Transmigrated as the Cannon Fodder Boss of the Disabled Heroine (GL, ABO) - Chapter 5
Jiang Wenxiu sat on the floor, clutching the hem of her clothes and wailing as if her arms and legs had been broken.
Pei Yujiang couldn’t help but second-guess herself.
Had she really been too rough with the little girl? Or were people in this era just not very resilient?
Her hands had wielded blades capable of slicing through the throats and bones of zombie beasts, had beheaded marauders but against a mere slip of a girl, Pei Yujiang had still controlled her strength.
Even if she didn’t like Jiang Wenxiu, the force she’d used was calculated to cause pain without injury, let alone permanent damage. Yet Jiang Wenxiu’s cries were so pitiful that Pei Yujiang couldn’t help but suspect some kind of scheme.
The butler and the maid exchanged uneasy glances, nudging each other until finally, the maid mustered her courage and stepped forward. She cast a timid glance at Pei Yujiang before reaching out to help the sobbing Jiang Wenxiu.
Pei Yujiang looked at the maid, about to speak, but the maid immediately lowered her head and fell silent, even slowing her efforts to pull Jiang Wenxiu away.
Pei Yujiang: “…”
This wasn’t the first time she’d been treated like some kind of monster. Especially after that one battlefield cleanup mission, three days and nights of piling up corpses before they were finally gathered and burned to ashes. The thick stench of bl00d had clung to her, impossible to wash away.
Back in the city, infants had cried at the sight of her, but adults weren’t usually this dramatic.
After the maid led Jiang Wenxiu away, Pei Yujiang finally had some peace. Following the original host’s memories, she found her room.
The decor was lavish. Standing before the full-length mirror in the bathroom, Pei Yujiang took her first proper look at her appearance in this new world.
The original host looked quite similar to her aside from being a Beta, there weren’t many differences.
Narrow, upturned phoenix eyes, a delicate and slightly upturned nose, thin lips that were naturally pale , a feline-like face. Pei Yujiang’s irises were a deep blue, distinct from the usual black or brown, lighter than navy but still striking. Her long lashes, both upper and lower, were thick, ensuring that anyone’s first glance would be drawn to her eyes.
But so far, the most unforgettable eyes Pei Yujiang had seen belonged to Yu Zhiwan.
The woman’s gaze was gentle and clear, yet layered with unspoken emotions, full of tender grievances. It was a shame she was blind.
Every time she thought of it, Pei Yujiang felt a pang of regret.
As for that villainous mission, Pei Yujiang hadn’t taken it too seriously yet. After all, she wasn’t even an Alpha now, so the idea of “claiming” Yu Zhiwan was off the table. Besides, she was a law-abiding citizen she’d never resort to forced marking.
System 711 reminded her stubbornly:
“Host, even if you can’t mark Yu Zhiwan right now, you still need to act like you’re infatuated with her enough to annoy her and provoke the real protagonist, Liu Huanran, into action! Otherwise, Liu Huanran will just keep lazing around. How are we supposed to move the plot forward?”
Pei Yujiang, ever the optimist, shrugged.
“Don’t worry. We’ll cross that bridge when we get there. For now, let’s focus on lowering the female lead’s corruption value to a safe range.”
The female lead’s corruption value couldn’t be too low or too high. System 711 hadn’t specified exact numbers, but Pei Yujiang guessed it needed to stay around 50 or 60. Too high, and things could get dangerous; too low, and the plot would stall.
Pei Yujiang decided to start working at Pei Jinhuai’s company first after all, she couldn’t just become unemployed after arriving in this new era. That wouldn’t align with General Pei’s driven nature.
She called the original host’s mother to share this idea. Pei Jinhuai, who had always been exasperated by her daughter, was overjoyed. She repeatedly urged Pei Yujiang to work hard, avoid causing trouble, and not lose interest after just a few minutes. She also transferred some pocket money to her and arranged a medical check-up at a hospital.
“Xiao Yu,” Pei Jinhuai, a formidable businesswoman who was actually helpless when it came to her daughter, spoke cautiously, as if afraid of angering Pei Yujiang. Her guilt over their failed marriage, which she believed had led to her daughter’s rebellious nature, made her overly indulgent. “For this check-up… what should we put for your gender?”
The original host was a Beta, but only her family including the mother and daughter she lived with knew this. Outwardly, she claimed to be an Alpha and even purchased expensive pheromone extracts from the black market to mimic an Alpha’s presence.
