The Cannon Fodder NPC Went Too Far [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 3
Chapter 3
The sky was faintly bright. Xia Yu knelt precariously on the cushion, her eyes bloodshot, with strands of messy hair plastered to her face, damp with cold sweat.
“Miss, Miss, it’s daylight, please get up quickly. It won’t be good for your health to keep kneeling. The Head of the Family would be distressed if he knew,” the butler stood nearby, his face full of concern. His hands hovered, unsure whether to help her up or not, so he could only plead in a low voice.
Only after the system’s notification of mission completion sounded in her head did Xia Yu let out a sigh of relief. She grunted softly and, supported by the butler’s outstretched hand, made to stand up.
An agonizing pain from her knees, like a surging tide, instantly spread, piercing through her already numb nerves. Xia Yu let out a soft hiss of pain, instinctively gripping the butler’s arm tightly, but immediately relaxed her grip.
Her stiff legs were like the winding mechanisms of an old wooden puppet. She hobbled outward, already drenched in sweat after just a few steps.
She hadn’t allowed the system to completely block her pain perception. While it would have been comfortable now, relying on it for too long was ultimately not good.
Xia Yu kept her head down, continuously cheering herself on internally. As she walked, a black shadow suddenly appeared on the ground.
Before Xia Yu could react, the system in her mind shrieked: “Shen Zheng! It’s Shen Zheng! Why is she here? This scene wasn’t in the novel!”
“She couldn’t have been angry last night and is planning to teach you a lesson today, could she?”
Xia Yu stiffly raised her head, quickly masking her grimacing expression. She nonchalantly withdrew the hand that was supporting the butler’s arm and slowly straightened her back to stand normally, not wanting Shen Zheng to see her in such a pathetic state.
However, those series of obvious little cover-up actions were like a cool little black cat that was furiously baring its claws at her but only managed a soft meow.
Shen Zheng wasn’t sure what precisely tickled her funny bone, but the exhaustion from having dealt with tedious matters all night lifted, and a smile appeared on her face.
The butler cautiously observed Shen Zheng’s expression. Seeing that she seemed to be in a decent mood, he slowly breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that Miss Shen wasn’t here to settle scores with the Young Miss.
He respectfully called out “Miss Shen,” and, using the withdrawal of Xia Yu’s hand as an excuse, quietly slipped away. It was clear he intended to create space for the two of them to interact privately, hoping they would get along better instead of acting like enemies whenever they met.
Hey, don’t go! Don’t leave me alone here! Xia Yu forced herself to remain calm, her eyes wistfully watching the butler’s accelerating figure.
“What, are you afraid of me?” Shen Zheng looked down at her, raised an eyebrow, and spoke with a teasing smile. However, that slightly lifted eyebrow carried a hint of provocation.
Xia Yu instinctively lifted her head, her tired, drooping eyelids rising. Her eyes, like tiny falling stars, sparkled with a touch of pride. She raised her voice and retorted: “You’re overthinking it, Shen Zheng.”
Shen Zheng nodded noncommittally, seemingly acknowledging her reply. Under Xia Yu’s increasingly heavy breathing, she pulled a small tin of ointment from her pocket and tossed it to Xia Yu.
“Apply this. If the bruises don’t heal in a few days, don’t hide in a corner and cry when it hurts.”
“Who are you talking about? I won’t secretly cry!” Xia Yu leaned forward and snatched the ointment. The sharp pain from the sudden movement spread throughout her body, but before she could cry out, she immediately retorted without thinking.
Under Shen Zheng’s gaze, she plopped down onto a chair and cautiously, slowly rolled up her trouser leg, her pale fingertips trembling slightly.
She seemed to realize something, looked up at Shen Zheng with bright eyes, and asked confusedly: “But how did you know?” Shen Zheng glanced at Xia Yu’s nosy expression with a half-smile. She doesn’t hate me now?
Shen Zheng was silent for a moment. Seeing that Xia Yu’s curious eyes were practically glued to her, she looked into the distance and said softly: “I was restless as a child. I tried to overshadow the prestige the Shen family’s eldest legitimate son gained in his youth, and I tried to snatch the heir position from him.”
Shen Zheng tsk-ed with palpable disdain, her eyes narrowing as she said coldly: “The more they prevented me from having it, the more I was determined to get it, even if I had to steal it. After all, I am much stronger than that useless elder brother of mine, who is over ten years my senior, aren’t I?” Her typically assertive and cold face looked extraordinarily unruly and rebellious at that moment.
She clearly didn’t intend for Xia Yu to answer. After saying a few more words to herself, she tilted her head to look at Xia Yu beside her. Seeing that Xia Yu still didn’t have any particular reaction, she twitched her lips. She didn’t say anything more.
She wasn’t her real daughter, after all. She had done more than enough, and she wouldn’t interfere with anything after this.
Seeing Xia Yu’s finger already coated with ointment, yet she was dawdling and hesitant to start applying it, Shen Zheng frowned. How long is she going to take, messing around like this?
She sighed, ultimately conceding, and said gruffly: “You don’t even know how to apply medicine. Come here.”
Before Xia Yu could react, Shen Zheng took hold of her ankle and rested her lower leg across her own thigh. With one hand, she firmly restrained the restless thigh, while the other hand applied the ointment.
