After Seeing Through the Plot, the Cannon Fodder Supporting Female Lead Overturned Her Fate - Chapter 13

Ye An’s sudden invitation was something Xia Yihuan had not expected.

She paused for a few seconds, seemingly trying to gauge Ye An’s intentions. Time trickled by until, half a minute later, she finally curled her lips into a smile. “It won’t be an intrusion?”

…The smile looked more painful than a sob.

Even though Ye An had never seen Xia Yihuan cry, it didn’t stop her from thinking that this smile was quite ugly.

“It’s no intrusion.” Ye An sighed, glancing down at the time. “I’m a bit tired today and plan to sleep at eleven. You have one hour to sit for a bit.”

She frowned. “So, hurry up and follow me.”

Proud as Ye An was, if it weren’t a sincere invitation, she wouldn’t say the same thing twice.

After a moment, Xia Yihuan finally stepped forward. The breeze blew against her, and the air held a faint chill, but her voice held a rare warmth: “Then I’ll trouble President Ye.”

“Thank you.”

The two entered the complex together.

Before getting on the elevator, the long-silent 023 finally couldn’t help but speak to Xia Yihuan: “Are you okay?”

“It’s nothing,” Xia Yihuan replied immediately, shaking her head.

“What happened was truly terrifying.” The System sighed, its tone full of complaints and displeasure. “It’s really strange. Has the head office still not fixed the program? Why is the bad luck always hitting you lately?”

“Just a run of bad luck, I suppose,” Xia Yihuan replied after a pause.

Her tone was as calm and indifferent as ever, but 023 knew that its host’s mood was definitely not great.

Today was Han Ning’s death anniversary.

After parting with Ye An in the morning, Xia Yihuan had driven to pick up Teacher Yang, and the two went together to Han Ning’s grave.

Han Ning hadn’t had many friends in life—only Xia Yihuan. Very few people had visited her at the start, and now, so many years later, Xia Yihuan was the only one who still remembered this once-vibrant person.

“Ning-ning was lucky to have a friend like you.” Teacher Yang looked down as she wiped the headstone, her voice full of longing. “I wonder if she’s taking care of herself over there, if she’s living a good life.”

The question already had an answer—obviously not. Every person in this world was just a string of code; once they died, they vanished completely.

But compared to such a cold answer, Xia Yihuan preferred her words to have some warmth: “She will.”

“She will definitely take care of herself. I believe she can.”

Teacher Yang didn’t respond to that; she simply lowered her head and wept silently.

Xia Yihuan stayed with the teacher for a long time.

Before heading back, Xia Yihuan dropped the teacher off first. The old residential area had a harsh environment; the wind whistling past the buildings often made strange noises, and living there was inevitably a safety concern.

Xia Yihuan had previously suggested the teacher move out, but since it was the place where she had lived with her daughter for over a decade, Teacher Yang couldn’t bear to leave and had ultimately refused Xia Yihuan’s kindness.

“Are the groceries at home enough?” Xia Yihuan spoke softly as they walked. “I’ll buy some more and bring them over tomorrow morning.”

“No need, no need.” Teacher Yang shook her head quickly. “The fridge is full. Xiao Xia, just take care of yourself. I’m still sturdy, I can do everything myself!”

“It’s fine,” Xia Yihuan shook her head. “It’s only right—”

Before she could finish, a loud crash erupted from above.

Xia Yihuan didn’t know what was happening, but she instinctively pulled the teacher away. No sooner had they moved to a safe zone than a large piece of concrete fell from the top floor, smashing heavily onto the ground.

Fortunately, the old building wasn’t very high, and the shattered fragments didn’t graze them. The only thing damaged was Xia Yihuan’s phone, which had accidentally dropped during the scramble.

It was smashed to pieces.

Teacher Yang was quite shaken by the incident, so before the matter was fully resolved, Xia Yihuan settled her elsewhere.

The elevator arrived at that moment. Ye An glanced at the person beside her and stepped inside first.

Xia Yihuan followed closely.

At least she’s being obedient, Ye An thought with a light snort. She sensed that something had happened to Xia Yihuan, but they weren’t close. Even if she asked, given Xia Yihuan’s personality, she might not tell. It was better to wait for her to open up on her own.

“Yihuan, do you want tea or coffee?” Ye An asked. “No alcohol; you have to drive back to the office later, it’s not safe.”

“Either is fine,” Xia Yihuan said. “Thank you, President Ye.”

Truly a person with no desires.

Ye An nodded and stopped talking. The elevator soon reached their floor, and Ye An took out her keys to open the door.

Her childhood experiences had left her with an intense longing for home. Even though she lived alone, Ye An had naturally decorated the place to be warm and cozy.

Plush carpets spread from the entrance, the walls were painted in soothing colors, and a faint fragrance filled the air. The dining table was large with a lazy Susan design, and the leather sofa felt good to the touch, piled with soft cushions and pillows.

