After Transmigrating Into A Cannon Fodder Character, I Only Want To Survive - Chapter 55

When Ji Yuning asked her to go to the amusement park together, Fang Bai thought Ji Yuning was genuinely inviting her, and that her feeling that Ji Yuning was avoiding her in the morning was just her imagination.

But as the car drove onto the road, Ji Yuning sat in the passenger seat, her gaze fixed outside the window. At first, when Fang Bai spoke to her, Ji Yuning turned her head and responded, but then she would casually look away again, her gaze lingering on Fang Bai for less than ten seconds.

Fang Bai: “…”

Now Fang Bai had reason to suspect that Ji Yuning had asked her along simply because she needed a driver.

Ji Yuning didn’t speak, so Fang Bai had no choice but to concentrate on driving.

A few minutes later, the car turned a corner, and Fang Bai heard He Ziyan call her, “Aunt Fang.”

Fang Bai looked up and glanced at He Ziyan in the rearview mirror. “Yes, what’s wrong?”

“Our winter vacation is coming up soon. Can I come and play with you during the break?” He Ziyan asked.

Winter vacation?

“When does it start?”

Mu Xuerou, who had been a little reserved due to the quiet atmosphere in the car, relaxed when she finally heard someone talking. She glanced at her phone calendar and said, “In about a month, around the twenties.”

“I see,” Fang Bai said. “You two can come whenever you want, but there’s really nothing fun to do with me. I’m a very boring person.”

He Ziyan immediately spoke up. “No way, I think Aunt Fang is very interesting.”

Fang Bai chuckled softly. “Really? Can you give me a specific example?”

“Of course, like right now, you’re accompanying us to the amusement park,” He Ziyan said, glancing at the passenger seat and looking at Ji Yuning’s profile. “Even though today is Yuning’s birthday, it’s rare for an elder to go out and play with a younger person and her classmates.”

Fang Bai wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but when He Ziyan said the words “elder” and “younger,” she seemed to emphasize them more than the others.

It was especially like she was reminding Fang Bai that she was Ji Yuning’s elder.

Fang Bai didn’t see that He Ziyan was speaking to Ji Yuning and automatically ignored the “younger person” part.

“Are you saying I’m old?” Fang Bai joked.

He Ziyan could tell that Fang Bai wasn’t angry, but she hadn’t expected Fang Bai to think that way. She hurriedly shook her head. “No, no, Aunt Fang, you’re very young. If I weren’t Yuning’s classmate, I think I could even call you sister.”

“It’s fine if you call me sister,” Fang Bai glanced at a certain cold-faced person in her peripheral vision, whose expression froze when she said this. A hint of mischievous satisfaction rose in her heart. “But then Xiao Ning would have to call you aunt.”

Ji Yuning turned her head, catching the triumphant smile that Fang Bai hadn’t managed to completely suppress.

In Ji Yuning’s eyes, that smile was bright and radiant, like sunlight breaking through dark clouds.

The woman rarely showed such a smile. It only appeared when her wicked sense of humor was satisfied, just like last time. Her usual smile was soft, the smile not reaching her eyes, a natural protective layer that covered her when interacting with others. Ji Yuning knew clearly that the other person was far from being as approachable as she seemed on the surface. She could even say that she was as cold as herself, but the other person was better at pretending, while she herself had long lost track of the sincerity of this pretense.

Fang Bai’s words made the two in the back seat freeze for a moment, then He Ziyan’s eyes brightened. “Hmph, then I’ll just have to reluctantly accept.”

Saying this, He Ziyan cleared her throat and said to Ji Yuning, “Go on, call me aunt. Whatever you want to buy later, aunt will buy it for you.”

The corners of Mu Xuerou’s eyes curved into a smile. “Then, Aunt Fang, can I call you sister too? I also want to hear what it feels like for Yuning to call me aunt.”

Ji Yuning glanced back, looking at Mu Xuerou with a hint of admonishment. “Don’t learn bad habits.”

