After the Cannon Fodder A Accidentally Marked the Paranoid Female Lead - Chapter 34

New Year’s Eve is the most important festival of the year, signifying reunion. In most families, parents look forward to their children returning, and children look forward to their parents coming home.

Ming Sian did not like celebrating this holiday. When working away from home, she would rather eat instant noodles alone in her large apartment in Huashen than go back to hear her mother talk about how much they suffered, how ungrateful she was, and how her brother wanted to buy a house in a certain area—one worth millions—while they only had two hundred thousand in hand, expecting her to provide the rest.

If she had money, she would naturally buy a large flat for herself; why should she buy a house for her brother? Furthermore, other people’s brothers were helpful, but her brother had been spoiled into lawlessness—he would curse at the drop of a hat, even saying terrible things to their mother.

Her mother’s affection for her was, at most, a bit of extra patience on the day she took first place in school, after her mother had felt proud at the parent-teacher meeting.

Once she got into university, her mother called her every day to instill the idea of returning home after graduation, taking the civil service exam to stay in the county, talking about how much money they spent to provide for her education.

In fact, her living allowance for university was eight hundred yuan a month; once she started interning in her junior year, even that eight hundred stopped. She was scolded even for the act of applying for postgraduate studies, but the manuscript fees she earned from internal journals were substantial—enough to fully cover her four years of university and the various costs of her master’s degree, allowing her to proceed according to her own plan.

Her experiences growing up taught her one thing: financial independence is the capital of independence, and an independent mind is the soul of independence.

Some people have money yet still cannot escape the control of their family of origin; only with sufficient mental independence can one have courage.

Of course, the independence Ming Sian believed in was not about completely cutting all ties with the family of origin; it depended on the actual situation. Like her parents—they loved her, but in comparison, they loved money more, loved themselves more, and loved her brother more.

Of that 100% of love, she probably occupied about 1%.

However, she had hoped for their love since childhood. Growing up, she also wondered why they treated her and her brother with such a world of difference. Later, she came to understand: her parents’ love for her was conditional, yet they still attempted to bind her with the ties of kinship.

After starting work, she would send money back every month, but she was simply unwilling to go back.

Returning to the small county later was because her brother had gotten involved in gambling, divorced his wife, and run away after selling the marital home—still unable to pay back the money—leaving only the family address.

Debt collectors came to the door and emptied the house. Since the old house they currently lived in was part of a scenic area and could only be lived in by generations—repaired by the government but not sold—they weren’t out on the streets yet. Her father was so angry he suffered a stroke, becoming completely unable to care for himself, and her mother’s hair turned white overnight.

Ming Sian was glad she hadn’t told them she bought a house in Huashen; otherwise, the address her brother gave out would have included her home in Huashen.

The already shattered family needed her to return. With no other choice, she could only move back to the small county; opening a studio was merely for the transition. She hadn’t planned to stay home for too many years, after all, the doctor said that unless a miracle happened, her father wouldn’t live past three years.

She affiliated herself with a large law firm and established a private studio, happening to be a pro-bono lawyer—the kind she wanted to be from the start—to speak up for the vulnerable.

Slowly, she fell in love with being a pro-bono lawyer. When she sought justice for women and children who suffered violence, or workers oppressed by their bosses, the sense of accomplishment was no less than being in a “Red Circle” firm; in fact, it was even better.

In the third year, her father didn’t pull through. His passing was a release for her mother and herself, but her mother’s health was also very poor.

After three years of the studio, Ming Sian truly loved being a pro-bono lawyer. In fact, she still wanted to return to Huashen; Huashen was a metropolis with more opportunities and a louder voice.

The ability of a lawyer in a small county is limited. The same cases happen in countless small towns. To completely change this phenomenon, one must stand in a higher place and make a louder sound.

What she couldn’t achieve in her previous life, Ming Sian hoped she could achieve in this one.

She had no feelings for Ms. Chen. Since she wasn’t the original host, besides providing alimony according to the law, she didn’t need to care about Ms. Chen—even if the other party sent many malicious messages.

Today was New Year’s Eve. The school had classes in the morning and only went on break in the afternoon. Ming Sian walked quickly out of the school and saw He Yining’s car at the gate.

She took two quick steps over and sat in the back seat. “I’m sorry for making you wait so long.”

Before she could even say hello, she spoke up to apologize.

