After Transmigrating Into A Cannon Fodder Character, I Only Want To Survive - Chapter 36

A few hundred meters from the library was a coffee shop. The interior was elegant, and plane trees lined the streets outside, casting dappled shadows. The window seats offered an excellent view.

Several office buildings surrounded the coffee shop, and many white-collar workers frequented it.

Fang Bai sat by the window, her gaze following a white-collar worker walking towards an office building, stirring the coffee on the table absently.

It wasn’t until a figure appeared in front of the distant office building, dressed completely differently from the other office workers, that Fang Bai abandoned her leisurely demeanor.

And that person was Ji Yuning, who should have been studying with Mu Xuerou at the library.

Fang Bai stopped stirring, her legs involuntarily crossed, and a fleeting smile touched the corners of her lips.

Her guess was correct.

The “studying” Ji Yuning had mentioned wasn’t at the library but at a company.

Learning how to manage a company, studying finance and other related subjects, learning everything a superior needed to know.

And the person who had arranged for Ji Yuning to learn these things was the one far away in Beijing.

In a CEO novel, besides a rough life, the CEO’s family background must be the most prominent and untouchable aristocracy in the story.

And Ji Yuning’s family background was exactly like that.

The Lu family of Beijing, Lu Xia’s family, the Lu Corporation that was difficult to reach in the story.

Lu Xia had gotten pregnant out of wedlock, and until she gave birth to Ji Yuning, no relatives had ever appeared by her side, not even Ji Yuning’s father.

After the original owner and Liao Li met Lu Xia, they hadn’t failed to ask Lu Xia about Ji Yuning’s father, but Lu Xia had always brushed them off.

The original owner and Liao Li then assumed that Lu Xia had met a scumbag and had been dumped. But in reality, Ji Yan had died in an accident not long after being with Lu Xia, and shortly after his death, Lu Xia discovered she was pregnant.

Mr. Lu had originally disagreed with Lu Xia being with Ji Yan and had voiced his opposition, but he couldn’t bear Lu Xia’s constant pleading. When Ji Yan passed away, Mr. Lu arranged blind dates for Lu Xia, seemingly wanting her to move on from her grief, but in reality, it was for a marriage alliance.

When he learned that Lu Xia was pregnant with Ji Yan’s child, Mr. Lu’s first reaction was to make Lu Xia abort the baby.

Powerful families wouldn’t tolerate their daughters getting pregnant out of wedlock, and the other party in the marriage alliance wouldn’t raise someone else’s child.

Lu Xia’s pleas were in vain, so she wanted to leave the Lu family, but Mr. Lu stopped her before she could escape. Mr. Lu made Lu Xia choose between severing their father-daughter relationship and aborting the child in her womb.

Lu Xia chose the latter.

In Fang Bai’s heart, Lu Xia was a respectable person. She admired Lu Xia greatly, admired her decisiveness and resoluteness. The time she took Ji Yuning to the cemetery, besides paying respects to Lu Xia, Fang Bai mostly wanted to see Lu Xia.

In thirteen years, Lu Xia had never contacted the Lu family.

Perhaps this stubbornness was inherited from Mr. Lu. Mr. Lu also never inquired about Lu Xia’s whereabouts, nor did he let the people around him inquire, but there would always be relatives who couldn’t control their longing and secretly searched for news of Lu Xia. But it was as if an invisible net was covering her, and no matter how they searched, they couldn’t find a single piece of information about Lu Xia.

It wasn’t until sixteen years later that someone who had a good relationship with the Lu family came to Hu City and met Ji Yuning at Hu City No. 1 High School.

After returning to Beijing, he told the Lu family what he had learned about Lu Xia at the school.

It was then that the Lu family learned that Lu Xia had passed away.

Fang Bai didn’t know if Ji Yuning was clear about this matter yet, but in the book, Ji Yuning, who had suffered all kinds of bullying from the original owner, accepted Mr. Lu’s arrangements and studied these non-high school related subjects when the Lu family contacted her. Her first reaction was that she could use the Lu family to leave the original owner.

And the person Mr. Lu sent to Ji Yuning…

Fang Bai looked at the capable and meticulous woman standing beside Ji Yuning and concluded that this should be Ji Yuning’s “teacher,” and also the loyal secretary who would serve her after Ji Yuning took over the Lu family.

