Transmigrated as the Cannon Fodder Boss of the Disabled Heroine - Chapter 18

Instincts always move faster than rational thought. Before Pei Yujiang could figure out what to do, she blurted out “I need the restroom” to Yu Zhiwan and bolted out like an arrow released from its bow.

Tall and long-legged, she moved swiftly. Zhao Manlin barely caught a glimpse before the woman sitting across from Yu Zhiwan vanished.

All Zhao Manlin managed to see was that it was a woman. She ambled over to Yu Zhiwan and paused:

“Your new friend? Did she have an emergency?”

To stay in character, Pei Yujiang had chosen an ordinary restaurant modestly decorated but clean. Fortunately, Yu Zhiwan wasn’t picky. The Omega sat gracefully on a yellow wooden stool, hands folded, her demeanor serene as she replied unhurriedly:

“Her name is Xiao Yu.”

Though puzzled, Zhao Manlin refrained from interrogating Yu Zhiwan like a census taker. Despite her concern for her blind friend, she reminded herself that Yu Zhiwan was an adult and swallowed her questions.

But she didn’t rush to take Yu Zhiwan away either, deciding instead to wait and meet this friend first.

After all, when picking someone up, it would be impolite to leave without acknowledging their companion.

With that in mind, Zhao Manlin took a seat at the table beside Yu Zhiwan, setting her phone aside as her gaze lingered on their used dishes.

One minute, two minutes… When five or six minutes passed, Zhao Manlin glanced at the slowly changing time on her phone screen, her suspicion growing. By the ten-minute mark, she stood up and quietly made her way to the restroom entrance only to collide head-on with someone exiting.

Zhao Manlin opened her mouth to apologize, but when she looked up and recognized the familiar face, her expression shifted dramatically:

“Pei—”

She barely stopped herself from using the informal name she’d grown accustomed to in private, swallowing hard before settling on a stiff “Young Miss Pei.”

Pei Yujiang was dressed simply in washed-out jeans and a trench coat that accentuated her figure, a trendy outfit that stood out in this humble diner. Zhao Manlin had only managed to register the clothing of Yu Zhiwan’s companion earlier; now, face-to-face, her expression became a spectacle in itself.

Pei Yujiang was equally surprised that Zhao Manlin had come to fetch Yu Zhiwan.

But with their identities exposed, further pretense would seem overly deliberate almost more suspicious.

So she smiled calmly at Zhao Manlin:

“I wanted to befriend Miss Yu. Just occasional meals together. You’re welcome to join us next time.”

Befriend? Meals?

Anyone who’d spent time at the company knew the Pei family’s eldest daughter was a notorious party girl who splurged extravagantly. Though not exactly an heiress, her spending habits rivaled those of luxury conglomerate heirs often exceeding what the daughter of Yue Rong’s CEO should reasonably spend. Her reckless indulgence gave Pei Jinhuai constant headaches, yet he could do little about it.

As they spoke, the restroom’s odors wafted into their noses, assaulting their senses.

Yellowed stains spread across the ceiling corners. The half-empty hand soap bottle by the sink bore sticky residue along its sides, deterring the hygiene-conscious. The slightly mottled mirror was speckled with water droplets flung by previous patrons.

The food at this restaurant was delicious and clean, but they hadn’t renovated the restroom during the shop’s refurbishment, which happened to be the worst part of the environment. Pei Yujiang and Zhao Manlin blocked each other at the door, with Pei leaning her long leg against the wall, determined not to let Zhao leave just like that today.

She wasn’t ready to have her cover blown yet!

Zhao Manlin had held back until now but finally couldn’t resist sneering:

“Didn’t expect Young Miss Pei to have such unique tastes.”

Trying to flirt with Yu Zhiwan was one thing, but being so stingy as to bring such a stunning Omega to a small eatery like this!

Zhao was about to say more when the sound of wheelchair wheels rolling across the floor interrupted her. Soon after, Yu Zhiwan’s clear voice came from outside:

“Are you two not done yet?”

Unwilling to have her identity exposed and let things spiral out of control, Pei Yujiang shot Zhao a warning glare. Under the other woman’s resentful gaze, she stepped forward to help push Yu Zhiwan’s wheelchair while explaining:

“Manlin and I hit it off right away, so we chatted for a bit at the door.”

Yu Zhiwan sniffed the unmentionable scent in the air, covering her nose slightly with slender fingers, her lips twitching:

“So you two share… unique tastes?”

Pei Yujiang: “…”

Damn, she forgot this girl had a sharp nose.

**

In the end, Zhao Manlin weighed her options and temporarily yielded to Pei Yujiang’s intimidation though whether she’d secretly report this later remained unknown.

Pei felt her disguise was hanging by a thread.

But this wasn’t a game account she could level up or abandon to start anew. Fortunately, the female lead’s darkening meter and her own cannon fodder value were still within normal ranges, so Pei shifted more focus to familiarizing herself with the company’s operations while also finding reliable people to investigate the mysterious person who had approached Liu Huanran.

