After the Cannon Fodder A Accidentally Marked the Paranoid Female Lead - Chapter 39

Ming Sian sensed that something was wrong with He Yining. She also keenly noticed that the Eldest Miss had changed her shirt; although both were white, the fabric and patterns were different, and her suit jacket was gone.

Just as she was about to ask, Ali walked in. “Eldest Miss, Miss Ming, Miss Jin has arrived at the airport. The Family Head wants everyone to go downstairs.”

“Mm.”

He Yining nodded and gestured for Ali to bring her a jacket.

Ali immediately found a suit jacket similar to the previous one and held it open behind He Yining.

He Yining slowly raised her arms to put it on, her brow furrowing slightly as if she were forcibly enduring something.

“Are you uncomfortable?” Ming Sian finally asked. He Yining had a cool personality and did things in a crisp, efficient manner; she would never move as if she were in slow motion.

Even though it was only dialed back to 0.8x speed, Ming Sian keenly spotted the anomaly. Yet, looking at He Yining, aside from a cold and heavy expression, nothing seemed out of place.

She calculated He Yining’s cycle—it was still a week away, so it wasn’t that.

He Yining raised an eyebrow, not surprised by Ming Sian’s sharpness. For an excellent lawyer, being perceptive is a requirement; from discovering a single wrong word, they find a flaw, start unravelling the threads, and win the case.

With Ming Sian’s professional excellence, it was no surprise she could do this.

He Yining’s movements paused for a split second, a trace of a hidden smile in her eyes. “No.”

“But your complexion is very poor.”

He Yining had removed her makeup upon returning to the He manor; she wasn’t even wearing lipstick. Her pink lips were now pale, and her face held an unnatural whiteness—clearly something was wrong.

The smile in He Yining’s eyes vanished completely, her voice soft. “It’s nothing.”

“Alright then.”

Since He Yining was unwilling to speak, Ming Sian didn’t ask further.

They were much closer than before, but strictly speaking, they were still just partners; one shouldn’t pry into things the other is unwilling to share.

She also noticed Ali standing aside, looking like she wanted to say something but stopping herself. Clearly, He Yining had encountered something but refused to tell her.

He Yining’s gaze grew deep and cold. “Let’s go.”

Thoughts surged in He Yining’s mind. She was used to the He family infighting, but when someone reached out toward Ming Sian, she felt her territory had been violated—the other party had actually tried to contact Ming Sian’s family to use them against them.

If they dare to reach out a claw, she will chop it off.

The coldness radiating from He Yining was even more apparent than usual. Ming Sian couldn’t help but turn her head; her lips moved, but she still said nothing.

Ming Sian now roughly understood how to get along with He Yining: if she’s willing to talk, she’ll say it without being asked; if she’s not, you can’t pry it out of her.

Noticing the chill coming from He Yining, Ming Sian looked up, met by the Eldest Miss’s expressionless face.

Ali, following behind them, shook her head. The Eldest Miss was still so stubborn; why couldn’t she talk about being injured? Especially since it was an injury sustained so the two of them could be together. It wasn’t either of their faults, but letting her partner know so she could be comforted would be good.

Ali had always felt that in a relationship, aside from secrets that absolutely cannot be told, if you’re in pain, you should let your partner know for comfort and care; even if the wound doesn’t heal faster, the heart feels much happier.

The Eldest Miss likely didn’t want Miss Ming to worry.

Ali stole a few glances at the two in front of her. The Eldest Miss’s face was much colder than usual and she was walking slowly. Miss Ming was full of questions but didn’t ask; instead, she matched the Eldest Miss’s pace and walked even slower.

Her heart felt warm. Even though Miss Ming didn’t know what had happened, she was able to put the Eldest Miss first and be considerate of her. This partner of the Eldest Miss—Ali acknowledged her.

But Ali still didn’t have the courage to tell Ming Sian the truth. She didn’t dare. If the Eldest Miss hadn’t given instructions, perhaps she would have done it, but since the Eldest Miss had given instructions, she couldn’t speak.

When Ming Sian looked back, she happened to see Ali’s hesitant expression.

However, she had no intention of pressing for answers, simply slowing down to stay beside He Yining.

She noticed He Yining was walking with increasing difficulty, eventually using almost all her strength just to move.

