The Cannon Fodder Female Supporting Character Alpha Decides to Go On Strike (GL) - Chapter 27.1

Amidst the dazzling lights and clinking glasses, Su Li walked through the crowd, feeling like an untouchable outsider.

Once outside, a cool breeze blew, her long hair scattered in the air, but her thoughts settled firmly back to the present.

Just then, the phone in her jacket pocket vibrated. She looked down and saw it was a call from Shen Mo.

She was about to slide to answer, but the call was already disconnected from the other end.

Before Su Li could figure out what was going on, a voice came from ahead: “Su Li.”

Shen Mo was wearing a silver-white long dress, her long hair elegantly pinned up, revealing her beautiful jawline and swan neck. With her lover right there, she wore a faint smile and was slowly stepping up the stairs, holding the hem of her skirt.

The nearby streetlight shone on her, enveloping her like a veil of light, making her beautiful beyond the mortal world.

Su Li was stunned for two seconds. When she snapped back to reality, she had already subconsciously taken the hand Shen Mo offered.

She was a little surprised: “You arrived so quickly?”

“Because I told the driver to drive faster,” Shen Mo answered seriously.

She looked toward the door, her eyes clear, but a smile she couldn’t hide played on her lips: “You came out specifically to meet me?” Without waiting for Su Li’s answer, she took the answer as confirmed, holding Su Li’s hand and asking: “How long have you been in the wind?”

“Not long, I just came out.” Su Li rubbed her nose self-consciously. “It was purely coincidental timing.”

Shen Mo tilted her head to look at her, her lips pressed into a straight line: “…You didn’t come out because you wanted to see me earlier?”

A gust of wind blew. Su Li, wearing her jacket, didn’t feel it, but Shen Mo shivered in front of her.

Su Li didn’t rush to answer the question. Instead, she pulled Shen Mo to a spot sheltered from the wind and the light, then stood in front of her like a human wall.

“Why didn’t you wear a jacket?”

“…” Shen Mo’s nose was slightly red. “I rushed out and forgot.”

Su Li simply took off her suit jacket and draped it over Shen Mo’s shoulders: “Wear mine for now… it’s a bit big, but it’ll have to do.”

Shen Mo held the collar close to her nose, cautiously sniffing it.

Su Li laughed: “Your mysophobia is acting up again?” She flicked Shen Mo’s nose: “There’s no smell. President Shen, just bear with it.”

“There is a smell,” Shen Mo refuted.

“Is there?” Su Li was half-skeptical. “I just put it on today? Did I sweat.”

Saying this, she also leaned close to Shen Mo and sniffed the collar: “…I can’t smell it. I can only smell the white musk scent on you.”

Shen Mo placed her finger on Su Li’s shoulder: “It’s your scent, a very faint mint smell.”

“Does it smell good?” Su Li asked.

“Mhm.” Shen Mo nodded without hesitation, then affectionately tightened the jacket around herself.

She spoke the most alluring words with the most pure and innocent expression: “Wearing it, my whole body will have this scent too.”

Su Li grabbed her shoulders. She sighed internally, feeling that her tolerance had grown significantly during her time with Shen Mo—at least now, when she really wanted to kiss her adorable overbearing lover, she could consider that the setting was inappropriate.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?” Shen Mo’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.

Just as Su Li was about to speak, a voice called out from behind her.

“Su Li?” She turned around and saw Xu Guibo and the woman who had threatened to splash wine on her appear at the entrance.

The woman was still wearing the stained dress, narrowing her eyes in mockery: “Why haven’t you scrammed yet? Are you trying to shamelessly stay here?”

Shen Mo was blocked by Su Li in the sheltered spot, so from Xu Guibo and the woman’s angle, they didn’t realize there was anyone standing behind Su Li.

“This isn’t your place either. Do I need your permission to stand here for a moment?” Su Li turned to face them. “However, you don’t have to worry. I’ll be leaving soon.”

“Aiya, Little Su, that’s where you’re wrong,” the old fox Xu Guibo scrutinized her. “You chose to immediately roll out of here, so why aren’t you honoring your promise?”

