Transmigrated as Cannon Fodder, Unable to Escape the Black Lotus Villain - Chapter 12

It was unclear whether the soup Ning Qi stewed suited Mu Xin’s palate or if there was some other reason.

Regardless, Mu Xin’s appetite was surprisingly good. Under Ning Qi’s beaming gaze, she finished every drop of the soup and even ate a small bowl of rice.

Watching from the side, Huo Liuxue nearly started drooling.

Is it really that delicious?

Although she desperately wanted another taste, she didn’t dare reach out under Ning Qi’s predatory, protective glare.

Young couples are so obnoxious!

“Xinxin, how was it?”

“It was delicious. Thank you, Qiqi.”

Mu Xin wiped her mouth elegantly and gave an answer that made Ning Qi blossom with joy.

However, she didn’t say it just to satisfy Ning Qi’s little ego. It was truly delicious.

She looked at Ning Qi, her eyes narrowing slightly.

Since when did Ning Qi have such excellent culinary skills? They were both minors of the same age; why did she know how to do so many things? This level of cooking wasn’t something that could be practiced in just a day or two.

It seemed Qiqi still had many secrets.

Mu Xin’s clear, shallow gaze took on a hint of scrutiny. She was becoming more and more curious about the current Ning Qi.

Ning Qi was so good to her and capable of so much—if someone claimed this was a different person entirely, Mu Xin might actually believe them.

But fortunately, she really liked the current Ning Qi.

Because the first attempt was so successful, Ning Qi was full of drive, determined to nurse Mu Xin until she was healthy and plump.

Consequently, over the next week, a strange phenomenon appeared in the No. 1 Middle School cafeteria.

The school’s rising goddess, Ning Qi, brought different delicacies every day to feed her “best friend,” Mu Xin. The two of them—one eating, one watching—created a scene that was nothing short of harmonious.

“This, this, this… although it’s unexpected, I think they’re so ship-worthy!”

“Ugh, I might be called a heretic for this, but if they were together, I think it would totally work.”

“Senior Ning Qi is so warm! I wish I had a best friend like that.”

A younger student rested her chin in her hands with an envious expression. Then, she glanced sideways at her own best friend, who was currently face-down in a stainless steel bowl of food, and felt instantly drained of hope.

My best friend is only more proactive than me when it comes to eating!

Due to Ning Qi’s feeding frenzy, a post titled “Quick, at your bestie to come and learn” appeared on the school forum. The thread grew continuously; a quick glance showed it was mostly people tagging their best friends or brothers.

In an instant, Ning Qi became famous in No. 1 Middle School once again.

However, for a person who never checked the forums or followed gossip, this had zero impact.

Ning Qi’s life during this week was extremely disciplined. She woke up early to exercise, then prepared the ingredients she had processed the night before. After arriving at school, she spent her spare time between classes learning biology from Mu Xin.

Her greatest daily reward was watching Mu Xin finish her lunch completely and seeing her own speed at solving problems increase. She felt a strange sense of fulfillment.

However, her peaceful life was shattered this weekend.

“Mom, where are you guys going?”

Ning Qi walked downstairs, holding a notebook of corrected mistakes. As soon as she reached the bottom, she saw two suitcases in the living room. Ning Xuan and He Xuan were dressed up, looking exactly like they were about to go on a trip.

Hadn’t they just finished working overtime a couple of days ago?

Ning Qi was confused. Carrying luggage… were they going on a business trip?

“Sweetie, come here quickly. Mama has something to tell you.”

He Xuan, who had been packing, perked up immediately upon seeing Ning Qi, her eyes brightening.

“What is it?” Ning Qi put down her book and sat next to He Xuan.

“No rush, no rush. Sweetie, Mama heard that you’ve been making lunch for Xinxin every day this week?”

He Xuan was all smiles, looking at Ning Qi with extreme satisfaction. Her baby had truly grown up. During this time, she hadn’t caused any trouble, and according to the school teachers, she had even fallen in love with studying.

“Uh, yes. I didn’t mean to keep it from you, I just felt that Mu Xin…”

Ning Qi tried to explain, as she had done these things on her own initiative.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. It’s like this, sweetie—Mama has something to discuss with you.”

He Xuan gave Ning Xuan a look. Ning Xuan nodded and walked out.

Ning Qi watched Ning Xuan’s figure suspiciously. Why did both of her parents seem so strange?

“Mom, if there’s something, just say it directly.”

Ning Qi wondered if the Ning family had run into some trouble. She carefully recalled the plot but found nothing of the sort, causing her to frown.

“It’s actually nothing major. It’s just that your father and I, along with Uncle Mu and Auntie Qin, have to go abroad for a while.”

He Xuan took Ning Qi’s hand and patted the back of it.

“Haven’t you and Xinxin been getting along very well lately? I discussed it with your Auntie Qin, and we decided to let Xinxin move in here with you. That way, you can look after her. What do you think?”

Mu Xin is coming to live at my house?

Ning Qi froze, then felt a surge of joy. Having Mu Xin live here was great!

However, she didn’t agree immediately. Instead, she asked, “Have you guys already settled this?”

Knowing her parents, they were likely just here to inform her of a decision already made.

Sure enough, He Xuan was stunned for a moment before looking at Ning Qi awkwardly. “Aiya, well, since you two get along so well anyway, just treat it as a way to bond. Besides, both your birthdays are coming up soon. It’ll be nice to have company when you celebrate together.”

As she spoke, He Xuan stood up, clearly prepared to just force the issue.