The knee was red and swollen like a ripe, ready-to-burst cherry, with a deep black spot in the center. Veins protruded conspicuously across the swollen area. The injury was shocking to behold.
How could it be this severe? Sure enough, she was spoiled; she’s so delicate.
“Tolerate it. I won’t comfort you if you cry.”
The distinctively jointed fingers paused for a moment before lightly descending. The ointment spread beneath her fingertips and on Xia Yu’s skin, slowly dissolving the bruise on her knee.
The cool sensation made Xia Yu shiver. She pursed her lips and gritted her teeth, instantly breaking out in tiny beads of sweat on her forehead. The bulging blue veins on her temples pulsed violently. Her body trembled as she tightly clutched the empty sleeve of Shen Zheng’s raised arm.
In the silent space, only Xia Yu’s heavy breathing could be heard, as if every nerve in her body was telling her that she would not cry.
Only when Shen Zheng stopped did Xia Yu look up blankly. Shen Zheng’s once clear face became indistinct in the mist of sweat.
“Hmm, you didn’t cry,” Shen Zheng glanced at her, her eyes curving slightly in what seemed like praise. Then, without looking back, she walked out.
Xia Yu blinked, watching Shen Zheng’s receding figure. She thought she could smell a faint sandalwood scent on her.
It wasn’t until Xia Yu was lying on the soft, large bed, stretching comfortably, that the system, which had been silent since Shen Zheng appeared, finally resurfaced.
“Host, that was terrifying! I thought the big villain was going to beat you up. I was so scared that if I made a sound, it would mess up your performance and cause a deviation in the plot. Thankfully, thankfully, with the Host’s intelligence, you didn’t mess up,” the system let out a humanized sigh of relief.
Xia Yu nodded perfunctorily. The system didn’t notice and happily flew back and forth in Xia Yu’s mind, trying to get her attention.
“Ding dong dong, let’s tally the restoration score for this time. Punching the male lead and making him feel angry and humiliated—key mission node complete. Base score 80 points… Failure to fully deliver the novel’s lines to the villain and make her furious—minus 30 points… Overall score 50 points.”
The system calculated and reported the score according to the rules. Seeing that the final score reached the passing line after additions and subtractions, both of them sighed in relief.
The system gave a cheerful “Yes” and spoke softly to Xia Yu, who was drowsy from listening to the report: “The Host must be tired. Get some rest early.”
“According to the original plot, Shen Zheng and Shen Tingyu will be busy scheming against each other for the next few days. The Host has no scenes, so you can relax and get familiar with the surroundings.”
According to the plot, Shen Zheng should have left the Xia family yesterday. Although there was a slight deviation, it should be fine.
Xia Yu buried her face in the quilt and mumbled a response.
The sun was high in the sky. The girl was dressed in a crisp riding habit: a fitted white shirt paired with a red leather vest, black riding breeches clinging to her legs, and shiny tall riding boots.
She vaulted onto the back of the horse, lightly shook the reins, squeezed her legs, and tapped the horse’s belly with her boot heels. The tall, powerful white horse neighed and reared up on its front legs.
“Little System, is this really okay?”
“Host, don’t worry. As the chosen destined person, you have a certain degree of similarity with the original owner. This includes life, appearance, family background, and life experience. If you are skilled in riding, the original owner must also be proficient.”
After her serious explanation, the system looked at the huge paddock before them with shining eyes: “I’ve never raced a horse before.”
Upon receiving the clear answer, Xia Yu smiled brightly, leaned forward, holding the reins in one hand and whipping the horse with the other. Under a loud neigh, the white horse galloped forward like the wind.
The wind violently sprayed across Xia Yu’s face, and she threw her head back and laughed loudly.
“Little System, want to go faster?”
“Yes! Yes! Wow, this is so exciting!”
Hearing this, Xia Yu sharply tugged the reins a few times, continuing to increase speed as she ran erratically around the field.
In the paddock, several professionals kept a close watch on the girl’s figure. The butler at the front looked on kindly at Xia Yu frolicking in the grass.
The moment Shen Zheng stepped into the field, she looked up and saw the scarlet figure. The girl in red, galloping across the field, was like a fiercely burning flame, instantly drawing all her attention.
That splash of vivid red, set against the emerald green field and the clear blue sky, was like a gorgeous bolt of lightning, carrying intense heat, setting everything it passed on fire. It was utterly reckless and bold.
Under the blazing sun, large beads of sweat ran down her slender neck, soaking her white shirt. Her hair was damp and stuck to her cheeks, and the hands gripping the reins had red marks from the vigorous rubbing.
Shen Zheng felt as if she was seeing a vibrant, splendid soul joyfully galloping across the field.
Xia Yu waved to the butler. The hand holding the reins was marked with red welts from the intense friction, yet she smiled brilliantly, unrestrained and fearless.
Shen Zheng blinked rapidly. She retracted her previous conclusion. Although Xia Qiyuan was a rigid old fogey, he had raised her very well, by his own understanding. She was not delicate. Instead, she was very… very…
Shen Zheng was momentarily at a loss for words to describe her. In that moment, she felt like her heart was suddenly gripped by an invisible hand—a little bitter, a little swollen—but not unpleasant.
Thump-thump-thump. She could hear her own heartbeat, swinging with the girl’s high ponytail in the wind.
She mused vaguely that if she were the one raising her, she would surely be even more radiant.