After the Cannon Fodder A Accidentally Marked the Paranoid Female Lead - Chapter 27

The negotiation was a complete victory. He Yining had produced the key evidence; if He Chenzhang didn’t want to humiliate himself, withdrawing the lawsuit and having Liang Feng apologize publicly was the only choice.

As the two walked out of the meeting room, a woman in a suit with a low, long ponytail and slicked-back hair was waiting outside.

Seeing He Yining, the woman spoke respectfully, “Eldest Miss, Lawyer Mo is looking for you.”

He Yining frowned. He Chenzhang, walking out with them, made no effort to hide his schadenfreude. “Dear sister, it seems Aunt is looking to settle accounts with you.”

That “dog thing”—he only acted like a human inside the meeting room; outside of it, he was truly unpleasant.

Ming Sian also roughly understood. The “Aunt” He Chenzhang mentioned should be He Yining’s mother. In the novel, this woman was very strict with her daughter—so strict that He Yining had to follow the path she had planned exactly.

A flash of worry crossed Ming Sian’s eyes, but no one noticed. “I’ll go with you and wait for you outside.”

He Yining’s calm eyes gradually grew deep. Is this person trying to protect me?

Ridiculous.

“No need.”

He Chenzhang laughed happily. “Ming Sian, is it? If you really manage to enter the He family door, don’t forget to call me ‘Brother’.”

How disgusting. Ming Sian couldn’t be bothered to pay him any attention.

This He Chenzhang was decent while working, but once off the clock, his mouth was far too foul.

He Yining said no need, but Ming Sian still followed silently behind her. Seeing He Yining look back at her in confusion, she could only say, “We have to take the car back together anyway.”

He Yining: “…”

Reaching the 28th floor, Ming Sian sat on a chair outside and waited, watching He Yining go inside.

He Yining’s back was straight as a pine tree; she didn’t give off the feeling of someone going in to be scolded. Could He Chenzhang have been exaggerating?

How could He Yining not sense the gaze locked onto her? She didn’t know what her mother would say, but she knew it certainly wouldn’t be anything good.

Her mother, He Moyu—whom everyone respectfully called Lawyer Mo or President Mo—was a woman who absolutely worshipped strength. She liked her “mama” (He Yining’s other mother) precisely because “mama” was so excellent; wherever “mama” was, He Moyu was the eternal runner-up.

From a competitive relationship to their eventual union, it was all because they found points in the other they couldn’t beat and decided to learn from each other. Even their arguments were like court defenses: presenting evidence, finding precedents, and finally appealing to values.

Since they were like that with each other, how could they be any better toward their daughter?

When He Yining pushed the door and entered, He Moyu was still looking down, writing something—it looked like a greeting card.

Ah right, it was almost “mama’s” birthday. Their relationship was complex, but they took every holiday seriously, preparing gifts for each other. In their words, any relationship needs maintenance, and a sense of ritual is indispensable for that.

He Moyu only put down her pen after finishing the last character. She looked at her daughter standing straight, slowly capped the fountain pen, and placed it in an exquisite gift box.

“This pen was a gift from your mama. I only take it out to use when I’m writing things for her.”

He Yining curled her lips, attempting to return a smile.

He Moyu looked at the difficult smile on her daughter’s face and said in a flat tone, “What do you think a good partnership looks like?”

“What is Mother trying to say?” He Yining wouldn’t fall into the other’s question trap. Regardless of the time, before figuring out the other’s intent, she wouldn’t yield the initiative in a conversation.

He Moyu smiled. “Must you be so cautious even when chatting with your mother?”

This attitude was incredibly gentle. Since when had this woman ever been so mild? When things are abnormal, there must be a catch.

“Apologies.”

He Moyu: “…”

“I, as well as your mama, believe that a partner should be someone of equal strength and status, just like us.”

Alright, she understood what was being expressed.

He Yining lowered her gaze. “Does Mother want to ask about me and Ming Sian?”

She was incredibly direct, showing no intention of saving face for anyone or feeling that this matter couldn’t be spoken of.

