Chapter 9: Transmigrated as the Abused Cannon Fodder Female Supporting Character
Xin Yao had anticipated their discussion to revolve around two possibilities: either they would part ways and become strangers, or they would explore their connection further, perhaps even starting a relationship.
She hadn’t expected Pei Yu to bypass all of that and jump straight to marriage!
Xin Yao was genuinely shocked. “Why?!”
“We’ve only met twice…well, three times, if you count that night. Marriage? Miss Pei, are you joking?”
But Pei Yu seemed even more surprised than Xin Yao.
The usually aloof woman looked genuinely bewildered, a flicker of confusion in her beautiful, ruby-red eyes. Such a display of emotion was rare for her.
“We mated that night,” she emphasized, her voice firm. “We shared the most intimate connection. It’s only natural that we should become mates.”
So, she’s a traditionalist.
The seemingly cold and distant President Pei was, in fact, deeply devoted to the concept of mating for life, believing that intimacy automatically led to a lifelong commitment.
That was…admirable.
But Xin Yao didn’t quite share her view.
“Marriage is a lifelong commitment,” she said carefully. “I think we should be more cautious.”
Pei Yu frowned slightly. “I am being cautious, Miss Xin. Every word I’ve spoken has been carefully considered. I’m not joking.”
“I realize this might seem abrupt, but I thought a direct proposal would be even more startling, so I decided to seek your opinion first.”
“If you agree, I’ll begin preparing for the proposal and the wedding ceremony immediately.”
Xin Yao: I’m so glad you decided to “seek my opinion.” A direct proposal would have given me a heart attack.
Even so, Pei Yu’s unwavering conviction that they were meant to be together was a little unsettling.
Xin Yao took a deep breath. “No, Miss Pei, it’s not about the ceremony. I believe marriage should be based on love, or at least some emotional foundation.”
“We have nothing. We’ve only met three times.”
Pei Yu fell silent, then looked at Xin Yao. “We can cultivate our feelings after marriage.”
“But what if we’re not compatible?” Xin Yao shook her head. “Wouldn’t that be torture for both of us? What’s the point?”
She hesitated, then decided to seize the opportunity and express her own thoughts, her voice softening slightly.
“That night…it was just a mistake. We don’t have to…dwell on it, do we?”
Pei Yu didn’t immediately respond to Xin Yao’s subtle rejection. She didn’t back down gracefully as Xin Yao had expected.
Instead, she lowered her head slightly, a lock of white hair falling against her cheek, obscuring her expression.
For a moment, all Xin Yao could see was her delicate chin.
And in that simple gesture, Xin Yao inexplicably felt a pang of sympathy. Almost as if Pei Yu was… hurt.
Then, Pei Yu looked up, her eyes slightly darker, her voice soft. “Xin Yao, are you saying…you don’t want to take responsibility?”
Xin Yao: !!!
The silence that followed was deafening.
Why does that make me sound like the heartless one?!
“No, no, that’s not it!” she quickly explained. “I just think this is happening too fast! I’m not ready!”
“Then what would constitute ‘not too fast’?” Pei Yu asked, her gaze intense.
Her stare made Xin Yao blush. She looked away, self-consciously touching her nose.
“At least…at least we should get to know each other. Start as friends, maybe?”
“Then perhaps,” Pei Yu murmured, lowering her gaze, “I’ve missed my chance.”
“Huh?” Xin Yao looked at her, surprised. “Why?”
You can marry me but not be friends with me?
Pei Yu’s explanation was delivered in her usual calm, detached tone, as if discussing something trivial.
“Because I’m dying.”
What?!
Xin Yao’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Her first thought was that Pei Yu was joking.
But Pei Yu wasn’t the type to joke.
Seeing Xin Yao’s shocked expression, Pei Yu elaborated without prompting.
It turned out Pei Yu wasn’t a pure-blooded lamia, but a hybrid, born of a human and a lamia.
As a half-demon, it was even harder for her to control her demonic powers.
That was why her heat cycle, when it hit two years ago, had been so unbearable.
In the demon world, a heat cycle marked a demon’s coming-of-age, the full awakening of their powers. It was a rite of passage every demon had to endure.
But Pei Yu, aloof and averse to human contact, had suppressed her heat cycle.
Until the night she met Xin Yao. The sudden, violent eruption of her heat cycle had thrown her powers into chaos, leaving her so weak she could barely move. In her weakened state, she had instinctively released her mating pheromones, attracting Xin Yao, leading to that fateful night.
Because she was still in the midst of her prolonged heat cycle, her powers unstable, and because she had been so close to the person she had mated with at the charity gala, she hadn’t been able to control her transformation, first revealing the illusory tail, then her true form.
However, if such a volatile surge of power happened again, Pei Yu might lose control completely, becoming a monster consumed by her demonic instincts.
With her fierce pride, Pei Yu would never allow that to happen. She would end her life before becoming a monster.
Xin Yao listened, stunned, then realization dawned on her.
“So, that’s why you want to marry me?”
“No.” Pei Yu shook her head. “Not to survive my heat cycle. To be honest, I don’t care about life or death.”
“I simply want to be your mate. That’s all.”
Pei Yu’s bluntness caught Xin Yao off guard.
This woman, who claimed not to care about life or death, had chosen her.
While surprised by Pei Yu’s apparent disregard for her own life, Xin Yao also felt a flicker of flattery. But—
“Why me?”
Pei Yu had endured two years of suppressed instincts, refusing to mate with just anyone. Why had she fixated on her after a single, accidental encounter?
Pei Yu’s eyes lit up, her beautiful gaze reflecting Xin Yao’s image and the soft glow of the evening lights, a surprising warmth in their depths.
“Because I think…you’re not afraid of my tail.”
And perhaps because she was the only person in the world who had dared to kiss it.
She truly didn’t care about life or death, but this person…this person was intriguing, someone she felt…compelled to try with.
Xin Yao, taken aback by her answer, felt a strange mix of emotions.
Was this woman, as a lamia, constantly met with fear and rejection? Was that why she sought out someone who wasn’t afraid of her?
She had come here to clarify things with Pei Yu, but somehow, things had become even more complicated.
Could she really abandon Pei Yu to her fate, despite having only met her a few times?
As Xin Yao wrestled with her conscience, Pei Yu spoke again.
As the head of the Pei family, she was indeed as decisive and calculating as the rumors suggested.
She had anticipated Xin Yao’s rejection.
If Xin Yao wasn’t ready for marriage, or even a relationship…
Pei Yu’s gaze settled on Xin Yao’s face. “Since you refuse, I respect your decision. We can start as friends.”
“But…” Her ruby-red eyes, now dark and intense like the night sky, fixed on Xin Yao. “Miss Xin, I’d like to invite you…to help me through my heat cycle.”
The sudden shift in topic caught Xin Yao off guard. “Huh?”
Pei Yu, helpfully, and with unnerving directness, repeated herself, her gaze unwavering.
“I’d like to invite you…to have sex with me.”
Xin Yao’s blush deepened, spreading from her ears down her neck, her skin flushed like a ripe peach.
She felt as if she were on fire.
How…how could she just say that?!
Don’t lamias know anything about being shy?!
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