The Real Daughter Needs Saving by This Vicious Female Cannon Fodder? - Chapter 27

Gu Xia stood by the sink, opening the plastic bag of vegetables, wanting to lend Ning Anran a hand.

“Go wait on the sofa.”

“I’ll wash the vegetables myself later.”

Taking the apron from the side, Ning Anran swiftly tied it around herself, eyeing Gu Xia—this pampered young lady who’d never done a day’s housework.

Her tone even carried a hint of coaxing a child.

With strands of hair falling by her temples, Ning Anran looked utterly captivating. Gu Xia pressed her lips together, reluctantly retreating from the kitchen.

“I… I can wash the vegetables!”

“Ning Anran, I can handle such a simple task!”

Gu Xia hated the smell of cooking oil and detested getting her hands greasy—habits Ning Anran had long been aware of.

Tilting her head, Ning Anran called her out directly.

“I’m cooking for you. No need to feel guilty.”

“Anyway, I’m unemployed now. Helping you is just like being your nanny.”

“What kind of nanny lets the boss interfere with cooking?”

Ning Anran’s tone was light and cheerful. Gu Xia gripped the kitchen doorframe, still unwilling to leave.

“Then can I stand by the door and learn from you?”

“I want to learn how to cook too. That should be fine, right?”

Why did she seem like a wronged kitten?

Throwing a little tantrum.

Ning Anran turned on the range hood, worried the smell might bother Gu Xia. The hum drowned out her voice.

“Fine. If Miss Gu the Second is serious about learning, I can teach you.”

“A secret recipe—exclusively for Miss Gu the Second.”

Aunt Li, who’d been shooed out of the kitchen earlier, feared losing favor and quickly prepared a beautifully arranged fruit platter for Gu Xia.

“Miss, these are fresh fruits just delivered by the orchard. Thin skin, thick flesh, and sweet as can be!”

Seeing Aunt Li, Gu Xia cast another reluctant glance toward the kitchen.

Aunt Li had, after all, watched Gu Xia grow up. She tugged Gu Xia over to the coffee table.

Whispering, she said, “Miss, if you really think that Ning girl is a good person, just wait for her to finish cooking.”

Some time ago, Aunt Li had heard from Ning’s mother next door that Ning Anran was going out to find a job, so she and her husband wouldn’t have to struggle as much.

Aunt Li had rolled her eyes inwardly. Even a vicious tiger wouldn’t eat its own cubs, yet she couldn’t see any genuine care from that couple toward Ning Anran.

The girl’s hard-earned scholarship money? Without a second thought, they’d gamble it away—not a penny left, and even worse, racking up tens of thousands in debt!

Before, Aunt Li had bossed Ning Anran around because the Second Miss disliked her. She hadn’t dared show Ning any kindness, afraid Gu Xia might hand her well-paying job to someone else in a fit of displeasure.

The Gu household was still under the Second Miss’s rule. Even the gardeners asked her what flowers to plant.

The master and mistress were rarely home, and the eldest sister was even more elusive—returning only to sleep late at night before rushing back to the company at dawn.

Gu Xia sat down, sensing Aunt Li had something to say.

Given that, in this melodramatic Mary Sue novel, Aunt Li had never betrayed her, Gu Xia decided to hear her out.

As everyone knows, the lackeys of villains are sometimes even more loyal than those of protagonists. In trashy novels, a protagonist’s friend might stab them in the back.

But a villain’s lackey? They’re steadfastly loyal, willing to die rather than yield—even if their master isn’t even human!

“Second Miss, didn’t that Ning girl fail to find a job today?”

“Since she wants to work for you, why not let her do something to pass the time?”

Aunt Li, having been through life’s hardships, understood exactly what Ning Anran was feeling.

There was a time when her own daughter couldn’t find a job, spending sleepless nights in anxiety and losing clumps of hair.

It took a long time before her daughter’s distress finally eased.

“When people bottle things up inside, if they don’t find something to do, they’ll eventually break.”

Gu Xia knew Aunt Li was subtly advising her not to flaunt her superiority in front of Ning Anran.

She stayed silent, but when she heard Aunt Li mention “break,” she couldn’t help but speak up.

“Aunt Li, don’t make it sound so scary.”

“Ning Anran seems perfectly fine, doesn’t she?”

The kitchen exhaust fan hummed loudly, so Gu Xia wasn’t worried Ning Anran would overhear.

Aunt Li shook her head at the Second Miss’s naivety.

“Second Miss, you’ve never known hardship—you wouldn’t understand!”

“That Ning girl’s parents are downright inhuman. How can she land a decent job before even graduating?”

“They say ‘slow and steady wins the race’—shouldn’t she take her time?”

“But when you’re desperate, it’s easy to crack under pressure.”

“Back in my hometown, there’s a fool who still takes antipsychotics to this day.”

“Rumor has it, it was all because he couldn’t find a job back then!”

Once Aunt Li started talking, she couldn’t stop. Gu Xia’s mind gradually recalled a plotline she had nearly forgotten.

When Ning Anran’s fake parents realized someone was investigating them, they immediately started arranging her marriage—to men who were practically “Ten Great Evils”-level toads!

Some were even over forty, already raising three kids.

Her fake parents tried to sell her off for a measly sixty thousand yuan.

“Aunt Li, do you know where Ning Anran’s hometown is?”

Gu Xia decided she needed to guard against Ning Anran’s scheming fake parents and began planning her investigation.

Lately, she’d been too busy keeping Ning Anran away from the male lead to look into those two venomous imposters.

Gu Xia knew acting rashly without preparation would only alert them.

“Of course! It’s in a county under Fengcheng.”

“Very remote, but the tourist spots are thriving—tens of thousands visit every year just for the scenery!”

Though Aunt Li despised Ning Anran’s parents, she hadn’t openly clashed with her mother to avoid causing trouble for the household.

Instead, she had subtly extracted plenty of information through casual chats.

Fengcheng.

She’d have to mark that place.

Gu Xia made a mental note, then took a bite of the fruit Aunt Li had cut for her.

“Aunt Li, stay and eat with us when Ning Anran finishes cooking.”

Aunt Li, ever sharp, quickly stood and rolled up her sleeves.

“No need, Second Miss.”

“I just remembered I have to pick up my granddaughter from kindergarten later. These days, her parents are always too busy, so it falls to this old lady to do it.”

Miss Gu the Second had been unusually attentive to the Ning family girl these past few days—how could she not notice?

Aunt Li couldn’t figure out what had gotten into her young mistress, who kept alternating between kindness and coldness toward the Ning girl.

If she couldn’t understand it, wasn’t it better to just steer clear?

After working in this grand household for so long, even a maid needed sharp instincts!

Otherwise, she’d have been fired long ago!

Gu Xia watched Aunt Li’s rapidly retreating figure and fell into silence.

Could Aunt Li also think she’d gone wolfish, poaching so close to home?!