The Cannon Fodder Stole the Male Lead’s Script GL - Chapter 64

Mei Yu did not respond to Jiang Yun, but her face turned as red as a cooked shrimp.

If it were someone else, they might think she simply admired Jiang Yun or was just shy. However, in front of Qin Meng, who had an uncanny instinct for this sort of thing, it was obvious.

Even the smallest hint, she could sense.

Qin Meng grinned as she nudged Jiang Yun’s elbow and winked at her with a playful look.

Jiang Yun rolled her eyes at her without hesitation.

She turned to look at the blushing Mei Yu. Her tone became noticeably cooler as she deliberately created distance.

“It really is just a small matter, nothing worth remembering. With English, I think the key is long-term accumulation. To be honest, if I had to tutor you, I wouldn’t even know where to start.”

Mei Yu was stunned by the rejection. Her face turned even redder, full of embarrassment.

She had never been this proactive in trying to befriend someone before. Yet the moment she opened up, she was turned down.

“Sorry. I caused you trouble.”

She whispered her apology.

There was no reply for a while. She looked up and saw Jiang Yun holding her phone. Her gaze was fixed on the screen, and a gentle smile was forming at the corners of her mouth.

This version of her, warm and smiling, was completely different from the cold and distant girl just moments ago.

With that affectionate expression, anyone watching would be drawn in and wish to be the one she was thinking about.

After replying to Zhan Rao’s check-in message, Jiang Yun stood up with a smile and said to Mei Yu, “Mei Yu, right? I still have something to do, so I’ll be leaving now. I don’t want to intrude on your birthday celebration. Qin Changmeng and I ordered a birthday cake for you, which should be arriving soon. Happy birthday.”

Then she turned to Qin Meng. “I’ve fulfilled your request. Now it’s your turn to keep your promise.”

Qin Meng tried to wriggle out of it. “That doesn’t count. You just got here and now you’re leaving.”

She had seen it. Jiang Yun’s little sweetheart had checked in on her, and now she was rushing back for a video call.

Qin Meng had no intention of letting her go so easily.

Jiang Yun raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Oh? You want to go back on your word?”

As she spoke, her hand reached for Qin Meng’s wig. Qin Meng panicked and dodged. “Hey, good sister, let go of me. This wig can’t handle that kind of tugging.”

“I’ll do what you want, okay? Now please, let go.”

Jiang Yun raised her eyebrows and released her hand.

Qin Meng quickly reached up to fix the wig that had almost been pulled off.

“Alright, go on then. I won’t keep you.”

Jiang Yun gave a short laugh, waved goodbye to Mei Yu, and headed out.

As soon as she stepped outside, her phone began ringing.

Jiang Yun sighed with mild frustration.

This girl was keeping a close eye on her.

Still, she could not help smiling, feeling a burst of sweetness inside.

Mei Yu was still in a daze after Jiang Yun left. She hesitated for a moment and then ran out after her.

She opened the door and saw Jiang Yun leaning against the wall, holding a video call.

“Jiang Yun~”

As soon as she called out, Jiang Yun turned the phone away so she could not see the screen.

But it seemed she had glimpsed… the person on the other end of the call… might be a girl?

Jiang Yun did not want anyone to see her video calls with Zhan Rao because she believed it would be unfair to Zhan Rao. She deliberately held the phone against her chest and turned to Mei Yu. “Yes, Mei Yu?”

Mei Yu composed herself, but she still could not raise her voice around Jiang Yun. “You just got here and now you’re leaving. I feel bad and everyone was hoping you would stay longer. So… do you want to stick around for a bit?”

“There’s no need. I have something to take care of. Go back and enjoy the party. Goodbye.”

She nodded and walked away with her phone.

Mei Yu stood there, head down in disappointment.

As expected, someone like Jiang Yun was not someone she could get close to, no matter how hard she tried.

After leaving the KTV, Jiang Yun finally lifted her phone and aimed it at her own face.

On the other end of the video call, the girl looked dazed and slightly flushed.

“Zhan Rao?”

Jiang Yun called out.