Ming Sian steadied her slightly heavy breathing from the jog. She knew He Yining would come to pick her up; the moment class ended, she jogged across campus, only stopping when she was near the school gate. She had jogged for about ten minutes; her breathing was only slightly heavy, and the hem of her clothes was only slightly damp.

When she turned around, she saw He Yining looking at her with a cold, emotionless gaze, which startled her slightly.

“Wh… what’s wrong?”

Ali reminded her: “Miss Ming, your classmate is looking for you.”

“What?”

She followed Ali’s gaze and saw Cheng Cheng hesitating at the school gate, not daring to step forward.

What happened? Why is Cheng Cheng here?

She opened the car door and stepped out. As soon as the door closed, Ali opened the driver’s side window from the front.

Ming Sian glanced back but didn’t pay it much mind. “Cheng Cheng, do you need me for something?”

“Of course I do! Your book fell out. I chased you from behind but you wouldn’t stop. Why were you running so fast? Ready to see…” Cheng Cheng suddenly remembered something and quickly changed the subject. “By the way, my parents have arrived in Hong Kong. They decided to come spend the New Year with me. During this holiday, I’ll likely have to accompany them. For your updates during the New Year period, I’ll send you some materials that I can complete alone; keep an eye out.”

“Okay, I got it. Have a good time with your parents,” Ming Sian said with a smile.

Since New Year’s Eve was tonight, students who went home immediately after the break would only catch the Spring Festival. With only a few days of holiday and the expense of traveling back and forth being too high, few students studying at Hong Kong University—unless they were wealthy—would choose to go home.

Watching Cheng Cheng leave, it was only after she sat back in the car that she felt belatedly embarrassed.

Ali suppressed a laugh and said, “Miss Ming, no need to run. The Eldest Miss will wait for you.”

Ming Sian: “…” She tried to act as if she hadn’t run, but she was still found out. She could only pretend not to care about the topic.

“No, I was just worried about delaying your time to go home.”

Ali smiled and didn’t speak, neither saying she believed it nor saying she didn’t.

Ming Sian blinked. What does that mean? Whether you believe it or not, you should say something!

She used her peripheral vision to steal a glance at He Yining. The woman’s slender fingers were sliding across a tablet; from her profile, she could see the corners of her mouth curled up—she seemed to be in quite a good mood.

Wasn’t she just cold a moment ago? Why is her mood good again now?

The Eldest Miss is truly unpredictable.

Ming Sian leaned back against the seat, still feeling very nervous. She was about to meet the family—and more than one person. During the New Year period, it should be the time when the He family members are most gathered.

She took out her phone and checked the time; it was already three o’clock in the afternoon. She heard from Ali that it would take an hour to drive from here to the He family home. Hong Kong isn’t large; an hour’s journey meant it was definitely in a villa district.

The He family villa occupied 3,000 square meters, including nearly 10,000 square meters of private gardens. The level of privacy was extremely high; it was referred to by the media as the “He Family Palace.”

Hong Kong is only so big, and there aren’t many luxury mansions. Those wealthy people under the spotlight are naturally watched by the media. The Hong Kong media tracks wealthy socialites even more closely than they do celebrities; for Hong Kong people, upper-class gossip is far more interesting than celebrity gossip.

Although the He family wasn’t as famous as the city’s richest men, they were a prominent family that many people followed. Especially now, during a critical moment of transition between the old and the new. The health of the He family head had clearly developed issues; rumors said that the head would not choose from the second generation but would select directly from the third. Thus, the eyes of many media outlets were focused on the third generation of the He family.

In the eyes of the outside world, there were many competitive members of the third generation. The He family’s methods of nurturing heirs were good; they basically all got into first-class universities—either doing their undergraduate degree or their master’s.

There were several who had done both their undergraduate and postgraduate degrees at first-class universities.

In the He family, He Chenzhang ranked third among the Alphas, and He Yining was the eldest among the Omegas. Actually, if ranked by age, He Yining was the fifth child.

Ming Sian felt a wave of dizziness just thinking about the information she knew. There were too many He family members; it wouldn’t be easy to tell them apart, and He Yining hadn’t given her a profile of the He family.

Thinking of this, Ming Sian said in a low voice: “Lawyer He, why don’t you give me a copy of the He family personnel profiles, so I don’t fail to recognize people when the time comes.”

