The System Put Me in the Wrong Cannon Fodder Role—So I Ran Off with the Heroine - Chapter 4

Xu Wanxuan shot Xu Nanqiao a fierce glare before rushing forward, feigning a close, sisterly bond with Ji Antang. “Sister Ji, if you were just changing clothes, you should have said so earlier! I was so worried I couldn’t find you and didn’t know how to explain it to Brother Gu.”

Gu Yunzhou’s expression soured instantly. “Explain? What do you need to explain about her problem? She got herself locked in there and didn’t even think of a way out, making everyone wait for her. She has no idea how to respect or understand other people.”

Ji Antang lowered her head, unable to say a word. Inside, she was so furious that she dug her nails into her palms, leaving white and red marks as her blood boiled with anger.

Right, the mute female protagonist. Of all the ways to handle things, she chooses the most cowardly one. She’s the only one stewing in anger while everyone else is completely unaffected.

Xu Nanqiao found the whole thing amusing. She turned to the arrogant man on the stage and said leisurely, “Young Master Gu, your own fiancée disappears, and you just stand there waiting without trying to find her? Don’t you find it strange that a person suddenly vanishes right in front of you? You didn’t even call anyone to look for her, just stood there waiting for her to figure it out herself and come to you. Do you think you’re being very respectful and understanding to everyone here, or just to your fiancée?”

“What was I supposed to do when she disappeared on her own?” Gu Yunzhou retorted defensively. “Am I supposed to watch her every second? Do I have time for that?”

“Wow, you’re acting like you weren’t the one who arranged this engagement. If you’re not watching your fiancée, who are you expecting to do it? If you don’t have the time, why bother getting engaged in the first place?!” Xu Nanqiao shot back without backing down. “Do you understand that you’re here to marry this woman, not to put on a show for the engagement party?”

Gu Yunzhou’s face flushed, turning pale then red, but he couldn’t find the words to respond.

Seeing she had made her point, Xu Nanqiao decided to stop there. “I’ve said my piece. I’ll leave you two to it.”

She had intended to leave after clearing Ji Antang’s name, but the man’s sheer stupidity had been too much to bear.

Still, this was their business now. If she interfered too much, the female protagonist would just end up as a hopelessly devoted lover, and Xu Nanqiao would be the one meddling in things that weren’t her concern.

“Wait,” Ji Antang said, grabbing Xu Nanqiao’s hand just as she was about to walk away. “I think you’re right.”

As if having made a firm decision, Ji Antang looked up and met Gu Yunzhou’s gaze. “Yunzhou, I know you’re dissatisfied with me. I know the Gu family is powerful and influential, but I am a daughter of the Ji family too! All I’ve heard from you are accusations and complaints. You refuse to listen to my explanations or consider the reasons. You’ve shown me that the man I’m supposed to marry lacks any sense of responsibility or reliability.”

Her words caught Xu Nanqiao’s attention, and she looked at Ji Antang with a hint of pleasant surprise.

Ji Antang’s gaze was steady as she looked at her. “Help me, Sister. I won’t go through with this marriage. Take me with you.”

The young girl was clever, knowing exactly how to play to Xu Nancqiao’s strengths.

With a light smile, Xu Nancqiao took Ji Antang’s hand. “I like what you said. Come with me, little sister!”

Gu Yunzhou fumed, “Ji Antang, if you dare step out that door today, don’t ever show your face to me again.”

Ji Antang paused.

Xu Nancqiao looked at her and sighed inwardly. “Think it through. If you follow me, there’s no turning back.”

Ji Antang hid a flicker of heartache and asked, “Sister, if someone changes, how can I bring back the person they used to be?”

“He’s the one who chose to change,” Xu Nancqiao declared bluntly. “The moment he changed, the person you once knew ceased to exist. My advice is: let him go.”

Ji Antang fell even deeper into silence.

Behind her, Gu Yunzhou sneered, “See? I told you you couldn’t leave me, Ji Antang. Come back now, and I might just let this slide.”

Let it slide? Xu Nancqiao had never seen Ji Antang do anything wrong. Instead, it was the one who had failed who constantly blamed his incompetence on the person who loved him, then expected that person to be eternally grateful for his supposed “generosity.”