He Ziyan paused, what did she mean? Was she calling her bad?

Before He Ziyan could ask Ji Yuning, the latter had already turned to her and said, “If I remember correctly, you’re younger than me.”

Looking at the person who had turned seventeen today, He Ziyan raised her chin. “So what? Now I’m your senior by generation.”

Ji Yuning withdrew her gaze, silently looking at the instigator, who was looking straight ahead, wearing an innocent expression that said, “I’m concentrating on driving, I didn’t do anything, it’s not my business.”

After being stared at by Ji Yuning for a good ten seconds, Fang Bai finally couldn’t stand her gaze anymore and turned her head while the light was red.

Ji Yuning was still sitting close to the car window, keeping a large distance from Fang Bai, but even at that distance, it was only an arm’s length away, not far at all. The moment their eyes met, Fang Bai clearly saw her own reflection in Ji Yuning’s dark eyes.

Immediately after, Ji Yuning said in a hoarse voice, “Sister.”

“—”

As Ji Yuning’s words fell, the car fell into a dead silence.

Everyone’s eyes were focused on Ji Yuning, unable to believe what they had just heard.

And the person being stared at calmly glanced ahead and said faintly, “The light’s green.”

Before even entering the amusement park, the four had discussed what rides to go on, or rather, it was mainly Mu Xuerou and He Ziyan who talked.

So as soon as they entered the amusement park, Mu Xuerou became a little tour guide again, telling He Ziyan which way to go first.

Fang Bai, however, hadn’t yet recovered from Ji Yuning’s “sister.”

Looking at the person separated from her by Mu Xuerou, Fang Bai thought that she shouldn’t joke with Ji Yuning anymore. Although her little scheme had been satisfied and she had gotten back at Ji Yuning for avoiding her, the result of teasing Ji Yuning was still something she had to bear alone. The other person would deflect her counterattacks back onto her, and even with increased force.

Mu Xuerou chatted with He Ziyan and naturally walked over to He Ziyan’s side. As the human divider moved away, there was no longer anything between Fang Bai and Ji Yuning.

Neither of them leaned towards the other, just walking behind the other two with a distance of about a meter between them.

The group moved forward in order, going on rides they wanted to try and skipping those they didn’t.

After a few rides, the four arrived at the haunted house.

Fang Bai turned around to leave, but Mu Xuerou and He Ziyan said in unison, “Let’s do this one!”

Not wanting to spoil the two kids’ fun, Fang Bai had no choice but to follow them to get in line.

Ji Yuning, who had noticed Fang Bai’s intention to leave,’s eyes flickered, and she silently followed behind Fang Bai.

More than ten minutes later, the staff saw that they were a group of four and informed them that they needed to enter in pairs for convenience in completing the tasks.

Hearing this, Fang Bai looked at Ji Yuning and Mu Xuerou. “Xiao Ning, you and—”

“You.” Ji Yuning noticed Fang Bai looking at her and Mu Xuerou. Before Fang Bai could finish her instructions, she interrupted.

The word “Xiao Mu” was blocked in her throat, but since Ji Yuning had already spoken, she could only look at the other two and ask, “Are you two okay with that?”

“I’m fine with anything.” Mu Xuerou had no objections. After spending time together recently, she had realized that He Ziyan wasn’t a bad person at heart, and since the other had changed, she could be friends with her.

She no longer had prejudice against He Ziyan, but she was still curious why she had acted that way towards Ji Yuning.

He Ziyan crossed her arms over her chest, slightly regretting not speaking up faster than Ji Yuning. She paused and said to Fang Bai, “Aunt Fang, if Ji Yuning gets scared and cries, you must tell me when you come out.”

She wanted to laugh at her!

After speaking, He Ziyan reached out and took the mission prop given by the staff, dragging Mu Xuerou away.

Scared and cry?

Fang Bai subconsciously looked at the person beside her. The other person had a calm expression and showed no reaction to He Ziyan’s words. Fang Bai, however, was faintly curious. Would Ji Yuning be scared to tears?

