The Cannon Fodder Alpha Who Made the Heroine Pregnant - Chapter 35

35:

Zhou Xianling acted faster than expected. The very next day, he invited Chu’s mother to visit the Zhou family under their name.

Once at the Zhou residence, the Chu family could no longer interfere.

That evening, Zhou Lan and Chu’s mother boarded Zhou Xianling’s car and arrived at Zhou Corporation. After switching vehicles in the underground garage, they went to a mid-to-high-end residential complex, changed cars again, and repeated the process several times before finally leaving Jiangning.

If the Chu family could still track them after all this, then there was truly no way out.

Fortunately, they successfully left Jiangning. Only when they were far enough away did Zhou Lan finally relax.

The Chu family’s influence was limited to Jiangning. Once outside, their reach was no longer a concern.

Compared to Jiangning, the capital city was a place Chu Zhao had lived in for many years, so Chu’s mother could feel at ease there.

The trip from Jiangning to the capital city took just over an hour, but because of all the maneuvering within Jiangning, it was nearly 1 a.m. by the time they arrived.

Chu Zhao had to stay in Jiangning to stabilize the Zhou and Chu families and couldn’t accompany them.

Zhou Lan also couldn’t take Chu’s mother to a hotel, as her identification documents were still with the Chu family. Without them, they’d likely spend the night at a police station.

Luckily, Chu Zhao had given her an address—a high-end apartment in the capital city with security no worse than the villa they lived in back in Jiangning.

In fact, the apartment was priced similarly to the villa.

Property prices in the capital city were about five times higher than in Jiangning. Chu Zhao’s 200 square meter apartment cost several million.

The apartment’s décor leaned toward a dark palette, dominated by blacks and grays, yet it didn’t feel oppressive. Instead, it was quite comfortable.

Zhou Lan didn’t wander around. After entering, she immediately videocalled Chu Zhao.

The other woman’s eyes flickered with nostalgia as she took in the familiar surroundings.

The Chu Zhao in the capital city was free. No one could help but miss the feeling of freedom.

“Thank you,” Chu Zhao said softly.

She had never imagined that something she had planned for so long could be accomplished so easily.

From the beginning, she had only wanted to take her mother away from Jiangning to live her own life.

But the Chu family refused to let her be happy, making her realize that as long as the Chu family existed, her life would never be peaceful.

The Chu family had to be destroyed. Putting aside everything else, just considering the sins they had committed—how could such a family enjoy such a privileged life, acting as if they were superior?

The Chu family didn’t deserve that life. Chu Meng especially didn’t deserve it.

She would expose the Chu family’s crimes and bring the truth to light.

With her mother now in the capital, she no longer had anything holding her back.

Zhou Lan might have understood Chu Zhao’s thoughts, but she didn’t agree with any extreme actions.

“Your safety comes first,” she wanted to tell Chu Zhao.

She didn’t want Chu Zhao to risk herself for the sake of ending things quickly.

But as soon as the words left her mouth, Zhou Lan realized that, given her position, it might not be appropriate for her to say such things.

She turned the camera toward Chu’s mother, who was leaning tiredly against the sofa.

After all, she was older, and the long car ride had exhausted her.

“Mother is waiting for you in the capital.”

Chu Zhao understood Zhou Lan’s meaning instantly and moved the camera away from her face, panning it elsewhere.

She hesitated for a moment before saying, “Let mother sleep in my room. There’s no guest room, so you’ll have to make do with the sofa. My friend will come tomorrow to pick her up.”

Chu Zhao’s home, Zhou Lan—glanced around. The kitchen and dining area were connected, with walls and doors made of dark glass.

Then there was the living room, which featured a large wine cabinet and several art pieces, reflecting the owner’s taste.

A single long sofa sat by the floor-to-ceiling window, facing the TV wall.

The wine cabinet was on the other side of the TV wall.

With the curtains open, the room would be flooded with sunlight. Chu Zhao clearly knew how to enjoy life.

Next to the dining area was a small home gym, about 20 square meters, equipped with a treadmill, dumbbells, and other fitness gear.

Finally, there were two closed doors—bedrooms, presumably. One of them had an adorable sign hanging on it, completely out of place with the apartment’s décor but still there nonetheless.

One side depicted a sun with the words: “Good morning, Chu Zhao. A new day, a new mood.”

The other side showed a moon with: “Good night, Chu Zhao. Sleep early, dream sweetly.”

The cute sign radiated warmth and care for Chu Zhao.

Given Chu Zhao’s personality, she wouldn’t normally use something like this—yet she did.

Zhou Lan tried to recall the novel’s content. Aside from Sang Xia, Chu Zhao didn’t have any close friends. For a moment, she couldn’t think of who would give Chu Zhao such a thing and convince her to actually hang it on her door.

But because of the sign, she was certain this was Chu Zhao’s bedroom.

“Got it.”

Chu Zhao’s mother had been woken up from sleep earlier and had already freshened up. Now, she was in her pajamas.

Zhou Lan didn’t hang up the video call. Instead, she carried the phone into the bedroom.

The interior was as minimalist and comfortable as she had imagined.

Aside from a bed, there was only a nightstand with a pair of elegant lamps. The room was simple.

