Transmigrated as the Cannon Fodder Boss of the Disabled Heroine - Chapter 68

Pei Yujiang didn’t happen to have protective goggles on her, and seeing Yu Zhiwan’s slightly reddened eyes, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of heartache.

This Chen Lulu, why didn’t she mention there would be an outdoor segment earlier? Had she known, she wouldn’t have brought Yu Zhiwan here. Yet the fans were all thrilled, waving their banners and beautifully decorated handheld fans, completely oblivious all of them were fan-made support items for Chen Lulu.

Noticing Pei Yujiang accepting the flowers, Chen Lulu suppressed her excitement and signaled to a staff member, who then handed Pei Yujiang a microphone:

“For the next special segment, we’d like to invite Ms. Pei on stage to assist.”

Pei Yujiang: “?”

Since when was this part of the program?

Chen Lulu, you’re at it again going off-script without warning. Pei Yujiang rolled her eyes internally, but stepping on stage wasn’t a big deal. She was practically a minor internet celebrity now, and after her public feud with Banana, her reputation had skyrocketed. She’d already noticed people glancing her way, likely having recognized her.

After making sure the blind girl beside her was settled, Pei Yujiang didn’t need any help from the staff. She effortlessly vaulted onto the stage with a push of her hands against the railing.

The height was nothing to her, but it drew cheers and applause from the crowd. Seizing the moment, Chen Lulu raised her microphone and playfully shouted to her fans below:

“No switching allegiances!”

The audience burst into laughter.

Once the mood was lightened and she confirmed no one held any ill will toward Pei Yujiang, Chen Lulu finally relaxed.

She glanced at Pei Yujiang before stepping closer.

Dressed in 8cm heels and a fluffy white tulle dress adorned with sparkling sequins, Chen Lulu looked sweet and gentle. Standing side by side, the two made a strikingly attractive pair, eliciting excited screams from fans who wondered what Chen Lulu was up to.

“As many of you know, there was a period last year when I disappeared from the public eye. It was because I was caught in a storm of controversy and doubts. At the time, I truly wasn’t in the right headspace and considered an extreme way to end the farce.”

As her voice echoed through the microphone, the laughter in the audience gradually faded. Longtime fans knew all too well how low Chen Lulu had sunk during that time bombarded by relentless online rumors and so-called “irrefutable evidence,” the once-cheerful girl had nearly been driven to suicide.

“That day, standing atop the tower, I thought about many things, my parents who raised me, my fans, and everything I’d been through. But in the end, the negativity overwhelmed me. Fortunately, before I could take that final step, Ms. Pei saved me. She told me that we live for ourselves. Death might bring momentary relief, but if I wasn’t afraid of leaving behind a tragic, grotesque corpse or the pain my loved ones would endure, then what was so hard about living?”

Chen Lulu took a deep breath.

“Thankfully, I persevered. Now, I’ve moved past that unspeakable chapter of my life, and I want to share this courage to keep going with all of you. Thank you, everyone and thank you, Ms. Pei.”

Even after a long time had passed, Chen Lulu could still vividly recall Pei Yujiang’s agile movements when she rescued her that day, along with her straightforward advice. The tall tower in Wing Lake Park was quite old, and standing atop it, one could even smell the unpleasant scent of rust. Without Pei Yujiang, her moment of impulsiveness would have led to irreversible consequences.

“May I hug you, Miss Pei?”

Chen Lulu lifted her eyes slightly to look at her as she spoke. This Omega had a pair of lively, doe-like eyes brimming with innocent hope. She didn’t use a microphone when asking, but her voice was clear and loud enough for those in the front rows to hear.

Pei Yujiang generously spread her arms and allowed Chen Lulu to embrace her briefly.

It was the first time she had been so close to Chen Lulu, close enough to catch the sweet scent emanating from the Omega. But Chen Lulu knew when to stop though she secretly longed for the snug fit of Pei Yujiang’s tall frame in a deeper hug, she also understood that such an intimate gesture would only create distance between them.

“Thank you, Pei Yujiang.”

Chen Lulu smiled at her, eyes curving into crescents.

The birthday party for the big star was lively. After performing a song-and-dance routine on the open-air stage, Chen Lulu invited everyone into a privately booked cinema to watch an exclusive preview of her new film.

