Transmigrated as Cannon Fodder, Unable to Escape the Black Lotus Villain - Chapter 9.2

“I… I…” Right now, Huo Liuxue really wanted Ning Qi to take her and run, but Ning Qi and Mu Xin were already long gone. She could only curse Ning Qi’s lack of loyalty in her heart, but her legs were completely frozen.

“I am Qin Yuyou. Hello.”

Huo Liuxue looked incredulously at the tanned, slender arm extended before her. Surprise flooded her face.

“My name is Huo Liuxue. I think you are super cool!”

“Do you think it was a bit mean to leave her there alone?” Mu Xin laughed on the way back to the teaching building.

“Not at all. Didn’t she ask me for help? Didn’t it work out?” Ning Qi didn’t feel like she had “pitied” Huo Liuxue at all; in fact, she felt she had done exactly the right thing.

“True.” Mu Xin nodded in agreement. Whatever the case, the goal was achieved.

“Going back now?” Ning Qi checked the time. It was 5:10 PM, twenty minutes before school ended. Being in Class 10, they didn’t have such a thing as evening self-study.

“Let’s walk for a bit; it’s still early.” Mu Xin looked at the setting sun and turned back toward Ning Qi.

“Sure.”

Mu Xin didn’t know how beautiful her backward glance under the sunset was. But Ning Qi knew; it was more brilliant than the radiant sunset on the horizon.

Ning Qi pushed Mu Xin through the school grounds. Neither spoke; they just walked quietly. In this peaceful environment, Mu Xin felt an unprecedented sense of calm and relaxation. It felt as though if Ning Qi was here, she didn’t have to think about anything or worry about anything. Simply because… Ning Qi was reliable.

Mu Xin chuckled inwardly at her own thoughts. Since when had Ning Qi become so important to her?

Ning Qi didn’t speak either. Such a leisurely environment was equally rare for her. Moreover, there was someone who was subconsciously very important to her. This was a feeling Ning Qi wanted to slowly explore and understand.

They walked very slowly until the school bell rang, signaling the end of the day, and only then did they stop.

“Qiqi.”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you for today.”

“You’re welcome. In the future, you’ll understand that these are things I should do.”

Ning Qi reached out and patted Mu Xin’s soft hair, speaking softly. They were the “best besties,” after all.

After bidding farewell to Mu Xin and returning home, Ning Qi looked at the empty villa and curled her lips. It seemed He Xuan and Ning Xuan were working overtime at the company again. As the chairpeople of a large corporation, it was normal for them to be busy.

She didn’t mind. She showered quickly and then brought a large bowl of noodles into her room. The villa had a housekeeper and an auntie, but she wasn’t used to bothering people when she was eating alone, so she just prepared something simple for herself.

She slurped her noodles while opening the messaging app on her phone and clicked on Mu Xin’s chat interface. It was very clean—not a single message.

Right.

Ning Qi smiled. They were together every day; they almost never needed to use it. However, seeing it so empty didn’t sit right with Ning Qi. Finally, she sent two heart emojis.

She originally thought Mu Xin wouldn’t check her messages, but before she could even put her phone down, it vibrated.

Ning Qi looked at the solitary question mark on the screen, but it felt particularly pleasing to the eye. She took another slurp of noodles and then initiated a video call with Mu Xin.

The call was connected quickly, and Mu Xin’s tranquil face appeared on the screen.

“What is it?”

Mu Xin was likely in her own room. Ning Qi could see a large bookshelf behind her, packed with books. Mu Xin noticed the large bowl in front of Ning Qi and froze for a moment, the corners of her mouth curling upward.

“Nothing, just wanted to see what you were doing.” Ning Qi quickly swallowed the last bite of noodles and wiped her mouth. “Are you reading?”

“Yes, Introduction to Economics.” Mu Xin glanced down at the two hearts Ning Qi had sent on her phone, her eyes flickering. “What did you send?”

“What? Oh, the hearts (Xinxin)? Aren’t you ‘Xinxin’?” Ning Qi paused for a moment before realizing what Mu Xin was asking, and she replied somewhat proudly.

“Pfft, I never noticed you were so humorous before.” Mu Xin closed her book, propped her chin on her hand, and studied Ning Qi, her gaze sweeping across her face.

Mm, she’s very good-looking. She has a sense of heroism and sharp angles, but her features are very beautiful.

“That’s because you didn’t pay attention to me before. Your bestie is the best.”

Ning Qi slumped into her chair without a shred of decorum, instantly shattering the image Mu Xin had just built up. Mu Xin silently added another label to this person: unrestrained.

The current Ning Qi felt like a completely different person to Mu Xin compared to before. Aside from the “bestie” identity, Mu Xin felt she could interact with her as an entirely “new” Ning Qi.

Thinking this, she said, “Auntie and the others aren’t home? You’re eating just that?” She gestured toward the large bowl in front of Ning Qi.

“This is convenient, and I eat less at night.”

“Eat less?”

Mu Xin’s expression was strange, her meaning obvious: You have such a huge bowl and you’re telling me you eat ‘less’?

Oh, right. Mu Xin remembered that Ning Qi could eat enough for three people by herself at lunch. Thinking of Ning Qi’s alarming appetite, Mu Xin felt enlightened.

“Xinxin, we are at the age where we’re growing. You eat too little.” Ning Qi felt a bit embarrassed. She knew she ate a lot, but compared to her, Mu Xin ate too little. Every time she saw that tiny half-bowl, Ning Qi wondered how she kept her body from collapsing.

“Yeah, I know. I just don’t have much of an appetite.”

