The Sickly Villainous Cannon Fodder Becomes Everyone's Favorite - Chapter 2

No one spoke at the dinner table. The only sound was the clatter of bowls and chopsticks.

I had never eaten much to begin with, and illness had killed what little appetite I had.

So I ate slowly while quietly observing them.

Their attitude toward me had actually improved a lot compared with when I had first arrived in this world.

At worst, they ignored me. They no longer glared at me with eyes as round as bronze bells.

When everyone had nearly finished eating, they occasionally exchanged a few casual words.

I put down my chopsticks and listened.

When I found an opening, I said, “Dad.”

“Can I stay away from the company for a while?”

Several pairs of eyes immediately turned toward me.

Worried they would think I was incapable of hard work, I quickly explained, “I’ve been getting dizzy these past few days. It might affect my efficiency.”

In truth, I was just lazy and did not want to suffer.

Who would still want to work when they had money to spend?

In the novel, the original had demanded to work at the company as soon as he was brought home, even though his major had nothing to do with the position.

Because Jiang Qingran worked there too, he was determined to outshine him.

Unfortunately, he lacked the ability. He made mistake after mistake and became the source of countless jokes.

After his father and older brother, both of whom were his superiors, pointed out a few problems, he decided they were favoring Jiang Qingran and grew even more resentful of the protagonist.

Thus, surprise flashed through Dad’s eyes when he heard me say this.

“Suit yourself,” he replied.

Then he reminded me seriously, “But don’t treat work like a game. If you don’t understand something, ask your brother and Qingran. It’s not as though they’re trying to hurt you.”

I gave a foolish laugh and nodded. “Mm-hmm, okay.”

I had decided. I absolutely would not follow the original down his miserable path.

Besides, I had neither the ability nor the ambition for it.

I seemed to have suffered a serious illness when I was very young, and my health had never recovered afterward. That was probably why I had been abandoned.

Not spending every day terrified that I might suddenly drop dead was already enough. Naturally, I had no energy left to hurt anyone.

I would just follow the rule of living one day at a time and honestly take care of my health.

From then on, I stayed home, eating and drinking. If I could sit or lie down, I absolutely would not stand.

I stopped picking fights too, especially with Jiang Qingran. I spoke gently to him, not daring to let the corners of my mouth fall even slightly.

I was terrified they would think I was bullying him again.

“Zhining, why have you been eating so little lately?”

Mom suddenly asked this one day.

“Maybe because I’ve been sick.” I looked up and spoke softly. “I don’t have much of an appetite.”

She frowned with concern. “Are you still uncomfortable? Should we go to the hospital again?”

I answered casually, “It’s fine. It’s an old problem.”

At the same time, I noticed everyone’s attention shift toward me.

Worried they would grow suspicious, I hurriedly added, “I probably stayed up too late a few days ago.”

“You need to get more rest,” Mom said. “You haven’t looked well lately.”

I obediently nodded. “Okay. Thank you, Mom.”

Mom let out a relieved breath.

Even Dad and my brother nodded in satisfaction. They seemed pleased with my current attitude.

Everyone began chatting more easily.

I did not have much to say and spent most of the time listening quietly.

Then my brother asked, “By the way, how have things been between you and Nan Yuan lately?”

I paused before remembering that matter.

Nan Yuan was my arranged marriage partner.

This novel’s world allowed same-sex marriage.

The original, who could not stand Jiang Qingran, wanted to snatch everything from him, including the male lead.

Lu Linchuan naturally had no interest in him, and the Jiang family refused even more firmly. But after the original gave them such a headache, they could only arrange another marriage partner for him.

Although he was somewhat reluctant, once he learned that this partner’s family background, abilities, and looks were all top-tier and that he was in no way inferior to Lu Linchuan, the original finally quieted down.

The two had exchanged contact information but never taken things further before I transmigrated and became Jiang Zhining.

This marriage was already set in stone, even though the two people involved had no feelings for each other.

I remembered that the original did indeed marry Nan Yuan later.

But even after getting married, he never stopped opposing Jiang Qingran. He treated Nan Yuan as a tool, thinking all day about how to use him to get the upper hand over the protagonist.

Nan Yuan naturally refused to cooperate. He became thoroughly sick of this unhinged marriage partner, and later the two could not stand the sight of each other.

After their divorce, Nan Yuan watched coldly as the original went to prison, without the slightest disturbance in his heart.

He was cold-hearted by nature, with ruthless methods.

Because of the original’s reckless behavior, he came to dislike the Jiang family as well and often opposed them in business.

He was practically a villain.

Lying in bed, I thought about how I would soon be moving out to live with Nan Yuan if nothing unexpected happened.

Wouldn’t it be better to build a good relationship first?

After thinking it over, I found the contact information we had exchanged on WeChat and politely sent our first message.

【Good evening.】

【Waving kitten.jpg】

I waited somewhere between ten and twenty minutes, but received no reply.

It was not late, so he probably had not gone to bed.

Maybe he had not seen it. Maybe he simply did not want to answer.

I did not dwell on it. I curled up under the covers and played with my phone.

Before long, I began to feel dizzy, so I put down my phone and went to sleep.

He had still not replied the next day.

Now I understood. He probably did not want to answer me.

This was going to be difficult. I would put it aside for now.

I continued spending my days at home. I did not even change clothes, wandering around in pajamas, lying down here after lying down there.

Because I had become much more well-behaved, the Jiang family’s attitude toward me improved too.

One day, even my usually stern father unexpectedly put food in my bowl at the table.

“Eat more,” he said. “This is nutritious.”

“Thank you, Dad.”

I looked at the delicious tuna in my bowl and regretfully explained in a small voice, “I’m allergic to this.”

Everyone at the table looked surprised.

“Oh,” Mom said. “You are?”

“Are there any other foods you’re allergic to? I’ll tell Auntie Lin to be careful when she cooks.”

There were.

So many that I could barely remember them all.

I counted off a few on my fingers, then realized I would not finish listing them anytime soon. I smiled awkwardly. “It’s fine. I’ll be careful myself.”