After Seeing Through the Plot, the Cannon Fodder Supporting Female Lead Overturned Her Fate - Chapter 3

Hearing those words, Ye An immediately realized that Xia Yihuan had definitely misunderstood her intentions.

She looked up at the person in front of her, feeling speechlessly amused, but the smile on her face didn’t fade: “President Xia must be joking. I didn’t mean that.”

Xia Yihuan parted her lips and countered: “Then what exactly did President Ye mean?”

Ye An actually played along and thought about it for a moment before giving a slow answer: “If I had to say, the word ’employment’ is more appropriate.”

As soon as she spoke, Xia Yihuan actually laughed. “President Ye must have heard some rumors about me recently, right?”

“I’ve long heard that President Ye has a keen business mind and an adventurous spirit, but I didn’t expect you to be even braver than people say.” She spoke this way as her bright eyes receded into the night; she appeared to be smiling, but the mirth didn’t reach her eyes. “I’m already bankrupt and you’re still willing to hire me. Aren’t you afraid…”

Her words were clearly barbed. Ye An met her gaze, let out a soft chuckle, and continued: “President Xia, what kind of talk is that?”

“I just happen to be lacking an assistant to drive for me and run errands lately.” She arched an eyebrow. “President Xia is so capable; a small task like this shouldn’t be difficult for you, right?”

“…”

This was essentially writing the word “humiliation” across Xia Yihuan’s face.

The night was deep. Behind them, the main hall was barely a hundred steps from the courtyard. After several rounds of drinks, someone came out to get some fresh air. Halfway out, they saw two people standing face-to-face, calling each other “President” this and that, as if engaged in an intimate conversation.

The person squinted to get a better look. Once they recognized the two as Ye An and Xia Yihuan, they froze in shock.

Only two questions remained in their mind: Why is Xia Yihuan here? And since when did their relationship get this good?

What they didn’t know was that Xia Yihuan was equally shocked.

Unlike herself, Ye An was usually calm and tactful, never wearing her emotions on her sleeve. Even when facing someone she disliked, she could talk and laugh freely, giving them plenty of “face.”

Years ago, Xia Yihuan had business dealings with Ye An. Back then, even though she knew Ye An found her annoying, Ye An’s words and manners were flawless, leaving no room for criticism.

It was a far cry from the Ye An she was seeing now.

“Why has she changed so much?” System 023 complained quietly, its tone full of confusion and surprise. “She… she hasn’t been possessed by a ‘transmigrator,’ has she?!”

“I don’t know,” Xia Yihuan said.

“So what do you want to do now?” 023 asked.

Xia Yihuan sighed: “What else can I do?”

“I have a few questions I can’t figure out. I’d like to ask for President Ye’s advice.” After a long pause, Xia Yihuan looked up again.

Ye An nodded. “Ask away, President Xia.”

Xia Yihuan: “Why help me?”

“I wouldn’t call it ‘helping’.” Ye An shook her head, her voice laced with a smile. “Didn’t I say it just now? It’s employment. I provide the money, you provide the labor. It’s perfectly logical.”

Xia Yihuan added: “If President Ye truly needed an assistant or a driver, you could easily find someone else for a much more reasonable price. Why waste such financial resources on me?”

Ye An shook her head. “It’s not the same. Being able to have President Xia drive for me and do my chores… just thinking about it makes the money feel well spent.”

“Moreover, it just so happens that I have some spare cash on hand.” She paused, suddenly remembering what Sheng Shiwen had said backstage, and the curve of her lips became more pronounced. “Having money means being able to do whatever one wants, after all.”

Xia Yihuan fell silent for a moment. “…”

That statement was truly impossible to refute.

“I know President Xia still has reservations.” Ye An chuckled, interrupting Xia Yihuan’s thoughts. “It’s fine. I’ll give you one night to think it over carefully.”

As she finished speaking, Sheng Shiwen’s voice drifted from behind: “An’an, what are you doing out here?”

“Nothing, just clearing my head from the wine,” Ye An called back. She turned and smiled at Sheng Shiwen. “I’m coming back now.”

“Oh, okay. Hurry up then,” Sheng Shiwen nodded.

In the deep night, warm yellow lights glowed everywhere. From where she stood, Sheng Shiwen could vaguely see someone standing in front of Ye An, but the person’s face was hidden in the shadows, making them difficult to identify.

Sheng Shiwen felt the silhouette looked familiar, but she didn’t overthink it and turned back to the hall.

“My friend is calling me.” Ye An withdrew her gaze and looked at Xia Yihuan’s face. “If President Xia has no other questions, I’ll be taking my leave.”

“Wait.” Just as the words fell, Xia Yihuan spoke again. “Since I’m already bankrupt, don’t call me President Xia anymore. Just call me by my full name…”

“Got it.” Ye An nodded, her smile radiant. “Then I’ll call you Yihuan.”

She was naturally stunning, with a composed smile always on her beautiful face. Paired with her slightly upturned eyes, she looked mature and sexy. But that “Yihuan” carried a hint of teasing and playfulness, making her appear a bit more charming and willful.

Xia Yihuan found the person in front of her more and more unfathomable.

