The Cannon Fodder Roles I Play All Become White Moonlights [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 26.1

Su Qingmeng leaned her head against the car window, tilting it slightly to gaze at Li Jianhua sitting in the front row, as if digesting his words.

Li Jianhua had to admit that Su Qingmeng was truly beautiful. Even someone like him, who had once been an undercover agent in Haicheng and had seen the glamour of the bustling city, was momentarily captivated by her appearance, let alone a young, single man like Jiang Lingfeng. He suddenly understood Jiang Lingfeng’s concerns.

He chuckled and said, “I’m Old Yang’s elder brother, so I’m like an elder brother to you too. Tell me, what kind of person are you looking for? I’ll keep an eye out for you.”

Su Qingmeng rested her chin on her hand, looking very serious. “At the very least, his rank should be higher than Commander Jiang’s, he should be more handsome than Commander Jiang, and taller than him… Hmm, his skin is too dark, it should be as fair as Dongming’s, but not as thin as Dongming. Someone as sturdy as Jiang Lingfeng would be fine.”

“How did you end up with Old Yang back then?” Li Jianhua asked sincerely.

“Because he was a commander at the time,” Su Qingmeng replied with equal honesty. “I’ve already married a commander once, so I shouldn’t marry someone of a lower rank now. Since it’s a second marriage, I might as well marry the best. If I can’t marry the best, it’s better not to marry at all. Right now, with the title of Old Yang’s widow, no one dares to bully me. Isn’t that more comfortable than marrying down?”

Li Jianhua thought her reasoning made sense.

“Besides, what era is this?” she said with a bright smile. “I don’t necessarily have to marry. I want to focus on dancing in the cultural troupe, and maybe in the future, I can explore a broader world.”

As she said this, her eyes shone noticeably brighter than when she was listing her marriage criteria, sparkling and captivating, making it hard for anyone to shatter her dreams.

Li Jianhua was reminded by her words and asked with a smile, “I heard two comrades recently joined the main cultural troupe?”

“Yes, one is Teacher An, who teaches dance, and the other is Teacher Lin, who plays the violin,” Su Qingmeng nodded.

“Teacher Lin? The character for ‘forest’?” Li Jianhua had previously served in the capital before the political climate shifted. He had wisely stepped back and requested a transfer to Nanjiang Island, but he remained particularly sensitive to people from the capital.

“Yes, his name is Lin Wangbei,” Su Qingmeng replied, watching Li Jianhua closely for any clues in his expression.

Li Jianhua clearly recognized the name and was taken aback. “So, it’s Old Lin’s child. Wasn’t he studying medicine? How did he end up in the arts?”

Su Qingmeng shook her head, though Li Jianhua wasn’t really expecting an answer from her.

They soon arrived at the hospital to pick up Qiao Jihong. Li Jianhua didn’t continue the earlier conversation with Su Qingmeng. He exchanged a few words with Qiao Jihong and thought she was a nice girl, quite suitable for Jiang Lingfeng. However…

He discreetly glanced at Su Qingmeng again and sighed inwardly. When the two women sat together, it was hard to shift one’s gaze from Su Qingmeng to anyone else. But Jiang Lingfeng was someone he had watched grow up…

Jiang Lingfeng had no parents. By the age of seven or eight, he was already following the troops, and by his early teens, he was carrying a gun and fighting on the battlefield. He rose from being the company commander of the guard unit under the leadership to a battalion commander, then a regiment commander, and eventually a division commander, all roles where he stood on his own. At thirty years old, he had already served in the military for over two decades. Every one of his achievements was earned with his life. Reaching the rank of division commander at such a young age was no easy feat, and Li Jianhua didn’t want him to give anyone grounds for criticism over personal conduct issues.

After escorting the two girls to the Qiao residence, Li Jianhua said to Su Qingmeng, “Xiao Su, focus on your dancing. I think you have great potential. It’s too late for this year, but next year you can try out for the selection in the Beijing General Cultural Troupe. I believe you’ll make it and step onto a bigger stage.”

Su Qingmeng’s eyes sparkled brightly, and Li Jianhua felt she was genuinely moved. He smiled and prepared to leave, only to be stopped by Su Qingmeng.

The beautiful girl showed no hint of shyness and spoke with complete confidence: “Brother Li, since you said you’re my big brother, shouldn’t you take care of me a little? Look how scorching the sun is getting. I need to maintain my best condition for next year’s selection for the General Cultural Troupe. So, starting tomorrow, could your driver give me a ride to and from work?”

If Li Jianhua hadn’t spent so many years as a political commissar, skilled at hiding his emotions, he might have lost his composure. This girl truly had no reservations, he had no idea why Old Yang had chosen her in the first place.

He glanced at her again and sighed inwardly. Well, it seemed everyone was swayed by appearances. Seeing the girl pitifully batting her eyes, and considering his connection to Old Yang, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse and reluctantly agreed.

Qiao Jihong was already feeling much better. Seeing that Su Qingmeng didn’t seem like the type to cook, she rolled up her sleeves to prepare a meal for her. But Su Qingmeng stopped her, saying, “You’re the patient, go lie down properly in bed.”

“Then will you cook for me?” Qiao Jihong asked, pleasantly surprised.

Su Qingmeng glanced sideways at her, her expression strikingly similar to that of a haughty cat. Could it be that her princess has been reincarnated as a human?

Su Qingmeng lazily replied, “Just lie down. Someone will come to cook, anyway.”

Qiao Jihong was skeptical of her inexplicable confidence. Could it be Jiang Lingfeng? But no, she had heard through the grapevine that Jiang Lingfeng wasn’t on the island these past few days.

At a quarter to five, there was a timely knock at the door. Sure enough, someone had come.

