The Cannon Fodder Was Pampered By The Tyrant - Chapter 23

“Do you… perhaps like me a little?”

Lin Yutian was so terrified she stumbled and fell directly onto the ground. She looked up at Si Yan, her voice trembling uncontrollably. “When did you wake up?”

She had clearly used a large dose. Si Yan shouldn’t have woken up this quickly.

Si Yan’s lips curved into a slight smile. “Did you truly think I wouldn’t notice your little tricks?”

Lin Yutian’s face went pale instantly. “You knew all along.”

“Lin Yutian.”

Si Yan slowly crouched down, her phoenix-like eyes as calm and deep as an ancient well. “Do you remember me saying that as long as I wish to know, every single move you make is within my grasp?”

Lin Yutian swallowed hard. “Then since you knew what I wanted to do, why did you still bring me out?”

Si Yan’s smile deepened. “You are always so disobedient. Naturally, I had to shatter your illusions one by one.”

She touched Lin Yutian’s cheek with her cool fingertips. “Once we return to the palace, I shall break both your legs and fasten an iron chain around your neck. I will make it so you can never leave your room again.”

With every word, the color drained further from Lin Yutian’s face.

Si Yan’s face, usually full of smiles, looked terrifying now like a grim reaper ready to drag an escaping soul back to hell.

Lin Yutian forced a shaky smile. “Si Yan, don’t joke like that.”

“Do I look like I’m joking?”

Si Yan’s hand gently gripped her ankle and slowly moved up toward her calf, like a venomous snake coiling around its prey. Lin Yutian tried to scramble back, but Si Yan grabbed her leg and hauled her back.

“Still trying to run?”

Si Yan laughed beautifully. “How about I just break your legs right now?”

She applied a bit of pressure, and Lin Yutian felt a dull ache in her ankle. It was only then that she realized Si Yan wasn’t joking. She really intended to do it.

“Your face is so pale,” Si Yan whispered. “Are you afraid?”

Lin Yutian’s body shook uncontrollably. She tried to soothe Si Yan’s temper. “Si Yan, I know I was wrong. I won’t do it again.”

She couldn’t lose the use of her legs.

“Too late,” Si Yan said. “I have a packet of sleeping powder here. If you take it, it won’t hurt as much.”

She let go of Lin Yutian’s leg to reach into her pocket.

Seizing the moment, Lin Yutian grabbed a handful of sand and flung it at Si Yan’s face. While Si Yan was blinded by the dust, Lin Yutian scrambled up as if pursued by a ghost, grabbed her bag of herbs, and sprinted into the depths of the forest.

She ran wildly, glancing back constantly, terrified Si Yan would suddenly appear from the shadows. The forest was pitch black, and the only sound was her own heavy breathing. Even though the dry branches and leaves cut into her feet, she didn’t dare stop.

If she were caught this time, she’d truly never escape. This was her only chance.

After running for what felt like an eternity, her body gave out. She slumped against a tree, gasping for air. She looked around nothing but trees in every direction. The forest was silent.

Si Yan hasn’t caught up, has she? If she had, Lin Yutian surely would have heard her.

Once she regained her breath, she decided to move forward quietly to avoid making noise. But suddenly, she froze.

She heard a breath that didn’t sound human.

She stiffened and slowly turned her head to the left. A sliver of moonlight filtered through the canopy, illuminating the creature.

A tiger.

Its fur was sleek, and it let out a low, guttural hiss.

Lin Yutian’s legs turned to jelly. She knew she couldn’t escape. Tonight, there was no way out. If she went back, Si Yan would break her legs; if she stayed here, the tiger would eat her.

She actually felt a twinge of regret for not keeping some of that “sleeping powder.” At least then, being eaten wouldn’t have hurt so much.

As the tiger began to stalk toward her, Lin Yutian found herself paralyzed. She was certain this was the end. At the same time, she heard a faint rustle from the other side of the woods.

She whipped her head around and saw Si Yan standing at a distance, watching her silently.

“Si Yan…” she murmured.

Si Yan’s expression was cold, seemingly unaware of the tiger. “You thought a handful of sand was enough to slip away from me?”

But Lin Yutian didn’t have the heart to argue.

“Run! Get out of here!” she hissed urgently.

She was just an NPC, it didn’t matter if she died. But Si Yan was the protagonist. The protagonist couldn’t die.

Perhaps her voice was too weak, for Si Yan didn’t seem to understand. Instead, she took a few more steps forward. “Finally run out of energy?”

Seeing that Si Yan wasn’t moving, Lin Yutian gritted her teeth. She lunged forward and threw her arms around the tiger that was closing in on her, screaming at Si Yan, “Just go! Run!”

Her tears finally spilled over. She had no way to wipe them, so she buried her face in the tiger’s fur. She braced herself to be torn apart.

Death is so easy, she thought. She had expected to die at Si Yan’s hands, but not like this.

“Whimper?”

Instead of the expected agony, she heard a confused purr. Then, something wet licked her face.

“Wuuu, wuuu.” The sound was oddly familiar.

Why isn’t it eating me?

