After the Cannon Fodder A Accidentally Marked the Paranoid Female Lead - Chapter 36

The area where Grandma He lived required crossing an aerial walkway. Since the estate was so large, if the buildings weren’t separated, the sunlight wouldn’t reach the middle suites; thus, the He family buildings were shaped like an “H.”

The buildings could be divided into Block A and Block B. The second floor of Block A belonged exclusively to Grandma He, and the third floor was where people of He Yining’s mother’s generation lived; Block B housed the third and fourth generations.

He Yining lived on the second floor of Block B. After crossing the aerial walkway, they arrived exactly at the second floor of Block A.

The level of magnificence here was completely different from Block B. It fit Ming Sian’s stereotypes perfectly: the entire interior was wood. She didn’t know much about timber, but she could see the general gist of it.

Phoebe zhennan wood was used for the beams and pillars to create the furniture, red sandalwood for the carved doors and windows… she didn’t recognize the rest of the wood, but there was a pleasant woody fragrance. It was a pure natural home; even if it had just been renovated, there would be no formaldehyde.

“The Eldest Miss may come in with me. Miss Ming, please take a seat first.”

The He family’s current butler, Huang Yang—a female Beta—gave off an impression of steadiness and refinement at first glance. She looked like those butlers raised in noble families on television, specifically trained for the role; she wore a black Zhongshan suit and always had a smile on her face.

Thanks to having read the He family files, Ming Sian was able to match the people she met to their names.

Hearing that Grandma He wanted to see He Yining first, the two exchanged a look, and He Yining took the lead in walking inside.

The place where Ming Sian stayed was called a reception area, but it was more like a waiting area. It had a sofa and a coffee table, and someone soon served tea. She sat on the soft sofa and waited silently.

Before long, a girl dressed in a JK uniform walked in. From her appearance, it was hard to tell her age, but she looked very much like a high school girl. Her rounded, soft face and contours made her look very gentle. Her eyes were large and lively, though her other features were quite small—her nose was exquisite and dainty, as was her mouth. Overall, she had a “sweet girl” look, giving off a feeling of a sweet teenage girl, much like a girl-next-door.

He Zishu, He Chenzhang’s sister. They were the same age, so she was about six years older than He Yining. She also worked at the He Group headquarters as a secretary for the second-born of the He family.

It was said that because her personality was quite flighty and she often did things unbefitting of a lawyer, she wasn’t allowed to handle cases outside but was kept by her father’s side instead.

If this were a first impression, Ming Sian would think He Zishu was quite nice; after all, a sweet girl-next-door vibe is very approachable. However, since the person in front of her was He Zishu, that was a different matter entirely.

Besides the He family files, she also knew the contents of the novel. In the novel, He Zishu was one of the masterminds behind tricking He Yining out to sea; otherwise, relying on the original host alone wouldn’t have been so easy.

Not only that, He Zishu was a lunatic. She would do anything that harmed He Yining, even if it was a “lose-lose” situation—the kind where she would harm the other by eight hundred and herself by a thousand.

As long as He Yining was doing poorly, she was happy. To that end, she didn’t even hesitate to cause He Chenzhang’s downfall.

In the novel, her defeat came because the second-born He found out his own biological daughter had killed his son; only then did he resolve to cast He Zishu out.

There was no lack of He Yining’s own pushing behind the scenes; she wasn’t the type to just stand there and take a beating. Anyone who reached out a claw toward her had to be prepared to have their hand cut off.

Regardless, He Zishu was not easy to deal with. So why was she appearing here?

Did she want to see Grandma He? But the He family rules were there—could it be that Grandma He had called for her?

Calling He Yining first, and then He Zishu… something felt wrong about the situation!

Ming Sian was debating whether to proactively greet her when He Zishu sat down directly beside her. A heavy scent of perfume hit her face; she immediately held her breath and sat further away.

Although this behavior was a bit rude, it was friendly to her nose. Besides, why sit so close? They were practically touching.

“Who are you?” She simply pretended not to recognize He Zishu.

Being dodged so bluntly with such obvious distaste, He Zishu stiffened for a split second before putting on a smile again. “He Zishu, ranked fourth in the third generation of this family. Who are you? You’re really good-looking.”

She deliberately leaned on the armrest of the sofa, propping her chin on her hand, looking as if she were being very cute.

Ming Sian remained silent, once again moving back silently. She didn’t believe for a second that He Zishu didn’t know who she was; He Zishu kept a very close eye on the people and events around He Yining.

