Chapter 21: The Daily Life of Cannon Fodder

A pleasant holiday is just like an overdrawn kidney; not only does it feel hollowed out, but it also leaves one's vitality severely damaged...

Zhou Xiaoru had always assumed that only men could be hollowed out; why was she having this feeling too?

In her eyes now, Gu Liyan was like a thousand-year-old demon who sucked away people's vitality!

After working for these few days, every time she saw him, she felt a bit more of her own essence and Qi being sucked away.

If this continued, she would be sucked dry before her internship even ended!

Tomorrow is a new week again; the two little people in her brain have already fought countless battles over the past two days.

The rational side of her tells her: you cannot resign!

Job pressure is high right now; if you miss this village, you won't find this shop.

But the emotional side of her runs out at this moment to refute it!

That pair of "gay friends" at Tengyuan Company are like ticking time bombs, popping up to explode every now and then!

And the only one who gets crushed into dust every single time is her! For the sake of personal safety, running away is the best policy!

As Zhou Xiaoru thought and thought, it grew dark...

At this moment, she was slumped in the coffee bar of the A University library; the coffee bar was already brightly lit and filled with people.

And Miss Zhou was sitting in the innermost corner of a long table against the large glass window...

Holding a cup of pearl milk tea in her hands, she was half-slumped on the table, her eyes dull and hollow, her face wearing an expression of utter despair.

While listlessly sliding the milk tea cup back and forth with her hand, she was muttering to herself.

"I don't want to be cannon fodder... I don't want to be cannon fodder..." She had maintained this posture for a long time...

This coffee bar, opened inside the library, was where Jiang Bufan worked part-time on weekends.

Zhou Xiaoru usually came here to kill time when she had nothing to do on weekends.

Today, Xiao Lan and Yao Xiang had gone shopping; she really wasn't in the mood, so she ran here to space out for half the day.

At this time, Jiang Bufan, who had been busy behind the bar for half the day, finally reached her break time.

She took the two sandwiches the manager had just given her and found the person in the corner.

Seeing the person slumped there half-dead, she placed the plate in her hand in front of her.

"Hungry, right? Eat..."

Zhou Xiaoru couldn't help but let her face droop; staring at the items on the plate in front of her, why did she feel like this was like feeding a stray cat?

Without caring about anything else, she picked up a sandwich and shoved it into her mouth...

The moment Jiang Bufan saw that wide-open, bloody mouth, she felt a wave of disgust.

This stray cat is truly wild enough!

Hearing yesterday that she had been forcibly kissed by "Scum Gu," it really had frightened the few of them.

Last night, the group had another intense discussion; who knew what that guy Gu Liyan was thinking!

The person who had worried herself sick had her fujoshi mindset come back online at this moment...

"Xiaoru, have you ever thought that those two gay friends might actually want to 'subtly rule' you?"

The person who was struggling to eat the food was immediately choked by these words!

With a pained expression, she patted her own chest, still clutching the unfinished sandwich in her hand, unable to even speak from choking.

She could only pat her chest while pointing at the "culprit"; the sight was truly hilarious!

Seeing this, Jiang Bufan held back her laughter and hurriedly helped pat her back, not forgetting to mock her while she was at it.

"Oh my, no one is fighting you for it; are you performing 'Zhu Bajie swallowing the ginseng fruit' again?"

As she said this, she hurriedly handed her the milk tea to take a sip...

After calming down for a long while, Zhou Xiaoru finally managed to swallow the thing stuck in her throat.

Gasping for air, she glared at the person sitting next to her,

"Are you Pan Jinlian! Do you want to team up with Ximen Qing to kill me first!" This woman, she almost choked her to death just now.

Jiang Bufan hurriedly waved her hands and said, "I don't have the looks or the skills of Pan Jinlian. Don't doubt what I said; if you are Wu Dalang, then Gu Liyan and Su Poyang are Ximen Qing and Wu Song!"

Zhou Xiaoru couldn't help but twitch her face repeatedly; her fair, rosy cheeks looked just like a longevity peach.

"You mean... Ximen Qing and Wu Song want to 'subtly rule' Wu Dalang?!" This person must have watched too much BL.

