Qi Ningze found himself cornered, a much taller and larger man blocking his path entirely.
His pretty peach-blossom eyes brimmed with a watery mist, looking hazily at the group before him as his body trembled uncontrollably with fear.
Whispering inwardly to the System, Qi Ningze asked, “System… do I really have to go through with this plot point? I don’t want to get beaten up…”
If only I were a vicious cannon fodder instead, he thought wistfully. Then I’d be the one bullying others.
Qi Ningze never imagined that on his very first day of school, he would encounter school bullying.
The System put down its video game, watched the upcoming plot unfold, and let out a scoff, its typically cold and emotionless electronic voice laced with mockery.
[What did you expect? Cannon fodder is cannon fodder. Your entire existence is meant to serve the protagonists, and this is just the beginning.]
[What you’re experiencing right now is a destined plot point for cannon fodder.]
The upcoming plot would only grow more cruel. The poor host would do well to accept reality sooner rather than later.
Qi Ningze blinked, a trace of sorrow welling up in his eyes.
He softly replied, “So that’s how it is. I understand. System, I’ll work hard to complete the mission.”
Qi Ningze’s silent, lowered-head stance was directly misinterpreted by the assailant as provocation.
Ke Feng forcefully grabbed Qi Ningze by the collar, exposing the youth’s smooth, porcelain-white skin right before his eyes and momentarily stunning him.
How can this kid be so pale?
Without halting his actions, Ke Feng sneered, “I asked you a question. Why are you keeping your head down? Lost your tongue or something?”
With his head bowed, Qi Ningze’s fair, slender neck was exposed to Ke Feng, resembling a dying swan struggling in its final moments.
Trembling slightly all over, Qi Ningze obediently recited the lines provided by the System: “I stepped on you on purpose just now, so what? I just don’t submit to you if you’ve got the guts, beat me to death!”
With that, he closed his eyes, his heart feeling as dead as ashes.
He hadn’t paid attention to Ke Feng standing behind him on his way to school today, and ended up accidentally stepping on Ke Feng’s shoe. That instantly triggered the cannon fodder’s personal plot point, getting him cornered in this little alcove by the other boy.
As for how he knew the other’s name was Ke Feng, it was because the lackey standing nearby kept chanting: “You dare provoke our boss? Do you even know who our boss is? The tyrant of No. 3 High, Ke Feng!”
Ke Feng froze for a beat. Frowning, he stared at Ke Feng in silence.
Pale, thin, and frail like a delicate little miss. How dared he utter such words?
Ke Feng wasn’t someone prone to anger. If the kid had just apologized after stepping on his shoe, he would have let the matter slide. However, Ke Feng was intensely homophobic, and Qi Ningze’s effeminate appearance instantly aroused aversion in his heart.
The grip of Ke Feng’s hand grew tighter, his deep, icy eyes flashing with a biting chill, as if he intended to shred Qi Ningze into a thousand pieces the next second.
He sneered, “I’ll give you one more chance to speak properly.”
Qi Ningze bit his lower lip and, mustering his courage, continued reciting: “I stepped on you on purpose just now! Don’t think I’m afraid of you!”
Seeing Qi Ningze’s expression of resignation to death, Ke Feng’s frown deepened even further.
In the past, whenever those gay guys saw him, they acted like mice encountering a cat, too frightened to utter a sound. Yet this newly arrived transfer student had the sheer audacity to act so bold.
With that thought, Ke Feng stood up and told his lackey, who was standing dazedly in place: “Let’s go. Leave him alone.”
The lackey’s thick, caterpillar-like eyebrows shot high up into his hairline, his mouth agape wide enough to swallow a chicken egg. “Huh? Boss, why?”
Weren’t they supposed to beat the guy until he was crawling and begging for mercy like usual? Why was the boss in such a good mood today that he’d let someone off the hook?
Frowning, Ke Feng replied, “Stop asking. Let’s go.”
Those guys were generally spineless; they wouldn’t dare fight back like the person in front of him did. Concluding that the other party wasn’t gay, Ke Feng naturally lost interest in making things difficult for him.
Watching Ke Feng and his entourage retreat into the distance, Qi Ningze stumbled to his feet, his black-and-white eyes rounded in sheer disbelief.
System?? He’s just letting me off like that? He had fully expected Ke Feng to beat him black and blue.
The System let out a curious sound, its invisible data tentacles rapidly scanning the backend records.
After a moment, the System replied: [Don’t worry, you don’t need to panic. If you don’t get beaten today, you’ll get beaten tomorrow.]
Once Qi Ningze progressed through the plot to become Yang Le’an’s cannon fodder boyfriend, Ke Feng would find out about it, leading to a brand-new round of bullying.
Dusting himself off, Qi Ningze cast a shadow across his amber pupils with his lush, delicate lashes, optimistically thinking, Well then, I hope the beating isn’t too heavy next time preferably not on the face.
He had completely accepted his identity by now. Cannon fodder was cannon fodder; if he just kept working hard for a few more years to get promoted to a villainous supporting character, life would definitely improve significantly.
Just as Qi Ningze got back to his feet, he spotted Yang Le’an running toward him from afar.
An expression of anxiety lingered on Yang Le’an’s handsome face. After scanning Qi Ningze up and down, his tightly furrowed brow finally relaxed.
“As long as you’re okay. Someone just told me Ke Feng came looking for you, he didn’t give you a hard time, did he?”
