After Transmigrating Into A Cannon Fodder Character, I Only Want To Survive - Chapter 34

Ji Yuning turned and went upstairs. Fang Bai paused in the act of opening the refrigerator door.

So close.

She was so close to slipping up.

Fang Bai knew that the things she was doing didn’t fit the original owner’s persona, but if she followed the original owner’s path, two years wouldn’t be enough at all. Or rather, even ten years wouldn’t be enough to melt Ji Yuning’s frozen heart.

Although Ji Yuning’s attitude towards her was the same as before, even if she had only warmed a corner of the iceberg, she would still have a chance to escape from Ji Yuning’s grasp later. Fang Bai was making changes little by little, wanting to have a subtle influence on Ji Yuning.

Although she had prepared herself to be asked “Why the big change?”, Ji Yuning’s sudden question, “When did you learn to cook?” still made Fang Bai’s heart skip a beat.

Fang Bai had already told Ji Yuning the answer to the former question: it was because she wanted to be good to her that she was doing things contrary to the original owner’s behavior.

But the latter question was outside the scope of being good to Ji Yuning, and it was difficult to brush it off with something like, “Because I want to be good to you, I learned to cook.” Fortunately, Fang Bai had already thought of a response, and her reply to Ji Yuning was naturally flawless.

She would need to be more careful in the future.

Calming her mind, Fang Bai continued what she was doing.

After showering, Yuning returned to her bedroom and asked Mu Xuerou about the homework. After getting the answer, Ji Yuning realized she hadn’t brought her backpack upstairs.

Ji Yuning got up and went downstairs. As she reached the second floor, she heard the “chop,” “chop,” “chop” of a knife hitting a cutting board coming from the kitchen.

“…”

Ji Yuning’s footsteps were very light, but when Fang Bai stopped making loud noises, Fang Bai still heard the slight friction of slippers against the floor.

Turning her head, Fang Bai saw Ji Yuning standing by the dining table, pulling down the zipper of her backpack.

Fang Bai asked, “Are you going to do homework?”

Looking at the person holding a kitchen knife, one hand on their hip, wearing an apron quite skillfully, Ji Yuning said softly, “Mmm.”

To show that she had only just learned to cook and had only been a small cook for two days, Fang Bai deliberately amplified the sound of chopping vegetables and cut them into different sizes, afraid of revealing any flaws.

Thinking that all she had heard just now was the sound of the cutting board, Fang Bai cleared her throat and asked, “Will I disturb you then?”

Ji Yuning had intended to take her backpack upstairs, but at this moment, she changed her mind. Ji Yuning pulled out a chair and sat down. “No.”

Everyone had curiosity. Out of doubt, Ji Yuning wanted to see how the “young lady” cooked.

…If the kitchen exploded, she could call the police at the first moment.

Not for Fang Bai, but because currently, besides school, she had no other place to stay overnight.

Fang Bai had been chopping vegetables even when Ji Yuning wasn’t there, but now that Ji Yuning was present, Fang Bai acted even more intensely.

So when Ji Yuning saw Fang Bai “frantically searching for utensils,” “randomly putting together seasonings without knowing what to put,” “recoiling in fright at the sizzling sound of hot oil when adding vegetables,” and “occasionally opening her phone to check the steps,” successfully stir-fry a dish and bring it to her,

Even though the dish looked colorful, fragrant, and appetizing, Ji Yuning’s first reaction was to think it was inedible.

The entire process of making this dish could only be described as disastrous.

Fang Bai missed Ji Yuning’s brief frown and took out a lid from the kitchen to cover the dish.

The moment the dish was covered, Ji Yuning’s brow slightly relaxed.

“Wait a moment, there’s one more dish. You continue doing your homework.”

Fang Bai added, “Don’t worry, it won’t take long.”

Ji Yuning lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes concealing the emotions within. “Mmm.”

It wasn’t that she couldn’t, but… it was difficult to concentrate.

Fortunately, when stir-frying the second dish, Fang Bai seemed to have gained “experience,” and the movements were much quieter.