“It’s a first meeting; it’s normal not to recognize them.” He Yining continued sliding through the materials in her hand, incredibly cold and detached.

That makes sense, but…

Just as Ming Sian was about to say something, her gaze was inexplicably drawn to the materials on the tablet—Profiles of the third daughter’s family of five, the sister.

Ming Sian: “?”

She was stunned for a second, then realized and laughed out loud, causing He Yining to look over. “What are you laughing at?” Was her remark that funny?

“It turns out you don’t recognize the He family members either.” Ming Sian smiled with her eyes narrowed.

He Yining: “…”

She gave a cold look to Ali, who was driving while holding back a laugh. Every time before she went back to the He family for dinner, she had to look at the profiles. She had too much on her plate, and coupled with her face blindness, she could only extract information from the files and then match them to the people—since looking at photos was useless to her.

Her memory was very good, but she simply couldn’t remember faces.

Fortunately, He Yining only had mild face blindness; she could still remember those she saw frequently. For those she might only see once a year, it would be strange if she could remember them.

On the way back, she needed to urgently supplement her knowledge of these people.

“Stop laughing.” She gave Ming Sian a cold look.

Ming Sian wasn’t angry at all. She reached out to signal He Yining to give her the tablet. “Let me see.”

She suddenly remembered it was written in the novel: He Yining had mild face blindness—not especially severe, but with so many He family members, it wasn’t easy to remember everyone in a short time.

Take He Chenzhang—height 170cm, small features everywhere. Did that mean anyone with that height and small features was him? If many people stood together, it would be even more troublesome.

In the novel, He Yining was usually very cold, so it was normal for her not to greet people when she saw them. She recognized close relatives she saw often, but for those slightly more distant—especially those who had their own children—there were just too many people.

Later, when her mild face blindness became known, someone used it to scheme against her.

Ming Sian took the tablet and said softly: “My memory is quite good.”

More than just “quite good”—her current memory was even better than in her last life. If she read an article twice, she could remember the content.

It was the same with photos. She had confidence in her memory.

He Yining was slightly stunned. In fact, Ali remembered all these people, but Ali couldn’t always be by her side on certain occasions to remind her who the person speaking to her was.

Last year she encountered an elder and walked straight past; that afternoon she was called by her grandmother and told she was rude. Only then did she learn that the old lady she passed was her grandmother’s sister.

She recognized uncles, aunts, and cousins, but as for her grandmother’s siblings, she truly didn’t know them. She had been busy with her studies for many years. Events for the elders didn’t allow the younger generation to participate. During festivals, at the ancestral hall for worship, the children all knelt in the back. Even after starting university, they were only slightly ahead of the children, ranked by seniority and age. Her grandmother’s branch had relatively low seniority; besides core members—like her biological mother and uncles—the third generation had to stand very far back.

Once the ancestral hall worship ended, the third generation gathered together, going table by table to give New Year’s greetings and receive red envelopes. Only then was there a possibility for both sides to have close contact.

Let alone her grandmother’s siblings—He Yining didn’t even see her mother’s siblings more than a few times a month.

He Yining truly didn’t want to deal with these relatives. They also liked to complain to her grandmother, and her grandmother valued these relatives highly.

Thinking about having to deal with hundreds of relatives, He Yining’s mood darkened significantly.

She turned to look at Ming Sian and saw that the girl was quickly sliding through the files, moving much faster than her own progress. After finishing one pass, she immediately reviewed it a second time.

This time, returning to the He family, Ming Sian would be standing by her side the whole time; this person would be one with her from now on.

Thinking about it was somewhat novel. She was used to fighting alone; after all, Huo Qi wasn’t a He family member. Huo Qi would only follow her family to the He home for New Year’s greetings after the New Year and might stay for two days, but wouldn’t be at the He family for the entire Spring Festival.

Only Ming Sian could—accompanying her back to the He family every time, facing many people and things she didn’t want to face.

Ming Sian felt a gaze from beside her, fixed on her. She turned her head. “Almost done.”

She seemed to be soothing a child waiting impatiently nearby: Don’t worry, once I’m done with this, I’ll play with you.

He Yining was slightly stunned, the corners of her mouth turning up unconsciously. Then, a thought crossed her mind: she wouldn’t make a mistake even if she relied on herself—anyway, she was always icy, and people often complained about her to her grandmother.

“Do you want to be my assistant?”

