The Cannon Fodder Stole the Male Lead’s Script GL - Chapter 54

At the party, Tong Xue seemed completely unaware that she had hurt Xin Keke.

Zhan Rao, however, could not stand it any longer.

She pulled Tong Xue aside and asked with a sharp tone, “Is that guy Wayne really your boyfriend? Tong Xue, do you seriously not understand why Keke organized this birthday party?”

Tong Xue frowned, looking as if Zhan Rao were speaking nonsense.

“Zhan Rao, what are you talking about?”

She glanced at Wayne, who was surrounded by a group of girls asking questions, then smiled and said, “Of course he is my boyfriend. Why would I bring him here if he were not? Besides, isn’t a birthday party supposed to be a celebration with classmates? What other purpose could there be?”

She looked genuinely curious.

Zhan Rao suddenly did not know what to say.

Indeed, except for her, Jiang Yun, Xin Keke, and her family, no one knew that the party was meant to be a confession. After all, no one else knew Xin Keke had feelings for Tong Xue.

Still, Zhan Rao felt upset.

She could not help but feel that Tong Xue had let Xin Keke down.

Keke was such a good girl. She had planned to confess at her own birthday party, only to find the person she liked showing up with a boyfriend out of nowhere. That had to be a huge blow.

“You…”

“Zhan Rao, if there is nothing else, Wayne and I are going to greet some other classmates. They seem quite interested in him.”

Tong Xue cut her off and walked away toward Wayne, clearly not wanting to hear more.

Zhan Rao became even more upset and was about to say something when Jiang Yun stopped her.

“Don’t say anything more. In this situation, Tong Xue did nothing wrong.”

“Nothing wrong? What are you talking about? If she had not brought her boyfriend here, Keke wouldn’t be this heartbroken. If she didn’t like Keke, she could have just said so. Why go this far and hurt her like this?”

Jiang Yun said, “Let me ask you this. If Tong Xue rejected Keke after she confessed, would Keke feel any less hurt?”

Zhan Rao fell silent.

Of course not.

Being rejected with no reason, simply being told ‘I don’t like you,’ might actually hurt even more than not having had the chance to speak up.

“If she confessed and then got turned down, how would the two of them face each other afterward?”

Zhan Rao remained quiet.

“They go to the same school. They are bound to see each other. What Tong Xue did might actually be the best for Keke. It saved them both from future awkwardness and helped Keke let go of her feelings and it stopped all the rumors at school. Didn’t you hear what the classmates were whispering when we arrived? After Tong Xue showed up with her boyfriend, no one said a thing about her and Keke anymore.”

“I can promise you, after today, no one will bring up anything about Keke and Tong Xue. No one will laugh at Keke either.”

“If anyone is hurting the most, it might be Tong Xue. If she likes Keke, then this hurt goes even deeper. If she does not, then as a friend, she still protected Keke’s pride and did what a friend should do.”

Zhan Rao looked ashamed.

“I was just so angry that I didn’t consider all that…”

Jiang Yun patted her shoulder.

“I know you have a temper and a straightforward personality, but sometimes, you have to think ahead. Besides, I don’t think Tong Xue did all of this just for the reasons I gave. There might be something else.”

“Something else? Like what?”

“I don’t know,” Jiang Yun said with a shrug.

Zhan Rao looked regretful. “Should I go find Tong Xue and apologize?”

“No need,” Jiang Yun replied. “It would only make her feel worse.”

Zhan Rao thought it over. If Tong Xue really did like Keke, but still brought a fake boyfriend to turn her down, she must be feeling terrible herself.

The party was drawing to a close. It was already nearly ten o’clock in the evening. Many students had homework and a test coming up on Wednesday. Although parents were already urging their children to return home, everyone hesitated to leave because the host had not yet come downstairs.

Soon, the Xin family finally appeared.

Keke slowly descended the stairs in a new outfit. She wore a bright yellow dress that made her look lively and adorable. Her makeup, which had earlier been elegant and refined, now gave her a younger and more innocent appearance.

“Sorry, everyone. I suddenly felt unwell just now and had to go rest. But do not leave yet. We still have one important performance to go. After that, we will hold a grand prize drawing to close the party.”

She clapped her hands, and loud music suddenly burst out from the lawn outside.

The classmates looked confused.

Then, in an instant, they understood.

“It’s C5 Bomb!”

“Oh my gosh, my Chen Yisong, Chen Yibai, Chen Yizhu!”

“My Cheng He!”

“My Cheney!”