"Otherwise, how do you explain the behavior of those two... Gu Liyan wants to desperately distance himself, while Su Poyang... is working hard to protect him! And now, Gu Liyan has already started to make a move on you; the next one to strike might be Su Poyang."

Zhou Xiaoru's teeth were already gnashing and creaking!

"You woman, you must have watched too many BL dramas. 'Subtle rules'? You actually thought of that... I'm not the only female employee at Tengyuan Company; if they really wanted to 'subtly rule' someone, they would find someone prettier!"

Jiang Bufan immediately put on the expression of an "old driver" coming online...

"That's where you're wrong. Didn't you say that among the Interns hired this time, you were the only woman who passed! A fresh-out-of-the-oven female college student is just like a white rabbit eating grass; hmm... fresh and delicious..."

"........." Zhou Xiaoru was completely speechless; if there were a special effects shot of the milk tea cup she was holding, it would have been crushed by her by now!

A fresh and delicious white rabbit?!

Are they going to braise her, steam her, or tear her apart by hand...

"So what if I'm a white rabbit? Even a rabbit will bite when it's pushed to the limit!"

Jiang Bufan couldn't help but pour another bucket of cold water on her, "By the time you bite him, you might have already been eaten and digested; where would you have any room left to fight back?"

Zhou Xiaoru couldn't help but let her face grow darker and darker, "Whose side are you on? Why are you turning your elbows outward?"

"I'm telling you, baby, big sister is analyzing the current situation for you. But think about it from another angle: being 'subtly ruled' by two handsome guys at the same time, tsk tsk... how truly blissful!"

"..." Zhou Xiaoru was speechless again...

After two days of mental struggle, in the end, reason triumphed over emotion...

Zhou Xiaoru decided not to resign for the time being.

It was just that starting from this week, she would protect herself well, and when necessary, she would take some legitimate defensive measures.

She was determined never to be cannon fodder again!

Whether it was Ximen or Wu Song, whoever tried to use her as a pawn again, she would finish them off first!

After repeated discussions among Jiang Bufan and the others, everyone unanimously felt that as long as she had a partner at the company, a steady boyfriend, those two pairs of demonic claws would no longer reach out toward her.

But Zhou Xiaoru had been working for less than two weeks; she hadn't even recognized everyone in the company yet, so where was she supposed to find a boyfriend?

She couldn't just grab a random male colleague and say, "Be my boyfriend!"

She was not that kind of casual person!

But regardless, having a brand-new goal was good after all.

This time, she must polish her dog eyes! Polish them! And polish them again!!

And a brand-new day had begun once more...

Today the sun was shining brightly, and there was plenty of sunlight.

With a pair of dazed eyes, Zhou Xiaoru left the dormitory building and stepped onto the road of her expedition again.

When she walked to the bus stop sign, she happened to run into someone who looked familiar...

That person was also carrying a bag while waiting for the bus; upon seeing her, his face lit up with joy, and he greeted her.

"Zhou Xiaoru?"

Zhou Xiaoru looked again and again at this tall, thin, scholarly-looking young man wearing gold-rimmed glasses, and it took her a long time to remember who this person was.

"Du Feng?"

Du Feng looked hurt and said, "No way, you forgot about me so quickly?" They had even added each other on WeChat, although he hadn't had the nerve to initiate a message to her.

Zhou Xiaoru tugged at the strap of her backpack and laughed awkwardly, "No, you're wearing glasses today, so I didn't recognize you for a moment. I'm sorry."

When she first reported to Tengyuan on her first day, he was the first male colleague she met; at the time, she had even asked him to help deliver documents, so how could she not remember him?

It was just that, a moment ago, her soul had been wandering in the Great Void the whole way, so she hadn't paid much attention...

Seeing him appear here suddenly, she asked, "Why are you here?"

"My younger sister is a freshman at H University. She came to eat at my place yesterday and left her keys there, so I'm rushing to deliver them to her."

"Oh, your sister studies here too?" This was the University Town, where several universities were located right next to each other.

"Yeah, are you from A University?"

"Yes, I am."

"Then aren't you and President Gu alumni?"

She gave a dry laugh, "Hehe... So many people graduate from A University every year, and since we're at a company in the same city, the chances of running into alumni are still quite high."

