was this scent coming from Jiang Mengyu herself?

[Ding! Target Gu Lanqiu’s favorability +3. Current total favorability: 155.]

The scene before her was like a still from a film, and Gu Lanqiu’s slightly agitated heart gradually calmed. Only when Jiang Mengyu covered her lips and coughed softly twice did she finally speak. “If you’re not feeling well, you should rest more.”

Jiang Mengyu abruptly turned her head, as if noticing her for the first time. Those calm, dark eyes brightened imperceptibly. “Lanqiu?”

Gu Lanqiu stepped toward her. “No respect for your elders.”

After all, she was ten years older than Jiang Mengyu and also Xu Zeyan’s aunt.

Jiang Mengyu had initially addressed her formally as “President Gu,” but ever since their temporary reconciliation, she had switched to calling her “Lanqiu.”

The paintbrush in Jiang Mengyu’s hand unconsciously lowered as she stared unblinkingly at Gu Lanqiu, her eyes clearly reflecting the other woman’s figure.

Only when Gu Lanqiu drew closer did she notice a speck of pigment on Jiang Mengyu’s cheek, a vivid red dot against her snow-white skin, suddenly bringing her face to life with color. Gu Lanqiu’s gaze lingered there involuntarily.

“Do you not like me calling you that?” Jiang Mengyu seemed unaware of the mark on her face.

Gu Lanqiu reached out, brushing the pigment away with her knuckle, just a fleeting touch.

A faint red trace remained on Jiang Mengyu’s cheek, while a streak of red now stained Gu Lanqiu’s finger.

Jiang Mengyu blinked. “I—”

“It’s not that I dislike it,” Gu Lanqiu interrupted. “How are you feeling today?”

Jiang Mengyu raised a hand to her chest, where a sharp pain still throbbed beneath her palm.

She had a high tolerance for pain. If not for the nurse informing Gu Lanqiu that Jiang Mengyu couldn’t sleep at night due to the discomfort, Gu Lanqiu might never have noticed she was in pain.

“I’m alright.”

This had been the pattern of their conversations lately, and Gu Lanqiu had grown accustomed to it.

“You should be discharged in two weeks,” Gu Lanqiu said, glancing at the easel before Jiang Mengyu. “I’ve already had a studio prepared for you at Beiyuan.”

Jiang Mengyu pressed her lips together, silent, but her thoughts betrayed her completely.

[Is Lanqiu looking forward to it too?]
[I want to leave the hospital soon.]
[If only Lanqiu would agree to be my model.]

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