Transmigrated as the Cannon Fodder Boss of the Disabled Heroine - Chapter 88

The takeout box wasn’t very warm anymore after being handled. Although it appeared unopened, Pei Yujiang had no intention of eating it. Instead, she carefully unraveled the ball of yarn hidden inside.

As expected, there was a neatly folded slip of paper tucked within.

The text was printed in ink, with no handwritten traces. It contained an address and a phone number starting with 013, an international prefix indicating the messenger’s caution.

Pei Yujiang had heard from Yu Zhiwan that Organization A had influence overseas, though their main stronghold was within the country.

They carried out kidnappings and human trafficking, abducting unsuspecting victims to use as free test subjects. In reality, given the vastness of the country, cases of trafficking were countless every year, making them fairly routine.

Their operations were slow and methodical, like boiling a frog in warm water. They rarely acted in concentrated bursts, often collaborating with specialized traffickers to first transport victims to remote mountainous areas before retrieving them, leaving little trace.

Now, with the government cracking down, nationwide anti-trafficking and anti-fraud campaigns, along with a series of exposed incidents, had heightened public vigilance. Kidnapping had become too risky, and opportunities for deception had dwindled.

The water plant in Xiangcheng had been forced to relocate. The brazen abduction incident in Yicheng had led to the downfall of an entire base. Organization A’s schemes were being dismantled piece by piece. Whether the recent shark incident was linked to them or a natural phenomenon remained unclear, but it had at least served as another wake-up call.

The citizens weren’t fools. It was precisely during these turbulent times that people gradually awakened, no longer believing they lived in an era of peace and prosperity.

And the reckoning against those at the source would come someday.

Pei Yujiang pondered for a moment but didn’t dial the number. Instead, she took a photo of the note as evidence before stashing it away.

She suspected the number was likely purchased abroad and untraceable. As for the location mentioned, it probably wasn’t just about eliminating her. Maybe they wanted to recruit her?

She wasn’t sure, nor did she plan to walk into the enemy’s trap. She opened the takeout box and inspected the now-cold food, even examining the utensils. On the side of the disposable chopsticks, she found a name written in a foreign language, followed by Organization A’s logo.

Pei Yujiang thought of the hurried delivery person from earlier and roughly understood the situation.

The task Mayor Xiang had assigned her was simple: visit a particular elementary school.

It was already December, and the school was preparing for final exams before winter break. The atmosphere was a mix of tension and excitement. Before the holidays, the children would celebrate Christmas here, then enjoy a month-long vacation.

After Pei Yujiang had raised concerns about the water plant with Mayor Xiang, the latter had secretly begun investigations across Xiangcheng and indeed uncovered several similar facilities.

The most peculiar among them was this special school.

As the name suggested, it catered to children with physical disabilities. The teachers were all fluent in sign language, and classes were conducted with specialized methods. Beyond that, the students were no different from ordinary kids.

But most children here either had hearing or vision impairments, other physical disabilities, or intellectual deficiencies. Chief Xiang didn’t want to act rashly, so she had Pei Yujiang investigate first before making further plans.

The school’s management was lax. With Chief Xiang’s help, Pei Yujiang pretended to be a teacher’s friend picking her up after work, allowing her to tour the school near dismissal time. Apart from noticing the children’s poor health, she didn’t find anything suspicious for now.

Chief Xiang didn’t hold much hope for solving the issue immediately:

“During winter break, I’ll have someone sneak in to investigate. Wait for updates. If anything comes up, we’ll deal with it after the New Year.”

After Christmas came the most relaxed time of the year. During the Lunar New Year, many factories would shut down for the holidays, and the festive atmosphere would be lively. While migrant workers returned to their hometowns, the city itself still bustled with activity.

People enjoyed the joy of family reunions during the holiday, chatting over sunflower seeds, shaking off the fatigue of the past year, and indulging in a carefree long vacation. If possible, who wouldn’t want a peaceful New Year?