The He manor was truly massive; some servants even used hoverboards or electric scooters. Otherwise, a day’s work would show thirty thousand steps on Jianxin.

He Yining must be uncomfortable somewhere, which was why walking was becoming a struggle.

She studied He Yining from the corner of her eye, her gaze gradually moving to He Yining’s back. She found it.

He Yining’s legs were fine, but her back was held with an unnatural stiffness—so the problem was with her back.

Back pain caused by the cervical spine? Or did she hit something?

Ming Sian’s mind was full of speculation. Once they reached downstairs and stepped out of the elevator, she suddenly stiffened. Was she about to face everyone in the He family? A sudden wave of social anxiety hit her.

The He family hadn’t even acknowledged her status yet, and she had come back directly with He Yining. Thinking about it now, it was quite impulsive.

They were late getting down; except for the main table, all the tables were full. She scanned the room—there were actually twelve tables. With 12 people per table, there were over a hundred people.

Ali explained from the side: “This year the Family Head is in poor health, so she didn’t invite distant relatives. Everyone here is from the Head’s direct branch or relatives within three generations of blood relation.”

No wonder there weren’t many people.

As they entered the dining hall, everyone turned to look at them, some whispering to each other. It was obvious they were the topic of discussion.

Ming Sian felt a bit uncomfortable, but she wasn’t someone who hadn’t seen big scenes. She had given speeches to thousands and had gone to the countryside to teach law to villagers who only spoke local dialects; the gazes of these people were more filled with rustic longing.

They had a partial understanding of the law. When they saw a high-status professional—a lawyer famous throughout the county—teaching them law, they yearned to gain something.

Some might not have wanted knowledge, but rather hoped their descendants could walk out like her, go to a broader place, fly to the sky, or return to the land, rather than being like them, only able to scratch a living from the soil.

During that process, accidents happened too. Ming Sian had helped women suffering from long-term domestic violence get divorced, and some tried to retaliate, but that couldn’t stop her heart from wanting to help the vulnerable.

Compared to those gazes, what did these calculating, mocking, and cold looks from the He family members matter?

Ming Sian stood even straighter. The next second, He Yining took her hand, as if telling her not to be afraid, that they were standing together.

She pressed her lips down repeatedly but still couldn’t help but show a smile.

The two walked together toward the table where He Chenzhang was. The elders were at one table, while the direct third-generation members were at another, including the partners of He Yining’s cousins.

This table happened to have two empty seats, likely reserved for Ming Sian and He Yining.

The guest is the visitor; no matter what the situation would be in the future, since He Yining had brought someone back as her partner, the He family had no reason not to host them.

Therefore, the scenario Ming Sian had imagined—not preparing a seat for her to embarrass her—didn’t happen. After all, that would be disrespecting He Yining, and few in the He family dared to do that; the second generation was too proud to bother.

“You’re sitting quite naturally, I just wonder how long you can stay sitting there.” The first person to speak was indeed He Chenzhang, looking provocative, practically begging for Ming Sian to clash with him.

Ming Sian ignored him. Her gaze swept past him to the others, then she lowered her head to say something to He Yining before nodding in greeting. “Hello, cousins, sisters-in-law, and younger cousins.”

Since the He family only “takes in” and doesn’t “marry out,” the children of He Yining’s aunts were also called “cousins” (tang). “Cousins” (biao) would refer to people from He Yining’s mother’s side.

Then she specifically looked at He Yining’s younger sister, He Youtang, and said softly, “Hello, sister.”

It looked as though she had asked He Yining, and He Yining had introduced them in a low voice before she began the greetings.

After she finished her greetings, only He Yining’s second older cousin gave a shy smile. Perhaps seeing that no one was talking, He Youtang hurriedly spoke up. “So you’re my ‘sister-in-law-sister.’ You’re really good-looking, you’re a match for my sister.”

He Youtang broke the awkwardness but also expressed a hidden meaning: You’re only a match in appearance; as for the rest, I still have to see.

Ming Sian smiled gently. “Thank you for the compliment.”

Likely unable to stand their harmonious look, He Zishu snorted. “I heard A-Ning was beaten by the Fourth Aunt? Why? Where was she hit? I heard there was even blood. If it’s that serious and she still came downstairs, is she trying to sell a pity story?”

