The Vicious Cannon Fodder Despised by Everyone Really Doesn't Want to Go Viral - Chapter 5

One cannot visit a hospital empty-handed, so Lin Zhiyu bought a bag of apples along the way.

When he arrived, Grandma Jiang had just finished her kidney dialysis and had fallen asleep from the pain. The caregiver hired by Jiang Yubai was organizing things by the bed. Lin Zhiyu introduced himself as a distant nephew of Grandma Jiang, explaining that he had finally made a trip into the city and was visiting on behalf of his parents.

Initially, the caregiver did not believe him. She even suspected him of being a scout sent by a telecommunications fraud ring to gather intelligence.

Lin Zhiyu set the apples down helplessly and said softly, “It is fine if you do not believe me. I just happened to be passing by and wanted to check in. I will leave shortly.”

His tone was gentle and sincere, devoid of any pretense.

The caregiver noted his clean appearance and proper conduct, which did not seem like someone with ill intentions. Her expression softened slightly, though she still whispered a small grumble. “The world is full of strange things these days. One can never be too careful.”

After saying that, she looked him over again. “Grandma Jiang often talks about her relatives, but she has never mentioned a nephew.”

Lin Zhiyu remained calm and smiled slightly. “This is essentially my first time visiting. My parents have been very concerned ever since the old lady fell ill. Yubai works so hard out there. That is why I did not even dare to call him. I was afraid that if he knew, he would drop his work and rush over.”

As the caregiver listened to him, she noticed he was not prying for information or steering the conversation toward money. Finally convinced he had no ulterior motives, she relaxed.

She whispered, “Grandma Jiang and Mr. Jiang are both kindhearted people. The old lady often worries about him, fearing he is too busy to take care of himself. Just this morning, she was asking me if Mr. Jiang was on another business trip and if he had any time to rest.”

She sighed. “It is a pity she fell ill. Mr. Jiang is doing his absolute best. I only recently found out that he is actually younger than my own son. Times are hard.”

Hearing this, Lin Zhiyu stared silently at the corner of the quilt hanging off the edge of the bed. In the original book, when Grandma Jiang was in critical condition, the hospital and the caregiver called Jiang Yubai several times. However, no one could reach him.

At that time, the original Lin Zhiyu, who had been abandoned by the Lin family and was being cursed by the entire internet, had fallen into a state of madness. He went as far as kidnapping Jiang Yubai. When he had people confiscate Jiang Yubai’s phone, he saw the caller ID on the screen clearly and heard Jiang Yubai’s hysterical screams. If something had not happened to his grandmother, the hospital and caregiver would not have been trying to contact him so urgently.

Yet, the original Lin Zhiyu had remained indifferent. This time, however, such a tragedy could be avoided. After all, he was a law-abiding citizen.

Seeing him silent with his head lowered, the caregiver sighed. “The old lady loves to talk when she is awake. If you have time, you should come by more often to listen to her. People her age have a lot on their minds.”

Lin Zhiyu replied, “Alright. I will come back another time and talk with her more.”

Just as Lin Zhiyu was about to leave, the caregiver suddenly stood up, looked out the window, and raised her voice. “Oh, wait! It looks like Mr. Jiang is here. Why do you not stay a while longer?”

Lin Zhiyu’s internal alarm bells went off instantly. He hurriedly glanced out the window and froze as he saw the silhouette of Jiang Yubai entering the lobby.

As the protagonist of the original book, the author had spared no praise in describing Jiang Yubai’s appearance. They described him as possessing a natural, jade-like elegance where every smile felt like a spring breeze. He was tall and upright, easily spotted in a crowd. His skin was fair, his facial features were soft and refined, and he carried an innate scholarly aura. His slender brows gave him a touch of heroic spirit, complementing eyes that were clear and bright. When he smiled, his eyes curved into the shape of willow leaves, making people move instinctively toward his gentle gaze.

Today, Jiang Yubai wore a simple, clean trench coat. Perhaps fearing being recognized, he also wore sunglasses and a mask, though these could not hide the fact that his temperament was entirely different from those around him.

