Transmigrated as Cannon Fodder, Unable to Escape the Black Lotus Villain - Chapter 22

“Mm, so tight.”

In the early morning, Ning Qi felt something was wrong the moment she woke up.

She felt something holding her tightly. From behind, there was a sensation of softness and a familiar fragrance.

?

Ning Qi sniffed, then looked down inside the blanket. Within the grey plush pajamas, she saw two arms wrapped around her waist.

Mu Xin?

Was she being used as a body pillow?

The corners of Ning Qi’s mouth twitched. It seemed Mu Xin had really taken a liking to hugging her while sleeping these past few days. When did this start?

She carefully moved Mu Xin’s hands away and prepared to get out of bed, but the moment she sat up, she froze.

Looking at the little rabbit pajamas she was wearing, she became a statue on the spot.

That’s not right. When did she change her pajamas?

She remembered leaving the Mu family banquet yesterday. After getting into the car, she had felt incredibly sleepy, and she had no memory of anything after that.

Could it be…

Ning Qi abruptly turned her head to look at the sleeping Mu Xin, then looked back at her own pajamas as if to confirm. Her fair face instantly flushed a deep red.

If Mu Xin was the one who changed her clothes, then hadn’t she been seen completely?

No, no, she still had her underwear…

“Uh, no way.”

Ning Qi froze again. She shifted her body, and the distinct sensation of the plush fabric against her skin followed. Ning Qi nearly choked on her own breath.

Refusing to give up, she tugged at her collar to take a peek.

The crimson color on her face immediately spread to the tips of her ears, and even half of her neck turned red.

“It should be fine, right? Best friends, best friends, it should be normal… right?”

Ning Qi muttered to herself, trying to convince her heart, but she couldn’t shake a strange feeling.

She didn’t hate it, but it felt off. This “stuck” feeling made her a bit uncomfortable.

She felt that this kind of situation shouldn’t be described with the word “best friends.”

Then what should it be?

Family? Friends?

None of them felt quite right.

Ning Qi began to ponder distressfully when suddenly her eyes lit up.

Family!

If they were family, then there should be no problem. Thinking of this, the smile on her face softened.

Xinxin must have completely accepted her.

Believing she had figured it out, Ning Qi settled her mind and prepared to get up. Suddenly, a body leaned against her from behind, pressing against her back, and arms circled around Ning Qi’s neck.

“Qiqi, morning.”

Mu Xin’s characteristic gentle tone, tinged with a soft, sleepy quality, drifted over.

“Morning.”

Ning Qi responded and tried to stand up, but Mu Xin held on tightly, and she couldn’t move.

“Xinxin?”

Confused, Ning Qi turned her head and saw Mu Xin’s eyes, still misty from sleep, staring at her.

“What’s wrong?”

Ning Qi asked again.

What did that look in Xinxin’s eyes mean?

It seemed… a bit expectant?

Expecting what?

Ning Qi felt like her brain wasn’t quite functional enough.

However, Mu Xin didn’t answer her. She continued to stare persistently, though the expectation in her eyes slowly took on a hint of grievance.

As everyone knew, Ning Qi was most vulnerable to that specific expression of Mu Xin’s.

“Um, Xinxin, if there’s something, just say it, okay?”

Ning Qi scratched her hair, feeling a bit helpless.

Pfft. Seeing her look so frustrated, Mu Xin almost couldn’t stop herself from laughing, but she forced herself to maintain her expression and said one more thing.

“Good morning.” Then, she reached out and touched Ning Qi’s forehead.

“Good morning, Qiqi!”

“This…”

Ning Qi understood. And because she understood, the heat that had just subsided on her face rushed back up.

At the same time, she felt herself acting very strange.

Clearly, the good morning kiss had become a habit, so why did it feel so awkward today? And… a bit embarrassing.

Especially the body heat and fragrance coming from Mu Xin—it made her face feel hotter and hotter.

Ning Qi gritted her teeth, closed her eyes, and planted a kiss on Mu Xin’s forehead.

A fleeting touch.

“I… I’m going to go make breakfast and lunch.”

