Who Wants to Be the Affectionate Cannon Fodder?! [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 6

【What are you pretending for!!!】

【The stairs are right there! Could you stop being so dramatic? Falling from the first floor is a bone fracture at the very least!】

As he landed, Yu Lin’s body tilted uncontrollably to the side, his feet staggering for a few steps. However, he inconspicuously braced himself against the ground with one hand; to an onlooker, it simply looked like he was striking a grand pose.

Yu Lin was not yet used to this body.

Although he had no memories from before entering the system, he was certain his original body hadn’t been this weak. He constantly felt as if his soul had been stuffed into an ill-fitting shell, making every movement feel awkward.

He stepped forward and grabbed Xu Ze’an’s wrist. Using the soft fabric of the other man’s sleeve, he wiped the dust off his own hand. He then slowly pried Xu Ze’an’s fingers off Xie Zhizhang’s arm without giving the latter even a single glance.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing!?” Xu Ze’an shook his hand off in a rage, roaring hoarsely, “There are so many Omegas in the world, do you have to fight me for this one?”

Yu Lin shot him a look of pure disdain, as if saying, “Listen to the nonsense coming out of your mouth.”

“I like him, I want to pursue him, and seeing him get bullied by an eyesore makes me want to protect him. Isn’t that normal? Why do you have so many questions?”

Yu Lin raised his hand, shielding Xie Zhizhang as they took a step back, pulling him out of the range of Xu Ze’an’s fury.

Sure enough, as soon as they backed away, Xu Ze’an barked, “Who are you calling an eyesore?”

Immediately, a system notification popped up: [Affection Value +10. Contributor: Xu Ze’an]

Ignoring him, Yu Lin turned to praise Xie Zhizhang: “Well done.” He was starting to find this Omega quite pleasing to the eye.

Xie Zhizhang, however, cautiously tugged at the corner of Yu Lin’s clothes, pursing his lips and signaling with his eyes for Yu Lin to pay a little more attention to Xu Ze’an’s temper.

Indifferent, Yu Lin lightly brushed Xie Zhizhang’s shoulder and turned to walk toward the teaching building, but Xu Ze’an lunged forward to block their path.

Yu Lin could practically hear the sound of the man grinding his molars. “Who gave you permission to leave?”

“He already rejected you, so why are you still being so persistent?” Yu Lin tilted his head, looking genuinely puzzled. “Besides, you said it yourself: there are so many Omegas in the world. Why do you care so much about him?”

Xu Ze’an seemed provoked by this needle-in-cotton attitude. The fury on his face burned even brighter. “Who the hell is being persistent? You say I care about him? I can get any Omega I damn well please! I’m just taking pity on him because he’s as weak and pathetic as a quail!”

“Is that so?” Yu Lin turned his head to study Xie Zhizhang’s expression. Hearing those words, Xie Zhizhang showed no emotional fluctuation, though his already pale skin seemed to look even more fragile under the sunlight.

Xie Zhizhang tightened his grip on the corner of Yu Lin’s shirt. His lips parted slightly, letting out a breathy whisper that only the two of them could hear: “Let’s go.”

Thus, Yu Lin swallowed the retort he had prepared for Xu Ze’an. He withdrew his gaze and led Xie Zhizhang around the obstacle.

The incensed Xu Ze’an likely hadn’t expected to be ignored twice in a row. He spun around, staring venomously at their retreating backs. Suddenly, as if a thought had struck him, his tone turned dark: “Xie Zhizhang, if you walk away this time, there won’t be a next time. Do you really want to go back to your old life?”

Upon hearing this, Xie Zhizhang’s footsteps halted.

Thinking he had achieved his goal, Xu Ze’an curled his lips into a faint, triumphant smirk.

“The eyeballs are the most fragile part of the human body, and the throat is also very soft.” To everyone’s surprise, Xie Zhizhang spoke these words out of nowhere. He let go of Yu Lin’s shirt, but his head remained lowered, his gaze drifting over the patterns of light and shadow on the ground. “I will learn to fight back.”

As the words fell, he tentatively tilted his head up. His puppy-like, downturned eyes met Yu Lin’s surprised gaze directly. His eyes were moist, like a vast deep sea, seemingly asking, “You will help me, won’t you?”

Expressionless, Yu Lin gave a firm, heavy nod, giving him his answer.

The bell for the final class rang, and Yu Lin sat up with bleary eyes. On the podium, the teacher closed the English speech video, and other students began packing their bags. He leaned against the back of his chair, spacing out for a few seconds until his mind cleared, then grabbed his empty backpack and followed Xie Zhizhang.

Lin He had gone out early this morning for unknown reasons and hadn’t returned by evening. Yu Lin’s grand feast of white porridge had fallen through, so at noon, he had excitedly made plans with Xie Zhizhang to crash at his place for dinner.

It was also the perfect time to create a “Fragile Omega Growth Plan” for Xie Zhizhang.

The only bus that went directly to the tenement buildings was Route 26. The stop was at the street corner a hundred meters away, and it ran every twenty minutes. To catch the nearest bus, Xie Zhizhang rarely wasted time at school, usually jogging out of the gates every day.

Since he had Yu Lin with him today, he felt a bit awkward. He kept stealing glances along the way, afraid that Yu Lin might find it tedious.