Lin Zhiyu was not ready to meet him. While reading the book, he had quite liked this self-reliant protagonist. Now that he had transmigrated into the role of the perpetrator—someone who, not long ago, had intended to drug him and send him to Mu Sui’s bed—he felt conflicted. Lin Zhiyu felt he could not yet face Jiang Yubai with a straight face, so he prepared to run.

“No, I will come another day. I did not notify him in advance this time. I am worried he might find me inconsiderate for showing up at the hospital so suddenly. You see, I stayed at his house a few times during summer vacations when I was a kid. He scolded me quite a bit back then.”

The caregiver seemed to understand. “Ah, I see. However, Mr. Jiang has such a mild temperament. He would likely be happy that someone came to see Grandma Jiang and would not make you feel unwelcome.”

Lin Zhiyu calculated the time it would take to get from the ground floor to the ward. He felt he could not stay a second longer, or they would definitely collide. He had no time for further explanations and whispered quickly, “I must go. Please take good care of Grandma.”

Before the caregiver could react, Lin Zhiyu had already spun around and was walking quickly toward the end of the corridor. The numbers on the elevator panel showed it had reached the floor of the ward. Terrified, Lin Zhiyu ducked into a corner, intending to wait for Jiang Yubai to leave before slipping out.

The moment he hid, the elevator doors slid open. Jiang Yubai walked out with a graceful stride, his pale trench coat swaying slightly with his steps. Under the warm corridor lights, his skin looked radiantly white.

Jiang Yubai walked straight to the payment window. His voice was clear and gentle as he spoke. “Hello. I was downstairs trying to pay the hospitalization fees, but the system shows the balance has been cleared. Could you please check when the payment was made?”

The nurse at the window was momentarily stunned before pulling up the records. She glanced at the screen and said, “It was indeed paid just today. I remember the person. It might have been another relative of yours.”

Jiang Yubai’s hand on the counter stiffened. He seemed to be wondering which relative would have helped him share this financial burden. After thinking for a long time without a conclusion, he thanked the nurse and turned toward the ward.

The caregiver had just finished organizing the apples Lin Zhiyu brought when she heard Jiang Yubai’s voice behind her. “Did you go out to buy apples today?”

The caregiver quickly explained, “No. Your distant cousin brought them. He said he was visiting Grandma Jiang on behalf of his parents.”

Jiang Yubai removed his sunglasses and mask, revealing a face full of complex emotions. “Did he say what his name was?”

The caregiver paused to recall. “No. He said he was just passing by and did not want to disturb us for too long.”

The vigilance on Jiang Yubai’s face deepened as his gaze swept over the bag of apples. When Grandma Jiang first fell ill, he had contacted every relative he could. If they had the ability to pay for her hospitalization, why would they wait until now?

“If any more strangers come to visit, please notify me immediately.”

“Of course, Mr. Jiang. Rest assured. I saw that he was about the same age as you and thought he could not be a bad person.”

Jiang Yubai looked at his sleeping grandmother and tucked in the corner of her blanket. His expression relaxed slightly. His voice softened as he whispered, “Thank you for your hard work. Put these apples away for now. When Grandma wakes up, we can mash them for her to eat.”

However, his gaze drifted through the glass window toward the camphor tree outside the building. Having just walked out of the inpatient building, Lin Zhiyu felt a sensation and instinctively looked up. The sun was about to set, tinting the glass windows of the building with a reddish-gold light that was dazzlingly bright.

Mu Sui had still not returned. After returning home and taking a shower, Lin Zhiyu carefully read the list of precautions Assistant Zhou had left on the coffee table.

This villainous boss was indeed resilient and busy. He had not been home for two consecutive nights. Lin Zhiyu did not know if the man was unwilling to face him or was truly tied up with work. But this was fine. No one could refuse the wonderful treatment of enjoying a luxury penthouse all to themselves.

