After the Cannon Fodder A Accidentally Marked the Paranoid Female Lead - Chapter 14

Early in the morning, Ming Sian washed her face, dragging a tired body along. The original host didn’t exercise much, and her physical fitness was somewhat poor. Since Ming Sian was going to be someone who stayed up late frequently from now on, she had to exercise regularly.

She hadn’t returned to the dormitory until 2:30 AM last night, and by the time she finished washing up and went to bed, it was already 3:00 AM. Even though she slept late, she still decided to get up at 6:00 AM to exercise. She had to work with He Yining at 9:00 AM today, so she wanted to find her “rhythm” by exercising early.

Stretching and a five-kilometer run took 25 minutes. Then she found a video of the “Baduanjin” qigong online and followed it once—not the simplified version, but the full Wudang version, which took 35 minutes. After an hour of exercise, her exhaustion was swept away.

Back at the dorm, Ming Sian began washing up. She applied a simple skincare base, blew her hair to make it fluffy, and finally put on lipstick. She packed a series of skincare samples into her laptop bag, filled her thermos with plain water, and seeing rain in the forecast, tucked an umbrella into the bag as well.

It was already 8:10 AM, and He Yining’s message hadn’t arrived yet. She thought about going to the cafeteria for breakfast first.

However, just as she reached the cafeteria, she received a message from He Yining: ——【I will arrive at the university in ten minutes.】

Eh? The office location He Yining mentioned is at the university?

With only ten minutes left, there wasn’t enough time for a sit-down breakfast. She ordered a ten-yuan set meal—a cup of coffee and a slice of toast. She ate the toast quickly, but the coffee was too hot; drinking it fast would be too hard on her mouth, so she had to walk while carrying it.

Then, she bought two more set meals. If He Yining and Huo Qi wanted to eat, it would be best to get reimbursed; if they didn’t, she could save them for lunch.

Ming Sian walked out of the cafeteria carrying the coffee and suddenly remembered a question: ——【Where shall we meet?】

The university was so large that walking from her current location to the main gate took considerable time.

Ten minutes meant ten minutes; He Yining sent a message: ——【The Law Library.】

Located on the first floor of the Law School, this library housed a rich collection of professional legal books, journals, databases, and other resources. The original host used to spend all her free time there, utilizing her powerful memory to constantly absorb knowledge.

As it happened, Ming Sian’s memory wasn’t bad either; otherwise, she wouldn’t have gotten into a prestigious university in her previous life. After coming to this world, she felt her memory was even better; she could still remember every single word of the legal documents she had drafted a few days ago.

Arriving at the Law Library, Ming Sian looked around but didn’t see He Yining.

She saw a library teacher walking quickly past her, standing at the entrance and looking around as if waiting for someone, then hurrying forward to welcome them.

Ming Sian thought He Yining hadn’t arrived yet and peered outside, only to find that the person the teacher was welcoming was indeed He Yining.

But… where was Huo Qi?

Moreover, how did the library teacher know He Yining was coming? She stepped closer to hear their conversation clearly.

“I’m truly sorry, Lawyer He. Since you said you were here for work today and didn’t want to be disturbed, the Dean and the others didn’t come.”

“Please rest assured, I have already prepared the office; no one will disturb you.”

He Yining gave a slight hum of acknowledgment. “Many thanks.”

Her not-exactly-cold attitude made the teacher beside her break into a smile.

Ming Sian watched this scene quietly. Should she hide first and reappear in a bit?

“Ming Sian,” He Yining called out to her.

Hearing her name called in that cold tone, Ming Sian’s breathing couldn’t help but slow down. The glands at the back of her neck felt slightly swollen; she was wearing the suppressant patch He Yining had given her.

She had checked the price—they were expensive. They were much better at blocking pheromones, costing a hundred yuan a piece, far better than her two-yuan patches. It felt cool and comfortable on her glands, not stuffy at all.