Beaten? Injured? Bleeding?

Hearing these three words, Ming Sian instantly clenched her fists. She suddenly understood why He Yining was walking so unnaturally yet holding herself so stiffly, trying to prevent anyone from noticing her injury. But the He family leaked like a sieve; how could it not be known?

She masked the tension in her eyes, not wanting anyone to notice she had only just learned He Yining was beaten.

But more surprised than her was He Youtang, who stood up abruptly. “Sister?”

“Sit down,” He Yining commanded coldly.

He Youtang sat down angrily, knowing she couldn’t let others see a joke, and stopped talking.

Next, He Yining looked at He Zishu with a cold gaze. “Do you think Grandmother is unaware of what you did at her place today?”

“What do you mean?” He Zishu frowned. At Grandmother’s place, even if there were cameras, she had deliberately lowered her voice; it definitely wouldn’t have been recorded. She had tested what decibel level wouldn’t be picked up. Could it be that Ming Sian complained to Grandmother?

But why would Grandmother believe an outsider? There was no proof for such a thing; saying it would only make Grandmother dislike her.

Grandmother didn’t like the bickering of the younger generation being brought before her. If it could be solved, solve it; if not, just take the loss. This led to their parents’ generation not interfering either, so they had used their age to bully He Yining many times.

However, if it wasn’t Ming Sian who complained, then why would Grandmother know? Could it be that He Yining was bluffing? No, based on her understanding of He Yining, she would never bring this up for no reason. Grandmother must indeed know.

The more He Zishu thought about it, the more she believed it. Her expression shifted repeatedly, and she actually fell silent for a while.

He Yining’s words caught the attention of the eldest, He Zhenduo. He looked at He Zishu. “Zishu, how did you upset Grandmother again?”

These cousins were all his competitors; he wouldn’t miss a chance to point out He Zishu’s faults, so he asked with the air of an older brother.

“Mind your own business,” He Zishu said, not polite at all.

He Zhenduo slammed his palm on the table. “Do you have any respect for me as the eldest?”

He Zishu sneered and pointed at He Chenzhang. “My eldest brother is sitting right here.”

She wasn’t wrong. In terms of the extended family, He Zhenduo was indeed the eldest of the third generation, but in terms of the nuclear family, He Zishu’s older brother was He Chenzhang.

He Chenzhang looked innocent. A verbal attack intended for He Yining had somehow turned into an argument between the eldest and his sister. Two idiots, letting He Yining sit by and watch the show with her glass raised.

Ming Sian wasn’t listening to this dispute at all. She looked seriously at He Yining, her eyes full of a thousand words. After holding back repeatedly, she still leaned in close to He Yining. “Where are you bleeding?”

To outsiders, the two were whispering at the dinner table. They wanted to hear clearly what was being said, but the seating wasn’t crowded; there was room for another person between every two. Unless they had super-hearing, they couldn’t hear a thing.

He Yining felt the heat against her ear. A tingling sensation spread from her ear to her whole body. As Ming Sian drew closer, a wave of heat surged behind He Yining’s ear.

She wanted to reach out and cover Ming Sian’s lips, but in full view of everyone, she couldn’t do such a thing.

She also couldn’t say anything that might lead others to realize their relationship wasn’t as good as they imagined.

He Yining snorted inwardly. Enduring the pain, she pinched Ming Sian’s chin, turned it aside, and lowered her voice. “Don’t get so close to me.”

With so many people around, she didn’t want to be blushing, completely unlike her usual cold image.

Ming Sian, forced to turn her head, was stunned for a moment. Feeling the breath against her ear, her neck instantly turned crimson. With such obvious shyness, the others couldn’t help but wonder what He Yining had said to her. Was it flirting?

Thinking of this, everyone’s eyes widened. Was this still the ice-cold He Yining?

Seeing Ming Sian turn bright red, He Yining felt like she couldn’t explain herself even if she tried. She could only silently pull away, acting as if nothing had happened.

Beside them, He Youtang was dazed. Others didn’t have much contact with her sister, but she did. Forget whispering in public; even getting this close was impossible.

