The Cannon Fodder Stole the Male Lead’s Script GL - Chapter 42

The three of them left together in Zhan Rao’s mother’s car. Jiang Yun felt it was more sincere to accept an invitation like this in person.

Inside the car, Zhan Rao and Jiang Yun sat in the back seat while Zhan Rao’s mother drove in the front. She told joke after joke, one right after another. Zhan Rao was laughing so hard she nearly toppled over, and Jiang Yun could not stop laughing either.

The whole ride was filled with laughter.

So much so that the half-hour drive felt like it passed in a blink.

“Hey, we’re here. Xiao Jiang, don’t mind how simple our home is.”

After parking the car, Zhan Rao’s mother led Jiang Yun to their home.

According to the original script, Jiang Yun had already known that Zhan Rao’s family was not wealthy. In fact, their living conditions were described as even poorer than the average household. She had mentally prepared herself for something close to a slum. But once she arrived, Jiang Yun could not help but feel the script had exaggerated far too much.

The house was a three-story standalone building by the street. What part of that was supposed to be impoverished?

Even though it was not a villa, just a regular multi-story residence, each floor faced the sun. Every room had a large balcony, and the top floor featured a rooftop garden and a sunroom.

This was…

“The place is a bit simple. Please don’t mind,” Zhan Rao said with a shy smile.

Jiang Yun could only respond in disbelief. This level of living was hardly simple.

As soon as they entered the Zhan household, Zhan Rao’s mother bustled about preparing fruits and snacks for Jiang Yun. After asking what dishes Jiang Yun liked, she grabbed her wallet and headed out to buy groceries. On her way out, she called Zhan Rao’s father and urged him to hurry home because they had an important guest.

This kind of full-family mobilization to welcome a guest made Jiang Yun feel a little out of place.

She could not recall ever receiving such attention from any friend’s parents before.

Or rather, even when she had been treated respectfully by others’ families, it was always because she was the young lady of the Jiang family. Never once had it been because she was someone’s friend.

After Zhan Rao’s mother left, Zhan Rao pulled Jiang Yun upstairs to her room.

Her room was on the third floor. That level contained just two rooms. One of them was a small study, and the other was her bedroom.

Inside the study stood a massive bookshelf stretching from floor to ceiling, filled with all of Zhan Rao’s favorite books. In front of the shelf was a large solid wood desk holding a desktop computer. Scattered across the desk were messy stacks of books, and among them lay an open sketchbook.

Jiang Yun noticed at a glance that the sketch on the open page seemed to be a drawing of herself.

“Ah! Don’t look!”

Zhan Rao had also spotted the sketchbook. Alarmed, she rushed over to shut it and clumsily gathered it in her arms. “I haven’t finished it yet. You’re not allowed to see it!” Her face was bright red, and even her breathing quickened.

Jiang Yun could not help but let out a laugh.

“Alright, then I won’t look. Give it to me once it’s finished.”

“Okay.”

Zhan Rao finally breathed a sigh of relief as Jiang Yun left the study. But when she saw Jiang Yun walk into her bedroom and stare at the pile of clothes on the small sofa in a daze, Zhan Rao screamed again. She ran over and hurriedly scooped up the clothes, dumping them into the closet.

Oh no, she had not been home last night and completely forgot how messy her room was.

The sofa was buried in her scattered clothes. There were school uniforms, underwear, and socks, a mix of both clean and dirty items.

Her face burned so hot it could fry an egg.

Mama, I swear I’ll never leave my room messy again. From now on, I’ll always keep it tidy.

This was beyond embarrassing.

Watching Zhan Rao clumsily try to organize everything with only one good hand, Jiang Yun laughed until tears came to her eyes.

That little fairy-like girl who always seemed ethereal and elegant actually did not clean her room? And the flustered way she reacted when caught was far too adorable.

Zhan Rao finally finished tidying up, which mostly meant stuffing the clean clothes into the closet and tossing the dirty ones into the washing machine. There was no time to do more.

“Sorry for letting you see that mess…” She looked like she wanted to disappear into a hole.

