The Infatuated Cannon Fodder Has Completely Moved On - Chapter 11

“As long as you are crazy enough, the world is your oyster.”

Nie Feiyin frowned. “You?”

The system replied, “Special offer: for only eleven intimacy points, you can purchase one copy of the Intimacy Manual.”

It turned out to be a sales pitch. Nie Feiyin did not believe in theories. “No need.”

The system spoke meaningfully, “But at your current speed, when will you ever change the female lead’s tragic fate for me? Come, let me show you the upcoming plot direction.”

Nie Feiyin returned to her room, only to be met with a glowing virtual screen floating in the air. It read:

After hearing the inner voices of those around her, Jin Yuzhen realizes that Cen Shu has been lying to her. In a fit of rage, she draws a clear line between them. Half a month later, Cen Shu comes to apologize, and she unconsciously softens.

What did Cen Shu do wrong? He was just playing hard to get.

He only plays with her and no one else; doesn’t that prove something in itself?

Thus, she forgives Cen Shu.

“The plot has already been generated,” the system said. “What can you do with eleven intimacy points?”

Nie Feiyin was speechless for a long time. “Your plots are not written by humans, are they?”

The system replied, “Of course not. Facing this messy world, human intelligence is insufficient to fill the gaps.”

Indeed, a human could not write such an idiotic plot. Nie Feiyin began to worry, yet she remained skeptical. “Logically speaking, it is impossible for her to forgive him.”

The system said, “You said it yourself—logically. We systems generally do not play by the rules. The level of disorder in your world is too high; otherwise, the system would not intervene.”

It had explained this before. The system’s intervention included, but was not limited to, connecting characters, providing spoilers, changing the plot, adding settings, and character manipulation.

In other words, even if it was something the character would never do, the system would complete the plot through additional settings or character control programs. Just like now: the system wanted Jin Yuzhen to be the female lead, so it added the “heart-hearing” setting for her to alter the original work. This was the system’s way of maintaining order.

“What if,” Nie Feiyin proposed a hypothesis, “Cen Shu dies?”

The system jumped in fright. “That is too extreme!”

Nie Feiyin did not respond.

The system said, “She is the most important character maintaining the plot. She will not die.”

Nie Feiyin asked, “Was she the original female lead?”

“No,” the system said.

Regarding this question, they had discussed it many times. The system repeatedly emphasized Cen Shu’s importance but never explained why. It also would not say why this world was out of order. Nie Feiyin suspected it did not know at all.

The system gave her a review: “Intimacy points skyrocket only with physical contact. Pretending to fall, or actually falling, both work. My previous host cut off her own finger for intimacy points; the other person picked it up and returned it to her, and the intimacy points exploded on the spot. Why don’t you chop off your hand and mail it to Jin Yuzhen? As long as you are crazy enough, the world is your oyster.”

Nie Feiyin was at a loss for words. Its previous host was crazy, and the system itself was quite perverted.

After a while, her phone actually rang. Before clicking it, she thought for a moment it might be Jin Yuzhen, though she knew it was impossible. Sure enough, the message was from Nie Wenshuang. She did not want to reply and acted as if she had not seen it. Moments later, Nie Wenshuang called her directly.

As soon as she picked up, a torrent of complaints came through. “It is truly a reversal of the natural order! That girl threatened me, saying she would call my parents. Would that not be calling you?”

Nie Feiyin urged her to accept her fate. “Mom, why is it that you are a graduate student but making a fuss like a primary schooler? Besides, Teacher Yun is your supervisor. Though she is young, she is very capable. If you stay with her for three years, you will surely achieve something.”

Nie Wenshuang really wanted to discipline her through the phone line. “Do not call me Mom; you are my ancestor.”

She must have been possessed to let Nie Feiyin talk her into taking the postgraduate entrance exam. The problem was, she passed. School had only been in session for a month, and they had already held countless group meetings. That junior surnamed Yun had already started asking about the direction of her graduation thesis.

Was there some mistake? She had just enrolled!

Thinking back to this time last year, she should have been persuading Nie Feiyin to quit the entertainment industry. Instead, Nie Feiyin persuaded her to return to campus; a bloody tragedy had been foreshadowed then.

“Do not worry, graduate students do not have their parents called in,” Nie Feiyin soothed. “Do not scare yourself. If you need anything in the dormitory, I will buy it and mail it over.”

Nie Wenshuang gritted her teeth. “I do not need anything! Thanks to you, everyone now knows I am ‘gnawing on the old’ and ‘gnawing on the young’!”

“I am doing this for your—” before Nie Feiyin could finish saying “own good,” the call was hung up. She could imagine Nie Wenshuang hating her to the bone while writing her thesis.

See? The phrase “for your own good” can drive anyone crazy, including adults.

After washing up and changing clothes, she went to the business office for the script reading. Lu Wenqi allowed actors to change their lines; she always promoted co-creation in the crew rather than a one-person rule. The atmosphere of the reading was harmonious, filled with talk and laughter, and it dispersed by ten o’clock. Nie Feiyin did not stay up late; once her tasks for the day were done, she would lie down and sleep.

Lu Wenqi was familiar with her routine and usually never kept her late, but tonight she pulled her aside privately. Stealthily closing the door, Lu Wenqi asked, “Did Zhenzhen reply to you?”

Nie Feiyin shook her head.