Su Qingmeng went to answer the door, and Qiao Jihong looked over to see a young man with slightly wind-tousled hair.

He wore a school uniform with a white shirt, a military-green bookbag slung diagonally across his back, and his sleeves rolled up to his forearms. When his light-colored eyes met hers, they held the clean, proud aura of youth. Qiao Jihong felt her heart struck hard. She never expected to see such a manga-like boy in this era, on this island, such a fresh, youthful “puppy.” This older sister is totally on board!

“Here, this is my son, Yang Dongming. You’ve met before, that day he rode his bike to take me to work, and later I went with you to the hospital,” Su Qingmeng introduced. Qiao Jihong thought back and realized it was true. At the time, she had been too preoccupied with Jiang Lingfeng to notice Yang Dongming.

“Dongming, say hello to Auntie Qiao,” Su Qingmeng said, giving Yang Dongming’s hand a light pat.

He glanced down at his own hand, then looked coldly at Su Qingmeng, who indeed wore a mischievous smile. “I’m your elder, you can’t possibly call Jihong ‘sister’.”

The young man’s gaze remained indifferent, as if questioning, why not? But he nodded toward Qiao Jihong and called out, “Aunt Qiao.”

Polite and well-behaved, yet somewhat distant, except for Su Qingmeng, he could address anyone without hesitation.

However, that “Aunt Qiao” from him instantly dispelled all of Qiao Jihong’s romantic notions. She shook her head, he was still a high school student, about the same age as her younger brother back in the day. Besides, she was the “princess’ mother”, and the “princess” was now his stepmother. Strictly speaking, Yang Dongming should call her “grandma”, calling her “aunt” was already skipping a generation.

She pulled Su Qingmeng aside and whispered, “You’re not going to have him cook for us, are you?”

Su Qingmeng nodded and called out, “Xiao Ming, your Aunt Qiao just had surgery. Make the dinner light, how about some congee?”

Yang Dongming’s gaze lingered on her red lips as they moved, then he quickly turned away, his face flushing, without responding. He headed straight for the kitchen. With his experience from lunch, he was now quite familiar with the Qiao family’s kitchen.

Qiao Jihong stroked her chin, sensing something amiss. She stole another glance at Su Qingmeng, but seeing her clear and innocent expression, she swallowed the words she was about to say.

Yang Dongming wasn’t as fast as Jiang Lingfeng in the kitchen. It was already six o’clock by the time he brought out the dishes. But just as Su Qingmeng had said, his cooking was indeed much better than Jiang Lingfeng’s.

Perhaps still haunted by the memory of Jiang Lingfeng’s meal, Qiao Jihong ate with extra caution. But as soon as she took a bite, her eyes lit up. “Dongming, your cooking is really good! How about learning a bit more from your Aunt Qiao? I guarantee you’ll be able to take good care of… ah, no, I mean… Qingmeng.”

Although Su Qingmeng stubbornly refused to admit it, Qiao Jihong regarded her as her own princess from the bottom of her heart, identical in both beauty and temperament.

Su Qingmeng was genuinely curious to taste Qiao Jihong’s cooking, wondering just how delicious the highly praised culinary skills described in the book could be.

Yang Dongming nodded silently. Su Qingmeng was deeply moved and shook him gently. “My dear boy has finally grown up.”

He merely glanced at her sideways and, surprisingly, didn’t argue back. He was unusually well-behaved, and if one looked closely, they could even see the tips of his ears turning red.

Su Qingmeng paused for a moment and suddenly grew quiet as well. Qiao Jihong looked at Yang Dongming, then at Su Qingmeng, and also fell silent. The meal proceeded in near silence. Even when it came time to wash the dishes, without Su Qingmeng having to say anything, Yang Dongming voluntarily got up and took the bowls to the kitchen.

He washed them extremely slowly, even managing to soak his clothes, as if trying to find an excuse to stay.

“You can go back now,” Su Qingmeng deliberately refused to let him stay.

Yang Dongming stood in front of Su Qingmeng, head lowered like a pitiful little puppy, striking another blow to Qiao Jihong’s animal-loving heart. She was reminded of her troublesome younger brother, wondering how he was doing now that she was no longer in her original world.

The thought made Qiao Jihong’s heart ache slightly. She wanted to tell Su Qingmeng that the Qiao family had plenty of rooms and could easily accommodate Yang Dongming.

Su Qingmeng remained unmoved. She glanced outside, the island’s sky darkened later, and at seven o’clock, it was painted with vibrant red clouds, the most beautiful time of day. Yet she chose to heartlessly send Yang Dongming away.

Yang Dongming lowered his gaze, ultimately not asking Su Qingmeng to return with him. However, early the next morning, he showed up again…

It wasn’t even on his way from the Yang residence.

Without Su Qingmeng having to say a word, he voluntarily stepped into the kitchen. By the time he finished cooking breakfast and brought it out, Su Qingmeng was still practicing her basic exercises. Unlike at the Yang residence, she had less freedom at the Qiao residence and could only practice in place.

Seizing the opportunity, Yang Dongming said, “You can’t even stretch your arms and legs properly here. Why not come back to the Yang residence?”

Su Qingmeng merely glanced at him, pursed her lips, and refused.

Li Jianhua was a man of his word. True to his promise, he sent a driver over, the same driver, Xiao Zhang, who had previously worked for Jiang Lingfeng. Xiao Zhang smiled at her and said, “The political commissar said I’m to accompany you for the time being, and this car is temporarily at your disposal. Consider it a subsidy for the family of a martyr.”

Su Qingmeng gave a reserved smile, as if it were only natural.

Xiao Zhang scratched his head sheepishly, another man captivated by her beauty.