When a person lacks a strong sense of self, they are easily manipulated by such rhetoric, falling into a cycle of acceptance, self-doubt, and desperate pleasing.

Xu Nancqiao could help Ji Antang a few times, but without that inner strength, no amount of help would be enough.

Just as she was about to leave, Ji Antang grabbed her arm again, her grip desperate. “I need time to think. Can you give me some time?”

Ji Antang clung to her as if she were the last straw.

This girl has quite a grip, Xu Nanqiao thought, sighing.

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, she shouted at Gu Yunzhou, “I’m borrowing your fiancée!” She tore off the cumbersome ruffles of her own gown, scooped up the trembling Ji Antang, and strode out.

By the time the commotion erupted behind them, Xu Nanqiao had already run a considerable distance.

Gu Yunzhou couldn’t chase after them. If he did, Xu Nanqiao would lose all respect for Xu Wanxuan.

Xu Wanxuan’s primary goal was to ruin this engagement party. If Gu Yunzhou were to chase after them and snatch Ji Antang back, her plans would be foiled.

Xu Wanxuan was no fool. Although Xu Nanqiao had disrupted her original scheme, the act of taking Ji Antang away actually served her ultimate purpose. She had no reason not to help.

Xu Nanqiao carried Ji Antang to her car, set her down, and got in.

After asking Ji Antang where she was staying, she had the driver head to that location.

“Think it over,” Xu Nanqiao said, her voice flat and devoid of the flippant tone she’d had outside the lounge. “If you regret it, go back. Tell him I forced you, that you didn’t want to come. Then cut ties with me. I’m only helping you this once.”

“What about you?” Ji Antang asked.

“What do you mean, ‘what will I do’?” Xu Nanqiao said nonchalantly. “I’ve already decided to help you. What risks haven’t I already anticipated? At worst, I’ll get scolded. Do I really care about a few insults?”

After all, I’m just going from being called a ‘waste’ to a ‘psycho.’ At least the latter implies I have a brain.

Her reputation was already in the gutter, so she had nothing left to lose. She was actually curious to see what kind of chain reaction this shift from “useless” to “crazy” would trigger.

Maybe it’ll even make it easier to stir up trouble later. Who’d dare to argue with a mentally unstable person and then hold them accountable? They’ll just run as far away as they can the moment they see me.

(For the record, Xu Nanqiao’s own mental state was perfectly normal.)

“You’re Xu Wanxuan’s sister,” Ji Antang said, finally asking the question she’d been holding back. “Why are you helping me?”

It was true that Xu Nanqiao didn’t help Xu Wanxuan, but she certainly had no obligation to help Ji Antang either.

Xu Nanqiao didn’t brush her off with a vague answer.

“I saw you get wine thrown on you and figured you’d be locked in the lounge. I only went there specifically to get you out because I couldn’t stand that guy’s nonsense and wanted to shut him down. I did it because I felt like it. That’s just who I am. It has nothing to do with whose sister I am.”

Xu Nanqiao had always been this way. She had no interest in weighing pros and cons; acting on her own whims was her guiding principle in life. She refused to treat her existence like a management sim—it would rob her of all the fun.

“Thank you,” Ji Antang said, finally understanding the purpose behind her series of actions. She added apologetically, “I’ve never met anyone like you before. I was a bit rude.”

“That’s because you’ve seen too few normal people,” Xu Nanqiao chuckled.

In this script, the characters’ emotions were simple. Simple entanglements of love and hate determined their attitudes, and the trade-off of interests dictated their actions. Only the female protagonist’s psychological growth was explored, serving as a testament to her journey from weakness to strength. The development of other characters remained too one-dimensional.

Ji Antang tugged at her. “Can I still call you Sister Nanqiao?”

Xu Nanqiao raised an eyebrow. “You’re not going back?”

“I’m not. I can’t bring myself to betray you for him.” She smiled faintly, a hint of sadness in her eyes. “Besides, he has nothing worth returning for now.”

Xu Nanqiao nodded.

Although she had anticipated the worst-case scenario and prepared for it, the fact that the worst didn’t happen was the normal course of events.

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