After Transmigrating Into A Cannon Fodder Character, I Only Want To Survive - Chapter 39

Fang Bai’s… scent?

What did Fang Bai smell like?

As He Ziyan’s words fell, she realized they sounded a bit ambiguous and quickly tried to clarify, “I meant on her clothes,”

He Ziyan paused and said, “The smell of laundry detergent.”

She had smelled it on Fang Bai at the auditorium last time.

It was a faint, mellow fragrance she had caught when Fang Bai leaned in to speak to her.

After that day, He Ziyan had thought it was perfume and bought several kinds, but in the end, she hadn’t found the same one.

It wasn’t until just now that He Ziyan realized it wasn’t perfume.

He Ziyan asked, “Do you guys use the same laundry detergent?”

Ji Yuning glanced at He Ziyan sideways, saying flatly, “We live together.”

“…?”

“We live together.” To He Ziyan, this sentence sounded like a provocation.

We live together, not only using the same laundry detergent, but other things too. In the time you can’t see, we live together and do many things you don’t know about.

The thoughts flashed quickly through her mind, and He Ziyan quickly dismissed them.

She knew that Ji Yuning’s meaning was different from what she was thinking; she was overthinking it.

He Ziyan looked at Ji Yuning, just about to ask what brand of laundry detergent it was, when she saw Ji Yuning walk out of the classroom. “Where are you going?”

Ji Yuning had already left the classroom. He Ziyan stood there without moving. When she turned back to her seat, she met Mu Xuerou’s gaze. She only heard Mu Xuerou say, “Yuning probably went back to the dormitory.”

“Class is about to start, why would she go back to the dormitory—” He Ziyan thought of something. Withdrawing from the dormitory required a parent’s signature, and the belongings in the dormitory also needed to be cleared out.

She just didn’t know if Ji Yuning’s parents would send someone or come in person. He Ziyan changed direction and quickly caught up with Ji Yuning.

When Ji Yuning’s gaze swept over her, He Ziyan said, “Since I won’t see you in the dormitory anymore, I’ll see you off.”

Ji Yuning was silent. “.”

Fang Bai stood in front of the dormitory building waiting for Ji Yuning and saw two figures walking towards her from afar.

One walked upright, her facial features cold and aloof, giving off an aura of “keep away,” while the person walking beside her had her chin slightly raised, her spoiled demeanor like a peacock about to spread its tail feathers.

Fang Bai raised her eyebrows slightly, not understanding why He Ziyan had come along.

Could it be that He Ziyan really wanted to be friends with Ji Yuning? Then why hadn’t He Ziyan in the book changed?

Before Fang Bai could figure it out, the figures in the distance had already approached her.

He Ziyan, who had her hands in her pockets, took them out the moment she saw Fang Bai. “Aunt Fang.”

Fang Bai smiled and called out, “Student He.”

The smile, under the sunlight, was coated with a soft, illusory quality.

The person whose name was called was stunned for a moment.

Ji Yuning was expressionless and stepped onto the stairs.

Fang Bai followed behind Ji Yuning, while He Ziyan only stepped forward to follow when the two were about to enter the dormitory door.

Inside the dormitory.

Besides some necessary items for living there, Ji Yuning didn’t have many extra belongings.

After everything visible was packed, Ji Yuning went to the balcony and opened the storage cabinet.

The few scattered items inside were all caught in Fang Bai’s eyes. Before Ji Yuning could make a move, Fang Bai reached out and took out the gift bag inside. When she opened it and saw what was inside, Fang Bai understood why she felt a sense of familiarity.

Wasn’t this the stuff she had given Ji Yuning when she came to school to deliver living expenses before?!

Except for the phone, which she had asked He Wei to pick up back then, everything else was placed inside untouched.

Fang Bai looked up. “You haven’t eaten any of these?”

Ji Yuning: “Mmm.”

Fang Bai roughly guessed the reason. It definitely wasn’t that Ji Yuning didn’t like sweets, otherwise…

Fang Bai took out another item from the cabinet and said, “Is this canned food expired?”

The canned food wasn’t too sweet either, so why hadn’t Ji Yuning eaten it?

