Transmigrated as the Cannon Fodder Boss of the Disabled Heroine - Chapter 78

Pei Yujiang didn’t think the nurse would lie to her about something like this, and a sudden sense of foreboding washed over her.

As it turned out, her intuition was right. After the nurse left, Pei Yujiang realized no one had come to visit her. Pei Jinhuai hadn’t sent her any messages since that day either, making her wonder, had she traveled through time again?

But her body was still the same, unchanged. That could only mean one thing.

Pei Jinhuai and Yu Zhiwan were both angry with her.

The moment this possibility crossed her mind, Pei Yujiang’s thoughts sharpened into clarity, and she finally grasped the severity of the situation. Yu Zhiwan being upset with her was still within her tolerance, but if even Pei Jinhuai, who doted on her so much was ignoring her, just how furious must he be?

But… she hadn’t gotten seriously injured this time, had she?

Just as she had told Yu Zhiwan, Pei Yujiang wasn’t reckless. Of course, she wouldn’t be foolish enough to ignore her surroundings.

While dismantling the bomb’s wiring, she had already sensed movement behind her and remained vigilant even as she worked. But dismantling required focus, and in that split second of distraction, she was stabbed.

She had dodged the moment the blade came at her, blocking with her arm instead.

Pei Yujiang could tell the attacker had aimed for her waist, but a wound on the arm was entirely different from one in the waist.

For her, this level of injury was relatively minor. And in exchange, she had saved so many lives otherwise, those people might have been dragged back to that lightless factory, their fates uncertain.

In her mind, it was a trade with no losses.

Of course, she also knew that to outsiders who hadn’t experienced it firsthand, the operation must have seemed terrifying.

When the first muffled gunshot rang out in the night, some of the more timid had already fainted from fear. She hadn’t had time to help them. Others had been knocked unconscious by stun batons or shot dead outright, resulting in some casualties but there had been no avoiding it.

All she could do was save as many people as she could within her line of sight. And since the attackers’ main target had been her, if she hadn’t blocked their line of fire, at best, only half of the group would have survived.

With this in mind, Pei Yujiang mustered her courage and sent Yu Zhiwan a message. To her relief, she didn’t receive a red exclamation mark Yu Zhiwan wasn’t so angry as to block her.

Pei Yujiang typed: “Are you at work right now?” followed by an adorable little bear emoji.

By her calculations, it should be Yu Zhiwan’s working hours. She wondered if Yu Zhiwan would visit after her shift ended. But even when lunchtime arrived, there was still no reply.

Yu Zhiwan’s work hours were strictly regulated. If she had to work overtime, she’d first apply at the attendance machine near HR on the first floor, which took time to reach. But Yu Zhiwan wasn’t the type to work overtime, which meant she was deliberately ignoring her.

After a while, inspiration struck Pei Yujiang again, Zhao Manlin! She had added Zhao Manlin as a friend earlier, but to her frustration, Zhao Manlin wasn’t responding to her messages either.

Pei Yujiang cursed Zhao Manlin fiercely in her heart.

Yu Zhiwan didn’t have many friends aside from Zhao Manlin, there was only Boss Ji. Pei Yujiang hadn’t considered adding Boss Ji’s contact info; she didn’t like that Alpha who had a thing for Yu Zhiwan.

After much deliberation, Pei Yujiang was so bored that she even opened Jiang Wenxiu’s chat and sent her an emoji. To her surprise, Jiang Wenxiu instantly replied with a question mark.

Pei Yujiang: “You bring your phone to class?”

Jiang Wenxiu immediately called her.

“It’s lunch break right now, okay? School lunch break is an hour and a half. What’s wrong with checking my phone after eating?” She first defended herself, then gloated, “Hey, have you noticed no one’s paying attention to you?”

This girl clearly couldn’t keep things to herself. Pei Yujiang could tell she knew something and immediately denied it, saying Yu Zhiwan had enthusiastically chatted with her that morning and would come see her in the afternoon.

Jiang Wenxiu couldn’t hold back her laughter. “Oh come on, stop pretending! This morning, Sister Zhiwan told me not to talk to you!”

Perhaps because Pei Yujiang had asked for her help a few times, Jiang Wenxiu wasn’t as afraid of her anymore. Naturally, when this girl wasn’t acting up, she wasn’t annoying, just a typical teenager.

