After Seeing Through the Plot, the Cannon Fodder Supporting Female Lead Overturned Her Fate - Chapter 33

Over the past twenty-plus years, Ye An had encountered many people.

To her, most people were merely passersby—they met, became acquainted, shared a period of time together, and then parted ways to walk their own paths.

Human memory is finite. Ye An didn’t like dwelling on the past, and most things from before had been largely forgotten.

The name Chi Yan was the sole exception.

This person was a senior from her university days.

The two had met in the Student Union. Later, they attended several gatherings together, planned a few activities, and while their interaction wasn’t deep back then, they were at least friends who would nod in greeting when they ran into each other on the street.

It wasn’t until Ye An started her own business that things changed.

It had to be said that Chi Yan provided her with a great deal of help back then.

The Chi family had been in business for generations, and Chi Yan had been immersed in it since childhood. While she wasn’t necessarily an expert, she was more than capable of guiding Ye An. It was no exaggeration to say that a large part of the reason Ye An achieved her current success was because she was fortunate enough to receive Chi Yan’s help during the early stages of her entrepreneurship.

Ye An felt that she had never truly fallen for anyone in her life, but looking back, she indeed held some ambiguous, unreadable feelings for Chi Yan.

Chi Yan likely felt the same.

The two shared many meals, solved many difficult problems together, and even planned for the future, promising to pursue the same career and work together after graduation.

However, after graduation, Chi Yan broke her word. She left the country without a single word.

Life is not a fairy tale; setbacks are inevitable. Being adults capable of controlling their emotions, Ye An wasn’t particularly angry or furious at the breach of promise initially; she was simply worried that Chi Yan had encountered some insurmountable difficulty.

To her surprise, every message she sent vanished like a stone in the ocean. The same went for phone calls—Chi Yan never answered a single one.

As time passed, Ye An found the pursuit meaningless. She wasn’t someone easily trapped in the past. Since Chi Yan chose to discard everything and look forward, she would do the same.

She just hadn’t expected to suddenly receive a message from her today.

Soon, Xia Yihuan drove the car over.

“President Ye,” she said, getting out to open the passenger door for Ye An. “Sorry for the wait. Please, get in.”

“Mhm.” Ye An nodded, casually turned off her phone, straightened her skirt, and sat inside.

“Any plans for tomorrow?” Xia Yihuan asked. “Heading to the office at the usual time?”

“Make it half an hour early,” Ye An said. “There’s a morning meeting.”

“Okay.” Xia Yihuan nodded. She didn’t start the car immediately; instead, she reached into the back for a coat and gently draped it over Ye An’s shoulders.

“The wind is strong at night. Be careful not to catch a cold, President Ye,” she said.

It was the same care as always, but for some reason, Ye An felt her mood improve significantly.

After a moment, she leaned over slightly, her hands reaching for the buttons on Xia Yihuan’s coat, gently fastening them for her.

“You too,” she said afterward, letting out a small yawn and leaning back against the seat to rest her eyes. “I’m a bit sleepy. Tell me a story on the way.”

The next day.

Waking up early, Ye An applied the medicine for Xia Yihuan as usual. She had been exhausted the past few days and slept quite deeply last night, yet in her half-asleep state, she still heard some movement outside.

Just like that other night, it seemed to come from the bathroom—Xia Yihuan was coughing.

“Were you unwell again last night?” Ye An asked with some concern during breakfast.

Xia Yihuan paused but quickly regained her composure, shaking her head. “No.”

“You must have been dreaming, President Ye,” she said, her lips curving slightly as she handed her a glass of milk.

“Is that so?” Ye An nodded. It was possible, as Xia Yihuan said. Seeing that she was in a good state, Ye An didn’t dwell on it further. They changed the subject and continued discussing other matters.

Specifically, Xia Yihuan’s upcoming plans.

Ye An noted that her resolve to change careers remained unchanged. “You still want to open a packaging company, Yihuan?”

“Mhm.” Xia Yihuan nodded. “No changes for now.”

“Do you have friends in that industry?” Ye An asked. “How are you going to handle the design and technical aspects?”

“I don’t,” Xia Yihuan said. “I’ll figure it out as I go. In the early stages, I’ll outsource a team to save time and effort.”

Ye An nodded, then added after a moment, “To be honest, if I were in your position right now, I might not have your courage.”

“What exactly are you thinking?” She couldn’t help but be curious. Recalling their conversation from a while back, she teased instinctively, “It couldn’t be just so you can collaborate with me in the future, could it?”

“Mhm.” As soon as the words landed, Xia Yihuan nodded gently. “Perhaps it really is because of you, President Ye.”

These words caused Ye An to freeze involuntarily.

Xia Yihuan rarely joked. She looked so cold, possessing a natural “distant” aura that made it hard to discern her true thoughts or mood. Ye An blinked and eventually laughed.

Despite her expressionless face, the words clearly sounded like a joke. She paused and said nonchalantly, “Nonsense.”

This time Xia Yihuan didn’t speak, only curling her lips and smiling along with her.