Because these were all things she had given her.

If it hadn’t been for the incident in the auditorium, Fang Bai thought Ji Yuning would have probably kept the phone in the cabinet and never used it.

A smile flashed in Fang Bai’s eyes. When she looked up again, the smile was gone, replaced by a full sense of emotion. “So Xiao Ning values the gifts Auntie gave her so much that she’s been keeping them treasured in the cabinet.”

Fang Bai was doing this on purpose.

Her aim was to see the expression on Ji Yuning’s face, wanting to explain but unable to, forced to silently agree, with a look of revulsion rising in her eyes because of Fang Bai’s words.

However, Fang Bai didn’t catch any disgust in Ji Yuning’s eyes, not even a ripple.

Fang Bai seemed to be performing a one-person show.

Fang Bai: “…”

Fang Bai’s words didn’t affect Ji Yuning, but He Ziyan, who had been standing beside them the whole time, felt very uncomfortable hearing them. She broke the silence and asked, “Aunt Fang, are you going to throw away the canned food? I’ll help you.”

Fang Bai checked the date; the canned food had already expired.

Fang Bai handed the canned food in her hand to He Ziyan and said, “Thank you.”

He Ziyan said softly, “You’re welcome.”

There weren’t many items in the cabinet. The canned food and the paper bag took up most of the space. As they were taken out one by one, not much was left inside.

Fang Bai held the paper bag. “Anything else?”

The expression on Ji Yuning’s face had returned to normal. “No.”

Fang Bai hummed in agreement and met Ji Yuning’s eyes. “Then see me to the school gate?”

He Ziyan’s voice rang out beside them. “Aunt Fang, there are so many things. Yuning and I will see you off together.”

Although she didn’t know why He Ziyan’s change was so drastic, from Fang Bai’s perspective, He Ziyan was already getting better.

She didn’t refuse He Ziyan and nodded, saying, “Thank you for your trouble.”

The happiest person about Ji Yuning becoming a day student wasn’t Fang Bai, but Uncle Li.

During this period, Miss had been driving herself everywhere, and Uncle Li was essentially forced into unemployment, staying at home with nothing to do. Now, hearing that Ji Yuning was going to be a day student, he immediately applied to Fang Bai to resume his position as driver.

Fang Bai was amused by Uncle Li’s words and readily agreed.

For several weeks in a row, Uncle Li drove Fang Bai to pick up and drop off Ji Yuning. But after a few days, Ji Yuning suggested to Fang Bai that she take the bus to and from school herself. Fang Bai knew the reason behind it and only agreed to let Ji Yuning take the bus home, but she still insisted on driving her in the morning.

Ji Yuning had originally planned to look for Yuan Yizhen during the time she would be going home after school, so Fang Bai’s arrangement was perfect for her. After hesitating for a few seconds, she agreed.

On the way to school with Ji Yuning that day.

Uncle Li called out, “Miss.”

Fang Bai shifted her gaze from her phone and looked up. “What’s wrong?”

Uncle Li held the steering wheel and asked, “October 1st is coming up soon. What day is Miss planning to go to Japan?”

The original owner had a habit of going to Japan for hot springs, and it was always during the National Day holidays each year.

Fang Bai was interested in hot springs, but she didn’t want to go abroad.

Thinking of the news she had just seen on the app, “Not going to Japan.”

Fang Bai said, “The old man invested in a new hot spring hotel in Qing City. Let’s go there for National Day.”

The message was sent to her by Fang Maozhou.

Fang Maozhou knew his daughter liked hot springs, so he participated in the hotel’s investment. What he had just sent to Fang Bai was to say that he had arranged everything for her and that she could go and have fun.

Uncle Li nodded after hearing this. “Then I’ll book plane tickets for Miss.”

Fang Bai hummed in agreement. “Book two.”

Before Uncle Li could ask who the other ticket was for, Fang Bai said, “Xiao Ning will go with me.”

Ji Yuning, who had been looking out the window, turned her head and met Fang Bai’s smiling eyes.

Fang Bai’s eyes curved into crescents as she asked, “Is that okay?”

“…”

Ji Yuning lifted her eyelids slightly. “Didn’t Aunt Fang already decide?”