Lu Wenqi rubbed her palms. “That should not be.” Although Jin Yuzhen looked cold, she was actually very polite.

Nie Feiyin spoke the truth: “Because I did not send a message.”

Lu Wenqi sighed, “Alright.”

The office air conditioner was blowing warm air, making one feel drowsy. Lu Wenqi looked quite tired but forced herself to stay alert, speaking earnestly, “Ayin, actually… sigh, forget it. Get some good rest; you will be busy tomorrow.”

Nie Feiyin complied obediently. Normally, leaving a sentence half-finished would be a cliffhanger, but Nie Feiyin never pried. Lu Wenqi watched her leave, then sat down and pressed her eyelids, which were almost too heavy to lift.

Was she pushing too hard? It made her look very anxious. Recently, she had not heard Jin Yuzhen mention Cen Shu. The second Miss Jin seemed to have long since moved on.

But was that really the case? She knew Jin Yuzhen had placed many expectations on Cen Shu. An ambitious person willing to risk their own future to stand up for a colleague integrity defeating desire was rare. In the beginning, Lu Wenqi also hoped they would be together. That way, Jin Yuzhen would have more of a human touch. Being young, one should not always be so lifeless.

She had actually considered that Cen Shu might change, as human nature is inherently fickle. But the gap between the old and new Cen Shu was too large; it could not be called fickleness, it was practically a mutation. She did not want Jin Yuzhen to be led around by the nose, but she also did not want her to suffer another blow. Tearing down something one trusts is often extremely difficult.

They had known each other for over a decade and were each other’s most special friends, but Lu Wenqi could not look after Jin Yuzhen’s fragile heart, and Jin Yuzhen could not understand Lu Wenqi’s determination to climb higher. They understood each other and backed each other up, but they were not on the same path.

Jin Yuzhen needed a friend with a delicate and exquisite mind. Lu Wenqi felt that Nie Feiyin was very suitable. The harmony at dinner tonight was proof. The night was good, and the person was good.

The next morning, right after Jin Yuzhen finished a public welfare class at the Taoist temple, she received a call from her grandmother. Jin Yuelan told her to come home. At this time, it was breakfast time at the house. Zhu Huai would definitely be there.

Jin Yuzhen wanted to refuse immediately, but as if anticipating this, Jin Yuelan moved the phone a bit further away and said to Butler Yue, “Is my medicine ready?”

Hearing this clearly, Jin Yuzhen asked, “Are you sick?”

Jin Yuelan put the phone back to her ear. “Sigh, I am getting old.”

Jin Yuzhen said, “I am coming.”

While she was feeling quite conflicted, Jin Yuelan was contentedly soaking up the sun in the courtyard. The fragrance of osmanthus drifted from the nearby tree, and the ground beneath was scattered with fallen petals. She wore her glasses and flipped through her phone. When Yue Xu brought the medicine, she leaned back with a face full of resistance: “I cannot drink it now. I will drink it when Zhenzhen arrives.”

Yue Xu quickly understood her meaning and felt somewhat helpless. She wanted to say a few words of persuasion, but when Jin Zhuhuai came out of the dining room, she stopped talking and retreated silently.

Jin Zhuhuai sat beside Jin Yuelan and helped massage her shoulders. “Grandmother, eat first. Zhenzhen is probably following her health routine on the mountain right now; she will not be back until nine at the earliest.”

Jin Yuelan patted the back of her hand. “You should learn from Zhenzhen on this point; health is the most important thing.”

Jin Zhuhuai’s smile was gentle. “Then you must call her back to live here. I will practice with her for a while, and I will not even need to go to the gym.”

She lowered her eyes, her mind wandering slightly, wondering why Jin Yuzhen had canceled dinner last night. She probably had another appointment. With whom?

Jin Yuelan took her hand and turned to face her. “Zhuhuai, Zhenzhen does not like crowded places, which is why she moved out. I also hope she comes back, but her temperament is stubborn, so it is likely impossible. Families easily drift apart when they are far away. If you have time, visit each other more.”

Jin Zhuhuai understood her meaning and her difficulties. “Yesterday morning, as soon as I arrived in Taozhou, I went to the collection shop first. Do not worry, Grandmother.”

She cared about Jin Yuzhen more than anyone. Regarding what happened back then, she felt more guilty than anyone else. At thirteen, she had not understood anything either; she only knew the adults said she should go to school, so she left Yangon for London.

Later, she often dreamed of the day she left. Zhenzhen always stood at the pier, her expression filled with a prayer—a prayer for her safety all the way. After returning to the country, she took the initiative to manage the business in Yangon, doing everything personally. When she went there, she stayed where her grandmother and Zhenzhen used to live. In the uninhabited parts of that courtyard, large patches of jackfruit trees grew.

She imagined what the young Zhenzhen looked like standing under those trees and could not help but feel regret. During the years she was studying abroad, Zhenzhen had grown up on her own. Walking a short distance from the house, one could see a lake. Coconut trees and fan palms were planted on both sides, and across the lake was a Buddhist temple. Zhenzhen had once prayed for a peace amulet for her in that temple, which she still carried with her today.

Jin Yuelan suddenly said, “We must keep Zhenzhen for lunch. The new chef is very good at making Daodu Crab; she loves it.”

Jin Zhuhuai snapped back to reality and immediately agreed. About an hour passed. The sun gradually filled the entire courtyard, and shade appeared under the trees.

Jin Yuzhen arrived.