Since everyone was pretending, it was just a matter of who could pretend better. “Ming Sian, He Yining’s partner.”

She didn’t say “girlfriend”; if she had, the relationship wouldn’t achieve the effect they wanted. If she said “spouse,” they hadn’t registered yet, which would give a bad impression.

Of course, she couldn’t stop others from having a bad impression of her, but with Grandma He, she couldn’t afford to be seen as someone who spoke nonsense.

He Yining still cared quite a bit about her grandmother, so she naturally had to be mindful of her image in front of the old lady. Before the He family acknowledged their relationship, she couldn’t say she and He Yining were spouses.

Calling themselves “partners” allowed her to advance or retreat as needed.

He Zishu sized her up and suddenly smiled. “You’re the Fifth Sister’s partner? What a coincidence. Someone already came earlier today, saying he was Fifth Sister’s boyfriend.”

Boyfriend? Impossible. That didn’t happen in the novel. She trusted He Yining; if there were such a person, there would be no need to sign an agreement with her.

Ming Sian chuckled. “Is that so? And did he come to pay his respects to the Family Head?”

Grandma He had asked for her by name, but said nothing about meeting some boyfriend. That so-called “boyfriend” was very likely a fabrication. Even if it were Wei Qin, he was at most a blind date candidate that He Yining hadn’t met yet.

He Zishu suddenly laughed. In her grandmother’s residence, she didn’t dare to talk nonsense. Her usual madness was directed at her parents and brother; in front of Grandma, she was still obedient. Grandma was the one with the power to decide whether she remained a member of the He family.

“Let’s not talk about that. Let’s add each other on Jianxin so we can keep in touch later.” He Zishu took out her phone, smiling happily.

Ming Sian refused without a second thought. “That won’t do. I won’t add any of Ningning’s relatives or friends without her consent. Besides, if there’s anything, Ningning can act as an intermediary to convey it.”

She had always believed that unless there was some sense of ritual or a matter requiring a partner’s friends to cooperate, why add a partner’s friend on Jianxin privately?

This was respect for He Yining and being responsible for the relationship between the two of them.

He Zishu’s face darkened. After being rejected repeatedly, no matter how good her temper was, she would get angry. Truly ungrateful. She had never been rejected when asking to add someone on Jianxin.

She said coldly: “Tell me, what if I fall on you right now and scream that you’re molesting me? Do you think the He family will believe you, or me?”

Naturally, they would believe He Zishu; there was no reason not to believe their own family.

Even if it were cleared up later, for such a thing to happen as soon as Ming Sian arrived would make them feel she was unsuitable—that she had stirred up a mess in a perfectly good home.

A faint sense of helplessness rose in Ming Sian’s heart. She knew she would encounter many things upon coming to the He family, but she didn’t expect it to happen so fast, nor with such a shameless method.

However, if she were afraid of threats, she wouldn’t have come.

“Do you think such a shallow trick can threaten me?”

He Zishu gave a disdainful smile. “Then you can try.”

The two were at a stalemate for a moment. Ming Sian tapped the brooch on her suit. “Luckily, I was prepared.”

“What is this?” He Zishu frowned, not quite understanding what was so special about a brooch.

“A recording brooch. As soon as I saw Miss He Zishu, I turned it on.” Ming Sian was not stingy with the explanation.

“Professional habit. I didn’t expect it to come in handy.”

He Zishu reached out to snatch it, but Ming Sian took the lead in backing away, standing three meters away from her.

The He family members were sick—not just a small portion, but all of them. How could she not have prepared early?

He Zishu was stunned for a moment, then laughed—a very crazed laugh. “I originally thought you were just a toy boy clinging to a rich woman. Now, I’m truly interested in you.”

If it didn’t work this time, there would be a next time. As long as she stayed at the He manor, there would be plenty of opportunities. Even if she didn’t stay here, it wasn’t as if there would be no chances.

But He Zishu had no intention of leaving. She sized Ming Sian up with a satisfied look, a thought appearing in her mind: He Yining’s taste in selection has never failed.

If Ming Sian knew what He Zishu was thinking, she would die laughing. Was the original host even anything good? Actually, she was—her looks were beyond reproach, it was just her background that was bad. She had been a top student since childhood, consistently winning scholarships; except for her character and background, she matched in every way.

