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Sue had finished doing all the house chores she had to do for the day. The groceries were put away, the house were spotless clean, the laundry were done and the baby is asleep. Even the lunch for today were done.
She glanced at the wall clock, it shows 12.30 pm. She knew she had an hour just for herself before her husband who works as a teacher gets back from school with her 5 year old kindergartener.
She slumped at her favourite sofa at the living room, she clicked on the browser and continue reading her favourite novel at volare site.
It was a story about a botanist who somehow got transmigrated into the novel she read after getting pricked with a cactus.
But unlike the other transmigrated stories, the female lead is not an assassin or a doctor. Thus it gave a very fresh feeling into it. Especially when the female lead does everything in her capabilities to 'survive' in the novel she transmigrated into.
Why survive? The female lead actually transmigrated as a supporting female character who would soon be punished with death because she scheme against the actual 'female lead' to get the male lead's attention.
While she did her all to survive, she unwittingly flipped the whole plot upside down and ultimately became the female lead herself at the end of the story.
Sue loved this particular story very much, it was actually her second time reading it. The first while it was still ongoing, and now after a year it's finished.
She was at the end of the story already. The female lead, Bai Xiangxu and the male lead, Long Heng had their happily ever after after much hardship they had gone through to obtain it.
Sue heaved a deep breath, clearly feeling sentimental over the story deeply. She was the type that emotionally sensitive at the beginning. The story leave a deep marks in her heart.
'I wish I was as great as she is' she thought. In the end, it was not the beauty that made a person remarkable. But the character.
Amongst all the characters inside the story, the original female lead leaves the deepest effect on her. She was truly a pitiful character. As a reader, she saw from a different perspective. She actually could understand how Lin Qianzi ended up so tragically.
She was but a sheltered lady, so pure and untainted at the beginning. But her naive personality is the reason how she ended up that tragic either.
Coupled with the anomaly called Bai Xiangxiu who is a transmigrator who knew what would happen in the future, she was doomed to be the cannon fodder instead.
Her thought about Lin Qianzi continued even when she had finished the whole story.
'what would I do if I were her?' played inside her mind.
She gets up and walked to the kitchen. Her husband would be back any minute now.
She served the lunch at the dining table as per usual. She made sure she did it every single day without fail. Her husband would be back, greeted with lunch on the table.
'a way to a man's heart is through his stomach' is what she believed true.
She walked to the kitchen to wash her hands. She had a little 'clean-freak' problem. Every time she finished with a task she would go wash her hand.
After she swipe the floor she would wash her hands, after she's done with the laundry she wash her hand, after feeding her baby she washed her hand. It had became a hard to forget habit of her.
While she washed her hand, her mind were drifted of thinking about Lin Qianzi. She imagined what she would do if she were Lin Qianzi and so when she was reaching for a hand soap, she actually pricked her self on the cactus. She had planted a cactus on the window sill. Startled from the pain, she saw her blood dropped on the cactus before she suddenly lose control of her body.
'What... What happened?'
She saw her husband ran to her but she can't hear him anymore as her vision goes dark.
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"Eldest Miss, it's time to get up" a female voice were heard.
Sue opened her eyes with difficulties as her head felt like it's split in half.
She recalled getting fainted while washing her hand, but where is this place?
The bed, the table, the room. It all seemed like and ancient chinese room. How did she ended up here?
"Eldest miss, we need to hurry, the Master had called for you to go to the encestral Hall right now" the girl said again when she sees how groggy the eldest miss look.
"I don't feel well, my head is hurting so bad" she truly felt like she can't get up at all. Moreover she was confused as to how she ended up in this place.
Suddenly she realised of a thing... 'could it be?' she suddenly opened her eyes widely and get off from the bed to look at a mirror.
Her shocked expression frighten the maid as she asked carefully "is there anything wrong miss?"
She ignored the maid as she carefully looked at the unfamiliar face. Her hands trembled and her headache getting worse.
'I just got transmigrated' was what she thought before she fainted.
The maid were panicked. She ran outside and called for help immediately.
The news of the Eldest miss fainted soon after getting up this morning travels fast inside the Manor.
"She must be shocked to know that she was bethrothed the the cold and cruel man"
"Hush, what are you talking about? Becarefull of what you said or you might lost your head."
"But it's true, everyone in the capital knew how cold and heartless he is"
"Still, we servants are not in the position to talk about such matters. You better finish your task or else we'd be punished for gossiping around"
Such talk we're occurring between the servants. Life inside the Manor we're just too dull. It was gossips like this that enlightens their dull life. How can they stopped themselves from talking about it?
