After Transmigrating as a Scumbag Gong, I Ended Up with the Cannon Fodder - Chapter 17

Yin Man didn’t go to the hospital for a checkup. She suddenly realized that if they discovered something else, she might not be able to handle the consequences, given that she hadn’t fully merged with this body.

Instead, she told Yin Zhe.

Overjoyed, Yin Zhe hired a private doctor to help her with rehabilitation training. The results were less than ideal. While she regained pain and tactile sensation, standing up was far from an overnight achievement.

Liu Siyin underwent another examination, but the conclusion remained the same: her eyesight was unlikely to recover, further unsettling the already anxious woman.

A torrential downpour had drenched the morning, but the sun finally broke through in the afternoon, chasing away the dark clouds and revealing a clear, bright blue sky.

Yin Man invited Liu Siyin to have coffee in the courtyard, while Xiao You happily ran around the yard.

Yin Zhe, who rarely appeared at home, sat across from Yin Man, quietly observing her. He had noticed her recent changes, attributing them to her improved mood since learning that her legs were recovering.

The unresolved knot in Yin Man’s heart had always been her legs.

The courtyard had always been arranged by Wen Si. Though often unappreciated, Wen Si had genuinely fulfilled her stepmotherly duties, at least far better than Yin Nanbai. The courtyard not only featured flowers favored by Yin Youxia but also rare and exotic plants cherished by the Original Host and Yin Zhe.

Thinking of Wen Si, Yin Man couldn’t help but remember Yin Youxia and the latter half of the book’s story. Though she harbored no fondness for Yin Youxia, she wondered if she should mend their relationship to avoid the original ending, especially since she couldn’t leave the Yin Family.

As Yin Man pondered this, Yin Zhe’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “Manman, remember to visit Grandma and Grandpa when they return from their trip.”

“Of course,” she replied without hesitation. Yin Zhe looked slightly surprised. “I thought you wouldn’t want to go.”

“Weren’t you still upset about Grandpa entrusting some business to Xuying?”

The memories didn’t surface as they usually did. She had absolutely no recollection of this incident. Yin Man lowered her head, concealing the unease in her eyes. Her memories seemed to have stopped surfacing; no new fragments had appeared recently. She had almost convinced herself that she had recovered all her memories, but this incident proved otherwise. Her memory remained incomplete, and it seemed it would never be fully restored.

It seemed that ever since Yin Zhe had brought Dr. Jiang back and she began rehabilitation therapy, the Original Host’s memories had stopped resurfacing.

“If Grandpa wants to entrust business to Mei Xuying, I have no objection, as long as he’s confident. It’s not a big deal.”

Yin Man casually dismissed it as “nothing important.” Mei Xuying overheard this remark just as she was being led over. If it truly was insignificant, why had Yin Man threatened suicide when their grandfather first proposed entrusting the business to her? Yin Man had no idea how much effort Mei Xuying had poured into earning that opportunity over the years.

After Yin Man’s outburst, their grandfather, who had initially planned to delegate only a portion of the business to Mei Xuying, drastically reduced her share.

All those years of hard work had gone to waste. Yin Man’s nonchalant attitude stung Mei Xuying deeply, yet she maintained her usual gentle smile and greeted them warmly, “Cousin, Cousin.”

“Cousin,” Yin Man replied casually, surprising Mei Xuying.

Yin Man’s use of the term “Cousin” was undoubtedly meant to be sarcastic, but today there was no trace of mockery in her tone. She simply stated it calmly before turning to the bewildered Liu Siyin and patting her hand. “Of course you should call me ‘Cousin’ too.”

It was an ordinary gesture of comfort, but this was Yin Man.

The cruel and malicious Yin Man shouldn’t possess such tenderness, let alone offer genuine comfort to others. These were things Yin Man simply couldn’t do.

A storm of emotions surged within Mei Xuying’s heart as she heard the gentle voice call out, “Cousin.”

Before she could respond, Yin Man interjected, “Cousin, you should at least acknowledge us.”

Yin Man’s reasoning was simple: Liu Siyin couldn’t see, and a mere nod from Mei Xuying wouldn’t suffice. If she didn’t respond, Liu Siyin might overthink things and become anxious.

Mei Xuying forced out a strained, “Yes.”

If Liu Siyin possessed any redeeming qualities, Mei Xuying had yet to discern them. Aside from his excessively handsome face—a trait least valued in aristocratic marriage prospects—his status was insufficiently noble, and his blindness rendered him utterly dependent on others. Yin Man had once scorned the able-bodied Liu Siyin, yet now she doted on the blind version with unwavering devotion.

“It seems Si Yin has truly captured your cousin’s heart,” Yin Man remarked.

“Who wouldn’t adore such a well-behaved and gentle younger sister?” Mei Xuying replied with a strained smile.

But in the cutthroat world of aristocratic families, affection counted for nothing.

Jiang Yan had once loved her deeply, yet Mei Xuying had still agreed to marry Wang Gu. Even when she broke off that engagement to marry another, she never considered resisting, fighting back, or even struggling for the sake of their bond.

She liked Jiang Yan because the usually aloof and jade-like Dr. Jiang always showed her a gentle and obedient side. They had met and fallen in love in a foreign land, but upon returning home, Jiang Yan sent her a letter announcing her engagement.

Mei Xuying admitted she had deliberately grown close to Jiang Wan, partly to get back at Jiang Yan. She wanted to see how Jiang Yan would react to seeing her former lover with her younger sister. But Jiang Yan didn’t show the anger she expected. Instead, she pulled Mei Xuying close and said, “Xuying, I’ve always loved you.”

