The Cannon Fodder NPC Went Too Far [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 1
Chapter 1
“Host consciousness loading…”
“0%, 5%, 10%… 100%”
“Host consciousness loaded successfully.”
“Host Name: Xia Yu”
“Novel loading…”
“Beep, beep, beep, loading complete.”
The piercing electric current sound reverberated in Xia Yu’s ears. Xia Yu frowned slightly, rubbed her swollen forehead, and propped herself up to stand.
The creamy white walls were covered in smooth silk, their soft luster resembling the dawn in spring. Countless brilliant diamonds were inlaid into the ceiling.
She was sitting on a soft chair, facing a dressing table. In the pure gold-inlaid frame, a mirror reflected her pale, delicate face.
Xia Yu fluttered her eyelashes slightly. The girl reflected in front of her had waterfall-like long hair scattered messily. Her slender eyebrows drooped coldly, conveying a sharp intensity.
Her face was pale, her lips peeling, and her almond eyes were drooped, red and swollen. Her expressionless appearance was exceptionally gloomy, like a female ghost crawling out of the water.
Xia Yu’s eyes widened instinctively at the sight. How miraculous! She was alive again.
She, Xia Yu, the only daughter of the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty and the twin sister of the Crown Prince, had been pampered and spoiled since childhood.
On her eighteenth birthday, her father and mother arranged a marriage for her. Ignoring her objections, they forcibly married her off to someone she neither knew nor liked.
On the day of the wedding, she fled on horseback. To evade the soldiers pursuing her, she inadvertently plunged off a cliff and died instantly.
Perhaps Heaven had eyes, and her life was not meant to end. After her death, a system calling itself “Cannon Fodder NPC 10086” found her, claiming that as long as she completed NPC role-playing missions, they could resurrect her.
Upon hearing that she could live, Xia Yu quickly agreed, as who would want to die, and became System 10086’s Host.
10086: “The plot has finished loading. Would the Host like to review it?”
Xia Yu withdrew her curious gaze from her surroundings and quietly said, “Yes.”
With a metallic ding sound, a blue light screen hovered in mid-air, displaying dense text.
Xia Yu skimmed the lines quickly, grasping the general outline of the entire novel.
This was a melodrama called The Overbearing CEO’s Fierce Love, which told a cheesy story where the protagonists, after a series of twists—including a drunken one-night stand, running away with the baby, reuniting after returning to the country, body double, imprisonment…—finally realized their deep love for each other and became a couple.
The main antagonist in the novel was the protagonist’s aunt, Shen Zheng.
As the main villain, she wielded terrifying power, was cold-hearted, strongly disliked the protagonists, and repeatedly caused trouble for them, acting as a major obstacle in their convoluted love story.
And she, the cannon fodder with the same name as Xia Yu, was the nominal stepdaughter of the main antagonist, Shen Zheng—spoiled, aggressive, and repeatedly went against Shen Zheng and the protagonists.
According to the original plot, she was first imprisoned in a basement by the exasperated main villain. After finally escaping, she unluckily ran into the protagonist, who broke both her legs and locked her in a private hospital. After months of torment, she froze to death in the winter.
In the protracted power struggle between the protagonist and the villain, her death was insignificant, stirring up no ripple.
Xia Yu hissed quietly. How cruel! However, she gazed doubtfully at the words on the light screen.
She knew the individual words—running away with the baby, white moonlight, imprisonment—but combined, she had no idea what they meant.
Knock, knock, knock. A very light knocking sound suddenly came from outside the door, and a low female voice cautiously asked, “Miss, the time is almost here. Do you need me to help you with your dressing?”
Xia Yu glanced at the closed door and quietly confirmed, “Is the plot about to start?”
System: “Yes, it is estimated to begin in about twenty minutes. At that time, you will disrupt the funeral, punch the protagonist, kick the villain, and begin your journey as cannon fodder.”
Xia Yu’s mouth dropped open with a small “Ah.” She hadn’t carefully read that part of the plot yet. Still, she and the original host were both raised spoiled, so she figured she could handle it.
