Transmigrated as Cannon Fodder, Unable to Escape the Black Lotus Villain - Chapter 13

That night, after finishing dinner, Ning Qi and Mu Xin sat in the room staring at each other.

Interestingly, Mu Xin was sitting on the bed, while Ning Qi was sitting on the floor. To be more precise, Ning Qi had set up a floor cot right next to the bed.

“Qiqi, why don’t you just sleep on the bed?”

After a long moment of hesitation and dead silence in the room, Mu Xin found the quiet atmosphere a bit hard to bear. Between letting Ning Qi sleep on the floor and being unable to fall asleep herself, she ultimately couldn’t bear to actually make Ning Qi sleep on the ground.

Besides, this was Ning Qi’s own room.

“It’s fine, I’m used to it,” Ning Qi said with a wave of her hand.

However, upon seeing the strange look in Mu Xin’s eyes, she immediately changed her tune: “Uh, I mean, I have a strong constitution, so sleeping on the floor is no big deal.”

Ning Qi explained hurriedly, her heart fluttering with panic; she had almost let the truth slip. Sleeping on the ground was a common occurrence back in the apocalypse, but she wasn’t in the apocalypse anymore. She was now the child of a wealthy family. She couldn’t let anyone discover that Ning Qi had been replaced, otherwise, how heartbroken would He Xuan and Ning Xuan be?

“Are you sure? We can just squeeze together,” Mu Xin said, somewhat regretting her earlier rejection of Ning Qi’s suggestion.

But she was also genuinely worried. Mainly, she felt that she herself wasn’t quite right lately. Ever since Ning Qi returned from abroad, she felt like a completely different person. As time went on, Mu Xin felt she no longer viewed Ning Qi simply as a best friend.

Her heart would race and her face would flush when Ning Qi got too close, and when Ning Qi took meticulous care of her, she actually felt a sense of “this is so good.” More importantly, whenever she saw someone else approaching Ning Qi, she subconsciously wanted to stop them.

She hadn’t realized it before, but after Ning Qi hugged her today, it suddenly dawned on her. The way she and Ning Qi interacted seemed to be more than just friendship. Or rather… “couple” might be a more appropriate description.

Mu Xin was startled by her own thoughts. She instinctively looked toward Ning Qi and found her leaning against the side of the bed, fiddling with a tablet.

“Qiqi, what are you looking at?”

“Oh, doing practice problems. The mock exam is in ten days; it’s good to do more drills,” Ning Qi said without looking up. Her hands moved rapidly. Mu Xin glanced over and noticed that she solved the problems almost without pause.

Mu Xin couldn’t help but feel interested. Setting aside the weird thoughts in her head for a moment, she scooted to the edge of the bed and leaned over to watch Ning Qi work. She rested her head on Ning Qi’s shoulder with a smile on her lips, her mood gradually calming down.

As time passed, Mu Xin felt a wave of drowsiness hit her. She let out a yawn, glanced at the still-focused Ning Qi, and closed her eyes.

“Done.”

After an unknown amount of time, Ning Qi finished the last problem, set down the tablet, and stretched. Due to sitting for so long, her joints let out a series of pops.

“Xinxin, you… uh…” Ning Qi only then remembered she hadn’t heard Mu Xin speak for a long time. She turned her head and found Mu Xin curled up with her head tilted to the side, clearly fast asleep.

“Pfft,” Ning Qi laughed softly. Just how tired was she?

She stood up, intending to help her lie down properly, but when she tried to pull her, she found she couldn’t move her. Ning Qi looked closer and realized that Mu Xin was tightly clutching the hem of her shirt.

“This…” Ning Qi scratched her head. Just as she was debating whether to pull away, she saw her phone screen light up.

Who would be messaging her at this hour? She checked the time.

It was 11:00 PM. So much time had passed; no wonder Mu Xin had fallen asleep from exhaustion. Ning Qi looked again at the deeply sleeping Mu Xin.

Hehe, she’s so cute when she’s asleep, all soft and squishy.