Recalling when she received the patches, she had intended to return them, but Huo Qi had come back. Since it wasn’t a matter she wanted Huo Qi to know about, she had put them in her bag and taken them home.

When they parted, she had secretly messaged He Yining: ——【What does Lawyer He mean by this?】

Placing a box of suppressant patches in front of her for no reason was truly a bit intimidating.

She couldn’t tell if the patches were a gift for her or if the firm had taken on a case related to suppressants.

Receiving the message, He Yining’s calm gaze fell on her face, and she typed a few words on her phone.

——【For you to use.】

Ming Sian had scanned the box back home; it contained ten patches worth a thousand yuan. The item was good, but she couldn’t afford to use them regularly.

——【This is too expensive; I cannot accept it.】

The poor have their own way of living, and besides, she didn’t know what He Yining intended.

This was the first time the two of them had back-and-forth chat outside of work. Because work matters were usually relayed through Huo Qi—and as long as Huo Qi didn’t say anything extra and just forwarded things to He Yining—Ming Sian would not have clicked on the chat box with the “Tiger-Cat.”

After waiting a long time without a reply, she guessed He Yining was driving.

Only after she finished washing up and changed into her tailored suit did she receive He Yining’s reply. It was very direct; she simply sent a file to her.

Without saying anything else, Ming Sian understood He Yining’s meaning: it seemed her pheromones were affecting He Yining.

He Yining likely meant that whenever they met in the future, she should use this kind of suppressant patch for the sake of them both.

Working in the same firm on the same case, it was impossible for the two of them not to have contact.

Since she had to work with He Yining today, she had used one of those patches in the morning. On ordinary days, she would definitely use regular ones; she couldn’t afford the consumption.

When the two of them were close, her glands did feel slightly swollen, but the sensation of abnormality wasn’t that strong; the patch was indeed working.

He Yining was satisfied with her obedience and turned to introduce her to the teacher nearby. “Someone from my firm.”

“Sian? You joined Lawyer He’s firm?” The library teacher was very surprised.

Ming Sian was something of a celebrity in the Law School; she had won multiple scholarships and frequently visited the Law Library, so it was hard not to know her.

The teacher just hadn’t expected her to be so outstanding as to work at a He-affiliated firm by her second year.

Ming Sian smiled. “Yes, I am fortunate to be valued by Lawyer He.”

Many teachers in the Law School were connected to the He family. Since He Yining was introducing her this way, there was no need for Ming Sian to be overly aloof. Since she was already working at the firm, she might as well utilize all resources to lay a foundation for her future freedom.

One must know that after many lawyers become famous, a multi-million-dollar annual salary is not a dream. With money comes freedom.

Newly practicing lawyers in Hong Kong start with a monthly salary of fifty or sixty thousand; Ming Sian’s colleagues were already at this level, and they were in the secretarial office—the salary in the legal department was even higher.

Working at a He-affiliated firm was a great addition to a resume. Judging by the two cases He Yining had taken on, both involved wealthy families; the legal fees for the Xu family were in the tens of millions—a decent salary in the non-litigation circle. He Yining’s career was just beginning.

This year’s highest-earning lawyer was a woman surnamed Wu; to hire her for a defense, the legal fees were as high as 800 million.

Ming Sian had left her previous life just as she became the youngest partner in a firm. She had seen the scenery at the top, but unfortunately, hadn’t reached the very peak.

In this life, her starting point was no lower than the last; earning enough for the liquidated damages was only a matter of time.

The difficulty was that she hadn’t graduated yet and couldn’t fight cases herself; she could only work as a legal assistant.

Ming Sian’s mind whirred. Since He Yining didn’t mind introducing her to the teacher, she naturally had to seize the opportunity. The smile on her face deepened.

However, Ming Sian’s sunny smile stung He Yining’s eyes. Her gaze scanned Ming Sian’s slender, fair neck, and a powerful voice echoed in her mind… Choke her!

[Author’s Note]

Ming Sian: My wife! Lawyer He!

He Yining: Shut up.