Pei Yujiang said she had to return to Wing City first. Chief Xiang assumed she was going back to celebrate the New Year and nodded in understanding:

“You should have a good holiday.”

After all, no one knew whether they would even see the sun of the next year while walking such a dangerous tightrope.

Chief Xiang and Pei Yujiang rarely engaged in small talk. They had little in common and had clashed before, so their conversations mostly revolved around work. But before Pei Yujiang left, Chief Xiang handed her a gift box containing a prepaid card worth 1,000 not a large sum for them, but enough to buy some local specialties from Xiang City.

“Take it back for your family to try,” Chief Xiang said with a smile. “Planning to spend the New Year with them?”

“Yeah, I don’t have many relatives.” Pei Yujiang noticed that Pei Jinhuai didn’t seem to interact much with extended family, rarely mentioning them. If they ended up celebrating together, she had no objections. But at the thought, a smile crept onto her lips. “I’ll also be spending it with my girlfriend, Yu Zhiwan.”

She was dressed simply today, but the red scarf around her neck softened the plainness, complementing her smoky-white fur coat and making her fair skin glow. Chief Xiang, noticing how often Pei Yujiang wore the red scarf, guessed it was a token of affection or a gift from Yu Zhiwan.

“That’s wonderful.”

Chief Xiang murmured the words wistfully.

A flicker of sadness passed through her, but she quickly hid it, thanking Pei Yujiang sincerely before waving goodbye.

Pei Yujiang boarded the flight to Wing City.

She had made the trip between Xiang City and Wing City so many times that it was second nature. But this year, she definitely wouldn’t be spending the New Year in the more unstable Wing City.

She planned to bring her family to Xiang City instead at least it was safer there, unlike Wing City, where hidden undercurrents could surface at any moment and force a confrontation.

With just a day or two left until Christmas, the streets were already decked out in festive lights. The moment Pei Yujiang landed, she dove straight into preparations, ordering Christmas gifts for the entire company and shopping for local specialties.

Christmas was just a couple of days before the New Year, so she decided to leave right after the holiday since the kids would have finished their exams by then. Mayor Xiang had given her some local specialties, and it was only proper for her to return the gesture with a gift of her own.

After wrapping things up, Pei Yujiang went back home, took a hot shower, and immediately crashed into bed. The next day, she headed to Yue Rong with the Christmas gifts she had prepared.

Since Yue Rong’s new launch, every employee had been working with renewed vigor. Rumor had it that this year’s year-end bonuses would be even more generous. The new Christmas products had sold exceptionally well on their debut day, and Pei Jinhuai, following Pei Yujiang’s suggestion, donated a portion of the proceeds.

Seeing Pei Yujiang after so long, Pei Jinhuai jokingly said she’d have to borrow her daughter-in-law again, asking what Yu Zhiwan had been up to lately. The product development team had a new idea and wanted to see if Yu Zhiwan could help design another fragrance like last time.

Pei Yujiang wasn’t sure if she had the time and didn’t make any promises on Yu Zhiwan’s behalf, simply saying she’d been very busy recently.

Yu Zhiwan was technically still affiliated with the company but didn’t always come in. Pei Jinhuai didn’t mind, she knew they both had their hands full. Pei Yujiang had already explained this to her before. Not one to pry, Pei Jinhuai quickly changed the subject and asked what she had brought.

Pei Yujiang had learned to banter with her by now:

“What do you think your dear daughter would bring as a gift?”

“A peace apple?”

Gifting peace apples was a Christmas tradition, and Pei Jinhuai couldn’t think of anything else at the moment. Pei Yujiang burst into laughter and had the gifts brought over, personally handing them out to every employee, even the cleaning lady, whom she made sure to give hers directly.

The cleaning lady was flustered by the attention and quickly greeted Pei Jinhuai when she saw her.

