Transmigrating as a Cannon Fodder in the Apocalypse, Seducing the Mad Female Lead - Chapter 35

Su Tang had been tirelessly working in the Outer City, where the elderly, weak, women, and children were concentrated.

Though she had initially thought it best to remain detached and uninvolved, the reality of seeing elderly people with graying temples shivering in the bitter wind stirred something different within her.

Su Tang ordered more electric blankets and charcoal to be brought in. By the time she finished, night had already fallen.

Her stomach growled loudly, a clear sign of prolonged hunger.

“I heard your stomach rumbling. Go eat something first,” someone said.

Su Tang nodded, accepting the offer, and left the area.

Bai Yanxing wasn’t around; she had gone to spend time with her parents. After all, even the Female Lead couldn’t revolve around her 24/7, Su Tang thought with a pang of melancholy.

Gu Mei and the others still needed to undergo trials, so they couldn’t go to the cafeteria. Instead, someone brought them food in basins, delivering meals to the group who had been starving for days.

The cafeteria was steaming with heat as Su Tang pushed open the door, causing a momentary hush to fall over the room.

Then she spotted someone she hadn’t seen in days. She looked surprisingly well, though a faint worry lingered in her eyes. When she noticed Su Tang, she seemed to hesitate, as if wanting to say something but holding back.

“What’s wrong, Uncle Bai?” Su Tang asked, her patience for the Female Lead’s father still unwavering.

“You…” Bai She started to scold her, but the words caught in her throat. She remembered she was the daughter of the Black Wolf Gang’s Alpha. She couldn’t afford to antagonize her. She had to consider her family’s safety.

“Su Tang, I’m deeply grateful for saving my family. I know I owe you several lives, but… could you please not hurt Yanxing’s feelings? You used to like Chen Bin, but then you suddenly said you didn’t anymore. You didn’t even cry when she died… or attend her funeral.”

Su Tang: ?

She couldn’t understand why Bai She would say such things. Just moments ago, when she saw her, her attitude had been quite pleasant, her smile warm and friendly.

But Su Tang soon learned the reason.

It turned out Bai Yanxing was drunk.

An empty plate sat on the table, only crumbs and scraps of food remaining. Yet Bai Yanxing was dizzy, her cheeks flushed like ripe peaches.

“You child, who let you drink…?” Zhou Yulan wiped the stains from Bai Yanxing’s lips with a tissue as she swayed to her feet.

“Mom, you… don’t worry about me…”

“I just wanted to drink…”

Bai Yanxing remembered the old hunter who had taught her archery saying that a good drunk could wash away a thousand sorrows.

But Bai Yanxing had only drunk one glass of vodka. Though potent, she still retained some clarity, her gait merely a little unsteady.

He braced herself against the table with one hand.

Then she saw the face she had been longing for just moments ago.

“Su Tang?”

Bai Yanxing felt a pang of helplessness. Isn’t alcohol supposed to drown your sorrows? she wondered. Why am I still thinking about the person I miss so much, even when I’m drunk?

“Yanxing, why are you drinking?” Su Tang asked, clearly surprised. Bai Yanxing never drank; in the original novel, the Female Lead had repeatedly invited her for drinks, but she always refused, citing her need to stay clear-headed at all times.

“Just wanted to try it…” Bai Yanxing lied, not wanting to admit he’d turned to alcohol to forget the way Su Tang looked at Gu Mei.

“Are you finished with your work?” Even in her drunken state, Bai Yanxing remembered to ask about Su Tang.

“Mm…” Su Tang had planned to say she’d come to eat because she was hungry, but seeing the Female Lead in this state, she couldn’t possibly abandon her to eat alone. Let my stomach rumble, she thought. The person in front of me is more important.

“Let me help you back.” Su Tang wrapped her arm around Bai Yanxing’s waist, guiding her step by step out of the cafeteria.

“Miss Su, allow me to assist you,” a voice called out.

Zhou Yulan spoke, her features bearing a striking resemblance to Bai Yanxing’s, though her demeanor was more gentle and refined than her daughter’s cool, ethereal beauty.

“You must be here for dinner,” Zhou Yulan said. “Bai Yanxing is a bit drunk tonight, and it wouldn’t be appropriate for her to stay with you. I’ll take her home for the night.”

Hearing Bai Yanxing’s mother say this, Su Tang felt a pang of guilt, as if she were trying to steal a daughter from her own mother.

However, Su Tang absolutely couldn’t let Bai Yanxing out of her sight. Though she knew it was selfish, she mustered her courage and spoke.

“That won’t be necessary, Aunt Zhou. Yanxing and I are used to living together. It’s no trouble at all. Besides, didn’t you have work to do today?”

As a professor of electrical engineering, Zhou Yulan had been particularly busy lately. The Hydroelectric Dam kept malfunctioning every few days.

With winter approaching and firewood and charcoal supplies dwindling, many people were relying on electricity for heating. This surge in power consumption caused frequent power outages, a constant source of frustration.

Su Tang spoke with such clarity and conviction that Zhou Yulan didn’t know how to respond.

This was her daughter, and even taking her home to rest now seemed difficult.

“You’re right,” Zhou Yulan conceded.

She trusted the girl before her. After all, Su Tang looked so gentle and frail; it was hard to imagine her doing anything untoward to her daughter.

But…

Remembering the rumors she’d heard within the Black Wolf Gang, Zhou Yulan couldn’t shake her unease. Her mind wavered between trust and doubt.

Before she could decide, someone else made the choice for her.

“Mom, I won’t bother you at work anymore,” Bai Yanxing said, swaying slightly as she released her grip on her mother’s arm. She walked toward Su Tang, who felt a surge of satisfaction at being so trusted.

Su Tang pulled her into a hug, then nodded with a smile.

“Goodbye, Aunt Zhou,” she said, her voice brimming with undisguised delight. The feeling of being so firmly chosen by the Female Lead was exhilarating.

As the pair walked away, Bai She approached.

“How could you let Yanxing go with her?” Bai She asked, her voice laced with anxiety. She clearly believed the rumors circulating at the Black Wolf Gang’s base—that Su Tang and Bai Yanxing had secretly begun dating.

But… Su Tang was far from an ideal partner in Bai He’s eyes.

First and foremost was her fickle nature. One moment she was interested in men, and the next she had switched preferences, treating love like a trendy accessory, something new and intriguing to try.

“Whether it’s right or wrong, she needs to experience it herself,” Zhou Yulan said, shaking her head. “As parents, we don’t have the right to control her choices.”

Bai Yanxing wasn’t ten years old, nor was she eighteen. She was in her twenties.

She had saved her parents from danger countless times. As their daughter, she deserved the right to make her own choices.

Whether she loved or didn’t love Su Tang, she needed to try it for herself to know.

Only then would they truly know if Su Tang was the right match for Bai Yanxing.