Aside from Mu Sui’s bedroom and study, he could enter any other area freely. There was even a pool on the balcony. If it were not for the fact that autumn had arrived and the weather was too cold, Lin Zhiyu would have filled it with water and jumped in to enjoy himself.

This life of pseudo-widowhood was so wonderful that he almost hoped Mu Sui would just stay away forever. However, after a refreshing sleep, he opened his phone to find a message from Xu Dongdong.

“The casting director for Blue Bird saw yesterday’s live stream and wants you to come in for an audition. Here is the script. Read it. Be at the following address tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM.”

Lin Zhiyu was speechless. Seeing such a death warrant early in the morning, especially in such a bossy tone, was a guaranteed way to ruin his mood for the day. But remembering the eight-million-dollar penalty he could not afford, he could only reply in a submissive and perfunctory manner: “Received.”

Regardless, he was only going for an audition, not signing a contract like yesterday’s live stream. It would not matter if he put in a half-hearted performance.

However, in his memory, the Lin Zhiyu of the original book never worked a day after marrying Mu Sui. He either spent his time causing trouble for Jiang Yubai or living a life of luxury. Why did it seem like he had a non-stop stream of new work every day instead?

Lin Zhiyu tossed and turned in bed for a long time without coming to a conclusion. He eventually got up, changed his clothes, and took a taxi to the largest temple in City A. Between working hard and seeking spiritual guidance, he chose to burn incense. When in doubt, ask for a fortune.

To his surprise, many people shared his idea. Even though it was a weekday, the temple was crowded. After a ten-minute climb up the steps, Lin Zhiyu was met with a sea of people. Young and old were gathered, and the incense was burning bright.

He squeezed into the fortune-telling area and shook the container for a long time before a slip fell out. However, after throwing the divination blocks three times, the gods refused to grant him an answer. Unwilling to give up, he shook it a second time. His hand slipped, and the fortune sticks scattered everywhere.

Lin Zhiyu wondered what that was supposed to mean. He shook it a third time and finally got an affirmative throw with the blocks. He hurried to have the fortune interpreted. The poem on the slip actually read: “Cooing are the ospreys, on the islet in the river. The modest, retiring, virtuous young lady is a fine mate for the gentleman.”

He looked closer. “Old Man under the Moon Spiritual Fortune Number 1, Supreme Good Luck.”

He looked even closer. “A Rare Good Match, Growing Old Together.”

What on earth was this? He had asked about his career and future, so why did he get a marriage fortune?

“Young man, what a good fortune! Your destined one has already appeared. The Old Man under the Moon has blessed you with a connection. It all depends on whether you are brave enough to pursue it actively!”

Lin Zhiyu turned his head blankly. The spot where he had been kneeling was now crowded with female college students. Next to the statue he had mistaken for the Earth God stood a wooden carving of a golden boy and a jade girl. He had recognized the wrong god.

Lin Zhiyu queued up again in despair. This time, he was more careful and went directly to ask Guanyin Bodhisattva, the easiest to recognize. Five minutes later, he held a slip that read, “The monkey escapes the shackles; everything is difficult at first but becomes easy later.” He walked down the steps, thinking about the last time he had asked for a fortune at a Guanyin temple. He had asked if he would get a raise that year, and he had received the same answer.

The result, of course, was that his salary did not increase by a single cent. Lin Zhiyu felt incredibly depressed. He felt that the “difficulty” meant he still had to endure the suffering of going to work.

He walked toward the incense burner and took a few free sticks. He intended to offer a prayer and did not notice the candle wax on the ground. His foot slipped, and he instantly lost his balance, falling toward the ground.

In that moment, several thoughts flashed through his mind. Falling on flat ground is so embarrassing! Wait, if I ruin my face, do I still have to go to the audition?

Time seemed to stretch. The sensation of losing control made him close his eyes. Just as he thought he was about to make intimate contact with the ground, a powerful hand reached out from the side. It grabbed his wrist with precision and pulled him back to safety.

Lin Zhiyu snapped his eyes open, his heart racing. He turned his head in surprise and looked straight into a pair of cold, sharp eyes.