After the Cannon Fodder A Accidentally Marked the Paranoid Female Lead - Chapter 44

Few people knew how heavy He Yining’s injuries were, and no one knew just how crazy she could be.

When her touch became wet and Ming Sian coldly held her hand before her eyes, she realized that He Yining’s wounds had split open; yet the other woman had finished everything without a single word.

“Doesn’t it hurt?”

After washing her hands, Ming Sian used something to cover He Yining’s back and then took her to wash up.

Fortunately, while He Yining’s back had split, it wasn’t bleeding heavily; a bit of disinfection and re-applying the medicine would suffice.

He Yining gave an “Mm.” “It hurts.”

“Then why did you still…”

Ming Sian didn’t finish; she was too embarrassed to say the rest.

“What?”

“Forget it.”

“Say it.”

He Yining’s attitude was firm. Helplessly, Ming Sian could only speak: “I told you not to move, but you insisted.”

He Yining: “…”

She had no way to explain to Ming Sian the intoxicating taste of pleasure mixed with pain.

Of course, she didn’t have heavy tastes; it was just that stopping abruptly because her back split open would have been such a pity. Since the timing was special, she decided to just endure it until it was over.

“Shut up.”

She didn’t want to hear Ming Sian talk about this anymore—it made her sound so… lustful.

Ming Sian pursed her lips, feeling a bit guilty. It was her fault for not realizing sooner that He Yining’s wounds had split.

With heartache, she carefully helped the Eldest Miss finish washing up and applying medicine. Only after seeing the Eldest Miss lying prone on the bed did she return to her own room.

As the water poured over her head, Ming Sian’s mind cleared significantly, and certain images surfaced involuntarily.

The next day, Ming Sian met up with Cheng Cheng as planned. The response to her videos was good, and her followers were increasing every day. At this rate, reaching a million followers was a given.

This was 2019—no, it was already the New Year and New Year’s Eve had passed, so it was 2020. These two years were the takeoff period for short videos. As long as one was open, willing to record their life, and the video quality was decent, they would at least experience a small burst of fame. It wasn’t as competitive as a few years later, where even high-quality videos might remain unnoticed. Everyone loved lighthearted and funny content.

After all, life was so tiring; a moment of relaxation was quite welcome.

Ming Sian had thought about doing some “internet slang” or memes, but forget it—some memes coming out of her mouth would be quite cringe. The professional route suited her better. Attracting people with her looks was already her limit.

She was now someone with nearly 200,000 followers. It had only been a few days, and she had gained over 100,000—the speed was definitely fast enough. The likes on several videos exceeded ten thousand, and the highest had even reached one hundred thousand, indicating that her account had many active fans.

Next, she decided to start her first live stream.

Meeting Cheng Cheng, Ming Sian stated her thoughts: “The live stream isn’t for anything else but to talk about family matters. How do you think I should broadcast it?”

Cheng Cheng thought for a moment. “I’ll pretend to be a passerby calling in, talking about my family of origin, and you can take the opportunity to state your own situation.”

Ming Sian wanted to be a famous lawyer in the future and have a voice in certain circles. Some things must never be used against her as leverage. Since someone had already contacted Ms. Chen, to prevent being maligned first, a live stream could solve this matter to a large extent, leaving Ms. Chen no chance to say anything about her in the future.

“Forget the call-in; just send comments, and I’ll read them out.”

The two discussed the first live stream—content and timing—and finally decided to broadcast between one and two hours. Once they finished explaining things, she could end the stream.

As for evidence and such, she didn’t need to show it to the fans; just mentioning it was enough. Anyway, she kept the chat records with Ms. Chen—they were all evidence.

Just from her recent chat records with Ms. Chen, anyone who saw them wouldn’t think it was her fault.

But Ms. Chen was just a pawn; the powerful one was the person behind her. If the other party wanted the public opinion to ferment, certain preparations had to be made in advance.

Ming Sian was mentally drafting her script, then picked up her phone and opened the full live stream recording to make it easier for future highlights and clips. It was hard to say if others would clip her videos, but she could do the editing herself once her and Cheng Cheng’s careers took off.