First, she met Ming Sian at a bar, then she fired Jerry for bullying Ming Sian at the firm, and yesterday she took her away in full view of everyone.

She could imagine what the rumors were like. She was mentally prepared for Ms. He Moyu to seek her out, but she hadn’t expected her mother’s tone to be so gentle.

Since He Yining had directly torn through the paper, He Moyu stopped being subtle. “Ming Sian, a sophomore at Hong Kong University. Her mother made her choose to study in Hong Kong for a scholarship but ignored the cost of living here. She is either working a part-time job or on her way to one. What do you think she approached you for?”

He Moyu might as well have said directly that Ming Sian was a “Phoenix Girl” trying to hook a wealthy woman because she didn’t want to work hard anymore.

“A second-year student—even if she’s better than her peers, He Yining, haven’t you seen enough excellent people? Furthermore, her family background does not match the He family.”

Everything her mother said was correct. The original Ming Sian was indeed a “Phoenix Girl” trying to climb the branches to become a phoenix through her. But the current Ming Sian was a different person, and she had become obsessed with the girl’s pheromones.

Just thinking about it sent a wave of numbness through her heart.

From the moment she developed a sense of possessiveness over Ming Sian, He Yining had no intention of letting go. Her thought process was always about getting the person by the quickest means possible.

“I already have her mark.” He Yining didn’t say much else, nor did she explain. She was very direct—so direct that He Moyu’s face turned completely dark.

“He Yining! Do not lie to me.”

“If Mother doesn’t believe me, you can call a doctor.”

He Yining wanted her mother and “mama” to know that she was grown up and had her own thoughts. It wasn’t as if she would marry any Alpha they casually arranged for her.

Of course, they wouldn’t be “casual”—just like Gu Xing and He Chenzhang, they would find a decent second or third-generation elite within the industry or the wealthy circle.

But those people were not easy to control. Not only would they be disobedient, but if she refused to share a bed, they would likely make it known to everyone and involve the elders.

He Moyu took a deep breath, suppressing her rage. “Is it to escape our arrangements, or do you really like her? Forget it, whatever the reason, go wash off her mark.”

He Yining was dismissive. “Does Mother think a complete mark can be washed off?”

It could be washed off, but the Omega would lose half their life. If they still chose to make her wash off the mark, she might doubt if they still considered her their daughter. And if they didn’t treat her as a daughter, why should she be obedient?

“Get out.”

He Yining simply turned and left. It didn’t matter whether her mother believed she had been marked; as long as she said it, and used this rhetoric with others in the future, it wouldn’t matter much whether it was true or not.

Walking out of He Moyu’s office, the first thing she saw was Ming Sian sitting obediently, waiting for her.

At the same time, Ming Sian stood up to meet her. In those dozen or so steps, she had already observed He Yining’s expression: calm and cold, exactly the same as when she went in.

Is it that He Yining hides it well, or did truly nothing happen?

Wait, why was she starting to care about He Yining? Ming Sian withdrew her gaze. “Ali is downstairs.”

She had just contacted Ali to bring the car to the entrance so they could leave immediately.

“Mm.”

In the car, Ming Sian sat silently in the back next to He Yining. This woman really smelled wonderful.

She felt like a total creep, being seduced bit by bit by beauty.

However, she sat in the back not because of the beauty, but because she had something to ask. “Lawyer He, how did you get the paternity test for Mr. Liang and Liang Feng?”

She knew He Yining would obtain the key evidence, but the timeline was wrong, and getting that paternity test was not supposed to be easy.

Could it be the butterfly effect caused by my arrival? It’s not impossible.

He Yining held a string of agarwood beads; the scent was good, but not as good as the scent on her body.

“I got it from the estate lawyer.”

With the “script” in hand, many things became easy. She knew the item existed, and she knew how to get the estate lawyer to hand over the test. Naturally, things were much simpler.

Ming Sian was speechless. Of course I know that. Forget it, if He Yining didn’t want to say, there was no point in pressing. To hide her curiosity, she coughed lightly. “Then whose son is Liang Feng?”

