Transmigrated as the Cannon Fodder Boss of the Disabled Heroine - Chapter 36.2

Pei Yujiang wasn’t one to hold grudges, but when someone came at her like that, she wasn’t about to play the coward.

She set aside the other group for now, but she refused to let Zhao Longshuang off lightly. She proactively confessed to Pei Jinhuai about the things the original host had done under Zhao Longshuang’s manipulation including how Zhao had driven a wedge between mother and daughter, leaving Pei Jinhuai furious.

True to her character in the original novel as a mother who spoiled the original host beyond reason, Pei Jinhuai didn’t blame Pei Yujiang at all for being swayed despite her age. Instead, her rage was entirely directed at Zhao Longshuang.

Zhao Longshuang’s elders had collaborated with Pei Jinhuai for many years, and of course, Pei Jinhuai also had leverage over their family. After Pei Yujiang revealed what needed to be disclosed, she left the rest to Pei Jinhuai.

Amidst all this busyness, Yue Rong’s highly anticipated new product line was finally officially launched, breaking the previous daily sales record on the very first day.

Pei Jinhuai had always treated her subordinates well, and the dividends she gave Yu Zhiwan were particularly generous, partly because Yu Zhiwan had given Yue Rong a chance to turn things around, and Pei Jinhuai valued talent, but also partly because of Pei Yujiang.

Though she knew Pei Jinhuai had misunderstood their relationship, Pei Yujiang was genuinely happy for Yu Zhiwan.

After all the hard work put into developing the product, seeing it loved by the public might bring even greater joy than receiving such a substantial dividend.

Pei Yujiang was well aware of how busy Yu Zhiwan had been during this time. When Pei Yujiang was still “Xiao Yu,” she often met Yu Zhiwan for meals. To avoid exposing her identity, she had scouted out many affordable yet clean and delicious restaurants, making Yu Zhiwan something of her “dining buddy.”

Lately, Pei Yujiang had tried several times to invite Yu Zhiwan out for a meal, only to be politely declined each time. Seizing the opportunity now that Yu Zhiwan was finally free, Pei Yujiang used the excuse of a celebration banquet to treat her to her favorite hot pot.

For easier conversation, Pei Yujiang booked a private room.

Yu Zhiwan couldn’t handle much spice her fair skin flushed red at the slightest hint of chili, making her look as if she were drunk. She’d even been stopped by traffic police for a breathalyzer test while sitting in the driver’s seat.

They ordered a split pot half wild vegetable and beef bone broth, half tomato soup. The tomato soup at this place was exceptional, perfectly balanced between sweet and tangy, so good that Pei Yujiang always drank two bowls of it.

She prepared her own dipping sauce, mixing minced meat and vegetables before ladling the broth over it, then served a bowl to Yu Zhiwan as well. Beside the reddish-orange tomato broth sat two bowls of rose jelly dessert, vibrant petals floating atop finely diced hawthorn pieces, a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate.

Pei Yujiang started by dropping thinly sliced meat rolls into the pot. The small circular pot in the middle contained a fiery red spicy broth, perfect for cooking duck blood, duck intestines, squid, and other intensely flavored ingredients.

“I might be leaving soon.”

Pei Yujiang and Yu Zhiwan spoke in unison, both startling at the other’s words. Pei Yujiang’s chopsticks nearly slipped into the jelly dessert, and she quickly moved both the dessert and her drink aside, unable to keep her voice from rising:

“Where are you going?”

“I want to go to Xiangcheng to treat my eyes and my body.”

Seeing Pei Yujiang fall silent, Yu Zhiwan, as if she had anticipated this reaction, smiled gently and lifted her teacup, taking a sip of warm barley tea, savoring its fragrance:

“Didn’t you say Omegas should have their own careers too? I’ve thought about this for a long time. Living like this is really inconvenient. Xiangcheng is full of renowned doctors who specialize in treating conditions like mine. I want to take the chance while I’m still young it’d be best to resolve this sooner rather than later.”

Xiangcheng was located in the central region of the country, neither north nor south, close to the capital. But in Pei Yujiang’s previous life, it had been among the first places to fall.

Pei Yujiang came from two hundred years in the future. Back then, many had been researching ways to combat the zombie virus, but they gradually began to suspect it had been deliberately unleashed.

The capital, as the heart of the nation, made it extremely difficult to bring in medical supplies. In contrast, Xiangcheng could be considered the capital’s gateway, yet its management was far more lax. As a major metropolis and the nation’s economic hub, many people had settled here over the years.

Experts later speculated that the virus was first released here, spreading from a water treatment plant. Among the many factories, that particular plant was utterly inconspicuous, situated right next to a dilapidated welfare center for the elderly and children. Before the situation escalated, hardly anyone paid it any attention.

By the time authorities took notice, it was already too late. Their experts reconstructed the scene: the elderly and children were the first to turn into zombies, then began attacking the volunteers who came to visit them.

From there, the infection spread rapidly ten cases became a hundred, and soon Xiangcheng fell. The waterborne virus continued to spread, eventually reaching other cities, plunging the entire nation into a living hell, its former prosperity gone without a trace.

Blurry drone footage documented the governor’s betrayal. Because the mayor of Xiangcheng had once done him a favor, he flew in by helicopter, intending to evacuate her.

Standing on the helipad, the mayor shouted through a loudspeaker, cursing him out and vowing to stand with her city to the bitter end. In the end, the governor had no choice but to leave her with supplies before departing with his own family.

The mayor didn’t die in the fight against the zombies instead, she was betrayed by her subordinates. Even when surrounded, she didn’t turn her last bullet on herself. She saved it for the zombie beasts tearing at the barricades outside.

It was said that most of her family had stayed behind. Her seventy-year-old mother even opened their home to shelter refugees, personally tending to the sick and cooking porridge to maintain order in the rear.

