After the Cannon Fodder A Accidentally Marked the Paranoid Female Lead - Chapter 35

In a six-story villa, although she didn’t know how many rooms there were, housing hundreds of people would surely be very crowded.

After the two entered the villa, what met their eyes was a palace-like magnificence and busy servants.

The moment they saw He Yining, everyone bowed in greeting. “Eldest Miss.”

Ali introduced: “The first floor is a simple reception area, with staff quarters in the back. The second and third floors are residential areas. The fourth, fifth, and sixth floors are all for entertainment. If there’s time, I can take Miss Ming up to see.”

“Thank you.”

Looking at it this way, it still couldn’t house that many people.

Ming Sian asked curiously, “With so many people in the He family, can they all stay here?”

Ali smiled. “Except for the Head’s branch, the other He family members live in their own homes. They live not far from the He manor, so they don’t need to stay here.”

With three thousand square meters per floor, hundreds of people could actually fit, though it might be a bit cramped. But they were all rich—why would they wrong themselves?

Thinking of her own room which was only five or six square meters, Ming Sian leaned sadly on He Yining’s shoulder. “Comparing people really makes one want to die of envy!”

He Yining flicked her forehead. “During the New Year, don’t say the word ‘die’.”

“You’ll flick me into an idiot,” she muttered.

“What was that?”

“Nothing.”

Ming Sian flashed a bright smile at her. A trace of a smile appeared on He Yining’s face, looking quite doting.

Only the two of them knew that this was the way they had agreed to interact while at the He manor.

He Yining was very cold; even a slight change was enough to make people overthink. For someone who usually never even smiles to show a doting look to another person, what else could it be for?

Ming Sian, on the other hand, had it much easier. No one really knew her. Besides, whether it was the original host or herself, they had a decent attitude toward classmates at school—they would smile when greeted. The original host was a bit arrogant, but she knew that winning scholarships already made her the target of many people’s jealousy, so she naturally couldn’t invite more hatred.

As for her, the kindness forged from three years as a pro-bono lawyer gave people a very gentle impression.

If anyone went to the school to ask, many would likely say she had a good personality. Therefore, during this time at the He family, her persona was: gentle, loving partner, putting He Yining first in everything.

The moment they reached the He family entrance, they started acting.

There was no choice; too many eyes were on them. Ali had said that the He manor was full of cameras—on the first floor, the top floor, and even inside the elevators.

They were being monitored constantly; their expressions and demeanors were likely being watched by someone.

Just as they expected, from the moment they got out of the car, a pair of eyes had been staring at them. They watched for a long time until the arrival of He Chenzhang broke the silence inside.

“See that?” He Chenzhang walked into a princess-themed room. A sweet-looking girl in a JK uniform sat on the sofa. In front of her was a computer playing the footage of He Yining and Ming Sian leaning intimately together.

The girl didn’t even look at He Chenzhang, only speaking in a low voice, “Why does she deserve to be happy?”

“Happy?” He Chenzhang sneered. “Just an actor she found temporarily for the sake of the family inheritance. Our sister simply doesn’t understand—Grandmother wants four generations under one roof, not some ‘toy boy’ from a mismatched background.”

“Xiao Zi, how are things between you and Zheng Jiacheng? The Zheng family has collaborated with the He family for many years. If you can ally with the Zheng family through marriage, and I ally with the Gu family, then He Yining and a ‘toy boy’? It’s impossible for her to compete with us.”

The girl looked at her brother. They were twins, but she was a female Alpha.

“He Chenzhang, what I want isn’t the family inheritance. I want He Yining to be miserable. How many times do I have to tell you?”

He Chenzhang: “…No matter what, she is our cousin.”

“He Chenzhang! If you can’t do it, we are no longer siblings.” The girl looked at him coldly, her teeth-gritting expression giving him a start.

“He Zishu, don’t scare me.”

Feeling his authority as an elder brother was being offended, He Chenzhang snapped back stubbornly.

“You can try me.”

He Zishu gave him a chilling look that made He Chenzhang shiver.

