The Cannon Fodder Stole the Male Lead’s Script GL - Chapter 22

Zhan Rao blinked her wide, innocent eyes and looked pitifully at Jiang Yun. Just moments ago, she had been full of arrogance, her hand swinging boldly toward someone’s face. Now, she had no idea what to do with her hands. They fidgeted awkwardly in front of her as her fingers twisted together.

“Jiang Yun, I really didn’t mean to. I just got worked up for a moment. I’m not the type of person who hits people without reason.”

Zhan Rao’s voice was soft and plaintive as she gazed up at Jiang Yun, hoping that Jiang Yun would still be as forgiving as she had always been.

Although she appeared apologetic on the outside, her thoughts told a different story. She realized she had acted too hastily. She should have waited until that little wench Li Yue was alone. Then she could have dragged her into some shadowy corner of this ancient tomb and finished her off during the secret chamber expedition.

Even if Li Yue did not die, at the very least, she deserved to have that filthy mouth of hers shut permanently.

Zhan Rao pressed her lips together and looked at Jiang Yun. She stepped closer and gently lifted Jiang Yun’s hand. She tugged it, swaying it back and forth, pouting and pleading in a sweet voice.

“Please, Jiang Yun. Forgive me, okay? I promise I will not act so impulsively next time. I am really not an impulsive person. I do not even like hitting people.”

Fighting was such a mess. It would be much better to kill cleanly and be done with it.

Jiang Yun stared at her for a long time, then let out a soft chuckle. She raised her hand and patted Zhan Rao on the head. Then, with practiced ease, she pinched her soft, dumpling-like cheeks. They were pale and pink, turning red immediately from the squeeze. The feeling was so satisfying that it made people want to pinch her again.

“I believe you. My little Zhan Rao isn’t that kind of person. It’s Li Yue who talks like slime. Hitting her would only dirty your hands. Next time, let me take care of it.”

“What?!” Zhan Rao looked at Jiang Yun in disbelief.

She never expected her to say something like that.

Her heart warmed instantly.

She nodded vigorously, her large eyes crinkling with joy until they nearly became tiny slits. “Yes! Jiang Yun, don’t worry. I promise I won’t hit her again. I’m really a gentle person. I don’t like fighting or anything messy like that.”

Zhan Rao instinctively wanted to reinforce her claim.

Jiang Yun watched her continue to act and didn’t bother pointing out the pretense.

“I know.”

“Whew, really? That’s a relief.” Zhan Rao patted her chest, looking visibly relaxed. “I was so scared you wouldn’t talk to me anymore, Jiang Yun.” As she spoke, she tugged on Jiang Yun’s hand and leaned her head against her shoulder, acting sweetly. “Honestly, I was terrified when I slapped Li Yue just now. That was my first time ever hitting someone.”

This time, Zhan Rao was not lying.

Some strange, unknown force kept her from doing anything too extreme. But the words Li Yue and Jiang Yun had exchanged earlier had pushed her to the edge.

From the moment Zhan Rao heard Li Yue insulting Jiang Yun, she could hardly hold herself back. She had wanted to rush over and slap her right away. However, she couldn’t even lift her hand at first. The reason she was able to hit that little wretch in the end was because she took a chance and tried her luck.

As it turned out, her guess had been right.

Just like she could speak her mind freely around Jiang Yun, as long as she stayed close to her physically, she could also act without being restricted.

That was why she had grabbed Jiang Yun’s hand before slapping Li Yue.

Zhan Rao stole a glance at Jiang Yun, who was now bending her head to search for clues with full focus.

Jiang Yun really was her salvation in this world. She was the key that could unlock all of Zhan Rao’s restraints.

Her Jiang Yun.

For her sake, Zhan Rao was willing to pretend to be kind for a lifetime.

The two of them began exploring the secret chamber.

The clues around them were completely illogical. Nothing seemed to connect. The only notable find was a massive stone door, which they could assume was the exit.

The clock embedded in the ceiling of the stone chamber now read 10:09. Their time was running short.

“Everyone, gather and report what you found,” Yan Kuo called out loudly.

The others responded to his call and gathered around.

Jiang Yun and Zhan Rao joined them, as did Tong Xue, Cai Minhao, and even Li Yue and Xin Keke.

Li Yue was covering her face with her hand. But in the areas her hand did not cover, the bright red imprint of a slap was still clearly visible.

“Li Yue, what happened to your face?” Cai Minhao asked with genuine concern. Because of a past conflict, he had been feeling guilty, so he had been especially attentive toward the pitiful-looking girl.

However, Li Yue did not seem grateful at all. She glared at him and snapped, “Nothing.”

Cai Minhao was left completely confused. He had been trying to be nice, and yet she lashed out at him.

“Forget it. Don’t bother with her,” Tong Xue said, clearly fed up. After spending just half a day around Li Yue, she already found the girl fake and increasingly annoying. She pulled Cai Minhao back to keep him from interfering any further.

“We were supposed to share our findings, right? I’ll go first,” Tong Xue said, eager to get out of the chamber. “On the north side, there were a bunch of coffins. But after looking for a while, it was obvious they were just props. The only useful things I found were a roll of white nylon string and a pair of scissors. That was it.”

Yan Kuo nodded. “Minhao and I checked the east side. We found four candles without wicks and a box of matches. That’s all.”

Li Yue kept her head down and stayed silent. She had spent her time bothering Jiang Yun and then getting slapped by Zhan Rao. She hadn’t looked for clues at all. Fortunately, Xin Keke timidly raised her hand.

“I… I found a small sailboat. It popped out when I accidentally triggered a mechanism. It’s just floating there on the water…” She pointed with a trembling finger at the stream running through the stone chamber.

In reality, Xin Keke had been scared of being alone. She had gone to look for Li Yue. But on the way, she slipped and bumped into a wall, triggering a hidden mechanism. That was when the sailboat was released.

“But I can’t reach it. It’s across the water. We probably won’t be able to get to it,” she added, her face pale as she trembled again.

Although she was timid, her desire to escape was stronger. She had tried to retrieve the sailboat, but it was definitely out of reach.

A two-meter-wide stream surrounded the entire chamber. There was no way to cross it directly. That was why none of them had been able to leave the room.

So if they wanted to escape, there was only one solution. They had to block the water flow, uncover the hidden bridge underneath, and then open the stone door.

However, right now, they had no idea how to do that.

Everyone turned to look at Jiang Yun and Zhan Rao.

Everyone else had already shared their findings. Only the two of them had not said anything.

Jiang Yun raised her hand. She was holding a blood-stained throwing knife.

“This is all we found.”

Everyone fell silent.

Xin Keke, pale and exhausted with fear, became slightly hysterical. “Did you two even try looking? Everyone else found something. How come you didn’t find anything at all?”

Tong Xue shot her a glare, then looked over at Zhan Rao, who was smiling calmly. “Rao Rao, did you really find nothing either?”

Zhan Rao’s eyes sparkled. She smiled brightly and nodded without hesitation. “That’s right. We didn’t find anything.”

Just as everyone began to look disappointed, she suddenly turned to Jiang Yun.

“But I think Jiang Yun might already know the answer.”

Everyone stared, confused.