Cannon Fodder – Chapter 22 – Don’t Worry, I’m Not Really a Yandere

“Ugh….”

Her head throbbed. She felt exhausted, as if her body had been shattered.

Pale fluorescent light spilled from above, illuminating a pristine white hospital bed. Chi Xiaocheng’s slender, petite frame was half-buried under layers of white sheets. The sterile scent of disinfectant and the lingering weakness in her limbs slowly roused her from unconsciousness.

How long was I out?

She didn’t speak aloud, instead directing the question to the system in her mind. At the same time, she squinted, trying to adjust to the harsh hospital lighting.

She could faint, but the system never slept.

[Host was unconscious for three hours. It is currently 1:00 AM. Host is at Jiuzhou City Third People’s Hospital, brought here by Su Tao and Dongfang Yang.]

An extra outsider compared to the plan… Dongfang Yang is the rational playboy type, isn’t he? Having him around Su Tao complicates things. A one-on-one setting would’ve been ideal right now.

Hearing Chi Xiaocheng’s grumbling, the system fell silent for a moment.

[Host, what kind of priorities are these?! I told you to take more of those pills, but you refused. Now look! You collapsed from sheer exhaustion!]

Chi Xiaocheng opened her eyes, staring blankly at the ceiling.

A faint smile curled at her lips. “The show must go on. I deliberately showed Su Tao all those wounds. If my body was still as strong as an ox, wouldn’t that raise suspicions? I might fool Su Tao, but not the doctors.”

[But did you have to go that far? Those cuts were deep. Didn’t it hurt?]

“It actually did hurt,” Chi Xiaocheng admitted. “If not for the [Pain Reduction] skill, I doubt I could’ve endured it. The [Flavored Liquid] skill is also a lifesaver. My whole plan hinges on it.”

After all, blood didn’t exactly taste pleasant.

It was hard to imagine anyone getting addicted to the stuff, but being able to alter its flavor? That was a different story.

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If, in the future, Su Tao accidentally tasted someone else’s blood and thought, “Xiaocheng’s still tastes better,” that would be absolutely perfect!

“System, how many emotion points do I have now?”

[2,135 points. Su Tao contributed 1,400 of those. The rest came from Ye Liang and Dongfang Yang, with Ye Liang alone providing nearly 500.]

“Ye Liang must despise me now, huh?”

Chi Xiaocheng had read this part of the original story.

In the novel, after having her face slashed, Su Tao still attended the cruise banquet. Not only did she humiliate Ye Liang and win his parents’ approval, but she also met the story’s third male lead: A divine physician who had trained in seclusion for twenty years.

This was, after all, an extremely Mary Sue-oriented romance. The more male leads, the more love-hate entanglements, the more readers ate it up.

Naturally, the divine physician would later fall for Su Tao too, using some cliché urban-novel ability like the “Thirteen Celestial Needles” to gradually heal her.

Even ignoring future plotlines, this banquet was crucial for Ye Liang. It was tied to his status and reputation in the capital.

And now? She’d ruined everything.

“Combined with last time’s banquet, we might’ve just made a real enemy.”

[Too reckless, Host. Male leads have protagonist auras. As a villain, you can’t confront them head-on!]

“Yeah, that was a bit impulsive,” Chi Xiaocheng admitted, nodding like a hindsight expert.

But the moment she recalled Su Tao’s pleas on the rooftop: begging her to stop hurting herself, pressing her lips to Chi Xiaocheng’s wounds in submission….

She couldn’t help but shiver with excitement.

“Still… totally worth it!”

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Besides, with over 2,000 emotion points, she could do two ten-draw gacha pulls!

She’d personally experienced how overpowered the system’s skills were. The more she had, the better.

But the gacha could wait. Right now, what truly held her attention was the girl slumped beside her bed.

Su Tao sat on a small stool, arms folded, her delicate cheek resting against them as she slept next to Chi Xiaocheng’s bed.

But that wasn’t the main issue.

The problem was her overly flushed face and the fever-reducing patch stuck to her forehead.

She was running a fever.

[After bringing you to the hospital, aside from showering and changing clothes, she hasn’t left your side. When her fever hit 39°C, she took some medicine in a hurry and then immediately returned. She must be exhausted.]

“Aren’t you the Villain System? Shouldn’t you be happy seeing her suffer like this?”

[Host, you don’t understand. This isn’t the kind of villainy I had in mind.]

As she bickered with the system, what Chi Xiaocheng truly felt was relief and warmth.

After bringing her to the hospital, Su Tao could’ve just left to rest, then rushed back the moment she woke up to check on her.

Before passing out, Chi Xiaocheng had assumed that level of care would’ve been more than enough.

Who would’ve thought Su Tao would stay by her side even while burning up with fever?

No wonder the heroine was the white moonlight everyone adored.

With great effort, Chi Xiaocheng reached out, gently brushing her fingers against Su Tao’s cheek.

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Her skin was warm, but impossibly smooth, so much so that Chi Xiaocheng couldn’t resist lingering.

A few strands of dark hair cascaded down, framing her face under the light. Even without makeup, her beauty was devastating. If she ever put in real effort, how could anyone resist her?

Chi Xiaocheng was pretty too, but “cute” just about summed up her appearance.

Su Tao, however, was different. Hers was the kind of beauty that grew more mesmerizing the longer you looked.

“System, do you think one day I’ll end up like those male leads? Staying by Su Tao’s side until I’m hopelessly in love with her?”

[Does Host not already like the heroine?]

Chi Xiaocheng didn’t answer.

Because deep down, she knew she didn’t feel that kind of romantic attraction toward Su Tao.

If she truly loved her, she wouldn’t have “hurt” her the way she just did.

After all, she wasn’t really a yandere.

Aside from the lingering influence of the original host’s memories, she’d only known this heroine for two or three days since transmigrating.

Lost in thought, Chi Xiaocheng continued savoring the warmth of Su Tao’s cheek. Perhaps she pressed a little too hard, because Su Tao stirred, slowly waking.

Her reaction was swift. The moment she regained awareness, she clasped Chi Xiaocheng’s hand tightly.

“Xiaocheng! Are you okay? How do you feel?”

Chi Xiaocheng smiled, her satisfaction genuine. “I’m fine. Thank you, Tao-Tao.”

Su Tao exhaled in relief, standing to straighten Chi Xiaocheng’s blankets.

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But she was still weak herself. She staggered, nearly falling before catching herself.

After steadying herself with a hand to her forehead, she finally managed to tuck Chi Xiaocheng in properly. Then, she pressed a palm to Chi Xiaocheng’s brow.

“Your fever hasn’t broken yet….”

“I’m just a little tired. Really, I’m okay.” Chi Xiaocheng shook her head lightly, her tea-colored hair swaying. “Seeing Tao-Tao stay by my side like this… it’s really nice.”

Su Tao’s gaze flickered at her words.

Stay by my side….

She latched onto that phrase.

There was something weighty in Chi Xiaocheng’s tone, too.

Even now, Su Tao hadn’t fully processed what happened on the rooftop.

Hesitating, she averted her eyes toward the door.

“You… rest first. I’ll go call a doctor.”

“Mhm~”

Chi Xiaocheng nodded, her voice a soft, adorable hum.

Her crimson eyes traced Su Tao’s frail figure as she left.

She was obedient.

And very, very pleased.