He put on the air of an elder to pressure her: “Integrity is a crucial principle for us business people. I think your Su’s company really needs to learn that again.”

Su Li had already dismissed her original respect for him. She narrowed her eyes and countered: “Then, Uncle Xu, can you tell me what your current behavior counts as hospitality?”

She looked at the pretentious woman: “Kicking someone out over an unintentional accident doesn’t seem like what a decent host would do, does it?”

“Hehe,” Xu Guibo laughed dismissively. “You just don’t understand.”

He pulled a golden cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and took a drag: “Little Su, the marketplace is like a battlefield. Little soldiers with no influence or connections like you are just cannon fodder.”

Su Li was so angry she laughed: “I’ve been working for two or three years, and this is the first time I’ve encountered people like you.”

“Tsk tsk, you really haven’t seen much, have you?” Xu Guibo slowly exhaled a plume of smoke.

He lowered his head to adjust his cuff, subtly revealing the expensive gold watch on his wrist: “Honestly, what am I saying to a young girl like you? When I have time, I should pay a visit to Su Qian and have a good talk with your family.”

Su Li did not miss the threat in his words.

She frowned deeply, her eyes showing unconcealed disgust: “No need. We don’t need your interference in Su’s affairs.”

Xu Guibo sneered.

Just as he was about to say something more, a cool voice came from behind Su Li: “Why not talk? I’m quite curious what he intends to say.”

Hearing the voice, Xu Guibo froze for a moment.

He didn’t recognize Shen Mo’s voice, only felt that this person had offended him. His brows instantly furrowed, and he vented his anger on Su Li: “What exactly are you doing?”

The woman gave a false laugh: “No wonder you didn’t leave. You were hiding here for a private meeting.”

She sneered scornfully: “So shameless.”

The next moment, a beautiful figure emerged from behind Su Li.

Shen Mo, in her slim-fitting silver dress, was dazzling under the lights. She ignored the woman and looked directly at Xu Guibo: “President Xu, what would you like to discuss?”

Seeing Shen Mo’s face, Xu Guibo’s expression turned to shock.

He was so surprised that he failed to hold the cigarette between his fingers. The lit cigarette dropped, landing right on the woman’s chest.

“Ah—” The woman was burned. She flailed her arms, trying to put out the flame.

After finally getting rid of the cigarette, she looked up and roared: “What are you doing?!”

But at this moment, Xu Guibo had no time to spare for her.

He looked at Shen Mo with suspicion and uncertainty. Realizing something, he glanced over at Su Li next to her—

There was no physical contact between the two, with about a hand’s distance separating them, but the sense of familiarity was undeniable!

In just a few seconds, Xu Guibo’s mouth opened wider and wider. The shock on his face turned completely into panic: “Pres-President Shen!”

Shen Mo gently “Mhm’d.”

The woman also realized the situation was wrong.

Her eyes darted towards Shen Mo. She whispered to Xu Guibo: “Is she the S.G CEO who was supposed to come tonight?”

Xu Guibo immediately pushed her away.

He bent over, smiling obsequiously at Shen Mo: “When, when did you arrive?” Saying this, he fiercely rubbed his right hand on his expensive black suit, then extended it toward Shen Mo: “Forgive me for not meeting you sooner, President Shen. What an honor, what an honor…”

Shen Mo stood still, merely looking at him coolly, completely ignoring his request for a handshake.

His hand was held out until it ached, and Xu Guibo awkwardly lowered his arm.

His gaze constantly shifted between Su Li and Shen Mo. Finally, he couldn’t help but ask: “President Shen, you and President Su, are… friends?”

“We are partners,” Shen Mo took a step forward and emphasized, “Newly married, legal partners.”

Xu Guibo’s face instantly went pale: “This, this…”

Years of experience in the business world allowed him to forcibly calm down. In front of Su Li and Shen Mo, he suddenly slapped his own forehead hard, saying remorsefully: “Aiya! I was abroad recently. Why, why did no one mention this to me!”