“Auntie Pei also told me not to message you, but I’m a softie, so I’ll give you a little spoiler. Auntie Pei and Sister Zhiwan are both really mad. They said they won’t talk to you for a few days and want you to be lonely for a while.”

Jiang Wenxiu stifled her laughter over the phone. “But don’t worry, you’ll get your chance soon. After you recover, I’ll have you come to the school. Then you’ll know what to do.”

Pei Yujiang was baffled. Why did Jiang Wenxiu want her to go to the school?

“But you’re still trending right now, you haven’t dropped off the hot searches yet. When you come to the school, I don’t even know if people will ask for your autograph. After all, you’re a big star now, sis.”

Jiang Wenxiu deliberately emphasized the words “big star,” but it wasn’t sarcastic there was even a hint of envy and pride in her tone. Girls her age always had a bit of hero worship.

At any rate, Yicheng’s official news had reported recent disappearances. Although the police had been ineffective and hadn’t found any leads, let alone the missing people, they had at least made the information public.

Now that everyone knew about it, and Pei Yujiang had helped crack the case, reuniting the missing with their families, she had become a celebrity in Yicheng, even gaining national attention.

That night, Pei Yujiang’s follower count skyrocketed by hundreds of thousands, and it had since climbed to over a million, surpassing some actual celebrities.

She had already attracted fans through her livestreams and rescuing Chen Lulu from the tower. That night, her popularity soared, even overshadowing the marriage announcements of two third-tier stars.

Pei Yujiang checked the trending list and found herself still hanging at the bottom. Some were praising her, while others had even taken screenshots from her livestreams, edited them, and were promoting her on forums, making her both amused and exasperated.

Apart from this, what brought her some comfort was seeing others mention the recent increase in abduction cases, emphasizing the need to raise awareness against scams especially for women, who shouldn’t be overly trusting of strangers.

Some bloggers also questioned why these criminals went to such lengths to target specific individuals were they being trafficked for scams or something else?

Pei Yujiang wanted to log in and give those posts a like, but when she refreshed the page, they had already been taken down.

Sometimes, these people were quite successful at silencing discussions. If not for that, Pei Yujiang wouldn’t have taken the risk of going live at that time.

Yu Zhiwan was a woman of strong principles, once she said she wouldn’t visit, she truly didn’t. Even Pei Jinhuai hadn’t sent her a single message in days.

Lonely and dejected, Pei Yujiang went through the discharge procedures alone, called a driver to pick her up, and returned home. Seeing the familiar, exquisitely decorated villa, she was overwhelmed with a sense of warmth even greeting the gardener watering the plants with unusual enthusiasm.

But as soon as she stepped into the living room, something felt off.

Pei Jinhuai had bought a three-story duplex villa. The first floor was the common area, the second housed the study, gym, and bedrooms shared by Pei Jinhuai, Fan Zhaozhao, and Jiang Wenxiao while Pei Yujiang lived alone on the third floor.

Her family wasn’t particularly fond of pets, and she didn’t recall them ever keeping cats or dogs. Yet, on the newly laid carpet of the staircase, she spotted a small silver-gray kitten with faint tabby markings, staring at her with round, curious eyes.

“Meow~”

The kitten wasn’t shy. Seeing her, it tried to clumsily climb down on its stubby legs but struggled. Pei Yujiang then noticed one of its paws seemed injured. It didn’t look like a purebred had someone adopted it?

Hearing the noise, a door on the second floor opened. Jiang Wenxiao, wearing headphones, rushed out, glanced at Pei Yujiang, then hurried to the kitten’s side in a panic, calling out:

“Beibei, Beibei, don’t move!”

“Is this your cat?”

Before she could finish, Jiang Wenxiao had already scooped up the kitten, cradling it gently in her arms. The little cat mewled softly, nuzzling against her affectionately.

“My classmate found it. She couldn’t keep it, so she left it with me for a few days while she looks for a suitable adopter.”

No one in the house was allergic to cats, but with Jiang Wenxiao in school and the others working, leaving the kitten with the housekeeper would mean it wouldn’t bond with its owner. Jiang Wenxiao had no plans to keep it.

Pei Yujiang didn’t intend to adopt a cat either, but she still asked curiously:

“Where’s it staying now?”

As soon as she spoke, another door opened. It was the weekend, and Pei Jinhuai, rarely home without overtime seemed to have heard her and replied:

“Third floor.”