Ning Qi reached out and poked Mu Xin’s smooth cheek. The texture was wonderful. She couldn’t resist poking a few more times until Mu Xin let out a tiny mumble, at which point she hurriedly withdrew her hand.

Once she saw that Mu Xin hadn’t woken up, Ning Qi looked at the message on her phone with a guilty conscience. It was from He Xuan.

Mom: Sweetie, your Auntie Qin said that Xinxin often suffers from insomnia. Work a little harder tonight and talk to her more. [Heart] [Heart]

?

Ning Qi put down her phone and looked at Mu Xin, whose breathing was steady and calm. Does this look like insomnia?

However, even though she felt He Xuan was mistaken, she didn’t continue trying to pull her clothes away. Maybe I should just sleep together with her today, otherwise, it would be bad if I woke her up.

Thinking this, Ning Qi carefully picked Mu Xin up and placed her on the inner side of the bed, then lay down beside her.

Xinxin, it’s not that I wanted to squeeze in here; it’s really because you’re holding on too tight.

Ning Qi found an excuse for herself, turned off the light, and closed her eyes with a clear conscience.

Huu~ Xinxin smells so good. Ning Qi thought happily.

A drizzling rain fell on the streets. Mu Xin was running barefoot down a deserted road. She felt so cold and so tired. She didn’t know why she was running, but she had only one thought: Keep running forward, go find Ning Qi!

Finally, after running for an unknown amount of time, she saw a tall figure standing in the rain holding an umbrella. With a clean-cut wolf-cut hairstyle and a bright smile, the person was reaching out toward her.

“Qi—”

Screech— Bang!!

A massive sense of impact caused the vision before Mu Xin’s eyes to grow increasingly blurry. She curled her lips into a helpless smile. As expected, it was happening again. This nightmare—she couldn’t escape it.

Mu Xin closed her eyes weakly, but she soon heard someone calling her name. The tone was urgent, but it couldn’t hide the overflowing care and worry.

“Xinxin, Xinxin, wake up quickly.”

Ning Qi held Mu Xin’s shoulders, calling her name repeatedly. Just now, while she was sleeping soundly, she suddenly felt a great force on her arm. The vigilance she had developed in the apocalypse made her wake up instantly.

She saw Mu Xin covered in a cold sweat, her body trembling continuously, her hands gripping Ning Qi’s arm, and her teeth biting her lip. Frightened, Ning Qi immediately helped her sit up.

“Xinxin! Mu Xin!”

Mu Xin felt a wave of warmth surround her. The icy rain and piercing chill suddenly vanished. At the same time, the sense of oppression and despair gradually receded. She slowly opened her eyes and immediately met Ning Qi’s concerned gaze.

“Qiqi?”

Mu Xin’s throat was dry and hoarse, her voice filled with uncertainty. Why was Ning Qi here? Every time she woke up from this nightmare, shouldn’t she be alone in her room?

Room?! Mu Xin looked around and realized. Right, she was currently in Ning Qi’s room.

“Xinxin, did you have a nightmare?” Ning Qi looked at the dazed Mu Xin and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

“It’s nothing, don’t worry.” The warm environment allowed Mu Xin to relax. She spoke gently, but this time, Ning Qi didn’t skip over the topic as she expected.

“Xinxin, were you having a nightmare?” Ning Qi asked with a touch of persistence.

From the situation just now and the message He Xuan sent, she could guess that the reason for Mu Xin’s insomnia was definitely related to the dream she just had. If it were a normal nightmare, it wouldn’t keep recurring. It only persisted because it had become an obsession or a deep-seated fear in Mu Xin’s heart.

So, Ning Qi wanted to know exactly what it was. She sat a bit closer to Mu Xin, wrapped the quilt tightly around her, and finally reached out to take Mu Xin’s cold, damp hand.

“Xinxin, tell me, okay? I’ll stay with you, alright?”

“Ning Qi…” Mu Xin pursed her lips. She really wanted to refuse, but she couldn’t bear to.

She was truly too tired. A girl not even eighteen years old had just endured a massive life upheaval, yet she had to pretend to be strong and put in even more effort than before. Facing the concern of her relatives, even if she felt immense grievance, she had to hide it. Because she was the heir to the Mu family, and there were countless “wolves and tigers” watching her.