After his moment of “self-reproach,” he turned to Su Li: “My apologies, truly sorry, Little Su. I, look, I’ll give you a makeup wedding gift later, okay?”

Su Li sneered: “No need. I truly cannot accept your generous gift.”

“Your uncle is really getting old. I often feel dizzy and forget things. Please don’t take it to heart,” Xu Guibo said in a forced, ingratiating voice. “Everything just now was a misunderstanding! A complete misunderstanding!”

Saying this, he stepped aside, offering the entrance: “Look, it’s so inconvenient talking here. Let’s go back to the venue. Come, come, go inside, let your uncle treat you properly.”

“Going inside won’t be necessary,” Shen Mo spoke first, without waiting for Su Li.

Xu Guibo’s expression froze. Then he heard her continue: “But it is very necessary to talk.”

Xu Guibo almost forgot how to speak: “Talk, talk…”

Shen Mo directly took Su Li’s hand and added: “My car is down below, President Xu. Come along.”

Her presence was too overpowering. At one point, Xu Guibo even considered turning around and running away.

But after calming down, he thought better of it. He could only grit his teeth and follow the two.

The woman cautiously approached, whispering: “Brother Xu, I, I’ll go inside and wait…”

Before she could finish, Xu Guibo immediately grabbed her wrist tightly: “You think you can run away?!”

Seeing that Su Li and Shen Mo had walked some distance and couldn’t hear them talking, he gasped and said, enunciating every word: “If this situation isn’t resolved tonight, you’ll be the one paying for it!”

With that, he forcefully dragged the woman and got into Shen Mo’s car parked by the roadside.

The interior of the luxury car was very spacious. After adjusting the seats, the cabin was effectively a small living room, complete with sofas and a coffee table.

The driver got out and stood outside, acting as a bodyguard while monitoring the every move of the two unexpected guests through the slightly open car door.

Another layer of fine sweat broke out on Xu Guibo’s forehead. He sat cramped with his legs pressed together, placing only a third of his butt on the ample sofa.

Sensing Shen Mo’s gaze, he forced an ugly smile: “Act-Actually, this was all truly a misunderstanding…”

“Would you like some tea?” Shen Mo poured him a cup, her voice betraying no emotion. “You said you wanted to talk to Su Li’s family. Well, I am her legal spouse.

“What misunderstanding? I’d like to hear it.”

“Su, uh, Su’s company has been developing very well lately,” Xu Guibo rubbed his hands. “What I meant was that I needed to learn, yes! To learn from you!”

Su Li smiled faintly at his words.

She noticed Xu Guibo was truly nervous. He was an experienced figure in the industry, yet in front of Shen Mo, he was like a primary school student who had done something wrong, stammering whenever he spoke.

She wasn’t a petty person and actually felt she didn’t want to pursue the matter further. But seeing Shen Mo’s emotionless yet inherently intimidating face, Su Li felt a tiny scratch in her heart—

President Shen looks so cool defending her!

I need to take advantage and watch a little longer!

Shen Mo clearly wouldn’t be satisfied with this simple placation.

Seeing her lack of reaction, Xu Guibo fiercely nudged his mistress with his thigh.

The woman began to speak, her voice louder than her actual words: “I’m, I’m sorry.”

She lowered her head and apologized to Shen Mo: “At the banquet, I accidentally bumped into Miss Su, uh, Miss Su. It’s all my fault. I, I didn’t mean it!”

Shen Mo turned to Su Li, questioning her with her eyes.

“Cough, cough.” Su Li cleared her throat. “No need to distort the facts.”

She said: “I was replying to a message and wasn’t looking where I was going, and I bumped into this lady. The wine stain on her dress was accidentally spilled then.”

Shen Mo nodded.

She glanced at the woman’s skirt: “What is the price of the dress? Send the bill directly to S.G. We will compensate according to the price.”

“No, no, no!” Xu Guibo quickly interjected. “It’s just a dress. We weren’t planning to ask President Su for compensation anyway.”