Lin Yutian slowly opened her eyes. Si Yan was leaning against a nearby tree, watching her quietly. Before she could process what was happening, a heavy weight knocked her over.

The tiger pinned her to the ground, but instead of biting, it began licking her face repeatedly, making whining noises like a puppy.

“Lulu, come here,” Si Yan called softly.

The tiger immediately let go of Lin Yutian and trotted obediently to Si Yan’s side, though its eyes remained fixed on Lin Yutian.

Stunned, Lin Yutian finally managed to string a sentence together. “You… you know this tiger?”

Si Yan paused. She glanced at Lin Yutian. “You don’t recognize him?”

Lin Yutian blinked. “How could I? I’ve never even been to a zoo.”

“Wuuu…” The tiger seemed to understand her words. It turned its head away from her and nuzzled into Si Yan, sounding genuinely hurt.

Of course, Lin Yutian thought. She’s the protagonist. Even her pets are extraordinary.

Exhausted from a night of running, Lin Yutian had nothing left. Even with eight legs, she couldn’t outrun a woman and a tiger. No wonder Si Yan had been so casual; she had planned everything.

“You win.” Lin Yutian sat on the ground, trying to savor the feeling of her legs while she still had them. “Do whatever you want with me.” She finally accepted that escape was impossible.

Si Yan stopped stroking the tiger and walked over. She knelt in front of her. “Why aren’t you afraid anymore?”

Lin Yutian bit her lip. “What’s the use of being afraid? You aren’t going to let me go anyway.”

“Will you run again?” Si Yan asked softly.

Lin Yutian was smart, she knew that path was a dead end. She looked up at Si Yan, her voice weary. “Your Majesty has eyes everywhere. Where could I possibly go?”

Si Yan looked at her and suddenly laughed. “That doesn’t sound like a sincere apology.”

“Then just let the tiger eat me,” Lin Yutian said, feeling a surge of grievance. “I don’t have a future anyway.” She assumed her legs would be broken once they returned to the palace. It had been a disastrous escape attempt.

Si Yan chuckled. “Lulu doesn’t like the taste of human flesh.”

Lin Yutian thought she was insulting her. “You’ve gotten very sophisticated with your insults.”

But before she could finish, she saw the tiger start chewing on some grass on the ground.

“?”

Lin Yutian stared, stunned. It really doesn’t eat meat?

Then her earlier actions… Lin Yutian’s face burned with embarrassment as she remembered herself heroically “shielding” Si Yan from a grass-eating tiger.

She turned her head away, her voice clipped. “Fine. I can’t run. Just give me the sleeping powder.” She chose to be “humane” to herself.

Si Yan’s dark eyes locked onto hers. Her voice was light. “Alright. As you wish.”

Despite the “bloody” task ahead, Si Yan seemed remarkably relaxed. Lin Yutian felt a pang of sadness, realizing that to Si Yan, she was likely just a bedmate and a bedmate only needed to be obedient.

She watched as Si Yan opened the packet of “sleeping powder.” Lin Yutian’s fingers clenched into the dirt in nervousness.

“Open your mouth,” Si Yan commanded.

Reluctantly, Lin Yutian opened her mouth. To her shock, Si Yan took the “pill” and put it into her own mouth instead.

“?”

Before Lin Yutian could ask, Si Yan’s lips were on hers. This time, the kiss was surprisingly gentle. In her shock, Lin Yutian forgot to clench her teeth, and Si Yan slowly pushed the “pill” into Lin Yutian’s mouth.

It was sweet.

Only then did Lin Yutian realize: this wasn’t sleeping powder. It was candy.

“Why did you tell me to run earlier?” Si Yan whispered against her lips.

Lin Yutian, candy still in her mouth, turned her head away and stubbornly replied, “If you died, what would happen to the common people?”

Si Yan couldn’t help but laugh. “Is that really it?”

She didn’t care about the dirt on Lin Yutian’s skin, she leaned in and gently bit Lin Yutian’s ear. “I thought… it was because you couldn’t bear to let me die.”

Lin Yutian nearly choked on the candy. “You..”

As if predicting her denial, Si Yan silenced her dishonest mouth with another kiss.

Lulu stood still, blinking its large eyes as it watched the two humans kiss.

“Someone is watching…” Lin Yutian said, flushed with shame.

“Don’t mind him,” Si Yan replied between kisses. “He doesn’t understand.”

Eventually, Lin Yutian lost her sense of shame and simply let Si Yan kiss her. As their lips pressed together, sharing the familiar warmth and scent, Lin Yutian began to unconsciously respond.

Si Yan paused for a heartbeat, then deepened the kiss.

She wanted to ask Lin Yutian: If you wanted to leave so badly, why did you try to protect me? Why, despite being so afraid of pain, did you throw yourself on Lulu when you thought I was in danger?

The kiss lasted a long time. The candy melted between them as the forest fell silent, save for the soft sounds of their breathing.

“Lin Yutian,” Si Yan finally said, voicing the question she hadn’t asked at the tavern.

“Do you… perhaps like me a little?”