However, she had been taught the wisdom of the sages since childhood, understanding reason and distinguishing right from wrong. If she were truly made to act like the original host, being indiscriminately rebellious, she probably couldn’t do it.
Of course, that wasn’t the most important thing. The most important thing was, she pointed at herself incredulously, “So, Your Highness is going to be tormented by the villain and tormented by the protagonist, and then suffer for a few months before dying in the cold winter?”
In that case, let Your Highness just die now. She had never endured such suffering since childhood.
Seeing its first bound task object about to strike, the System paused and hastily explained, “No, no, no! I will shield your pain perception at that time, so you won’t feel any pain. As for the final few months, you only need to act when the protagonist sends someone, and you can live normally during the rest of the time.”
Seeing that the girl was still frowning and quite unwilling, the small blue light orb spun a few times helplessly, then spoke cheerfully:
“According to the ‘Newbie System Guide to Coaxing Hosts in 100 Ways,’ considering the Host is executing a mission for the first time and is a genuine novice, there’s no need to complete the plot one hundred percent. You only need to complete the key plot nodes, achieving a similarity of 50% or more.”
50%. Acceptable.
A smile flashed in Xia Yu’s eyes. She knew when to stop pushing her luck and reluctantly agreed.
“By the way, you also need to give Your Highness a general overview of this world, lest Your Highness be completely clueless.”
“Understood, Host. That was the System’s negligence.” The System, seeing that the guide was actually effective, happily parroted the phrase and quickly transmitted the data into Xia Yu’s mind.
“Come in.” After a long while, the girl who had been sitting stiffly like a statue finally moved. Her voice was hoarse.
The housekeeper, who had been standing outside the door for a while, finally breathed a sigh of relief. Since the master passed away, the young miss had not left her room. Except for the meal delivery auntie, anyone who wanted to enter would be met with a huge outburst of temper. Today, she was finally allowed in.
But it made sense. Today was the master’s burial day, and the guests for the funeral were arriving soon. The madam died early, and the young miss was practically raised single-handedly by the master. Their affection was naturally deep. Even if the young miss was spoiled, she wouldn’t cause a scene on this day.
The housekeeper gently pushed the door open and softly stepped toward the young girl. Seeing the girl still staring blankly into the mirror, she gently stroked Xia Yu’s long hair, combed it neatly, and tucked it behind her ears.
Then she picked up a powder puff and dabbed Xia Yu’s face a few times, concealing her overly haggard appearance.
In a short while, the preparations were complete. Xia Yu gave the housekeeper a faint nod, stood up straight, and slowly walked towards the door. Then, she stumbled a few times, looking shocked at the high-heeled shoes on her feet.
What are these objects?
Seeing that the young miss was too sad to walk, the housekeeper quickly stepped forward to support her arm and personally escorted her to the venue.
On the way, the housekeeper watched Xia Yu, who clearly seemed immersed in sadness with her eyes lowered, and gently advised her, “The Master and Miss Shen are married. Even if the Master has passed away, Miss Shen is still technically your stepmother. Furthermore, according to the Master’s will, everything in the Xia family has been temporarily entrusted to Miss Shen’s management, Miss… ”
The housekeeper cautiously glanced at Xia Yu’s gloomy face and implied the unspoken words: “The Master entrusted you to Miss Shen before he died, which surely has a deeper meaning. When you see Miss Shen later, please do not cause any trouble with her.”
Xia Yu raised an eyebrow, her lowered eyelids lifting. Her dark pupils eerily shifted to the housekeeper, watching until the smile on the housekeeper’s face froze.
She then lifted her chin haughtily and scoffed, “Was Shen Zheng the one who sent you?”
The housekeeper was stunned upon hearing this. Just as she was about to explain, she saw Xia Yu push away the hand supporting her and stagger step-by-step into the main hall.
When the young miss first learned that the Master was going to marry Miss Shen, she vehemently disagreed, putting on a show of crying, making trouble, and threatening suicide every day. They had all thought the marriage would surely fall through, just like before, but the Master, who usually doted on the young miss, was absolutely determined to go through with it.
