After Seeing Through the Plot, the Cannon Fodder Supporting Female Lead Overturned Her Fate - Chapter 26

There was a quiet bar nearby that Ye An frequented.

Hearing her say those words, Xia Yihuan seemed to pause for a moment. “Are you in a bad mood, President Ye?”

“No,” Ye An replied, not intending to explain much. “I just suddenly felt like drinking.”

She turned her gaze back to Xia Yihuan’s eyes. “Are you going?”

“I’m going,” Xia Yihuan nodded gently, then looked down to help Ye An button her coat. “It’s my honor to accompany you for a drink.”

Hearing her agree, Ye An’s mood improved slightly. “You just need to sit with me.”

She spoke as she walked forward. Now that Xia Yihuan was by her side holding the umbrella, the annoying rain couldn’t dampen her in the slightest. Ye An looked up at the water droplets gathering on the flower petals and eventually curled her lips into a slight smile. “You’re a patient; no alcohol for you.”

“Mhm,” Xia Yihuan nodded, stepping forward to keep pace.

She laughed softly. “Then I’ll just order a glass of orange juice for myself.”

That quiet bar opened daily at lunchtime and stayed open until two in the morning. The environment was elegant and comfortable, perfect for eating, drinking, and relaxing.

Since it was still early, there weren’t many people in the bar. Ye An led Xia Yihuan to her usual spot and ordered drinks for them both.

“This place has a pretty good reputation,” Ye An said, flipping through the snack menu. Because of the situation with Li Rou, she hadn’t actually eaten much during the dinner meeting. “Have you been here before, Yihuan?”

“No,” Xia Yihuan shook her head. “First time.”

Ye An suddenly became interested. “Then what do you usually do for fun?”

“Work, meetings,” Xia Yihuan said.

Ye An hesitated for a few seconds. “That’s it?”

Xia Yihuan smiled. “That’s it.”

“…” Ye An used to think she pushed herself too hard, but she didn’t expect Xia Yihuan to be even more extreme.

“It’s impossible not to have any free time at all, right?” Ye An asked.

“I have some,” Xia Yihuan replied in their question-and-answer rhythm. “But I’m busy.”

“Busy with what?” Ye An arched an eyebrow.

Xia Yihuan smiled, clearly not intending to tell her. “A secret.”

Ye An glanced at her, then withdrew her gaze to look at the menu again. “…Fine.”

Everyone has their own secrets. Since Xia Yihuan wasn’t willing to talk, she had no reason to press further.

While they were chatting, the waiter brought the drinks.

Ye An was in a bad mood today and quickly poured herself a full glass. Her tolerance was quite high; the alcohol she had consumed earlier at the dinner had, at most, only left her fifty or sixty percent drunk.

Sometimes, having a high tolerance isn’t a good thing. One cannot be sober forever—that would be too stifling, too painful. Occasional indulgence is actually a means of release.

At this moment, Ye An only wanted to forget all the annoying things in her head.

“How’s your tolerance, Yihuan?” She smiled, her fingertip lightly tapping the rim of her glass. “When your injuries are healed, let’s pick another time to have a few drinks together.”

“Sure,” Xia Yihuan nodded.

“Mhm, it’s a deal then.” Ye An said nothing more, tilting her head back to drain her glass. The chilled vodka was crisp upon entry, then gradually transformed into a fiery heat, making her feel quite refreshed.

Ye An’s lips curled up. Her eyes were slightly reddened from the sting of the alcohol. The overhead lights shone down, making her look both sexy and alluring. “It tastes great. It’s a pity you can’t have any.”

Xia Yihuan looked at her, and her heart sped up inexplicably for a few seconds. After a moment, she slowly shook her head. “It’s fine. There will be plenty of chances in the future.”

“If I get drunk, remember to take me home.” Ye An looked down and poured herself another glass. She propped her chin on one hand and raised her glass with the other to clink it against Xia Yihuan’s. “Whatever you do, don’t leave me here.”

This seemed like a redundant thing to say. Even if the person sitting across from her wasn’t Xia Yihuan but just an ordinary friend, they wouldn’t abandon Ye An.

But Xia Yihuan seemed to understand her state of mind.

So, she simply nodded gently and gave Ye An a sincere promise: “Of course not. I know.”

The bar gradually began to fill up.

Ye An had already drunk quite a bit by now. She was a “good drunk”; even when intoxicated, she wasn’t noisy. She lightly swirled the remaining bit of liquor in her glass and suddenly felt a bit sleepy. “Let’s head back after this glass.”

Xia Yihuan nodded. “Okay.”

“Mhm.” Ye An drained the rest of her drink, then straightened her skirt and stood up.

Xia Yihuan stepped forward just in time to support her. “Careful, President Ye.”

