After the Cannon Fodder A Accidentally Marked the Paranoid Female Lead - Chapter 11

Back at home, He Yining received a Jianxin message from Huo Qi.

——Willing to let her drive your car, and you still say it’s nothing.

Huo Qi truly wanted to know if her friend—who was usually as cold and unyielding as an iron tree—had finally begun to bloom.

Blooming was good. The He family environment was too suffocating; so suffocating that even if a cheerful, lively little sun got close, they would turn into the walking dead. Furthermore, she didn’t think her friend had the capacity to truly fall in love with someone. At most, it was a sense of novelty, a thrill, or a negligible bit of affection. Physiological pleasure was enough; there was no need to involve the heart. Perhaps this was unfair to Ming Sian.

But she was He Yining’s best friend. As a friend, she was naturally biased. Of course she wanted her friend to have some happy days, even if they were short—at least she would have been happy once.

The moment she suggested letting Ming Sian drive and her friend agreed, she knew she had guessed correctly.

Since the iron tree was blooming, as a friend, it was only right to tease it a bit.

Having received the message, He Yining casually tossed her phone onto the tea bar and finished the wine in her hand in one gulp. She had the habit of getting tipsy, especially before her Heat period; otherwise, she couldn’t engage in things without restraint.

The red wine hit her stomach, and the tipsy feeling gradually rose to her head. She entered the bathroom, shed all her restraints, and lay in the bathtub already filled with water.

She moved slightly downward, letting the foam-covered surface submerge the top of her head, and only emerged after a while.

The bathroom was misty, filled with soothing music and a movie that was playing.

He Yining turned the movie’s volume to the maximum. Her right hand gripped the edge of the tub, the bubbles on the water’s surface swaying slightly. Soon, the movie reached its climax, and she heard a line from the film: ——Desire is not something to be ashamed of.

She slowly closed her eyes. Her nose seemed to be haunted by the scent of cherry rum—that intoxicating, sweet liqueur smell. Ever since her pheromones came into contact with Ming Sian’s in the private booth, her body had undergone changes. Especially with her Heat period approaching, she was exceptionally sensitive.

In the past, the Heat period was difficult, but suppressants were enough to keep it down.

However, after experiencing a sensation better than being tipsy, simply being tipsy could no longer soothe her.

Ming Sian’s pheromones led every part of her body into a state of excitement, a kind of madness that wanted to destroy.

She felt the difference between pheromones and suppressants. Perhaps, she could keep Ming Sian captive and make her release pheromones endlessly.

Once the “sage moment” passed, He Yining stood up and turned on the shower, letting the water—just two or three degrees above her body temperature—stream down from the top of her head.

She had received an elite education since childhood. To be precise, it started with prenatal education. Every step she took was planned: what to learn at age one, age three, and age ten, and what she should learn at eighteen.

She had a precise daily schedule: waking up at 6:00 AM and ending her studies at 8:00 PM. Two hours were for washing up and reading before bed—even the short stories she read were law-related. Finally, she entered sleep at 10:00 PM.

Every minute of her time was scheduled, and the goals for each stage had to be met. During adolescence, she rebelled for the first time by intentionally losing a competition. The consequences were more than she could handle at the time, and she indeed suffered for it.

He Yining is 24 years old this year. According to her family’s arrangement, she should make a name for herself at the law firm, then enter the He family’s core circle, gain more influence within the family, and become a significant lawyer in the industry to maintain the He family’s status in the legal world.

Calmness and lack of waves are usually good things, but in the He family, calmness is a facade; beneath the placid surface, dark currents surge.

Striving for first place was something she had done since childhood. She was weary of it but had to do it. She strictly followed the route planned by her family. They wouldn’t consider if she could handle it; if she failed, she accepted punishment until she succeeded.

He Yining’s life was a pool of stagnant water. Only different cases would kick up a few splashes. Being tipsy made her feel like a person rather than a machine, and Ming Sian’s pheromones actually allowed her to feel pleasure.

Pleasure? What a rare experience.

Another thirty minutes passed, and He Yining walked out of the bathroom in her bathrobe.

Her gaze landed on her phone. For some reason, she wanted to see where Ming Sian went. Opening her phone, she found the one Ming Sian had driven away among the various car-tracking apps.

The company?

Hmph, this girl Ming Sian—did she really want to avoid having any involvement with her that badly?

He Yining clicked on Jianxin and saw several unread messages, including work info and private info.

Huo Qi: ——【Not replying to messages. Slept?】

And a message from her mother, Ms. Wu Yan: ——【Give me an explanation for the personnel changes at Anning.】

At this hour, she didn’t want to report work to Ms. Wu Yan. She just perfunctorily replied to her friend: ——【Slept.】

Huo Qi: ——【You and Ming Sian are progressing this fast?】

Only then did He Yining realize what her friend meant. After a long pause, she replied: ——【I said I have slept.】

Huo Qi: ——【Who doesn’t know your biological clock is unshakable? It’d be a miracle if you could sleep at this hour.】

She followed her schedule strictly every day, unless something happened that had to break it.

——【Get lost (Emoji)】

He Yining took her phone back to her room and received a message from the manager of “The Royal” bar: ——【Lawyer He, those two girls came for an interview last night. What do you think?】

The other party also sent photos of Ming Sian and her roommate. Interviewing for a part-time job at a bar?

Ming Sian wanted to resign from Anning; a bar job was the backup plan she found for herself.

He Yining guessed her thoughts and could only say: Naive.

She didn’t reply. As long as Ming Sian could complete her work at the law firm, whether she worked part-time or not had nothing to do with her.

However, thinking of the sweetness and bitterness of Ming Sian’s cherry rum scent made her throat feel dry, and the back of her neck began to throb with heat again, even though she had just “solved” it once…

“Bastard!”

“Achoo!”

Ming Sian, who was ironing her work uniform, couldn’t help but sneeze. Who was cursing her?

The bar job had two sets of uniforms: a black suit and a black pinstripe tie. Fortunately, it didn’t look like an insurance salesperson’s, but…

Cheng Cheng walked out wearing the suit and stood before the full-length mirror in the living room. “Like a bodyguard.”

It indeed looked a bit like that.

“Why aren’t you trying yours on?”

Ming Sian hung the suit up. “I tried it at the bar.”

She had checked that it fit before bringing it back to iron. The manager said the clothes weren’t cheap and were best dry-cleaned. The bar uniforms were replaced once a year; if a problem occurred in the meantime, employees had to buy their own until new ones were issued.

Work started tomorrow, so there wasn’t enough time for dry cleaning. She had to iron it herself.

Cheng Cheng shook her head. “Testing for size and testing for looks aren’t the same thing. Even if the uniforms must be the same, you can be creative with the tie, cufflinks, pocket squares, and brooches. Having an image different from others makes it easier to be remembered—and easier to get tips.”

“How do you know so much?” Ming Sian asked, puzzled.

“This wise one has her ways. Go try yours on quickly; if there’s time, we’ll go buy accessories together.”

Ming Sian nodded, took the clothes into her bedroom, and put on the suit again. She pushed open the door and asked, “How is it?”

Cheng Cheng: “…Broad shoulders, narrow waist, long legs. My stomach feels warm.”

Ming Sian: “? The suit has shoulder pads.”

[Author’s Note]

Ming Sian: Toxic friends are always unreliable in the small things.

He Yining: Agreed.