After Seeing Through the Plot, the Cannon Fodder Supporting Female Lead Overturned Her Fate - Chapter 41

Xia Yihuan ended up buying that ornament for Ye An after all.

A small item costing a few thousand yuan wasn’t overly expensive, but the craftsmanship and quality were impeccable. Ye An liked it at first glance and placed it on her TV cabinet that same evening.

Xia Yihuan soon poured a glass of water and handed it to her.

Ye An took it, checked the calendar on her phone, and said casually, “Next weekend is Liu Yue’s mother’s birthday. Do you have any plans for that day?”

Xia Yihuan shook her head. “None. Do you need me to accompany you, President Ye?”

“Sure, come with me then,” Ye An agreed with a nod. After a moment, she added, “I’ll take you to buy a few outfits when we have time.”

“There’s no need to trouble you, President Ye,” Xia Yihuan said. “I can buy them myself.”

“Forget it.” Ye An glanced at her and shook her head. “You’ve been busy preparing for the new company lately, and there are many places where you’ll need to spend money. I’ll cover this small expense.”

“It won’t be too late to pay me back once you’ve made a profit,” she smiled, lowering her eyes to take a sip of the tea. Xia Yihuan’s tea-brewing skills had clearly improved recently; using the same tea leaves, it somehow tasted much better coming from her hands.

This made Ye An narrow her eyes slightly, a trace of contentment appearing between her brows. Xia Yihuan glanced at her, and a moment later, her lips curved into a smile as well. “Have you ever thought about what happens if I lose money, President Ye?”

“You are Xia Yihuan. How could you fail at such a small business?” Ye An replied immediately, her tone righteous as if she had heard a preposterous joke.

However, considering this was a career change for Xia Yihuan and there’s a “what if” for everything, Ye An added after a few seconds of silence to avoid putting too much pressure on her: “Actually, it’s fine even if you do lose money. Business is about wins and losses. If you fail, just plan better and make double the profit next time. I believe you have the ability. I’ll be waiting.”

“But don’t make it too long,” Ye An said. “What if I don’t live to see that day?”

It sounded like a jest, but hearing it, Xia Yihuan frowned slightly. “What kind of talk is that, President Ye? You will live a long life.”

A long life.

Ye An paused at those words. It was indeed a beautiful wish, but unfortunately, she already knew her fate and had long since stopped hoping for such things.

“It’s not important how long I live.” In the end, she just shook her head and patted Xia Yihuan’s shoulder candidly. “Being happy is enough.”

“Don’t you think?”

She spoke very softly, as if to her or to herself. Xia Yihuan was silent for a few seconds before finally nodding gently. “Mhm, you’re right, President Ye.”

“Then I’ll add one more thing.” She smiled, picked up the glass teapot, and refilled Ye An’s cup. “I wish that while you live a long life, you will also always be safe and joyful.”

She always knew the right things to say.

Ye An’s lips curved as she leaned back leisurely on the sofa, her tone pleasant and peaceful. “Alright, I’ll take your word for it then.”

“I bet you put honey on your tongue today too,” she said, resting her cheek against the back of the sofa as she looked over. A few strands of black hair curled around her chest, and her beautiful pupils held tiny glints of light; she looked both stunning and alluring. “I really should reward you for this.”

“Pick out a few more outfits later.”

Time flew, and the weekend arrived in the blink of an eye.

Liu Yue had sent the location early in the morning. This birthday banquet wasn’t held at Yage but at a villa district surrounded by mountains and water.

“The ingredients were flown in this morning,” Liu Yue said. “My mom has a craving for Sichuan cuisine lately, so I invited a few excellent chefs. The scenery here is great too—eating, drinking, and enjoying the view, it’s so relaxing!”

“Plus, I invited lots and lots of friends,” she added, her tone full of delight. “The elders go to bed early, so nighttime is our time. We’ll go for a riverside BBQ later; the more the merrier!”

“Okay,” Ye An smiled. “Are Xiao Wen and Ji Chu coming?”

“They can’t make it. It seems they went on a business trip for work,” Liu Yue said. “But they came to visit in advance a while ago.”

“And they seemed very intimate,” Liu Yue lowered her voice, her tone full of excitement and joy, as if she were happier than if she were in a relationship herself. “I think they might already be dating.”

“Really?” Ye An was happy to hear it too, her smile widening. “We definitely have to celebrate properly for them another day.”

“Who knows when that will be.” Liu Yue shook her head instinctively, appearing somewhat dissatisfied. “Xiao Wen is the type to keep things bottled up. By the time she speaks up, the chance might have passed.”

“Not fair, totally not fair.” Liu Yue grew more disapproving as she spoke. “An’an, if you ever start dating, you must confess honestly and tell me as soon as possible!”

“I don’t have those plans for now.” Unexpectedly finding the topic turned back to her, Ye An gave a helpless smile. “We’ll see.”