What Ms. Chen thought was that once the original host graduated, she would go back and take the civil service exam, then find someone to introduce her to high-ranking officials’ children for blind dates—even marrying into their families was fine. One should know that someone like the original host—good-looking and a graduate of a prestigious school—would basically circulate internally and wouldn’t go to outside blind dates.

One could only say Ms. Chen’s calculations were very good. However, the original host only wanted to escape her and stay in Hong Kong, and to that end, she didn’t hesitate to use every means to cling to the thighs of Hong Kong’s “white-rich-beautiful” women.

The other day when Ming Sian cleared her contact list, she saw the “fish” the original host had raised. However, while focusing on pursuing He Yining, she hadn’t paid attention to any of them; it was as if she had added these people by accident and, to remain polite, could only keep them on the list.

Later, she even added He Zishu and had an ambiguous relationship with her, thinking that after getting rid of He Yining, she would be with He Zishu.

The original host thought she was very clever and could play everyone in the palm of her hand. What she didn’t expect was how many people were pushing from behind the scenes for her to succeed with He Yining.

Not just one person, but many. Each person gave a little push, and it was done.

After all, even if the original host was excellent among ordinary people, in the eyes of the He family, she was still an ant. He Yining marrying someone with zero background was much better than her forming an alliance through marriage. However, the moment she saw that He Yining was actually quite happy, He Zishu had to admit she was jealous.

The eldest uncle of the He family had found Wei Qin as a blind date for He Yining. He Zishu thought the eldest uncle certainly had some backup plan, which would perfectly lead to a “dog-eat-dog” fight between the first and fourth branches, allowing the second branch to reap the rewards as the bystander.

Whether He Yining ended up with the original host or with their arranged Wei Qin, it was better than her finding a marriage partner whose strength was comparable to the He family’s. It was just that, after all considerations, He Yining found the original host easier to control.

The internal fighting within the four branches of the He family was too intense. The second generation was peaceful on the surface, but the third generation was allowed to compete fiercely.

The first branch had a male Alpha and a female Beta. The second branch was the two of them, the siblings. The third branch—the aunt’s family—had two Omegas, a male and a female. He Yining’s birth in the fourth branch gave the He family its first female Omega; He Yining also had an Alpha younger sister. The fifth branch currently had no children.

These members of the third generation were all excellent, and with their backgrounds and resources, their futures were limitless.

They were fighting for profit; only He Zishu couldn’t stand to see He Yining do well.

He Zishu had always believed that the Eldest Miss of the He family should be her. He Yining was born later; why should she be the Eldest Miss?

Before humans discovered pheromones, the world was only divided into male and female; there were no ABOs. Even with pheromones, whether one was a female A, B, or O, they were essentially female; there was no difference besides pheromones. It was just that after pheromones appeared, a female Alpha could also get a female Omega pregnant.

Why shouldn’t a female Alpha be the Eldest Miss? An Omega born later than her was the Eldest Miss. From then on, she had been unhappy with He Yining, especially since He Yining was favored by Grandma, causing her parents to shake their heads at her and sigh about why she hadn’t differentiated into an Omega.

He Zishu hated He Yining more and more, wishing she would just die.

Naturally, she would snatch anything He Yining had—snatching things, and snatching people.

Ming Sian performed well; He Zishu somewhat understood why He Yining had taken a liking to her. She had originally thought He Yining was part of the “looks association” (superficial).

Meanwhile, Ming Sian felt a chill from He Zishu’s gaze. The way the other looked at her with that greedy look gave her a feeling of wanting to take her as her own. She was a person, not an object.

Even when she was with He Yining, she had never felt this way.

She didn’t want to deal with He Zishu, her heart wondering when He Yining would come out or when she could go in.

What Ming Sian didn’t know was that after He Yining went in, she said nothing to Grandma. Grandma He sat on the sofa and didn’t speak to her, only signaling for her to sit down and watch a scene shown on the television.

On it was the footage of Ming Sian sitting outside. Clearly, Grandma calling her in was for Ming Sian’s sake.

However, Ming Sian sat obediently outside. When a servant brought her water, she even whispered her thanks.

Sitting upright and being polite—He Yining was very satisfied. Being well-mannered enough not to have faults picked out meant the matter was half-successful already.

Next was He Zishu’s arrival. Seeing the way this person was leaning so close to Ming Sian, her eyes turned cold.

He Zishu? It’s really been too long since I dealt with her.

