Cannon Fodder in an Era Drama — I Survive with Acting-Chapter 158: To Kill with a Borrowed Knife

She could go along with this and pretend she was truly close to Fei Jin.

If she just wrote a letter, she could lure Song Qingya here.

The two of them were enemies. A conflict was inevitable the moment they met.

’Let them fight it out while I sit back and reap the rewards. Wouldn’t that be easier? I can escape and use someone else to do my dirty work.’

"No what?"

Wang Kang’s face turned cold, his gaze suddenly sharp.

Song Chenglu rapidly weighed the pros and cons in her mind, but on the outside, she feigned a pensive look.

Seeing her expression flicker, Wang Kang felt his heart pound with unease.

’This woman...’

’Is she crazy?’

’Why is she acting so weird?’

"You... what exactly is your relationship with Fei Jin?"

he asked tentatively.

Song Chenglu was still pondering how to trick Song Qingya into coming when she heard Wang Kang’s question. Her eyes darted.

"Me? I’m... I’m Ajin’s... wife."

"I secretly followed him on his business trip this time. Who would have thought... something like this would happen."

As she spoke, her voice trailed off, tinged with a hint of grievance and helplessness.

"Ajin... he was blown to bits," she sobbed. "My heart is broken, it’s truly broken..."

She wept, one hand clutching her chest. "I snuck away from everyone to come find him. I wanted to see him one last time, but... but I was too late... I didn’t even get to see a trace of him..."

Wang Kang watched her, a blubbering mess.

"Oh, so you’re a relative of the Fei Village Chief!"

"My condolences, my condolences..."

Hearing his words of comfort, Song Chenglu sneered inwardly. ’This idiot really took the bait.’

"Th... thank you..."

she said haltingly.

Seeing how docile and obedient she was, Wang Kang completely let down his guard.

He breathed a sigh of relief and reached out to grab her arm.

"Let’s go. The wind is strong, and the ground is wet. You’ll catch a cold."

"I’ll take you back and find you a safe place to settle in first."

"Go back?"

Song Chenglu jerked back, her brow tightly furrowed.

"I’m not going back..."

She shook her head, her voice trembling. "I have to find Ajin... I can’t leave him all alone... He’s dead, and I’m still alive. How can I leave in peace?"

Seeing her resistance, Wang Kang thought she was still wary of him and immediately started explaining anxiously.

"Don’t worry, I’m not a bad guy!"

"I just saw you, a woman all alone in these woods when it’s dark and full of wild animals. It’s too dangerous, that’s why I wanted to take you back."

"If you want to find the Fei Village Chief, wouldn’t it be more reliable to write the letter, have your people come, and let them send a search party?"

He bent down and softened his voice, afraid she would run away again.

Song Chenglu pouted, her eyes showing reluctance.

But in her heart, she was already rapidly plotting her next move.

’What she wanted was for that fool, Song Qingya, to jump out and save her.’

Back at home, Mr. Fei was pacing back and forth in front of Liu Li, fraught with anxiety.

"How could you? How could you let Qingya go alone?"

"She’s just a young girl, what does she know? What if something happens on the way, or if she gets tricked? How will we ever explain ourselves?"

"Don’t you know what a mess the neighboring city is right now? It’s so dangerous! I heard there are muggings and robberies on the streets every day, and even the police can’t handle it. The place is crawling with vagrants and refugees—you can’t even get a peaceful night’s sleep!"

Liu Li knew he was worried, so she quickly stepped forward and coaxed him gently.

"Fei, Qingya didn’t go alone. Lu Lu is with her; they went together. Lu Lu is older now and much more sensible. She won’t let anything happen to Qingya. Don’t be so anxious."

When Mr. Fei heard Song Chenglu had gone too, his brow furrowed even deeper.

"Song Chenglu? She went too? That girl who’s always up to no good? What good intentions could she possibly have?" 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Liu Li sighed.

"Lu Lu said she’s really matured now and knows she was ignorant before and caused Qingya a lot of trouble. She said going to the neighboring city this time was to make amends and help look after Qingya. With an extra person there to help, I felt more at ease, so I agreed."

As she spoke, she recalled Song Chenglu’s recent changes.

She thought that maybe the girl had truly turned over a new leaf and started to behave.

Mr. Fei snorted, clearly unconvinced, his voice laced with scorn.

"Behave? I bet she’s brewing some wicked plan! You think a few days of putting on an act is enough to fool people? People like her smile to your face while stabbing you in the back. Just you wait, something is bound to happen!"

Just then, there was a sudden knock on the door.

Liu Li got up to answer it. Before she was even steady on her feet, she wondered who could be visiting so late.

Standing outside the door was Yang Meiling.

"Aunt Liu, I heard Uncle Fei was here, so I came over to see him and say hello."

She greeted them politely, her sweet voice making her seem especially well-behaved.

Hearing the noise, Mr. Fei looked up. His gaze fell on Yang Meiling, and he immediately noticed a certain awkwardness in her movements.

’What an act. It’s obvious she’s here for something.’

Liu Li, however, greeted her with a cheerful smile, opening the door wider as she spoke enthusiastically.

"Meiling, you’re here! Come in, have a seat! It’s cold outside, don’t just stand in the doorway. Are your parents doing well? What have they been busy with lately? I haven’t seen them in days."

Yang Meiling hadn’t planned to stay long; she had only come to fish for information.

But now, faced with Liu Li’s warm welcome, she felt it would be rude to leave right away.

She forced a smile and nodded in response. "They’re both fine, thank you for asking, Aunt Liu. Mom and Dad went to the city on business a couple of days ago and just got back. Things have been busy at home, so they haven’t had a chance to visit."

"Oh, I heard your mother mention that she introduced you to someone recently. Captain Qin, was it? How is he? He’s from the army, right? I hear he’s very dependable and handsome, too. Do you like him?"

Liu Li brought this up intentionally, her eyes fixed on Yang Meiling’s expression.

The smile on Yang Meiling’s face instantly faltered.

"It’s all my parents’ doing. I’m just going along with it for now; nothing’s set in stone. Captain Qin is a good man, but marriage... it requires mutual affection. I’ll just follow their arrangements."

Mr. Fei, who had been watching coldly from the side, suddenly interjected.

"Oh? So your parents will be back soon? The road is dark and slippery. Shouldn’t you go and meet them? You wouldn’t want them to take a wrong turn in the dark and fall. That would be a shame."

Yang Meiling pretended not to understand and turned to Liu Li, her tone calm again.

"Aunt Liu, I heard Qingya and Lu Lu went to the neighboring city. What are they doing there? Why did they leave so suddenly?"

Liu Li wondered to herself why Yang Meiling was suddenly asking about Qingya. The two never got along; they barely spoke when they met, and when they did, it was always argumentative.

She gave Yang Meiling a suspicious look but answered anyway.

"They went to the health clinic. Apparently, there’s a temporary nursing training program that will last a few days. Qingya has always wanted to learn some medical skills, and this was a good opportunity, so she signed up. Lu Lu went with her, saying she wanted a change of scenery to clear her head."

"Why? Did you need them for something, Meiling?"

Liu Li asked, her gaze fixed intently on the other woman.