The scene exploded with excitement.

One by one, the students ran out like they had gone mad. On the brightly lit lawn, five teenagers had somehow taken the stage. In front stood the three identical triplet brothers, each holding an instrument. One had a bass, the other two had guitars and stood on either side.

Behind them, a cool girl with purple hair and dressed in black tossed her drumsticks in the air and caught them with flair.

Beside her stood a blonde, blue-eyed French boy playing the keyboard.

“Dear friends, welcome to Xin Keke’s birthday party. Now, let us all wish our host a happy birthday. When I shout Xin Keke, you shout happy birthday. Ready? Go!”

“Xin Keke!”

“Happy birthday!”

“Xin Keke!”

“Happy birthday!”

“Xin Keke!”

“Happy birthday!”

Chen Yibai ran his fingers across the keys with flourish, and their hit song “Rebirth” began to play.

The students were already cheering wildly.

Xin Keke stood at the front of the crowd, her eyes red with emotion, singing and dancing with the band. Her face was flushed from excitement, and she was out of breath.

After one dance, the atmosphere was electric. She slipped out of the crowd for a drink and told the staff to prepare for the prize drawing.

“Keke, are you okay?” Zhan Rao approached with Jiang Yun.

At that moment, Tong Xue and Wayne also walked over.

Xin Keke smiled brightly. “Why wouldn’t I be? I’m great. Did you have fun at the party? It’s a shame I wasn’t downstairs more. I was feeling a little sick, so I stayed upstairs longer than expected. I had planned so many fun games to play with you all.”

She turned and saw Tong Xue and Wayne arriving. She greeted them warmly.

“Tong Xue, I’m sorry. After we spoke, I wasn’t feeling well. I didn’t get a chance to greet your boyfriend. His name is Wayne, right?”

She extended her hand with a smile. “Nice to meet you, Wayne. I’m Xin Keke, one of Tong Xue’s best friends. This is Jiang Yun and Zhan Rao. We all go to Yinchuan High School.”

Wayne was momentarily thrown off by her enthusiasm. He looked at Tong Xue, who simply smiled at him, and then he took Keke’s hand and shook it.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Wayne Jin, Tong Xue’s boyfriend. Thank you for having me. Happy birthday.”

“Thank you!” Xin Keke beamed. “So, when did you and Tong Xue start dating? None of us knew she had a boyfriend.”

Wayne looked awkwardly at Tong Xue.

Tong Xue answered smoothly, “Just a few days ago. We just made it official.”

“You two look really good together. I guess I need to hurry up, too,” Xin Keke said with a playful sigh. “Everyone around me is paired up. I need to find someone special.”

Tong Xue’s expression shifted slightly. She nodded. “Yes. You should find someone who treats you well.”

“Of course. The person I like must understand me and connect with my heart,” Xin Keke replied cheerfully.

Zhan Rao, standing off to the side, watched the sharp back-and-forth between them, totally speechless.

Now she was beginning to believe what Jiang Yun had said.

There had been no confession and no confrontation. Although that avoided any awkward fallout, the tense and veiled sparring that followed was hardly any better.

And Xin Keke was truly skilled at pretending, maintaining a perfect act that concealed everything beneath the surface.

Her acting skills were impressive.

Even Jiang Yun was surprised. She had underestimated how strong Xin Keke really was.

She thought Keke would need time to recover, but she had bounced back faster and stronger than anyone expected.

No wonder she was Xin Keke.

Even if Tong Xue’s act was flawless, she could not keep up with Keke’s subtle jabs. She wanted to leave early, but Keke gently blocked her.

“Now that you have a boyfriend, are you going to ditch your friends? Come on, we are still friends, right? This is the final part of the party. You won’t stay for the end? What if you win a prize?”

Tong Xue hesitated.

Going head-to-head with Xin Keke revealed just how sharp her tongue could be.

“No, nothing like that. Wayne and I have something else to take care of, but since you asked us to stay, we will.”

Xin Keke gave a soft hum.

By then, the band was wrapping up their final performance. As the sound of drums filled the night, Xin Keke stepped up to the spinning wheel to lead the prize drawing.

Tong Xue stood nearby, expressionless, simply wanting to leave.

Wayne tilted his head to look at her.

Finally, twenty minutes later, the drawing ended. The students left with their gift bags, and Tong Xue quickly dragged Wayne away.

Once they got in the car, all of Tong Xue’s effort to act cheerful collapsed like a deflated balloon.

“Seeing how Xin Keke treated you just now, are you feeling upset?”