Transmigrated as Cannon Fodder — I Rise to Female Lead Through Hard Work-Chapter 30: Braiding Hair

"Hey, big brother, Wang Qiushuang hasn’t come back yet." Ding Anmin pointed to the room and said to Ding Ancheng, "Should we go look for her?"

What a hassle, Yi Roujing came out slowly, feeling a bit annoyed. They weren’t Wang Qiushuang’s guardians; they were all adults, yet they still had to worry about her whereabouts.

Ding Ancheng furrowed his brows, lifted his hand to check the watch on his wrist. Seven fifteen. It wasn’t exactly early, but not too late either.

"Let’s wait a bit more. If she’s not back by eight, we’ll go check."

With Wang Qiushuang not in the room, Ding Ancheng went in with ease.

"Which bed are you sleeping on?" Ding Ancheng glanced back at Yi Roujing, who hadn’t yet reacted. Ding Anmin immediately pointed it out.

Ding Ancheng sat down accordingly, half-lying, "I’ll rest for a bit."

Yi Roujing’s eyes almost popped out in disbelief.

"Squeeze in with Anmin," Ding Ancheng added.

Yi Roujing rolled her eyes, and Ding Anmin, nearby, closed his gaping mouth and looked at his big brother and sister-in-law with a complex expression.

In ten minutes, Ding Ancheng’s breathing was steady. He was asleep, truly exhausted. Was being a teacher really that tiring? Yi Roujing wondered.

...

"Hmm..."

Sitting on Ding Anmin’s bed, dozing off, Yi Roujing was startled awake by a low, husky voice. Looking at Ding Ancheng massaging his forehead, Yi Roujing yawned, "What time is it?"

Ding Ancheng sat up, reached out, and accurately switched on the light. The dim yellow light wasn’t bright enough to illuminate every corner of the room, but it was enough to see the time on the watch, "Seven fifty."

"Let’s go look for her," Yi Roujing said, a bit irritably.

Ding Ancheng glanced at Yi Roujing a few times, somewhat amused, not expecting her to have such a bad mood upon waking. But her hair was a bit messy from sleeping, which made her face look even smaller, with a touch of allure she wasn’t aware of herself.

"Tie your hair," Ding Ancheng said.

Likewise, Ding Anmin, with her hair down, got up yawning and started braiding as she walked.

Yi Roujing stomped her foot in secret, starting to move her hands. Though exuding a bit of frustration, she tied a high ponytail directly instead of braiding, using a bit of force as she grabbed her hair.

A different hairstyle than usual, but livelier and more charming. Ding Ancheng’s eyes darkened a bit, and he went over to pull off the hair tie from her ponytail, "Ugly, better braid it."

Yi Roujing glared at him, "Mind your own business."

Ding Ancheng didn’t reply, just reached out to grab Yi Roujing’s hair, splitting it in two to start braiding.

Yi Roujing’s restless mood calmed down immediately. Her body stiffened slightly, not daring to move. This felt so unfamiliar—only her family’s maid had ever done her hair this way. As she got older, she learned how to do it herself and never needed anyone’s help. This was the first time a man was braiding her hair.

The atmosphere turned somewhat strange. Yi Roujing’s mind couldn’t wrap around it, and even her tongue felt a bit twisted, "Do you... do you know how?"

Ding Ancheng didn’t respond, just kept working with his hands.

Yi Roujing’s eyes darted around, diverting her gaze, only to meet Ding Anmin’s paused actions and expression. Her hands still poised as if braiding, her eyes wide open, mouth agape as if it could fit an egg.

Yi Roujing was a bit annoyed. What was with Ding Ancheng? Why was he doing this without any reason? As she was about to turn her head, a large hand covered her head.

"Don’t move, or don’t blame me if it hurts," Ding Ancheng said in a low voice.

Ding Anmin took three quick steps to the door, "Big brother, sister-in-law, I’ll wait for you outside. I’ll check downstairs too; maybe Wang Qiushuang has arrived..."

As soon as Ding Anmin closed the door, Ding Ancheng finished the braid, and he followed her out, leaving Yi Roujing alone in the room.

She was a bit dumbfounded. What was going on? This was so awkward. After a few seconds, she forced herself out. As she opened the door, Ding Ancheng was waiting outside. Only when she came out did he start walking.

"Still not here. There’s something wrong with this person," Ding Anmin complained as he looked around in both directions from the door, not seeing Wang Qiushuang.

Turning around, he saw Ding Ancheng and Yi Roujing coming down the stairs.

"Where should we look? Big brother, you know where the food factory is, right?" Ding Anmin asked.

"Yeah." Ding Ancheng led the way, with Ding Anmin and Yi Roujing following behind, walking under the dim lights. By now, there were barely any people on the road.

Along the way, Ding Anmin was unusually silent, though he kept glancing at Yi Roujing now and then. At first, Yi Roujing ignored it, but after a while, she started getting annoyed, turning to glare at Ding Anmin.

"Looks like you succeeded."

Ding Anmin’s words came out of nowhere, leaving Yi Roujing confused, "Succeeded in what?"

"It’s the first time I’ve seen my big brother braid someone’s hair. When I was young and couldn’t braid, he never did it for me. I guess he really dotes on his wife; a sister is nothing in comparison."

Yi Roujing found it slightly amusing, and a bit annoyed, whispering close, "Maybe you just didn’t see it. Your brother’s technique is more practiced than mine. No way that’s his first time braiding someone’s hair."

"Gifted," Ding Ancheng, leading ahead, said leisurely. But after speaking, he regretted it, wondering why he even bothered explaining. It was just a sleepy mistake that made him notice Yi Roujing’s hair at the time. At night, why did it matter how she did it?

Yi Roujing watched Ding Ancheng walking ahead, feeling a bit strange but unable to pinpoint her thoughts. There was a slight, inexplicable joy, quickly dismissed by her.

Ding Ancheng, this guy, probably just can’t handle hearing something unpleasant, complimenting himself. The greatest delusion people have is thinking someone might like them, Yi Roujing thought to herself, regaining her composure.

"We’re here."

Huaixi County, Le Min Food Factory.

Ding Ancheng knocked on the big iron gate.

"Who is it, at this late hour?" An elderly man wearing an army-green work jacket over his clothes, holding a flashlight, walked out of the gatehouse, his expression less than pleased.

As he approached, it became clear he was in thermal wear, suggesting he’d just gotten up from bed. No wonder he seemed a bit sour. Yi Roujing thought that if it were her, she’d be upset too.

"Sir, sorry to trouble you, but we’re looking for Chen Bangguo," Ding Ancheng said.

Ding Ancheng’s attire and demeanor clearly marked him as an educated man. The old man’s displeasure subsided a bit, replaced by a slight smile, "And who might you be, regarding Chen Bangguo?" 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"I’m Ding Ancheng. If you tell Mr. Chen, he’ll know," Ding Ancheng replied.

"But Chen Bangguo went home tonight, didn’t stay at the factory," the old man responded.

"Do you know where Mr. Chen’s home is?" Ding Ancheng asked, voluntarily revealing his identity, "I’m a teacher at County First Middle School, and I have some business with Mr. Chen."

"Ah, so you’re the excellent teacher from County First Middle School who led students to win the first prize in this year’s provincial mathematics competition," the elderly man’s expression suddenly turned excited.