The Cannon Fodder Alpha Who Transmigrated Into a Book Must Protect the Female Lead (GL) - Chapter 4

The last week of summer vacation at home.

Jing Qingxia was simultaneously struggling to catch up on homework while embarking on a routine of nutrient solution injections and physical training, which left her body quite exhausted.

Mentally, however, she felt completely relaxed.

It was as if a psychological issue that had plagued her body for over a decade was suddenly cured.

Her body was a few years younger than it was before she died in the previous life, but many functions seemed to have been brought over from her original world.

Her motor skills and athletic ability were nearly identical.

Only the biggest gap, physical endurance, needed practice!

The muscle soreness she hadn’t felt in a long time made her incredibly nostalgic.

Jing Qingxia secretly utilized her former military training regimen for extra practice, which was even more effective than the training camp’s plan.

The Alpha genes in her were also activated from dormancy, and an inexplicable competitive spirit kept Jing Qingxia full of energy.

The training camp instructor, watching Jing Qingxia’s rate of progress, questioned in daily astonishment: Where did this little gem come from? I guarantee she can become the live signboard for our training camp!

“The training camp instructor praised your excellent performance today too. You exceeded all the training targets,” Lin Chanjuan said with a smile, serving Jing Qingxia a Coke chicken wing, while also not forgetting to ladle soup for Zhong Mingxue on the side.

“Thank you,” Zhong Mingxue said, lowering her eyes. Living under someone else’s roof was naturally awkward, but after a week of getting along, it had become much more natural.

During this week, Jing Guangyao and Lin Chanjuan were mostly at the company, and Jing Qingxia was at the training camp.

The two or three maids on shift at home were not talkative people.

The person she interacted with the most was Aunt Zhang, the live-in housekeeper.

Jing Qingxia picked up the thread of conversation from Lin Chanjuan.

“Wow, that teacher is too good at giving compliments. He praises me every day; won’t he run out of words? Someone who didn’t know would think I was about to differentiate into an S-rank any minute.”

“You wish! It would be good if you could upgrade from C-rank to B-rank after the entire training cycle. Others start preparing a year or two in advance, unlike you. So lazy,” Jing Guangyao said, shaking his head with a smile.

Though his words were disparaging, his eyes were full of doting affection.

This laziness was something he himself had spoiled her with.

Thinking this, Jing Guangyao felt a little proud.

Jing Qingxia felt a closeness she had never experienced before and smiled, cherishing the moment deeply.

Jing Guangyao and Lin Chanjuan exchanged glances and felt a warmth spread through them.

Emotion is inherently mutual.

The sunset shone through the nearby floor-to-ceiling windows, casting golden light and enveloping the family’s warm moment, making it look even softer.

However, a patch of shadow on the side was sharply defined, dividing the dining table and the entire room into two halves. It was as if no warmth could penetrate it.

Zhong Mingxue was sitting in the shadow, immersed in her own feelings of loneliness.

The Jing family had been very good to her this week, but they weren’t her biological parents, and she couldn’t accept their kindness with a clear conscience.

Even Jing Guangyao’s simple jesting at Jing Qingxia sounded different to Zhong Mingxue’s ears.

She pursed her lips and couldn’t help but wonder in another direction.

Logically, she could have started preparing a year or two ago but didn’t. Why the sudden effort now?

Was she trying to impress someone?

Zhong Mingxue really didn’t want to use such suspicious thoughts to criticize the Jing family, but the changes she had experienced and the things she had witnessed over the past few months constantly reminded her.

The Zhong family relatives used this kind of pretense to secretly take away the Zhong Corporation.

If even blood relatives could do this, then the Jing family…

Before Zhong Mingxue could reach any conclusion, Jing Qingxia’s laughter interrupted her thoughts.

“Hahahaha! Dad, and you’re the head of an enterprise! That remark is short-sighted. Let me ask you a question: studying is a good thing, right? We should all live and learn. Then do you know when is the best time to start studying?”

The topic changed so strangely that it stunned Jing Guangyao: “When to start? Since childhood.”

“Exactly, since childhood is best. But if we miss the optimal period in childhood, does that mean we stop studying?”

“Ah…” Jing Guangyao sighed, realizing that his daughter was not joking but genuinely discussing such a serious and inspirational topic with him.

This made him feel a little teary-eyed.

Jing Qingxia quickly spoke before the big man could shed tears: “The best time to study is: first, in the past; second, now! Training is the same.

“Don’t worry, even though I missed the past, I will cherish the present time and work twice as hard. I even told the teacher that I want to increase the training volume.”

Instead of regretting not working hard before, it’s better to start working twice as hard now. As long as you decide to start, it’s never too late.

Lin Chanjuan smiled, very pleased with Jing Qingxia’s transformation. She had secretly told Jing Guangyao before: “Maybe Xiaxia’s transformation is all because of Xiaoxue. Look how excellent Xiaoxue is; Xiaxia wants to study hard too.”

