Cannon Fodder – Chapter 26 – Do You Like My Body?

“Like her…?”

Su Tao set down her phone, leaning back against the pillow as strands of her hair cascaded over her shoulders. She gazed blankly at the ceiling, lost in thought.

‘Can’t bear to see her hurt.’

‘She’s someone very important to me.’

‘I want her by my side.’

Memories flashed through Su Tao’s mind, eventually settling on a scene from elementary school. A naive, adorable little girl with crimson eyes blinking up at her, cautiously calling her “big sister.”

She exhaled and typed:

Peach: “Romantic feelings? I don’t think so. I’ve always seen her more as a younger sister.”

Reading this, Chi Xiaocheng inwardly nodded.

‘As expected.’

In terms of pure romantic affection, characters like Ye Liang and Dongfang Yang probably ranked higher than her right now.

But when it came to overall importance, none of them could compare to her.

Chi Xiaocheng approached the topic from a different angle:

Dr. Cheng: “Miss Peach, do you find Xiaocheng attractive? Would you reject her as a romantic partner?”

Peach: “Huh?”

Peach: “Xiaocheng is definitely pretty. ‘Adorable’ might describe her better. She’s not lacking in looks at all. But as for your second question… I don’t know.”

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How could someone answer whether they’d accept another person without ever having been in that situation?

Even hypothetically, Su Tao hesitated intensely.

Humans are strange creatures.

When faced with two or more choices, they waver, believing themselves indecisive.

The truth is, when you hesitate about doing something, your heart has already made its choice. You just lack sufficient reasons to convince yourself.

A simple example:

You stay up every night reading novels or scrolling through videos. Occasionally, you think, ‘I shouldn’t keep rotting away like this’, and consider waking up early tomorrow to change. But then you hesitate: ‘Should I stay up just one more night?’

That hesitation alone proves you’ve already decided to keep staying up.

Then you curl up under your blanket, lying on your side with your phone’s dim glow illuminating your foolishly grinning face.

Seeing Su Tao’s hesitation, Chi Xiaocheng understood perfectly that her feelings weren’t nonexistent.

Even this tiny spark could be fanned into a wildfire.

‘The plan is viable.’

She typed persuasively:

Dr. Cheng: “Miss Peach, I roughly understand your situation. Pretending to like her is feasible. Based on what you’ve said, her feelings stem partly from affection and partly from dependence. She wants you to see her as your one and only.”

Dr. Cheng: “Focus on the latter. Comfort her with words and actions. You don’t need genuine romantic feelings, just make her believe you care deeply about her.”

Dr. Cheng: “Once her emotions stabilize, we can begin proper adjustments.”

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Peach: “Understood. Thank you, Doctor. What about medication?”

Dr. Cheng: “Without knowing her physical condition, I can’t prescribe anything recklessly. At most, I could recommend some mild mood stabilizers with minimal side effects. Ideally, you should find her a psychologist.”

Peach: “I see.”

Dr. Cheng: “Feel free to reach out if you have further questions. As doctors, it’s our duty to help every patient. While I can’t prescribe medication blindly, I can guide you through psychological approaches.”

Peach: “Thank you so much!”

With the conversation concluded, Chi Xiaocheng set her phone aside.

She knew Su Tao’s personality well. If “Dr. Cheng” chatted with her a few more times and gained her trust, she’d likely follow most of his advice.

‘It’s fine if she doesn’t like me now.’

‘There’s plenty of time ahead.’

Meanwhile, after collecting herself, Su Tao got out of bed to move around. Her constitution had always been strong. She’d consistently won first place in long-distance races during school sports festivals. After a night’s rest, her fever had subsided significantly.

Standing outside Chi Xiaocheng’s hospital room, she hesitated.

“Dr. Cheng’s” words weighed heavily on her.

Xiaocheng’s yandere tendencies weren’t outwardly harmful, but she’d harm herself if left unchecked.

And now, Su Tao had to make her believe the feelings were mutual.

“Sorry, Xiaocheng… I’m not trying to play with your feelings.”

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Closing her eyes, Su Tao steadied herself before slowly opening the door.

“Good morning, Xiaocheng. How are you feeling?”

The concern in her voice wasn’t feigned. No one wished for Chi Xiaocheng’s recovery more than she did.

Chi Xiaocheng sat upright on the bed, her small hands folded over her stomach. The blue-and-white hospital gown swallowed her petite frame as she smiled softly at Su Tao. “My fever’s still there, but I feel much better mentally. Tao-Tao, have you eaten breakfast?”

She reached out to press the call button for a nurse to bring food, but the moment her left arm, covered in dense scars, lifted, Su Tao panicked, half-expecting her to offer blood as breakfast.

In three quick strides, Su Tao rushed over and caught her hand.

“I already ate. The hospital provides meals. You should rest more if you’re not fully recovered.”

“Can’t sleep~” Chi Xiaocheng relished the warmth on her hand before suddenly suggesting, “Want to chat?”

“Sure.” Su Tao pulled up a stool, sitting facing her. As she looked up, she noticed something and moved to the bedside instead.

“What’s wrong?” Chi Xiaocheng tried to turn, but Su Tao gently held her head in place.

“Don’t move. You didn’t tidy up after waking up. Your hair’s sticking up.”

With that, she began gently smoothing the stray locks with a comb.

Chi Xiaocheng leaned back, enjoying the attention. “Tao-Tao, you smell so nice.”

“Huh?” Su Tao’s hands stilled momentarily.

This was the conversation topic?

Twirling a strand of Chi Xiaocheng’s hair around her finger, she floundered for a response.

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“Ah… maybe it’s the hospital shower gel?”

“Nope.” Chi Xiaocheng’s lips curled. “I don’t smell as good as you.”

“N-No, Xiaocheng, you… you smell nice too.”

‘This is so awkward!’

Su Tao’s toes curled inside her slippers. She’d wanted to have a proper heart-to-heart with Chi Xiaocheng, but now they were debating who smelled better!

Desperate to change the subject but unsure how, she was saved when Chi Xiaocheng suddenly looked down at her clothes.

“Come to think of it, when I woke up last night, my hair was dry, my clothes were changed, and there was a new phone here. Who gave me a bath?”

Su Tao answered quickly, “I did. Dongfang Yang replaced your phone, though.”

“That’s a relief. I was worried someone else bathed me. If I’d gotten ‘dirty,’ Tao-Tao would’ve hated me, right?” Chi Xiaocheng sighed dramatically. “Thank goodness it was you.”

Su Tao scratched her cheek, feeling the remark was oddly phrased.

But recalling Dr. Cheng’s advice, she played along. “Don’t overthink it, Xiaocheng. I could never hate you, no matter what.”

‘That should help stabilize her, right?’

Yet Chi Xiaocheng pressed further: “Then do you like it?”

Su Tao blinked. “Like what?”

“My body.”