A Cannon Fodder A Has No Intention of Moving Up - Chapter 1

“Miss Lin Yue, please get in the car.”

A man dressed in a sharp suit opened the car door and gestured for her to enter.

Lin Yue looked at the sleek lines of the luxury car, then down at her worn-out, cheap sneakers. A flash of embarrassment crossed her mind, but she lowered her head and sat inside anyway.

The car started quickly, driving away from the dilapidated “urban village” toward the villa district on the hilltop. Inside, the genuine leather seats were incredibly comfortable, and the cool air from the AC carried a faint, sophisticated fragrance.

Lin Yue, whose entire outfit likely cost less than 100 yuan, sat upright, unable to relax.

After her parents died in a car accident, the family was left with medical debts. A few months ago, a debt collector shoved her, causing her to fall down the stairs and hit her head. When she woke up in the hospital, she realized a book had appeared in her mind.

It was a romance novel.

Her name was in it, but she wasn’t the protagonist; she was a villainous “cannon fodder” character.

According to the plot, she would meet the protagonist, An Muxue, because her pheromones were a cure for the star’s condition. During their time together, she would fall deeply in love with her—a “toad lusting after swan meat.” After being rejected, she would even attempt to forcibly mark An Muxue during one of the latter’s episodes.

This would cause An Muxue to suffer a crisis of trust toward Alphas, which would only be healed after she met the “Protagonist Alpha,” Shu Yan—a woman who matched her perfectly in looks, family background, and fame.

Shu Yan, aching for An Muxue’s suffering, would use her connections to secure a psychiatric diagnosis for Lin Yue, throwing her into a mental asylum. By the time Lin Yue got out, she was destined to never find a good job. A few years later, destitute and triggered by the news of their engagement, she would jump from a building in a drunken stupor and die on the road in front of her house.

“…”

Lin Yue naturally didn’t care for this ending.

At first, she wasn’t sure if this “book” was a hallucination or reality. That changed a few days ago when the An family contacted her, informing her that her debts to the loan sharks had been paid in full. She now owed the An family instead. They didn’t pressure her for immediate repayment; they just needed a “favor.”

She realized with a jolt that everything was following the plot.

So, our world is a book?

I’m going to fall in love with An Muxue, and then… inexplicably become a sacrificial lamb for the leads’ romance? Jumping off a building at my own front door?

“Miss Lin Yue, you recognize her, don’t you? That is our second young lady.”

The assistant in the front seat spoke up. Lin Yue blinked, realizing she had been subconsciously staring at an advertisement screen on a shopping mall, featuring An Muxue.

“Ah, yes…”

Who didn’t recognize her?

The woman in the ad had skin as white as snow, brows like distant mountains, and eyes like cold stars looking into the distance. Though the frame contained nothing but her face and a bottle of perfume, her beauty and temperament alone made anyone feel the perfume must be priceless—unique, crisp, and sweet.

Countless passersby stopped in their tracks. Many likely felt the urge to order a bottle instantly, even though the goddess on the screen wouldn’t care. From beginning to end, she simply stood there like a cold plum blossom in the snow, blooming in solitude—breathtakingly beautiful, yet untouchable.

An Muxue… born into a top-tier wealthy family, a second-generation star who stunned the world as a child actor and only grew more beautiful with age. She was the “National Goddess,” a synonym for beauty and perfection.

…Is it actually possible that I’d fall for her in the future?

Still, Lin Yue couldn’t wrap her head around how she could ever try to “forcibly mark” someone. It didn’t fit her personality at all. Was the influence of the “plot” strong enough to make her lose herself entirely?

And why did she have to die?

Unfortunately, the gap in wealth and power between her and the An family was too vast. From the start, she had no choice but to be An Muxue’s “medicine.”

Lin Yue turned it over in her mind. There were only two things she could do. First, control her behavior—she must never fall in love with or try to mark An Muxue. Second, exchange pheromones frequently to cure An Muxue as quickly as possible before the Protagonist Alpha appeared, then exit the plot.

Once she was gone, the two stars could love each other however they wanted. She just wanted to graduate, find a job, and live an ordinary life.

The luxury car glided to a stop at the An family villa.

“Madam, Miss Lin has arrived!”

As she entered, an elegant woman came to meet her. It was Ming Yulan, An Muxue’s mother. Seeing the famous veteran star in person gave Lin Yue a sense of unreality, like a screen character had stepped into the real world.

Ming Yulan greeted her briefly before fluttering away. “Sit and wait a moment. I’ll go talk to Xiaoxue again.”