“That won’t do.” Ning Qi felt it was because of the “accident.” Mu Xin’s psychological state definitely wasn’t as relaxed as she appeared on the surface. She wanted to try and make Mu Xin relax a bit more.

Ning Qi schemed quietly in her heart while remaining calm on the surface.

“Alright, it’s late. You should get some rest early.” Mu Xin was about to hang up the video, but as if remembering something, she added: “The nickname—just use ‘Heart-heart’ (Xinxin).”

“What?” By the time Ning Qi realized what she meant, the video had already been disconnected.

However, Ning Qi had heard her. Tsk, it seems Mu Xin really likes it.

Ning Qi smiled as she changed Mu Xin’s contact name to two heart emojis and then turned off her phone. Sleep! I have to get up early tomorrow.

On the other end, Mu Xin didn’t go to sleep immediately, though she felt a rare sense of sleepiness at this hour. She opened Ning Qi’s contact details, hesitated for a long while, and finally changed “Ning Qi” to “Qiqi.” After a pause, she added a small sun emoji at the end.

Looking at the new nickname, Mu Xin smiled with satisfaction.

“She really is like a little sun.”

After doing this, Mu Xin withdrew her smile, picked up another phone from the table, found a number, and dialed.

“Hello, it’s me. How is Long Xiang’s situation?” Mu Xin held the phone, her tone cold—completely different from the gentle and tranquil expression she had just worn.

“Find some small trouble for the Long family; give them a warning.” Mu Xin’s eyes were ice-cold as she continued, “As for Long Xiang, let him ‘rest’ in the hospital for a few more days. Don’t let him affect Ning Qi.”

With that, she hung up and sat there silently, lost in thought. Thinking about how Ning Qi was always protecting her lately, her heart felt a faint warmth.

Ding-dong— The phone on the table chimed. Mu Xin snapped back to reality. Opening it, she saw a red notification dot on the contact labeled “Qiqi.”

[Goodnight]

She clicked on the message. There were only those words, but Mu Xin could almost imagine Ning Qi groggily fumbling for her phone to send her a message.

What a dummy.

“Goodnight.”

Mu Xin put down her phone, struggled to move onto the bed, buried herself in the duvet, and closed her eyes. She should be able to have a good sleep today.

Outside the window, everything had quieted down. Scattered starlight dotted the night sky. A streak of light flashed across the horizon—like a shooting star, or perhaps like a young girl’s wish. Visible but untouchable, it finally vanished into the slumbering dream.

The next morning, Ning Qi woke up very early. She didn’t start her daily exercise but instead went downstairs to find Auntie Zhang, who was already cleaning.

“Auntie Zhang, I want to start bringing lunch to school every day from now on. Is that okay?”

Auntie Zhang, like the housekeeper, had been with the Ning family for many years and was very good to Ning Qi.

“Of course, Miss. What would you like to eat? I’ll make it for you.” Auntie Zhang felt that Ning Qi had changed a lot recently—she was more independent, had more of her own ideas, and had her own judgment about people and things. She and the housekeeper saw this and were happy for the master and mistress. The little princess of the Ning family had finally grown up.

“Hmm, I want…” Ning Qi thought for a moment, realizing she still didn’t know what Mu Xin liked to eat. Every time Mu Xin ate, she only had a tiny bit; there didn’t seem to be anything she particularly loved.

“Let’s make something nutritious,” Ning Qi said to Auntie Zhang. “There should be ingredients in the fridge, right?”

“Yes, I buy fresh ingredients every day.”

“Then Auntie Zhang, please help me prep the ingredients.” As she spoke, Ning Qi rolled up her sleeves and entered the kitchen.

“Miss, how about I do it?” Auntie Zhang looked at the energetic Ning Qi with a bit of worry. Since when did the young miss know how to cook? Could she just be acting on a whim after watching some cooking show? It was good for young people to try things, but the kitchen was dangerous.

Auntie Zhang quickly followed her in, only to be stunned. Ning Qi was wearing gloves and skillfully peeling a yam. Without looking up, she said, “Auntie Zhang, please blanch the ribs for me. I want to make a soup.”

“Soup? Will you have an appetite for that at noon? How about braised ribs instead?”

“Actually, I want to prepare a portion for Xinxin too. She only eats a tiny bit every day.”

“Oh, for Miss Mu Xin, right? Sure, no problem.” Auntie Zhang understood. Seeing Ning Qi seriously handling the ingredients, her face blossomed into a wide smile. The eldest miss had truly grown up; she even knew how to care for others now. Miss Mu Xin was truly pitiable, suffering such an ordeal at such a young age. The blow was unimaginable.

“By the way, Miss Mu Xin really likes the lemonade I make. I’ll prepare some now; you can take it with you.”

“Oh? Okay, thank you, Auntie Zhang.”

Ning Qi didn’t expect Mu Xin to like Auntie Zhang’s lemonade. It seemed Mu Xin used to visit the Ning family quite often.

Ning Qi had been up since five, and she and Auntie Zhang were busy for over an hour. By the time the soup was packed into the thermal container, it was almost 7:30.

“Seems like I’ll have to get up even earlier tomorrow.” Ning Qi put the thermal container in her bag, picked up the lemonade Auntie Zhang had prepared, and wiped her forehead.

Hmph, today I must make sure Mu Xin drinks it.

Ning Qi was very confident in her cooking skills; she guaranteed she would nourish Mu Xin until she was healthy and glowing. Thinking about Mu Xin eating the food she made, a faint sense of satisfaction flowed through her heart.

Strange, since when did I start focusing so much on being good to someone?

Ning Qi smiled and ignored that odd feeling. Right now, she just wanted to see Mu Xin as soon as possible.