Ning Qi felt she couldn’t stay there a second longer; otherwise, Mu Xin would definitely notice her blushing, and how would she explain that?

But once again, she couldn’t stand up. For the first time, Ning Qi felt that Mu Xin’s strength was surprisingly great.

“Qiqi, I want to eat ribs.”

“Okay, then corn and pork rib stew?”

“Mm, thank you, Qiqi.”

After saying that, Mu Xin let go and curled back into the blanket. Ning Qi could only see a pair of grey wolf ears sticking out.

Whew.

Finally regaining her freedom, Ning Qi let out a sigh of relief, though she also felt it was a bit funny.

Why was she so nervous? Xinxin being close to her just proved they had a good relationship.

Ning Qi rushed into the bathroom, quickly freshened up, and went downstairs.

After she left, Mu Xin slowly poked her head out from under the covers, smiling like a little cat that had just successfully stolen a treat.

Qiqi didn’t seem to resist her intimacy; instead, she was very shy, but her reaction wasn’t overly intense.

Does that mean… she really has a chance?

Mu Xin’s eyes curved into crescents.

As long as Qiqi doesn’t reject her, this person will definitely be hers.

These next two days were the monthly mock exams for No. 1 High School. For the third-year students who were about to take the Gaokao, every mock exam was a test of their own progress, so everyone took it very seriously.

This was evident from the tense atmosphere in the class, which usually had the lowest average score.

“Hey, hey, who do you think will score higher, Ning Qi or Mu Xin?”

“I still think Mu Xin. Even though Ning Qi has definitely improved recently, wanting to jump from the bottom of the grade to beat Mu Xin… that’s harder than a dream.”

“I also think Mu Xin’s chances are higher, but I really want to see Mu Xin call her ‘Sister’.”

“Tsk, forget about that. Regardless of who wins or loses, there’s no way we’ll see that scene. That’s a private topic for the two girls.”

“Ah, that’s such a pity…”

Discussions like these were cropping up all over the class, and even the teachers had heard rumors.

However, they were happy to see this situation; it could be considered a new “one-on-one” study model.

But when these words reached Ning Qi’s ears as she entered the room, she immediately felt a bit disgruntled.

“Xinxin, I won’t lose easily. You can’t break your word.”

Ning Qi raised an eyebrow at Mu Xin while preparing her exam supplies.

She was determined to win this exam!

“Mm, okay.”

Mu Xin nodded with a faint smile. She didn’t say much, but she gave off an aura of having everything under control.

“…” It was a little irritating.

“By the way, which exam room are you in?” After packing her things, Ning Qi asked.

“Let me see… 1. What about you?”

“I’m in 14.”

There were only 14 exam rooms in total. Ning Qi was definitely in the last one, and unsurprisingly, Mu Xin was in the first.

“Then I’ll walk you there?” Slinging her backpack over her shoulder, Ning Qi said. She originally thought Mu Xin would refuse.

After all, most of the time, Mu Xin preferred to do things herself.

“Sure, I was thinking the same thing.”

Mu Xin narrowed her eyes and agreed readily.

“Uh, then let’s go.”

Ning Qi glanced at Mu Xin a few times. She felt that Mu Xin was acting a bit unusual today.

“We’re here, Xinxin. I’m heading over to mine now.”

The two chatted all the way. After Ning Qi dropped Mu Xin off at Exam Room 1, she prepared to head to her own. The distance between the two rooms was quite far, and Ning Qi estimated she would probably have to run back.

She had just turned and walked a few steps when Mu Xin called out to her.

“Qiqi, good luck!”

Mu Xin raised her right hand toward her, and then her lips moved slightly, though Ning Qi didn’t hear a sound.

“Go—Good luck.” Ning Qi suddenly became a bit tongue-tied. She responded and then ran away at full speed.

She was so fast that Mu Xin almost lost sight of her.

???

What happened?

Mu Xin stared at her retreating back and chuckled before entering the exam room.

But Ning Qi really was quite cute.

Mu Xin didn’t know if her mindset had changed, but she couldn’t help but want to test Ning Qi’s attitude and get closer to her.