“Sort of.”

Ming Sian spoke without looking up. Anyway, she would be staying by He Yining’s side. Not only would she remind He Yining, but also during the days spent at the He family, to prevent being targeted, it was best for the two of them to be inseparable.

She’s actually not looking at me? He Yining’s face grew cold, and she stopped looking at Ming Sian.

After Ming Sian looked over the materials twice, she closed her eyes to recall the memorized content. Feeling there were no issues, she opened her eyes. She turned to look at the increasingly wide road outside and the fewer, more luxurious houses.

Single-family homes and small Western-style villas appeared frequently; they had entered the area where Hong Kong’s wealth was concentrated.

After the car entered the mountain road, it could be seen that the houses here were even more luxurious, and the occupied area was increasingly large. To own such a villa in Hong Kong, how rich must one be?

In her last life, Ming Sian rented a villa in a small county for fifteen thousand yuan a month. She didn’t live with her mother; she didn’t want to hear her mother’s complaints and the subtle hints that she should pay off her brother’s debts.

Back then, she sued the debt collectors and won the case. They returned the things they took from the old house, but she didn’t pay her brother’s debts—if she paid, he would just come back. At that time, his constant troublemaking would be even more annoying.

She only wanted to properly see off her soon-to-pass-away father. After his passing, her mother would have a pension plus the money she sent every month, enough for her to live very well in the small county.

As for whether her mother would subsidize her brother, that had nothing to do with her. She fulfilled her responsibility; with only that much money every month, her mother could spend it on whomever she wanted—if she ran out, Ming Sian wouldn’t provide more.

Her mom would tell people outside that she lived in a villa while her own mother lived in a damp old house, also saying she had money but let her brother have a home he couldn’t return to.

Ming Sian simply stopped transferring money. Every week, she sent supplies of roughly the same value, ensuring her mother wouldn’t starve, and she kept receipts for every expense. She specifically had people deliver them to the door; all the neighbors knew she was a filial daughter, with various gifts arriving every week—grains, oil, meat, and vegetables.

Her mom could only reap what she sowed. She secretly took the oil and rice to sell; when others knew it was to subsidize her son, they scolded her for being ungrateful—complaining about her filial daughter every day while scraping money from her own teeth to support her son.

The result? Her son was nowhere to be found. These things even reached the ears of the debt collectors, and they even came to the door to interrogate the old lady.

Ming Sian looked out the car window, her thoughts slowly drifting. There were only a few people in her family, yet so much drama had occurred. With hundreds of people in the He family, she didn’t even need to think to know the drama would be immense.

Finally, the car reached the mountain peak—the altitude was about 600 meters, not very high. This was also a famous scenic spot, but the place tourists went was different from where they were going.

Seeing the car, the security guard immediately opened the gate and saluted the vehicle.

It wasn’t just one gate—there was another gate behind it. The number of guards at this gate was about the same as at the first; they all stood straight in place. Likely having been notified by the first gate, the second gate opened early.

The car proceeded smoothly all the way, driving into the He family gardens and stopping only at the door of the He family villa.

A six-story villa with three floors underground, a super-large pool, and a row of luxury cars parked outside.

This was somewhat different from the manors Ming Sian had seen. How to put it… it was a bit small. There were manors in the small county too; she had a client who lived in one. The domestic staff rooms in the manor were all suites; the service personnel lived in a small building. Inside, there were many Chinese-style villas, each with its own courtyard.

However, in a place like Hong Kong, having enough rooms to live in was enough; there was no need for it to be too big—big meant expensive.

As soon as the car stopped, someone opened the door. When the person saw it was Ming Sian, he was stunned for a moment, almost blurting out: Who are you?

Fortunately, after seeing He Yining, he hurried to the other side to open the car door and bowed respectfully. “Eldest Miss.”

Ming Sian gave an embarrassed smile on his behalf, stepped out of the car, and focused her gaze on He Yining, watching her step out elegantly.

He Yining walked to Ming Sian’s side, and the two stood side-by-side.

Seeming to hesitate, as another car stopped, He Yining subtly touched Ming Sian, signaling her to take her arm.

“What are you doing?” Ming Sian didn’t understand. With such a large space, why stand so close together?

Ali, beside them, rolled her eyes. Dating a blind person—the Eldest Miss is really working hard.

She could only hint to Ming Sian from the side, first patting her own arm and then making a gesture of taking someone’s arm.