Zhan Rao had no tears left to cry.

Jiang Yun pressed her lips together and smiled. “It’s okay. I don’t really clean either.”

They sat together in the room. Jiang Yun took in the small space, no more than twenty square meters, with walls covered in warm yellow wallpaper. A large balcony stretched outside, filled with plants and even a swallow’s nest.

“It feels very cozy and full of life,” Jiang Yun said in admiration.

Zhan Rao blushed. She suddenly remembered something and asked, “Jiang Yun, do you want to play a video game? I’ve got a console.”

Jiang Yun shook her head. “No need. Auntie should be back soon. It’s not a good time.” When she noticed the flicker of disappointment on Zhan Rao’s face, she added, “But if you want to play, you can come to my place sometime. No one’s there. You can do whatever you like.”

Zhan Rao’s eyes lit up instantly.

“Okay, it’s a promise then!”

“Mm.”

While they were talking, Zhan Rao’s parents returned downstairs. Her mother carried bags full of groceries, and her father held a fish in one hand and a large winter melon on his shoulder.

Jiang Yun and Zhan Rao came down when they heard them.

As soon as Zhan Rao’s mother saw Jiang Yun, she put the bags down and nudged her husband with her elbow. She gestured with her chin. “Look, Old Zhan, that’s the classmate I told you about. Isn’t she pretty?”

Zhan Rao’s father nodded rapidly. “Standing next to her, our daughter doesn’t even stand out anymore.” He turned and whispered to his wife, “How did our girl get so lucky to have such a good friend? It almost feels like she’s not worthy.”

Zhan Rao’s mother rolled her eyes. “What do you mean, ‘not worthy’? They’re not dating. They’re just friends. There’s no need to think about who’s worthy or not. But honestly, this girl is really something. Our daughter does look a little mismatched.”

“Dad! Mom!” Zhan Rao was furious.

Both of them kept saying she was not good enough for Jiang Yun.

Who insults their own daughter like this?

She turned to Jiang Yun with exasperation. “This is my dad.” Then she gave her father a pointed glare. “Dad, this is Jiang Yun.”

Jiang Yun gave a polite bow and greeted him. “Hello, Uncle Zhan. I’m Jiang Yun, Zhan Rao’s classmate.”

Zhan Rao’s father quickly put down the winter melon and smiled. “Hello, Xiao Jiang. Why don’t you two sit down and relax? Rao Rao, entertain your classmate. We’ll go make something good to eat.”

With that, he dragged his wife into the kitchen as if Jiang Yun were some terrifying beast.

Once they were in the kitchen, Zhan Rao’s father finally let out a big sigh of relief. “Wow, that girl is really something. She’s so pretty, I didn’t even dare to breathe when she talked to me. How can someone look like that? I used to think our Rao Rao was quite the beauty.”

Zhan Rao’s mother rolled her eyes again.

“Look at you, so useless. You were blushing just talking to a young girl. You acted like she was your friend.”

“Hey, I’ve never had such a pretty friend. Must be our daughter’s good luck.”

They continued their conversation, each taking turns to share more praise and admiration for Jiang Yun.

Outside in the living room, Zhan Rao sighed. “My parents just adore pretty girls. It’s so embarrassing.” Though honestly, she had inherited that trait. After all, she too had been stunned the first time she saw Jiang Yun.

Jiang Yun smiled and shook her head. “It’s okay. They feel very warm and welcoming.”

Unlike her own parents.

When she thought about it, her parents in the original script had loved her too. They must have truly loved her; otherwise, they would not have indulged her every unreasonable request, though she had been too obsessed with Yan Kuo. Her whole heart had been focused on him, and eventually, she ended up hurting her parents deeply.

If someday, she could go back without any restrictions, would her parents still love her this way?

“Jiang Yun, what are you thinking about?” Zhan Rao waved a hand in front of her.

Jiang Yun snapped out of it and smiled at her. “Zhan Rao, if there’s ever a chance, I’d like to take you to my home.”

Zhan Rao’s face turned red. “Huh? Didn’t you already say that before?”

