After Seeing Through the Plot, the Cannon Fodder Supporting Female Lead Overturned Her Fate - Chapter 37

Time seemed to freeze at the moment she kissed her.

Xia Yihuan’s lips were very soft, their temperature slightly warmer than her cheeks. They carried a faint fragrance, and as they slowly pressed against her, the sensation was unexpectedly pleasant.

Ye An was twenty-seven now, past the age of blushing at every little thing, but she had to admit that Xia Yihuan’s kiss still made her heart race for a few seconds.

Even if it was just acting.

Ye An glanced at her sideways, her eyes filled with a myriad of emotions, but a few seconds later, her lips curled into a smile. “Mhm.”

“Then let’s go.” Xia Yihuan smiled along with her. “Goodbye, Miss Chi.”

With that, the two turned and left together.

The banquet had reached its later half. Everyone had drunk quite a bit and was mostly in a daze, none of them in a very good state.

So, naturally, no one noticed any difference in the expressions of the two compared to before they left. A few minutes later, Chi Yan also returned to the table and sat down.

As if anticipating her return, Xia Yihuan had swapped seats with Ye An beforehand, sitting directly between them to separate the two. Finding no opportunity to speak with Ye An, Chi Yan gradually fell silent.

Each occupied with their own thoughts, they remained until the end of the banquet.

Before leaving, Chi Yan finally caught a chance to say to Ye An, “How did you get here? Do you need me to drop you off?”

“No need,” Ye An smiled. “I drove here; I’ll just call a designated driver.”

This time, before Chi Yan could say anything more, Xia Yihuan had already taken Ye An’s hand. “Let’s go.”

Ye An nodded and said nothing more. The two left the hall together and sat in the car.

A moment later, the driver arrived.

Ye An gave the address and leaned back habitually, closing her eyes to rest. She had been busy networking tonight and had drunk quite a bit; now that the cold wind was blowing, the alcohol hit her harder, making her feel quite dizzy.

Yet, she inexplicably couldn’t settle her mind. For some reason, the image of Xia Yihuan suddenly kissing her kept lingering in her thoughts.

After a long while, she finally opened her eyes. “Thank you.”

Xia Yihuan looked over at the sound. “What is President Ye thanking me for?”

“For helping me out of that situation,” Ye An said, letting out a small sigh of relief. “It was truly a bit too awkward just now. Thanks to you arriving in time.”

“It was nothing.” Hearing her say this, Xia Yihuan slowly shook her head. “Do you find that Miss Chi very repulsive, President Ye?”

At that question, Ye An thought for a few seconds before saying, “Repulsive wouldn’t be the word. After all, she’s an old friend, and I received a lot of help from her during my student days.”

“It’s just… awkward,” she said. “It’s like you’ve already prepared yourself to excise someone from your life, only to run into them again one day, and even discover they’re starting to approach you again with some kind of purpose.”

“Whatever that purpose is, it feels awkward.” Ye An shook her head. “Too awkward.”

Xia Yihuan understood her meaning; Ye An was not someone who looked back easily.

But by the same token, she wasn’t someone who would casually bare her heart to others.

Sure enough, before Xia Yihuan could speak, Ye An shook her head again. “Never mind. It seems I really drank a bit too much tonight.”

Xia Yihuan followed up: “I’ll make some hangover soup for you tonight, President Ye.”

“Mhm.” Ye An had no objection and gave a light smile. “Sorry for the trouble.”

The two soon arrived home.

Smelling of food and alcohol, Ye An frowned. As soon as she got home, she hurried to the bedroom to grab her pajamas and dove into the bathroom for a good soak.

By the time she came out, Xia Yihuan had already finished the hangover soup.

“That was fast.” Ye An glanced at her, plugged in the hair dryer, and sat at the vanity, yawning as she began to dry her hair.

“It’s quite simple to make, and we happened to have all the ingredients,” Xia Yihuan said. She placed the porcelain bowl on the side table, then walked over to stand beside Ye An, naturally taking the hair dryer to help her.

Seeing this, Ye An couldn’t help but tease, “I’m going to be rendered useless by your care.”

“How could that happen?” Xia Yihuan smiled.

“You should head to bed early, too.” Ye An’s voice mixed with the roar of the dryer, sounding somewhat ethereal. “You probably have a lot of things to handle tomorrow, right?”

“Mhm.” Xia Yihuan nodded, but added after a few seconds, “Don’t you want to talk, President Ye?”

Ye An was stunned. “Talk about what?”