Jing Guangyao, however, understood the little cannon fodder’s nature: “I just hope she’s not scheming against Xiaoxue. Xiaoxue is an S-rank Omega. We can’t take advantage of her just because she’s staying with us. We have to be wary of our girl; she has too many tricks up her sleeve.”

Lin Chanjuan rolled her eyes: “How can you talk about our daughter like that?”

However, Jing Guangyao’s guess actually aligned with the little cannon fodder’s intentions.

This was also the reason why, after the little cannon fodder was retaliated against by the female lead in the original text, Jing Guangyao, having discovered the truth, left the country with Lin Chanjuan in sorrow, never seeking a life-or-death confrontation with the female lead.

…

After dinner, Jing Qingxia returned to her room to pack her school supplies for the next day.

Seeing Zhong Mingxue passing by the door, Jing Qingxia called out to her: “Zhong Mingxue, let’s ride our bikes to school together tomorrow. You don’t have a uniform yet, so you might be stopped. Just stick with me, and I’ll take you to the homeroom teacher to avoid a lot of trouble. My dad said he’s put you in our class. I can protect you!”

Protect me?

Zhong Mingxue looked at Jing Qingxia, then slowly nodded, revealing a look of gratitude.

Although Jing Qingxia didn’t know how much genuine emotion was in that smile, it was beautiful.

She should smile more often.

Jing Qingxia also broke into a bright smile.

As if infected, Zhong Mingxue’s smile unconsciously deepened. When she realized this, she quickly turned and returned to her room.

This was their first one-on-one conversation this week.

If a nod counted as a sentence.

Jing Qingxia had a hunch that because she was participating in training and had little chance to interact with Zhong Mingxue, it made her stay in the house much more comfortable, significantly more relaxed than the first day.

…

The next morning.

Jing Qingxia woke up with the excitement of returning to campus, and in her enthusiasm, folded her quilt into a military-style block.

She only snapped back to reality and quickly unfolded it, making the bed in her usual manner.

After breakfast, she was ready to go.

Jing Guangyao and Lin Chanjuan had taken a flight for a sudden business trip late last night due to an urgent matter at the company.

Aunt Zhang took on the parental duties and prepared bicycles for the two girls starting school.

One red, one blue, the same model but different colors.

They looked quite nice, but unfortunately, her relationship with Zhong Mingxue wasn’t good enough yet. Otherwise, she’d want to tease, red and blue are a classic CP.

“Which one do you want?” Jing Qingxia circled the two bicycles.

Zhong Mingxue seemed surprised that Jing Qingxia would ask for her opinion, as this kind of procedure never happened in their previous interactions.

She paused for a second before giving a less-than-helpful answer: “Either is fine.”

Zhong Mingxue’s expression was minimal, but Jing Qingxia keenly noticed that her attitude had genuinely softened a lot.

The avoidance strategy of not bothering her this week had indeed been very effective!

For this kind of little kitten that was constantly on guard and ready to scratch, it was necessary to give her enough freedom at first before any close behavior could emerge when needed.

“Then I’ll take the red one. It’s more passionate, suits me!” Jing Qingxia said, climbing directly onto it.

Jing Qingxia and Zhong Mingxue were both 168 cm tall, and their equally long legs were swung over the bikes.

The bikes had been adjusted to the same suitable height from the start.

Zhong Mingxue naturally got onto the blue bicycle, but Jing Qingxia showed no sign of leaving.

Jing Qingxia met Zhong Mingxue’s gaze and smiled: “Zhong Mingxue, why don’t you open your map navigation and lead the way?”

Zhong Mingxue looked puzzled.

“Don’t look at me like I’m an idiot; that’s a personal attack!”

“…”

She realized the joke had gone far enough: “It’s my first time cycling to school too; I don’t know the way. Besides, I don’t know what your stamina is like. I’m the only person in the devil’s training camp who proactively asked for more work; don’t compare yourself to me. Omegas have good endurance, but their explosive power isn’t great, right? You decide how fast we ride; I’ll follow you. We left early, so we have plenty of time.”

Jing Qingxia’s first reason was to show weakness, and the second was consideration.

She had a third reason hidden.

Given Zhong Mingxue’s current vigilance, even if she led the way, Zhong Mingxue would definitely worry about a trap. So, it was better to simply let Zhong Mingxue follow the navigation and lead.

“Okay.” Zhong Mingxue nodded, placing her phone on the phone holder attached to the bicycle.

“Let’s go!” Jing Qingxia shouted excitedly.

Zhong Mingxue unconsciously curved her lips when she heard this.

She quickly composed herself, but couldn’t hide her good mood.

Facing the gentle breeze, she slowly lifted her head.

The weather was pleasant today.

The sun was warm but not overly passionate. It was the perfect warmth for late summer.

Author’s Note:

Zhong Mingxue: A good metaphor, so are you ready to study?

Jing Qingxia: Can I not study? History and Chinese Language are just too difficult T-T