Fang Bai picked up the coffee she had already stirred and took a sip before turning her gaze back to the office building.

The woman didn’t know what she said to Ji Yuning. The two of them didn’t enter the building but instead turned around and walked towards the coffee shop.

Fang Bai’s movements froze. “…”

She hadn’t finished her coffee yet.

On the street.

Yuan Yizhen carried her laptop bag and said to the person accompanying her to buy coffee, “Miss Ji, Chairman Lu asked me to bring you mooncakes. I’ll give them to you later.”

Ji Yuning said coldly, refusing, “No need, keep them yourself.”

Yuan Yizhen pushed up her glasses. “That’s Chairman Lu’s goodwill.”

Meaning she couldn’t take them.

“I can’t take them back,” Ji Yuning said. “You can throw them away if you don’t want them.”

Yuan Yizhen understood Ji Yuning’s situation quite well and didn’t insist further. “…I understand.”

Ji Yuning hummed in response.

The coffee shop was across the road, at a crossroads, and they had to wait for a one-minute red light.

The phone in her pocket vibrated. Ji Yuning took it out to look; it was a spam text message.

After deleting the message and putting her phone back in her pocket, Ji Yuning subconsciously glanced around.

“Miss Ji, Chairman Lu said…” Yuan Yizhen was talking to Ji Yuning but saw Ji Yuning’s eyes fixed on the crossroads.

Yuan Yizhen followed Ji Yuning’s gaze and saw a Porsche driving away at the intersection a hundred meters away when the green light turned on. Yuan Yizhen didn’t see the specific appearance clearly. She asked, “Miss Ji, what’s wrong?”

Ji Yuning withdrew her gaze and said faintly, “Nothing.”

If she wasn’t mistaken, that car… was Fang Bai’s.

••••

5 o’clock in the evening.

Ji Yuning received a message from Fang Bai.

Aunt Fang: [The library should be closing soon, right? I’ll come pick you up now.]

Ji Yuning: [I’ll take a taxi back.]

Aunt Fang: [Alright, what do you want for dinner? I’ll cook it for you.]

Without waiting for Ji Yuning’s reply, Fang Bai could guess what she would say.

Sure enough, the next second, Fang Bai saw Ji Yuning send: [Anything is fine.]

Fang Bai replied with an “ok” sticker and put down her phone, turning to go into the kitchen.

Without Ji Yuning around, Fang Bai didn’t need to act, and she cooked much faster.

It was just that some people were very slow to return.

7:30.

Ji Yuning pushed open the door to her home, her lowered eyes lifting to see Fang Bai sitting at the dining table, taking small sips of wine.

Three dishes were placed on the table.

“You’re back?”

Hearing the sound, Fang Bai glanced sideways at Ji Yuning.

Ji Yuning walked to the table and took off her backpack. “Mmm.”

Fang Bai tilted her head back and finished the wine in her glass, then slowly poured another half glass. The wine collided with the glass, making a clear sound, and the ruby-red liquid slid down the glass wall.

Fang Bai had finished cooking at 6 o’clock and had waited half an hour without Ji Yuning returning. Fang Bai didn’t intend to ask Ji Yuning anything. After aimlessly wandering around the living room, Fang Bai’s attention stopped at the original owner’s wine cabinet.

Fang Bai didn’t drink alcohol and didn’t understand wine. She just randomly picked a bottle with a nice appearance that looked tempting and returned to the dining table.

She drank while waiting for Ji Yuning to come home.

Fang Bai wasn’t a drinker, so she took small sips. With the soft taste, Fang Bai unknowingly drank half a bottle.

Perhaps it was because the original owner had a good tolerance for alcohol, but Fang Bai didn’t feel drunk.

Ji Yuning looked at the wine bottle in front of Fang Bai.

After clearly seeing the label, Ji Yuning was slightly surprised. “You…”

Fang Bai treasured this bottle of wine very much, saying she had kept it for a long time and had gone to great lengths to get it.

Fang Bai shook the glass in her hand and blinked. “Mmm?”