After the second dish was stir-fried, Fang Bai suddenly wanted to make a cold dish.

Cold dishes were very easy to make.

While washing the vegetables, Fang Bai asked Ji Yuning to put away her homework and prepare to eat.

As Ji Yuning stood by the sink washing her hands, Fang Bai’s voice called out, “Xiao Ning.”

Ji Yuning turned off the faucet and glanced sideways at Fang Bai.

Seeing Ji Yuning look over, Fang Bai pointed to the cutting board and suggested with a gentle smile, “Want to try?”

In the past three years, perhaps afraid of poisoning her, Fang Bai had never let Ji Yuning cook.

By the time Ji Yuning reacted, she was already holding a knife and standing in front of the cutting board.

Ji Yuning: “?”

And the person who pulled Ji Yuning to her side and put the knife in Ji Yuning’s hand, now had her hands clasped behind her back, standing to Ji Yuning’s right, and said, “I’ve already minced the garlic. You just need to shred the cucumber and bean curd.”

Ji Yuning hummed in agreement, but there was no movement for a long time.

Fang Bai saw the reason. The first time she cooked, she also didn’t know what to do.

Fang Bai’s eyes curved into a smile. “Let me show you.”

The knife handle was very short, and Ji Yuning’s hand gripped it entirely, causing Fang Bai to hold Ji Yuning’s hand along with the knife when she reached for it.

Ji Yuning wanted to pull her hand away, but Fang Bai held it tightly and said, “This works too. Use your other hand to hold the cucumber, and I’ll guide you to cut it.”

The familiar fragrance wafted into her nose, overpowering the smell of cooking oil that filled the kitchen.

This caused Ji Yuning’s refusal to be half a beat late.

After repeatedly holding Ji Yuning’s hand, Fang Bai no longer felt hesitant about holding Ji Yuning’s hand.

Compared to the second time’s composure, this time could only be described as natural.

Ji Yuning’s hand was very small, and Fang Bai held it completely. Fang Bai seemed to be controlling the knife, but she also controlled Ji Yuning’s hand. The knife under their hands rose and fell with force.

The continuous warmth from Fang Bai’s palm reached the back of her hand. Ji Yuning, who had just taken a cool shower to lower her temperature, felt a sense of heat rising within her. An inexplicable irritability grew in her heart. Ji Yuning’s tongue brushed against her upper palate, but before she could say “Fang Bai,” the warmth on the back of her hand was withdrawn.

Ji Yuning’s words choked in her throat, the emotions that hadn’t had time to erupt stuck in her chest, neither up nor down.

Fang Bai didn’t know how much frustration her unintentional action had caused Ji Yuning. After taking a step back, she said to Ji Yuning, “Okay, now you try cutting.”

After cutting half a cucumber, Ji Yuning looked down at the cucumber shreds, some thick, some thin, and even some that were sliced, and was silent for a moment. “…You actually don’t need to teach me.”

She had been disliked.

Fang Bai leaned lazily against the edge of the kitchen counter, tilting her body. “Then let Auntie see Xiao Ning’s knife skills~”

Fang Bai’s nonchalant appearance entered Ji Yuning’s eyes, her lazy trailing tone like a cat’s swaying tail, swaying and hooking people.

Ji Yuning felt in her heart that this was the woman’s true nature, this indifferent detachment towards everything around her, and that all the enthusiasm she showed was just an act.

Ji Yuning pursed her lips and looked down at the remaining half of the cucumber.

Just as she raised the hand holding the knife, a slender finger tapped the back of her hand. “It’s better to put your thumb here for more leverage.”

Ji Yuning’s calm eyes flickered, and she said in a steady tone, “Weren’t you going to watch my knife skills?”

Fang Bai tilted her head towards her shoulder and smiled sweetly. “Yes, yes, Auntie was being nosy.”

A top student was indeed a top student. Fang Bai had deliberately messed up several cuts when showing Ji Yuning how to shred, but as soon as Ji Yuning took over, her knife skills were almost at her real level.

