Transmigrating into the Genius Cannon Fodder’s Aunt

Chapter 86 – Clearing The Misunderstandings

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Xia Mian ran out of Ning Shaobai’s house in fright. As she reflected about what she had just said, she was so embarrassed she wished she could find a hole to crawl into.

I must have been out of my mind! How could I have such a terrifying thought?

But… Ning Shaobai hadn’t denied it at all. He had just stared straight at her, as if the person she was about to name really was the one he liked. That gaze was so intense it burned her, and in the heat of the moment, her brain overheated…

Now that she was calm, she realized—someone as rational and self-disciplined as Ning Shaobai couldn’t possibly have fallen into such a miserable situation, tormented over a feeling he couldn’t let go.

The more she thought about it, the more embarrassed she became. The fact that Ning Shaobai hadn’t strangled her on the spot truly showed remarkable self-restraint. At this point, she almost wanted to perform an on-the-spot hanging just to get it over with.

Ning Shaobai… liking Zhou Xuewen?

The thought made her shiver, and she rubbed her arms as she hurried home.

Forget it, forget it—let’s pretend I hadn’t gone next door just now and hadn’t seen Ning Shaobai! I have partial amnesia today!

But just as Xia Mian walked in, she nearly bumped into someone. Looking up, she saw Zhou Xuewen, who had come looking for Chenchen.

Xia Mian: “…”

Heaven clearly wasn’t planning to let her off.

Zhou Xuewen watched her almost flee with a panicked look. The expression on her face utterly baffled him. What on earth was that about?

After finding his son at the end of the alley and telling him to go home for dinner, Zhou Xuewen paused briefly outside Ning Shaoyun’s gate, then kept walking and turned into the courtyard opposite.

It was truly a rare occurrence to enjoy a show at Ning Shaobai’s expenses—how could he miss it? Plus, it would give him a nice conversation starter to talk with Xiao Yun tomorrow.

Sure enough, when Zhou Xuewen walked in, he saw Ning Shaobai sprawled on a recliner, looking utterly drained as if he had just been through something terrible.

Zhou Xuewen cleared his throat. “I saw your enemy general fleeing in panic. How was the battle? A decisive victory?”

Ning Shaobai froze, as if mentally preparing himself, then slowly turned his head. When he saw Zhou Xuewen, he looked so pained and immediately turned away again.

Zhou Xuewen: “…”

Why did that feel like the reaction you’d have to seeing something filthy?

He stepped closer. “Xia Mian looked startled just now. What tactic did you use?”

No matter the tactic, with Xia Mian, it always ended in mutual destruction. Ning Shaobai let out a helpless chuckle—on that front, the girl truly is formidable.

Sitting up slowly, he looked at Zhou Xuewen, who had walked around the veranda to face him, and rubbed his temple. “What? Was what I taught you this morning not enough, and now you’re here for more pointers?”

Thinking of the warm afternoon he’d just spent with Ning Shaoyun, Zhou Xuewen’s lips curved slightly. “Not at all.”

“It worked perfectly, so I came to thank you.”

After a pause, he asked, “Need me to help you?”

Ning Shaobai looked up at him. At this moment, it felt like their roles from the morning had been reversed. Seeing the obvious schadenfreude in his eyes, Ning Shaobai said coolly, “No need.”

He returned to his usual calm composure. “In our battles, we’re evenly matched—mutual casualties are inevitable. But you, Mr. Zhou…”

“Two years in, and you’re only now seeing your first real battle. Maybe you’re the one in need of help.” Ning Shaobai’s smile was faint. “Of course, I’ll do everything I can for my sister. She’s already got a fair number of troops—I might even help her build an army a million strong, so you can truly savor the thrill of a brutal fight.”

Zhou Xuewen: “…”

Such a naked threat! As expected—this was still the same petty, vengeful, ruthless Ning Shaobai.

Watching Zhou Xuewen’s departing back, Ning Shaobai sneered. Wants to laugh at my expense? Dream on!

Still, what did he say about Xia Mian just now… Ning Shaobai touched his chin. Looks like that girl has figured things out, huh? Tonight, she probably wouldn’t be sleeping well.

Hmph, serves her right!

Ning Shaobai slumped back down on the recliner, eyes fixed on the painted beams of the veranda, lost in thought. He didn’t know why that girl was so dead set on believing he liked men, but now it was clear—he absolutely couldn’t let her keep misunderstanding like this.

While familiarity and unguarded closeness were good ways to lure a prey in, if she didn’t see him as a man, he wouldn’t even qualify to enter the game—and that simply wouldn’t do.

He had to clear this up, and in a way that wouldn’t make her avoid him. Even better if it could bring them closer…

Watching the sun gradually sink beyond the horizon, Ning Shaobai’s eyes narrowed slightly.

…

As Ning Shaobai predicted, Xia Mian spent a long night tossing and turning around. The next morning, she got up early, steamed some of his favorite beef buns, and went next door.

Ning Shaobai was already in the training room, working out. When she came in, he didn’t acknowledge her.

Grinning sheepishly, she called for him, “Dr. Ning, are you still mad?”

“It was my fault yesterday. I said the wrong thing, so I’m here to apologize.”

“These are beef buns I made myself—they’re super delicious.”

Ning Shaobai finally cast her a glance, and Xia Mian’s tension eased at once. She set the lunchbox down in a hurry, snatched up the nearby towel, and rushed over.

He was wearing only a black tight-fitting upper, soaked through with sweat and clinging to his body, the smooth muscle lines revealed with every sit-up in a perfect curve. The sight was so beautiful that Xia Mian found herself licking her lips subconsciously.