As it was near the evening rush hour, the Route 26 bus was packed. The moment it arrived, the crowd waiting at the station swarmed forward. If Xie Zhizhang hadn’t pulled the dazed Yu Lin in time, Yu Lin likely would have been the one getting his backpack stuck in the closing doors.

The bus swayed and jolted. Xie Zhizhang used his thin frame to squeeze into a corner between a seat and the window, taking out a worn English dictionary to read quietly.

Compared to Yu Lin, who hung off a hand strap and swayed aimlessly like a typical slacker, Xie Zhizhang was indeed excessively hardworking.

007 hovered relentlessly in Yu Lin’s mind, lecturing him: 【See? This is Xie Zhizhang’s daily life. If you break them apart, he can only…】

Yu Lin interrupted in a flat tone: 【If they stay together, Xie Zhizhang won’t be able to go to university.】

【Why do you think being with Xu Ze’an is the life he wants?】

007: 【But this is the script of this world!】

Yu Lin was unimpressed: 【So what?】

After forty minutes of swaying, the bus finally reached its destination. By the time they got off, the book in Xie Zhizhang’s hand had changed to An Encyclopedia of Cultural Knowledge.

Yu Lin followed closely behind him. The stray cat he had seen yesterday was nowhere to be found today. He looked around with a hint of regret before following Xie Zhizhang upstairs.

The hallway was cluttered. Trash was piled by the doors of several units, and the foul stench of rotting food leaked from plastic bags into the air.

In contrast, Xie Zhizhang’s home was excessively simple. It was a two-bedroom, one-kitchen layout. The living room was only a few dozen square meters, with no sofa, just an old-fashioned coffee table and two low cabinets with peeling paint.

Xie Zhizhang’s grandmother heard the sound of the door opening. She shuffled out of her room, leaning against the wall for support, and said in a slur, “Little one, you’re back?”

Her memory fluctuated; today seemed to be a good day.

Yu Lin watched as Xie Zhizhang quickly kicked off his shoes and walked over barefoot, tossing his backpack onto the low cabinet. “Yeah, I’m back.”

A neighbor started cooking, the sound of sizzling oil suddenly erupting.

The elderly woman was about to return to her room with Xie Zhizhang’s help when her clouded eyes caught sight of Yu Lin standing straight at the doorway. She stopped and said curiously, “A friend came over today?”

Xie Zhizhang looked at her, then at Yu Lin, and nodded. “Yes, a classmate. No one is home at his place today, so he’s coming over for dinner.”

When he spoke to his grandmother, he wasn’t as timid or fearful, Yu Lin noted.

Yu Lin closed the door, his almond-shaped eyes scanning the decorations in the front room. He was instantly drawn to the dusty swords hanging on the wall. He walked to the low cabinet and looked up, wondering how to politely take them down to play with.

Xie Zhizhang, emerging from the room, didn’t notice his intentions. Carrying the leftover dishes from the old woman’s meal, he hurried toward the kitchen to save time. “Lin Zhou, I’ll start cooking. The room on the right is mine, you can sit wherever you like.”

Knowing Xie Zhizhang had a part-time job later, Yu Lin gave a quick “Okay” and started wandering around on his own.

The doors to the two bedrooms were adjacent at a right angle. Yu Lin originally intended to check out Xie Zhizhang’s room, but just as he reached the door, the grandmother called him into her room.

The grandmother’s bedroom was more spacious than Xie Zhizhang’s, containing a soft leather sofa and an old wooden table and cabinet. A row of plastic jars of various sizes was lined up on the table, their contents unclear.

Yu Lin stood there blankly as she took his hand and led him step by step to the wooden table. He watched her slow movements as she picked up a jar, unscrewed the lid, and with trembling hands, poured five or six dried plums into his palm.

“Good boy, eat up,” she murmured. She reached for another jar with the same slow movements, her rough, weathered hands holding a handful of raisins to press into Yu Lin’s hand.

“Grandma!” Xie Zhizhang’s voice came from the kitchen. He had just poked his head out to check and, seeing what was happening, hurried over still holding a spatula.

His grandmother treated these dried fruits like treasures, wishing she could share them with everyone she met. But how could a young master like Lin Zhou possibly care for such simple snacks?

He opened his mouth, wanting to say it was okay and that he would sneak them back later.

But to his surprise, the boy just stared down at the dried fruit in his hand for a few seconds before popping one into his mouth. His sharp canine teeth bit through the flesh, and Yu Lin instinctively sighed, “So sweet.”

Followed immediately by: “Why is there a pit?”

Even Xie Zhizhang couldn’t help but let out a smile.

He tore off a piece of paper, handed it to Yu Lin, and said, “Spit it here.”

Yu Lin gave a muffled “Mm-hmm,” and as soon as he spit out the pit, he popped in a second plum.

He ate like a hamster; his already small mouth was stuffed full, his cheeks bulging, yet he still wanted to put in a third.

“Eat slowly, I have plenty more here. My little one doesn’t like these.” The grandmother’s narrow eyes crinkled until they were almost slits. Her eyes were a hazy gray-black, her face a map of age spots and wrinkles, yet her expression was excessively kind. “Want more?”

Yu Lin looked down at her face and nodded like a little chick pecking at grain.

He’d have to get Lin He to buy him a few jars later.

Thinking this, he suddenly felt a coolness on the back of his hand. He slowly realized there was moisture on his face.

Startled, he reached up to touch it. A cool tear track had slid from under his eye down his cheek, landing just now on the back of his hand.

He was crying?

But why?