He had always been afraid of this sister. When they were little, she often pretended to be innocent and pitiful to get their parents to punish him. After a few times, he started to fear her. Of course, it was mostly dislike, but after growing up, he realized his sister was his natural ally. Until the victor was decided among the cousins, he and his sister had to maintain a good relationship.

Don’t be fooled by how she dressed like a high schooler every day; she was actually thirty, six years older than He Yining. Looking at her style, an outsider would think she was the younger sister. It wasn’t that she looked exceptionally young; at age twenty or thirty, a ten-year difference is barely noticeable.

Clearly, He Yining preferred professional attire, which was more fashionable than typical lawyer outfits. Since they were high-end and unique custom pieces, there was still a huge difference when worn out. It was mainly that He Yining’s aura was excellent. Although he was in a competitive relationship with He Yining, he had to admit that a cold, thorny rose was more eye-catching. Moreover, He Yining’s inherent resilience was an existence he couldn’t ignore.

As for his sister He Zishu, it wasn’t that there was a problem with her clothes, but the specialty of the profession. A lawyer should always dress in a way that makes the client trust them. Would a client choose a lawyer dressed like a high school girl or a lawyer in a sharp suit? It should be an easy choice.

It was one thing for her to wear that at home, but to dress like that for work made it truly hard for people to trust her.

Their parents had tried to manage her but couldn’t. She was the second most rebellious person in the He family. But she hated He Yining, believing He Yining’s existence was a mistake and wishing she would just die.

Of course, he wanted that too.

A subtle smile appeared on He Chenzhang’s face, but on the surface he said: “Forget it, I won’t mind you. I just want the inheritance. If what you do interferes with my inheriting the He family, don’t blame me for disowning you as a sister.”

Seeming worried that his sister would be angry, he added: “As long as it doesn’t conflict with that, I can listen to you on other matters.”

He Zishu couldn’t be bothered with him. For this brother of hers, she had only one word: pathetic.

Watching the intimate appearance of He Yining and Ming Sian, she suddenly spoke, “Tell me, who is better looking, me or He Yining?”

“He Yining,” He Chenzhang answered without hesitation.

Setting aside aura, as long as one wasn’t a pervert, they probably wouldn’t like her sister’s type—dressing herself like a teenage girl every day. When others wear JK, it’s pure; when her sister wears JK, it’s like a demon pretending to be young—two completely different things.

He Yining was different. If she debuted as an actress, she would definitely be at the “national goddess” level. Would a normal person dislike a great beauty and like a little freak?

But he ignored the fact that few people in the He family were “normal”—it was just a matter of the severity of their condition.

He Zishu: “…”

Seeing her brother choose so decisively, she was silent for a long time before speaking coldly, “You want to die.”

He Chenzhang: “I’d rather die than choose you.”

The next second, an unknown object flew toward He Chenzhang. He quickly raised his arm to block it, followed by a dull pain and the sound of a glass cup shattering on the floor.

Only then did he realize that had his reaction not been fast, he might have been hit in the head by the glass.

“WTF, are you really trying to kill me!” He Chenzhang stood up abruptly, raising a fist as if to strike, but thinking of the consequences, he turned and left in a rage.

As he closed the door, he left an angry remark: “He Zishu, and you still want to compete with He Yining? Even an idiot wouldn’t choose you.”

He Zishu stared at her raging brother, a sweet smile appearing on her face. To He Chenzhang, it looked even more like a psycho’s smile, because her eyes were full of unfulfilled regret: What a pity, why didn’t I smash him to death?

He Zishu hated it most when people compared her to He Yining, only to find she lost to He Yining in every aspect. Thus, no matter what it was, if it belonged to He Yining, she would fight for it.

Ming Sian? Since He Yining liked her, then Ming Sian was hers.

She didn’t mind her brother’s departure at all. The two siblings had been competing since childhood—for their parents’ affection, for the family resources. They were in a cooperative relationship, but also a competitive one.

He Chenzhang once said a sentence: The He family follows the Xuanwu Gate system of inheritance.

The He family had always used the “Gu-pot” method of inheritance (survival of the fittest): be united and friendly to the outside, but win on the inside.

“He Yining, Ming Sian? He Yining, He Yining, He Yining…”

He Zishu kept muttering the name, as if saying it a few more times would make He Yining die as she wished.

