The Cannon Fodder Roles I Play All Become White Moonlights [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 5

Fang Mo was not surprised by Su Qingmeng’s words. In fact, he immediately guessed who had paid her to become his girlfriend.

He was the illegitimate son of the Ling family, a fact his mother, Fang Tinglan, had repeatedly drilled into him since childhood. She often reminded him that he was a child who should never have been born, allowed to live only because of her momentary softness. Therefore, he should be grateful just to be alive and never aspire to anything more, including his father or anything belonging to the Ling family.

As a child, Fang Mo paid little attention to these words. He used to laugh freely, was lively and cheerful, and would proudly show off his top grades to his mother. But as he grew older, the look in his mother’s eyes grew increasingly complicated, and they began moving from place to place.

When he was ten, Fang Tinglan moved them into a rundown tenement building, where people from all walks of life, respectable and otherwise, lived side by side. A delicate beauty like Fang Tinglan naturally attracted unwanted attention.

Not long after they moved in, Fang Mo returned from school one day to find a man attempting to assault his mother. Without hesitation, he grabbed a kitchen knife and severely injured the man. Fearing retaliation from the man’s family and determined to protect his mother, Fang Mo began carrying that kitchen knife with him everywhere, even to school. Perhaps traumatized by the incident, Fang Tinglan suddenly became hysterical, accusing him of being a born murderer. She even went to his school and told his teachers and classmates that he had attacked someone with a knife and kept one hidden in his backpack. The teachers who once praised him and the classmates who admired him now kept their distance. Gradually, Fang Mo grew colder and more withdrawn.

By the time he entered middle school, Fang Tinglan had returned to her normal self, her gaze tinged with guilt. Fang Mo attributed her earlier behavior to their harsh living conditions and secretly vowed to earn enough money to move them out of that tenement building.

When Fang Mo earned his first sum of money and excitedly handed it to his mother, he once again saw that complex, fearful look in her eyes. From then on, strange people began appearing around him frequently.

At first, they would shower him with warmth and kindness, only to betray him in the most devastating ways once he let his guard down and reciprocated with sincerity. Others would create trouble at his workplaces, ensuring his hard work came to nothing.

The world seemed filled with malice toward him, and he responded with unwavering vigilance.

After learning how to hack into others’ phones, he finally discovered that all these people were sent by his half-brother, Ling Yuanbai, the legitimate son of the Ling family, born just three days before him.

Strangely, Ling Yuanbai never showed himself nor made any attempt to finish Fang Mo off completely. It was as if he enjoyed toying with him like a cat playing with a mouse.

Fang Mo once tentatively brought up Ling Yuanbai’s name in front of Fang Tinglan, but it proved to be a sore spot. The mere mention of it sent her into a fit of hysteria.

After her outburst, Fang Tinglan coldly told him, “No matter how the Ling family or Young Master Ling treats you, you must endure it without resistance! Because the fact that you’re alive is already a blessing.”

Fang Mo would never forget the icy look in her eyes when she said those words, it was not the gaze of a mother looking at her child, but that of someone staring at an enemy.

He suddenly felt it was ridiculous that he had ever wanted to take Fang Tinglan away from the rundown apartment building. But after enduring so many wounds, he had forgotten what it meant to laugh.

From then on, he never mentioned leaving the apartment building to Fang Tinglan again. He became withdrawn and silent, and his grades plummeted, like mud trampled so thoroughly it could never rise again. So much so that when he got into Jing University, Fang Tinglan was genuinely surprised.

Fang Tinglan didn’t know that he had learned to disguise himself and build connections.

The Ling family and Ling Yuanbai couldn’t control everything.

During his freshman and sophomore years, Ling Yuanbai hadn’t bothered him again, but now it seemed he was about to pull the same old tricks.

Fang Mo suppressed the complexity in his eyes and pretended not to hear Su Qingmeng’s words. “Let go, I’m in a hurry.”

Su Qingmeng released the corner of his shirt, pouting in a way that was almost coquettish. “Someone really hired me, I’m not lying. Okay, okay, how about we split it 60-40? You take 40, I take 60?”

Fang Mo turned his head away expressionlessly. Su Qingmeng’s coquettishness wasn’t an act of childishness but a delicate charm tinged with flirtation. He couldn’t help but feel his heartbeat quicken slightly. Yet, the thought that they were practically strangers who had only met a few times, and she could flirt with him so freely, made his heart sink.

“Senior, why are your ears red?” The girl’s voice remained soft and alluring.

He turned sharply and met her smiling eyes, in which he could see the familiar cunning and playful teasing. A surge of frustration rushed to his head, and his usually calm mind grew heated, a flicker of anger flashing in his eyes.

Without a word, Fang Mo hurried toward home as if fleeing from some wild beast.

At the building’s entrance, he instinctively glanced back. There was nothing behind him. Unwilling to admit his disappointment, he frowned and entered, only to find Fang Tinglan sitting on the sofa.

Fang Tinglan was engrossed in her phone, a smile on her face, and hadn’t even noticed his return until he spoke: “Mom, dinner is ready. I’m heading out.”

Startled, she looked up and asked timidly, “Xiao Mo, are… are you still working at the restaurant? Aren’t you a top student at Jing University now?”

Fang Mo replied coldly, “A bastard like me will rot in the mud even after graduating. It’s enough that I can find a job.”

Fang Tinglan breathed a quiet sigh of relief and cautioned him, “Young Master Ling is also at Jing University. Don’t provoke him, and if you see him, stay far away. I remember the restaurant you work at is quite upscale, what if you run into him? Maybe you should find another job. The other day, Auntie Sun mentioned her son works odd jobs at a construction site and earns quite a bit.”

