Vicious Cannon Fodder? No, He’s a Darling Wife! - Chapter 1

Get promoted, get rich, and have a dead husband…

….

“Since your husband is dead anyway, why not consider me instead?”

That was the first thing Yuan Su heard when he regained consciousness.

Inside the office, he blinked, staring blankly at the stranger sitting across from him. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the warm glow of the setting sun spilled into the room. Because the man was sitting against the light, his features were partially hidden in shadow, but his deep-set eyes were fixed intently on Yuan Su.

That scorching, scrutinizing gaze swept upward, inch by inch, finally coming to rest on Yuan Su’s face.

The man let out a satisfied smile. When he spoke again, his low voice carried an unmistakable air of flirtation. “A man… isn’t out of the question.”

—This is harassment.

Yuan Su made the judgment in a split second, just as a voice suddenly popped into his head.

【Accept him.】

The command came a moment too late. Faced with the man’s words, Yuan Su’s self-preservation instincts had already kicked in. He opened his mouth and blurted out: “I’m not that desperate.”

The air fell into a dead silence.

Even without looking, Yuan Su could feel the shocked stares from the two officers standing at attention by the office door.

Yuan Su: “…”

The unfamiliar environment and people caused his brain to stall. The words he’d just let slip seemed to have landed him in a precarious position.

Only moments ago, Yuan Su had been sitting in his rented apartment, rushing to finish a group project. After a sudden blackout, he had been yanked into a void of pure white. A strange entity calling itself the “Vicious Cannon Fodder System” had forcibly bound itself to him.

The system informed him that because he had toyed with the hearts of too many innocent young men—being both fickle and cruel—he was to be sanctioned!

System 527: 【The Vicious Cannon Fodder department is short-staffed, and it just so happens that someone like you…】

The grumbling 527 choked on its words the moment it saw Yuan Su’s face. After a long pause, it cleared its throat, its tone noticeably softening. 【…someone who uses their beauty as a weapon is perfect for this punishment. You must reform yourself properly, okay?】

System 818: 【Seriously, 527? Tuck away that pathetic look. Don’t start pitying a scumbag or you’ll ruin his bad luck streak!】

Watching this bizarre scene, Yuan Su had weakly protested, “…I’m homophobic.”

System 341 gave a cold sneer: 【Homophobic? You went on dates with over eighty different handsome men in a single year!】

【Devious gay!】

【Scumbag’s honeyed words!】

【Stop making excuses. Throw him into the world!】

“I didn’t—”

Yuan Su wanted to fight for his innocence, but his consciousness shattered. When he came to, he was already sitting on a sofa.

The slender, beautiful young man was clearly ill at ease. His pale, porcelain face was a mask of internal conflict, and beneath thick lashes, his amber eyes were as clear and rich as maple syrup. He looked refined, clean, and innocent, yet his unusually full, crimson lips looked like a vivid stain against his youthful skin…

Truly a face that would never lack for lovers.

Chu Wenhe, who had been tapping his fingers on the desk, paused. Perhaps noticing his gaze was too direct, the youth frowned and turned his face away slightly. It was clearly a sign of discomfort, yet it somehow came across as shy and helpless.

How pitiable.

Even after being insulted, Chu Wenhe didn’t feel angry. Instead, a strange, restless heat flared up in his throat. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he suppressed the urge.

The corner of his mouth quirked up. “You have an interesting way of speaking.”

Yuan Su found the comment bizarre, but he forced himself to respond: “Thank you.”

[Is he a masochist?]

He breathed a small sigh of relief, his voice inadvertently softening. After speaking, he stole a glance at the other man, only to unfortunately lock eyes with him again.

Yuan Su: “…”

He looked away as naturally as he could manage, though his fingers were awkwardly digging into the sofa cushions. He soon realized he was being too obvious when a soft chuckle came from across the desk.

“No need to be nervous. I’ve quite enjoyed our time together today.”

Like a predator whose appetite and playfulness had been piqued by a plump wild rabbit, Chu Wenhe leaned back lazily. When he smiled, his ruggedly handsome face took on a hint of roguishness, and the cold aura surrounding him seemed to dissipate.

“I’ll send someone to verify that batch of weapons in a few days,” he said. “If everything is in order, this will be considered a contribution to the base. You’ll be rewarded with a generous amount of points. Afterward, we can arrange a comfortable clerical position for you, or send you to another base.”

With that, Chu Wenhe stood up and extended his hand. “A pleasure doing business with you.”

Yuan Su’s mind was blank, but he followed suit. “A pleasure.”

He wasn’t particularly fond of physical contact with strangers, so he offered a brief, hesitant squeeze before quickly pulling his hand back. The soft, delicate sensation vanished in an instant; Chu Wenhe hadn’t even fully closed his grip before the hand was gone.

A faint, inexplicable sense of regret flickered in his heart. The man quietly rubbed his fingertips together before offering a polite dismissal. “It’s getting late. Be safe on your way back.”

The deal with Yuan Su had been a whim. Everyone in the military knew that the army and Yuan Su’s husband had been at each other’s throats for a long time. Chu Wenhe had been curious: what did this beautiful little widower, whose husband had just died, want with him?

Now it seemed he was simply desperate to find a new patron.

He had heard rumors that the wife of Qin Zhao, leader of the Hunter’s Guild, was as weak as a dodder flower—a pampered, willful beauty who used his husband’s protection to stir up trouble everywhere…

Seeing him in person, that face was indeed as legendary as the rumors suggested.

