Transmigrated as the Cannon Fodder Boss of the Disabled Heroine - Chapter 19

It took Pei Yujiang several days to personally select a suitable house—a mid-range but not outdated apartment in an elevated neighborhood. She wasn’t particularly picky about her living space, so she chose a clean, simply yet elegantly decorated unit and bought it outright, a single-occupancy home.

As early as a century ago, Wing City had embraced the trend of simple Western-style buildings or small single-family homes. With ample space and relatively affordable prices, it was a comfortable, livable city ideal for retirement.

Pei Yujiang was quite satisfied with her new home and informed Pei Jinhuai the very next day of her decision to move out.

To her surprise, Pei Jinhuai’s reaction was far more intense than she had anticipated.

“Moving out? Did Xiuxiu upset you? Or did one of the servants say something offensive? Didn’t you say before that living at home was more comfortable than outside?”

Pei Jinhuai fired off several questions in a row, her delicate brows furrowed. Of course, her displeasure wasn’t directed at Pei Yujiang.

The original host had often lived away from home out of spite toward her family. When Pei Yujiang first transmigrated, she had stayed in the hospital for two days and, for convenience, moved back in, claiming that home was indeed more comfortable than outside.

Such capriciousness was typical of the original host’s behavior, but Pei Jinhuai’s face was etched with deep concern, pressing relentlessly for the reason behind Pei Yujiang’s sudden decision to leave.

Pei Yujiang had already prepared her excuse:

“Ah, it’s just that I’m working now and want to be more independent.”

She let a hint of impatience slip into her tone, and Pei Jinhuai didn’t press further, though her gaze grew complex and troubled.

**

Pei Yujiang acted swiftly. That same day, she hired a moving company and politely declined her family’s help. By evening, she was already relishing the joys of living alone.

Truthfully, she had never quite adjusted to the sprawling villa with servants at her beck and call especially having a personal assistant hovering around, making her feel like some half-invalid, decades ahead of schedule, living a life where meals and clothes were handed to her without lifting a finger.

The elevated terrain of the neighborhood ensured excellent drainage, and the houses were spaced comfortably apart. The area was well-equipped with fitness facilities and boasted solid security. That night, after jogging around to admire the layout of the entire complex and completing a few sets of exercises, Pei Yujiang’s phone buzzed in her pocket as she stretched on the equipment.

“Xiao Yu,” a familiar voice came through the phone, slightly breathless, “Where are you?”

Pei Yujiang checked the time and directly shared her location.

Yu Zhiwan let out a surprised “Huh?” before saying, “That’s close to me. Stay there, I’ll come find you.”

Lately, Pei Yujiang had deliberately reduced the frequency of her contact with Yu Zhiwan. After all, her alternate identity had already been exposed by Zhao Manlin, and there was no telling when the truth might reach Yu Zhiwan. Given the original host’s notorious reputation, if Yu Zhiwan discovered she had been interacting with her under such pretenses, she would inevitably jump to the wrong conclusions.

Pei Yujiang didn’t want to be misunderstood, it would make lowering Yu Zhiwan’s hostility later on nearly impossible. Moreover, she was worried that Liu Huanran might harm Yu Zhiwan at any moment and had been looking for an excuse to persuade her to move into the same neighborhood.

An invitation from “Xiao Yu” could be seen as a well-meaning gesture, but one from her “flirty boss” persona might come across as a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Pei Yujiang was acutely aware of the distinction.

The late autumn night was cool with a gentle breeze, the sky like a deep blue curtain hanging low above, devoid of stars. After finishing a set of stretches with nervous anticipation, she spotted the familiar figure emerging in the clear moonlight.

Today, Yu Zhiwan seemed different from usual something Pei Yujiang, with her keen eye, noticed immediately. The usually composed woman, now bare-faced, had beads of sweat on her temples and neck, a faint smile playing at the corners of her lips.

The Omega’s pale fingers gently parted the maple leaves blocking her view, and as Pei called out to her, the navigation voice abruptly stopped. Yu Zhiwan’s thick bangs, now soaked with sweat, clung to her forehead in strands, still covering it completely. Pei stepped forward and suggested:

“I have hair clips. Do you want to pin your bangs back?”

“No,” Yu Zhiwan answered quickly, pressing her fingertips to her forehead in a hurried attempt to conceal it. “There’s a birthmark here.”

The lighting in the equipment area wasn’t very bright, and Yu Zhiwan moved too fast for Pei to get a clear look. Pei wanted to say that Yu Zhiwan was stunning regardless, even with a birthmark, but the Omega swiftly changed the subject:

“Xiao Yu, I’m trying rehabilitation exercises.”

She emphasized the words “rehabilitation exercises,” her tone brimming with unprecedented excitement.

“What do you think?”

Pei was startled by her words. She first lowered her gaze, carefully studying Yu Zhiwan’s legs, then nodded in approval.

“That’s great.”

“But rehabilitation requires strong willpower. You have to keep at it, or all your progress will be lost. It’s best to have a specialized trainer to help, tailoring exercises for an Omega’s physique.”