Pei Yujiang’s gifts consisted of a frosted apple, a box of candies, and a small cake, the same for everyone. The frosted apples were large and perfectly round, their snowy coating making them look like they’d been dusted with romance and beauty.

Pei Yujiang also suggested to Pei Jinhuai that they could create something like apple-shaped hand cream, cute, festive, and slightly pricier, but the kind of product people would want to keep by their bedside during the New Year.

Pei Jinhuai’s eyes lit up:

“With a flip-top lid?”

“A squeeze tube would work too.”

Many people skipped hand cream simply because they couldn’t be bothered to unscrew the cap, especially in winter. But just like with pump-style facial cleansers, some customers would buy purely for the convenience of a press-down design, similar to hand soap.

“You’re full of ideas!”

Pei Jinhuai tossed out the remark before hurrying off to have her team start preparations, they could reuse some of their existing designs. The hand cream market was already saturated, and most people weren’t picky as long as it moisturized and prevented chapping.

But they could still stand out with scent and packaging. Not a bad idea.

The next day was the weekend, and Yue Rong was closed, but it was also the final day of the city-wide high school exams. That evening, as school let out, Jiang Wenxiu spotted Pei Yujiang waiting for her at the gate.

“Sis! Over here!”

Jiang Wenxiu bounced excitedly in place before squeezing her way through the crowd. Behind her, Pei Yujiang also spotted Jin Duo. Though they weren’t in the same class, the two had become inseparable best friends after their last encounter. Jin Duo was even more outgoing, the moment she saw Pei Yujiang, she sprinted over faster than Jiang Wenxiu.

Jin Duo, being smaller and more agile than Jiang Wenxiu, weaved through the crowd with ease, spreading her arms wide for a hug from Pei Yujiang. Pei didn’t hesitate to return the embrace, patting her head affectionately.

“Here’s your Christmas gift.”

The present had some weight to it, prompting Jin Duo to let out an exaggerated squeal of delight, her admiration overflowing. She tore open the wrapping on the spot to reveal an electronic reading pen.

Jin Duo: “Well… it’s actually… nice… I’ll definitely study hard with it during winter break… haha!”

Pei Yujiang gave her shoulder a reassuring pat:

“I’ll get you something else when you start college.”

Like the entire Yue Rong collection that would be easy for her to obtain.

Ding Fang and Shen Jiayu also received carefully selected gifts from her, each tailored to suit high school students’ preferences. Only Shen Jiayu seemed genuinely thrilled with hers, offering sincere thanks to Pei Yujiang.

When Jiang Wenxiu tried to refuse her gift, Pei threatened her with a raised fist, making the girl reluctantly accept and clutch it to her chest.

Pei handed them her phone to call their families, then treated the girls to a barbecue dinner before seeing each one safely home.

By 10 PM, Jiang Wenxiu freshly released from school for winter break was like a caged beast set free. Expecting her to study tonight would be crushing her spirit; there was no way she’d read even a single word.

After tossing her gift into her room, Jiang Wenxiu collapsed bonelessly onto the sofa and turned on the projector. “Want to watch a horror movie to unwind?” she asked, but Pei showed no intention of staying.

Pei shook her head. “I’m going out tonight, won’t be back.”

Ignoring Jiang Wenxiu’s puzzled look, Pei headed to her room to apply light makeup. She’d improved from her former clumsy attempts, nowhere near beauty blogger level, but presentable.

Her flawless complexion needed little enhancement, though recent irregular schedules had left two tiny clogged pores. Carefully concealing these, she added light foundation, subtle enhancements, and a touch of lip gloss, a ten-minute “no-makeup” makeup look.

Satisfied after several mirror checks, Pei set down her brushes, leaving the mess for the housekeeper to clean later.

As her car sped down the road, she noticed many hurried pedestrians likely rushing home for Christmas celebrations or to meet partners. For them, Christmas held deep significance, practically serving as Valentine’s Day for the young.

Many performed romantic rituals on this date. Before having a girlfriend, Pei never found the day particularly special, just another date on the calendar. But since last Christmas, her life had quietly transformed.

