Transmigrated as a Scum Alpha Cannon Fodder, Sweetly Pampering the Heroine - Chapter 17

What did she like?

Shen Shu hid her face in the warm sunlight’s shadow. Some things, once abandoned, become as unattainable as reaching the heavens. The dreams she once cherished were now forever beyond her grasp.

Gazing at the radiant sunlight streaming through the window, Shen Shu watched tears well up in her eyes, tracing crystalline paths down her pale cheeks to drip onto the leather seat. Could she endure days like this?

She was so tired.

She didn’t even know who had given birth to her, making her a burden on this world. It seemed her very existence was meant to be tormented by them.

Her ring finger gently brushed the corner of her eye, wiping away the lingering moisture. Shen Shu pulled her vibrating phone from her bag and saw an unfamiliar text message:

Call me if anything happens. Don’t suffer in silence. – Xu Jinman

She paused.

Another message arrived:

I’m using you to fight for the family fortune. You can use me too. A fair trade.

Xu Jinman’s words carried a hidden meaning. When they made their agreement, Xu Jinman had promised to help the Shen Family, but ultimately, it was because of Shen Shu. If Shen Shu changed her mind, the terms of their agreement would naturally change as well.

Shen Shu turned off the screen, watching the passing scenery outside the car window, her thoughts unreadable.

The Xu Family Villa, located on the edge of the South District, was not a place where money alone could buy entry. Xu Tao, the man who had built the Xu Corporation into such a formidable empire, was no ordinary man.

When Xu Jinman entered, the household staff seemed surprised to see her, as if she were a rare sight.

To her surprise, the servants informed her that Lu Yun had been away from home for several days.

Passing through the corridor, she stepped from the deep brown carpet into the vast glass foyer. Her gaze immediately fell upon a middle-aged man reading a newspaper on the sofa—Xu Tao.

Though his figure had grown slightly stout, his towering height of over six feet kept him from appearing truly overweight.

“You still remember to come home?” Xu Tao snapped, glaring at her as he lowered the newspaper, his anger palpable.

In the original narrative, Xu Tao had been kind to the original Xu Jinman and was famously devoted to Lu Yun. What Xu Jinman couldn’t understand was why the original Xu Jinman had ordered an investigation into him.

Xu Jinman forced a businesslike smile. “Dad, considering I’ve made some contributions, please don’t be angry.”

Xu Tao snorted, issuing a few mild reprimands about her reckless behavior, but his words lacked real bite.

His expression darkened again when he brought up Xu Jinman’s marriage, his tone dripping with disdain for the Shen Family.

“I don’t care how you play around outside,” he warned, “but if you ever dare to disgrace the Xu Family again, I won’t spare you.”

Xu Jinman hadn’t noticed anything amiss until that moment. As she raised her eyes to take a sip of tea, her gaze locked with Xu Tao’s.

She couldn’t quite put her finger on what felt wrong… just an unsettling discomfort.

Xu Tao rose to answer his phone, and Xu Jinman glanced around the expansive, luxurious hall. Her eyes swept over the grand spiral staircase before settling on the southernmost room on the second floor.

After checking Xu Tao’s retreating figure, Xu Jinman rose and ascended the stairs.

The room where her original self had lived was impeccably clean, likely maintained daily. Opposite the bed hung a massive painting of a nude back, its silhouette unmistakably hers.

Xu Jinman recalled a secret room hidden within the original owner’s walk-in closet—a secret known to no one.

The closet was filled with an array of provocative dresses. One particular wardrobe contained peculiar accessories: leather belts and chains, whips…

She rubbed her fingertips together, as if the icy chill of the handcuffs she’d felt the day she transmigrated still lingered on her skin.

Xu Jinman’s heart pounded violently.

This reaction mirrored her shock when she first saw the contents of the red bag the day she arrived.

She abruptly steeled her heart, forcing her thoughts to shift to the hidden room. Pushing open the innermost door of the walk-in closet, she entered the cramped space, barely two square meters. She flicked on the small light, revealing a framed photograph standing on a black table.

It was a family portrait of the three of them.

Buzz—

The vibration in the confined space amplified the sensation.

Xu Jinman snapped out of her daze and answered the call. Whether it was her imagination or not, Lu Yun’s voice sounded less energetic than usual.

“Manman, the housekeeper told me you’re home? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I just suddenly felt like it,” Xu Jinman replied absently, her gaze fixed on the family portrait. “Why aren’t you home?”

“I’m on a trip with some friends,” Lu Yun said. “If you hadn’t stayed away so long, I wouldn’t have had to find other company.”

“Oh, okay,” Xu Jinman said.

“Is your father home?” Lu Yun asked.

“Yes, why?”

Lu Yun paused briefly before saying, “Never mind. Your father’s been in a bad mood lately. Don’t stay home tonight—I don’t want you two arguing while I’m away.”

Xu Jinman replied that she had only come back to check on things.

As Lu Yun continued speaking, Xu Jinman heard another voice on the line.

“Her oxygen saturation is a bit low…”

The call abruptly ended.

This was the first time Lu Yun had hung up on her. Xu Jinman redialed, but Lu Yun hung up again and sent her a WeChat message:

The friend I’m traveling with is in the hospital. I have some things to take care of. Take care of yourself, Manman. I’ll be back in a few days.

Xu Jinman’s gaze returned to the family photo—Lu Yun, the original owner of her body, and a third person who must have been Xu Tao. Must have been, because Xu Tao’s face had been scratched out…

The original owner’s investigation into Xu Tao had already been puzzling enough. Now Lu Yun’s behavior seemed equally suspicious.

So far, not a single member of the original owner’s family appeared normal.

What secrets were the Xu Family hiding?

Xu Jinman frowned. As if to confirm her suspicions, the portable safe nearby drew her attention.

She immediately felt a wave of unease.

She was certain this feeling wasn’t hers; it belonged to the original owner.

Just as her body retained some of the original owner’s peculiar preferences, it also retained some of her negative emotions.

By the time Xu Jinman came downstairs, Xu Tao was no longer in the living room. As she walked out of the Xu Family Villa, her mood was heavy.

Zhou Pei, waiting in the car, saw Xu Jinman emerge carrying a small case and hurried out to take it from her.

“Miss, something’s happened to Miss Shen.”

Xu Jinman, who was about to get into the car, turned back. “What is it?”

“The person we placed at Shen Corporation reported that Shen Guotao arranged a shareholders’ meeting to clear Shen Jun’s embezzlement. In front of all the shareholders, he pinned the entire blame on Miss Shen,” Zhou Pei said, observing Xu Jinman’s expression. “Miss Shen was unaware of this. When she went to the company, she was still trying to negotiate a solution with Director Yang. But then…”

“Those bastards!”

Xu Jinman rarely swore in public. Her usual refined demeanor shattered instantly, replaced by an entirely different, ruthless aura.

For a moment, Zhou Pei’s scalp tingled with unease.

Xu Jinman called Shen Shu twice, but she didn’t answer. She then ordered Zhou Pei to drive to the Shen Corporation building.

As the car approached the villa, Xu Jinman’s phone rang.

The caller ID read: “Shen Shu.”

Xu Jinman answered, “Hello?”

“Darling,” Shen Shu’s soft voice drifted through the line. “I’m at the company. Could you come pick me up?”

Xu Jinman’s fingertips trembled.

She knew this call was for someone else’s ears, yet her ears still felt like they had been bitten, tingling and numb.