Though called a marriage, the Master had only met Miss Shen a few times, and the young miss hadn’t even met her. The wedding itself was extremely rushed, with neither the bride nor the groom present, only a scattering of guests.
A somber sky enveloped a solemn atmosphere. White curtains gently swayed with the wind. Various wreaths were neatly placed on both sides of the mourning hall. In the center, a memorial platform stood tall, made of carved black wood, upon which the portrait of Xia Yu’s father, Xia Qiyuan, was placed upright.
The guests looked serious, lining up with white flowers in hand, silently placing them below the portrait.
Seeing the girl, dressed in black and looking distracted, stumble toward the portrait, the surrounding guests subtly exchanged glances and cleared a path for her.
Xia Yu’s dark eyes met those of Xia Qiyuan in the portrait. He smiled peacefully and calmly. Xia Yu bent down and gently placed her bouquet beneath the portrait.
Rest in peace.
“Sigh, what a short-lived ghost. He finally managed to climb up to the Shen family and marry my aunt, yet he didn’t enjoy a single day of good fortune before kicking the bucket. Sure enough, my aunt’s fate is too strong. Those born with poor fates can’t enjoy it.”
The voice of a cocky young man, openly displaying his malice, drifted brazenly from behind Xia Yu.
Xia Yu turned around with a gloomy face. A man in his early twenties stood with his hands in his pockets, lazily looking at the portrait in the mourning hall, followed by a group of strong, burly men in black. From the moment he barged in, the black-clad men drove the guests in the mourning hall to shrink back, leaving a large space for him.
Didn’t his parents teach him? It is highly disrespectful to speak so carelessly at another person’s father’s funeral. If it were according to the law of her Great Xia Dynasty, this act would be punishable by death.
“Young Master, this is not a place for you to be so wild. Perhaps your parents never taught you, or perhaps they died prematurely? No matter, an apology is unnecessary. How about you go down and meet my father? My father would certainly be delighted by your arrival, and you could happily share a drink with him.”
Xia Yu raised a slight eyebrow, the disdain in her eyes surging like a tide, as if she were looking at the most unbearable filth in the world. That contemptuous expression angered the man far more than verbal taunts. She had never been known for her good temper.
This person is the novel’s male protagonist? After repeatedly confirming with the System in her mind, Xia Yu glanced at him with utter disgust. The author must have a taste for the bizarre if someone like this can be the male lead.
A few guests in the mourning hall couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. The man’s face flushed with anger. He took a deep breath, seemed to finally notice Xia Yu beside him, and assessed her from head to toe like merchandise, putting on an exaggerated look of comprehension.
“Oh, you must be that daughter of that Xia-something.”
Then, his face instantly changed. He glared at Xia Yu, his eyes cold as if laced with poison, and said slowly, word by word, “What are you? How dare you speak to this young master like that. Kneel and apologize, and this young master might graciously forgive you. Otherwise…” He folded his arms across his chest. The men in black behind him slowly advanced toward her following his command.
Xia Yu clenched her fists tightly, dangerously narrowing her eyes. She was just about to punch his nauseating face.
Then, a cool, indifferent voice slowly sounded in the silent mourning hall.
“Shen Tingyu, are you trying to ruin your aunt’s event today?”
Everyone around was jolted and simultaneously turned their heads to look toward the entrance. A woman in her early thirties, dressed in a black suit, had her dark hair neatly pinned up. Her clothes fluttered in the wind.
Da da da da. Under everyone’s gaze, she walked inward unhurriedly, each step sounding like a striking chord in people’s hearts.
The man watched her approach him step by step, the veins throbbing in his face. His clenched fist relaxed and tightened again, and a trace of extreme fear flashed in his eyes.
It wasn’t until she briefly glanced at the man that he lowered his head, his previous arrogant demeanor completely gone.
“Aunt,” he respectfully lowered his head and conceded.
Xia Yu’s eyes had widened the moment she appeared. She is the villain in the book—Shen Zheng.