Zhan Rao seemed to snap out of it but quickly looked away, too embarrassed to meet her gaze.

Jiang Yun frowned. “What’s wrong?”

Zhan Rao shook her head. Of course she could not say that Jiang Yun had unknowingly aimed the camera right at her chest, with the lens catching a rather sensitive angle.

“Nothing. I was just feeling a bit warm.” She fanned herself and tried to calm down. Once she did, her eyes suddenly widened. She pouted and glared at the screen. “Wait a minute. Where are you right now? Didn’t you say you were going home? Why are you out with classmates? And who was that girl calling your name just now? Explain yourself!”

Jiang Yun paused.

This little jealous goblin…

She calmly explained, “She was the one who tried to invite me out after school. You saw her, remember?”

As soon as she said it, Zhan Rao remembered. She had noticed the girl looking bashful and affectionate when she invited Jiang Yun earlier. It had been obvious that the girl liked her. Even if she did not yet, she certainly would.

Alarms started ringing in Zhan Rao’s mind.

She replied with a sarcastic tone. “Oh? You turned her down earlier, but now that I’m not around, you went out with her?”

Jiang Yun sighed.

This girl had clearly heard her refusal earlier, but was now pretending to be jealous on purpose.

“It was Qin Meng who asked me to come. I needed something from her. She said if I showed up, she would help me and agree to one request of mine.”

Qin Meng?

That was Jiang Yun’s friend, the celebrity Zhan Rao had met before.

As soon as she heard the name, Zhan Rao relaxed. But she did not let Jiang Yun off the hook so easily.

Jiang Yun had no choice but to explain everything from the beginning. She told her how Qin Meng had gone to school with them under the name Qin Changmeng, how she was pretending to be weak to win over a girl from Hongye High, and how the girl she liked was actually Mei Yu’s older sister. She left out no detail.

Zhan Rao finally looked satisfied.

“Hmph. I don’t care. When I’m not home, you are not allowed to get close to other girls. You promised me that, and you’d better keep your word.”

“Don’t worry. I always keep my promises. I even refused to tutor her in English.”

Zhan Rao, who had just calmed down, suddenly exploded. “She asked you for tutoring?!”

Jiang Yun realized she had said too much and immediately regretted it.

Still, seeing Zhan Rao get so jealous made her strangely happy.

Zhan Rao shouted, “Jiang! If you cheat on me or break my heart, you’d better find a nice grave because that’s where you’ll be sleeping forever!”

Jiang Yun replied, “Alright, alright. My sweet little sister, I swear I’m completely loyal to you.”

Zhan Rao sniffed. “Ugh, so greasy.”

She said that, but her face was already lit up with joy.

Jiang Yun never wasted words on others. But with Zhan Rao, she could say the sappiest things. Zhan Rao enjoyed this unique attention and took full advantage of it.

“Alright, I have to go. My parents are back, and we’re still on the road.” They had already been driving for over three hours and were just taking a break.

Jiang Yun looked a little disappointed. “How long until you arrive?”

“Another three hours.”

“You’ll get there at eleven?”

Zhan Rao nodded. “Probably.”

“Can you call me again if you get a chance?”

“Probably not. We’ll see.”

“Then send me the full address.”

Zhan Rao wanted to ask why, but her parents had arrived. She quickly sent the address and got in the car.

Jiang Yun stared at the message for a while, then called her driver.

Zhan Rao’s grandmother lived in Qing City, a different province more than 440 kilometers away. Driving there would take over five hours. Her father drove as fast as he could, but with traffic, they reached the hospital at 11:30 PM.

Her grandmother was already asleep.

Zhan Rao’s aunt had stayed at the hospital with her. When she saw Zhan Rao’s family arrive, she came out to speak with her parents and called her uncle to arrange a place for them to stay.

The family used to live in Qing City. They had moved to Yinchuan for better schooling when Zhan Rao entered middle school. Their old house had been sold to afford the down payment on a new place, so they had nowhere to stay now.

Her uncle’s family was not wealthy. They had to squeeze out a room by letting the children sleep with the adults.

Her parents declined politely, saying they would try to book a hotel instead.

