In the dead of night, Yang Le’an and Qi Ningze walked side by side. Along the way, Qi Ningze felt a covert gaze landing on him from time to time, laced with a faint, veiled concern.
“What’s wrong? Do you have something to tell me?” Qi Ningze turned his head, a hint of curiosity surfacing on his usually calm and gentle face, silently seeping into Yang Le’an’s heart.
At this moment, even the normally meticulous Yang Le’an showed a trace of embarrassment on his face.
Taking a deep breath, his heart pounding rapidly, Yang Le’an asked uneasily, “Um… why did you step in front of me today?”
“Huh?” Qi Ningze froze, not expecting the protagonist shou to ask such a question.
It was only natural for cannon fodder to protect the protagonist, but how should he explain this to Yang Le’an?
“Emmm, because… at the time… I…”, Qi Ningze stammered for a long time without managing to form a complete sentence.
A rosy blush crept onto his white, jade-like face, its hue blending gently into Yang Le’an’s heart.
A soft sensation rested on Qi Ningze’s lips. Looking up, he found Yang Le’an’s eyes shining brightly, as if stars had fallen into them.
Yang Le’an nodded solemnly, pursing his lips as he muttered, “It’s okay, I understand. You don’t need to say more.” I naturally already understand your feelings.
Seeing that the matter had been glossed over, Qi Ningze let out a sigh of relief. After all, the Cannon Fodder Manual explicitly stipulated: Never reveal your cannon fodder identity to residents of the novel world.
From then on, Qi Ningze noticed a shift in Yang Le’an’s attitude toward him.
For instance, whenever Qi Ningze sat on the sofa preparing to rest, Yang Le’an would automatically bring out snacks to feed him.
Sitting on the sofa, Qi Ningze stared at the snacks and fruits placed before him, exchanging blank looks with Yang Le’an.
After staring at each other for a long while, Qi Ningze broke the silence, whispering softly, “Is… is this prepared for me?”
He could vaguely guess that this was Yang Le’an’s way of repaying him for stepping in to help last time.
“Actually, there’s no need to prepare anything for me. It was just a cup of water last time, really no big deal.”
Yang Le’an pushed the snacks closer to Qi Ningze, his eyes conveying a single message: Why think so much? Just eat.
“Okay, okay, I’ll eat, I’ll eat,” Qi Ningze obediently opened a bag of potato chips and started stuffing them into his mouth.
His cheeks puffed up, making him look like an adorable little squirrel.
Yang Le’an sat quietly on the sofa watching Qi Ningze, a gentle warmth involuntarily welling up in his chest.
How could someone be like this looking a bit slow-witted, yet possessing an surprisingly sweet heart?
Seeing Qi Ningze about to finish the bag of chips, Yang Le’an attentively handed over a drink.
A touch of amusement flashed deep within his dark eyes as Yang Le’an asked softly, “What would you like to drink? Is Cola fine?”
Receiving such treatment from the protagonist shou, Qi Ningze felt like dropping to his knees and hugging Yang Le me’an’s legs in his heart. “Yes, yes, that’s fine…”
Yang Le’an was truly a wonderful person; ordinary cannon fodder never got treatment like this.
The incident that left the deepest impression on Qi Ningze was when he was sunbathing in the system space, only to see his senior cannon fodder limping toward him in utter ruin, clutching his severed hand and head.
Present at the scene, Qi Ningze’s eyes widened roundly. Seeing his senior in such a tragic state, he couldn’t help but ask, “Senior, you… you… what happened to your hand and head?”
That senior was famous throughout the cannon fodder realm, who didn’t know he had three heads and six arms, a burly build, and strength matched by few in the cannon fodder world?
Upon hearing Qi Ningze’s voice, the senior hurriedly lowered his head in shame, even using his severed hand to shield his face.
“Ah, it’s Xiao Qi! Hahaha, it’s nothing, nothing at all! I just accidentally slipped, no big deal…”
Qi Ningze scanned the senior’s gruesome state up and down. Swallowing hard, he said cautiously, “How about… we take a rest? Do you need me to carry that for you?”
His gaze locked onto the extra hand held by the senior, trying his best to keep his tone even.
“Xiao Qi, it’s fine, just a small matter.” Even as the senior said this, his arm accidentally slipped from his grip, rolling several times until it stopped right in front of Qi Ningze.
Nervously picking up the arm from the ground, Qi Ningze walked over to the senior. “It’s okay, let me carry it for you.”
Qi Ningze tried with all his might not to look at the battle marks and terrifying scars on the arm.
Help, so terrifying! Blood everywhere on the arm is this truly the strongest senior among cannon fodders?!
When Qi Ningze finally helped the senior back, a troubled, solemn expression still remained on the senior’s valiant face.
It wasn’t until the trainee cannon fodders gathered to chat later that Qi Ningze learned the senior’s arms, legs, and head had been severed by the world’s protagonist with just a single sword strike.
Combined with the intentional instruction from the Systems, a seed took root in Qi Ningze’s mind: The world’s protagonist is absolute and unquestionable.
“What’s wrong? Why are you suddenly spacing out?”
Taking advantage of Qi Ningze’s daydreaming, Yang Le’an assertively reached out, forcing Qi Ningze to open his mouth before popping a slice of apple inside.
Qi Ningze’s eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at Yang Le’an, instinctively swallowing the apple.
Afterward, Qi Ningze asked in a slightly pouting, scolding tone, “What are you doing?”
“You were distracted.”
Deep, dark eyes stared straight at Qi Ningze, laced with a subtle possessiveness.
Yang Le’an spoke to him word by word: “You’re not allowed to think about others. Look at me.”
Before Qi Ningze could react, Yang Le’an pulled him into a tight embrace with an irresistible force.
Qi Ningze could even feel Yang Le’an’s breathing, his warmth, and his emotions.
It was very strange, why did Yang Le’an seem so nervous right now? As if he were terrified of being rejected, yet carrying an aura that felt heartbreakingly fragile.
Leaning his head against Yang Le’an’s shoulder, Qi Ningze softly murmured, “It’s okay, everything will gradually get better.”
As the night deepened, Qi Ningze looked at Yang Le’an resting in his arms, his entire body stiff as a wooden board.
He stammered nervously to the System, “System… the protagonist shou is… sleeping with me. It should be fine, right?”
The System was playing games. Hearing the voice, it spared one eye to cast a careless glance over.
Before Qi Ningze could say more, it gave a hasty, perfunctory response: [What could possibly happen? The protagonist shou is just leaning on you to sleep for the night. It’s not like he’s going to fall for you.]
“No, no, no, that’s not what I mean… I just feel like Yang Le’an has something heavy on his mind?”