Cannon Fodder 06

Zhao Manqi was feeling very frustrated, and she could only hide at home, not going out.

Fang Zhiyi was also very frustrated. Every time he tried to get close to the female lead, he would be warned by the sound of muffled thunder.

This was the first time he had encountered such a situation. Was this world's natural order so protective of the female lead?

What nonsense!

But then, his eyes lit up as he thought of a new idea.

Xiuniang was a lonely ghost who couldn't be reincarnated. Fortunately, the property left by her ancestors was still there, so she had a temporary place to stay. However, starting a few years ago, people would always run over in the middle of the night, holding glowing objects and looking around. She was naturally timid and could only hide every time.

Over time, Xiuniang got used to it. Sometimes when those people came in and talked to the strange objects in their hands, she would also lean in to look. Some characters she didn't recognize; they seemed different from what she learned in her previous life, but after seeing them a lot, she could understand the meaning.

But the person who came the other day was a bit strange. As usual, Xiuniang wanted to leave some traces for these people called "streamers" to help with their explanations. She always found it very amusing to listen to them talking nonsense with a serious face.

But that person was different. Xiuniang always felt that person seemed to be able to see her, so that day she just hurriedly left a footprint and hid.

It wouldn't be good to be seen.

The quiet house received guests again after a few days. A little bald man walked in at midnight, holding a phone.

"Brothers, this is the place Fang Zhiyi came to before. I will retrace Fang Zhiyi's steps and uncover the mysteries for you one by one."

Many people in his livestream room were spamming.

"Streamer, you're awesome."

"Are you also going to Yuying Middle School?"

"Following first."

The bald man grinned, watching the rising follower count. He would never go to that place; he was just using it as an excuse to gain followers! Even if he went, he definitely wouldn't be like that previous fool; he'd at least bring a whole crew!

"Previously, Fang Zhiyi discovered the footprint right here," the bald man zoomed in with his camera. "Look! The footprint is gone!"

People in the livestream room exclaimed in surprise.

The bald man pondered for a moment and analyzed, "Looking at it this way, there's one possibility."

"Tell us!"

"What possibility could there be? Someone else wiped it off?"

Having built up enough suspense, the bald man said, "That is, Fang Zhiyi faked it!"

He glanced at the now boiling livestream room and continued, "He probably came here beforehand to scout the location and created a fake to grab your attention. This is quite common in the streaming industry." The bald man paused, "But he's already dead, so let's just leave it at that."

He had planned this before coming. He would start by debunking fakes. He wasn't afraid of people cursing him; that's exactly how he made a living!

But his words offended Xiuniang, who was peeking around nearby. Xiuniang, with her hands behind her back, was watching his livestream. When she heard that the person who came last time had died, she felt a bit sorry. But hearing this person say the footprint she left was fake made Xiuniang anxious. After all, she was just a young girl when she died and still had a bit of a spoiled temper.

Xiuniang suddenly stood in front of the bald man, pointing at his nose. "You're talking nonsense!"

But the bald man couldn't see her at all.

Xiuniang truly didn't know how to curse. She struggled for a long time, her face turning even paler, but couldn't utter a single word.

Then she got a bit angry. When angry, she thought of a way: shake the small tree nearby to scare this streamer. But just as her hand touched the tree, a hand grabbed her collar and yanked her back.

Xiuniang was stunned for a few seconds, then saw a somewhat familiar face.

"Ah! A ghost!"

Fang Zhiyi looked at the struggling Xiuniang and sighed. "Says the one who is a ghost herself."

Xiuniang paused. "Oh, right. You are... a streamer?"

Fang Zhiyi corrected, "I was, when alive."

"You... how did you become a ghost? Why did you come here?" Xiuniang fired off questions like a machine gun. "Do you want me to help you fulfill a wish? Ah! Do you want to force me to marry you???"

Fang Zhiyi frowned. "What kind of nonsense is all this?"

Xiuniang said with an innocent face, "That's what those other streamers always said."

Fang Zhiyi understood. This was yet another confused ghost who had been misled.

"I need you to help me with something."

Xiuniang looked at the bald man chatting with his fans, then looked at Fang Zhiyi, thought for two seconds, and nodded in agreement.

Fang Zhiyi was a bit surprised. "Aren't you going to ask what the help is?"

Xiuniang shook her head. "Anyway, I'm tired of watching livestreams. I want to go see something else. But can you take me out?"

As an earth-bound spirit, she couldn't leave this place.

But that wasn't a problem for Fang Zhiyi.

Half an hour later.

"See that house? The one with the lights on." Fang Zhiyi, floating in mid-air, pointed at a distant window. Overhead, there was a faint rumble of thunder.

Xiuniang was already dazzled. She never imagined the city could be so bright at night! And there were such tall, tall buildings!

"Hey?"

Xiuniang snapped back to attention. "Ah? Oh, what?"

Fang Zhiyi pointed in that direction again. "See it?"

Xiuniang nodded.

"Go over and take a look."

Xiuniang obediently floated towards it, looking around as she went.

Suddenly, a crack of thunder exploded overhead. Xiuniang didn't react in time, only feeling herself being pulled. When she came to her senses, she was already far away.

"What happened?" she asked, bewildered.

Fang Zhiyi, however, narrowed his eyes, staring into the distance.

"Fine, fine, playing it like this, huh?" It seemed that sending a ghost to mess with the female lead wouldn't work either.

But then, his eyes lit up again. Fang Zhiyi pulled Xiuniang and left the place.

At this moment, Zhao Manqi was nervously hugging a stuffed toy, looking at the refined man in a white shirt before her.

"Who are you?"

The man looked at her. "Didn't you summon me here?" He walked over to the table, his fingers tracing over the crooked ghost-summoning talisman the female lead had drawn.

Zhao Manqi widened her eyes. "You're a ghost??"

"Yes. My name is Shen Yan." Shen Yan looked at the notes Zhao Manqi had written. Having just lost his old haunt, he suddenly had a new idea.

Although different from the original plot, Zhao Manqi still met Shen Yan. The slight difference was that Shen Yan's approach carried some other purpose.

Zhao Manqi suddenly remembered. "You are! I saw you in a livestream! You're the ghost from that school!"

Shen Yan looked at her. "Yes."

"Why are you here?" Zhao Manqi mustered her courage to ask. "Are you here to kill me?"

Shen Yan inexplicably found her a bit noisy, but still patiently said, "I don't kill women." He glanced at Zhao Manqi. "Especially beautiful women who can't even tie up a chicken." Shen Yan thought no girl disliked being called beautiful.

But it was as if a certain switch had been flipped in Zhao Manqi.

"What are you talking about? Women are weak and can't tie up a chicken? You think men are so great? Don't think women are just objects! I can't stand men like you!"