After breakfast, Ye An arrived at the office. The weather had cooled significantly, signaling the onset of autumn. Ye An intended to launch a new theme, and the workload naturally increased.

Establishing a new company required extensive preparation, and Xia Yihuan had plenty to do as well. Yet, no matter how busy she was, she never forgot to pick up and drop off Ye An on time, even thoughtfully preparing breakfast and dinner for her.

The two of them were living together in surprising harmony.

As time passed, Ye An gradually grew used to having another person in the house. It had to be said that Xia Yihuan was indeed a good cohabitation partner.

Recently, her injuries were almost fully healed.

After breakfast and before leaving, Ye An checked Xia Yihuan’s wounds again. Work at the office wasn’t too heavy today, and Ye An intended to treat Xia Yihuan to a meal, so she specifically reserved half an hour of her time.

She was just about to call her when a knock sounded at the door.

Ye An looked up: “Enter.”

Her assistant hurried in. “President Ye, the front desk called to say a guest has arrived.”

Ye An looked at her. “I shouldn’t have any scheduled meetings today, right?”

“No,” the assistant shook her head. “But this guest claims to be an old friend. She said she notified you in advance that she would visit. Her name is Chi Yan.”

Chi Yan. She actually found her way to the company?

Ye An quickly recalled that previous text message. What happened between them years ago wasn’t exactly pleasant; since contact had been broken, there was no need to meet again.

Ye An hadn’t replied at the time, assuming Chi Yan would take the hint, but she hadn’t expected Chi Yan to show up directly at her door.

“I see,” Ye An said. “Which meeting room is she in?”

“Meeting Room C,” the assistant said.

“Mhm.” Ye An nodded. After a few seconds of silence, she stood up after all.

Meeting Room C wasn’t far from Ye An’s office. Pushing open the door, Ye An soon saw Chi Yan.

She was much the same as in her memory. Though several years had passed, Chi Yan’s temperament and appearance hadn’t changed much—still beautiful, confident, and poised. As Ye An stood at the door meeting her gaze, she felt for a moment as if she had returned to her younger, greener days.

But she knew that everything had already undergone earth-shattering changes.

Ye An sat down on the sofa and gave a thin smile. “Long time no see.”

“An’an, long time no see.” Chi Yan also smiled at her. “How have you been lately?”

“Not bad,” Ye An said. “And you?”

“I’ve been alright. Just recently returned to the country, so there’s a lot to handle. It’s been a bit busy,” Chi Yan said, her soft gaze fixed on Ye An’s eyes. “I’m truly sorry it took me this long to visit you.”

Her words skillfully glossed over the awkwardness of the ignored text. Ye An smiled and didn’t say much, only asking, “What brought you back to the country so suddenly, Sister Chi?”

“Nothing special. Business abroad hasn’t been great lately, and after being away for so long, I missed home. I decided to come back and see,” Chi Yan smiled, her gaze scanning Ye An’s face. “Let’s not talk about me. Tell me about you.”

“Your business has grown bigger and bigger over these years.”

“I can’t compare to you, Sister Chi,” Ye An shook her head.

“That’s being too humble,” Chi Yan said. “Even though I was abroad, I frequently followed the situation at home. I’ve heard news of you more or less.”

Her eyes held a hint of a smile as she said sincerely, “Seeing you doing well makes me very gratified.”

Hearing this, Ye An paused slightly while pouring tea, then said after a moment, “Thank you for your concern, Sister Chi.”

She spoke neither warmly nor coldly, maintaining a strong sense of distance. Chi Yan frowned slightly at the tone, the smile in her eyes fading. “An’an, are you still blaming me?”

Ye An looked up at her. “Blaming you for what?”

“For me leaving the country,” Chi Yan said.

Because of this sentence, the atmosphere quickly became stiff. A few seconds later, Ye An gave a faint smile. “What are you talking about, Sister Chi? That’s all in the past; I’ve long forgotten it.”

“It’s enough that you’re doing well; I respect your decision,” she said, raising her teacup to clink against Chi Yan’s. “Furthermore, I received so much help from you back then that I could never be grateful enough. How could there be any blame? Since we’ve met after so long, I’ll toast you with this tea instead of wine.”

As she finished the tea, her phone chimed. Ye An glanced down; it was a call from Xia Yihuan.

Ye An happened to want to leave, so she used this as an excuse, stating she had things to do and couldn’t host her properly today.

“It’s fine. I was the one who visited suddenly without notice,” Chi Yan shook her head in understanding. “Take care on the road.”

“I will,” Ye An nodded. “You too, Sister Chi.”

With that, she had already walked to the door.

Chi Yan’s gaze followed her back until she suddenly called her name again: “An’an.”

“Yes?” Ye An turned back.

Chi Yan met her gaze with a smile. “I might be staying for a long time after this return. I look forward to our next meeting.”

“Actually, I’ve been thinking of you. Life abroad was too dull and monotonous; I frequently thought back to the beautiful school days we shared,” she said. “I finally get to see you again today.”

“The title ‘Sister Chi’ is far too formal. If possible, I’d actually prefer to hear you call me ‘Senior’ like you used to.”