“Liang Guanzhong’s brother’s.”

Liang Guanzhong had a brother named Liang Guandong. Compared to the more honest Liang Guanzhong, Liang Guandong was a scumbag who seduced Liang Guanzhong’s girlfriend at the time—Liang Feng’s mother.

In fact, Liang Feng should call Liang Guanzhong “Uncle.” There was a biological relation between them, but they weren’t father and son.

Liang Feng himself knew this as well.

Ming Sian was silent for a while, her peripheral vision stealing glances at He Yining from time to time. she always felt something was wrong, but she couldn’t ask.

Because even if she asked, He Yining wouldn’t tell her.

“The negotiation is over. What should we tell Ms. Amy?”

Amy would certainly be unwilling. She was frantically siphoning off the Liang Group’s assets; now that Liang Feng had given up, who was she going to hand the empty shell of the Liang Group to?

He Yining looked coldly out the car window. “Too much calculation.”

Ming Sian was slightly startled, then smiled. “Doesn’t Lawyer He also calculate against people?”

“Calculating hearts—isn’t that exactly what we are supposed to do?” He Yining turned back, meeting her gaze. For an excellent lawyer to win, just memorizing statutes is useless.

She whispered in her “Hong Kong-style Mandarin,” “Faith in the law is just that—faith.”

Ming Sian frowned slightly. “My teacher said that the moment we step through the gates of Hong Kong University Law School, one foot is in the Hong Kong judicial world. The law is supreme. No matter what industry we enter in the future, we must remember that the law is sacred.”

Campus life is different from actually being a lawyer. She agreed with He Yining’s truth, but it still felt awkward in her heart.

“Then how do you view your profession?” He Yining leaned her head against the headrest and narrowed her eyes, seemingly not caring about the answer at all.

“I will fight for the cause of the law for the rest of my life.”

She didn’t answer directly, but her passion for the profession was evident.

He Yining, eyes closed, curled her lips. “Ideals. They are worthy of respect.”

Ming Sian huffed softly. “Lawyer He should stick to Mandarin; I don’t understand Cantonese.”

She discovered that ever since He Yining knew she didn’t understand Cantonese, she insisted on speaking it, or at least using “Kong-Mandarin.”

“Can’t understand it, can’t learn it.”

He Yining: “…” This bastard really was asking for it.

He Yining opened her eyes, her cold gaze falling on Ming Sian until the girl started to look a bit panicked before she withdrew it.

She reached out and closed the partition in the car; the front couldn’t see the back, and the sound wouldn’t carry through.

Seeing this, Ming Sian only felt her heart racing. This is it—business talk is over, private talk begins. What private matters could they have? They were talking about last night…

It was winter; people outside were wearing thick coats, and the heater was on inside the car. Logically, it shouldn’t be cold, but Ming Sian still felt a chill.

He Yining took off the silk scarf from her neck, and the marks on her fair skin were exposed, stinging Ming Sian’s eyes.

It was all her doing.

However, He Yining didn’t speak. She looked quietly out the window, lonely yet charming, curled up lazily in her seat, isolating herself from the world.

Seeing the marks on He Yining’s neck, Ming Sian couldn’t help but feel guilty; her thoughts immediately lost their edge.

“I’m sorry.” Other than that, she didn’t know what to say.

“I thought you would say you’re going to take responsibility for me.”

He Yining smiled and pulled on Ming Sian’s tie, suddenly jerking her closer.

Ming Sian was forced near. He Yining’s tone was ghostly. “You don’t want to take responsibility?”

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to; no, that’s not the right way to put it. She wasn’t an irresponsible person. Whether from a legal or moral standpoint, she couldn’t bring herself to be irresponsible. She just had misgivings.

“No.” Ming Sian’s face showed a trace of panic. They were too close. He Yining really did smell wonderful. She didn’t want to smell it, but the pleasant fragrance kept drifting into her nose.