December 24th, 11:45 PM. Pei Yujiang wound her way through several turns before arriving at the building where Yu Zhiwan lived. She had specifically switched cars and done a simple disguise beforehand to make herself as inconspicuous as possible.

Sitting in the car, Pei Yujiang texted Yu Zhiwan. She didn’t get too close to the building. Although Yu Zhiwan had previously given her the address, a sign of complete trust Pei Yujiang didn’t dare take any risks after hearing the gossip her friend at the company had shared with her.

The celebrity Fang Nianjing had also switched cars when visiting her girlfriend in that old apartment complex, only to be ambushed by obsessive fans. While Pei Yujiang didn’t have stalkers and wasn’t nearly as famous, she didn’t want to risk exposing Yu Zhiwan because of her. She had confirmed the security measures in place before coming over.

Even so, Pei Yujiang remained cautious, keeping her distance by parking two alleys away. Yu Zhiwan replied that there was a shortcut she could take.

“Wait for me, about 10 minutes.”

That was the latest message from Yu Zhiwan. Truthfully, timing wasn’t the point, Pei Yujiang just wanted to see Yu Zhiwan on Christmas Day.

Counting the days, they had been apart for nearly half a month. Since getting together, they had never been separated for so long. Both had been buried in their own work lately, exchanging only brief messages like “Have you eaten?” “Yes,” before diving back into their busy schedules.

Yu Zhiwan had been fully immersed in researching the unfinished zombie virus antidote, leaving her swamped and constantly on the move.

December 24th, 11:58 PM. Snow began to fall outside. Pei Yujiang had left the car window open, afraid she might miss Yu Zhiwan’s arrival and wanting to react immediately.

The icy flakes brushed against her face. Two minutes remained before Christmas arrived as promised. Snow and Christmas were inseparable, especially against the backdrop of festive trees and jingling bells on the streets. Pei Yujiang always felt snow made everything more vibrant and beautiful.

11:59 PM. One minute left until Christmas. Pei Yujiang spotted a figure approaching the car.

She was sitting in the backseat and quickly pulled the door open, about to step out, when Yu Zhiwan sprinted toward her.

The Omega, covered in cold snowflakes, threw herself into Pei Yujiang’s arms. Her warm breath melted the frost clinging to Pei Yujiang’s eyelashes. Catching her in an embrace, Pei Yujiang hurriedly pulled her into the car, where the heater kept the interior warm. She shut the window to avoid prying eyes.

“I made it. On time?”

Yu Zhiwan was panting. Up close, Pei Yujiang could see the exhaustion that was far more pronounced than in their video calls, though her eyes sparkled with joy.

Her complexion was pale, and she looked even thinner than before. Pei Yujiang realized that when they had asked each other if they’d eaten, Yu Zhiwan’s “yes” had been a lie. While Pei Yujiang had fibbed occasionally, she had never pushed herself to this extent.

This version of Yu Zhiwan wasn’t as radiant as she usually was, but all Pei Yujiang felt was heartache.

“Why didn’t you eat properly? And why lie to me?”

Yu Zhiwan hesitated, offering no answer.

The moment the clock struck midnight on December 25th, Yu Zhiwan interrupted her words, changed the subject, and sat on Pei Yujiang’s lap. Rubbing her cheek against Pei’s, she asked:

“Merry Christmas. Want to kiss?”

With a sweet, sugar-frosted smile gracing her face, Pei Yujiang pressed their foreheads together. She let out a helpless chuckle before capturing her lover’s lips in a tender, savoring kiss.

Unlike their kiss a year ago which had been tinged with nervousness and the awkward fear of overstepping, Pei Yujiang now moved with complete ease. Kissing, hugging, making love with someone you adore, these were all essential parts of being in love. The pounding of her heart made it even clearer: she loved Yu Zhiwan.

Truly loved her. So very much.

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