“Talk about what we didn’t finish saying in the car,” Xia Yihuan said. “If you’re feeling unhappy, feel free to tell me. I’m willing to be your listener.”

Those words were quite touching.

She didn’t know if it was because she had spent so much time with this person, but now Ye An found her more and more pleasant to the eye, and even began to ask herself if she had been blind to view her as an arch-rival.

After a few seconds of silence, Ye An still shook her head. “It’s nothing major. Talking more won’t help.”

“However, I do want to talk about you,” Ye An said, looking into the mirror and meeting Xia Yihuan’s eyes behind her. “That kiss you suddenly gave me earlier was truly quite unexpected.”

She thought for a moment and asked a tactful question: “You don’t find that repulsive?”

Xia Yihuan knew what she was referring to. “I don’t.”

Ye An couldn’t help but smile. “Have you ever been in a relationship before?”

Xia Yihuan shook her head. “I didn’t have much time.”

That was true.

Ye An gave a soft “mhm.” She only had a bit over two years left to live, so dating was truly unnecessary, but Xia Yihuan was different. It would be better to find someone suitable while she was young. “Do you want me to introduce someone to you? I know quite a lot of people.”

It was just a suggestion, but for some reason, Ye An felt a bit nervous the moment she asked.

A few seconds later, Xia Yihuan shook her head. “No need. I don’t have those plans for the time being.”

Hearing that, Ye An felt an inexplicable sense of relief, as if that was the exact answer she wanted to hear.

Something’s wrong. I must have really drunk too much today.

“Then take it slow,” Ye An said. She originally wanted to end with the cliché “the road ahead is long,” but after thinking about it, she mockingly added a “you” in the middle.

“Anyway, the road ahead is still long for you.”

Time flew by, and another half-month passed.

Shi Qian’s autumn new releases soon hit the market. Because of their novel designs and beautiful symbolism, they were quickly covered by numerous news outlets and magazines, with sales hitting a new record high.

As a fan of Shi Qian, Lu Man naturally sent a message of congratulations.

Thinking back, the two hadn’t been in contact for a long time. Ever since that night she made things clear, Lu Man seemed to have gradually given up on the idea of pursuing her.

Ye An thought this was good. Lu Man was much younger than her and was currently at the peak of her fame; there was no need to waste time on her. She would surely meet someone more suitable.

However, even if they couldn’t be lovers, they could still remain friends.

Ye An looked down and quickly composed a thank-you message, politely stating she would have her assistant send some of the new products over. She also congratulated her on landing the female lead in another hit drama, wishing her a bright future.

After sending the message, Lu Man quickly replied with a smiley face.

Ye An’s lips curled into a smile, and she was about to put her phone away when another message popped up.

This time, it was from Chi Yan.

Seeing that familiar name, Ye An instinctively frowned, but after a few seconds of silence, she opened the message to see what she had to say.

They were all adults; there was no need to make things so tense. Ye An entered the chat and, as expected, saw an apology message from Chi Yan.

[I’m sorry, An’an. I indeed drank a bit much that night and accidentally said some nonsense. I’m truly sorry if I offended you.]

[I’ve thought a lot these past few days. I didn’t intend to disturb you again, but after all, we were friends for so many years. If possible, I don’t want to let this friendship end easily.]

[Can you forgive me? — Chi Yan.]

It sounded quite sincere.

Ye An sighed and, after a few seconds of silence, gave a polite reply, saying she had also drunk quite a bit that night and couldn’t really remember what happened. Since things were out in the open, they could consider the misunderstanding resolved and remain friends.

After the message was sent, Chi Yan clearly felt relieved and simply made a phone call a few seconds later.

Ye An picked up. “Sister Chi, is something the matter?”

“Long time no see, I just wanted to check in on you,” Chi Yan laughed. After a few pleasantries, she cut to the chase. “I actually do have something to discuss with you.”

“It’s a business opportunity, actually,” Chi Yan said. “Do you remember that Jiang Ming we met once? A friend of his also does luxury goods, but his family has had some setbacks lately, and he’s overwhelmed. He’s forced to sell a portion of shares to handle the emergency.”

“I think you’d be interested,” Chi Yan said. “That company has been doing quite well over the years. He wouldn’t have made this decision if he wasn’t forced to. Jiang Ming told me early on; honestly, I was quite tempted. If I had spare cash on hand, I would have bought them directly.”

“You might want to consider it,” she said, her tone full of smiles. “I think it’s quite a bargain.”