While the adults discussed accommodations and her grandmother’s condition, Zhan Rao quietly slipped into the room to see her.

Her grandmother had been sleeping peacefully. Zhan Rao walked quietly, but as soon as she sat down, her grandmother stirred and opened her eyes slightly.

“Is that you, Rao?”

Zhan Rao quickly held her hand. When she saw the IV needle and the bruises on her hand, her eyes welled up.

“Grandma~”

Her grandmother smiled weakly, then closed her eyes again. She spoke softly. “Are you on holiday?”

Zhan Rao nodded. “Yes. Today was the midterm exam. It’s over now, and we’re on break.”

Her grandmother nodded slowly. “That’s good. How many days off?”

“Two days.”

Her grandmother frowned. “Coming all this way… for two days… it’s tiring.”

Tears were already brimming in Zhan Rao’s eyes. “It’s alright. I came to see you. Don’t you miss me?”

Her grandmother smiled and said she did. Then she closed her eyes again.

Zhan Rao did not say more. She let her rest.

Once her grandmother was asleep, she sat quietly beside her. Watching her, tears began to fall.

She regretted not visiting earlier. She regretted only staying a week last summer. Back then, all she wanted was to travel and have fun. She had not thought about keeping her grandmother company.

She wished she had taken her out more while she could still move around. She wished she had noticed sooner how unwell she was and how she did not want to be a burden.

A deep sense of guilt rose in her heart.

She had never imagined losing this kind and loving woman. But now, she was afraid it might happen.

When her grandmother was sound asleep, Zhan Rao tiptoed out of the room and immediately saw her mother and aunt crying. Her mother was sobbing in her father’s arms.

Her heart skipped a beat.

After visiting her grandmother, her mother insisted on staying at the hospital to help while her father took Zhan Rao to find a hotel.

On the way, she asked, “Is Grandma… really not going to make it?”

Her father’s eyes reddened. “We don’t know.”

They had only found out a week ago that she was sick, but her condition had worsened at an alarming rate. The hospital had done endless tests but found no clear diagnosis.

She endured relentless pain that kept her from sleeping and left her drenched in sweat.

There was nothing the doctors could do. They had told the family to take her home. Her uncle refused, still clinging to hope.

Hearing all this, Zhan Rao felt an ache in her chest.

But she held back her tears in front of her father.

She suddenly realized how small and helpless she was.

If only she were a legendary healer from a wuxia novel or a divine alchemist from a fantasy story. If only she had a miracle cure.

But she was none of those.

She could not help her grandmother.

“Dad, can you request a leave of absence for me? I want to stay in Qing City a while longer to be with Grandma.”

She was terrified she might not get another chance.

Her father paused, but then nodded.

They went to find a hotel.

It was late. All the hotels were full or too unsanitary. They could not find anything on the apps either.

“Maybe we should stay at Aunt’s place. You take the bed, I’ll sleep on the sofa.”

Her father shook his head. “They’re already tired from taking care of Grandma. Let’s keep looking.”

Suddenly, her phone rang. It was the front desk of the Sheraton Hotel.

“Hello, Miss Zhan. I’m calling from Sheraton. Do you still need the rooms you booked with us?”

Zhan Rao: What?

She told her father which hotel it was.

He was confused too, but since they had nowhere else, he decided to go.

“Let’s go.”

Zhan Rao quickly answered, “Yes. Please wait for us.”

Ten minutes later, they arrived.

There really were two rooms booked under her name.

She had no idea how it happened.

But this was a major hotel chain. Surely they would not play tricks. Since they had no other option and this place was close to the hospital, they followed the staff.

The rooms were on different floors. One was on the 13th, the other on the 18th.

They would have to sleep separately.

Her father hesitated and wanted to accompany her, but she suddenly thought of something and insisted he go rest.

Once the front desk staff led her to Room 1808, she opened the door.

The dark room lit up with candlelight. Someone was sitting at the table, smiling at her.

The warmth in that smile melted her heart.

“Jiang Yun!”

She ran straight to her and hugged her tightly. Jiang Yun caught her without hesitation and held her close.