After Seeing Through the Plot, the Cannon Fodder Supporting Female Lead Overturned Her Fate - Chapter 10

It wasn’t that Yuan Hu hadn’t considered this possibility.

However, the discord between Ye An and Xia Yihuan had long been established. Rumors were everywhere on the internet—some true, some false—and there was always one that could make you a believer.

Thus, Yuan Hu had quickly dismissed the thought, only for Xia Yihuan’s words to validate his wildest guess.

If he had known earlier, he wouldn’t have dared come over to make a fool of himself even if he had a hundred times more courage!

“I am so sorry, so sorry!” Yuan Hu was flustered. He hurriedly raised his glass and drained it in one gulp. “It was my intrusion. My apologies to you both.”

With that, he beat a hasty, panicked retreat.

Ye An and Xia Yihuan exchanged a glance. Ye An curled her lips into a smile and continued eating the orange in her hand. “Actually, the conditions he offered were quite good.”

“Mhm.” Xia Yihuan nodded, casually peeling another slice and handing it to her. “But I have no such plans at the moment.”

Ye An looked at her again, her gaze carrying a hint of scrutiny. “To remain as my assistant is indeed a waste of your talents.”

“Do you feel… unreconciled?”

“How could I?” Xia Yihuan looked back into her eyes. “Working under President Ye, there is much to be learned.”

Her words were flawless. Ye An smiled with satisfaction and said nothing more, turning her head back.

The night breeze blew gently across their faces. The sounds of laughter and chatter from not far away drifted into their ears, then faded away with the nearby river. Insects gathered under the lights, and stars twinkled in the sky.

The atmosphere was warm and comfortable, making it feel as though staying like this was quite nice. Time could afford to slow down a little.

“The meat is ready!” A moment later, Liu Yue’s highly recognizable voice rang out. “Everyone, come and get it!”

The scattered crowd quickly gathered. Gradually, Liu Yue was enveloped by layers of people until her head could no longer be seen.

Ye An wiped her hands with a wet wipe. “Let’s go, too.”

“Alright.” Xia Yihuan nodded and stood up first, slowly extending her hand toward her.

Ye An reached out and touched her palm. It was soft and warm—enough to offset any chill.

She paused, then slowly began to smile. “Did you pre-warm them again?”

“Perhaps.”

In the next second, the corners of Xia Yihuan’s lips also lifted slightly.

After a few rounds of drinks, everyone’s courage began to grow.

Some among the group knew Ye An personally; others had never met her but had heard of her name and achievements. Since it was a rare meeting, many wanted to approach her.

People are naturally drawn to beautiful things.

The same applied to Xia Yihuan. Even though she was bankrupt, it couldn’t overshadow her past achievements and brilliance. As everyone ate and drank, they took the opportunity to ask her for advice on business methods. For a time, the atmosphere was quite harmonious.

It was at this point that the late-arriving Sheng Shiwen finally appeared, accompanied by a petite, cute girl with short hair.

“Xiao Wen, what took you so long!” Liu Yue immediately started complaining. “We’ve already finished one round of eating!”

“Did your car break down?” she asked, truly worried. “Or did something happen on the road? Turn around and let me see if you’re scraped or bruised anywhere.”

“No, no, nothing like that.” Sheng Shiwen shook her head quickly. “I was…”

Before she could finish, the short-haired girl apologized on her behalf: “Sorry, Xiao Wen delayed her time to help me revise some files.”

“And you are?” Liu Yue was instantly intrigued; she had never seen this girl before.

“Oh, let me introduce you. This is Ji Chu, my colleague. This is Liu Yue, my best friend.” She smiled, then patted Ye An. “And Ye An, also my best friend.”

“Hello.” Ye An smiled and gently shook her hand.

“Come, come, let’s eat meat together.” After a brief chat, Liu Yue motioned for them to sit. “Xiao Chu is fine since it’s her first time, we have to take care of her. But Xiao Wen, you’re hopeless—coming so late, you must drink!”

“That’s not good.” Sheng Shiwen sighed. “I still have to drive home later.”

“What’s not good about it!” Liu Yue waved her off and immediately poured her a full glass. “At worst, I’ll find a designated driver for you. If it really doesn’t work out, you stay here tonight!”

“Fine.” Unable to decline, Sheng Shiwen smiled helplessly. “I’ll toast to…”

Her gaze swept around, only to freeze instinctively when she saw Xia Yihuan.