On the other side, He Yining felt her nose itch slightly. The moment they entered the room, she pushed Ming Sian’s head away.

Ming Sian looked at her in confusion. Ali explained: “Someone installed a pinhole camera outside the room. In the entire He manor, except for the Head’s suite and the inside of this room, any place could be under surveillance.”

Surveillance in their own living quarters?

Ming Sian was speechless, only speaking after a long while: “Your He family members are truly perverted.”

She had mentally prepared herself, thinking the He family’s infighting would be serious, but she didn’t expect it to be this absurd.

He Yining sat on the sofa, returning to her cold demeanor. “Don’t worry, they don’t dare to be too blatant.”

Ali nodded in explanation, “The room is locked, and usually no one comes in. I personally cleaned it this morning, so don’t worry.”

This “cleaning” likely wasn’t just for hygiene, but also for other “unclean” things.

Not expecting the He family’s struggle to be so intense, Ming Sian asked curiously, “Isn’t it said that offending one He family member is the same as offending the entire family? Or is the rumor wrong?”

“That’s different. It’s like with you, Miss Ming. The Eldest Miss can call on you to serve her whenever she wants, but if someone else tried, the Eldest Miss definitely wouldn’t agree.”

Uh…

“Is that so?” To think it could be explained that way. It sounded somewhat reasonable.

Wait, what do you mean reasonable? It made no sense at all. Why should she serve He Yining? Was she bored or something?

He Yining also gave Ali a cold look, as if saying: Too much talk.

Ali quickly explained, “What I meant was, He family members can bully their own, but if an outsider bullies them, that’s a different story.”

Ming Sian could roughly understand. The He family allowed internal fighting, but if one allied with an outsider against their own, it violated the rules.

“And regarding the installation of cameras, doesn’t the He Family Head care?”

She was quite curious. After all, in a place of residence, to have absolutely no privacy was a bit much.

Ali said: “Of course she cares. Once discovered and it’s known who did it, they will receive corresponding punishment. Since they dare to do it, they must be prepared to face the consequences.”

Management still existed. Some didn’t do it openly, but would certainly do it in private.

Could the Family Head not know? Of course she knew. Before, she had the strength to manage it, but now the Head is an old lady recovering at home. Her energy had to be reserved for company affairs; she no longer had the energy to deal with internal family infighting.

However, Ali continued: “The family butler is very loyal to the Head. She arranges everything and has likely cleaned through once already. But during the New Year when there are many people, no one knows if there will be new ones.”

Regardless, it was best to be careful.

Ming Sian nodded, indicating she understood, and then asked, “So where do I sleep?”

Ali was puzzled. “You? With the Eldest Miss, of course.”

Every He family member lived in a suite with a balcony: bedroom, living room, bathroom, walk-in closet, and study. This place where He Yining lived should be about a hundred square meters. It was indeed very large, enough to accommodate a family, but there was only one bedroom and only one bed.

Surely they didn’t want her to sleep on the sofa?

Ming Sian didn’t dare think about sleeping in the same bed as He Yining. That would truly be wishful thinking.

“But… forget it.” She stopped talking about the issue. When night came, she would just discuss the sleeping arrangements with He Yining.

Ming Sian sat on the sofa, looking at He Yining who was resting with her eyes closed, and asked, “So what do we do now? Just sit here?”

“Rest.” He Yining uttered these words coldly.

Resting already? It’s too early.

Ali quickly spoke up, “I’ll go get the luggage. Eldest Miss, Miss Ming, please rest well.”

Ming Sian moved closer to He Yining. “You just got back. Don’t you need to go greet your grandmother and your mothers?”

“No need. When they have time, they will send someone to call me.”

He Yining was used to this. The He family had no rule of “morning greetings.” When one returns, someone naturally informs the others. If they have time to see her, they send someone; if not, going over without official business would instead lead to being scolded.

So He Yining didn’t go looking for her grandmother immediately. However, she didn’t go to wash up or rest either. She knew that after her grandmother found out she had brought Ming Sian back, she would definitely send someone to call her over.

“Alright then.” Ming Sian took out her phone, feeling slightly apprehensive.