For instance…

He Youtang reached out and pulled her sister’s sleeve, only to receive a cold glare. She gave a dry laugh. “Sister, did you see a doctor?”

Perhaps seeing that she was concerned, He Yining only frowned and didn’t ignore her. “Mm.”

Gratitude—her sister actually spoke to her, and that was even after she had reached out and pulled her sleeve.

So, what on earth did Ming Sian have!

She originally thought her sister was doing this to spite their mothers, or for some scheme. Now, it looked like true love?

How absurd. She liked her sister very much; her sister had been excellent since childhood, there was nothing she couldn’t do. Her sister was her idol. But one thing: her sister was a cold machine. Every time she tried to get close, she was frozen into an ice sculpture.

Once, when she tried to act spoiled with her sister, her sister just looked at her coldly as if saying: Don’t play such childish games.

It was really sad.

Yet Ming Sian had easily obtained her sister’s closeness and affection. She was envious and jealous.

The bright red Ming Sian didn’t think there was anything wrong with them whispering, it was just that her ears were too sensitive and her reaction was a bit large.

Fortunately, He Yining soon left her ear, and after a while, she felt her face wasn’t as hot.

“Is your injury very serious?”

He Yining didn’t speak.

“Then I’m asking Ali. You’re not allowed to punish her.”

He Yining still didn’t speak.

“If you haven’t spoken by the time I take out my phone, I’ll take it as your consent.”

He Yining: “…” She wasn’t forbidding the question; why was Ming Sian being so bossy.

Ming Sian took out her phone. Seeing He Yining’s expression unchanged, still with that expressionless face, she took it as consent.

Ming Sian found Ali’s contact. [What exactly is going on with He Yining’s injury? Where is she hurt?]

Then she saw that Ali was typing, but after a long while, no message came.

Ming Sian waited anxiously and followed up. [He Yining agreed.]

Fearing Ali wouldn’t believe her, she took He Yining’s hand, interlaced their fingers, and sent a photo. [Agreed.]

Ali: “?” How does this look like she agreed?

Forget it. Since Miss Ming has already found out, there’s nothing that can’t be said.

After about five minutes, Ali sent a long paragraph. [President Mo used the family law. The Eldest Miss’s back is injured and bleeding, but the wound isn’t deep. The doctor has already treated it…]

Seeing just the first sentence, Ming Sian’s heart felt as if it were being squeezed by a giant hand. She felt an indescribable heartache. She never imagined that He Yining, who was already working, would still encounter “family law.” In many families, family law is for children, or perhaps a curfew, but once children are grown, these rules are usually gone. She had only seen things like adults being subjected to family law in television dramas.

Oh, her home didn’t have family law, but her parents hit her whenever they felt like it. No matter how old she was, the family relationship was even worse.

But He Yining had not only faced family law, her back was even bleeding—to the point of needing a doctor.

[What is the family law?]

Ali: [Twenty strokes on the back with a ruler.]

It depended on the force used. How much force did He Moyu use to make He Yining’s back bleed? She hadn’t seen the back with her own eyes, but thinking of He Yining’s missing jacket and changed shirt, images of a white shirt after an interrogation in a movie appeared in her mind—streaks of blood—and her heart couldn’t help but throb with pain.

Ming Sian took a deep breath, her fists tightly clenched. The smile she had specifically put on so the He family wouldn’t have anything to say vanished. Her expressionless face held even more coldness than He Yining’s.

Before long, He Yining’s grandmother, He Zhongxiu, arrived in the dining hall in a wheelchair, surrounded by a crowd.

The person pushing the wheelchair was the eldest, He Rufeng, followed by his siblings and their partners.

Ming Sian’s gaze went straight to He Moyu in the crowd, looking at how she could lay such a heavy hand on He Yining. She hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, but the images in her mind were enough to make her heart ache.

As a mother, did He Moyu not feel a single bit of heartache for her own child?

He Moyu, sensing the intense gaze, searched for a moment before their eyes met. In the middle of their vision, sparks collided.

A trace of playfulness appeared in He Moyu’s eyes. She sensed Ming Sian’s hostility toward her; Ming Sian seemed very unhappy with her.

Why? Just a student, just an intern, yet she dared to look at her with such eyes.

