The System Put Me in the Wrong Cannon Fodder Role—So I Ran Off with the Heroine - Chapter 3

[Is that so? I don’t understand,] Ji Xunchuan smiled and shrugged. [Why should I be afraid of you? Are you going to bring up your Brother Gu? Does he even know me? How could he target me?]

At this stage, Xu Wanxuan was probably still pretending to be innocent in front of the male lead. If she suddenly asked him to deal with someone and that someone was her own sister, Xu Nanqiao—it would completely ruin her carefully crafted image, wouldn’t it?

[Fine! Xu Nanqiao, you’re so arrogant! Let’s just see how this plays out!] Xu Wanxuan stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

Too bad, Xu Wanxuan. If you’d acted a day sooner, maybe Xu Nanqiao would have helped you.

Ji Xunchuan was delighted. Since she had nothing better to do, she might as well go to the scene, watch the drama unfold, and stir up a little trouble!

After all, she was Xu Nanqiao now. She should do things that Xu Nanqiao would do.

As the eldest daughter of the Xu family, Xu Nanqiao naturally faced no obstacles entering such a high-society banquet.

Walking into the venue, she grabbed a glass of champagne and slipped into a corner to watch the show.

The banquet was just as lavish and extravagant as described in the book, truly a sight to behold.

The sheer scale of the opulence was overwhelming to her, having grown up poor. Her family’s driver had brought her here in a Mercedes—and she owned two of them herself, even though the original owner of this body preferred staying home to socializing. But here, the luxury cars in the parking lot were packed in as densely as cabbages in a wet market.

The engagement banquet was held in the seven-star hotel’s top-floor panoramic sky ballroom. The view was breathtaking, and the hotel’s color scheme of champagne gold and pale rose gold struck a perfect balance between gentle romance and solemn celebration.

Xu Nanqiao spotted the female protagonist the moment she appeared.

Ji Antang’s hair was styled in an elegant updo, crowned with a delicate pearl tiara. Her makeup was light and sophisticated, enhancing her radiant beauty. A form-fitting mermaid gown accentuated her slender waist, giving her an air of effortless grace.

She was stunningly beautiful, exactly Xu Nanqiao’s type.

As she passed by, a waiter accidentally spilled red wine on her. He stammered apologies, but she forgave him with a gracious smile and retreated to the lounge to change.

The moment she left, the host took the stage.

So it was planned after all, Xu Nanqiao thought. What are the odds of a “random” red wine spill? As if a high-end gala couldn’t afford a few professional servers. What a joke.

The lounge door was definitely locked. This was clearly a trap Xu Wanxuan had set for the female lead.

Taking advantage of everyone’s attention being fixed on the stage, Xu Nanqiao slipped away. After all, no one cared about a cannon fodder extra like her. Besides, with so many people around, the absence of one or two insignificant figures wouldn’t be noticed.

She arrived at the lounge door and heard frantic pounding from inside. “Please, anyone! Let me out! I’m Ji Antang! If I don’t leave now, I’ll really miss it!”

Heh, so she’s locked in.

“Hello there!” Xu Nanqiao called out through the door. “I’m Xu Nanqiao.”

The voice inside paused, followed by the sound of grinding teeth. “So it is you people! What exactly do you want?!”

Oh boy, she thinks I’m Xu Wanxuan’s accomplice and I’m just here to gloat.

Xu Nanqiao didn’t appreciate being cast in such an abstract role.

“Wait a minute, Ji Antang. First, let me make this clear: I’m only speaking for myself. I rejected Xu Wanxuan when she tried to recruit me. This kind of tasteless stunt is a real insult to my moral aesthetic.” She immediately corrected Ji Antang’s assumption.

Ji Antang fell silent, seemingly considering the truth of her words.

Even Ji Antang probably thought that actually locking someone up and gloating at the door was a bit too far, enough to make anyone cringe with awkwardness.