She was about to be intoxicated by He Yining’s scent—it felt like being a pervert, but she was practically buried in He Yining’s chest; she couldn’t exactly suffocate herself.

“No? Then you are going to take responsibility.”

He Yining felt the breath on her chest; her hands couldn’t help but tighten. Her body was gradually becoming strange. Addictive bastard.

“Fine, I’ll take responsibility.”

Ming Sian took a deep breath and agreed. Since she couldn’t ignore it or be immoral, she would take responsibility. Some things have to be faced; there’s no escaping them.

She was so nervous she didn’t notice the possessiveness in He Yining’s eyes—and it was only possessiveness, like someone who suddenly took a liking to a bag while shopping and wanted to have it regardless.

“How do you want to take responsibility?” Having gotten the answer she wanted, He Yining stopped pressing and instead asked for Ming Sian’s opinion.

The two were like they were sitting at a negotiation table, discussing a matter that should have happened naturally through feelings, but had now completely changed its nature.

In moments like this, their professional habits were fully revealed.

He Yining helped her untie her tie. Ming Sian felt the cold touch against her skin from time to time; while her heart trembled, her body shuddered along with it, inexplicably enjoying the touch.

Ming Sian! Are you sick?!

She cursed herself inwardly, but on the surface, she showed no sign of backing down, maintaining the same expression she had when facing He Chenzhang in the meeting room earlier.

He Yining also unbuttoned the top two buttons of her own shirt, as detached as ever. “We don’t have to get married.”

Hearing this, Ming Sian let out a sigh of relief. She had never thought about marriage. Although she wasn’t against it, in her understanding, marriage meant starting from love and using marriage to sublimate the word “love.” It was different from the sweetness and morality of dating; it carried more responsibility.

But in many people’s eyes, marriage was just about being partners for life. What is love? It’s not important.

Ming Sian ultimately felt that a marriage without a foundation of love was better off not existing.

She supported He Yining’s decision. Then what did the other party want? “Lawyer He might as well speak plainly.”

Since it was a negotiation, there was no need to beat around the bush. Each should just present their chips.

He Yining didn’t like her attitude. “We don’t have to marry, but the dating must be known to everyone. And every month during the heat period—including two days before, two days after, and two days every weekend—you have to stay at my house.”

“Why?”

Ming Sian could understand the first part—a relationship known to all was 100% for show. As for the latter part, what was she going there for?

He Yining tilted her chin up. “You don’t understand?”

Ming Sian shook her head and rescued her chin from He Yining’s fingertips.

“Once an Omega has been marked, unless the mark is washed away, the effectiveness of suppressants is greatly reduced. The process will be very painful.”

Ming Sian understood. He Yining meant that during the heat period, as the Alpha who marked her, she had to be responsible. She had a rough idea of what that “responsibility” entailed.

There was only one way to soothe an Omega: pheromone blending.

Thinking of this, her ears turned red. Although she had no memory of what happened during the night, she wasn’t a naive little white flower who knew nothing. With He Yining’s explanation, she understood.

Ming Sian remained silent, truly not knowing how to answer.

He Yining raised an eyebrow, her tone softening slightly. “Ming Sian, do you not want to take responsibility for me?”

“No.” She quickly shook her head. That’s not what she meant, but certain things were awkward to say aloud. “I only know some… manual techniques. I don’t understand pheromones.”

As a lesbian, surely she had seen the corresponding movies? She hadn’t eaten pork, but hadn’t she seen a pig run? But she didn’t know how pheromones were used or how the marking happened—yet she had marked the woman regardless.

He Yining hadn’t expected this to be the reason. Last night, Ming Sian had indeed been messing around blindly, making her suffer for a long time before she obtained a moment of pleasure.

She turned her head to look out the window, her back to Ming Sian, but she couldn’t suppress the corners of her mouth. This girl was incredibly “clean”; she was very satisfied.

After a long while, He Yining spoke calmly, “I will send you some relevant instructional materials. Just learn them.”

What? Can you even do that?