Meanwhile a doctor were already sent to check on Sue.
"The Eldest Miss is having the symptoms of grievance. She need rest and maybe someone to talk to" The doctor said after he checked on her.
"Thank you doctor. Xiao Li, Xiao Mei, you two stay and look after the eldest miss." the Madame soon left with the doctor with a heavy heart. How would she convince her daughter about the marriage?
By the time the doctor came she already came to but she still pretends to be fainted to let herself get more understandings about her surroundings. She still don't know anything about her new identity.
"Eldest Miss reacts strongly last night when she found out she's betrothed to Prince Li" a maid whispered to the other.
"Who wouldn't? The rumours about him at the battlefield truly made one shivers. I heard he had let a female enemy spy got raped to death!"
The two maids soon left the room while talking about all the circulating rumours about the highly famous Prince Li, leaving Sue alone in the room.
'Prince Li! could it be?' Sue had accepted that she truly had transmigrated. She just did not sure where.
But when she heard the key information, she immediately thought of one story.
It was precisely 'doomed to be cannon fodder!'
'I' m in a big problem!' she thought. As she sat down on the bed. She knead her head and took a deep breath. How did she ended up getting transmigrated into the story? She kept remembering her sweet and gentle husband and her two sons. With the youngest still breastfeeding. She can't help but cry. She needs to find a way to get back! But if its working just like in the novel, she won't be able to go back until next year's ghost festival!
She' s in a dilemma. She forced herself to stop crying. It's not going to solve any of her problem anyway. She starts to recall the storyline.
The story 'doomed to be cannon fodder' is one of her favourite. But the character she got were one that is truly problematic.
'Doomed to be cannon fodder' is a story about a transmigrator. She transmigrated into a novel she read titled 'The Lord’s Escaped Consort' after she pricked her finger on a cactus.
But unlike the usual transmigration novel, she did not get the female lead character but instead a female supporting character that is doomed to be killed later in the story due to her effort to get the male lead's attention.
She did all she could to stay alive. Yet unknowingly she had change the entire story plot.
The character Sue got is the supposed to be female lead in the novel 'The Lord’s Escaped Consort' .
But in the 'doomed to be cannon fodder' this character is one of the female side character that would get a truly bad end!
The female lead, Bai Xiangxiu is truly a sweetheart. She did not want to separate the male lead and the female lead at all. But to do that, she need to act closely to the story line.
But she despised how the writer write her character. She knew it was needed for the story to progress but having her be the 'prostitute' is just to much.
Later in the story her character would met a lot of male supporting character that would fall in love for her left and right. She would be sleeping with most of them as well.
'no. I won't sleep with any of them!' she's determined to change how she would act but she need to do it subtly. She had to be the 'bad fiance' if she wanted the two to be together.
She still needed to go back to her family so she can't be tied to any of the male characters.
Putting aside all that, right now she had to find one more important thing.
'Cactus!'
In the story, the character Bai Xiangxiu had the ability to talk with the cactus. She wonder if she would have the same ability. She had to find a cactus first!
She got up from the bed. Ignoring the hurt she felt and get out of the room.
"ah, Miss... Where are you going looking like that? L-let us dress you first!" one of the maid, Xiao li showed horror expression.
How could she remembered. This is the olden times where clothes were worn layers upon layers. Although she is covered, to others it's as if she's walking around in her underwear.
She sigh and turn back. "Dress me up. I forgot due to my headache"
What a lame excuse, but she can't think of any other excuse. Luckily the maids didn't think too much about it. In just a few minutes she's done and ready to go.
She walked with the two servants in tow. Then she realised she didn't know the way around the house at all.
She turn around and said "xiao Mei, go tell the coachman to prepare a sedan. I'm going to the pier to look for something"
Gladly this was the olden times, it's the servants job to serve their masters and mistress so she just had to follow the servants.
It didn't take long before they reached the pier. If its not for the headache she got, she might even enjoy and treat this like a vacation.
She let the servants puts on the veil cover before she gets out of the sedan.
The first thing she saw was the scene where Bai Xiangxiu looking all over the place for the cactus.
So now she knew she was transmigrated around the same time as she is.
She watched as the scene from the novel unfolds in front of her eyes. It's like watching a play so she were excited to see it.
Bai Xiangxiu were truly beautiful. Now that she saw her by herself, she found that not even the novel had done a good job describing her beauty.
Right now she was watching the scene from the novel where Bai Xiangxiu first met a male supporting character, Song Jiaoyue from the sideline.
It's the scene where Bai xiang xiu had bumped with the male supporting character accidentally.
