Cannon Fodder – Chapter 42 – The Reason She Likes You

Linghu Park.

Su Tao had been walking steadily until she checked her phone and froze in place.

Beside her, Si Chen, hands in his pockets, cast a curious glance through his sharp glasses. “Why’d you stop?”

“My… brother sent me a message. It’s left me a bit… flustered.”

She held up her phone for Si Chen to see.

Adjusting his glasses, Si Chen frowned. “Aren’t you an orphan? Since when do you have a brother? And what kind of question is this?”

Lowering her phone, Su Tao looked up at the sky.

“He’s Xiaocheng’s older brother. When I was little, I lived with their family for a while. Brother Chi Song took good care of me too. Though our connection started because of Xiaocheng, having watched me grow up, he’s like a half-brother to me.

“But I don’t understand, why would Brother Chi Song ask something like this?!”

She tugged at her hair, feeling like the recent stresses were making her go bald.

Si Chen mused, “This must be related to Chi Xiaocheng, right? Asking if you like his sister… Wait a minute!”

A realization struck him. He turned to Su Tao in shock. “Earlier, you told me Chi Xiaocheng was a yandere and all those extreme things she did to you. I never could figure out her motive.

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“And you refused to tell me, always acting embarrassed.”

“Now I get it.” Si Chen’s eyes widened. “Chi Xiaocheng became a yandere because she likes you?”

Su Tao scratched her cheek, awkwardly looking away—

Then immediately spun back, spreading her hands as if seeking agreement. “You think it’s weird too, right? I’m also a girl. Why would she fall for me?”

Si Chen’s mouth twitched. “The possibility of her liking you isn’t that low.”

Su Tao: “???”

“Aren’t you supposed to be on my side? Why are you defending Xiaocheng?”

With a sigh, Si Chen walked toward a pavilion. “A well-known psychology professor at Cornell University conducted large-scale sexual orientation surveys. Among strictly heterosexual individuals, males outnumber females. But among bisexuals, females outnumber males.

“Women are naturally drawn to strength. Why do so many middle and high school girls get involved with delinquents? Because at that age, their minds aren’t mature enough to consider careers or futures.

“Being good at fighting, seeming tougher or more mature than peers. To some, that counts as excellence.

“We can’t judge children with adult logic. Family circumstances, social environment, and exposure all shape thinking.

“You once told me you rescued Chi Xiaocheng from bullying. Back then, she had no friends. Not even teachers took her side.”

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Si Chen raised one finger, then a second.

“Second, as childhood companions, you were the dominant one. A child’s admiration, longing, dependence… these can easily warp if she absorbs wrong ideas, like from a cheesy drama.

“TV shows preach ‘being together forever’ as some beautiful love confession. If you parrot those lines in real life, misunderstandings are inevitable.

“And most importantly,” Si Chen gave Su Tao a once-over and sighed. “You’re too good-looking.”

“That counts?”

“You’re indecisive and easily swayed, but your demeanor is bold and striking. With looks that appeal to all genders, is this really surprising?”

Su Tao was momentarily speechless. “This….”

Si Chen continued tallying on his fingers. “You became Chi Xiaocheng’s most precious, gave her security, regularly spouted misleading sweet nothings, held hands growing up, pinky-swore eternity—

“Even if Chi Xiaocheng were an alien, she’d develop feelings!”

He exhaled heavily. “Miss Su Tao, we live in an era of free love. If Chi Xiaocheng scrolls TikTok or dabbles in anime, algorithms would flood her with yuri ¹ BASED!! content. At that impressionable age, who could resist?”

The more Si Chen analyzed, the more Su Tao broke into a cold sweat. “S-Stop… You’re stressing me out!”

Si Chen gave her a flat look. “See? You’re avoiding the problem again.”

“I…” Su Tao pouted. “I came to you to analyze whether Xiaocheng is really a yandere! Don’t change the subject!”

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“Yeah, yeah.”

Si Chen shrugged, humoring her.

“So why do you suspect she isn’t a yandere?”

Sitting across from him, Su Tao straightened up.

She summarized Liu Guijia’s account and added her own thoughts: “Typically, yanderes don’t realize they’re yanderes. Yet Xiaocheng made such a statement. That’s a paradox!”

“You’re only asking because you want me to say she isn’t a yandere, right?”

“I didn’t—”

“Hold up. I minored in psychology. Though just scraping the surface, even I can tell you’re in denial about Chi Xiaocheng being a yandere, hence this desperate search for proof.”

Su Tao protested, “But it really is a paradox!”

Si Chen: “So what, should I tell you Chi Xiaocheng kidnapping you, forcing you to drink blood, self-harming, threatening suicide… was all an elaborate prank?

“Ever since she ‘confessed’ to me out of jealousy over you, I knew there was something wrong with her.” ² Woah he’s as likeable as Dofang Yang!! You don’t understand how rare likeable male characters are in yuri novels

He and Su Tao were just ordinary opposite-sex friends, and they still were. He couldn’t fathom why Chi Xiaocheng had been jealous then.

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Si Chen still remembered: At the start of term, he’d run into Su Tao and helped carry her luggage. Next thing he knew, Chi Xiaocheng was glaring daggers at him.

The glares were whatever, but then she’d suddenly “confessed, “completely baffling him.

She only confessed just that one time.

But if she disliked him, why choose “confession” as retaliation?

With that garish makeup he didn’t fancy, one look from him had sent her fleeing.

Hearing this, Su Tao finally wilted like a defeated pup under Si Chen’s relentless logic. “Fine… I still struggle to accept that Xiaocheng is a yandere who likes me.”

Seeing her dejection, Si Chen sighed internally. “If you insist on proof, there are two methods to try.”

“What methods?”

Su Tao’s eyes lit up.

A sliver of hope remained that Chi Xiaocheng wasn’t a yandere.

That this was all an act.

“First: In two days, you’re serving as Ye Liang’s maid, right? Tell Chi Xiaocheng you’re cutting ties, then observe her reaction. Dare to test it?”