“…”

“Whatever.”

Back in the hall, Ye An’s mind was still on Xia Yihuan.

It wasn’t surprising that Xia Yihuan was short on cash. Her parents had her late in life and had put all their effort into raising her. Seeing their daughter become increasingly successful, they finally felt at ease enough to move abroad to reunite with old friends and enjoy their retirement.

The Xia family was well-off, and the couple had saved a lot of money from years of business. When Xia Yihuan first started her own company, the elders wanted to fund her, but she couldn’t bear to touch her parents’ hard-earned retirement savings.

She didn’t accept it then, and she certainly couldn’t bring herself to mention it now.

Given Xia Yihuan’s skills and connections, Ye An believed she would eventually navigate this crisis. After all, she was a business rival who had once been almost on par with herself; to see her fall so suddenly felt like a bit of a waste to Ye An.

Since she didn’t have much time left to live anyway, helping out where she could didn’t seem like a big deal.

However, since they were former rivals, Ye An felt it would be a loss if she didn’t collect some “interest.”

“Three years left.” Ye An sighed, downing the wine in her glass. After a moment, a sense of liberation washed over her brow. “Carpe diem.”

“Let’s go!” Liu Yue, finally free, hurried over and grabbed the arms of both Ye An and Sheng Shiwen. “Let’s go play!”

“We haven’t met in so long,” Liu Yue said. “Especially you, An’an. I’ve missed you to death.”

“You have to play with me to your heart’s content today, do you hear me!”

She sounded like she was acting spoiled.

“Alright,” Ye An eventually nodded with a soft smile.

Yage didn’t just offer dining; it had tennis courts, a cinema, hot springs, and various other entertainment facilities. Since it was a rare gathering for the three of them, they played a few rounds of tennis before heading to the hot springs.

The moment she was enveloped by the water, Ye An experienced a rare sense of peace and relaxation she hadn’t felt in days.

“Where’s Lu Man?” Sheng Shiwen took a leisurely sip of wine. “Why didn’t I see her afterward?”

“She left,” Liu Yue said. “Said she had another scheduled appearance later.”

“Working even this late? Being a celebrity really isn’t easy.” Sheng Shiwen sighed slowly. “It’s a bit of a pity; I didn’t get a chance to chat with her.”

“There will be chances to meet in the future,” Liu Yue patted her hand to comfort her. “While she isn’t super famous yet, I can still find time to invite her a few more times.”

“Oh, right.” Speaking of which, she remembered something and turned to Ye An. “From what Lu Man said, she seemed interested in getting to know you.”

Ye An arched an eyebrow. “Me?”

“Mhm.” Liu Yue nodded. “She said she’s a fan of your brand, Shi Qian.”

“What a coincidence.” Ye An smiled. She had already intended to invite her as a spokesperson, and hearing this from Liu Yue suggested there might be some fate between them.

Of course, how much of that was sincere was unknown, but it was undeniably pleasant to hear.

Soon, Sheng Shiwen and Liu Yue moved on to other topics.

Ye An didn’t join in, just listened and smiled quietly. For her, this moment was perfect.

It was just that there wouldn’t be many more such good days.

The three of them played until the early hours of the morning. If it weren’t for work tomorrow, Ye An might have stayed longer.

Sheng Shiwen happened to be on vacation with nothing to do, so she stayed at Yage with Liu Yue. Ye An waved goodbye to them, tidied her skirt, and walked out.

When she reached the main entrance…

She saw the person she had met not too long ago once again.

“Yihuan?” Ye An was shocked. “Did you come back, or did you never leave?”

Xia Yihuan shook her head. “I didn’t leave. I was waiting for you.”

“Waiting for me for what?” Ye An paused, suddenly wanting to laugh, but she held it back. “Is there something else? You could have just sent a WeChat.”

“It’s clearer to say it in person.” Xia Yihuan paused for a moment, her beautiful brows furrowing slightly as if she were having an internal struggle.

A few seconds later, she finally spoke: “I’ve carefully considered the proposal President Ye made earlier. I agree.”

Agree? So soon?

“There’s still a whole night left. You don’t want to consider it further?”

Xia Yihuan answered frankly: “No need.”

Despite having just made a humiliating decision, Xia Yihuan’s face still showed very little emotion. The breeze stirred her hair, and the surrounding light flickered in her eyes—beauty and indifference existing side-by-side.

The “flower of the high peaks” truly lived up to her name.

Having her as an assistant would definitely be interesting.

“President Ye seems to have had quite a bit of wine tonight.” Xia Yihuan spoke again. “Did you drive? I’ll take you back.”

“I did.” Ye An nodded and casually pulled out her car keys, tossing them to Xia Yihuan. Today was a leisurely day for her—Sheng Shiwen drove her here, and now Xia Yihuan was at her service for the way back. “How are your driving skills?”

“Not bad,” Xia Yihuan said, turning to leave. Realizing the person behind her wasn’t following, she turned back. “Why aren’t you coming?”

As the words landed, Ye An gently extended her hand toward her. “I should be asking you that.”

“Why aren’t you helping me into the car?”