The main thing was that Ning Qi didn’t seem to mind, which made her very happy.

The smile on her face never faded, leaving the other students in the same exam room completely bewildered.

However, what she didn’t know was that Ning Qi had understood the two words she mouthed without sound.

She had said: Sister.

On the other side, Ning Qi rushed into her exam room like a gust of wind. After sitting in her seat, she panted and patted her face, trying to disperse the heat.

She didn’t know how many times she had blushed today. Clearly, she hadn’t felt this way when interacting with Mu Xin before.

What exactly was different?

Ning Qi really wanted to figure it out, but unfortunately, every time she tried to remember, her mind was filled only with the silent “Sister” Mu Xin had mouthed and the phantom scent lingering at the tip of her nose.

“No, no, focus on the exam!”

Ning Qi took a deep breath to force herself to calm down.

Ding.

Suddenly, Ning Qi’s phone, which hadn’t made a sound in forever, chimed.

Ning Qi paused and picked it up. She thought it might be He Xuan, but when she opened it, it was actually a message from a group.

The group was named: ‘Saving a Dowry for Little Qiqi’.

Third Brother: Little Qi! I’m about to return to the country. Do you want a gift? [Smug]

Ning Qi stared at that profile picture of a handsome man for a long time before she finally realized.

Oh, this was the original owner’s third brother, Ning Zhizhe. He was supposedly the youngest popular movie star right now, possessing both looks and talent, as well as a powerful background.

Ning Qi often saw this name on the entertainment news pushed to her phone.

But she had never connected the dots.

…A bit awkward.

Looking at the message, which was filled with warmth and affection, Ning Qi’s mood became complicated.

The original owner had three older brothers. The eldest, Ning Zhihang, currently worked at the Ning family’s company and was already confirmed as the next chairman.

The second brother, Ning Zhifeng, was a famous domestic technical R&D expert with high achievements in the currently popular field of Artificial Intelligence. Moreover, he was young enough that his future potential was limitless.

As for the third, Ning Zhizhe, although he seemed a bit “unproductive” compared to his two brothers, the heights he had reached today were the result of his own hard work.

It could be said that not a single child of the Ning family was ordinary.

Yet, it was such a family that the original owner had dragged down into a life-and-death struggle with Mu Xin, resulting in the family’s ruin.

This was also the reason Ning Qi remained confused. Even if there had been conflict between Mu Xin and the original owner, it shouldn’t have reached such an extreme level.

What exactly had the original owner experienced to make her hate Mu Xin so much?

Ning Qi felt a pang of pain in her head. It seemed that ever since she had fainted last time, this happened occasionally.

She had gone to the hospital for a check-up, but they found no problems.

Ning Qi closed her eyes to rest for a moment. The pain slowly faded just as the exam bell rang.

Ning Qi quickly opened her sticker library, randomly picked a little rabbit sticker she had saved, sent it out, and then began preparing for the exam.

…

In a luxury hotel suite, the handsome young man stared at the sticker on his phone with a look of utter confusion. After thinking for a long time to no avail, he started a video call.

After a series of beeps, two small screens appeared.

“What are you doing? Why haven’t you gone to buy a gift for Little Qi? Waiting to get beaten up?”

Dressed in a sharp suit and looking every bit the elite, Ning Zhihang ruined his image the moment he opened his mouth.

On the other side, Ning Zhifeng, who was tinkering with something with his back to the camera, added: “If we weren’t busy, the job of sending a gift wouldn’t have fallen to you.”

“Heh.”

The handsome youth, Ning Zhizhe, was annoyed enough by his eldest and second brothers to let out a cold snort.

“If I hadn’t been unsure what Little Qi meant, do you think I’d want to talk to you?”

“As the slowest person in the family, it makes sense that you can’t understand it,” Ning Zhihang laughed, clicking on the message in the group. Then, his brow furrowed.

“Second brother, come take a look at this.”

Ning Zhifeng paused, then walked over.

“What did she say that’s so difficult?”

Three minutes later, three handsome men, each an elite in their respective fields, stared at the cute little rabbits hugging each other on the phone and fell into deep thought.

Should they ask Little Qi again?