After Ji Yuning finished cutting everything on the cutting board, Fang Bai told her what seasonings to add.

A minute later, the two sat down.

Fang Bai was the first to take a bite of the cold dish Ji Yuning had mixed. While eating, Fang Bai saw Ji Yuning glancing at her seemingly inadvertently, silently asking something.

Fang Bai smiled inwardly.

If Ji Yuning’s personality were more cheerful, would she eagerly ask her what it tasted like, if it was delicious?

“Not bad.” Fang Bai used serving chopsticks to give Ji Yuning some, and after putting it in Ji Yuning’s bowl, Fang Bai said, “Starting to learn how to cook today, I believe it won’t be long before I surpass the chef at the old man’s house.”

The chef at Fang Maozhou’s house was specially hired and had some reputation in the country.

Ji Yuning’s heart stirred, and she picked up a shredded cucumber from her rice.

“That way, your future partner… will be lucky in food.”

Fang Bai had also suddenly thought of this sentence, wondering if all elders said this. She remembered when she learned to cook, her mother had said the same thing.

Ji Yuning’s chopsticks paused in mid-air for a few seconds.

Mentioning a partner, Fang Bai thought of Mu Xuerou.

She wondered if Ji Yuning had fallen for Mu Xuerou at this time.

Fang Bai rested her hand on her chin, her gaze lifting towards Ji Yuning. “Do you have someone you like?”

Ji Yuning didn’t speak, giving Fang Bai a look: “?”

Thinking of the years Ji Yuning and Mu Xuerou missed in the original text, Fang Bai said in a very experienced tone, “I don’t object to you having an early romance. If there is someone, you have to seize the opportunity to confess to her. Otherwise, if you miss the chance, you might have regrets after you separate.”

Ji Yuning put down her chopsticks and said indifferently, “What about you then?”

Fang Bai smiled. “Me? What about me?”

The corners of Ji Yuning’s lips curled up. She had never smiled in front of Fang Bai before. This smile was full of sarcasm.

Ji Yuning said word by word, “Never confessed to Aunt Liao. Do you regret it?”

Fang Bai’s heart suddenly jumped, and she blurted out, “…Who said I like Liao Li?”

“Don’t you?”

Ji Yuning’s indifferent tone sounded.

Fang Bai’s hand supporting her chin gradually lowered to the table.

The smile on her lips also faded.

The original owner liked her.

But Liao Li likes male, while the original owner always thought Liao Li liked Lu Xia, believing that the three of them could become friends entirely because they formed a strange food chain.

When Lu Xia, who was at the top of the food chain, passed away, the original owner thought she could be with Liao Li. Who knew that Liao Li left for abroad without saying a word.

This action, like fleeing a place of sadness, made the original owner even more convinced that Liao Li liked Lu Xia.

The fire of jealousy burned, and ultimately, Ji Yuning bore the brunt of it.

Fang Bai believed that the original owner had never expressed her feelings for Liao Li. Even if Liao Li liked someone, it had nothing to do with the original owner.

The original owner kept her feelings for Liao Li hidden, never telling anyone, except for one drunken moment when she inadvertently revealed this secret to Lu Xia.

It seemed Ji Yuning must have found out by looking at the things Lu Xia left behind.

Fang Bai said in a deep voice, “No matter where you saw or heard about this, I’m telling you now, I don’t like Liao Li.”

Ji Yuning had indeed seen it in Lu Xia’s belongings.

A few weeks ago, when she went for a physical exam with Liao Li, Liao Li gave her a notebook, saying it was Lu Xia’s belongings, given to Liao Li by Lu Xia at the hospital before her death. Because it had a password, Liao Li had never opened it, so she didn’t know what was inside.

On the way from the hospital to the office building, Ji Yuning used her birthday to open the password book.

Inside were Lu Xia’s diaries.

Some things recorded intermittently since Ji Yuning was nine years old.