“Before, I said I’d take you to the place I live. This time, I mean my real home.”

Jiang Yun’s home?

That meant… the Jiang family?

Zhan Rao’s eyes went wide with shock.

Jiang Yun chuckled and patted her head.

Staying at the Zhan household was incredibly comfortable. Zhan Rao and Jiang Yun teased each other on the couch while Zhan Rao’s parents bustled in the kitchen. Zhan Rao occasionally snuck into the kitchen to steal some of her mom’s famous fried hairtail fish or swipe a plate of her dad’s spiced beef.

Every time, her parents would scold her for being rude in front of guests, but then they would laugh and bring out more dishes, even asking if she wanted seconds.

By the time dinner was officially ready, Jiang Yun already felt full from all the food Zhan Rao had shared with her.

Both Zhan Rao’s parents were excellent cooks.

When it was finally time to eat, the four of them sat around a small dining table. The table was packed with dishes, including spiced beef, fried hairtail fish, roasted carp, winter melon and pork rib soup, and four seasonal stir-fried vegetables. If the table had been bigger, Zhan Rao’s mother would have made even more.

Even with so much food, the Zhan family worried they had not prepared enough.

“There aren’t many dishes. It’s just home cooking. Xiao Jiang, I hope you don’t mind.”

Jiang Yun was overwhelmed by their kindness and felt genuinely touched.

“This is the first time I’ve been treated with so much care. Thank you, Uncle and Auntie.”

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Zhan Rao’s father said, scratching his head shyly. “Your auntie told me everything. If it weren’t for you last night, no one would’ve been there to take care of Rao Rao’s injury. And at school too, you’ve helped her so much. We should be the ones thanking you.”

He raised his glass in respect.

Jiang Yun hesitated, then quickly raised hers with both hands.

“Uncle, you’re too kind. Honestly, Zhan Rao has helped me even more.”

Zhan Rao’s father shook his head. “You’re just too polite. I know my daughter. Since she was little, she’s always been the type to get picked on but never fight back. Every time she went to school, I’d worry. To be honest, she’s the apple of our eye. We’ve never wanted her to suffer even a scratch. When she came to this high school, we thought she’d still be bullied. But then you appeared. We’re truly grateful.”

He downed his glass in one go.

Jiang Yun quickly followed suit.

“Wait, you drank all of it?” Zhan Rao panicked.

Jiang Yun shook her head. “It’s fine. It’s sweet and sour. Tastes good.”

Zhan Rao’s father chimed in, “It’s our homemade plum wine. It won’t get you drunk. Don’t worry, Xiao Jiang.”

Zhan Rao was still uneasy.

Even though it was homemade, it still contained a noticeable amount of alcohol. What if Jiang Yun had a strong allergy?

But seeing how Jiang Yun and her dad were chatting happily, drinking cup after cup, with no signs of trouble, with her eyes clear and her complexion normal, she relaxed.

The meal ended with everyone in high spirits.

Zhan Rao’s parents tried to get Jiang Yun to stay a few more days, but she politely declined.

“It’s already generous of you to let me share a meal. I don’t want to trouble you any further. Besides, I’ve called my driver. Uncle, Auntie, please don’t see me off.”

She stood downstairs, smiling as she blocked Zhan Rao’s parents from insisting any further.

Seeing her resolve, they had no choice but to respect her wishes.

“Then you must come visit often, Jiang Yun.”

Jiang Yun nodded with a warm smile. “I will. Thank you, Uncle and Auntie.”

They were reluctant to let her go but could only send Zhan Rao to walk her out.

Zhan Rao did not even wait for them to say so. She had already followed Jiang Yun outside.

But Jiang Yun walked very fast. She headed straight for the roadside without looking back.

Zhan Rao tried to speak to her, but she got no reply.

“Jiang Yun? Jiang Yun?”

She called out several times.

When she touched Jiang Yun’s shoulder, the girl who had been standing upright suddenly lost her balance and fell into her arms. Her face was completely flushed with a deep red hue.

She mumbled, “Thank you, Uncle and Auntie, for your hospitality~”

Zhan Rao: ……