“Oh?” Shen Mo rested her hand on her knee, casually twisting her neck. “No compensation was requested, yet you kicked someone out of the banquet hall?”

Xu Guibo’s features crumpled, his expression utterly comical: “We were, we were just playing a joke on Little Su.”

“What kind of joke?” Shen Mo’s gaze was piercing. “Tell me so I can laugh too.”

“President Shen, President Shen…” Xu Guibo completely broke down.

If there hadn’t been enough space in the car, Su Li suspected he would have immediately knelt down to beg for mercy.

Xu Guibo wiped away his sweat: “I am truly sorry. I didn’t know your relationship with Little Su. I, I didn’t expect things to turn out this way…”

The stark difference in his attitude before and after made Su Li think of the famous satirical novel The Chameleon. She couldn’t help but let out a burst of laughter.

Shen Mo reached out and placed her hand on Su Li’s thigh. Su Li immediately intertwined her fingers with hers.

“Bored?” she asked.

“Not really,” Su Li stretched lazily.

Xu Guibo turned to her: “Little Su, everything earlier was my fault. I didn’t think things through and made you angry. Please be generous and don’t hold it against an old man like me.”

To show sincerity, he gritted his teeth, picked up the cup of tea from the table: “If you’re still upset, you can splash me back with this tea. I promise I won’t dodge!”

The woman saw this and cried even harder, shrinking into the corner miserably.

Su Li didn’t even bother to watch his performance. She was indeed angry about the earlier incident, but she was definitely not the type to retaliate in kind like the woman, nor would she deliberately splash tea or wine on someone.

Thinking for a moment, she squeezed Shen Mo’s fingers: “President Shen, let President Xu go back. After all, it was an accident I caused. There’s nothing more to be said.”

Finally, she leaned close to Shen Mo’s ear and whispered: “I want to go home now.”

Shen Mo quietly said, “Mhm.”

Xu Guibo looked as if he had been granted an amnesty. He quickly got out of the car, stood on the ground, and looked up at them, saying: “Thank you, President Shen. Thank you, President Su, for your understanding.”

He waved his hand: “The two of you drive safely.”

Before closing the car door, Shen Mo looked at him and coldly delivered one last remark: “You should learn some hospitality before hosting a banquet, President Xu. Don’t you agree?”

Xu Guibo didn’t dare utter a word, only managing an awkward, bent-over smile.

The driver returned to the driver’s seat, and soon, the car started and drove away from the banquet hotel.

“You were bullied, why didn’t you tell me sooner?” In the quiet back seat, Shen Mo looked at her with slight dissatisfaction.

“How was I supposed to tell you?” Su Li blinked.

Shen Mo pursed her lips: “Next time this happens, call me directly.”

“Alright,” Su Li rested her head on her shoulder. “When you answer, I’ll say, ‘President Shen, hurry! Your little darling has been bullied by others, come quickly and defend her!'”

Shen Mo heard the teasing tone and reached out to poke her cheek. “I’m serious.”

“Seriously, it’s not a big deal,” Su Li sighed softly. “Actually, I could have handled it myself even if you weren’t there. I just chose not to get tangled up with those rotten people.”

“It’s better to avoid trouble than to provoke it.”

Shen Mo: “You don’t need to avoid them.”

She gripped Su Li’s hand tightly: “Those people judge others based on their connections. Whoever has the stronger backing gets to be arrogant.

“You are not inferior to them.”

“I know,” Su Li leaned in and rubbed her cheek. “Now that I have President Shen backing me, I can walk sideways anywhere.”

Shen Mo nodded: “Mhm.”

Su Li looked at her blankly.

“What’s wrong?” Shen Mo called her back to her senses.

“I was thinking…” Su Li rubbed her nose. “I can’t always rely on President Shen, can I?

“When will I become a reliable person who can protect President Shen?”

Shen Mo looked at her earnestly, her bright eyes almost motionless: “You are already very good.”

She paused, then said: “I heard news from home yesterday. No one dares to touch that swing set anymore.”

“It seems my deterrent factor was quite effective back then,” Su Li raised an eyebrow proudly.