Jiang Yan didn’t care that her nominal girlfriend was Jiang Wan. If she didn’t care, why should Mei Xuying?

Mei Xuying had once believed Jiang Yan was worth a fortune to her, but she had devalued her to nothing.

When the news of Jiang Wan’s engagement to Wang Gu broke, Mei Xuying’s first reaction wasn’t to break up with her, but to snuggle into her arms. “Xuying-jie,” Jiang Wan cooed, “when I get married, I’ll have a huge villa. You’ll come stay with me, right?”

Sometimes Mei Xuying wondered if she had somehow veered off course from the rest of the world, or if Jiang Yan and Jiang Wan were simply too unconventional. They didn’t care about her relationship status, didn’t care about exclusive ownership, and certainly didn’t care about the traditional expectations of marital fidelity.

Jiang Wan didn’t mind her future brother-in-law becoming her current partner, and Liu Siyin didn’t care about his ex-girlfriend’s sister becoming his current partner.

Mei Xuying often felt ashamed of her faint desire to spend her life with someone.

Yet what right did she have to judge them? She herself lacked the courage to pursue what she wanted, and despite loathing Yin Man, she feigned cordiality and pretended friendship.

“Don’t you like it, Cousin?” Yin Man asked.

Mei Xuying gave a self-deprecating smile. “I do.”

In truth, whether she liked it or not hardly mattered. The outcome would be no different from marrying Jiang Yan. She would obey her family’s arrangements, marrying whomever they chose.

She wasn’t Yin Man, who had the freedom to choose.

Many times, she envied Yin Man. Yin Man could freely decide her future, obtain whatever she desired, and reject anything she didn’t want.

It seemed all the girls in their family were like that, including Yin Youxia.

Though Yin Youxia lacked Yin Man’s power, she fiercely resisted her arranged engagement.

Even when it seemed futile, she fought back. Even when Yin Man called her an illegitimate child, she retorted. Even when the Yin siblings ostracized her, she stood her ground.

Yin Youxia was a resilient girl. Mei Xuying felt a kinship with her, yet they were fundamentally different.

She and Yin Youxia had both been bullied by Yin Man for years, but while Yin Youxia fought back, she had donned a mask and pretended to be close to Yin Man.

“I think Cousin will like it too,” she thought. Otherwise, why would Mei Xuying have taken an interest in Yin Youxia? Yin Youxia was seven years younger than Liu Siyin, and in the novel, she had been completely obedient to Mei Xuying, doing everything she was told.

When she had first read the novel, she had quite liked Mei Xuying. Like a warm sun, Mei Xuying had illuminated Yin Youxia’s dark and isolated world. If Mei Xuying hadn’t exposed her hypocrisy on the very day she transmigrated, she might still have thought Mei Xuying was a good person. After all, in the original story, the Original Host had been the one who made mistakes.

Mei Xuying had a face that radiated kindness, gentle and refined.

Her affection for Mei Xuying had once been far greater than her affection for Yin Youxia, but unfortunately, Mei Xuying was a hypocrite.

“Cousin, is there something you wanted to discuss?” Mei Xuying took two invitations from her bag, placing one on the table. “Next month is my birthday party. I hope Cousin and Cousin can attend. Here are the invitations.”

Seeing Mei Xuying still holding one invitation, Yin Man asked, “Aren’t you giving me that one too, Cousin?”

Mei Xuying opened her mouth, her expression complex, but she finally said, “This one is for Youxia.”

Did she give Youxia a separate invitation out of fear we wouldn’t bring her?

Just how close are Mei Xuying and Yin Youxia?

Logically, their relationship shouldn’t have progressed this quickly. Yin Man struggled to recall the plot. Mei Xuying had always been kind but reserved toward Yin Youxia, while Yin Youxia, though growing increasingly attached to Mei Xuying, hadn’t truly committed to being with her.

It wasn’t until Mei Xuying was kidnapped and Yin Youxia feared she might never see her again that she completely lost her composure.

In the moment of reunion, Yin Youxia had confessed her feelings without hesitation. Even then, Mei Xuying had taken two weeks to consider before accepting her confession. The author explained this as Mei Xuying being slow to warm up.

Yin Man couldn’t quite grasp it.

Mei Xuying merely clutched the invitation, her gaze drifting. Yin Zhe said, “They’re still at the hospital. They haven’t returned yet.”

“Is Youxia sick?” The worry in her eyes was unmistakable, and Yin Zhe noticed it immediately. “Cousin, you seem to have forgotten who your true family is.”

Mei Xuying subtly averted her gaze, her mind elsewhere.

Seeing Mei Xuying’s reaction, Yin Man felt a flicker of the excitement she’d had when she first followed the original story, eagerly anticipating the development of their relationship. Even though Mei Xuying had deviated from her original character, Yin Man couldn’t help but feel a thrill at the thought of the original plot. “Cousin, do you care about Youxia?”

If Mei Xuying nodded, Yin Man would drag the civil affairs bureau over right then and there, rushing through all the unnecessary plot points. If she could play matchmaker and bring them together, perhaps Yin Youxia’s hostility might lessen.

Having shed some of the original host’s more villainous traits, Yin Man herself was fundamentally kind and gentle.

However, Mei Xuying didn’t nod. There was still a hint of insincerity in her voice as she replied, “Of course not. You, Cousin, and Cousin are my family.”