After the Paranoid Female Lead Lost Her Memory, She Insisted on Pursuing This Cannon Fodder - Chapter 29

Night fell, and the city lights began to twinkle.

But the back alley where Lin Zhaoyue now stood was clearly untouched by such “twinkling lights.”

The air hung thick with a damp, musty odor, mingled with the faint stench of rotting garbage from nearby bins. The dim streetlights barely illuminated a small patch of the potholed, uneven ground beneath her feet.

Lin Zhaoyue frowned deeply, carefully maneuvering her limited-edition lambskin stilettos around puddles of unknown liquid, her face betraying undisguised disgust.

System: Host, according to our intelligence, the bar where Target Character Shen Yuan works is just ahead. The main heroine’s shift runs from 8 PM to 2 AM. It’s 7 PM now—your timing is perfect.

Lin Zhaoyue: Okay… Can carbon-based lifeforms really survive in this dump?

Two bodyguards cleared the way ahead of her, pushing open the flimsy-looking door.

The moment she stepped inside, a deafening bass throbbed through her eardrums, nearly shaking her internal organs loose.

The air reeked of a nauseating cocktail of stale alcohol, tobacco smoke, and cheap perfume, making her throat itch.

Multicolored lights swirled and flashed, barely illuminating the frenzied figures twisting on the dance floor and the scattered dice and clinking glasses in the booths.

The cacophony of boisterous voices, shrill laughter, and clinking glasses formed a chaotic backdrop.

For Lin Zhaoyue, who had only ever been to quiet bars, everything here made her frown.

What crime did I commit to end up in this place? Did my past life as a vegetarian advocate somehow lead me to eating brain-dead people?

As Lin Zhaoyue stood at the entrance, adjusting to the dim lighting and deafening noise, a sharp-eyed bartender immediately approached, his face plastered with a professional smile.

“Miss Lin, you’re here! Long time no see. Same spot as always?”

Clearly, the original owner of this body had been a regular here.

Lin Zhaoyue nodded regally, striving to mimic the original owner’s aloof, superior demeanor.

The bartender led her through the raucous crowd with practiced ease, guiding her to a private booth on the second floor that offered both privacy and a good view.

Two bodyguards stationed themselves discreetly at the booth’s entrance, providing protection without drawing undue attention.

“Miss Lin, the usual? Feeling like a Donovan or a Piledriver tonight?” the bartender asked. “Or perhaps you’d like to try our new Marsblast? It’s as potent as its name suggests.”

Lin Zhaoyue: ?

Feeling as helpless as an elderly person struggling with a smartphone, Lin Zhaoyue listened, dumbfounded.

Her understanding of alcohol was limited to pre-mixed cocktails costing a few dozen yuan per bottle at the supermarket and the beer and baijiu served at the New Year’s dinner table.

“I don’t feel like those… today,” Lin Zhaoyue mumbled. “This Young Lady wants something different. Do you have any desserts?”

The bartender’s smile faltered momentarily, clearly surprised that the Young Miss would order dessert.

“Yes, we have mini tiramisu cups and chocolate lava cake.”

“Then I’ll take one of each,” Lin Zhaoyue said with a dismissive wave. “And a cola bucket.”

“Alright, cola bucket…” the bartender replied, about to ask which whiskey to add when Lin Zhaoyue added, “Oh, right, no alcohol.”

The bartender: “……?”

The bartender’s brain froze for three seconds.

A cola bucket without alcohol? Isn’t that just cola?

He glanced at Lin Zhaoyue’s utterly nonchalant expression, then at the two expressionless but intimidating bodyguards standing outside. Silently, he swallowed his retort.

The customer is always right, even when the customer’s brain seems to be in hell.

“Very well, Miss Lin. I’ll prepare it for you immediately.”

He bowed slightly, turned, and hurried away, his retreating figure radiating an unspoken weariness and doubt about his career choices.

Soon, a glass of cola with ice and lemon slices was served, accompanied by several desserts. The scene was almost comical.

Lin Zhaoyue, however, saw nothing amiss. She picked up a can of cola, popped it open with a click, poured it into the iced glass, and took a leisurely sip.

She pulled out her phone and instinctively tapped the familiar green icon. The pinned conversation at the top of her chat list remained “Little Dog.”

Shen Yuan’s afternoon message—a photo of milk tea with a smiley-face emoji—still sat there untouched.

Lin Zhaoyue stared at the screen, her finger hovering over the text input field. After a few seconds of hesitation, she ultimately typed nothing and silently locked her phone.

Sigh… Knowing I have a mission later, replying would just make me feel guilty.

She sighed inwardly and asked the System:

Hey System, what exactly are we doing tonight? Surely you’re not just having me sit here drinking cola, right? Where’s the mission?

The System responded quickly: Host, tonight’s mission flow is slightly different. According to the original plot’s key events, the primary perpetrators of Shen Yuan’s humiliation and oppression are not you.

Lin Zhaoyue blinked in surprise. Not me? Then who?

The System: Your Fox Friends—a group of idle and dissolute Young Masters—will subject the hardworking main heroine to a series of cruel and petty torments. Your role is simply to be present, playing the part of a cold-eyed observer and instigator, the villainess who fans the flames.

Lin Zhaoyue blinked again. So… I’m just here for the atmosphere tonight? Just watching others perform?

That sounded… not bad, actually. At least she wouldn’t have to get her hands dirty with those nasty tasks herself.

Lin Zhaoyue: But wait, why would Young Masters even come to a rundown dive like this?

In her mind, those wealthy young men should be frequenting high-end clubs and private lounges, not a place that looked utterly devoid of anything “high-end.”

The System explained: Certain transactions and activities are ill-suited for more conspicuous, upscale venues. This kind of mixed, chaotic environment—where information flows quickly yet remains relatively discreet—is actually preferred for specific needs.

Specific needs?

Lin Zhaoyue instinctively hugged her arms tighter.

No way… are they going to reenact those heart-ripping, kidney-snatching scenes from those old romance novels right here?

Countless classic scenes flashed through her mind, sending a shiver down her spine. Her gaze swept over the swaying figures around her, now filled with suspicion.

System: Host, what are you afraid of? Just give the command, and 108 burly men will rush in to protect you.

Lin Zhaoyue: I’m not afraid for myself. But isn’t Shen Yuan in danger here? …No, after tonight, I need to find her a normal bar to work at. There’s no plot requirement forcing this to happen at this specific bar, right?

Just then—

Knock, knock, knock—

A series of rough knocks echoed through the room.

Lin Zhaoyue frowned, her face immediately darkening with annoyance at the interruption.

Wasn’t this private room supposed to be off-limits? What are the bodyguards even doing?

Before she could voice her displeasure, the door creaked open from the outside.