In her past life, Pei Yujiang had been a formidable Alpha. While it was true that an elite Alpha’s physique far surpassed that of Omegas and Betas, it also came with the responsibility of protecting the nation.
Many Betas envied Alphas, but even now as a Beta, Pei Yujiang didn’t see anything wrong with living this way.
Yet, just as she was about to speak, a powerful force seemed to grip her throat, preventing her from voicing her true thoughts.
Becoming an Alpha had been the original host’s obsession. If not for that desperate desire, she wouldn’t have risked buying pheromone extracts from the black market.
Pei Yujiang frowned and reluctantly answered the phone:
“Let’s stick with Alpha. I’ve always put Alpha before, and everyone thinks I’m one. Suddenly changing it would seem weird.”
After she conceded, the oppressive feeling vanished.
The original host seemed fixated on her gender beyond that, her lingering consciousness didn’t interfere.
But Pei Yujiang hated feeling controlled. It was unsettling. Only after confirming with the system that the original host’s consciousness would fade as the plot progressed did she feel slightly better.
On the day of the check-up, however, Pei Yujiang unexpectedly ran into Yu Zhiwan.
The woman stood out in the bustling hospital crowd, dressed in a simple ankle-length dress, sunglasses perched on her nose, pushing an electric wheelchair. Her jet-black hair was loosely tied into a messy bun with a wooden hairpin, her bangs slightly heavy but framing her fair skin and striking features.
Slender and poised, she didn’t look unhealthy except for her reliance on the wheelchair.
But the hospital was crowded that day. Loud commotion erupted ahead apparently, a dispute had broken out. A patient’s family held up banners, blocking the path completely. Onlookers gathered, and soon, shoving and shouting erupted.
Amid the chaos, angry curses and a child’s piercing wails rang out.
Yu Zhiwan was jostled about in the crowd, and even the security personnel shouting through megaphones to maintain order were powerless to help. In the blink of an eye, Pei Yujiang saw the wheelchair being shoved forward, nearly crashing into the door. The person who pushed it didn’t even apologize, instead squeezing through the crowd with their report in hand.
Pei Yujiang couldn’t stand it any longer.
With her considerable strength and tall yet slender frame, she easily found a way through.
Despite Yu Zhiwan’s desperate attempts to maneuver the wheelchair away, the sheer volume of people made it impossible. Alone, she drifted like a small boat lost at sea, on the verge of being swallowed by the crowd until someone suddenly took control of the wheelchair from behind.
Pei Yujiang steadied it effortlessly.
The crowd was overwhelming. Pei Yujiang couldn’t understand why a peaceful, ordinary hospital would be so packed. The stench of sweat, the scent of human hair, and even the spray of saliva from loud arguments about who bumped into whom filled the air.
A child’s piercing wail cut through the noise, while a pregnant woman shouted for her partner after being jostled. The hospital had turned into a chaotic marketplace.
Then, someone yelled, “Fight!” and the crowd surged apart, only adding to the congestion in the already packed hallway.
Yu Zhiwan gripped the edges of her wheelchair tightly, trying to regain control, but Pei Yujiang leaned down and whispered in her ear:
“Hold on!”
Before Yu Zhiwan could react, Pei Yujiang bent forward, hands locking onto the wheelchair’s armrests, shielding her completely.
Pei Yujiang’s arms, though not bulky, were elegantly toned and surprisingly strong. Once she spotted a path, she pushed forward without hesitation, carefully avoiding the elderly, weak, and disabled, keeping Yu Zhiwan and her wheelchair securely against her.
Yu Zhiwan’s compact wheelchair made it easier to navigate. The stifling odors of the crowd faded, replaced by the crisp, refreshing scent of perfume, a sophisticated white tea fragrance, rich but not cloying, a testament to its wearer’s refined taste.
“We meet again.”
As the villain, always rescuing the heroine in distress felt a bit odd. Pei Yujiang had planned to slip away unnoticed, but then she heard that soft, ethereal voice beside her.
Before she could retreat, warm breath brushed against the loose strands of hair by her ear. As if afraid she’d leave too quickly, Yu Zhiwan reached out tentatively, her fingers lightly encircling Pei Yujiang’s wrist. Though a slight tug could break the hold, the Omega’s touch was delicate, her skin smooth. Pei Yujiang knew even the slightest force might send her tumbling, so she stayed still.
“Miss Yu, I recognize your voice.”
The gentle voice spoke again, no longer distant like before. As the words faded, a playful smile curled at Yu Zhiwan’s lips, so disarming it was almost suffocating, drowning in an Omega’s tenderness.