Cannon Fodder – Chapter 61 – Crisis, Ye Liang Arrives!

Translator Note

I finally learned how to format : P

At the entrance of the residential area, even Su Tao didn’t expect to run into Ye Liang here.

He was dressed in a suit, clearly just off work.

When he saw Su Tao, the word “displeasure” was written all over his face. “Why didn’t you listen to me?”

Su Tao shrank her neck and quickly checked her phone to review her chat history with Ye Liang.

It turned out that over the past three days, Ye Liang had been sending messages intermittently, with some unimportant ones brushed off by Chi Xiaocheng.

Questions asked repeatedly were all dismissed by Chi Xiaocheng with the excuse, “She’s sick and needs care.”

And early this morning, Ye Liang had sent her a commanding message, demanding that she come to his company to see him.

At that time, Su Tao was still in her room, so Chi Xiaocheng, as usual, refused. The consequence seemed to be angering this lord.

“Why are you looking at your phone? Why didn’t you listen to me?”

Su Tao pursed her lips, raised her head to meet Ye Liang’s gaze, and followed the lie Chi Xiaocheng had woven. “Didn’t I tell you? Xiaocheng is sick, and I’m taking care of her.”

“Just because of that, you didn’t come to my company?” Ye Liang reached out to grab Su Tao’s shoulder.

Unexpectedly, Su Tao actively took a step back to avoid him.

The domineering Ye Liang raised his head even higher, even more displeased, and his hand reached out heavily again.

Slap—!

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This time, Su Tao didn’t hesitate to swat it away.

Ye Liang’s voice was stern, “What do you mean by this?”

“And what do you mean by this!” Su Tao retorted, not backing down an inch despite Ye Liang’s tall and robust physique.

Ye Liang took a step forward. “Say that again?”

“Why shouldn’t I?” Tears welled up in Su Tao’s eyes, as if venting all the pressure she’d endured these past few days. She shouted straight at him, “What do you mean, ‘just because of that’? Is there something wrong with me taking care of Xiaocheng when she’s sick?”

“She has hands and feet, does she need you to take care of her?”

“You have hands and feet too! Why do I have to go to your company and act like your maid?”

Su Tao stubbornly raised her head. “Yes, you think Xiaocheng is in your way. She’s left a bad impression on you, and you don’t like her. But can’t you at least consider my feelings toward her from my perspective?

“You summon me when you need me and dismiss me when you don’t. You made me compensate by being your maid for three days, and I agreed. I took time off to learn how to be a maid, to prepare everything necessary, to beg my coworkers and boss at my part-time job to adjust my schedule!

“Oh, you were free those three days, so you just ordered me to come, and I had to obey. Did you ever consider me?

“I arranged everything, went to your company to see you, and you just left someone to tell me you were busy and made me keep waiting?

“You didn’t even bother to send me a single message to explain beforehand!”

Su Tao held up her phone, then wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with the back of her hand. “Someone like you has no right to criticize Xiaocheng! And I’m not your anything. Stop ordering me around like I’m one of your servants!”

The more Su Tao thought about it, the angrier she got, and she ended up voicing all her past grievances against Ye Liang.

Ye Liang frowned, one hand clenched tightly. He knew everything Su Tao said was true. But his pride and years of being in a position of authority made it impossible for him to tolerate such defiance.

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“How many times have I told you? I have more than enough money. Even at school, the principal wouldn’t dare touch you if I said so. I can give you all the time and money you need!

“What are you working so hard for?

“Slaving away at part-time jobs, pushing yourself to study, dealing with those so-called friends who have no future and just muddle through life, isn’t all your effort just for a better future?

“Everything you want, I can give you!”

‘As long as you become my girlfriend, what couldn’t you have?’

This last sentence, Ye Liang didn’t get to say out loud before it stuck in his throat.

Because he saw Su Tao looking at him with disappointment, tears streaming down her face. “You keep saying you like me, but you don’t even know what I want.”

Ye Liang felt as if struck by lightning, standing frozen in place as he reached out blankly.

Slap—

“You’re not even as good as Xiaocheng!”

Su Tao slapped his hand away and walked out of the residential area without looking back. In her mind, she remembered the time she spent with Chi Xiaocheng.

Three days.

The first two days, she had experienced confusion, fear, and many more negative emotions. But in the final moments today, she felt happiness, warmth, and peace.

Head pats, hugs, chats… the brief moments of tenderness felt like returning to the old days of their childhood.

This was exactly what she had always yearned for.

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Both claimed to like her, but compared to Xiaocheng, Ye Liang was just awful.

Ye Liang stood there in a daze, his mind filled with Su Tao’s parting words.

—You’re not even as good as Xiaocheng.

He recalled the argument at the banquet that night, the thunder and rain.

—To me, Xiaocheng is more important than you!

Chi Xiaocheng! Chi Xiaocheng!

Again with Chi Xiaocheng!

As if sensing someone’s gaze, Ye Liang suddenly looked up at the fifth floor straight ahead.

On the balcony, Chi Xiaocheng’s small figure stood there. Her hands were behind her back, her lips curled up.

As if mocking him.

“This girl…!”

Ye Liang’s eyes darkened, and he strode straight toward Chi Xiaocheng’s location.

Old Man Zhang, munching on sunflower seeds in the security booth, couldn’t help but sigh. “Ah, youth.”

But unlike the old man’s calm, seeing Ye Liang coming her way, Chi Xiaocheng wasn’t panicked… but her system was.

[Host, what do we do? Ye Liang is coming straight for us. He’s the male lead who poses the biggest threat to us right now. Should we just lock the door and keep him out?]

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Chi Xiaocheng put the knife in her hand back into the system space, her expression calm. “We were bound to face Ye Liang eventually. There’s no avoiding it.”

[Then let’s quickly spend all our emotional points! Draw a skill for self-defense first!]

“Don’t panic.” Chi Xiaocheng took advantage of Ye Liang not having arrived yet to lower her head and think. “System, what do you think would happen if I just tried to kill Ye Liang?”

[That’s impossible, right? He’s the male lead, so the world’s will would definitely interfere. And with him coming straight at us, if something happens, we’d be finished as the villainous cannon fodder.]

[Self-defense is the best option. Try not to provoke him.]

“Yeah, you’re right!”

Killing him was too unrealistic.

[So, Host, should we draw a prize first?]

“What’s there to fear?” Chi Xiaocheng wasn’t worried at all. “If Ye Liang gets violent later, just say something to provoke me into anger. With my combat power multiplied by ten, I’ll beat him down!”

[…]

[Host, if I provoke you and you snap, are you sure the first person you’ll kill won’t be me?]

“Relax, System. I have a rough plan in mind.”

Chi Xiaocheng turned around calmly and looked at the door.

And at that moment, the door thudded as it was struck.

Ye Liang had arrived!