Feeling the warmth of Xia Yihuan’s palm, Ye An turned her head to meet her gaze. Her beautiful eyes lacked their usual piercing clarity; instead, there were some indescribable emotions hidden within them.

She gazed at Xia Yihuan for a few seconds before giving a faint smile. “Don’t worry, I’m not that drunk.”

“I’m just… a little tired. I really want to sleep.”

“Then let’s go back,” Xia Yihuan said, supporting her with one hand while using the other to tidy the corner of her slightly messy collar.

Ye An couldn’t help but curl her lips. In a languid tone laced with a smile, she said, “Hiring you as an assistant was truly worth the money.”

“I’m glad your money wasn’t wasted, President Ye,” Xia Yihuan replied softly, playing along.

“Let’s go.”

Xia Yihuan had called for a designated driver the moment Ye An mentioned leaving. When the two reached the entrance, the driver had just arrived.

Xia Yihuan helped Ye An into the car and sat down beside her. The drizzling rain had just stopped, and the air was still filled with the scent of damp earth.

Ye An closed her eyes and leaned against the backrest, curling her body slightly as if she were cold.

Xia Yihuan moved closer and carefully buttoned her coat for her.

“Thank you,” Ye An mumbled in a daze.

“You’re welcome,” Xia Yihuan said.

There wasn’t much traffic on the post-rain streets. The driver, a veteran of the trade, drove quickly and steadily, soon delivering them to their destination.

Xia Yihuan helped Ye An out of the car, took the car keys, and slowly led her upstairs. Although she had only been here once before, her memory was excellent, and the trip was quite familiar.

Xia Yihuan opened the door and gently laid Ye An on her bedroom bed.

“President Ye, let me help you remove your makeup,” she said softly, her voice unconsciously dropping in volume.

Ye An seemed a bit out of it due to the alcohol. After a long while, she nodded gently and murmured, “Okay.”

“Mhm.” Xia Yihuan turned into the bathroom and quickly came out with the supplies. “President Ye, turn your head slightly.”

Ye An didn’t answer her; she seemed to have already fallen asleep.

Xia Yihuan had to lean over and sit beside her, cupping Ye An’s face with one hand while the other touched her skin.

This posture was uncomfortable. Xia Yihuan accidentally pressed on her wound during the movement, causing her to instinctively let out a hiss of pain, and her movements paused for a moment.

“Are you okay?” 023 asked worriedly. “Are you alright?”

Xia Yihuan shook her head and continued gently wiping the face before her. “It’s nothing.”

“Be careful!” 023 sighed, truly worried about its host. “Your own injuries haven’t even healed yet, and you’re still taking care of others.”

“It’s fine.”

“Fine, fine.” The host always had her own decisions and never listened anyway, so 023 fell silent and accepted it.

The atmosphere grew quiet again, with only the sound of Ye An’s breathing echoing in the room.

A few minutes later, Xia Yihuan finally finished removing the makeup.

“President Ye, is there anything else you need me to do?” she asked, her voice very soft.

Ye An didn’t respond.

Xia Yihuan stared at her for a long while, then stood up to pull up the covers and straighten the pillow for her.

Just as she was about to leave, Ye An’s voice suddenly came from behind her—very soft, like a mumble in a dream, carrying a trace of something pitiable: “Where are you going? I haven’t told you to leave yet…”

Xia Yihuan’s footsteps halted instinctively. She turned back to look at the person on the bed.

Ye An seemed to be having a bad dream; her lovely brows were knitted tightly together. Seeing this, Xia Yihuan turned back and sat down by the bed again.

Then she raised her hand and slowly smoothed out Ye An’s furrowed brow.

“Sleep,” she said, her voice possessing a rare warmth, soft and tender in a way others had never seen. “I’m not leaving.”

“You…” 023 started to sound worried again, but knowing it was useless to speak, the system swallowed its words and only grumbled gloomily, “Aren’t you two rivals? Why are you treating her better and better now?”

“Am I?” Xia Yihuan asked.

023 said firmly: “Yes!”

“Is that so?” Xia Yihuan paused for a few seconds.

Time trickled by. Just as 023 was getting tired of waiting and thought she wouldn’t reply, Xia Yihuan spoke again.

Her voice was very faint, as if she were talking to herself, intended only for her own ears.

“That’s probably because… she gave me the freedom I’ve never had in all these years.”

These words were so cryptic that 023 couldn’t understand them at all. Ever since the bankruptcy, the host had been acting more and more strangely. 023 couldn’t read her or guess her thoughts. Not wanting to look too stupid, it pursed its lips and didn’t ask further.

However, one thing was certain: the host had been in a consistently good mood lately, which had never happened before.

As long as she was happy, 023 had no more complaints: “Well, fine.”

“Freedom it is.”