When he stood up, she quickly handed him the towel. He didn’t move to take it, so she rose on tiptoe to wipe his sweat for him. Seeing that he didn’t object, she immediately grew bolder.

She wiped from his forehead to his jaw, then down to his neck. Just as she was about to move toward his chest, Ning Shaobai caught her restless hand. “Apologizing while openly molesting me? You’re very good at taking advantage, aren’t you?”

Now that he was finally speaking to her again, Xia Mian let out a light laugh and unleashed her full arsenal of flattery. “Molesting? Absolutely not! You’re simply far too handsome, Dr. Ning. Your looks leave us mere mortals dazed, I couldn’t help but express my admiration.”

Ning Shaobai gave a cold snort. “A girl should at least have a bit of modesty.”

Xia Mian, witty as always, replied, “What’s modesty? In front of you, Dr. Ning, it doesn’t stand a chance.”

He gave her a helpless look, his gaze falling to the lunchbox she’d brought. “You think this is enough to make up for the harm you’ve done me?”

“Of course not!” She exclaimed. “But good food is the best medicine to soothe the soul. If one meal’s not enough, then two. If two’s not enough, then three. Someday, it’ll heal your wounded heart.”

Ning Shaobai scoffed. “Then I guess you’ll be cooking for me for life.”

Xia Mian asked nervously, “Is it that bad?”

He gave her a sharp look, “What do you think?”

“Must be very bad, indeed!” She nodded solemnly. “Don’t worry, Dr. Ning! I’ll never shirk my responsibility. I’ll send you food until your heart is completely healed.”

Ning Shaobai narrowed his eyes. “Remember your words.”

“Bring me lunch at noon.”

Eager to make amends, she immediately agreed. “You got it! Just wait!”

To make up for her mistake, Xia Mian put her heart into preparing a lavish lunch and took it to Ning Shaobai’s workplace.

He used to go home at noon to rest, but over the past two years, with work piling up, he mostly stayed at the hospital for lunch and a nap.

She made her way straight to his dorm. As a foreign-educated elite and a prized talent, Ning Shaobai was held in high regard, and the hospital had allotted him a single dorm. It wasn’t as nice as the one at Ming City People’s Hospital, but tucked into a quiet corner of the third floor, it offered peace and seclusion.

Xia Mian had been there a few times before when delivering things, so she found it easily. When she reached the door, she saw it was ajar, and she could glimpse Ning Shaobai inside.

She was about to knock when she saw him take off his dress shirt, revealing the sweat-dampened undershirt underneath—clearly about to change clothes.

She stopped in her tracks, deciding to wait until he finished changing before stepping inside—when suddenly, Ning Shaobai’s voice came through: “What are the signs of being homosexual?”

She blinked, thinking he’d noticed her and was talking to her. She was still wondering why he’d suddenly asked such a thing when another voice rang.

“What? Brother Bai, why are you asking that out of nowhere?”

It was Rong Xin’s voice coming through the speaker. Since he was changing, Ning Shaobai had set his mobile phone on the table and switched it to speaker mode.

He put on a fresh undershirt and said calmly, “Just wondering why someone would mistakenly think I like men.”

Xia Mian froze again.

“What?!” Rong Xin’s voice pitched high with shock. “Who would do that?!”

“The whole thing with Fan Xiuzhi framing you was ages ago,” he said incredulously. “Back when she was spreading rumors about you, hardly anyone believed her. After she got arrested, everything was cleared up, wasn’t it?”

“Wait, did some man harass you?” Rong Xin suddenly guessed. “No, that’s not right—who could even harass our Brother Bai? Since you even called me, it must be serious. Someone important must’ve misunderstood you. Could it be Sister Yun?”

Ning Shaobai raised an eyebrow. This unexpected moment of insight made him decide he might give Rong Xin a bit more patience in the future.

His eyes flicked toward the doorway. “Forget it,” he said, his voice tinged with weary resignation. “She’ll figure it out sooner or later.”

Rong Xin disagreed. “How can you just let something like that slide? If someone called me homo, I’d be furious! Why don’t you just explain?”

Ning Shaobai gave a wry chuckle, “It’s not that easy—even if I explain, she still won’t believe me.”

Rong Xin was baffled. “Who is it? That’s too much! How can she not believe you even after you explain?”

Ning Shaobai carried his sweat-soaked shirt and undershirt to the balcony. Rong Xin was still fuming over the phone. “Besides, what about you looks homo?”

“You had a bunch of girlfriends even in kindergarten,” he rattled off, now on a roll recounting Ning Shaobai’s romantic history. “Since junior high, when was there ever a day without at least two love letters in your desk? When you were abroad, those girls looked at you like starving wolves, practically just about to pounce on you—what kind of homo man attracts that many women?”

“And that Gao Qiongying is still after you, isn’t she? Oh, right—has she recently—”

Ning Shaobai snatched up the phone and hung up with a sharp click, then subconsciously glanced at the door.

Well, so much for that future patience!

Author’s Note:

Rong Xin: “I’m just a not-so-reliable tool man—used wherever needed.”

Some readers say the MC’s IQ drops around the ML, so here’s the explanation—

1. Our ML’s IQ is higher than our MC’s. Even if she really tried, she still couldn’t outmatch him.

2. The MC knows the original plot, so she has always trusted the big boss blindly.

3. Later, she and ML get along like family—completely unguarded.

4. Lastly, as everyone knows, dating makes you lose IQ (this is your preemptive warning, haha).