The Cannon Fodder Stole the Male Lead’s Script GL - Chapter 37

Neither of them brought up the kiss again. They did not speak of anything deeper, either. Yet something between them had undeniably shifted. They both felt it, although they also knew that this fragile understanding between them could not be exposed just yet.

Zhan Rao went to take a shower. When she returned, she was wearing the pajamas Jiang Yun had prepared for her.

Jiang Yun had thoughtfully asked the driver to deliver two sets of clothes for each of them. One was a set of pajamas, and the other was a dress. Zhan Rao’s pajamas were pink, short-sleeved, and came with shorts, resembling a princess-style outfit. Jiang Yun’s were black satin, also short-sleeved with shorts, free of any patterns or embellishments. They looked perfect on her.

Though their pajamas were different, their dresses matched. Both wore modernized qipao. Zhan Rao’s was white, while Jiang Yun’s was black.

Compared to what she had seen at the library previously, this version of the qipao was looser and more casual in style.

Jiang Yun seemed to really enjoy wearing this type of clothing.

And, in truth, she looked good in everything.

Zhan Rao could not stop a smile from curling at the corners of her mouth. A sense of pride warmed her chest.

When Jiang Yun finished her call, she noticed the younger girl sitting on the hospital bed, slowly and carefully drying her hair.

Jiang Yun put away her phone and held out her hands. “Let me help. Your injured arm will make it difficult.”

Zhan Rao shyly declined. “It’s fine. This hand isn’t hurt, and even the injured one doesn’t hurt much anymore…”

“Hand it to me.”

Jiang Yun’s voice left no room for argument.

Zhan Rao gave in and passed her the towel.

Jiang Yun took it and began drying her hair, section by section. She gently pressed the strands to absorb the moisture.

Her touch was tender and cautious. As she moved through Zhan Rao’s hair, she did it with such care that not even once did Zhan Rao feel her scalp tugged or pulled.

Reflecting on it, Jiang Yun had always seemed cold on the surface but was warm underneath. When someone treated her with a little respect, she returned it generously. If someone offered her kindness, she repaid it tenfold. And toward those she truly cared for, she was meticulous in every detail.

But people often misunderstood her.

Zhan Rao felt a sense of injustice on her behalf, but also a secret happiness. Because she was the only one who had come to know Jiang Yun’s true self.

After she finished drying her hair, Jiang Yun picked up a blow dryer and carefully finished the task.

“Your hair has such a nice texture,” Jiang Yun remarked with admiration.

Zhan Rao’s face lit up with joy. “Maybe it’s because my mom likes making sesame balls for me. Do you like them? I’ll bring you some next time. My mom’s cooking is pretty great.”

She continued inviting her with enthusiasm. “Jiang Yun, why don’t you come to my house sometime? My mom cooks amazing food, and my dad loves fishing. Most of the wild fish we eat come from his catches. We could make fish soup for you.”

She went on without pause. Jiang Yun kept smiling and responded simply, “Alright.”

Once her hair was dry, Jiang Yun went to take a shower. When she came back, Zhan Rao insisted on drying her hair in return. Jiang Yun sighed in mild exasperation but let her do it.

As Zhan Rao used the blow dryer, Jiang Yun’s phone rang. It was a reply from the affiliated administration of Hongye High.

Jiang Yun ended the call after a short conversation.

Zhan Rao leaned against the hospital bed’s headboard, her large eyes gleaming. “Jiang Yun, did you help me… get justice?”

She thought she had just overheard something about Hongye High students being expelled.

Jiang Yun did not try to conceal anything. She adjusted her sleepwear, walked over to the sofa, lay down, and said with ease, “It was nothing serious. I just dealt with it.”

Not only had the Hongye High students been disciplined, but the two street thugs had also been handed over to the police.

All that remained were the students from their own school.

Jiang Yun made it sound as if she were simply crushing a few ants, although Zhan Rao knew the reality must have been far more complicated.

Hongye High was no ordinary school. If Yinchuan High was considered an institution for the wealthy, then Hongye High was for the elite of the elite. The tuition alone reached one million yuan over three years. The students who attended came from backgrounds of immense wealth or power, far beyond that of Yinchuan.

While Yinchuan’s students came from well-off households, Hongye High’s students were born at the very top of society. Their futures were already mapped out. After completing high school, they would be sent to Hongye University overseas, and upon graduating, they would return to take over their family businesses.

There had even been rumors that unless a student at Hongye High committed murder, their parents and the school could smooth over any other offense.

But Jiang Yun had managed to get them expelled in less than three hours?

Just what kind of background did Jiang Yun have?

The more Zhan Rao thought about it, the more she realized something was not right.

Everyone at their school knew Jiang Yun was the heiress of the Jiang Corporation, the beloved daughter of the Jiang family. But no one seemed to know which Jiang Corporation it was. No one even knew what kind of business the Jiang family was in.

Even searching online revealed nothing.

Yet it was common knowledge that the Jiang family was powerful and that Jiang Yun had strong capabilities. Just one phone call had resolved the Hongye High issue. So then—

Why did students at their own school dare to target Jiang Yun so openly?

Were they not afraid of her retaliation?

Unable to figure it out, she voiced her question.

“Jiang Yun, why don’t you just deal with the people at school who target you? Why let them bully you so openly?”