The next second, Ming Sian retracted her gaze. It wasn’t that she was cowardly; it was because He Yining suddenly grabbed her hand. Her clear, gentle eyes stared at her for a while, and only then did she pull back her gaze.

This was the He manor. Her strength was weak, and she had no voice.

Ming Sian’s ambition expanded rapidly. She wanted to stand in a higher position, to be on equal footing with He Moyu, and to be able to protect He Yining.

In her situation, there were only two channels to elevate her status as quickly as possible: her YinFu account and her writing. Both could rapidly increase her fame. With fame, her voice would be louder.

Maybe even with ten million followers she still couldn’t be on equal footing with He Moyu, but at least she would have a voice. Before passing the bar exam, she couldn’t rely on cases to elevate herself.

She couldn’t exactly join a lawyer variety show. Forget it—she didn’t think her personality was very likeable. On the surface, she was cheerful and optimistic, but in reality, she was a quiet person with social anxiety. She did things too seriously, and for someone who didn’t like to talk, joining a variety show would probably make her a “transparent person” and just make things hard for herself.

Ming Sian hadn’t been in such a rush before. She was only a sophomore, three years from graduation. No matter how many things she wanted to do, before obtaining her professional license, any number of ideas were useless.

Therefore, she had mapped out two paths: building her account to increase her fame and gain a louder voice, and writing for internal journals. This would not only provide manuscript fees but also showcase her professional ability, letting people know her strength.

At least half the readers of internal journals are professional lawyers. Once people in the industry read her articles and know her name, they will say: There’s a young lawyer with a solid foundation and very good insights.

When seen by partners and owners of large firms, job hunting later would be easier; perhaps they would be the first to extend an olive branch to her.

Regardless of how strong her professionalism was, it had to be seen by someone first. Strength that isn’t seen isn’t strength. Internal journals and the YinFu account were the “Bole” (talent scouts) she was creating for herself.

Fame plus professionalism—with both, her path to becoming a partner would be cut in half. Normally, after graduation, one wouldn’t make partner without seven or eight years of grind in the industry, and even then, they had to be excellent; otherwise, they wouldn’t even touch the threshold of a partner and would at most become a senior lawyer.

If she had both fame and professional strength, she wouldn’t lack cases. For a lawyer with no resources or background, this was a shortcut.

Furthermore, when some conferences required a young lawyer, the benefit of fame would become apparent. Because her account was successful and her voice was louder, she would have more opportunities than others.

Ming Sian had given herself three years. Before getting her license, her path was already planned. But when she encountered He Moyu’s gaze—the gaze of someone looking at an ant—it only conveyed one sentence: You? You’re worthy of my daughter? If I want to hit my daughter, I hit her; what can you do about it.

Ming Sian was not an insecure person. Because everything had been smooth so far, she was quite confident in herself. But upon stepping into Hong Kong’s top circles—even just the tip of the iceberg, just having made contact, without yet reaching the core of this circle—she actually felt how weak she was.

She had signed an agreement with He Yining. In the future, she would be established in this circle. Even if she was unwilling, she likely couldn’t leave for the next two years. Then she had only one path: to make herself stronger.

But on second thought—was she really doing this just to stand firm in this circle? Her ambition had been sparked the moment she learned He Yining was injured. It seemed she cared about He Yining a bit too much.

Ming Sian was instantly crushed by the thoughts in her mind. She knew she had developed feelings for He Yining. The pain was—had she developed feelings to this extent?

There seemed to be a little person in her heart who looked exactly like her, biting her lip with a pained expression, utterly defeated by her own discovery. Then another proud little person appeared, speaking with a face full of disdain. “Don’t worry about it. You don’t like her; it’s just because right now you two are ‘in name and in fact,’ essentially one. He Yining being punished—you feel it’s no different from He Moyu punishing you yourself, so you’re angry.”

The fragile little person raised her tearful face. “Really?”

“Of course. Don’t you know yourself? You’ve been single for so many years; how could you fall in love with someone so easily? It’s not strange to be moved by a cold and glamorous woman like He Yining, but there’s still a distance between that and falling in love.”

Only then did Ming Sian come back to her senses. Whether she was deceiving herself or whether it was truly as the little person said, her goal was to become stronger. Only when strong will there be more choices.