Fang Bai took another small sip. “What do you want to say to me?”

Whether Fang Bai drank or not didn’t matter to Ji Yuning. The key was that this wine had a strong after-effect, and Fang Bai had drunk most of the bottle.

Ji Yuning remembered the last time the woman got drunk and pointed her finger at her to scold her…

Looking at the present,

Ji Yuning felt it was the calm before the storm.

“Nothing,” Ji Yuning frowned slightly, “I’m going to wash my hands.”

Ji Yuning had just walked to the kitchen door and taken a step when someone grabbed her from behind.

Ji Yuning stopped and waited for a few seconds, but the person behind her didn’t let go. Ji Yuning turned her head and saw Fang Bai’s hand grabbing the clothes at her lower back.

Looking at Fang Bai again, the clear eyes from a minute ago were now covered with a hazy layer, her cheeks flushed pink, and the red wine liquid still lingered on her lips, reflecting a watery light under the lamp.

Seeing Ji Yuning look at her, Fang Bai hummed softly twice. “Wait a moment.”

The hand holding Ji Yuning’s clothes showed no sign of letting go.

Ji Yuning raised her hand and tugged at her clothes, but she couldn’t pull them out of Fang Bai’s grasp. After exerting a little more force, Fang Bai’s hand also tightened.

Ji Yuning took the initiative to end this childish tug-of-war, letting her hand fall to her side and saying softly, “Mmm.”

Perhaps the heavy rain was about to come.

Fang Bai pulled her arm back, wanting to pull Ji Yuning closer. Ji Yuning’s feet were rooted to the spot, her upper body swaying from the pull, but her feet didn’t move.

Fang Bai’s attempt was unsuccessful, and she called out, “Ji Yuning!”

The drunken shout was loud, but the tone was soft and weak.

Ji Yuning’s ten fingers slightly curled, knowing that what was coming had finally arrived.

Only half a bottle of wine was needed for the woman’s disguise to be stripped away. What was she going to scold her for? Or what was she going to curse her with?

But… what would the woman’s words be like in this state compared to before?

Incomparable.

Because the heavy rain Ji Yuning had imagined didn’t arrive, only the drizzle of the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Fang Bai murmured two sentences:

“I waited for you for an hour.”

“The dishes are all cold.”

Fang Bai rested her arm on the back of the chair, her head feeling dizzy, so she rested her head on her arm again.

Fang Bai’s hand holding Ji Yuning’s clothes also unconsciously loosened because of her dizziness.

Having escaped Fang Bai’s “control,” Ji Yuning still stood in the same spot without moving.

Ji Yuning lowered her eyes to look at Fang Bai’s fluffy hair, her curled hand unfolded and then clenched again. The corners of her pursed lips tightened even more in the few seconds after Fang Bai’s words fell.

The development that didn’t match her imagination made the usually indifferent Ji Yuning unable to remain calm for that brief moment.

Fang Bai paused, then raised her head, her palm supporting her temple. She looked at Ji Yuning. “You’re impolite.”

Fang Bai frowned. “I’m talking to you, why aren’t you ignoring me?”

Ji Yuning told herself not to argue with a drunk person. The words stuck in her throat leaked out. She said, “There was a traffic jam on the way back.”

“…Then why didn’t you send me a message?”

Fang Bai clearly didn’t accept this reason.

Ji Yuning hadn’t thought about this question.

She had never reported her whereabouts to Fang Bai,
and Fang Bai had never asked.

Ji Yuning’s eyelashes flickered. “You could have eaten first.”

“?”

Was she speaking human language?

Fang Bai turned sideways, tilted her chin back, and finished the remaining wine in her glass. While her hand reached for the red wine bottle, her watery eyes glanced at Ji Yuning. “Heartless.”

…She was heartless?

Ji Yuning’s brow furrowed.

After Fang Bai finished speaking, she raised the wine bottle, preparing to pour another half glass.

Just as the wine glass was lifted and the bottle hadn’t yet tilted, a hand reached out in front of Fang Bai, grasped the neck of the bottle, and stopped Fang Bai’s movement.

Fang Bai looked at the owner of the hand.

Ji Yuning’s expression was natural, and she said calmly, “You’ve had too much to drink.”