In the novel, when He Yining brought the original host back to the He family, Grandma He didn’t agree to their marriage. But not long after, Grandma He fell into a coma and couldn’t speak even after waking up.

After her grandmother’s opposition, He Yining had thought about ending the agreement with the original host, but her grandmother’s sudden coma kept everyone busy. She didn’t have time to worry about the host and figured that as long as she held the host in her hands, she didn’t fear what the host might do.

It was mainly that the original host acted too honest, waiting very obediently.

It was exactly that obedience that made He Yining let down her guard, nearly falling into a trap.

Ming Sian certainly wouldn’t do the things that followed—she couldn’t bring herself to plot for money or life. But if Grandma He didn’t agree to the relationship, what should she do?

And how would He Yining choose?

She knew this trip to the He family would be difficult. She hoped they could make it past the first hurdle.

She stood up and poured two glasses of water on the coffee table. She took out her phone and logged into her YinFu account. Over the weekend, Cheng Cheng had filmed quite a few videos for her. The first video was: A Day in the Life of a Weekend Law Intern.

Ming Sian’s day was very boring. She had suggested Cheng Cheng not film this, but the other said that a boring video could be edited to not be boring, showcasing their professionalism.

In the video, the clip of her waking up was filmed when she went back to the dorm for a night. The exercise clip was directed by Cheng Cheng. At this moment, the bullet comments were quite unusual.

[Lawyer Xiao Ming has a little tuft of bedhead hair when she wakes up, so cute! My feelings for Lawyer Xiao Ming have changed. I want to be her partner.]

[Who knew? Not only does she have abs, she can lift a 25kg dumbbell with one hand.]

[Only 50 pounds, that’s quite normal.]

[50 pounds one-handed, 100 pounds two-handed, and she swung them for quite a while. Some people can’t even carry their 80-pound girlfriend.]

[Heavens, Lawyer Xiao Ming looks so youthful while running. Whose heart is fluttering? It’s mine. I want to date Lawyer Xiao Ming.]

[When she was riding a bike by the sea, I truly died. She’s so full of positive energy, reminds me of my first love.]

[Was your first love as good-looking as Xiao Ming? Then you were eating well, sister.]

[Forget it, not worth mentioning. Unfortunately, I can’t ‘eat’ (get) Lawyer Xiao Ming.]

[No, I can’t have her, so you can’t either. But I found that the firm Lawyer Xiao Ming is interning at is Anning Law Firm under the He Group, and He Yining is the owner.]

[Really? if it’s He Yining, I think they are a great match.]

The camera angles of this video were quite clever—specifically, alluring. Whether it was the “accidental” flash of abs caught by Cheng Cheng or the white shirt bike ride by the sea, someone was bound to like it.

This video had 18,000 likes and over a thousand comments, increasing her followers to over forty thousand. The data was still growing.

The formal, serious video she filmed also got affected, reaching several thousand likes. The comment section was still mostly confessions of love.

Well, she had successfully entered the “beauty” track, making a living based on her looks.

After the data for this video ran for two days, on the third day she posted the second video—an atmospheric urban photoshoot. Walking by the tram tracks, edited by Cheng Cheng.

This time she went for a cold, dismissive style. Ming Sian’s coldness was learned from He Yining; even if it wasn’t a perfect match, she had learned about seventy to eighty percent of it.

This video was shorter, only twenty seconds. In less than twenty hours, the likes had already surpassed the previous video—30,000 likes and 1,000 comments. Her follower count was increasing by several hundred every time she refreshed.

The speed of attracting followers with looks was much faster than her speed of attracting them with law popularization.

Ming Sian had told Cheng Cheng they could do contrast videos. For example, being completely bare-faced and then suddenly transforming—into ancient costume or modern wear. It would be even better if they could add law facts into the video, mainly to attract people to watch.

It could also be doing an atmospheric photoshoot or transformation one second, then being in a sharp suit doing law facts the next.

Cheng Cheng also suggested that once their videos are made, they could hire people to act out a scene, and then Ming Sian would explain at the end whether those actions were crimes and what consequences they caused.