“I’m sorry, cough…I was thinking about something.” Bai Xiangxiu sweet voice could be heard from where Lin Qianzi were standing.
Song Jiaoyue seemed like he didn’t mind. He just continued to look at the girl who seemed to be looking for something on the ground around his vicinity.
Lin Qianzi saw how Bai Xiangxiu noticed a piece of cloth behind the supporting male’s shoes. A strange, black spiky object was sticking out from it. She then lightly pushed Song Jiaoyue aside. “Excuse me, make way.”
Song Jiaoyue was expecting this young maiden to be bashful, but was shoved aside to his great surprise. The next thing he knew, she was squatting on the ground, reverent and cautious as she stared at a pile of rags. The corners of his mouth couldn’t help but twitch. Since when was he less important than a heap of discarded cloth? He wanted to leave, but this girl’s strange antics had a magnetic pull, drawing him in. He didn’t know why, but he wanted to stay and see what she was doing. Sure enough, she carefully picked up the rag then cried out in pleasant surprise. “Found it! I didn’t expect to actually find it.” She reached out to grab the object that lay underneath, then leapt up with a cry.
Song Jiaoyue couldn’t help the frown that creased his forehead. It was clear that the object had thorns, but she had tried to pick it up anyway. This girl is really too careless. See how her hand’s been pricked… hmm? She seemed startled as well as she stared unmoving at the blood trickling out of her hand. She made no move to treat herself. “Miss, is your hand seriously injured?”
He was only being helpful, but it frightened the girl into backing up a few steps. She possessed none of her earlier joy and shook her head distractedly. “I’m fine.”
“That thing is full of painful spikes, you might as well leave it,” he warned as he saw her reach for it again.
This time, the girl picked up the rags along with the item. Though she was still in a poor mood, she thanked him and raised the bundle of tattered rags. “Who does this item belong to? I want to buy it.”
Unknowingly Lin Qianzi walked closer to the two. She was mesmerised to see her two favorite character right in front of her.
"Is this your's miss?" Bai Xiangxiu asked her since she saw her get closer to them. She was partly hidden behind the veiled hat so the others should not know who she was yet.
"a..ah.. No. It's not. Umn. I was looking for that plant as well actually. I heard its good to alleviate sunburn but you manage to get it first. So of course it's yours" Lin Qianzi tried to control her surging emotions. It was like seeing her idols right in front of her. How could she not be nervous?
Song Jiayue notices her too and looking over her direction and said "maybe there is more if you ask around." Suddenly she just felt overwhelmed by it all, topped with her headache, she just suddenly fainted.
Luckily there's Song Jiayue, he catches her before she could fall down on the streets. But her fall made the veiled hat fell and her face were revealed
"ah..." Bai Xiangxiu exclaims. She was shocked to see someone fainted suddenly. Even her two maids now showed a frightened look on their face.
Sing Jiayue however felt like he was struck by something in his heart. This weak and sickly look paired with the beautiful face made him unconsciously wanted to protect her with all his might.
"which family is your miss from?" he asked the two maids,
"it's the Minister Lin's huangfu" they answered.
"so, she's Miss Lin Qianzi?" Bai Xiangxiu asked in horor. Today's happening were never mentioned in the book she read. She still remembered that Song Jiayue would fall for her during the old madame birthday banquet.
"I'll help send her back home. She's dead fainted there's nothing else we can do." he said, trying to justifies his action.
He knew that the girl in his arms right now is his best friends betrothed. So he felt obliged to help her.
Bai Xiangxiu on the other hand felt conflicted. What would she do if one day she found out that the cactus the female lead looked for was in fact in her hands? Won't she die because of it?
"umn, here... Please give this to Miss Lin. I'd look around for some more. For her to go out while sick to look for this must be because she needed it." she said tactfully.
Xiao Li take the plant carefully from Bai Xiangxiu and gave her thanks before leaving with Song Jiaoyue back home.
Lin Qianzi came to when they were still on the way back home.
Seeing as there is another man with her inside the small sedan made her flustered.
"ah, I'm sorry. Did I trouble you?" she said with worry on her face.
"you got fainted just now. I was just helping" he said with a slight smile on his face.
"Thanks for the help, sir Song. But I'll be fine now. It would not be good if others saw us together." she replied. She was truly afraid to make the same mistake Lin Qianzi had made in the original novel. Because of her unbridled act, her whole family were implicated by it.
Song Jiaoyue understand her perfectly. So he didn't make it difficult for her either.
"Then I'll take my leave now, Miss Lin" he stopped the carriage and get off it.
Lin Qianzi continued to look at his back until she could not longer see him.
He really is... She thought.