This new movie was the post-apocalyptic film she had shot in Ningxiang, a transformative project for Chen Lulu, one her fans had eagerly anticipated. Staff members followed behind, livestreaming the entire event so fans who couldn’t attend the birthday meet-up could still experience it in real time.

Pei Yujiang had always been interested in this genre, and Chen Lulu knew it this was the real reason she had invited her.

To ensure Yu Zhiwan wouldn’t feel left out, Chen Lulu sat down beside the two of them after greeting and shaking hands with her fans. She leaned closer to Yu Zhiwan and slipped a rectangular box into her hands.

“What’s this?”

“A meeting gift the proper kind.” Chen Lulu smiled sweetly, her voice soft and gentle like most Omegas:

“Do you want to open it? Or I can just tell you, it’s a puzzle-building set. It sounds childish, but it’s actually really fun. It’s already charged and comes with an AI assistant that guides you through assembling it. Once completed, it plays music. There are 24 different designs you can build, meaning 24 different songs.”

“I see.”

Though Yu Zhiwan had always been indifferent toward others and didn’t particularly like Chen Lulu, she couldn’t help but feel a rare flicker of emotion at this moment.

Chen Lulu knew she was “blind” and that many gifts would be useless to her, so she had deliberately chosen a musical puzzle. The AI assistant’s primary function was actually to guide the blind through assembly ordinary people could figure it out on their own with some patience, as it wasn’t particularly difficult.

In the past, when she was constantly immersed in darkness, few had ever considered whether she might be bored. She had long since learned to cope with loneliness on her own, even suppressing such negative emotions with rationality.

Yu Zhiwan felt something bittersweet and tender swelling in her chest, an emotion slowly brewing, waiting to break free. The dim lighting of the cinema hid the glimmer of gratitude in her eyes. Carefully, she ran her fingers over the box’s braided ribbon before turning back to Chen Lulu with a smile:

“Thank you. I love it.”

“Zhiwan,” Pei Yujiang called her softly from the side, “the movie is about to start.”

This was a fifteen-minute trailer, consisting of behind-the-scenes footage and Easter eggs with minimal spoilers that wouldn’t affect the viewing experience or anticipation. Chen Lulu, who was tackling such a heavy-themed script for the first time, was eager to hear everyone’s feedback. As the trailer began, the entire theater fell silent.

Dominantly colored in black, white, and gray, the palette painted a bleak, post-apocalyptic world. The sound of zombies gnashing and tearing flesh echoed through the surround-sound theater, so immersive it felt as though the undead were crawling right beside you.

Chen Lulu wore heavy makeup for her role as an ordinary woman from the streets. On the day the outbreak occurred, she was at home with her four or five-year-old child, telling stories and watching the little one practice writing. The scene was set in a dilapidated old building, where distant noises could faintly be heard. A close-up captured the sudden flash of panic in Chen Lulu’s eyes.

Her husband had left that morning and never returned. Standing at the door, she stared at the twisted, grotesque faces pressing against the glass entrance downstairs. Grabbing whatever weapon she could find, the petite woman, who had never been physically strong was forced to pick up her child and flee for survival.

Along the way, she encountered all sorts of people. A group of burly men armed with sticks helped her and some elderly and weak survivors fend off the zombies, only to later treat young women like commodities at night, randomly selecting them for their amusement. Chen Lulu’s character teamed up with a college student protecting his younger sister, fighting back by stabbing the leader in the neck before escaping into the rain-soaked night…

The trailer was vivid and gripping, with behind-the-scenes clips seamlessly woven in, each moment more heart-pounding than the last. Later, when her companions fell into another trap, the protagonist was torn between rescuing them and protecting her daughter, leaving her agonizing over the impossible choice.

The screen cut to black at this very moment, leaving the audience craving more.

Chen Lulu’s expressive eyes completely shattered her usual bubbly, cute image from idol dramas. Unafraid of unflattering makeup, she even requested the artist to add faint crow’s feet at the corners of her eyes to better portray the years of hardship her character had endured.

Pei Yujiang found herself stirred as well. Having lived through an apocalypse herself, most modern dystopian films felt trivial to her. Yet she had to admit Chen Lulu had poured her soul into this project, it explored the moral dilemmas of humanity in crisis, and the narrative restraint made it intriguing.