The old neighborhood had no surveillance, and after leaving, the person had changed clothes and used fake license plates finding them was like searching for a needle in a haystack. So Pei started with Liu Huanran instead. With the Pei family’s wealth and connections, they dug up everything about Liu within days.

Late at night, a cool breeze drifted in as Pei sat on the small balcony, sipping the milk tea her housekeeper had prepared, her eyes fixed on Liu Huanran’s file.

She had already reviewed Yu Zhiwan’s background orphaned, but before her legs were disabled, she had worked at an automotive products company with good benefits. Her position wasn’t low, her education was solid, so having savings wasn’t unusual.

As for Liu Huanran, she had been lazy and unambitious since childhood. Her parents were alive but distant, with little contact after she grew up. In her teens, she had once fought over an Omega, leaving the other person with a fractured leg. Though she had no criminal record as an adult, everything about her screamed “gold-digger.”

Pei even used her connections to check Liu’s bank records, initially looking for any suspicious large deposits. Instead, she found that Yu Zhiwan had been sending her a fixed monthly allowance.

The amount wasn’t extravagant certainly not enough for high-end indulgence but for an average person in Yicheng, it was more than sufficient. What’s more, Liu didn’t seem to pay rent either. Though they appeared to be roommates, it was essentially Liu freeloading.

Pei’s frown deepened as she read. She took another sip of her tea, but even its fragrance carried a faint bitterness on her tongue.

She continued watching for a while, engrossed in the content when she heard the electronic lock click open. Instinctively closing her laptop, she glanced up to see Jiang Wenxiu in a short sweater shivering as she scurried in, kicking off her sandals before scanning the room with wide eyes.

Jiang Wenxiu seemed frozen to the bone, hopping around the living room before wrapping herself in a small blanket. Spotting Pei Yujiang sipping hot tea, she immediately dashed over on her slender legs, exclaiming:

“Big sis, let me have a sip!”

Without waiting for permission, Jiang Wenxiu grabbed Pei Yujiang’s cup.

Pei Yujiang’s lips pressed into a thin line, her striking features cooling with disapproval. She didn’t speak, but Jiang Wenxiu’s hand trembled, and she sheepishly set the cup back down.

A minute later, Jiang Wenxiu sat bundled at Pei Yujiang’s feet on the temperature-controlled balcony, sipping a fresh cup of milk tea through a straw.

The housekeeper was asleep at this hour, one maid was on leave, and the other was showering. Jiang Wenxiu had fumbled through tidying up earlier, and Pei Yujiang, unable to bear it, directed her to make her own brown sugar milk tea.

Lately, Jiang Wenxiu had become more compliant under Pei Yujiang’s watch, noticing how much her sister had changed, no longer drowning in alcohol day after day. Fan Zhaozhao had also drilled into her ear the tiresome mantra, “You’ll still need her help in the future,” which had earned Pei Yujiang at least a modicum of respect.

Fan Zhaozhao was a beauty, and Jiang Wenxiu took after her, pleasant enough to look at when she wasn’t acting out. Now curled into a ball, she gazed up at Pei Yujiang with cat-like eyes identical to Fan Zhaozhao’s, ingratiatingly saying:

“Big sis, I went to a nightclub today.”

Pei Yujiang remained silent, her slender fingers resting on the nearby clothes rack.

Jiang Wenxiu’s voice suddenly turned urgent:

“I went after school! A legit club, Qingfeng, you’ve heard of it, right? I only went because I heard there was a transgender dancer performing, and I left right after!”

Pei Yujiang’s fingers tightened.

“Wait, no, guess who I saw? Liu Huanran!”

Nightclubs, as the name suggested, were places for nighttime entertainment. Not all bars and clubs were chaotic, but they were typically venues for singles, where sparks of flirtation could easily fly.

Liu Huanran, that scumbag Alpha, had a notorious reputation for disregarding Alpha ethics, something Pei Yujiang had long heard about but had no interest in.

Pei Yujiang responded indifferently, “Oh? And?”

“And she was drunk as a skunk, babbling about how next time she’d show those people what a real stunning Omega looks like.” Jiang Wenxiu clicked her tongue. “Did she find someone new? She couldn’t have meant Yu Zhiwan, right?”

Jiang Wenxiu had visited the company over summer break. Her memory was sharp though wasted on academics and she quickly matched names to faces. Pei Yujiang frowned at the mention.

After sending Jiang Wenxiu away, Pei Yujiang opened a rental website to browse affordable apartments.

It wasn’t until she’d scrolled for a while that she realized units on higher floors in the same complex were priced significantly higher than lower ones, and suitable high-floor options were already scarce.

Exiting the site, she checked recent news and belatedly remembered that since arriving here, she hadn’t paid much attention to the weather. It was late autumn, and in winter, strong maritime air currents would bring heavy rainfall to Wing City.

Autumn and winter floods were rare, but Yicheng’s climate was unique historical records showed it had been this way for a century. Pei Yujiang lifted her gaze to the star-studded sky outside the window, then pushed it open. In the late autumn air, she caught the faint scent of dampness.

The great rainstorm that would sweep through Yicheng was coming.

Support Transmigrated as the Cannon Fodder Boss of the Disabled Heroine