Yu Zhiwan stepped out from behind the door as well, holding a cup of tea. She was in her recovery phase now her legs couldn’t remain inactive forever. Pei Yujiang remembered the doctor’s advice about when she should start moving again. If she recalled correctly, it was around this time, she needed to stand, walk, and do simple exercises like climbing stairs.

But seeing Yu Zhiwan and Pei Jinhuai chatting and laughing together, Pei Yujiang vaguely felt something was off.

Yu Zhiwan wasn’t much of a social person. Most of her conversations with Pei Jinhuai were work-related, and it was rare to see the two of them gathered so intimately like this.

Pei Yujiang knew that Pei Jinhuai had always regarded Yu Zhiwan as a daughter-in-law, but Yu Zhiwan was generally indifferent toward most people, showing little desire for interaction.

Now, seeing them getting along so well, they had just walked out from the bar counter together, Pei Yujiang felt a twinge of unease. Pei Jinhuai had tastefully installed a small mini-bar at home, complete with speakers and mood lighting, resembling a tiny pub where one could enjoy a drink or mix a cocktail if desired.

Pei Jinhuai asked, “What should we have for dinner tonight? Red wine steak or Thai food? I suddenly have a craving for curry shrimp, I tried it at a restaurant once, and it was quite good.”

Yu Zhiwan thought for a moment. “Let’s go with Thai. It’s been a while for me too, and I’m also in the mood for volcano spare ribs.”

Listening to their conversation, which showed no intention of including her, Pei Yujiang suddenly felt a sense of exclusion, as if she were being pushed to the sidelines.

Perhaps it was because Pei Jinhuai had been so good to her ever since she transmigrated here. The warmth of maternal love, which Pei Yujiang had never experienced in her past life, was now fully compensated by this woman, making her unconsciously regard Pei Jinhuai as her own mother.

A rare pang of grievance rose in her chest, and she suddenly hissed, sucking in a sharp breath.

Pei Jinhuai immediately tensed. “What’s wrong?”

Despite everything, Pei Jinhuai still cared about her. Her gaze had been lingering on Pei Yujiang earlier, though she had stubbornly refrained from asking. Now, seeing her daughter seemingly in pain, she couldn’t hold back any longer.

Pei Yujiang shook her head, indicating it wasn’t serious.
“My arm hurts, probably some aftereffects.”

“But your arm was already treated, wasn’t it? How could there still be aftereffects? I remember the doctor said it was a minor injury…” Pei Jinhuai frowned deeply as she approached, her expression tinged with worry. Not wanting to cause her mother undue distress, Pei Yujiang shot Yu Zhiwan a meaningful glance. However, Yu Zhiwan averted her gaze, signaling she wanted no part in this.

Pei Yujiang shook her arm again. “It’s better now. It was just a sudden twinge earlier.”

Pei Jinhuai exhaled in relief, her eyes filled with reproach and lingering fear.
“Honestly, you really must be more careful next time. Don’t push yourself like that again.”

Her mother’s tender concern stirred a warm current in Pei Yujiang’s heart. Yet, even now, she couldn’t help but defend her stance.
“I wasn’t pushing myself. I’d never let myself get seriously hurt. But so many people were saved, isn’t that a good thing?” She met Pei Jinhuai’s gaze and added earnestly, “It was worth it.”

When it came to such calculations, Pei Yujiang had always been stubborn, never one to heed advice. Even if those around her got angry out of worry, it was only temporary, they wouldn’t cut her off forever. She didn’t believe she had done anything wrong.

Meeting her daughter’s resolute gaze, Pei Jinhuai didn’t oppose her wishes, instead tightly grasping her hand with equally firm determination. Her voice remained calm, carrying the gentle tolerance and helplessness of an elder. After a moment, she still reached out to pat Pei Yujiang’s head.

“I know it’s truly cost-effective. You made the right call.”

She rarely showed such parental affection toward Pei Yujiang. At first, Pei Yujiang thought it was because she’d grown older and Pei Jinhuai felt awkward, but gradually realized her mother had simply been hesitant, unsure of how to approach their relationship.

“But no matter how many there are even hundreds or thousands none are as important to me as you are. Can you understand that? Whether you’ll act this way again is up to you, but this is how I feel as your mother.”

The woman gently stroked her hair. Pei Jinhuai, slightly shorter than her daughter, had to stand on tiptoe to pull Pei Yujiang into an embrace, pressing their foreheads together as she murmured softly:

“But no matter what you choose to do in the future, I’ll support you. That’s my stance as a citizen of our nation.”

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