She really wanted someone to lean on, even if just for a moment.

“I… I just had a nightmare,” she paused and said slowly.

“Yes, I know. Can you tell me what it was about?” Ning Qi leaned against Mu Xin; the two of them looked just like best friends having a heart-to-heart.

“I often dream about the day of the car accident.” Mu Xin tilted her head. Their hair intertwined as they sat extremely close. She gradually calmed down. “The scenes keep repeating in my mind like a nightmare, constantly reminding me of that day, and reminding me… that I am now a useless person.”

As Mu Xin spoke, her mood dropped. She lowered her head so Ning Qi couldn’t see her expression.

“Have you not told your mother or the others?” Ning Qi felt that in times like this, the comfort and guidance of family and friends would be most effective.

“I have, but you know the situation with the Mu family. I can’t let anyone think I’ve given up on the position of heir.” A mocking smile played on the corner of her lips.

Ning Qi fell silent. Whether it was the original owner or herself, strictly speaking as “Ning Qi,” she was much luckier than Mu Xin. Although both were daughters of wealthy families, Ning Qi had three older brothers. Her father, Ning Xuan, was an only child, so there was virtually no competition for the family inheritance.

But Mu Xin was different. She was the heir, and her cousins and relatives were all eyeing her position like hawks. Ning Qi couldn’t help but speculate: could Mu Xin’s leg injury have been orchestrated by someone trying to eliminate her as a competitor?

Mu Xin finished speaking quickly. She didn’t elaborate further but stayed nestled against Ning Qi, savoring the rare sense of relaxation. This made her even more certain of one thing: Ning Qi truly could give her a sense of security. It was a wonderful feeling.

“Qiqi, do you have someone you like?” Mu Xin asked, driven by an unknown urge. As soon as the words left her mouth, she wished she could slap herself. But she couldn’t help staring at Ning Qi, waiting for an answer.

“Not really. But if you’re asking who I like the most, that would have to be you, Xinxin.” Ning Qi raised an eyebrow at her. How could she have a crush? So far, the people she interacted with most, besides family, was Mu Xin. Thinking about it that way, what she said wasn’t wrong. If there was someone she liked, it was definitely Mu Xin.

Ning Qi suddenly froze. She felt a brief flutter in her heart, like an itch that appeared and then vanished instantly.

“Pfft, if your little fangirls knew that, I wonder if they’d be heartbroken.” Hearing Ning Qi’s answer, Mu Xin felt a sense of relief, but also a slight sense of loss. What was I expecting? Mu Xin was amused by her own thoughts.

Suddenly, Mu Xin felt a soft touch on her forehead. She looked up and saw only Ning Qi’s smooth jawline and fair neck.

“Don’t worry, I’ll stay with you from now on, and there won’t be any more nightmares. Here’s a goodnight kiss; sleep until you wake up naturally.” Ning Qi’s laughter rang out, interrupting Mu Xin’s wandering thoughts.

“A goodnight kiss? Does that mean there’s a morning kiss too?” Mu Xin reached out and grabbed Ning Qi’s collar, resting her forehead against Ning Qi’s chin to hide the expression on her face.

“Uh, it’s not impossible. But Xinxin, you’re quite greedy.” Ning Qi hadn’t expected her to say that; she just wanted Mu Xin to feel at ease.

“Tsk, you’re the greedy one. I’m the one being taken advantage of here,” Mu Xin rolled her eyes and said crossly. After speaking, she pulled the quilt up and ducked inside. “Sleep! Goodnight!” Her muffled voice came from under the covers.

However, Ning Qi had achieved her goal. At least for now, Mu Xin seemed okay. As for the future…

Ning Qi’s brown eyes darkened. An accidental car accident? Having come with the “script,” Ning Qi didn’t believe it for a second. Things described in just a few lines in a book often hid deep secrets. Ning Qi knew this from experience.

She looked at Mu Xin, who was still curled up even while pressing close to her. The corners of Ning Qi’s mouth pulled tight, and a chill emanated from her.

It seemed she needed to find something to do.