This was Ye An’s ideal image of home: a few good friends, a couple of family members, occasional parties where everyone joked and laughed together, someone to eat breakfast with in the morning, and someone who didn’t forget to say goodnight in the evening.

These were the most ordinary things, yet for her, they were a luxury. She hadn’t had them in the first half of her life, and she was destined to miss them in the second.

Ye An closed her eyes. No point in overthinking.

“Yihuan, sit on the sofa for a bit,” Ye An said, shedding her sharp, professional coat to reveal the beautiful dress underneath. “I’ll make some coffee.”

Xia Yihuan spoke up: “Don’t go to any trouble, President Ye. I can do it myself.”

“Just sit,” Ye An shook her head. “You are a guest today, after all.”

“It’ll be ready in a moment.” She casually turned on the TV for Xia Yihuan, found a lively variety show, and then turned to leave.

Xia Yihuan didn’t follow and sat quietly on the sofa.

While preparing the coffee, Ye An found it surreal. She never expected that one day she and Xia Yihuan would be under the same roof like this. As a former rival, Ye An actually suppressed the urge to “poison” her, and even picked up a spoon to add some sugar to Xia Yihuan’s cup.

As everyone knows, sugar makes people happy.

Ye An carried the two cups over and sat down beside Xia Yihuan. “Here.”

“Thank you, President Ye,” Xia Yihuan said.

Ye An smiled slightly. “You’re welcome.”

She then began drinking her own coffee.

The invitation was just a whim; they didn’t actually have much in common to talk about. The atmosphere fell silent, with only the laughter and noise from the variety show filling the room.

Halfway through the show, Ye An suddenly picked up her phone. “Go buy a new phone tomorrow and get a replacement SIM card.”

Xia Yihuan nodded. “Mhm.”

“I transferred some more money into your card,” Ye An said. “Today is payday. Although you haven’t been here a full month, consider it an early payment since you hit a special circumstance.”

Xia Yihuan paused. “President Ye, you—”

“Don’t thank me,” Ye An waved her hand, as if knowing what she was going to say. “The money on the previous card was to buy your agreement to be my assistant. It’s not the same as your future salary.”

“Labor is expensive these days, especially when the once-famous President Xia is working for me. This money is well spent.”

She spoke with an air of indifference. Xia Yihuan listened quietly, and after a moment, the corners of her lips seemed to turn up.

She shook her head slightly with a hint of helplessness: “In that case, I owe President Ye once more.”

Ye An looked over and gave a shallow smile. “There will be plenty of chances to pay me back later.”

Because of those few words, the atmosphere gradually became harmonious.

Xia Yihuan’s posture wasn’t as stiff as before, as if she were slowly adapting to this unfamiliar environment. She looked down and took a small sip of her coffee. “President Ye added sugar?”

“Mhm,” Ye An said. “You’re thin and pretty; standing next to me, you always steal half the attention. I added sugar on purpose because I want you to get a bit fat.”

Xia Yihuan couldn’t help but smile and shake her head. “Why would you say that, President Ye? You are clearly much more beautiful than I am.”

Ye An looked at her again, trying to judge if there was any truth in that statement. “Is that so? Well, I do like hearing that.”

Being praised by a former rival was always pleasant.

“It’s true,” Xia Yihuan said, turning her gaze back to the TV and falling silent again.

The variety show was nearing its end. Compared to the previous hilarious segments, the current part was full of emotion. The guests sat in a circle, sharing the hardships they faced before becoming famous.

Gradually, some members of the audience began to tear up.

Xia Yihuan didn’t feel much. She looked down and set her coffee cup aside, her gaze instinctively drifting to Ye An’s face. She then discovered that the person beside her had quietly fallen asleep at some point.

Through their time together, Xia Yihuan had learned the difference between Ye An’s “fake nap” and real sleep. This state of steady breathing and quiet stillness was Ye An truly entering a dreamland.

Xia Yihuan stared at her silently for a few seconds. Eventually, she got up and went to the bathroom to get makeup remover and wet wipes. Ye An’s makeup was light, so it was easy to remove.

Xia Yihuan gently pressed the wipe to her face. Before she could even swipe it, Ye An slowly opened her eyes.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“You fell asleep,” Xia Yihuan said, not stopping her movements. “Helping you remove your makeup.”

“I wasn’t asleep,” Ye An stared at her quietly. “Sleeping on the sofa leads to colds.”

“Mhm.” Xia Yihuan nodded, going along with her words without saying more.

Ye An let out a small yawn. She was indeed exhausted. If Xia Yihuan could handle the makeup removal for her, it wouldn’t be bad—it would save quite a bit of time.

“It’s almost eleven. I’m going to sleep.”

“Move a little faster.”