Jiang Yun was typing a message and paused when she heard the question.

Zhan Rao had asked the most crucial question. With Jiang Yun’s identity and connections, she could easily eliminate her enemies, but she could not do that.

Because she was not in control of this world. It was all just a script.

Every aspect had been written in advance to support the main character’s development.

Everyone at school knowing that Jiang Yun had a powerful background was part of the story. The plot required a villainess with a strong background who would challenge the female lead and fawn over the male lead, thus moving the story forward.

The reason people dared offend her despite knowing her background was also part of the story. Everyone had to dislike the villainess to make the female lead appear more kind and well-liked.

Although the Jiang family doted on her, they had still sent her alone to Yinchuan with only a butler. That was because she was not allowed to use the Jiang family’s influence to change anything. At the same time, her being favored was necessary to justify her later reckless sacrifice for the male lead.

If she had not been loved, there would have been no reason for the Jiang family to allow a smaller family like the Yan clan to trample over her.

So all of it, including the mistreatment and the helplessness, was simply part of the plot.

If the script wanted her to act, she could. If it did not, she could not.

The only reason she had been able to deal with the Hongye students was because the incident involved the female lead, Zhan Rao. If it had only concerned herself, she would have been powerless. Everything related to the current Yinchuan storyline was out of her hands. Otherwise, she could have gone straight to the school administrators, named the students who attacked her, and demanded their expulsion. With her status, the administrators would never have refused.

But she knew that was impossible.

Just as she could not even dial her family’s number to request a transfer.

Even handling Li Yue required her to use Zhan Rao as a means to reach her goal.

So rather than seeing herself as Zhan Rao’s savior, it would be more accurate to say Zhan Rao was her only source of hope in this world.

At that thought, Jiang Yun let out a helpless chuckle. “It’s not that I don’t want to. I just can’t.”

Zhan Rao, seated nearby, looked at her.

For some reason, she suddenly felt that she truly understood Jiang Yun.

It was not a matter of wanting. It was a matter of being unable.

“There are too many uncontrollable forces in this world. Too many restrictions. As people, we have so little we can truly control. Sometimes… we cannot even control our own actions.”

Zhan Rao’s voice was soft.

Jiang Yun looked at her with surprise.

Zhan Rao met her gaze.

Their eyes locked.

One sat on the sofa. The other on the hospital bed. Though a few meters apart, it felt as though their breathing was synchronized and their hearts beat in unison.

Perhaps… she could finally tell her?

Both of them furrowed their brows ever so slightly.

Almost simultaneously, they began to speak.

Jiang Yun said, “This world is actually scripted.”

Zhan Rao said, “I’m being controlled by someone.”

As soon as they spoke, a surge of static exploded in their minds. They both cried out. The lights in the hospital room cut out, casting everything into darkness. Yet just as quickly, the lights returned. The static vanished.

But neither of them had heard what the other said.

In that brief blackout, Jiang Yun thought she saw something behind Zhan Rao. The hospital room itself had rippled. For a moment, she believed she was hallucinating. It looked like the world itself had cracked.

Had that been triggered by what she said?

[SYSTEM WARNING!]

[Mission agents must not reveal world information to anyone. Violations will result in immediate erasure.]

For the first time, the system did not speak in its usual lazy tone. It was cold. Merciless.

This alone was enough to show how serious her mistake had been.

Zhan Rao noticed Jiang Yun’s silence and sighed. “You didn’t hear what I just said, did you?”

Jiang Yun came back to her senses. “Hm? What did you say?”

She was still reeling from the near-collapse of reality.

Zhan Rao shook her head, lay down with a pillow in her arms, and stared quietly at the ceiling above.

This was not the first time it had happened. Every time she tried to say that she was being controlled, something strange occurred.

But the fact that Jiang Yun had not heard her this time made her feel disappointed.

One rested on the sofa while the other lay on the hospital bed, and neither of them felt like speaking anymore. They didn’t even mention the static or sudden blackout. It was as if they both silently agreed to ignore the strange event. Each was lost in her own thoughts.

Silence filled the room.

Then a digital notification rang out.

[Ding~ Your main mission’s romance line has been updated.]

Jiang Yun opened the message. The romance progress now showed 42%.

At that same moment, another system alert sounded.

[Your mission #Advance romance progress to 30%# has been completed. Luck +1.]

[Your current total luck: 0.]

Jiang Yun opened the other party’s profile. As expected, the romance progress was marked at 42%.

She now understood. Yan Kuo’s mission to increase romance progress was referring to the relationship between herself and Zhan Rao.

But why had the number surged so much?

Could it have been… because of the kiss?

[Yes. It’s because you reciprocated the heroine’s feelings. Romance progress does not reflect one-sided emotion. Love is shared, and the values are calculated from both sides.] The system reappeared, back to its usual lazy voice.

Jiang Yun was briefly stunned.

When she said nothing, the system continued.

[You couldn’t stop yourself from kissing the heroine. You even tried to expose your mission. That proves she holds a special place in your heart. The system detected that.]

Jiang Yun blushed.

She had not wanted anyone to spell it out so plainly.

The system made a dismissive noise.

[I’m not saying this to tease you. Just a friendly reminder: when the number jumps this much, even the dullest person will notice. Alright, I’m sleepy now~ Going to nap~]

Those last words jolted Jiang Yun back to awareness.