Her followers had grown very fast these past two days—gaining several thousand every time she refreshed—so the quality of follow-up videos had to keep up.

But that was for later. Now, the most important thing was the live stream tonight. In matters of public opinion, seizing the initiative is crucial; tonight’s live stream was that initiative.

She wasn’t that famous now, and her fans were new; they might not even care about this matter. But it didn’t matter—she could do it herself.

Anyway, with few fans now, the benefit was that whatever she said wouldn’t spread widely. Currently, not many people knew she was running this account.

Two or three years later, when no one remembered this live stream, she could use the “fans'” name to create clips of this broadcast.

The reason she was certain it would take that long was because she knew that if she held a major piece of leverage against an enemy, she wouldn’t use it immediately but would wait for the right moment.

Currently, she was just a student. What use was there in exposing her? They believed she was already “low in the dust”; if it weren’t for climbing onto He Yining, how could she achieve social mobility?

But she was still a student. Even if she was with He Yining, she couldn’t convert resources yet. If she wanted to use He Yining’s resources, she would have to wait until after graduation and obtaining her law license. Only then would she be a threat.

When she was about to achieve fame and success, exposing things then would make it easier to make her fall. The same group of people who are good at creating gods are also good at pulling them off their pedestals.

Therefore, since the other party held such a trump card, they would surely use it at a critical moment. For now, they might just want Ms. Chen to cause the He family’s disgust and drive her away; in that case, they wouldn’t even need to use this card yet.

Use the card to test first, then use the “King Bomb” (ultimate move).

There were over three years left of university; during this time, she was relatively safe. As for Ms. Chen saying she wanted to come to Hong Kong to get something from her daughter or sponge off the He family…

After the New Year, the school wouldn’t have long holidays for a while. If she wanted to stop Ms. Chen from coming to Hong Kong, she still had to go through her sister, Chen Ruoyu. The person Ms. Chen cared about most was the sister; as long as the sister cooperated, things would be much easier.

She had thought about just letting Ms. Chen come to Hong Kong, but in that case, the trouble wouldn’t just be hers—it would become He Yining’s trouble.

He Yining had too much on her plate, and the He family’s internal struggle was getting more intense. Ms. Chen coming to Hong Kong would only give them a trigger to attack He Yining.

Whether now or later, Ming Sian had to strike first to save herself from some future day when Ms. Chen might do something; if real consequences were caused, it would be too late.

Ms. Chen didn’t have much of a description in the novel, but the original host had her own evaluation of her.

Ming Sian had also experienced days of not being favored, even being treated as a “blood bag” (resource to be drained). Some things had to be guarded against.

Cheng Cheng had never truly understood Ming Sian; their relationship had only become good recently. When she learned that Ming Sian’s first live stream was to guard against her own mother, she felt a strange emotion.

So Ming Sian’s upbringing was like this? No wonder her personality was cold and reclusive. She thought there was likely a reason for the change in their relationship: they weren’t close before, but after a year of familiarity, they had finally understood each other’s character and could become friends.

Because they were friends, Cheng Cheng felt a pang of heartache for Ming Sian. Who could have thought that someone as excellent as Ming Sian was actually so miserable?

Sensing Cheng Cheng’s gaze, Ming Sian gave a light laugh. “Don’t look at me like that. I couldn’t choose my birth, but I can choose my future.”

“That makes sense.” Cheng Cheng’s brow moved slightly, and she smiled happily. “I hope we can both choose our futures.”

The live stream was scheduled between 8:00 PM and 10:00 PM. They prepared a bit and filmed another video. Cheng Cheng started editing while Ming Sian went back to her room to write.

The dorm had effectively become their small studio.

Speaking of which, they truly were in the early stages of a career—a small two-person team. They hadn’t officially established any studio yet, just early cooperation.

Ming Sian wrote a manuscript, then suddenly remembered something and quickly sent a message to He Yining— [Not coming back today.]

The next second, He Yining replied— [Reason.]

He Yining didn’t limit her that much, but it was He Yining’s heat period these few days, and she needed her nearby.

After sending the message, Ming Sian remembered this and immediately changed her tune— [Returning immediately.]