“Grandma knew all along that He Zishu would come?” He Yining’s gaze toward the old lady was not very kind, cold as if she wanted to lower the old lady’s temperature.

Old Madam He only smiled, still as charitable as ever. “What ‘He Zishu’? You should call her Fourth Sister.”

He Yining had no intention of responding to those words. She looked coldly at the screen. “You knew all along that He Zishu would come, so you left Ming Sian outside. What did you want to see? Did you want to see what He Zishu would do, or did you want to see if Ming Sian would be tempted?”

“Grandma, I have my own choices.”

Old Madam He tapped He Yining’s leg with her cane. “I told you to sit down and watch properly. What? Do you have no confidence in this little girlfriend of yours?”

Confidence?

Did she have no confidence in Ming Sian?

He Yining’s eyes were momentarily dazed, then her gaze landed on the television, watching Ming Sian, who was chatting and smiling with He Zishu.

She still had confidence in the Ming Sian from the dreams. In the dreams, Ming Sian had also encountered a test; the questions were different, but she had handed in a good answer.

Although she didn’t know how, in the so-called original novel, she had selected that Scum Alpha, she knew exactly why her dream-self had chosen Ming Sian.

A girl who was hardworking, resilient, and whose aura was clean and pure—the Ming Sian outside the dreams was the same.

But now it was a real-world assessment; what would Ming Sian do?

Just as He Yining was lost in thought, Ming Sian’s words reached her ears; the other had chosen her very firmly.

The corners of her mouth curled up, revealing a relaxed smile. She even gave Grandma a provocative look: See, this is the person I chose.

Grandma He didn’t give her a look; nothing could be seen in her cloudy eyes besides kindness.

He Yining sat on the sofa, much more relaxed overall. She admitted that in front of Grandma, she had a bit more of a child’s desire to win. When she was little, she would stay by Grandma’s side for two or three days every month.

Grandma would teach her things, intentionally or not. She would take her when seeing guests and tell her beforehand what the guest did and why they might have come to find her, asking her to guess what the guest would say.

So after starting her career, she also always thought first: what would the other party say? Making predictions about the other party’s behavior and word choice.

She had learned more than just that here. Many times the two would have arguments, and whoever lost had to agree to do one thing for the other.

In front of outsiders, He Yining’s desire to win wasn’t that big because she was always the one who won. But in front of Grandma, she lost most of the time, and her desire to win suddenly exploded.

Fortunately, Ming Sian did not let her down, and her eye for choosing people was not wrong either.

But next, He Zishu’s words caused He Yining’s face to sink enough to drip water. “Is this all He Zishu learned while at the Second Uncle’s side?”

Grandma He’s expression was also a bit unpleasant. She knew He Zishu had a flighty personality, but she didn’t expect that while knowing clearly that Ming Sian was He Yining’s partner, she would still speak flirtatiously and use threats. It was simply losing face for the He family.

How did the He family produce such an unscrupulous girl?

Luckily Ming Sian reacted quickly and bluffed He Zishu with the recording brooch. With so many relatives over for the New Year, their branch couldn’t afford to lose face.

Grandma He spoke to Huang Yang beside her. “Have her come in.”

“Yes, Family Head.”

After Huang Yang went out, Grandma He asked: “Is the recording brooch real?”

“No.”

Ming Sian’s brooch was specifically selected by He Yining, so the brooch was a fake. She guessed that Ming Sian had likely turned on her phone recording, but just in case He Zishu became desperate and had someone snatch her phone, she said it was the brooch. Even if the other party snatched the brooch away, it wouldn’t matter, since the recording was in the phone anyway.

When under someone else’s roof—her person was at the He manor—she couldn’t be sure of anyone’s attitude. She only knew that most people didn’t want her to enter the He family.

One part felt she wasn’t good enough for He Yining, one part had other motives and wanted to arrange someone by He Yining’s side, and naturally, there was another part that felt she was no threat and couldn’t provide any assistance to He Yining, so the two being together was also fine.

When Ming Sian saw Huang Yang come out and tell her to go in, she breathed a sigh of relief. It was only her first day at the He family; she didn’t want to cause a huge stir yet.

Just as she was about to go in, she heard Huang Yang say to He Zishu: “Miss Zishu, please go back.”

Zishu? She didn’t know if it was an issue with Huang Yang’s accent, but she actually heard “Zishu” as “Zishu”. That was enough.

Ming Sian felt He Zishu’s intense gaze looking at her. She walked inside without looking back; some people didn’t deserve a single glance.

