After Becoming a Cannon Fodder, I Fell into a Love-Hate Relationship with the Heroine (GL) - Chapter 7

Lu Yue raised both her hands and gave a slight struggle. “You’re the one who refused to let go.”

Huo Xi glanced down and noticed where her hands were placed. She quickly adjusted her posture and cleared her throat.

“Even so, that doesn’t give you the right to touch me like that.”

The pressure around Lu Yue’s neck lightened. She shook her head helplessly and opened the car door on Huo Xi’s side, stepping out.

“You’re impossible.”

Back in the office, Lu Yue hung her bag on the coat rack and turned around, ready to sleep. But then she saw Huo Xi lying on the bed that originally belonged to her, acting as if it was hers all along.

“Get up. Go sleep on the floor,” Lu Yue said, giving her a few taps.

Huo Xi, finally getting a chance to rest, stubbornly refused to move.

“Just squeeze in. There’s enough space anyway.”

Lu Yue stood beside the bed and stared at the white, clean sheets now stained with dirt.

Huo Xi was too exhausted to clean herself up. She had collapsed right onto the bed, bringing with her all the mud and bl00d from the forest.

The sight was infuriating. Lu Yue’s anger surged, almost reaching the top of her head. Even her footsteps were filled with frustration as she approached.

Huo Xi had no idea that danger was closing in.

Suddenly, Lu Yue’s foot slipped on a water bottle. She lost her balance and fell forward.

Her face was about to crash into Huo Xi’s, and at that exact moment, Huo Xi turned to lie face up.

To avoid hitting her, Lu Yue quickly pushed herself up with her arms.

Huo Xi felt a rush of wind sweep past. She opened her blurry eyes, completely exhausted.

There was a faint and unfamiliar scent coming from Lu Yue. For a moment, it left her slightly dazed.

“What do you think you’re doing? Ghost or not, keep your distance. We shouldn’t be this close,” Huo Xi snapped. She grabbed the fallen blanket and put it between them.

“This is my bed. Besides, we’re both girls. Nothing’s going to happen,” Lu Yue replied, clearly not planning to move away.

“If someone should move, it should be you.” Lu Yue lay down beside her and closed her eyes.

Sleeping side by side was uncomfortable. Even turning over was a challenge.

Huo Xi tried several times to fall asleep but only grew more awake.

With no other choice, she decided to leave the room and pass some time.

She wandered through the building and finally found a bathroom at the end of the hallway. Thankfully, the sink still worked.

Some stains on her clothes wouldn’t wash out, but she managed to clean her arms well enough.

She picked up her collar and sniffed it. There was still an unpleasant smell.

“If I had known things would turn out like this, I would have brought more clean clothes with me,” she muttered.

A mechanical voice spoke.

Dear Host

“No. I’m not spending fear points on clothes!” Huo Xi replied firmly.

If it was useful information, she might have considered it.

Then the voice spoke again.

In that case, Host, would you consider a discounted outfit package

“No thanks. If you gave me a mission that sends me straight home after completing it, then I’d participate,” Huo Xi said, clearly annoyed.

Host, I have my own performance goals. If I did that, I wouldn’t be able to meet my targets

“Well, since we both have tasks to complete, could you stop trying to scam me?” Huo Xi rolled her eyes.

The system went silent, apparently disapproving of her attitude.

The bathroom was lit only by a single bulb hanging from a long wire. The buzzing of flies nearby added to the eerie mood.

She looked out the window. It was about to be her third day in this strange place.

There was something unsettling in the air, but she had started getting used to it.

Suddenly, the air behind her turned cold and footsteps echoed in the corridor.

She wiped the water off her face and looked toward the sound. A man stood at the doorway, dressed in torn clothes, repeatedly hitting his head against the wall.

Huo Xi felt no fear this time. Instead, she stayed calm.

“Is there anything I can do to help you?” she asked softly.

The man groaned and opened his mouth slightly, reaching out a hand.

“Why did you run away back then?”

Huo Xi recognized his face. It brought back memories of the car accident. He was the driver.

His name was Han Qin. He had come on a business trip three weeks ago. He never caused trouble and had always lived a quiet life.

After dinner, while heading home, he encountered a woman. She invited him to karaoke. Fueled by alcohol, Han Qin let his guard down.

But he never did anything inappropriate. They only had a few drinks together.

When he lost consciousness and woke up again, he found himself alone and abandoned in the forest.

“My wife and child still don’t know what happened to me. Could you help me tell them?” Han Qin asked. His request was simple.

Just as Huo Xi was about to agree, Lu Yue appeared behind them.

“Leave your number with us. If we go to the site, you’re covering the gas,” she said, cutting into the conversation.

She stepped in front of Han Qin and faced him directly.

“The woman who invited you, was her name Song Yuan? Did she come alone?” Lu Yue asked.

Han Qin nodded.

Song Yuan again.

Huo Xi was speechless. Her mind filled with questions.

What exactly was the relationship between Lu Yue and this mysterious Song Yuan?

Their surnames were different. They probably weren’t sisters.