She packed her things and walked out of the room, saying to Cheng Cheng, who was editing: “I have something to do, I’m leaving first. Contact me on Jianxin if anything happens.”

Cheng Cheng looked at her with a knowing expression. “I remember someone saying after they moved out that they’d still come back to stay every few days. Why haven’t they come back even once?”

Ming Sian was at a loss for words. She wanted to! They had only lived together for a few days before going to the He manor—they had only just returned.

“And you? Did you find your one-night stand partner?” she countered with a smile. For a topic that couldn’t be continued, the best way was to change it.

Sure enough, Cheng Cheng was speechless. She naturally knew who her one-night stand partner was; she just hadn’t expected the other party’s background to be so large.

Ming Sian’s eyes lit up, a smile on her lips as she asked, “You found out?”

“Mm.” Cheng Cheng nodded. She didn’t have many friends; the only one who counted was Ming Sian. This kind of thing she couldn’t tell her parents; after much thought, the only person she could tell was Ming Sian.

Furthermore, this matter wasn’t entirely unrelated to Ming Sian.

Ming Sian keenly sensed something was off. “I know this person?”

“You probably do.”

“Can I ask who it is?”

“No.”

Ming Sian: “…”

Cheng Cheng waved her hand. “It’s not that I don’t want to say. The other party’s identity is quite special. Saying this would affect her reputation.”

“It’s not that I don’t trust your character, but for some things, the bottom line will recede further and further once crossed. I think of you as my best friend; if I tell you her name, tomorrow I might feel it’s fine to tell my parents since they shouldn’t talk nonsense. But this matter is significant, and they might not be able to hold back.”

Ming Sian nodded; she understood. Cheng Cheng trusted she wouldn’t tell, but this kind of thing could affect someone else’s reputation; it was best if no one besides herself knew.

Cheng Cheng felt a person’s bottom line would grow lower; telling one person meant the possibility of telling a second. So she simply used Ming Sian as that standard line: as long as she didn’t tell Ming Sian, she wouldn’t tell anyone. That way, it would always be a secret.

Of course, if Ming Sian found out from elsewhere, that was possible too. She had to ensure her own mouth was tightly sealed.

“Sounds like quite a stunning beauty then,” Ming Sian smiled with narrowed eyes.

“How do you know she’s a beauty?”

Ming Sian laughed louder. “Otherwise would you be so fixated?”

“Get out of here!”

She waved her hand with her laptop bag on her back. “Alright, I’m heading home.”

Looking at Ming Sian’s back, Cheng Cheng called out loudly, “It’s only been a few days and you’re already using ‘going home.’ What about the dorm then? Just visiting?”

One can hear from a person’s word choice what is more important in their heart. She was right—after only a few days, Ming Sian already considered that place home.

Ming Sian’s back paused, and her steps grew larger. She didn’t want to admit it, but just as Cheng Cheng said, in just a few days, she already thought of He Yining’s place as home.

What if they really could make it work?

Could they?

When Ming Sian returned, He Yining wasn’t back yet. She took her equipment out of her bag: a laptop and a sound card she spent a “massive” 1,000 yuan on. She wasn’t as broke as before, but she still didn’t dare spend money recklessly.

She owed He Yining so much money; how could she pay it back if she didn’t work hard?

Yes—she kept herself and He Yining very separate; it always had to be repaid.

Before long, Aunt Zhang knocked and entered. “Miss Ming, the Eldest Miss had some fresh fruit brought back. I’ve cut some up; should I bring it in?”

Ming Sian shook her head. “I’ll go out in a bit.”

“Alright.”

Aunt Zhang turned and left. She immediately sent a message out— [Miss Ming is back.]

The house was too large; she hadn’t heard the noise in the kitchen. Only after Ali messaged her did she cut the fruit and knock.

Ming Sian didn’t know the news of her return had been reported; she was focusing on the preparations for tonight’s live stream.

On the other side, Ali said to He Yining, who had just entered the car: “Eldest Miss, Miss Ming is at home.”

“Mm.”

