The Infatuated Cannon Fodder Has Completely Moved On - Chapter 13

Nie Feiyin leaned against Jin Yuzhen, cautiously putting her arm around her.

With that sharp retort, the atmosphere at the dining table actually improved quite a bit. Jin Yuelan and Ning Fang both relaxed, tacitly leaving the task of driving these two away to Jin Yuzhen.

Jin Yuzhen had her own thoughts. Regarding the way Feng Hui and Cui Man had been lurking around her, she had always suspected the Jin family’s involvement, but the only people in the family with such ill intentions were these two.

The key issue, however, was that these two were too crude; they lacked the brains for such calculated schemes. The situation remained unclear, and as a result, her mood grew even worse.

Jin Ke looked at her displeased expression and felt it was unbelievable. She had already said such nasty things; was she still not satisfied? Seeing that the only person on his side was the trembling Jin Hong, who might not even be able to withstand a physical push, he realized Jin Yuzhen could probably provoke Jin Hong to death with just a few sentences. This led Jin Ke to hold back, forced to swallow his anger.

Jin Hong also sensed the awkwardness of the moment. Remembering they had actual business to attend to and not wanting to worsen the relationship, he said, “We are family. Why speak with such sharp words? How much do you really know about Jin Ke, Zhenzhen? He achieved his current success without using any of the family’s resources, which is quite rare.”

Jin Yuzhen asked, “Does Uncle mean that I should empathize with him?”

Hearing her calm tone, Jin Hong felt confident again. “Of course!”

Jin Yuzhen arched her brows, a thin smile playing on her lips. “Uncle is truly satisfied with Jin Ke. But how many people could not achieve what he has? Even a video of a dog burying its waste shown in a theater would not result in a total box office of only a few hundred dollars.”

Jin Hong had nothing to say. His face turned ashen, and he gritted his teeth, but there was nothing he could do. He could only take the insult.

Jin Ke was even more furious. If not for Jin Hong’s instructions, he likely would have flipped the table if he were strong enough to do so.

Jin Yuzhen’s gaze swept over them. Seeing their angry expressions, she said with feigned apology, “Was I too blunt? I am sorry. I should not have said that. The poor box office is not your fault; it is the audience’s fault. Perhaps in the eyes of the audience, your face is too abstract.”

Jin Ke’s eyelid twitched. “What do you mean by that?”

Jin Yuzhen kindly explained, “It means you are ugly. Do you know what ugly is? If not, look in a mirror.”

Jin Ke stood up instantly, raising his foot to kick over his chair. He accidentally struck Jin Hong’s cane. Luckily, Jin Hong let go in time, or his hand might have been injured.

Butler Yue had already called over several staff members the moment Jin Yuzhen spoke her first line. Before Jin Ke could even let out a roar, he caught sight of the bodyguards at the door and was forced to sit back down.

Jin Hong gave him a cold look. Jin Ke had to stand up again, pick up the cane from the floor, and return it to Jin Hong.

Jin Hong took a deep breath. Having nothing left to say, he muttered ambiguously, “I suddenly remembered I have some business. I will be leaving first.”

Jin Yuelan watched him leave as if seeing off a plague and said to Butler Yue, “The next time Jin Hong comes, bar him from entry.”

In the past, she had tolerated Jin Hong for her sister’s sake, but he had become increasingly out of line over the last two years, which displeased her greatly. In a high-walled manor, closing the doors to guests was an easy task. Butler Yue quickly complied and gave the orders.

Once outside the manor, Jin Hong turned and slapped Jin Ke, his anger boiling over. “You knew Jin Yuzhen says hurtful things; could you not just endure it? Now look at what has happened. The business was not discussed, and next time we come, we will be lucky to even get through the door!”

Jin Ke was defiant, holding his face as he talked back. “She was openly insulting me! Am I not allowed to be angry?”

Jin Hong looked at him deeply and shook his head. He was truly useless. If there were anyone else in the Jin family to collaborate with, he would not have chosen Jin Ke even if he were crazy.