Fang Bai smiled. “Decisions can be changed too. I still need to ask for your opinion.”

Yuan Yizhen had told her yesterday that she would return to Beijing for National Day and would only come back after the holiday.

Ji Yuning considered for a moment, her pink lips touching. “Anything is fine.”

Two honks from a truck drowned out Ji Yuning’s voice.

Ji Yuning frowned slightly.

The honking also stopped at this moment. Without the noise, Ji Yuning clearly heard heavier breathing coming from beside her.

Ji Yuning looked over and saw Fang Bai’s pupils slightly constricted, a reaction one would have upon seeing something terrifying. The lips that had been curved in a gentle smile a second ago were now pursed, as if trying hard to suppress a scream.

As the truck roared past the car, Fang Bai’s shoulders trembled lightly twice, and the phone in her hand fell to the ground with a muffled thud.

The sound woke Fang Bai up. Her tense shoulders slowly relaxed. Noticing Ji Yuning looking at her, Fang Bai forced a smile in response.

The smile was very strained, but Fang Bai couldn’t care about anything else.

The familiar back seat, the familiar truck horn.

In an instant, it pulled her back to the day she transmigrated into the book. The suffocating feeling of death instantly swept through her body, every pore rapidly expanding, pulling her into a feeling of weightlessness.

Uncle Li’s voice rang out, “Miss, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing…” Fang Bai said softly, “dropped my phone.”

As Fang Bai spoke, she leaned down to pick up the phone, but a hand faster than hers picked it up. Along with it came Ji Yuning’s question, “What’s wrong, Aunt Fang?”

Ji Yuning’s voice was very low, so low that only the two of them could hear it, even carrying a hint of enticement, urging Fang Bai to tell the truth.

Fang Bai didn’t dare to be negligent and said, “I accidentally clicked on a scary picture just now and got scared.”

Ji Yuning’s gaze flowed between Fang Bai’s eyebrows and eyes. Fang Bai’s state did indeed resemble the reaction one would have after being frightened.

Unable to determine the truth of Fang Bai’s words, Ji Yuning withdrew her probing gaze.

Ji Yuning propped herself up on the seat and handed the phone back to Fang Bai without saying anything further.

The small episode quickly passed.

The car also stopped in front of the school gate ten minutes later.

During this time, although Fang Bai’s heart was still not completely stable, her expression was normal. She said to the person opening the door to get out, “See you tonight~”

Her voice was soft, and the rising tone at the end seemed to genuinely look forward to seeing her tonight.

Ji Yuning’s hand opening the door froze for a few seconds, then her turned body straightened again.

Fang Bai was wondering what Ji Yuning was going to do when she saw the other person’s hand reach into her school uniform pocket, take out something, and then extend it towards her.

“Hmm?”

Fang Bai looked down and saw that what Ji Yuning was holding between her fingers was a White Rabbit milk candy.

Fang Bai subconsciously asked, “Don’t you not eat sweets?”

After a few days of getting along, Fang Bai had more or less figured out Ji Yuning’s preferences.

“A classmate gave it to me.” Ji Yuning said indifferently, “If you don’t want it, I’ll throw it away.”

How could a sweet lover hear such words? Fang Bai opened her palm. “I want it.”

The candy instantly fell into Fang Bai’s palm.

The candy wrapper brushed against her skin, slightly itchy, an itch that reached her heart, incidentally scratching away the shadow that had fallen into the depths of her heart.

The candy was unwrapped and put into her mouth. The sweetness filled her oral cavity, some unpleasant images were dispelled, and Fang Bai’s heartbeat gradually calmed down.

Putting away the candy wrapper in her hand, Fang Bai looked up. “Thank you.”

Responding to Fang Bai was the sound of a door closing with a not-too-light, not-too-heavy thud.

Ji Yuning had already gotten out of the car.

Fang Bai: “…”

She didn’t know if Ji Yuning had heard her thanks.

Author’s Note:

Xiao Ji: I just haven’t figured things out yet, and all you aunties want to arrange Aunt Fang for someone else?

Xiao He: (Laughing with hands on hips)