He Yining had just been talking to Amy about the legal fees. Since they won, the payment should be prompt. So far, no one had dared to owe the He family money; otherwise, it wasn’t as if she had no way to make Amy spit back the assets she had just gained.

Furthermore, although this case hadn’t gone to court, many knew the outcome was decided. In this war between siblings, the winner was He Yining.

Because of this matter, He Chenzhang had already been punished by the Second Lord of the He family. It was said he knelt for a long time at home before getting up.

See—this was the He family education. There is punishment for losing, and no reward for winning.

Like He Yining: after winning, her mothers only thought it was as it should be. Losing was unacceptable. Winning this case hadn’t stopped them from using the family law on her.

However, it wasn’t completely without effect. Winning proved her ability. The He family follows the grandmother, but there are many others in the He Group, like Huo Qi’s family. Proving her strength meant more supporters would join her.

With these connections and resources, even if she didn’t inherit the He family in the future, starting her own business wasn’t impossible.

He Yining closed her eyes, and recent events flashed through her mind. She was reviewing them to make the next plan more perfect.

At this moment, Ali in the passenger seat asked, “Eldest Miss, going home now?”

“Mm.”

Ali wasn’t driving yet. She began reporting what happened in the He family while He Yining was working: “Today, He Chenzhang’s position was shifted—demoted on the surface but promoted in secret. It was the Second Lord’s doing.”

“He Zishu was transferred to the Mole District. She was dissatisfied and went to find the Head, but the Head didn’t see her.”

The Mole District was a place no powerful lawyer was willing to stay. There were many cases there—it could be called the former red-light district. After the red-light district was shut down, the Mole District slowly formed. There were many cases, but the clients were difficult to handle. According to statistics, half of the clients in the Mole District won’t tell the truth to their lawyers, and the cases are complex and hard to judge.

With He Zishu there, having to face those people and cases she hated every day was indeed a punishment.

Ali continued reporting: “The things the Head prepared for you have been notarized and are only waiting for your signature.”

“President Mo’s portion has also been signed. It will take effect immediately upon your signature.”

“Oh, and Miss Ming recently made a YinFu account. She’s gaining followers very fast. As of 6:00 PM, followers have exceeded 200,000. Miss Ming posted a preview saying she’ll live stream tonight.”

He Yining finally opened her eyes. “A YinFu account?”

She always had one eye fixed on Ming Sian—this was why Ali could quickly discover what Ming Sian was doing.

“Yes, she probably did it with a classmate. Just filming videos to popularize legal work. Many people followed for Miss Ming’s looks.”

Ali hadn’t wanted to say the last sentence, but if the Eldest Miss found out herself, it would only be worse. Better she say it in advance so the Eldest Miss had it in mind and wouldn’t be so angry at the “bold” words in the comments when she looked at the live stream.

Thinking of Ming Sian’s videos, most of the comments were about her looks. “Marry Lawyer Xiao Ming” was considered one of the better ones.

He Yining frowned. Ali immediately found Ming Sian’s YinFu account, clicked in, and handed over the phone.

She knew that once she reported it, He Yining would be interested. she had prepared long ago.

Ming Sian had several videos on her homepage, updating one every two or three days. The update frequency was quite high, even during the New Year.

However, Ming Sian hadn’t mentioned this at all.

This is the internet era. Short videos are invading people’s lives, scarier than a zombie virus—sweeping through to the point that almost everyone has a short video app on their phone. If not YinFu, then something else.

But YinFu’s growth momentum was the best. The He family happened to be one of YinFu’s legal consultants, safeguarding their international expansion.

It couldn’t be denied: for an ordinary person, short videos were a chance to change their fate.

In just a few years, many people had become famous through short videos, earning money they couldn’t earn through a normal job.

Some people even entered the entertainment industry through the internet, thereby gaining a place there.

Lawyers could also enter. The demand for lawyers in the country was still very high, but reliable lawyers were few. One should say ordinary people don’t know which lawyer is reliable; those recognized through the internet are better because they are somewhat famous. As long as they don’t want to abandon the account and become notorious, a lawyer with a following is still more trustworthy.

For someone with zero background, the existence of the internet perfectly compensated for this weakness.