With a sigh, he asked, “Did you forget what we came here for?”

Jin Ke said, “To borrow collections from Jin Yuzhen.” His eyes widened. “That is right! We came to borrow things!”

Jin Hong could not stop shaking his head. A perfectly good plan had been ruined by him. If they ran back in now to beg, Jin Yuzhen would probably stab them with a knife to get them out, right?

“This was the test he gave us. If we cannot even manage to be humble, how can we accomplish anything great?” Jin Hong rebuked.

In the afternoon, Jin Yuzhen had an appointment. She planned to go home to change her clothes first. Jin Zhuhuai was headed to the company and offered to drop her home on the way.

Just as the car pulled up to the curb, Jin Zhuhuai saw a figure at the door. The person wore a hat and a scarf, with sunglasses completely obscuring their eyes. They were dressed in a well-tailored white wool coat with a pleated waist, looking very sharp yet intellectual. Perhaps because the person was thin, even without seeing their face, their silhouette seemed delicate.

As Jin Yuzhen got out of the car, the person took a step, instinctively wanting to run over. Jin Zhuhuai rolled down the window. The person froze and stood still. Only then did Jin Zhuhuai notice the person was holding a pot of flowers.

Jin Yuzhen turned to her and said, “You go back first.”

Jin Zhuhuai nodded and pointed at the person. “A friend?”

Jin Yuzhen glanced over. There was no reason to recognize her, yet she did. It was Nie Feiyin. Seeing her bundled up like that while clutching a pot of flowers, Jin Yuzhen felt it was strangely funny.

“We just met.”

Jin Zhuhuai’s brows furrowed, and her eyes tightened slightly. “I am not in a hurry right now. Go up and change your clothes, and I will drive you to meet your friend afterward.”

Jin Yuzhen shook her head. “It is fine. You go back.”

Jin Zhuhuai said, “Fine.” She turned the corner and drove away.

Once she was gone, Jin Yuzhen turned and walked toward Nie Feiyin. Nie Feiyin took off her sunglasses, her cheeks red from the cold. “Sister, do you live here too?”

Jin Yuzhen said, “Yes. Are you here to see Xue Cheng?” Xue Cheng lived right above her. They had met a few times and were on speaking terms.

Nie Feiyin nodded, pulling her scarf tighter. “She went to change her clothes. I am waiting for her here.”

Jin Yuzhen was curious. “Why not go up?”

Nie Feiyin said shyly, “Chengcheng’s girlfriend is at home. It would be inconvenient for me to go in.”

Just then, someone came out from inside, acting like a thief. “I am wearing long johns! Yes, right. How could my legs be cold? I am wearing them out; I will not just take them off halfway, will I?”

Xue Cheng was being nagged to the point of exhaustion, offering a string of pleas for mercy. She looked up and saw two people standing at the door. Two pairs of eyes were staring at her. Her face turned bright red, and she whispered into her phone, “Let us talk tonight.”

Pretending nothing was wrong, she said to Jin Yuzhen, “Miss Jin, what a coincidence.”

Jin Yuzhen nodded to her and then said to Nie Feiyin, “I am going up now.”

Nie Feiyin nodded, craning her neck. “See you next time.”

Jin Yuzhen paused and said, “Okay.”

Once she left, Xue Cheng felt a wave of relief and sighed. “I am having such a hard time.”

Nie Feiyin said, “The temperature dropped these past two days. Shangshang is doing it for your own good.”

Xue Cheng tugged at her trousers. “Fleece-lined ones are uncomfortable.” But they were indeed warm.

Nie Feiyin looked inside, but Jin Yuzhen was already gone. “Let us go.”

Xue Cheng realized something later and said, “You did not wait outside specifically just to run into her, did you?” After all, her girlfriend being at home did not stop Nie Feiyin from visiting, especially since they were all acquaintances.

Nie Feiyin played dumb. “What?”

Xue Cheng was fed up with her but also found it absurd. “Has God truly answered your prayers?” This neighborhood did not have many residents, so running into someone was not easy.