Yu Zhiwan had lost sensation in her legs from the thighs down, making rehabilitation particularly challenging due to the lack of support points. It would require intense core training something difficult even for able-bodied individuals, let alone those with disabilities who often lacked regular exercise. Without consistent movement, even with a masseuse’s care, muscles would inevitably weaken or atrophy.

Most people in such situations gave up on rehabilitation, either resigning themselves to despair or adapting to a lifetime in a wheelchair.

Pei hadn’t expected Yu Zhiwan, who seemed so delicate, to possess such determination. She couldn’t help but smile.

Yu Zhiwan, too, seemed surprised by Pei’s response.

As Pei shifted the topic, Yu Zhiwan had already braced herself for the usual discouragement people doubting her endurance, using her Omega status to belittle her efforts.

But Pei was earnestly considering every possibility, analyzing potential challenges in rehabilitation not to intimidate or dismiss her, but to discuss how to overcome them.

The house would need assistive devices, and if the budget allowed, maybe even a robot. Just as Pei was enthusiastically rambling, Yu Zhiwan suddenly interrupted.

“Xiao Yu.”

“Hmm?”

“Can I touch you?”

The abrupt shift caught Pei off guard. She instinctively hummed in agreement before realizing Yu Zhiwan seemed particularly fixated on her face. Even after being interrupted last time, she still remembered after all this while.

She thought to herself, Zhao Manlin was quite attractive too. Could it be that the female lead was actually a looks-oriented person who needed to touch someone’s face before deciding whether to continue the friendship?

But since Yu Zhiwan had expressed such strong interest, refusing further would be impolite. They were both girls anyway, and as a Beta now, there wasn’t really any need to be overly cautious.

After a brief hesitation, Pei Yujiang crouched down.

She brought her face within easy reach of Yu Zhiwan’s hand, bracing herself against the wheelchair arms. Immediately, Yu Zhiwan’s hands came up to cradle her cheeks with just the right pressure.

The Omega’s slender fingers lingered on her face. Yu Zhiwan’s fingertips were soft, perfectly matching Pei Yujiang’s smooth, delicate skin. Her pinky traced the curve of Pei Yujiang’s ear before slowly moving upward, meticulously mapping out every contour of her facial features.

Pei Yujiang had excellent bone structure with clean, flowing lines from her slender neck to her jawline, her skin was flawless like satin without a single blemish. While confident in her appearance, Yu Zhiwan’s touch was so thorough that it made her self-conscious, especially when those fingers paused near her lips, gently caressing the area.

Their proximity allowed the Omega’s elegant, subtle natural fragrance more noticeable than any sweat after exercise to waft between them. Though Pei Yujiang was no longer an Alpha and thus unaffected by pheromonal attraction, this unprecedented closeness with someone still made her heart race uncontrollably with awkwardness.

Pei Yujiang instinctively shrank back slightly.

“What’s wrong?” Yu Zhiwan paused, sensing her reaction. “Did I hurt you?”

Tilting her head thoughtfully, Yu Zhiwan then flashed a playful smile that revealed two shallow dimples. It was the first time Pei Yujiang had seen this mischievous side of her, leaving her momentarily stunned until Yu Zhiwan asked:

“Are you embarrassed?”

“No!” Pei Yujiang reacted like a cat being forcibly petted, her metaphorical tail bristling as she vehemently denied it. “I’m straight. Steel-straight.”

After keeping her eyes tightly shut for a while, Pei Yujiang cracked them open just enough to see Yu Zhiwan smiling, her captivating almond-shaped eyes seemingly fixed on her, making her momentarily dazed.

But that must have been an illusion, because when Yu Zhiwan resumed her “petting,” the heat spreading from her facial nerves made Pei Yujiang so uncomfortable that she squeezed her eyes shut again, resigning herself to fate.

Seeing her utterly defeated expression, System 711 unusually came online to mock:

“Host, are you planning to lower yourself to being a pet now?”

Pei Yujiang never tolerated the system’s remarks: “Shut up!”

711 replied sarcastically:

“But it seems the female lead’s positive emotional value toward you has far surpassed that toward the official male lead.”

Only then did Pei Yujiang notice, the female lead’s darkening value had actually dropped by a full 5 points in this short time.

Pei Yujiang: “?”

So she’d really become the female lead’s stress-relief pet?

Pei Yujiang gave an awkward laugh but didn’t respond. Then she heard Yu Zhiwan’s evaluation of her appearance:

“I didn’t expect Little Fish to have such good bone structure. It’s just a bit of a shame.”

Despite her existing confidence in her looks, hearing the compliment still brought Pei Yujiang a flicker of joy until the latter part made her instinctively ask, “What’s the shame?”

Yu Zhiwan let out a faint sigh at these words. As she spoke, her fingertip traced along the other’s jawline, applying just enough pressure to send tingling waves of itchiness. The Omega leaned in even closer, her lips nearly brushing against Pei Yujiang’s flushed earlobe as she enunciated each word with deliberate care:

“You bear an uncanny resemblance to that jinx of a boss of mine.”

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