If they were friends, Lu Yue’s hostile tone didn’t seem to fit.

But Lu Yue was clearly conflicted. She spoke ill of Song Yuan but also seemed to care about her in a quiet way.

Sensing the tension, Huo Xi walked away and waited quietly at the doorway.

“System, how can I unlock Song Yuan’s storyline?” she asked in a whisper.

“You could just ask the heroine yourself, you know,” the system chirped.

After the argument earlier, the system had been cold and distant toward Huo Xi.

She waited outside the door while Lu Yue and Han Qin talked for a long time without coming out.

Suddenly, a thought struck her. Maybe those spirits locked in the basement by Lu Yue knew something about Song Yuan.

Quietly, she snuck back into the room. She picked up the key and was just about to unlock the door when it was snatched from her hand.

“What’s this? Trying to sneak in and team up with them for a rebellion?” Lu Yue teased.

Huo Xi pouted and rolled her eyes. “You two talked for ages. Did you find out anything about Song Yuan?”

“This has nothing to do with her.”

When the incident with Han Qin happened, Lu Yue had seen Song Yuan nearby.

At the same time, her little floral spirit had also been present, so Song Yuan’s involvement could be ruled out.

It was true that Han Qin’s car had collided with Lu Yue, but he wasn’t the one driving.

Even the corpse identified as Han Qin had mysteriously vanished afterward. Everything about the case was suspicious.

With the limited evidence she had, Lu Yue couldn’t reach any conclusions on her own.

“Come with me. We need to talk to Jiang Sifan,” Lu Yue said, tugging at Huo Xi’s sleeve.

Before Huo Xi arrived, Lu Yue had investigated cases alone. Many of them were only solved with Jiang Sifan’s help.

“I’m not going,” Huo Xi snapped, pulling her hand away.

She figured they’d just end up talking about Song Yuan again anyway.

That woman’s name was enough to annoy her. She had heard it so many times her ears were about to grow calluses.

Seeing Huo Xi’s gloomy expression, Lu Yue guessed her mood. “Are you angry?”

“Why would I be angry? I’m just a disposable pawn who gets summoned when needed and tossed aside when not,” Huo Xi said bitterly, turning her back and walking away.

“Is it because of Jiang Sifan?” Lu Yue asked, trying to figure it out.

Jiang Sifan hadn’t been very kind to Huo Xi in the past. He had nearly brought someone in to get rid of her. Maybe she still held a grudge and didn’t want to see him again.

Huo Xi paused for a moment but didn’t respond. She let out a soft huff and kept walking.

Lu Yue frowned and followed her. “What is it really? Jiang Sifan won’t treat you badly. I’ve already explained everything to him.”

After thinking for a moment, she added, “Or is it because of Song Yuan?”

Huo Xi turned around and looked straight at her. “If Song Yuan means that much to you, then go by yourself. Taking me along will only get in the way of your precious bond with her.”

Without waiting for a reply, she slammed the door shut and locked it.

No sooner had the door closed than Lu Yue knocked from the other side.

“You should know that if I wanted to, I could summon you to my side any time I like.”

“Go ahead. Let’s see you try,” Huo Xi shouted, then yanked off her wristband and threw it to the floor in anger.

Suddenly everything went quiet. There was no sound from Lu Yue anymore.

After a long silence, Huo Xi cautiously opened the door a crack and peeked out.

The hallway was eerily silent. Lu Yue was nowhere to be seen.

Did she really leave by herself?

It seemed so. She was no longer in the building.

Huo Xi quickly picked up the wristband from the floor, breathed on it, wiped it clean with her sleeve, and put it back on her wrist.

Based on past experience, Lu Yue would reconnect with her soon enough. So she didn’t think much of it.

While she had the chance, Huo Xi walked over to Lu Yue’s wardrobe. After hesitating for a while, she finally decided to open it.

“It’s just borrowing a set of clothes. I already belong to her anyway, so it’s not like I’m crossing a line,” she muttered, trying to justify her actions.

Lu Yue’s wardrobe was simple. She didn’t own anything fancy, just practical and easy-to-wear outfits.

Luckily, they were about the same size, so Huo Xi could wear them without issue.

She washed her own clothes and hung them to dry on a tree outside the back door.

As she stepped outside, she realized the school was much bigger than she thought. There were more sports fields and academic buildings.

But under the pale morning light, the place felt cold and empty, which made Huo Xi hesitate to explore further.

Then she remembered the wristband and checked it. The signal was still disconnected.

Huo Xi began to feel a little guilty. She realized that some of what she had said earlier was too harsh. Even if she felt uncomfortable, she wasn’t anyone special, just someone easily overlooked.

If Lu Yue really decided to abandon her out of anger and left her to fend for herself, she might actually have to consider renting a place in this strange world.

Right now, Huo Xi felt completely out of control. She had no way to contact Lu Yue and didn’t know where she had gone.

She returned to the office and started going through old files. Most of the closed cases had been reported by the same news agency, “Jiangkou Nan Media.”

Fortunately, it was only two or three streets away from here.