Nie Feiyin said nothing. When the car arrived, she sat in the back seat, holding the pot of flowers. As soon as she closed her eyes, her mind was full of Jin Yuzhen. After a while, she remembered the look in Jin Zhuhuai’s eyes when the car window was rolled down.

She sat up and said to Xue Cheng in the passenger seat, “Jin Zhuhuai is back.”

Xue Cheng’s eyes widened slightly, and she looked troubled. “Then it seems your path is going to be even more difficult.”

Nie Feiyin did not understand. She was wary of Jin Zhuhuai because the system said Jin Zhuhuai was a villain, but why did Xue Cheng say that? “Me? I do not remember having any grievances with her.”

Xue Cheng hesitated before finally saying, “Anyway, while Jin Zhuhuai is around, do not get too close to Jin Yuzhen.”

Nie Feiyin frowned, but seeing her awkward expression, she did not ask further. Instead, she looked at the flowers in her arms. They were props from the film set; she thought they were beautiful and bought them. Although they were fake flowers, they were lifelike, resembling Meconopsis on a high plateau. The petals were like ice-patterned glaze, thin yet resilient.

Five years ago, she participated in a documentary recording for the Finance Channel. She put on a volunteer uniform and went to the southwest. It was during the winter vacation, and it was snowing when they arrived in the county town in the afternoon.

Jin Yuzhen had suffered from snow blindness halfway and was temporarily blind. Consequently, she did not see the two yak statues at the entrance of the town. She just listened silently to the gasps of wonder from the people around her, a gentle smile on her face.

The Bureau of Culture and Tourism sent a vehicle from the court to pick them up. Everyone got in and squeezed into the back, joking that it was their first time in a prison van and they were only missing a pair of handcuffs.

Strangely, although a thick layer of snow had fallen in the morning, it had melted by the afternoon. The car splashed through the puddles on the road. The interior was dim. Nie Feiyin leaned against Jin Yuzhen, cautiously putting her arm around her.

Jin Yuzhen could not see her face. Her smile was sincere as she thanked her.

The people they were coordinating with were from the cultural and tourism department. A girl realized Jin Yuzhen was blind from the snow and said she had Tibetan medicine at home she could use. Jin Yuzhen thanked her and asked for her name. The girl told her. Jin Yuzhen repeated it, “Yangzong.”

Listening to her voice, Nie Feiyin felt as if she had been blessed; her heart grew quiet. So quiet that when she stepped on that land, it felt like returning to her hometown.

They went to the hotel and began to assign rooms. Because Jin Yuzhen’s eyes had not recovered, she stayed with Yangzong. The leader’s reasoning was that Yangzong understood the symptoms of snow blindness and could take care of her. Nie Feiyin stayed in the room next door.

That night, her heart was racing so fast she could not sleep at all. It was not until dawn that she finally managed to fall asleep.

The next day was Friday. Public officials had to participate in a promotion for the Patriotic Health Campaign, and Yangzong had to go too. She found Nie Feiyin and asked her to help bring breakfast to Jin Yuzhen.

Treating it like a solemn mission, Nie Feiyin quickly agreed and went to the second floor of the hotel to check the buffet. Nothing seemed like what Jin Yuzhen would like to eat. So she went to a restaurant outside to buy beef pancakes and Tibetan noodles, which she brought to Jin Yuzhen’s room.

Jin Yuzhen was still listening to recordings to revise her outline. Her eyes had recovered slightly; she said she could see a little, but not enough to write yet. She had to record everything by voice and would convert it to text later.

Nie Feiyin put down the food container, feeling nervous. She deliberately lowered her voice. “Can you see my face?”

Jin Yuzhen aimed her gaze at her, trying her best to see, and smiled. “Not yet.”

Her eyes were reddish, her cheeks pinkish-white, and her hair and eyebrows were thick. At a glance, she looked misty, like a butterfly Persian buttercup or an oil painting. Nie Feiyin was dazed. In that extremely dry small town in the southwest, a surge of warmth rose in her heart.