Qi Ningze shook his head, a clear gaze of instinctive trust shining in his eyes. “It’s fine, I’m doing well. You don’t need to worry about me.”
The protagonist shou is so nice! He even ran over specially to check up on me what an absolute saint!
Without a word, Yang Le’an pulled Qi Ningze along toward his new classroom, instructing him along the way: “Ke Feng… I heard he’s in your class. Rumor has it he has some backing and transferred over from an aristocratic academy. Try to steer clear of him and don’t provoke him if you can.”
“Mm-hmm!” Hearing Yang Le’an’s earnest advice, Qi Ningze nodded repeatedly like a little chick pecking grain.
Inwardly, he told the System, “The protagonist shou is truly wonderful. He keeps looking out for me.”
The System, which had witnessed the entire sequence of events, let out a snort, its mechanical voice dripping with schadenfreude: [You’d better keep thinking that.]
It had seen everything crystal clear just moments ago: Yang Le’an had watched the entire process of its host being bullied with cold detachment, only running over to comfort the host after Ke Feng had left.
How hilarious that this foolish, innocent host was still thinking of showing gratitude afterward.
Failing to catch the underlying implication in the System’s tone, Qi Ningze chimed in with an agreeable “Mm-hmm.” Standing at the entrance of the classroom, he carefully smoothed down his clothes, hoping to leave a good first impression on his classmates.
After a gentle knock on the door, Qi Ningze pushed it open and stepped onto the podium, too shy to even lift his face.
“Hello everyone… my name is Qi Ningze. It’s a pleasure to meet you all…” His voice was soft yet crystalline, resembling a babbling brook carrying the gentle softness of willow catkins swaying in the breeze.
Ke Feng, who had been resting his head on his arms with a textbook shielding his face and dozing off, instinctively raised his head to look at the youth on the podium.
Bathed in sunlight, the boy stood tall and straight. His gentle eyes seemed to harbor the stars of the universe, and a faint smile graced his lips, resembling warm sunlight sweeping through the chill of winter.
For a moment, Ke Feng was transfixed, his mind blanking entirely as a shy blush slowly crept across his tanned skin.
It wasn’t until Qi Ningze took a seat at an empty desk in the back of the classroom that Ke Feng snapped back to his senses, wondering bewilderedly whether the Qi Ningze he had just encountered really looked this striking.
Ke Feng glanced around. The expressions on the faces of the people nearby were entirely nonchalant, and a few of the boys even wore looks of undisguised disappointment.
Frowning slightly, he nudged the lackey beside him and asked in a low voice, “Don’t you think the new kid looks pretty good?”
Upon hearing this, the lackey immediately turned around to look at Qi Ningze. After staring for a long while, he replied, “Huh? Boss, why do you think he’s pretty?”
The new kid clearly looked ordinary not necessarily ugly, but giving off a gentle vibe that suggested he was easy to get along with. That was about it.
“Ordinary? You must be blind.” Hearing that, Ke Feng raised his voice a notch. He turned his head back toward the spot his lackey had just looked at, where Qi Ningze was indeed sitting.
Seeing Qi Ningze up close once more, Ke Feng drifted into a daze all over again. The other party resembled an elf straight out of a fairy tale, adorned with every beautiful description imaginable. Qi Ningze didn’t even need to do anything; just sitting there was enough to make countless people fall in love with him.
[Data anomaly detected. Cannon fodder Qi Ningze’s appearance seal has experienced a loosening.]
[Appearance seal is undergoing maintenance: 100, 99, 98… Appearance seal has restabilized. Please mind your behavior, cannon fodder Qi Ningze, and refrain from developing any emotional attachments to characters in the small world.]
Hearing the eerie prompt from the System, a flicker of bewilderment crossed Qi Ningze’s stark black-and-white eyes. Biting his ruby-red lower lip, he whispered, “System, did something go wrong just now?”
[It’s nothing, just a minor glitch,] the System’s steady voice echoed back in his mind, carrying a soothing undertone.
Qi Ningze nodded and let out a sigh of relief. “As long as there’s no problem, heehee.”
He knew a thing or two about the appearance seal. For instance, the seal would weaken during moments of intense emotional fluctuation, or when he was outside his designated plot points.
However, after hearing the System’s prompt just now, Qi Ningze surmised that the appearance seal must have been reinforced again.
Truth be told, Qi Ningze thoroughly disliked his own face. If not for the fact that maintaining the appearance seal required him to consume points and energy every month, he could have promoted himself to a vicious cannon fodder much sooner.
Snapping out of his trance, Ke Feng looked at Qi Ningze, who now appeared unremarkable, much like any ordinary person while a wave of deep astonishment and curiosity flickered through the depths of his eyes.
Turning back around, he tapped his sharp-knuckled fingers against the desk in a rhythmic pattern.
After a moment, Ke Feng muttered to his lackey, “Never mind… I must have just seen things earlier.”
Picking up his phone again to resume gaming, the lackey muttered under his breath, “Phew, alright then. I was wondering why you suddenly started praising the new kid’s looks, Boss. Turns out you were just seeing things.”
It had been a false alarm that nearly scared him out of his wits; he had half-feared that Ke-ge had suddenly turned gay and taken a fancy to the new kid, letting lovers’ goggles make him think the newcomer was exceptionally handsome.
Ke Feng smacked his lackey over the head with a cold, sharp glint in his handsome eyes. “What nonsense are you thinking about all day? Hurry up and get back to your game.”