Pei Yujiang had a rather favorable impression of Xiangcheng.

She had considered traveling once Yicheng stabilized, retracing the origins of the zombie outbreak from her past life. But truthfully, she was still in the dark about many things.

What she hadn’t expected was for Yu Zhiwan to leave so soon.

Pei Yujiang was reluctant to see her go, but she truly had no reason to make her stay. Yu Zhiwan wasn’t particularly attached to her work as a beauty model, it had just been something to occupy her time. Besides, with Liu Huanran still at the company, Pei Yujiang couldn’t just fire her on a whim, even if she disliked her. Liu hadn’t made any major mistakes in her work.

As for dividends, Yu Zhiwan would still receive them even after leaving the city and Yue Rong they were part of her intellectual property rights.

“And what about you?” Yu Zhiwan asked. “Where do you want to go?”

Compared to Yu Zhiwan’s plans, Pei Yujiang’s seemed insignificant.

Originally, she had thought about leaving Yue Rong to strike out on her own. But first, she’d have to borrow money from Pei Jinhuai, a hassle she wasn’t keen on and second, if the venture failed, she’d have even more to answer for. Starting from scratch only to lose everything wasn’t an appealing prospect.

Instead, Pei Yujiang planned to first persuade Pei Jinhuai to overhaul the marketing department with minimal investment.

Over the years, one reason Yue Rong had struggled to keep up with the times was that many of its marketing, planning, and product development teams were staffed by old-timers frankly, dead weight. They drew high salaries but failed to innovate, clinging to outdated methods and coasting on past successes.

Relying on past glories doesn’t work in any industry. With how rapidly things evolve these days, stagnation is tantamount to voluntarily bowing out of the competition.

Pei Jinhuai felt a bit soft-hearted toward the elderly, but in Pei Yujiang’s view, most of the marketing department staff were practically useless. While she understood that products couldn’t solely rely on marketing, she also believed they couldn’t just sit around doing nothing, pretending to be above it all.

Eager to make her mark, she was itching to dive into the marketing department and make things happen. Her first goal was to build her own platform to promote Yue Rong’s products.

Pei Yujiang had originally wanted to collaborate with Yu Zhiwan. Yu Zhiwan was beautiful and photogenic, capable of drawing attention just by sitting there without saying a word. But…

The thought of Yu Zhiwan leaving dampened Pei Yujiang’s mood, making even the lamb rolls in the pot seem less appetizing.

That evening, they drove home together, with Yu Zhiwan in the passenger seat while Pei Yujiang adjusted the car settings. She wasn’t in the habit of playing music for short trips, merely tweaking the air conditioning, when suddenly a message notification chimed.

Pei Yujiang glanced down, it was a voice message from Chen Lulu.

“Big Sis Pei, I’ve finished filming and am back in Yicheng. I’m on vacation now with nothing much to do. Are you working tomorrow? Can I come see you?”

“I brought you some specialty dried fish from Ningxiang—you can eat it yourself or feed it to cats. Oh, and I have an adorable Chinchilla at home. Would you like to come see it?”

Yu Zhiwan couldn’t see, but since Chen Lulu had sent a voice message, her sweet voice echoed clearly through the car’s interior.

Pei Yujiang didn’t bother listening to the rest it was probably just more invitations to play with the cat. She turned her head slightly and caught sight of Yu Zhiwan, who had quietly fastened her seatbelt on her own.

In the past, Yu Zhiwan always asked Pei Yujiang to help with the seatbelt, a small favor Pei Yujiang was happy to oblige. But now, even before they were physically separated, a sense of distance had already crept in. They no longer felt like close friends who had just left a hotpot restaurant together, but more like acquaintances reuniting after years apart.

A sour, swollen feeling settled in Pei Yujiang’s chest.

That night, Yu Zhiwan didn’t linger to chat much either. After thanking her, she got out of the car and left. Pei Yujiang, as usual, escorted her to her doorstep before heading off.

At work afterward, they still exchanged a few words as before, maintaining a closeness Pei Yujiang didn’t share with other employees. But it quickly dawned on her soon, she wouldn’t even be Yu Zhiwan’s supervisor anymore. Would their relationship simply come to an abrupt halt once they were separated?

Pei Yujiang had once had a close friend, a sworn sister, no less. They had been inseparable, but after parting ways and reuniting three years later, the familiarity had faded. Though still friendly, their interactions were tinged with awkwardness.

The morning Yu Zhiwan left, she had only sent Pei Yujiang a message the night before, informing her of her 8 a.m. direct flight with Air China.

Before that, they had shared a meal at a small noodle shop by the street, laughing together as if nothing had changed.

Pei Yujiang tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep. The next morning, on impulse, she gritted her teeth and without telling Pei Jinhuai skipped work to buy a ticket on the same flight as Yu Zhiwan. She had no idea if their seats would be together.

She had Yu Zhiwan’s airline account password, memorized from helping her book tickets before, but she never pried into her privacy. Whether they’d be seated together was up to chance though Yu Zhiwan never skimped on comfort and likely booked a VIP seat.

Closing her eyes the night before, Pei Yujiang couldn’t shake the image of Yu Zhiwan in Xiangcheng, gradually forgetting about her and finding a new friend someone who would eat with her, commute with her, even hold her during her heat. The thought filled her with unease.

And resentment.

She couldn’t stand it.

The next day, Pei Yujiang rushed to the airport in a frenzy, lugging two suitcases she had packed in the early hours of dawn. Lifting her gaze, she spotted the woman in the VIP lounge smiling at her from a wheelchair.

“What a coincidence are you taking this flight too?”

The relationship between superior and subordinate would last a very, very long time… until they ended up sharing the same household register!