Meeting Fang Bai’s gaze, Ji Yuning said faintly, “Won’t.”

Ji Yuning had given her the answer.

Fang Bai raised the corner of her eyebrow. “Then you protect Auntie~”

When she said this, Fang Bai’s tone was light. She didn’t believe Ji Yuning wouldn’t be afraid and had no idea what would happen later.

The initial levels were very simple, probably to prevent people from returning to the entrance. The scary atmosphere was very weak.

It was Fang Bai’s first time in a haunted house. She had thought it would just be a bit darker with someone popping out from time to time. But by the time Fang Bai and Ji Yuning had exchanged the initial prop for the final one and reached the later part to find a way out, she realized she had underestimated things.

The surrounding atmosphere changed instantly.

The air was slightly damp, and the ground underfoot felt soft and squishy. If there was enough light, walking on it would feel like stepping on clouds, but the surroundings were eerie, and the clouds turned into mud soaked with water. The mud-covered steps felt heavy and difficult to take.

Occasionally, there were screams coming from ahead, the sharp cries amplifying the terrifying atmosphere.

Under the dim, dark red light, Fang Bai’s large strides turned into small, shuffling steps. Ji Yuning followed behind Fang Bai, her pace slowing down as well.

Fang Bai licked her lips. This environment was too oppressive, making her feel insecure.

But thinking that Ji Yuning was still behind her, Fang Bai felt she couldn’t lose face. She straightened her back, suppressed the discomfort in her heart, and continued forward.

Suddenly, the lights ahead flickered, the dark red light turning orange-yellow, then blue-purple. A few seconds later, when the lights dimmed again, a long-haired head covered in blood suddenly appeared on the wall.

“!”

Fang Bai held her breath.

The next second, Fang Bai’s vision went dark as someone covered her eyes from behind.

Fang Bai thought it was an NPC and couldn’t help but let out a cry. Just as she was about to break free, a fragrance entered her nose.

A faint, clean scent washed away the pungent chemical smell in the corridor.

It was Ji Yuning.

Fang Bai turned around and instinctively raised her hand, covering the eyes of the person behind her as well.

Her other hand naturally rested on Ji Yuning’s shoulder. With an embrace to lean on, Fang Bai’s trembling body calmed down. Then she felt the person she was holding tense up, unsure if it was from fright or something else.

A miserable scream came from ahead, stopping after three breaths. Fang Bai felt the hand on her face move away. When Fang Bai opened her eyes, she quietly turned her head to look. The NPC’s shadow was gone from the wall, and the light had turned white.

Her rapid heartbeat gradually calmed down. Fang Bai turned back to Ji Yuning and asked, “Why did you cover my eyes?”

Ji Yuning paused. “There was a ghost.”

Fang Bai knew that, but she was concerned about another question. “You’re not avoiding me anymore?”

During the time they had been in the haunted house, although Ji Yuning hadn’t deliberately kept her distance from Fang Bai, Fang Bai still felt that Ji Yuning was keeping a step away from her.

It was precisely because of this that Ji Yuning had been a second late in covering Fang Bai’s eyes.

Using the faint light, Ji Yuning saw Fang Bai’s slightly pale face. The woman was still different from her. Although cold, she had kindness in her heart, unlike her, who lived in hatred.

Ji Yuning remembered the hand that had covered her eyes, cold and stiff, and the trembling arm that had rested on her shoulder…

Fang Bai just wanted to get out quickly at this moment. Without waiting for Ji Yuning’s reply, she turned and walked forward. “Follow me closely.”

After taking two steps, Fang Bai’s right hand was grabbed from behind. The other person’s hand was very warm, transmitting heat.

Fang Bai looked at Ji Yuning. “You’re—”

Weren’t you avoiding her? Why hold her hand?

“I’m scared,” Ji Yuning said calmly, walking forward with Fang Bai. “Auntie protect me.”

Author’s Note:

Schrodinger’s fear?