The Cannon Fodder Roles I Play All Become White Moonlights [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 25.2

Hearing someone call her name, Su Qingmeng peeked out from Lin Wangbei’s shadow to see a slightly panting youth rushing over urgently.

The boy, still in his school uniform, had slightly disheveled hair and sharp, intense eyes, like an unsheathed sword.

Su Qingmeng looked puzzled: “Shouldn’t you be in class right now?”

Yang Dongming had climbed over the wall during PE class.

Su Qingmeng’s umbrella was simply too conspicuous. When she passed by his school, he spotted her instantly from the playground, along with the man holding the umbrella for her.

Almost instinctively, he felt Lin Wangbei was no good.

Without a second thought, he vaulted over the iron fence and chased after them.

Yang Dongming eyed Lin Wangbei warily. Nanjiang Island was small, and as a military outpost, even unfamiliar faces had a certain familiarity. But Lin Wangbei clearly wasn’t from the island. “Who is this? I’ve never seen him before.”

The lanky teenager took a large step forward, positioning himself squarely in front of Su Qingmeng, completely blocking Lin Wangbei’s view of her.

Lin Wangbei’s hand clenched into a fist for an instant before relaxing. He smiled and said, “Comrade Su, aren’t you going to introduce us?”

“My son,” Su Qingmeng said cheerfully. She felt the boy in front of her stiffen abruptly, so she poked his waist through his shirt. “Xiao Ming, this is Teacher Lin from Beijing. He plays the accordion in the cultural troupe.”

Lin Wangbei smiled good-naturedly: “Xiao Ming, right? You’re Division Commander Yang’s son? I’m Comrade Su’s colleague, Lin Wangbei. You can call me Teacher Lin or Uncle Lin.”

Yang Dongming naturally wouldn’t call him “uncle.” The youth’s gaze toward him was full of wariness, and the way he shielded Su Qingmeng like a wolf cub guarding its food made Lin Wangbei deeply uncomfortable.

“Skipping class at this hour, Xiao Ming, do you often skip class? That’s not good. Your father is no longer here, and if you don’t behave, you’ll only cause trouble for Comrade Su. She’s already struggling enough on her own in the cultural troupe,” he said with a smile to Su Qingmeng. “Boys his age are the most disobedient and troublesome. Don’t worry, I’ll help you.”

Before Yang Dongming could speak, Su Qingmeng cut in sharply, “Who gave you the right to call him Xiao Ming? That’s my nickname for my son. How dare you accuse him of being disobedient and troublesome without any proof? Do you even have any shame? Who do you think you are, criticizing my son and expecting him to call you ‘uncle’?”

Yang Dongming usually found himself irritated whenever he spoke with Su Qingmeng, but seeing Lin Wangbei rendered speechless by her gave him an inexplicable sense of satisfaction. He didn’t even mind her repeatedly referring to him as her son.

The teenager flashed a grin at the young man, whose expression had soured, a grin tinged with mischief.

Yang Dongming didn’t realize it, but his smile at that moment was strikingly similar to the one Su Qingmeng often gave him.

Lin Wangbei finally dropped his polite facade, his face turning cold. “My father holds a position in the capital. For the son of a local division commander to call me ‘uncle’ is me doing you a favor. Besides, his father is already dead. Comrade Su, you’d better face reality.”

Beneath his outwardly gentle demeanor, the young man looked down on everyone on the island. He lifted his chin slightly, exuding arrogance.

Su Qingmeng responded with a carefree smile, catching Lin Wangbei off guard. In that moment, she swiftly opened the door, grabbed Yang Dongming, and pulled him inside, slamming the door shut and leaving Lin Wangbei completely outside.

Lin Wangbei’s already pale face turned ashen with fury. Clenching his fists, he gritted his teeth but maintained enough self-restraint not to pound on the door. He simply stared at the wooden door for a long time before finally turning and walking away.

Su Qingmeng watched the slender young man’s retreating figure through the translucent window, lost in thought.

Yang Dongming pursed his lips and grumbled, “Didn’t you just offend him badly? Why are you staring like that now?”

The pretty girl lazily turned her gaze to him. She didn’t tell Yang Dongming that Lin Wangbei wasn’t heading back to the cultural troupe but was instead going toward the Yang and Jiang families. As for which one he was visiting, she hadn’t figured that out yet.

“Just seeing if the sea wind might blow him away. Too bad the wind isn’t strong enough today,” Su Qingmeng said, half-jokingly.

Yang Dongming’s tense expression relaxed slightly. When he looked at Su Qingmeng again, he suddenly realized they were alone in the house, and an inexplicable nervousness washed over him.

Even though Su Qingmeng had lived under the same roof with him since the day she married into the Yang family, and they had been alone together for quite some time, his heart raced inexplicably fast at that moment. He didn’t know what to say to her.

Truthfully, he wanted her to come back. The empty Yang house, with only him in it, didn’t feel like a home.