"That's true. I heard that a lot of fresh graduates from A University came to the interview last time, and they were all girls, but it seems you were the only one hired."

".................." Zhou Xiaoru really didn't know about this, "Maybe I just have good luck."

Just as they were talking, the bus arrived...

Today's bus was as packed with people as always; Zhou Xiaoru squeezed through the crowd while thinking about Du Feng's words.

What did this guy mean? Did he think she was a lovesick fool for wanting to join Tengyuan!

Du Feng, who boarded after her, couldn't help but chuckle as he watched her keep pushing toward the front.

Zhou Xiaoru stood once again in the spot where she had been standing every time she took this bus over the past few days.

Right next to the trash can near the rear door...

She felt this spot was excellent; it was fast and convenient for getting off!

As the bus started moving, a long, thin arm appeared on the railing above her head.

She looked up...

It was Du Feng, who had followed her over.

He started chatting again, "Did you eat breakfast today?" He remembered the situation when he ran into her at the stairwell last time.

Zhou Xiaoru was stunned for a moment, then replied, "I ate." Actually, she hadn't.

Du Feng smiled and pulled a bottle of milk tea from the side of his backpack, handing it to Zhou Xiaoru.

"This is for you; you can drink it when you're hungry."

Zhou Xiaoru was stunned again, saying, "No need. Besides, you bought me a bottle of milk tea last time, and I still haven't paid you back."

"Why are you being so polite? You don't see me as a friend, right? Alright then, next time you need to send any documents or files, I won't help you."

"No, no, no, of course I see you as a friend." As she said this, she hurriedly took the milk tea from his hand...

The conversation between the two had by now reached the ears of an older woman sitting in the priority seat next to the trash can.

The older woman turned around to look at the two people talking, then turned back around.

Unaware of this, the two chatted the whole way until they got off the bus...

That older woman happened to be getting off at this stop too, but her legs didn't seem very mobile; she was leaning on a cane, and her speed getting off the bus was a bit slow.

Zhou Xiaoru, who had already gotten off, saw this and hurriedly went up enthusiastically, half-supporting and half-embracing the older woman as she helped her off the bus....

The older woman looked happily at the young girl supporting her, and as she looked, she expressed her gratitude.

"Thank you, young lady..."

"It's nothing, Auntie, be careful on the road."

The older woman then glanced at Du Feng, who was following behind, and said in a low voice.

"Young lady, this young man is quite good; don't let him slip away."

Just now on the bus, she had been observing the interaction between these two.

Zhou Xiaoru paused, subconsciously glanced at the tall young man behind her, and hurriedly explained in a low voice to the older woman.

"Auntie, we aren't in that kind of relationship."

The older woman remained enthusiastic, "Young lady, my eye for people is never wrong. Seize the opportunity; this young man is good. Auntie is leaving now..."

".........."

The corners of Zhou Xiaoru's mouth couldn't help but twitch uncontrollably again!

What is wrong with people these days? Have they all been poisoned by soap operas!

At this moment, Du Feng walked over, and seeing her staring in the direction the old woman had left, he couldn't help but ask curiously.

"What did that old woman say to you?"

Snapping back to reality, she replied, "Ah?... Oh, nothing, just thanking me and such."

Day after day, there is so much drama just from taking a bus.

With an incredibly gloomy mood, Zhou Xiaoru prepared to enter the company...

At this time, sitting outside an open-air restaurant diagonally across from Tengyuan Company were two handsome men...

The man in the blue suit asked the man in the black suit with a look of someone watching a show.

"Liyan, are you sitting here this early in the morning to eat breakfast, or to catch Zhou Xiaoru?"

At this moment, the man in the black suit had a somewhat dark expression.

For the past two days, he had been trying to contact Zhou Xiaoru, but he had been unable to reach her; he knew his phone number and WeChat had once again been added to her blacklist.

He thought perhaps it was because he kissed her on Friday, which had annoyed her...

He had been waiting here since early morning just to talk to her and apologize for what happened that day.

Yet, he had just happened to see her get off the bus, laughing and talking with another man...

And this person just happened to be his assistant!

At this moment, Gu Liyan's heart was filled with a sense of displeasure...