After the Cannon Fodder A Accidentally Marked the Paranoid Female Lead - Chapter 8

A company dinner is a rather stiff affair, consisting of flattery mixed with awkward small talk.

Ming Sian sat in the corner, focused solely on eating. Currently, she could only afford ten-dollar egg-and-beef buns or pineapple buns; she even had to think twice about a twelve-dollar pork chop bun.

At a thousand-dollar buffet, she was eating like there was no tomorrow.

She ate quite elegantly. If one looked only at the empty plates in front of her, it would seem she hadn’t eaten much—mostly because the waiters cleared them away quickly. But if one looked at her mouth, they would see that although her bites were small, she never stopped chewing.

Ming Sian followed a specific rule: small bites and plenty of chewing. This usually made for slow eating, but she didn’t talk.

She was just an intern who hadn’t been there long. Everyone’s impression of her was that of a top student—diligent and always rushing to do work after joining the secretarial office.

Few people sitting there weren’t top students. As for diligence, those who weren’t hardworking and determined had already been eliminated.

Speaking of which, everyone’s strongest impression of her was probably her audacity to resign, only to return and continue working as if nothing happened.

Could she have some sort of background?

Anning Law Firm wasn’t a place where one could just come and go as they pleased. Yet Ming Sian could. And when one considered that Jerry was dismissed right after bullying her…

Could it be…

The crowd occasionally stole glances at Ming Sian. It must be so!

Ming Sian, engrossed in her meal, didn’t notice her colleagues’ thoughts. Even if she did, she wouldn’t explain. Being associated with He Yining meant her future days at the firm would be much easier. Besides, her plan was to annoy He Yining, not ruin her own professional reputation.

If she wanted to survive in this industry, her school grades, internship performance, and reputation were all vital. To ruin her reputation just to leave Anning Law Firm would truly be a losing trade.

She hoped He Yining wouldn’t be able to stand her antics and would let her go soon. As for the “Female Lead” business, she, the “Cannon Fodder,” preferred not to get tangled in that plotline.

Just as Ming Sian was wondering whether to have another piece of tiramisu, her phone vibrated.

She smiled apologetically at Huo Qi and walked out with her phone. The caller ID was: Chen Pan.

Ming Sian frowned. Ms. Chen was the original host’s mother. From the contact name alone, it was clear their relationship wasn’t close—it was actually terrible. To the original host, her mother was like a wet cotton jacket: a difficult choice whether to wear it or not.

The original host’s 800,000 scholarship had been seized by Ms. Chen. Worried that the original host wouldn’t return once she left, she set a condition: the money would only be returned if she came back home to take the civil service exam after graduation.

Consequently, in Hong Kong, aside from the 2,000 yuan her family gave her, the original host relied entirely on part-time jobs.

She had told Ms. Chen it wasn’t enough—it didn’t even cover housing. Ms. Chen didn’t believe her at all: “How can school housing cost money? Other kids make do with 1,000 a month, why isn’t 2,000 enough for you? You just want that 800,000 back.”

Over time, the original host stopped wanting to talk to Ms. Chen and rarely even answered her calls.

Ming Sian hesitated for a moment before stepping out of the restaurant to answer.

Before she could speak, Ms. Chen’s interrogation came through the phone: “Ming Sian, your wings have really grown strong. You don’t answer calls, you don’t reply to messages—what do you want? Do you not want me as a mother anymore? I knew you were an ungrateful wolf; as soon as you fly out, you won’t come back.”

“And what’s with those receipts you sent me? Are you that obsessed with that 800,000? I’m telling you, that 800,000 was already spent on buying a house. It’s gone. Don’t think about it anymore, unless you come back to take the civil service exam—then I might consider putting the house in your name.”

No wonder the original host didn’t want to answer the phone. If every call was like this, she might as well just block her.

The original host used to get into a terrible state hearing this; for a law student to lose her composure and speak recklessly, one could imagine how powerful Ms. Chen’s influence was.

But Ming Sian wasn’t the original host. Her feelings toward Ms. Chen were no different from a stranger’s. If Ms. Chen hadn’t kept messaging her, she wouldn’t have organized the receipts and sent them over.

“Why aren’t you talking? Did I hit the mark? You really want that 800,000!”

That was the conclusion Ms. Chen had reached.

Ming Sian waited until Ms. Chen finished her output before saying: “Those receipts are all real. Housing at Hong Kong University costs money; everything here costs money. When you made me attend HKU for the scholarship, did you never think about the cost of living here?”

“Hong Kong is a high-consumption place. School dorms cost money. With the internet today, is there anything you can’t search for? Madam, you’re right; I really do need that 800,000. If you still consider me your daughter, transfer the money to me instead of sending those short videos every day hinting that I should work part-time, go back to take the exam, be a filial daughter, or even hook up with a rich woman in Hong Kong. Given your family’s situation, what kind of dream are you having?”

“Furthermore, I won’t be doing any part-time jobs. I have a one-million-dollar student loan. If you’re so kind, help me pay it back.”

Ming Sian simply hung up. She felt that the original host’s crying and tantrums were useless; she had to let Ms. Chen know she lacked money—severely. Because she had no money, all her school expenses were funded through loans. HKU waived her tuition, but not her housing, books, and other fees.

After her retort, she set Ms. Chen to “Do Not Disturb.” If she blocked her, there was no telling what kind of madness the woman would descend into.

Ming Sian turned to head back to the restaurant, only to lock eyes with He Yining, who was also on the phone.

Could she have heard everything I just said?

He Yining hurriedly spoke two lines into her phone. Her cold, stiff voice suggested she wasn’t in a good mood: “Can you just be direct when you speak? Forget it, I’m done talking!”

She was impatient with the person on the other end for rambling, or perhaps she didn’t want to chat more because Ming Sian was there. She hung up abruptly.

Ming Sian had only taken two steps when she ran into Huo Qi and the others coming out.

Huo Qi’s gaze moved between the two of them. She waved to the others to let them leave: “It’s the weekend tomorrow. See you next week.”

“Great Lawyer He, Team Leader Huo, see you next week.”

Everyone said their goodbyes and left. Ming Sian prepared to follow them.

“Ming Sian.”

Huo Qi suddenly called her back.

Ming Sian turned around helplessly: “Team Leader.”

The colleagues who hadn’t walked far yet glanced at each other, their internal suspicions becoming even more confirmed.

Huo Qi pointed at He Yining: “My home is right nearby. Lawyer He has been drinking; you take her back.”

Ming Sian: “?”

He Yining: “?”

“I only ate noodles,” He Yining said.

Like a magician, Huo Qi pulled out a cone: “Liqueur ice cream. You just had a bite.”

He Yining’s face went cold; she had indeed taken a bite.

However, thinking of what Ming Sian had said on the phone just now, she nodded in agreement.

Huo Qi: “Then I’ll leave it to Student Ming.”

Ming Sian: Aren’t you going to ask if I even have a driver’s license?

She actually did. The original host had earned it specifically to work as a designated driver and to see if she could encounter a suitable rich woman to target. He Yining was her first choice, but she naturally had backups.

Back then, to ensure she would get an opportunity like today, the original host never hid the fact that she could drive and would even proactively bring it up in conversation.

Well, the opportunity had arrived, but the soul had been replaced.

Driving He Yining home… she wanted to stay away, yet she was constantly drawing closer inadvertently. Ming Sian sighed inwardly: Is this the fated entanglement of the cannon fodder and the female lead? Can’t dodge it, can’t escape it.

[Author’s Note]

Ming Sian: How cool the original host was when signing the contracts is how miserable I am now while paying off the debts.