After the Paranoid Female Lead Lost Her Memory, She Insisted on Pursuing This Cannon Fodder - Chapter 18

Lin Zhaoyue slapped her thigh so hard she winced in pain, startling Shen Yuan, who had been standing as still as a chicken.

“W-what’s wrong, Zhaoyue?” Shen Yuan asked softly.

Ever since being accused of being a pervert, Shen Yuan had stood stiffly in place, awaiting Lin Zhaoyue’s judgment.

But the next moment, a hand reached out and landed on her head.

“Sister’s thinking. Be a good girl and stay quiet for now, okay?”

Lost in her own brilliant thoughts, Lin Zhaoyue completely overlooked Shen Yuan’s hidden intentions, casually patting her head in a perfunctory manner.

Shen Yuan: “……”

Though she didn’t know where the “sister” title had come from, she obediently nodded and remained silent.

Beneath her lowered eyelids, however, her beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, a fleeting, almost imperceptible glint of possessiveness—tinged with danger—flashed through them, so quickly it could have been mistaken for an illusion.

Lin Zhaoyue, oblivious to Shen Yuan’s transformation, continued her mental conversation with the system:

That’s right, it’s her—Xiao Zhang!

Lin Zhaoyue’s eyes lit up.

The short-haired girl at the hospital today was supposed to be the Female Lead’s best friend, right?

As she pondered, she couldn’t resist glancing at Shen Yuan again.

Look at this silly girl, all alone now. Besides me, the villainess, she doesn’t even have anyone to talk to. No wonder she’s so clingy.

Jian Zhi is practically a natural candidate! But… why don’t I remember anything about Xiao Zhang? He was supposed to be her best friend! Quick, check it out—there’s definitely something fishy going on!

The system immediately began searching.

Searching for key plot points from the original novel… Search complete… Oh my god.

In the original story, shortly after the Female Lead Shen Yuan was injured by Lin Zhaoyue and lost her memory, Xiao Zhang died in an accident during a trip.

Lin Zhaoyue’s hand, which had been stroking Shen Yuan’s hair, froze mid-motion, and the smug smile on her face instantly vanished.

…What?!

The system continued:

Xiao Zhang’s death left Shen Yuan without her last friend to rely on. This pivotal moment, with Shen Yuan suffering from amnesia and utterly alone, forced her to accept the advances and assistance of the Male Lead Lin Wangba, setting in motion the subsequent series of love-hate entanglements that drove the plot forward.

That greasy creep Lin Wangba managed to get close to Shen Yuan because Xiao Zhang died?!

This plot is so melodramatic and cruel!

No, absolutely not!

Xiao Zhang must be saved!

Not just to get Shen Yuan off her back, but to thwart Lin Wangba’s scheme! The mere thought of Shen Yuan developing a romantic relationship with that greasy man made Lin Zhaoyue’s skin crawl.

When did this happen? Be specific! What day? What kind of accident? Maybe… maybe there’s still time to prevent it!

The system searched for a while before regretfully reporting:

I’m sorry, Host. This character isn’t important. All I know is that she died during a business trip. The exact cause wasn’t specified. And the time is—one week from now.

One week from now…?

Lin Zhaoyue’s heart sank.

The information was too vague.

A week wasn’t a long time, but it wasn’t short either. Yet, to prevent an unknown accident, it was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Most importantly, how could she, a “villainess,” interfere with the business trip of someone she barely knew?

As the Female Lead’s best friend, Xiao Zhang probably hated her guts.

Sister System, think of something! How can I stop her from going on this trip in a way that seems reasonable?

System: Host, if you’re asking me, I… uh, ahem, please remember your role. A villainess actively caring about the Female Lead’s friend, even going so far as to disrupt her plans, is a severe deviation from your character. But…

The System seemed to pause, as if buffering. …if your actions objectively serve to better “control” or “torment” the Female Lead—for example, if you manipulate or harass her friend to further isolate or torment her—you might be able to slightly evade the Will of the World’s detection.