However, she didn’t react as violently as Liu Yue. Her smile merely stiffened for half a second before returning to normal. “I’ll toast everyone.”

Xia Yihuan curled her lips and drained her glass along with her.

In a daze, Sheng Shiwen felt that the Xia Yihuan before her was incredibly familiar, as if she had seen her somewhere very recently.

Liu Yue was right—the ingredients today were fresh and delicious. Everyone ate to their heart’s content, laughing and talking, though no one knew exactly how much they had drunk.

Ye An had gone off somewhere with Liu Yue and the others. Once she left, Xia Yihuan also stepped away from the crowd, walking alone toward the shrubs.

“What’s wrong?” 023 asked, worried about its host. “Bad mood?”

“It’s nothing,” Xia Yihuan said.

She said that, but 023 knew the reason. “Is it that you don’t want to have too much contact with them?”

After all, in the script, aside from Ye An, the others didn’t have happy endings either. If one knows the ending in advance, watching the scenes play out again always brings a different set of feelings.

Xia Yihuan didn’t respond.

023 sighed. It wasn’t very good at comforting people, so it could only recite the employee handbook it had read hundreds of times: “Actually, it’s fine. They are just strings of code. Don’t think of them as living beings.”

“So am I a string of code, too?” Xia Yihuan suddenly laughed softly.

“You…” This time it was 023’s turn to be silent. “You are the protagonist of this world.”

At those words, Xia Yihuan shook her head gently.

023 couldn’t understand her thoughts, so after a pause, it shut up again.

The wind blew through the bushes with a rustling sound—both noisy and quiet.

Xia Yihuan sat in the pavilion lost in thought for a moment when the phone beside her rang. She swiped it open; it was a WeChat message from Ye An: [I’m drunk. Take me home.]

Xia Yihuan paused for a few seconds, the tension in her lips gradually relaxing.

[Coming.]

The four of them seemed to have huddled together for another round of drinks.

Xia Yihuan pushed open the door to the main hall and saw Liu Yue already passed out on the sofa. Miss Ji seemed to have a low tolerance for alcohol as well; she was currently flagging, leaning against Sheng Shiwen to rest.

In contrast, Ye An, who had claimed to be drunk, was still sitting primly in her seat. Only her cheeks glowed with a beautiful, faint pink flush.

“What took you so long?” Hearing the door, Ye An turned her head slightly.

“I got lost,” Xia Yihuan said succinctly.

“Didn’t you say you wouldn’t get lost?” Ye An smiled.

Xia Yihuan didn’t take the bait, only saying: “I’ll call the designated driver.”

“Mhm.” Ye An nodded and gently took the hand Xia Yihuan extended to her.

The driver arrived quickly. Xia Yihuan helped Ye An into the car, and they both sat in the back.

The night wind was strong, and there was usually a coat kept in the car. To prevent her from catching a cold, Xia Yihuan draped the coat over Ye An’s shoulders. “Are you alright, President Ye?”

“It’s nothing.” Ye An shook her head, leaning back against the seat with her eyes closed as usual.

Xia Yihuan said nothing more, silently buttoning the coat for her.

The car sped through the night. After a few turns, they finally arrived downstairs at the complex.

Xia Yihuan looked over and softly called Ye An’s name.

There was no response.

Xia Yihuan had to move closer, intentionally raising her volume: “President Ye?”

The streetlights shone on her, making her skin look even more fair and translucent. Only now, at this distance, did she realize that Ye An’s eyelashes were truly long—thick and beautiful, like little fans.

Xia Yihuan slowly reached out her hand, but before she could touch Ye An’s shoulder, the woman opened her eyes.

“What?” Ye An let out a small yawn, seemingly sleepy. “Is Yihuan trying to hug me?”

Xia Yihuan paused, avoiding a direct answer. “I thought you were asleep.”

“Didn’t I say? Sleeping in the car leads to colds.” Ye An smiled, looked down to straighten her skirt, and opened the door. “I’m going up. You drank a lot tonight too; go back and rest early.”

“Weren’t you drunk, President Ye?” Xia Yihuan straightened up. “Do you need me to help you upstairs?”

“That won’t be necessary.” Ye An shook her head gently. “It was just an excuse. I imagine in all your years in the business world, you’ve used that excuse no fewer times than I have.”

“How could that little bit of alcohol make me drunk?”

“That was just a child’s portion.”