It couldn’t compensate for the gap with the He family, but at least it could bridge the gap with an ordinary political-legal family. Doing internet work was a good choice.

But when He Yining opened the video comments section, she couldn’t smile anymore.

[Is it illegal if Lawyer Xiao Ming pursues me?]

[Is it illegal if I pursue Lawyer Xiao Ming?]

[If I marry Lawyer Xiao Ming, would she be willing to fight my lawsuits for free?]

[Is it illegal if I give Lawyer Xiao Ming a kiss?]

[Forcible kiss—illegal!]

In the “if” series, He Yining finally saw one that was slightly more normal and wasn’t just “simping” for Ming Sian.

Ming Sian’s videos were indeed well-filmed. The youthful feel of riding a bike at the sea, the atmospheric shots at the tram tracks, the ancient costume transformations—never mind the fans, it was her first time seeing such a fresh Ming Sian too.

Mainly because it was different from usual, she watched them several more times.

But the remarks on every video refreshed her understanding.

[The female lawyer in my imagination from novels looks just like this.]

[At first sight, I’ve given the rest of my life to Lawyer Xiao Ming.]

[Cold fact: I’m married to Lawyer Xiao Ming.]

[That truly is a cold fact.]

[Is it illegal to marry Lawyer Xiao Ming?]

He Yining silently used Ali’s phone number to reply to one— [Illegal.]

Ming Sian hadn’t reached the legal marriage age yet; she couldn’t marry.

Then, He Yining casually swiped past the videos and handed the phone to Ali.

“Push the traffic for Ming Sian’s next video,” He Yining said in a low voice.

What?

Ali’s eyes widened in shock. Push traffic for Miss Ming? How much would be appropriate to invest?

“Eldest Miss, what’s the budget?”

“Make her break one million followers, and block the Hong Kong region.” She couldn’t let people discover Ming Sian was running an account too early and attack her.

He Yining wasn’t clear on how much traffic pushing cost; she could only give Ali a small goal to complete.

Ali: “…”

Ming Sian only had 200,000 followers. To reach a million, she estimated they’d have to push traffic for every video.

Forget it—she didn’t understand this. She’d find a professional team to handle it.

Ali suddenly asked, “Isn’t He Group collaborating with YinFu? How about seeing the YinFu owner directly?”

He Yining looked at Ali silently. Her silence made people not dare to speak.

Ali froze for a moment, then hurriedly said: “Understood. It’s only a million followers, not breaking ten million. No need to see the owner. Just find a professional team to operate it.”

“I’ll handle this myself.” He Yining felt it was better to do it personally. After all, Ali was just her bodyguard; if she went to see the owner, the other might think she was being arrogant.

Ali was right about one thing: for just a million followers, seeing the owner was too much.

He Yining sent a message out, found someone under her, and told them to interface with a mid-level manager at YinFu to push a wave of traffic for Ming Sian.

The more followers Ming Sian had, the higher her voice would be. It might not be much at the top of the legal circle, but she was still a student. Doing this at her stage would be very helpful for her future career.

She also didn’t want her partner to be too weak. Being evenly matched was best.

By the time He Yining returned home, it was already 7:00 PM.

The first thing He Yining did upon returning was look at Aunt Zhang. Aunt Zhang had been with the family for a long time and knew her meaning at a glance. “Miss Ming hasn’t eaten yet. She had some fruit and is still working.”

Ming Sian truly worked hard. Few people worked this hard during university. The first thing many university students choose to do is date—of course, with her here, Ming Sian didn’t need to date others; dating her was enough.

“Call her out to eat.”

He Yining spoke, turned, and went to her room. Ten minutes later she came out in loungewear—a backless long dress, not particularly loose. Her injured back was left exposed, making Ming Sian’s pupils contract sharply.

The injuries on her back weren’t ugly; they revealed a trace of eerie beauty that made it impossible to look away.

Looking closely at those streaks of scars, she couldn’t help but feel heartache. Such “butterfly” shoulder blades and back looked truly beautiful in a backless dress.

But when Ming Sian’s gaze touched He Yining’s collarbone, she abruptly looked away, not daring to look at the “bad deed” she had done.