But to the left of the bed was a sliding door, seamlessly integrated into the wall—likely a closet. The right side probably led to the bathroom.

A 200 square meter apartment in the capita cityl was already quite spacious. Given the exorbitant property prices, a place like this in such a prime location would cost millions.

And everything Chu Zhao owned, she had earned through her own efforts.

Compared to her peers, she was undoubtedly among the most outstanding.

Zhou Lan had always admired talented people, but with Chu Zhao, she felt a sense of kinship—perhaps because she had read the novel and seen things from her perspective.

After a quick glance around the room, she let Chu’s mother rest.

“Auntie, call me if you need anything. I’ll be right outside.”

Chu’s mother was too drowsy to correct Zhou Lan’s address this time.

Previously, every time Zhou Lan called her “Auntie,” Chu’s mother would insist she call her “Mother.”

Zhou Lan smiled and tucked her in.

Chu Zhao watched Zhou Lan’s gentle actions through the phone, her own gaze softening unconsciously.

She had been puzzled for a long time—why would someone so outstanding in every way, with such a good personality, do that?

The thought of that incident instantly dragged her mood down.

By the time Zhou Lan finished settling Chu Zhao’s mother and picked up the phone again, the call had already ended.

She simply exited the chat without saying anything.

The fact that Chu Zhao had entrusted her with the apartment’s passcode and her mother meant she trusted her. Hanging up was probably an extension of that trust.

Zhou Lan returned to the living room, pulling a blanket from the sofa over herself.

She didn’t feel comfortable using Chu Zhao’s belongings without permission, so she decided to tough it out for the night.

She couldn’t just leave Chu Zhao’s mother alone here, that wouldn’t sit right with her.

She just hoped Chu Zhao’s friend was reliable enough to take good care of her.

With the lights still on, Zhou Lan lay on the sofa, arms behind her head, staring at the ceiling as her thoughts wandered.

Maybe it was the unfamiliarity of the sofa or the brightness of the lights, but sleep eluded her for a long time.

Eventually, she sat up, took out her tablet from her backpack, and opened a music app with a piano interface.

The tablet was too small to display all the keys, so she played with just the ones available.

A haunting melody flowed from the tablet’s speakers.

It was a dark-themed piece, telling the story of a protagonist betrayed and left in ruins, facing obstacle after obstacle, emerging battered and scarred—only to find that everyone had abandoned them. From then on, they would walk their wounded path alone.

Perhaps the escape from Jiangning had inspired her. Or maybe she was writing about herself.

Soon, she would escape the original character’s fate—but after that, she would be left with nothing.

No family, no lover.

But it didn’t matter. She would have freedom. No longer bound by the novel’s plot, she could do whatever she wanted without restraint.

Chu Zhao’s mother’s successful escape had drastically altered the story. Zhou Lan couldn’t help but project herself into the scenario, imagining her own liberation from the original plot—and thus, this song was born.

As soon as she finished playing, she grabbed her notebook and jotted down the melody. The lyrics were still incomplete, and the composition needed refining. The music app alone wasn’t enough, she’d have to wait until she returned to her rental apartment tomorrow.

Zhou Lan didn’t notice the tiny red light blinking above her, directly across the room.

Chu Zhao owned a cat. Worried about leaving it alone while she worked, she had installed a camera.

It also helped capture her cat’s adorable antics at home, so she kept it.

After confirming she wouldn’t return anytime soon, she had asked a friend to board the cat at a pet shop.

Earlier, in a fit of anger, she had hung up the call. But still uneasy about her mother, she turned on the camera—only to witness this scene.

The melody was beautiful. Watching Zhou Lan sit cross-legged by the coffee table, scribbling in her notebook, it wasn’t hard to guess she was composing.

Chu Zhao was surprised. She had assumed Zhou Lan was just coasting through a prestigious music school for the diploma. She hadn’t expected her to actually create music and such good music at that.

She remembered Zhou Lan was a music performance major, specializing in the violin. Yet the instrument on the tablet was a piano, wasn’t it?

She wasn’t a music major herself, so she wasn’t entirely clear on the specifics.

But she had her own discerning taste. The piece Zhou Lan had just played was genuinely impressive.

She wanted to hear what the full song sounded like.

Unfortunately, Zhou Lan didn’t continue. After jotting down some notes, she stopped and stretched her stiff back.

The prolonged hunched posture had left her sore.

She flopped back onto the sofa, her entire back sinking into the cushions. The comfort made her narrow her eyes like a contented cat.

Watching this, Chu Zhao was reminded of her own mischievous cat, who would burrow into her arms after exhausting itself, nuzzling to find the perfect spot.

She hadn’t realized Zhou Lan could be this adorable in private.

The moment she caught herself thinking Zhou Lan was cute, Chu Zhao’s eyes widened in disbelief. She lightly smacked her forehead.

She must be too tired lately, her brain short-circuiting.

With Zhou Lan and her mother gone, she had to stay at the villa to maintain appearances for the Chu family.

Disgusted by her own thoughts, she tossed the tablet aside and lay down, pushing the matter out of her mind as she drifted to sleep.

That night, some fulfilled long-held wishes, others made new discoveries.

And two hearts, on their paths toward each other, took another step forward.