Meeting Fang Mo’s dark, lifeless eyes, she grew a little afraid, and her voice trailed off.

Fang Mo stared at her for a long time before finally responding indifferently, “If I run into Ling Yuanbai, I’ll find another job.”

Fang Tinglan didn’t notice the mockery in his eyes as he left. Watching his tall, thin figure, clad in a worn and cheap T-shirt, and then looking at the dinner, he had rushed back to prepare for her, she set aside her fear.

This was the child she had raised. In the end, he would still listen to her.

The Western restaurant was indeed upscale, and despite its relatively remote location, business was booming. Fang Mo only worked the evening shift, and the small room where Su Qingmeng had hidden earlier was his break room. Even if he didn’t want to go back, he could still spend the night there.

At one in the morning, after checking all the doors and windows in the restaurant, Fang Mo returned to the break room. Out of habit, he turned on the light to change his clothes, but his gaze inadvertently drifted to the corner where Su Qingmeng had crouched earlier.

He frowned, dismissing his original plan to stay the night, and headed outside. There, by the roadside, he spotted an unexpected figure.

The girl stood under the streetlamp as if waiting for someone. Perhaps bored from waiting, she hopped playfully along the sidewalk grids like a child, then turned back.

Seeing Fang Mo, Su Qingmeng’s eyes instantly brightened, and she smiled at him, her brows curving gently. “Fang Mo, you’re so slow…”

“Why are you here?” Fang Mo glanced at the time on his phone, his frown deepening.

“Waiting for you,” Su Qingmeng replied naturally. But before Fang Mo’s expression could soften, she complained, “It’s because you wouldn’t agree to it. I had no choice but to pursue you for that reward.”

“…” Fang Mo decided to ignore her and directly mounted his slightly worn bicycle. Su Qingmeng, without any hesitation, sat on the back seat.

“…Get off…” Fang Mo abruptly braked, causing Su Qingmeng to nearly crash into him. A pair of soft hands instantly wrapped around his waist, and he could feel the warmth of her body against his back…

Fang Mo turned his head and gave her a cold glare.

Su Qingmeng withdrew her hands, her smile innocent. “Don’t be like that. Taxis are too expensive at night, and I haven’t even sold the bag I earned from you yet.”

“…” Fang Mo stared into her eyes and, sure enough, saw that unique mix of cleverness and calculation in them.

“I’m genuinely sincere about working with you. I really need this reward, and I really need someone to help me delete that malicious post on the campus forum.” To convince Fang Mo, Su Qingmeng widened her big eyes even more, looking exceptionally innocent.

For a rare moment, Fang Mo felt a hint of softness, until he heard her say, “How about this? Let’s split it fifty-fifty. That’s the utmost sincerity I can offer.”

“…” He froze that small bit of sympathy and repeated coldly, “Get off.”

“Are you really going to make me get off?” Su Qingmeng asked softly. “I’ve always been well-behaved. It’s just these past two nights I’ve been out late. Will those people still be at the alley entrance yesterday?”

In the end, she obediently got off the bike, biting her lip, looking genuinely frightened.

Fang Mo’s gaze swept over her face, her slightly short top, and the short skirt that perfectly exposed her thighs. Without a word, he rode a few steps forward on his bicycle before suddenly turning back and stopping in front of Su Qingmeng. In a tone so cold it could freeze ice, he said, “Get on.”

“Mm!” Su Qingmeng beamed, swiftly hopping onto the bicycle.

Fang Mo didn’t look back, afraid that if he saw the calculation in her eyes, he might regret his decision.

The distance from the Western restaurant to the tube-shaped apartment building wasn’t too far, just a half-hour bike ride. At first, Su Qingmeng only occasionally bumped against Fang Mo’s back.

Fang Mo frowned without speaking, but he hadn’t expected Su Qingmeng to grow increasingly bold, leaning her entire body against him. Through the thin fabric of his T-shirt, her face brushed lightly against him, stirring a disquieting ambiguity that set his heart racing…

He abruptly hit the brakes and turned around, only to see Su Qingmeng nearly tumble from the seat. Instinctively, he reached out and pulled her into his embrace. The distinct fragrance unique to a girl became especially pronounced in the still of the night, enveloping the air around him.

Fang Mo’s heartbeat quickened, his eyes filled with the vexation of having been deceived. To his surprise, Su Qingmeng blinked her drowsy eyes as if rousing from a hazy dream.

“Are we there yet?” Her voice, thick with sleep, was soft and tender, melting his heart again and again.

Fang Mo hesitated for only a moment before pushing her out of his embrace. “It’s just a couple of steps ahead.”

Like a kitten just waking up, Su Qingmeng rubbed her eyes back and forth with her hands. After a while, clarity finally returned to her gaze.

She looked up at Fang Mo, her eyes clear and pure, stripped of any calculation. “You should head home too, Senior. Goodnight.”

Perhaps not fully awake yet, her steps were slightly unsteady as she entered the building and disappeared from sight.

Fang Mo stood in front of the building, not leaving, his cold gaze fixed on a man hiding behind a lamppost not far away.

The man hurriedly explained, “She hasn’t been living here long. We were all wondering how a woman could rent a place here alone, but it turns out it’s for you.”

Under Fang Mo’s icy glare, the man grew too flustered to continue, forcing out a couple of awkward laughs before walking away.

Fang Mo waited until the light in Su Qingmeng’s room turned on before heading home. Fang Tinglan was already asleep, and the house was pitch black. He curled his lips in a mocking smile, whether he had family or not made no difference to him.

Sitting in the darkness, his phone lit up twice. He still clicked into the campus forum.