“I’ve made my position clear. I don’t think you need to worry too much about what I’ll do. On the contrary, I might even let you out,” Xu Wanxuan continued, tossing out a lure to get a reaction.

“What do you want?” Ji Antang calmed down, deciding to first see what the eldest daughter of the Xu family would demand before weighing the pros and cons.

So serious, Xu Nanqiao thought, disliking the mood. An itch formed in her heart to tease her, and she blurted out a flirtatious request: “Call me ‘Sister’!”

It seemed casual, but it had been planned all along. She’d been leading up to this for half the conversation.

She loved it when pretty younger women called her “Sister”!

“If you’re unwilling to say it directly, you don’t have to humiliate me like this!” Ji Antang snapped. What kind of person is she?

Humiliate? What kind of logic is that? Xu Nanqiao felt wronged. How could calling her “Sister” be considered humiliation? She used to say it without a second thought!

Not fun anymore! She turned on her heel. “I’m leaving.”

Wait, what? Ji Antang was stunned. You’re actually leaving???

“Wait!” she panicked. This scoundrel at the door was her only hope. If she left, Ji Antang would really be stuck. Delays would be the biggest problem of all.

Left with no choice, she finally relented. After much hesitation and awkward lingering, she finally managed to get the words out:

“Sister, may I come in?”

“You may! You absolutely may!” Xu Nanqiao was thrilled. With a light heart and a decisive flick of her wrist, she swung the door open.

Inside the room, Ji Antang stared in astonishment. She just opened it?

“What else did you expect? Did you want to stay in there forever?” Xu Nanqiao teased, her tone playful. Suddenly, she noticed something. “Wait, why haven’t you changed your clothes yet?”

Ji Antang froze. After a moment’s thought, she looked down at her gown, still stained with red wine, and her face flushed with embarrassment.

Ah, right. I was so focused on calling for help when I got locked in that I forgot to change.

Heh, funny, but a pretty typical move.

“Alright, go on and change. I’ll keep watch at the door.” Xu Nanqiao turned her back to the room, thoughtfully leaving the door ajar—just a sliver of a gap to let Ji Antang feel secure.

Blushing, Ji Antang murmured a soft “Thank you” and slipped inside to change.

Meanwhile, in the ballroom, the night’s guest of honor waited in silence. The atmosphere grew so frigid it was practically freezing over as his name was called, yet his fiancée was still nowhere to be seen.

“Brother Gu, I truly wish you both the best,” Xu Wanxuan said, clinging to Gu Yunzhou. She squeezed out a few tears, looking utterly pitiful. “But Sister Ji left so abruptly, saying she had something to attend to… I couldn’t stop her. I didn’t dare tell you right away, fearing it would upset you.”

She paused, her voice trembling. “I don’t know what could possibly be more important than your engagement, but I didn’t dare say anything.”

Gu Yunzhou’s face was so dark it looked like it might drip with ink. He comforted her, “It’s not your fault. It’s her for being so ungrateful.”

Xu Wanxuan remained silent, merely wiping away her tears, but inwardly she was practically gloating.

So what if Xu Nanqiao won’t cooperate? she thought. I can always find someone else to get this done.

Just then, Ji Antang arrived. She bowed deeply to the guests. “My apologies, everyone. My dress got dirty, and I had to change. I’m sorry for being late.”

Gu Yunzhou’s gaze was cold, and his voice was even more merciless. “We’re about to get engaged, and you can’t even manage basic punctuality?”

“Yunzhou,” Ji Antang looked at him, trying to explain. “I was locked in the lounge just now—”

“Everyone here is from a noble family. Who would do such a thing? Enough. Stop making excuses for your mistake.” Gu Yunzhou had no intention of understanding and cut her off directly with his accusation.

Ji Antang fell silent. She saw Xu Wanxuan looking at her triumphantly. Being humiliated in public by her fiancé left her feeling completely lost.

“She actually was locked in the lounge,” Xu Nanqiao said, sauntering over from behind with a lazy air. “I’m the one who let her out. Here, this is the dress she changed out of.”

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