As Yuan Su rose to leave, the man spoke again. “By the way.”

Yuan Su turned back, looking up at him with a puzzled, quiet obedience as he waited for the man to finish.

“You might want to consider my suggestion.”

With a meaningful smirk, Chu Wenhe touched the brim of his cap and walked out first.

…Consider what?

System 341 clarified: 【Consider becoming his lover. That was the original purpose of your character’s visit.】

Without even thinking, Yuan Su muttered, “Is he even worthy?”

He replied so quickly and with such a flat, emotionless tone that it felt like a subtle, inadvertent mockery.

341: 【…】

Sensing the system’s silence, Yuan Su added sincerely: “I didn’t mean any harm.”

It was purely a reflex. Natural instinct. Thank you.

….

The elevator arrived. Once inside the enclosed space, Yuan Su finally relaxed. Looking through the glass at the city outside, he saw rows of buildings and streetlights flickering to life. They seemed to be at the highest point of the city, overlooking everything, but the horizon was blocked by a massive metal wall encircling the entire area. The red obstacle lights flashing atop the wall felt cold and piercing.

The unfamiliar architecture made Yuan Su swallow hard. “Where am I?”

System: 【Your first mission world.】

Yuan Su felt a twinge of indignation, his voice sounding unintentionally pained. “But I never agreed to this.”

The system went silent for a few seconds before maintaining its cold tone: 【We’ve moved to mandatory execution.】

“Can you send me back?” Yuan Su asked, his voice softening into a plea.

This time, the silence lasted longer. When the system spoke again, its tone was noticeably gentler.

【You died of overwork in the real world. If you complete your missions and meet your performance targets, you can be resurrected. Additionally, the system will provide a cash reward.】

Yuan Su asked casually, “How much?”

【Ten million per world.】

How much?!

In three seconds, the system witnessed a total transformation of the human spirit.

The previously listless Yuan Su shuddered, his eyes lighting up. His amber eyes rounded like a cat’s—bright, shimmering, and suddenly quite innocent.

“I—I want to work! I want to start my shift! Mr. System, I am ready!”

【Understood. Allow me to introduce myself. I am your personal system, 341. I will accompany you through every mission.】

Perhaps the power of money was just that infectious, because Yuan Su felt that 341’s icy voice now sounded almost tender.

【I will now begin importing the original plot for this world.】

This was a post-apocalyptic world. Natural disasters, rampant viruses, and mutated animals that preyed on humans. Survivors had formed bases to live and reproduce.

The Protagonist (Top/Seme) was once the most dangerous test subject in an illegal laboratory. He escaped as a child with the help of the Protagonist (Bottom/Uke) and disguised himself as a human. After the apocalypse, the two became brothers-in-arms by chance, unaware of their shared past.

The original host (Yuan Su’s character) had once saved the Seme. To enjoy a life of luxury, he used that debt of gratitude to force the Seme into marriage, all while secretly looking down on the Seme’s background.

During an accident, the original host saw the Seme’s true form and decided to kill him. When the Seme left the base to gather supplies, the original host poisoned his water, leading to his death.

Immediately after, the original host took the keys to the guild’s weapon warehouse and went to find the Seme’s rival—the Second Lead (Chu Wenhe)—using the weapons to curry favor.

However, the Seme didn’t actually die. He shed his human form, easily re-entered the base, and discovered the original host’s true face. At the same time, he realized that his second-in-command—the Uke—had been investigating his death, denouncing the host’s betrayal, and working tirelessly to keep the guild together…

The two leads reunited, their feelings deepened, and they confessed their love during a viral outbreak at the base. In the midst of the crisis, they brought back a vaccine. The original host tried to steal the credit while they were injured, but failed.

Settling both old and new debts, the original host was eventually exiled from the base and torn to shreds by mutated beasts. The two protagonists became heroes and lived happily ever after.

The end.

【Your task is simple: just follow the plot. You are weak and fragile, but you know how to use your looks to get what you want, subtly driving a wedge between the two leads to ensure you remain the primary beneficiary.】

Yuan Su frowned, whispering a mumble: “So I’m just… purely evil?”

341 responded to his performance so far with a faint, cold snort.

【The man you just met was the Second Lead—Chu Wenhe. You can be a bit more spoiled; don’t be so polite.】

Yuan Su had an epiphany. He gave a soft huff. “You don’t need to tell me.”

341: 【…That’s the spirit. But you can be polite to me.】

“Yes, yes, Mr. System.”

Fired up by the thought of his astronomical salary, Yuan Su’s passion for work was burning bright. “I’ll do my best!”

Under the system’s guidance, he returned “home.”

He pushed the door open to find a minimalist, elegant interior. Yuan Su was surprised; he had assumed his husband, Qin Zhao, a man powerful enough to stand on equal footing with the military, would live a lavish lifestyle. Instead, the home was just a spacious apartment.

As darkness fell, he turned on the lights and reflexively looked around before flopping onto the bed. “Where’s… my husband?” he asked nervously.

【You already poisoned him to death.】

Yuan Su froze. He finally realized exactly where he was in the timeline. Realizing he didn’t have to share a room with a strange man, he let out a sigh of relief and sank into the soft bed. He let out a muffled yawn and asked casually, “So, when will he come back?”

【Tonight.】

The moment the system finished speaking, a sudden, frantic pounding erupted at the door.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A cold, masculine voice drifted through the door, sounding like a ghost from the shadows.

“Open the door.”

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