For such videos, Ming Sian’s suggestion was to start another account—as Cheng Cheng’s account—and she would be a special actor, promoting them in the form of short dramas. It was currently a very novel approach.

Cheng Cheng thought the idea was good and decided to binge-watch dramas for this video to write good scripts and start filming. It would be best to get two more people—they couldn’t afford to pay actors, but unpaid ones were fine, or they could “draw a pie” (make promises) saying once the account made money, they would get a direct cut.

Then they had to find reliable people. Regardless, the account had to be in their own hands.

Ming Sian refreshed the three videos on her homepage again. When the growth rate of this video slowed down, she would post another.

Over the weekend, they filmed five videos in total. There would be no shortage of videos to post during the New Year.

Ming Sian felt that for the New Year, she could record some topics related to the festival. Seeing the two new videos go viral, she had roughly figured out the way to film. First, the video had to be interesting for people to have the patience to see the law popularization part.

What’s interesting during the New Year? Fireworks, obviously. She played with plenty of fireworks as a kid; she was brave enough to handle any kind. Maybe record related videos? It would have more of a “New Year flavor” anyway.

She was thinking of related videos she could record and soon had several ideas. She quickly opened her notes to start recording them.

At this moment, He Yining kicked her with her foot.

“What?”

“Water.”

Ming Sian was speechless, but still stood up to pour water for her. “Can’t you pour it yourself!”

The words were mumbled even as she was already getting the water.

He Yining didn’t mind her complaining; she had just been staring at her for a while, yet the girl only knew to look down at her phone without raising her head once.

He Yining finished the water in the glass sip by sip before she had an excuse to move Ming Sian’s gaze away from her phone.

“You’re here.”

Her answer was infuriating. Ming Sian gave her a side-eye. “Fine. Eldest Miss, please have some water.”

Ming Sian handed the water to He Yining. Seeing her take the glass, she turned to look out the window. “It’s already dark.”

Winter days grow dark early. Being on a mountain, the change in the sky could be seen even faster. At this hour, would Grandma He still send someone to call them?

Ming Sian looked up and sighed. “Are we just going to stay in the room? What about eating?”

Today was New Year’s Eve; they should be having the New Year’s Eve dinner. She wondered if the He family members all sat together to eat or if they ate separately.

“Are you hungry? I’ll have someone send food.” He Yining asked in a low voice.

Ming Sian shook her head. “No, I’m not hungry. I’m just curious if you usually go to the first floor to eat.”

“No need. Everyone eats their own. If you want something, just ask the kitchen; it’ll be sent up when ready. Or you can go to the restaurant downstairs if you want.” He Yining explained to her patiently.

The He family had many rules and much drama. she didn’t want Ming Sian to be caught by someone while she knew nothing.

“That’s good. Otherwise, eating together every day would be terrifying for someone with social anxiety.” Ming Sian made a joke, but for tonight’s dinner, they should probably eat together.

He Yining curled her lips, quietly looking at the face before her. Her mood had unexpectedly improved. Every time she returned to the He family, her mood would be heavy. This time was different; someone had accompanied her.

Just then, the doorbell rang. He Yining signaled Ming Sian to pick up the tablet on the table. She tapped it and saw a woman in a suit standing outside. The woman looked to be in her fifties, quite old already.

“The old butler’s daughter.” Now that the old butler was old, many things were handled by her.

“Is it the Head sending someone to call us?”

“Likely. Open the door for her.”

Ming Sian nodded, standing up to open the door. The moment the door opened, before she could speak, the other party had a smile on her face, seemingly not at all surprised why she was there. “Eldest Miss, Miss Ming, the Head is calling for you.”

It seemed Grandma He had finished her work and finally remembered them—including the “pig” that had made off with her own “cabbage” (her granddaughter).

Ming Sian looked at He Yining. The other nodded and walked over. “Long time no see.”

“Yes. The Eldest Miss has grown thinner again.”

“Every time you see me, you think I’ve grown thinner.”

This He Yining was completely different from usual—chatting and laughing, much more “human.”

However, Ming Sian could feel He Yining’s slightly stiff hand. Perhaps she was also apprehensive, about to see Grandma He and not knowing what would happen.

Whether Grandma He would support or oppose them.