Lin Zhaoyue’s eyes narrowed slightly. She understood the System’s meaning perfectly.

Doing good deeds was acceptable, but only if they were disguised as malicious acts.

Lin Zhaoyue: Good System, you’re such a good baby~

Lin Zhaoyue took a deep breath and looked at Shen Yuan again.

Shen Yuan blinked, still gazing at her with that innocent, expectant look.

“Zhaoyue… are you still upset?”

“Ah… oh!”

Lin Zhaoyue was actually thrilled that her blame-shifting had worked so well, but since the opportunity had presented itself, she naturally had to play along.

Lin Zhaoyue abruptly withdrew her hand from Shen Yuan’s head, planted her hands on her hips, and struck a deliberately arrogant pose, her brow furrowed.

“Yes! Of course I’m upset! Very upset!”

Shen Yuan froze, cautiously studying Lin Zhaoyue. “Then… what can I do to earn your forgiveness?”

Lin Zhaoyue seized the opportunity to deliver her rehearsed line:

“Seeing all this has dredged up painful memories! Go contact your friend—Xiao Zhang, right? Tell her to take you away immediately.”

“Umm… okay.”

Though reluctant to leave Lin Zhaoyue, Shen Yuan knew she was at fault and couldn’t argue.

Besides, Lin Zhaoyue’s anger stemmed from seeing those things, didn’t it? That meant she only hated the objects themselves, not Shen Yuan herself.

With renewed determination, Shen Yuan declared, “I’ll reflect on my mistakes, Zhaoyue. Wait for me!”

Lin Zhaoyue: “……”

How does Shen Yuan manage to be so relentlessly optimistic?

Shen Yuan quickly found Xiao Zhang and pressed the dial button.

However, instead of the dial tone, a mechanical female voice announced:

“We’re sorry, your phone service has been suspended due to unpaid charges…”

Shen Yuan: “……”

Lin Zhaoyue: “……”

The atmosphere grew painfully awkward.

Watching the main heroine, who had been so full of upward momentum, immediately hit her head against a wall, Lin Zhaoyue’s lips twitched, but she managed to suppress her laughter.

Typical of the main heroine—even in dire straits, she’s always fully equipped with the essentials.

“Ahem… Can’t even afford phone credit? Pathetic,” Lin Zhaoyue muttered disdainfully as she pulled out her own phone, intending to top up Shen Yuan’s balance.

She scrolled through her contacts, but couldn’t find anyone named Shen Yuan.

Impossible.

“What’s your phone number?” Lin Zhaoyue asked.

Shen Yuan glanced at her own number and recited it truthfully.

Lin Zhaoyue typed in each digit one by one, and finally found Shen Yuan in her contacts.

The contact name was: “Puppy.”

Lin Zhaoyue: “……”

How utterly perverse.

She licked her lips, but ultimately decided against changing the contact name.

Lin Zhaoyue simply copied Shen Yuan’s phone number, then with a flick of her wrist, recharged her account with—1,000,000 yuan.

System: ?!

System: Are you recharging her phone or funding the telecom company’s IPO?

Lin Zhaoyue: It’s not every day I get to play the rich lady. What’s wrong with showing off a little?

Ding-dong!

The notification tone for the successful recharge rang almost immediately.

Shen Yuan froze again.

“Zhaoyue… this… this is way too much!”

Lin Zhaoyue crossed her arms, feigning impatience as she urged, “It’s not too much. I just don’t want to be unable to reach you when I need you. Hurry up and make the call.”

Shen Yuan stared at the absurdly large balance, then glanced up at Lin Zhaoyue’s “fierce and intimidating” expression. A warm current surged through her heart, and her nose felt a little sore.

Even though Zhaoyue acts tough, she still cares about me… She even recharged my phone with this much…

Sniffling, she nodded firmly. “Okay! I’ll call right now!”

She pressed the dial button.

The phone rang only once before being answered.