The Cannon Fodder Alpha Who Made the Heroine Pregnant - Chapter 30

30:

Watching Zhou Lan obediently return to the sofa, Sang Xia’s eyes widened.

Had she missed something by being too busy to visit her best friend these past few days?

Since when did this arrogant rich kid become so docile?

Sang Xia could hardly believe it. Did they develop some toxic love-hate relationship?

Only someone insane would fall for their abuser.

She refused to believe her best friend was like that, but Zhou Lan’s henpecked wife act made her suspicious.

Or was Zhou Lan actively pursuing Chu Zhao, hence the compliance?

“You two…?” Sang Xia eyed them warily.

Zhou Lan blinked. “What about us?”

(They hadn’t spilled hotpot broth on their clothes, had they?)

Sang Xia shook her head. “Nothing.”

Her tone was noticeably milder now. Until she understood their dynamic, she’d hold back.

Zhou Lan studied her curiously. No more hostility?

Since Sang Xia had cooled off, she decided to engage properly.

“You’re here because you’re returning to the Sang family, right?”

Sang Xia stiffened. “How do you know?”

She’d only learned days ago that her estranged father planned to marry her mother, legitimizing her as the Sang heiress.

The Sang family was a vipers’ nest. While her mother eagerly embraced this “promotion,” Sang Xia dreaded it—despite the potential inheritance worth billions.

Between endless family events, she’d barely escaped to Jiangning to consult Chu Zhao.

Yet Zhou Lan already knew? These were internal gatherings, not public knowledge.

The Sang’s dwarfed the Zhou’s influence. Such secrets shouldn’t have reached Jiangning.

Zhou Lan read her skepticism.

“Nothing stays hidden unless only two people witness it. The reason it’s not widespread? Others fear offending the Sang’s.”

The Sang Group owned stakes in a third of major social platforms. Their tentacles reached every industry. Compared to them, the Zhou’s were ants beneath an elephant’s foot.

People gossiped privately but never openly.

Chu Zhao’s mystery ally was a Sang—though even after finishing the novel, Zhou Lan hadn’t identified who. The collaborator remained shadowy till the end.

Likely, the partnership stemmed partly from Sang Xia’s ties but mostly because Zhou family’s crimes threatened Sang interests (they held shares in one of the two suppressor manufacturers).

Chu Zhao showed no surprise, indicating prior knowledge.

Sang Xia gaped. “You knew too?”

“My circles have good intel,” Zhou Lan deflected.

Entertainment industry insiders always caught wind of patrons’ movements first. Many relied on Sang patronage.

But Chu Zhao wanted insights about Sang Yu, hence keeping Zhou Lan here.

—

Sang Yu was exceptional. In her early thirties, she’d risen to VP at Sang Group—one of many VPs, but the only one acknowledged purely for merit, not lineage.

When her father declared she wouldn’t inherit, stocks dipped until she pledged loyalty, calming investors.

Few individuals could sway a conglomerate’s stock, proof of her irreplaceability.

“Share what you know about Sang Yu,” Chu Zhao said bluntly.

Their partnership made formalities unnecessary.

Confused, Sang Xia’s mind raced. What is their relationship now? Will Chu Zhao side with me or her?

She pictured vying for her best friend’s attention against Zhou Lan and shook the absurd thought away.

But how should she treat Zhou Lan now? The whiplash was real.

Zhou Lan, oblivious to Sang Xia’s mental gymnastics, assumed she worried about clashing with Sang Yu.

“Sang Yu’s brilliance is matched only by her principles,” she said carefully. “She won’t attack unprovoked, but cross her, and she’ll eradicate your root and stem.”

“My advice? Don’t antagonize her. She’s not your enemy, unless you make her one.”

Sang Yu wasn’t evil but had zero tolerance for threats.

“Never pry into her secrets. You can’t withstand her wrath.”

“If you can’t be allies, at least avoid becoming foes.”

She spoke earnestly, solely for Chu Zhao’s sake. Whether Sang Xia heeded this was beyond her control.

Her own dream remained unchanged from her past life: to create music that resonated.

Corporate battles and family feuds weren’t for her. Even if the Zhou empire hadn’t collapsed, she’d have sold her shares to pursue music.

Music was her oxygen.

Lost in thought, she didn’t notice Chu Zhao studying her.

“You seem to know Sang Yu well.”

Zhou Lan smiled faintly. She knew all major novel characters, especially after reading Sang Yu’s spin-off.

“I’ve seen many of her interviews,” she lied.

Chu Zhao’s thoughts: Is Zhou Lan obsessed with Sang Yu? An Alpha-Alpha romance? Not unheard of…

Zhou Lan: “???”

“She’s our peer. It’s normal to admire excellence,” she backpedaled.

Chu Zhao: Definitely a fan.

Zhou Lan: “…”

The more she explained, the worse it got.

Who’d guess the usually silent Chu Zhao had such an active inner monologue?

Adorable yet exasperating.

“That’s all I know,” Zhou Lan stood. “I’ll leave you to talk.”

Sang Xia blurted, “Are you two together now?”

Huh???

After all that, this was her takeaway?

Zhou Lan frowned. “Aren’t we already partners?”

Sang Xia rolled her eyes. “I mean now. What’s really going on?”

“Now?”

Before Zhou Lan could respond, Chu Zhao cut in sharply, “Sang Xia, state your business.”

Her glare told Zhou Lan to stay.

(Zhou Lan only understood because she could read minds. Otherwise, that look was indecipherable.)

Sighing, she sat back down.

Suitably chastised, Sang Xia got to the point: “My mother wants me as Sang heir. I know I’m unqualified, it’s a viper pit. But she’s determined to eliminate Sang Yu and others.”

“I warned her not to provoke them, especially after Zhou Lan’s advice. But she won’t listen. What should I do?”

Chu Zhao had no solutions. If even a daughter couldn’t deter her mother, outsiders were powerless.

Sang Xia groaned. “I knew returning was a mistake.”

“It’s simple,” Zhou Lan interjected.

Both women turned.

“Direct approach. Play the adoring younger sister to Sang Yu. Woo her like you would to a lover, but platonically.”

“An emotionally starved control freak like her? Nothing disarms them faster than genuine warmth.”

Sang Xia tilted her head. “Just… be a good sister?”

“And never lie to her,” Zhou Lan nodded. “She’ll verify everything anyway.”

Sang Xia’s eyes lit up. “Is this how you won over Chu Zhao?”

“……What?”