Even though the An family had essentially “bought” her, this would be the first time Lin Yue and An Muxue actually met.

The five-story villa was decorated with restraint, but the crystal chandeliers and vast living room were still blinding to someone used to old, cramped apartments. Lin Yue looked at her washed-out jeans and the expensive sofa, deciding to stay standing at the entrance.

Even so, someone was unhappy.

A seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl suddenly appeared, glaring at her with hostility. “Hey! My sister said she doesn’t need any Alpha! Don’t even think about taking advantage of her.”

The girl was tall and vibrant—clearly an Alpha. Lin Yue could feel the territorial, disgusted pheromones she was emitting. Communication between Alphas is often that blunt.

Lin Yue didn’t want conflict and took a step back. The girl noticed her reaction and muttered in confusion, “How is she a low-grade Alpha? A weakling?” She was referring to the bandage on Lin Yue’s forehead. “Just go back! What use could your pheromones possibly be?”

The girl, An Qi, made no effort to hide her malice and reached out to shove Lin Yue out the door.

Meanwhile, in a second-floor bedroom, An Muxue leaned back in her chair and sighed.

“Mom… don’t do this anymore. I don’t want to see any Alpha.”

“Xiaoxue, you’re being too stubborn. If it can be cured, why would you opt for a dangerous removal surgery? That’s terrifying!”

“I’ve tried, haven’t I?” An Muxue’s beautiful eyes were cold. “The pheromones of a stranger only make me feel disgusted. They don’t work.”

“This is your health. You can’t give up after one failure. Trust me, this time will be different. Just meet her first… I’ll call her in!”

“Mom—”

Ming Yulan was out the door before An Muxue could finish.

“Sigh.” An Muxue closed her eyes tiredly, rubbing her neck. Her slender, pale neck arched slightly, forming a fragile, elegant curve with her chin and nose. She had lost weight recently. Her glands throbbed constantly, bringing on a headache that made faint veins visible on her forehead.

Even so, she had no desire to be close to a stranger. Pheromone blending was an intimate act.

Alphas always looked at her with greed, trying to invade and control her with their “foul” scents, hoping to see her lose herself and become their plaything. What was worse was that their desires weren’t just fantasies; over time, an Omega would inevitably become dependent on an Alpha’s scent. Historically, the lower status of Omegas existed for a reason—an Omega addicted to an Alpha’s pheromones could be more “subservient” than a dog.

The mere thought made An Muxue’s stomach churn. No. She would never be anyone’s appendage.

“An Qi! How are you treating a guest? Where are your manners?”

The sound of her mother and younger sister arguing drifted in from outside.

“Sister said she doesn’t need her!”

“What do you know! Get over here!”

An Muxue stood up to intervene, but stopped dead.

A stranger’s pheromones drifted through the air. They were very, very faint, yet strangely clear—a soft scent of sandalwood with the warmth of sunlight.

Is it… that Alpha?

To release pheromones so boldly was incredibly rude. An Muxue’s expression turned ice-cold.

On the other side, Lin Yue had almost been pushed out the door, but now the “Third Young Lady” was scurrying away to avoid her mother’s wrath.

Lin Yue wasn’t angry, but she felt awkward watching them fight. Just as she was about to speak, she smelled a fragrance—elegant, pure, yet incredibly rich, like flowers.

The scent drifted through the living room like falling petals, heading straight for her. It turned into tiny floral vines, wrapping around her, settling in her hair, and climbing up her body to nuzzle her cheek and brush against the gland at the back of her neck.

Lin Yue dazed for a moment. Her own pheromones were drawn out uncontrollably by the scent. The floral fragrance merged with her own, fitting together like snow melting into water.

Her breathing became ragged. She leaned against the wall, but before she could release more…

A door slammed upstairs. The argument between mother and daughter stopped.

As the “aggrieved” floral scent vanished, Lin Yue snapped back to reality.

She had leaked a tiny bit of pheromones because of An Qi’s pressure. And yet, that tiny bit had successfully drawn out the pheromones that An Muxue had been forcibly suppressing for so long.

Ming Yulan’s face lit up with pure joy. See? It works!

She knew it. Young people talk about “free love” and “soulmates,” scoffing at the old matching systems. But a 100% compatibility rate is just different! The odds are less than one in ten million.

If the An family didn’t have such power, how could they have found such a perfect match in a haystack?

An Muxue’s illness could be saved.

“Xiaoxue! Come out! Xiaoxue?”

Ming Yulan went back upstairs, but after knocking for a long time, the door remained closed. When she came back down, her face was pale with panic.

“Oh no… An Qi! Quick, call Dr. Wu!”