Ming Sian blinked. Before she even figured out what it meant, she first copied Ali’s action—and actually took He Yining’s arm.

She was about to pull away when she saw Ali’s relieved smile. She quickly glanced at He Yining and saw that the woman actually tightened her arm, which set her mind at ease.

The two stood side-by-side: He Yining in her plain-colored qipao, and Ming Sian in her black double-breasted suit, wearing thin-soled leather shoes. Compared to her usual neutral suits, this outfit leaned more toward a feminine style, with the suit jacket being slightly longer.

Standing together, they were a perfect match, a couple made in heaven.

Only a flashy red sports car parked beside them, disrupting this stunning scene. He Chenzhang stepped out, his gaze circling around their linked arms, and then he made a sound of disdain. “I thought my sister was just putting on a show, but I didn’t expect you to actually bring her back. I’m truly curious: is my sister truly in love with her, or is she trying to use her to get more family property?”

He Yining frowned. “And you? Marrying Gu Xing—are you going to give up that little boyfriend of yours?”

He Chenzhang’s face suddenly stiffened, and then it turned ugly. “Then let’s see—whether it’s me marrying Gu Xing that makes the family happy, or you marrying a ‘toy boy’ that makes the family happy.”

“Meddlesome.”

Ming Sian listened to the cold voice beside her, her steps hesitating for a moment. They encountered a confrontation just at the door; if she really stayed here for a few days, she felt her life wouldn’t be very easy.

He Chenzhang laughed and ignored He Yining, turning instead toward her. “You’re not bad. If you don’t want He Yining anymore, you can come to me; I’ll have to leave a partner position for you.”

Making a promise of heavy rewards right off the bat—someone unaware might be very excited. He Chenzhang’s law firm was also under the He Group; becoming a partner in a He Group law firm would be a good thing for many people of ordinary birth.

Ming Sian turned and looked at He Yining with “love.” “Cousin shouldn’t talk nonsense. In this life, I am Ningning’s person in life and Ningning’s ghost in death; I will never leave Ningning.”

She even took a step forward, purposely standing in front of He Chenzhang. He Chenzhang looked up helplessly; this person was really annoying.

He Yining felt her arm become empty; her already cold expression took on a hint of gloom, and her gaze toward He Chenzhang became even more unfriendly.

He Chenzhang didn’t care at all, snorting and backing away. “Slick-tongued. One look and I can tell you’re no good.”

He had experienced Ming Sian’s mouth last time. He didn’t expect this person to be able to call him “Cousin” so naturally; she could call him that, but he couldn’t stand hearing it.

“He Chenzhang, Ming Sian is my partner. If you cannot apologize, then we shall see each other in court.” He Yining’s cold voice rang out, instantly dropping the atmosphere to the freezing point.

Ming Sian turned back in surprise, her eyes reflecting He Yining’s exquisite features, which then slowly magnified. He Yining’s entire figure appeared in her pupils—fair skin, long wavy hair down to her waist, a plain white silk qipao. Cold as the moon, like a goddess who didn’t eat the food of mortals. Perhaps it was the nature of the qipao itself that gave He Yining a trace of gentleness, though her slender waist was hidden by the shawl.

“See you in court? What are you suing me for?” He Chenzhang said disdainfully.

The young couple was going home; he was the one tactlessly interfering.

He Yining pursed her lips. Ali, beside them, coughed, drawing everyone’s attention. “Uhm, I recorded a video. Third Young Master, you insulted Miss Ming.”

He Chenzhang: “…” With ironclad evidence of insulting someone, an apology is required, and in severe cases, compensation must be paid.

“Sorry.” He took a deep breath and stepped toward the villa; he couldn’t afford to lose face.

Ming Sian gave Ali a thumbs up. “As expected of someone following a big lawyer; simply impressive.”

Ali chuckled and remained silent. Just now, when Miss Ming let go of the Eldest Miss’s arm, the Eldest Miss was so cold in that instant—Ali didn’t dare to joke right now.

Yet Ming Sian hadn’t noticed and actually wasn’t taking her arm now. Ali truly wanted to grab Ming Sian’s hand and place it on the Eldest Miss’s arm.

Just as she was about to remind her, Ming Sian casually took the Eldest Miss’s arm. She saw the Eldest Miss’s body stiffen, and then the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.