The diary wasn’t kept very diligently. Ji Yuning only flipped through it for ten minutes before reaching the last page.

It was densely filled with Lu Xia’s delicate and neat handwriting:

—[Didn’t expect Xiao Bai to like Ali, but looking at Ali, she doesn’t seem to be a lesbian. If Xiao Bai doesn’t say anything, then I can only keep this secret for her, as if I never heard it.]

—[My body hasn’t been feeling well lately. Ali told me to go to her place on Sunday for a check-up. I hope it’s just some minor issues. After all, I promised Xiao Ning I’d take her to the amusement park, so it’s best not to delay it.]

—[The test results are out. It’s cancer. Fortunately, I have three months left to say goodbye to this world.]

—[…What will happen to Xiao Ning?]

—[Ali keeps persuading me to do chemotherapy, but I refused. It’s better to leave that money for Xiao Ning.]

—[If he knows I’m gone, will he take Xiao Ning back to Beijing? Probably not. It was me who said I wanted to sever ties… Is this retribution?]

—[It’s better to entrust Xiao Ning to Xiao Bai. That way, even if she can’t get married, Xiao Ning will take care of her when she’s old. And Xiao Ning likes Xiao Bai very much, she should grow up happily under Xiao Bai’s care. It’s a pity I won’t see it (^＿^)]

—[…]

—[I can’t bear to part with Xiao Ning.]

The diary ended here.

Ji Yuning locked the diary back up and took it home, locking it in her drawer.

Ji Yuning had never understood why Lu Xia would entrust her to Fang Bai’s care, especially since Fang Bai was only in her early twenties at the time. After seeing the last entry, Ji Yuning understood.

In the days after reading the diary, Ji Yuning completely didn’t want to interact with Fang Bai, not even making eye contact.

That feeling had persisted until today.

The faint fragrance on Fang Bai’s body had initially soothed her heart while they were cutting vegetables, but now Fang Bai’s words had stirred it up again.

Ji Yuning’s voice was clear and cold as she said slowly, “Why is Aunt Fang so agitated? I was just asking.”

Fang Bai withdrew her gaze from Ji Yuning. “Liao Li likes men. I knew that when I met her.”

Fang Bai told a small lie.

Actually, admitting it wouldn’t have been a big deal, but the key was that the time she transmigrated coincided with Liao Li’s return to the country.

Fang Bai was afraid that Ji Yuning would think that all the changes she had made were to put on a show for Liao Li, rather than being genuine towards her.

Then all her previous groundwork would have been in vain.

Fang Bai used the serving chopsticks to put the dish she had stir-fried into Ji Yuning’s bowl, her expression calm, as if she had heard Ji Yuning make a joke.

Fang Bai put down her chopsticks.

“Also,” the chopsticks clinked against the porcelain plate, making a crisp sound, and Fang Bai’s voice, devoid of emotion, entered Ji Yuning’s ears, “What makes you think I’m a lesbian?”

The air at the dining table froze for two seconds.

Finally, Fang Bai broke the silence. Her voice was as gentle as usual. “Don’t say things you don’t know. If you don’t like me educating you, you can say it directly. You don’t need to use such hearsay to attack me.”

Fang Bai took two bites of rice, but Ji Yuning didn’t retort.

Fang Bai said softly, “I also made soup. Go get a bowl yourself in a little while.”

The sudden change of topic indicated that she wanted to move on from the previous one.

Ji Yuning said blandly, “Mmm.”

Everything returned to calm, as if nothing had happened.

Beibei, who had been sleeping on the sofa, got up and jumped down, walked under the table, and rubbed her head against Fang Bai and Ji Yuning’s slippers.

As if trying to mediate.

Author’s Note:

The book title has been changed! Everyone, please remember me!

Now you know who Xiao Ji inherited her love for writing diaries from, right? (Not really)

Yesterday I thought of the Milky Way because of the magpie bridge meeting (so romantic), but after reading everyone’s comments, I suddenly felt my idea was too ordinary hahaha