After the Cannon Fodder A Accidentally Marked the Paranoid Female Lead - Chapter 6

He Yining watched the secretarial team leader with a cold gaze; she detested men, especially those who loved playing petty mind games too much.

Under her watchful eye, Jerry gradually became nervous, a layer of cold sweat forming on his back. “Boss.”

“Jerry, you are a veteran of this firm. You should know the consequences of handing over important matters to an intern.”

He Yining’s expression was relatively mild, but her words were chilling, enough to make one’s heart skip a beat.

Jerry felt a jolt of shock. Anning Law Firm used to have a different name and a different person in charge. The woman in front of him had been “parachuted” in, entering the firm immediately after her own internship. Everyone in the firm knew that Anning was being used as a training ground for the He family’s younger generation.

There are pros and cons to a firm used as a playground for “second-generation” elites. The upside is a direct line to the core of the He family; the downside is that it might be declared bankrupt or merged at any moment.

In fact, bankruptcy or merging happened more often than not.

No one wanted to be unemployed, so no one welcomed He Yining. Even if they couldn’t openly make things difficult for her due to her high status, they could always do so in the shadows.

But as soon as He Yining arrived, she ignored the existing staff entirely. She brought her own people, took on the Xu family property division case, and succeeded. The first thing she did upon settling in was a “cleanup.”

Jerry had watched many colleagues leave, so he knew He Yining was no pushover. She was a tyrant—especially regarding the secretarial office, where she would surely want a confidant as the team leader.

He Yining undoubtedly wanted to replace him, but his uncle held a high position in the He family headquarters, and although he made minor mistakes, he hadn’t committed any major blunders.

But the way He Yining looked at him today made him feel that he would not escape his fate.

“Boss, all for an intern? My uncle is a senior barrister at headquarters.”

He Yining frowned; she hated being threatened most of all. “Not satisfied? Have your uncle come see me.”

Since things had reached this point, Jerry had nothing left to say. Who told him to let her catch him in a lie? He hadn’t expected He Yining to actually kick him out.

Just as Jerry left, a girl with messy short hair walked in—a messiness she had styled herself.

“Lawyer He, aren’t you afraid his uncle will complain to the higher-ups?”

Huo Qi had been parachuted in along with He Yining; she was clearly the confidant He Yining had brought along.

They both knew that Jerry’s uncle wouldn’t let his departure slide, but if Jerry didn’t leave, the secretarial office would never truly be theirs.

In front of her friend, He Yining was much more relaxed. She pointed languidly at the tea on the coffee table, and Huo Qi resignedly went to pour her a cup.

“I’ve already given his uncle enough face.”

Before she came to the firm, Jerry had used his uncle’s name to act like a tyrant, trading favors left and right. Out of the twelve people in the secretarial office, ten had been planted by him—he treated the firm as if it were his own home.

The secretarial office handled a vast amount of work daily; even a slight delay on their part could lead to serious negative consequences.

Huo Qi raised an eyebrow. “And Ming Sian? Are you for real?”

“Real about what?” He Yining looked as though she didn’t understand.

Seeing her play dumb, Huo Qi snatched the tea that He Yining hadn’t even reached for and took a sip herself. “An intern requires the Eldest Miss He to personally ‘chase’ her back to the firm for work.”

She emphasized the word “chase.”

“Was that encounter at the bar an accident, or was it intentional?”

Huo Qi deliberately played with her words, her teasing gaze couldn’t be more obvious.

“An accident.”

As if I would deliberately go looking for Ming Sian.

Huo Qi couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “Then how did the great Lawyer He, who rarely visits bars, have the spare time to go to a bar alone?”

Usually, He Yining never went alone, which made it worth thinking about.

But… He Yining thought of the dreams she had every night. At first, she didn’t believe them, but her dreams had turned into a serial drama, revealing bits and pieces every day until she discovered that Ming Sian actually existed.

She didn’t like things being out of her control. Since she knew Ming Sian would become entangled with her, it was better to keep her close and watch her rather than leave her on the outside.

He Yining had no intention of answering. Huo Qi stopped smiling. “Even if you really fancy Ming Sian, aren’t you afraid she’ll be targeted after you fired Jerry so high-profilely for her? Your He family is full of jackals and wolves.”

“I hope she can hold her own.” He Yining poured herself a cup of tea, seemingly indifferent to Ming Sian’s life or death.

Huo Qi widened her eyes. “Truly a bad woman. Poor Ming Sian—meeting you, she is truly ‘blessed.'”

Downstairs, Ming Sian was unaware of their conversation. She was watching Jerry pack his things and get lost.

Wait, is He Yining protecting me this much? Firing the secretarial team leader just because of one instance of bullying?

Impossible. He Yining wasn’t that kind of person. It could only be that she had wanted to fire Jerry for a long time and was just using her as an excuse. No wonder Jerry had glared at her so fiercely for so long; it was purely to draw hatred toward her.

In the novel, the He family was a massive clan with many descendants and fierce internal struggles—some dignified, some not.

As Jerry was leaving, he glared at her once more. “Don’t think this is a good place. Plenty of people don’t want to see you do well.”

“If it’s not a good place, why aren’t you leaving faster?”

Ming Sian shot back directly. She felt she hadn’t provoked Jerry; he had bullied her first and then treated her like an enemy—he was clearly a bit unhinged.

“Let’s see how long you can stay arrogant.” Jerry snorted coldly and left the office.

Speechless. Exactly who is the arrogant one here?

She was truly curious about how this man’s brain worked. To reach this position, he shouldn’t be brainless—had he just grown too accustomed to being pampered and couldn’t tolerate anyone crossing him?

Whatever. There was no need to waste effort on someone she probably wouldn’t see again.

Ming Sian turned on her computer, logged into the firm’s intranet, and saw a pop-up message.

【The former secretarial team leader has resigned; Huo Qi will take over the position.】

The new appointment was announced so quickly. As expected, He Yining had planned this long ago. Otherwise, how could a mere intern like her drive away a team leader?

That dog woman—she used me as a tool.

A moment later, an unread message appeared in her backend. It was from Huo Qi: 【Add me on Jianxin (Instant Message).】

Looking at Huo Qi’s phone number, Ming Sian resignedly took out her phone and added her.

The other party accepted almost instantly and then sent a message: 【Send the legal documents to Lawyer He.】

Ming Sian: “?” How was Huo Qi so sure she had finished the legal documents?

Huo Qi, of course, wasn’t sure. She was also puzzled and looked at He Yining helplessly. “She’s a second-year student. You’re asking her to do such difficult legal documents—do you think she’s you?!”

The next second, she received Ming Sian’s reply: 【I don’t have Lawyer He’s Jianxin.】

“And now?” She showed her phone to He Yining.

He Yining took the phone and directly sent her own business card over.

Huo Qi: “…You wouldn’t have done all this just to get Ming Sian’s contact info, would you?”

Ming Sian, receiving He Yining’s business card, was stunned for a moment. This new leader really was someone of “harsh deeds and few words.” With a look of someone facing execution, she clicked “Add.”

He Yining waited for a while, thinking Ming Sian might refuse to add her. Finally, the notification sound for a new message rang on her computer. She clicked it open to see a profile picture of a black silhouette against a white wall and the simple name “Ming Sian.” She was in no hurry to click “Accept.”

[Author’s Note]

Ming Sian: You want this “blessing”? Take it!

He Yining: Others couldn’t get it even if they wanted to.