Ming Sian thought: others learn legal statutes and cases, but she had to learn how to “serve” the Eldest Miss. It was quite absurd.

“Uhm… can I not learn?”

He Yining took out her phone and tapped it a few times. “Treat it as a part-time job since it takes up your time.”

Ming Sian looked at her phone. It was an immediate transfer of 100,000 yuan—the kind that couldn’t be withdrawn. He Yining had sent it directly to her bank card.

“?” This isn’t good. She felt like she was being “kept.”

“I don’t want your money.”

Logically, as an Alpha who marked an Omega, she should be the one paying alimony. Now it was reversed; she felt like a “toy boy.”

Looking at the balance of 100,027 yuan, it would be a lie to say she wasn’t tempted. A bank card that had only 27 yuan in it suddenly had 100,000—a huge sum. One should know her salary card only had 23,000, and that was from her newly issued salary.

He Yining sized her up with disdain. “You are my person now. It’s your task not to embarrass me.”

Understood. She was He Yining’s woman now. Going out represented He Yining’s face; if she dressed poorly, wouldn’t that be shameful?

Ming Sian still shook her head. “If I need to attend occasions with you, you can prepare the clothes. I can’t take the money. Of course, you don’t have to prepare them either, but then you can’t demand what I wear.”

The suit she was wearing today was high-end tailoring, costing hundreds of thousands; she couldn’t afford it.

Currently, she needed two million to win back her freedom; after that, everything would be easy.

She needed money, but “a noble person loves wealth and obtains it in a principled way.” Others could think of her as a little gigolo clinging to a rich woman, but she couldn’t think that of herself.

He Yining crossed her arms and looked at her. “Ming Sian, I am keeping you!”

Keeping?

Before Ming Sian could answer, the car came to a steady stop at the gate of Hong Kong University.

Huh? Just like that, she’s sent back?

“Marriage is okay. Being ‘kept’… no.”

If she and He Yining had a sugar-daddy relationship, she would never be able to hold her head up in front of He Yining.

“OK.”

Ming Sian: “?” Did I just fall for a trap?

She felt something was wrong but couldn’t put her finger on it. The words came from her own mouth.

“I…” She didn’t mean she wanted to get married.

He Yining didn’t give her a chance to regret. “Pack your things at school and move to my house.”

Ming Sian shook her head repeatedly. “It’s more convenient for me to live at school.”

“Ming Sian, we are getting married soon. Of course we should live together after marriage.” He Yining was very dissatisfied. If they didn’t live together, how were they going to “do” it?

“8:00 AM classes aren’t convenient.”

He Yining said coldly, “I attended this university.”

Ming Sian looked at the university gate. “Living at your place means waking up at least an hour earlier.”

She wanted to refuse He Yining. Their relationship shouldn’t be one where they lived together every day.

“Are you worried about the commute?”

“Yes.”

He Yining lowered her gaze. Ming Sian thought she wouldn’t think about living together anymore, but then He Yining suddenly looked up. “As long as the commute problem is solved, we can live together.”

She wasn’t asking; she was interpreting Ming Sian’s words—it could be understood that way.

Ming Sian thought for a bit. “He Yining, didn’t you say we didn’t have to get married?”

“But that’s what you said.” He Yining’s expression was slightly innocent.

If her expression were still cold, Ming Sian would have believed her, but to show an innocent expression? She’d be a fool to believe it.

Now, not only were they discussing marriage, but also their home after marriage. It was clear that their marriage was a settled matter.

Ming Sian took a deep breath. She closed her eyes and thought for a long time. “Prepare the contract.”

Having decided to take responsibility, whether they married or not wasn’t that important. She just made their relationship very distant—a contract marriage. That paper contract would always remind her of what their real relationship was.

He Yining stared intently into her eyes. Although this bastard’s decision was exactly what she wanted, hearing it from her mouth made her mood exceptionally bad.

Ming Sian pushed the car door open and got out. The moment before she closed the door, that cold voice came from behind: “Fine. I’ll prepare the contract for you.”