With excellent sound effects and dialogue, Pei Yujiang guessed Yu Zhiwan could follow the general plot. As they exited, she began discussing it with her. Chen Lulu stayed behind to interact with fans, taking photos and signing autographs. Seeing that the remaining events were fan-centric and didn’t involve her, Pei Yujiang quietly excused herself and left with Yu Zhiwan.

In the restroom, they ran into a few fans and staff members. Two fans recognized Pei Yujiang and Yu Zhiwan, eagerly approaching to greet them.

Many knew Pei Yujiang by now the two girls who had taken photos with them under the tower at Yihu Park were among their followers. Those fans had excitedly posted the group shot in their social circles, only for it to spread online and alert Yicheng’s authorities, who then took action against them.

Later, the two girls seemed to realize their group photo had been circulated online and apologized to Pei Yujiang through the public account’s backend. Pei Yujiang didn’t blame the young girls, but became more cautious about taking photos afterward.

When another photo request came, Yu Zhiwan proactively took out her phone:

“Let’s use my phone. The photos can stay in my album, is that okay?”

The two girls eagerly agreed.

They seemed to like Yu Zhiwan even more than Pei Yujiang, both wanting to take pictures with her. Since the Omega was blind, one girl considerately crouched down to hold her phone, taking several shots but appearing unsatisfied.

“Ugh, my makeup isn’t great today, and my lipstick has faded a bit. I don’t look good in photos.”

Yu Zhiwan’s phone didn’t have beauty camera apps or editing software, and she rarely took selfies. After reviewing the photos, the girls deleted them and repeatedly apologized to Yu Zhiwan.

With her characteristic good nature, Yu Zhiwan smiled:

“It’s alright.”

Pei Yujiang was about to offer using her phone when the girls excused themselves to the restroom. Noticing their apparent lack of interest in her, Pei Yujiang didn’t press the matter.

That evening, Yu Zhiwan even visited Pei Yujiang’s home to help unwrap the gift from Chen Lulu. The rectangular box was surprisingly heavy, revealing layer upon layer of exquisite packaging that clearly indicated its value.

Seeing how thoughtfully Chen Lulu had prepared a gift for Yu Zhiwan, Pei Yujiang felt genuinely happy but couldn’t resist teasing:

“Chen Lulu treats you so well, she didn’t give me anything.”

Yu Zhiwan wasn’t fooled. Closing her eyes as usual to sink into darkness, she relied on touch while retorting:

“If you want it that badly, wrap yourself up as a gift for her. She’d surely return the favor.”

Pei Yujiang caught her implication and protested, “I would never!”

“Aren’t you ‘Dewdrop’?”

“Dewdrop” was the nickname for Chen Lulu’s fans. It took Pei Yujiang a moment to process this. Meanwhile, Yu Zhiwan had already spread out the puzzle pieces on the table, assembling them without missing a beat in their conversation.

Pei Yujiang watched those dexterous hands, her gaze gradually shifting to Yu Zhiwan’s delicate face. Unexpectedly, she noticed something off in the Omega’s expression her full lips pressed tightly, as if wrestling with some inner conflict.

Seeing such an expression on Yu Zhiwan’s face was a first, and Pei Yujiang found it intriguing, leaning in for a closer look.

Just then, Yu Zhiwan opened her eyes, abruptly confronted with Pei Yujiang’s striking features magnified before her. She nearly lost composure, barely managing to keep her flustered reaction hidden.

The weighty, tense breathing sent warning signals from her overburdened heart, throwing Yu Zhiwan uncharacteristically off balance. Recognizing she shouldn’t stay longer, Yu Zhiwan made an excuse about being tired after working on the puzzle for a while, left the pieces at Pei Yujiang’s place, and retreated next door.

Yu Zhiwan took a shower, letting cool water cascade down her spine as fragrant lather caressed every inch of skin. Only while drying her hair did she begin to calm down. Turning the hairdryer to its lowest setting, she heard the distinctive vibration of a message notification from her bedroom.

Yu Zhiwan unlocked her phone with a fingerprint, and Pei Yujiang’s message immediately caught her eye.

“Zhiwan jiejie, if I were to like Chen Lulu, would you get jealous?”

“Then you should debut, and I’ll be your number one fan.”

Pei Yujiang: Hesitating to speak, pushing the limits of their dynamic.

Yu Zhiwan: Can’t hold back anymore, immediately decides to manually make Pei Yujiang realize her feelings (pondering).

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