The corner of Ning Qi’s mouth twitched. Luckily, she wasn’t the original “Ning Qi” anymore. If the original had been left with Mu Xin, who knows what kind of trouble would have started.

Click. A soft sound came from the door.

As a light breeze blew in, Ning Qi looked up to see a figure standing against the light.

“Ning Qi.”

In a daze, Ning Qi thought she heard someone call her name. When she snapped back to reality, she saw Mu Xin standing at the door, looking at her with a faint smile.

Suddenly, Ning Qi felt an itch in her chest, as if something was taking root and sprouting—invisible and intangible, yet she could feel it.

“Ning Qi!”

He Xuan, seeing her daughter daydreaming, called out helplessly and went to greet the guest first.

“Xinxin, you’ll be staying here for a while. Just treat this as your own home, okay?”

“Okay, thank you, Auntie He,” Mu Xin said softly, though her eyes kept drifting toward Ning Qi.

What’s going on? Is she that happy to see me?

“Oh, right. I’m here. Mom, don’t worry,” Ning Qi regained her senses, temporarily pushing aside the strange feeling in her heart. She smiled at Mu Xin and then reassured He Xuan.

“I’ll trust you this once,” He Xuan laughed, reaching out to poke Ning Qi’s forehead. Afterward, she realized that she hadn’t made such an affectionate gesture with her daughter in a long time, as the old Ning Qi never liked being close to them.

“Alright then, I’m leaving Xinxin in your hands. We’re off.”

“You’re leaving right now?” Ning Qi shouted. You guys were just waiting for me to take the bait!

Having finished the handover, He Xuan picked up the suitcase and headed out the door, where Ning Xuan was already waiting. Not long after, Ning Qi could hear He Xuan’s laughter echoing from a distance.

“Don’t worry, Xiaoyue! Our girl is wonderful now, even the teachers praise her. She’ll definitely take good care of Xinxin, hahaha!”

Ning Qi: “…”

Mu Xin: “…”

The two people in the living room looked at each other and suddenly burst into laughter at the same time.

“Then I’ll have to trouble ‘Sweetie’ to take care of me during this time.”

After a long moment, Mu Xin spoke first to break the silence. However, her words immediately made Ning Qi’s face turn red.

“What ‘Sweetie’! You’re not allowed to call me that!” Ning Qi rushed in front of Mu Xin, staring at her and shouting with a bit of flustered annoyance.

Because she was flustered by the nickname, Ning Qi moved very close to Mu Xin. The faint scent of camellias once again drifted into Mu Xin’s nose. She looked at the pretty, annoyed face right in front of her, her lips trembling slightly.

“You… move back a little.”

Every time Ning Qi got close, Mu Xin couldn’t help but feel her heart race. Intimate images would repeat in her mind like a slideshow. Her breath hitched, and she gave Ning Qi a small push.

“Hmm? Xinxin, are you feeling shy again?”

Ning Qi found Mu Xin’s reaction very interesting. One had to know that although Mu Xin looked delicate, she had always been calm and self-possessed. Now, she would get shy just because Ning Qi moved a little closer?

Ning Qi intentionally leaned in a bit more.

But this time, her plan backfired. Mu Xin suddenly reached out her arms, wrapped them around Ning Qi’s neck, and hung her entire weight on her.

“Sweetie, take me to see the room, okay?”

Mu Xin spoke into Ning Qi’s ear. Her voice carried a girl’s playfulness combined with Mu Xin’s characteristic gentle, ethereal tone. Ning Qi felt her ears burn and her face flush.

The desire to tease Mu Xin vanished instantly. Her hands hung awkwardly at her sides before she finally, carefully, hugged Mu Xin back.

The moment she touched that slender waist, Ning Qi felt the person leaning on her shoulder tremble. She let out a soft chuckle, and the embarrassment in her heart faded slightly.

“Alright, I’ll take you there.”

“Mhm.”

Mu Xin lowered her head. In a place where Ning Qi couldn’t see, her entire face had turned red.

Ning Qi’s room was originally on the second floor. However, because the gym and kitchen were on the first floor, she had moved her room downstairs a while ago to save time. This turned out to be quite convenient.

Ning Qi opened the door and led Mu Xin inside.

“This is your room?”

Mu Xin looked around the room, which was decorated in simple white and blue tones, and nodded. It suited Ning Qi well.

“Yeah. Mom didn’t tell me you were coming, so I haven’t tidied up a guest room. How about you stay in my room for today?” Ning Qi said, scratching her wolf-cut hair.

Mu Xin’s arrival was too sudden; He Xuan and Auntie Qin had clearly acted on a whim, leaving her with no time to prepare. But Ning Qi didn’t mind. Best friends could squeeze together, right?

“I stay in your room… then where will you stay?” Mu Xin hadn’t caught on yet.

“Me? I’ll stay here too, of course. My bed is huge; it won’t be crowded if we both sleep here.”

As she spoke, Ning Qi flopped onto the large bed and stretched comfortably.

Mu Xin looked at Ning Qi unnaturally, thinking to herself: How can this person be so casual about this?

Fine, there shouldn’t be any problem with best friends sharing a bed. Mu Xin tried to comfort herself.

But she failed quickly.

Problem? There’s a huge problem!

It might have been fine before, but given how unnatural she felt just by Ning Qi getting close earlier… if she slept in the same bed as Ning Qi, would she even be able to fall asleep?!

Mu Xin twisted her hands together, feeling conflicted. She looked at Ning Qi, hesitating to speak.

“Ning Qi, how about…”