The moment she saw Grandma He, she was a bit surprised. She had thought the high-and-mighty Family Head would be a frail old lady—the old lady was indeed very thin, almost skin and bones, yet in her qipao, even sitting down, she appeared elegant and noble.

Grandma He’s black-and-red silk embroidered qipao formed a stark contrast with Ming Sian’s plain white qipao. One old and one young, both were so exquisite and elegant, exuding nobility.

“Hello, Family Head. I am Ming Sian.” Ming Sian gave a smile and greeted her; her voice was like a flowing river, gentle and clear.

Grandma He looked at her, and she looked back. After the two stared at each other for a while, Grandma He suddenly smiled: “A child with clear eyes.”

Young people look at the face first, while older people look at the eyes first. He Chenzhang’s gaze was changeable, He Zishu’s gaze was dark and malevolent, and He Yining’s gaze was cold and emotionless.

Ming Sian was different; her gaze was clear and very gentle. She looked like someone whose heart would soften at the suffering of others.

“Thank you.” Grandma He’s words were a compliment, so she naturally had to give her thanks.

Watching those clear eyes of Ming Sian, He Yining had an urge to crush her into her embrace, to make those eyes contain only herself, stained with the desire of being obsessed with her.

Sensing He Yining’s hot gaze, Ming Sian’s ear tips turned red. They were still in front of an elder—did she have to look at her with such bold eyes?

She sometimes wondered if He Yining’s desire to sign an agreement with her was merely for her pheromones; from time to time, there was an urge to “devour” her.

When they lived together and slept in their own rooms, she would always dream—dreaming of He Yining coming to find her, dreaming of herself sleepwalking into He Yining’s room and being caught, and then being subjected to a series of punishments.

The most absurd time, she dreamed she was tied up by He Yining and couldn’t move her hands or feet; she woke up to find herself wrapped in the quilt like a caterpillar.

“Come and sit.” Without waiting for Grandma to speak, He Yining patted the spot beside her, signaling Ming Sian to sit.

Ming Sian looked at Grandma He and, upon receiving consent, sat down beside He Yining.

According to what they had discussed, the two of them had to perform as intimately as possible in public, so they sat pressed together, their arms touching with no gap at all.

Ming Sian was fine; she was wearing a suit. Besides the fresh fragrance of the forest and cedar lingering at the tip of her nose, everything else was fine.

He Yining was wearing a qipao, which was relatively thin. She could feel Ming Sian’s warm arm and the texture of the suit.

A layer of crimson floated up her neck. Her hand inexplicably touched Ming Sian’s hand resting on the sofa; their pinky fingers hooked together, looking like a loving young couple.

Grandma He, seeing this scene, originally wanted to chat, but in the end only said: “A-Ning, take Xiao Ming for a walk around the He manor. I’m tired.”

Before her seat even got warm, Ming Sian was told to get up.

She and He Yining stood up together and bowed to Grandma He, then He Yining spoke: “Grandma, rest well. If there’s anything, you can have Auntie Huang call me.”

“Mm.”

The two turned to leave. Watching them walk out, Grandma He beckoned to Huang Yang. Huang Yang hurriedly walked over, bent down to pick Grandma He up, and carried her into the room.

Huang Yang placed Grandma He on the bed and covered her with the quilt. “Family Head, the kitchen has stewed bird’s nest. Should I bring it over?”

“Take it to Xiao Yu and tell her that I have agreed to Ming Sian staying at the He manor.”

Huang Yang looked up in surprise. The Family Head hadn’t asked anything, and they hadn’t even chatted for more than a few sentences—how could the Family Head have agreed?

Grandma He smiled. “These two are in the midst of the game and can’t see clearly. They think they’re doing the right thing, but in reality, it’s a mess.”

“Doesn’t the Family Head want to remind the Eldest Miss?”

“Such things must be experienced for oneself. Whether it is sorrow or joy, one’s own feelings are the most important.”

Grandma He shook her head. She had told A-Ning to find a marriage partner. When she found out that A-Ning treated the partner like an employee to be interviewed, she knew her granddaughter’s “sprout of love” hadn’t yet opened.

And seeing this Ming Sian today, she was also a block of wood.

The interaction between the two was naturally sweet, but they both seemed to think the other was just acting.

However, this child Ming Sian was not the “Phoenix Girl” type, so she could just let them develop for a while. As for the result, it would depend on themselves.