Yang Dongming bit his lip hard, unable to bring himself to call her “Aunt Su”.

As if oblivious to the struggle in his eyes, Su Qingmeng pointed toward the kitchen. “The kitchen’s over there. There’s rice, flour, eggs, and dried yellow croaker. I want dried yellow croaker noodles.”

Yang Dongming was momentarily stunned, not fully processing what was happening before Su Qingmeng half-pushed him into the kitchen. He ended up sitting in front of the stove almost instinctively. By the time two steaming bowls of noodles were placed on the table, he fell silent again, wondering why he had been so obedient.

“It’s delicious!” Su Qingmeng didn’t hold back her praise, eating while showering compliments.

“You…” Yang Dongming hesitated for a moment before asking casually, as if it didn’t matter, “Are things not going well for you in the cultural troupe?”

“Cough…” Su Qingmeng nearly choked on her noodles. Yang Dongming quickly stood up, handed her a glass of water, and gently patted her back to help her recover.

Tears welled up in her eyes from the choking, her peach-blossom eyes tinged with red, and her crimson lips glistened with moisture like blooming flowers. When she looked up at him, it felt as if time stood still.

Yang Dongming suddenly felt his hand on her back burning intensely. Startled, he withdrew it and, trying to cover up, picked up the half-empty glass of water and drank it all in one go.

“I already drank from that glass.” she murmured softly, the moisture on her lips becoming even more pronounced. As Yang Dongming’s heart raced, she slowly broke into a smile. “What makes you think I’m not doing well? Have you ever seen someone who’s struggling take leave whenever they want? I’m living the good life in the troupe. Even if they all dislike me, there’s nothing they can do about it.”

She stood up, and Yang Dongming’s Adam’s apple bobbed heavily. Then she smiled again and added, “Including you.”

The air around them seemed to heat up instantly. Yang Dongming felt his entire body grow warm. Even after the meal, when Su Qingmeng told him to wash the dishes, he complied in a daze without a word of protest.

It wasn’t until everything was cleaned up that he noticed Su Qingmeng standing by the door, holding the large black umbrella. Her fair hand gripping the black handle made her skin appear even paler.

Su Qingmeng looked up at him, backlit, yet he could clearly see the smile on her face, which softened his expression.

The next moment, she spoke: “Come here, hold the umbrella for me.”

Yang Dongming stood beside her, took the umbrella, and asked, “Are we going to the cultural troupe?”

“I’ve already taken leave. Why would I go? We’re going to your school, of course.” Su Qingmeng glanced at him sideways. “Just so we’re clear, if you get scolded, you’re on your own. I’m just your stepmother, not your real mom—I won’t take responsibility for you.”

“…” Yang Dongming shoved the umbrella back into her hand. “No need. I’ll go back by myself.”

“Don’t slack off. Hold the umbrella.” Su Qingmeng tossed the umbrella back to him and, without another word, started walking toward his school.

Although the young man had clearly skipped class, because Su Qingmeng was the one bringing him back, his newly appointed homeroom teacher didn’t say much. After exchanging a few polite words with Su Qingmeng, the matter was dropped.

Sitting in the classroom, Yang Dongming felt distracted. He thought about her words, “I won’t take responsibility for you,” yet every time he encountered trouble, she always stepped forward to protect him.

The young man’s pale face flushed uncontrollably. His slender fingers touched his lips, the same lips that had just drunk from the glass Su Qingmeng had also used.

He turned his face toward the window, letting the sea breeze tousle his hair. Yet the heat on his face only intensified, like wild grass stirred by the spring breeze, burning fiercer and fiercer until it engulfed his entire heart…

Su Qingmeng’s request for leave wasn’t purely out of anger. Qiao Jihong was being discharged from the hospital today, so after dropping Yang Dongming off at school, she made a special trip to the military base to find Li Jianhua and borrow his car to pick Qiao Jihong up.

Li Jianhua had been partners with Old Yang for many years, so he naturally wouldn’t refuse such a small request from Su Qingmeng. However, the political commissar insisted on enthusiastically accompanying her to pick up Qiao Jihong.

Su Qingmeng pretended not to understand the meaning behind the political commissar’s frequent glances in her direction and simply kept her head lowered in silence.

“Xiao Su,” Li Jianhua said, though Su Qingmeng was Old Yang’s widow, she was young and looked even younger, so he regarded her almost like a daughter, “have you ever thought about your future?”

Su Qingmeng looked up at Li Jianhua, waiting for him to continue. As expected, Li Jianhua made no attempt to hide his intentions: “You’re still young and will eventually remarry. Old Jiang plans to adopt Dongming, so the child’s situation is settled. It would be best to resolve your own matters sooner rather than later.”

Preferably, she should marry while Jiang Lingfeng is away at sea. Even if Jiang Lingfeng truly had any feelings for Su Qingmeng, he would have no choice but to let go.