“Don’t be like that,” Liu Yue sighed. “It’s been so many years, and you’re surrounded by so many handsome guys and pretty girls. There must be someone you’re ambiguous with, right?”

Ambiguous.

For some reason, Xia Yihuan’s face flashed through Ye An’s mind.

She also quickly remembered those few kisses she and Xia Yihuan had exchanged that night. Even though time had passed, the memory seemed to have taken root in her heart, and she inexplicably couldn’t forget it.

Perhaps it was because it was her first kiss, or perhaps because those kisses felt so good.

Ye An let out a light cough. If she kept thinking about it, who knows where her thoughts would wander. Since Xia Yihuan had just finished changing, she used it as an excuse to quickly hang up the phone.

The villa district was a bit far. Ye An had stayed up too late handling work the night before and almost fell asleep during the drive, only fully waking up upon arrival.

Mother Liu indeed loved the ceramic tea set she brought. Since they hadn’t seen each other in a long time, Mother Liu was both concerned and nostalgic, pulling her into a long conversation.

By the time the lunch banquet started, Ye An hadn’t found much free time.

After lunch, Mother Liu led everyone for a hike. The mountain wasn’t high, and they reached the top in about an hour. The view was lovely. Although Ye An felt tired, she didn’t mind since the scenery was worth it. Noticing she had been lacking exercise due to work, she and Xia Yihuan agreed to come back for a hike together in the future.

Time passed quickly, and evening arrived in a flash.

Mother Liu had maintained the habit of not eating dinner for over a decade. Combined with the day’s fatigue, she soon retired to her room with Father Liu. Liu Yue politely saw them off, but the moment they vanished from sight, she reverted to her usual self, waving everyone over for the BBQ with a grin.

Before long, the grills, lights, tables, and chairs were all set up.

Ye An looked at Liu Yue busy on the front lines and couldn’t help but shake her head with a soft sigh. Liu Yue was roughly her age, but she had many times more vitality. Ye An felt a bit envious and actually wanted to join in the work.

But she really couldn’t hold on much longer.

Xia Yihuan happened to bring over some orange juice at that moment. Seeing her yawn, she asked, “Are you sleepy, President Ye?”

Ye An nodded. “Yeah.”

“I just took a look; the fire isn’t even lit yet. It’ll be a while before the food is ready. Why don’t you go upstairs and nap for a bit?” Xia Yihuan suggested.

“Forget it,” Ye An shook her head. “A little while won’t make a difference.”

“Besides, the wind tonight is quite comfortable,” she said, a smile appearing in her eyes. “It’s nice to feel it.”

“Mhm.” Xia Yihuan nodded and said nothing more, stepping forward to button Ye An’s coat.

Half an hour later, the first batch of food was finally ready.

Liu Yue’s lack of inhibition was reflected in every aspect of her life, including the skewers; the meat on each one was huge and plentiful. Ye An only tasted a few and was already full.

“Eat!” Liu Yue saw she had only eaten a few skewers and immediately grew dissatisfied, shoving a handful toward her. “An’an, are you a lightweight?”

“No, I’m waiting for the next batch,” Ye An said, prying Liu Yue’s hands off her. For the first time, she felt an urge to flee. “I need to make a phone call first.”

With that, she quickly signaled Xia Yihuan with her eyes.

The latter seemingly got the message instantly, stood up, and approached Liu Yue with a glass. “Miss Liu, care for a drink?”

“Sure!” Liu Yue nodded. She had always liked making friends. Although she initially had some misunderstandings about Xia Yihuan, she gradually stopped caring as she saw her relationship with Ye An improving. “Drink!”

Her attention was quickly diverted from Ye An.

Seeing this, Ye An sighed, popped a peppermint into her mouth, and took the opportunity to stand up and walk away. She had indeed eaten a lot today, and if she didn’t walk it off, she likely wouldn’t sleep well. She decided to stroll along the river to see the view.

After walking for about ten minutes, she looked back to see Xia Yihuan following her.

“Yueyue finally let you go?” Ye An looked back at her. The night breeze brushed her face, and the moonlight wrapped around her naturally. Looking into her eyes, Xia Yihuan felt that she was glowing in this moment.

“Yeah,” Xia Yihuan nodded, stepping forward to match her pace. They continued walking along the river side-by-side. “Miss Liu has a high tolerance.”

“Indeed,” Ye An laughed. “In the past, neither Xiao Wen nor I could out-drink her.”

“But she drinks a lot and gets drunk quickly, and she doesn’t wake up easily,” Ye An added. “In that regard, she can’t beat me.”

“Mhm, you’re very impressive, President Ye.”

“Let’s sit for a bit.” Ye An stretched; she was a bit tired. There happened to be a bench nearby. She carefully wiped it with a wet wipe, straightened her skirt, and sat down with Xia Yihuan.

Tonight’s breeze was cool and gentle, feeling lovely on her face. Ye An stared at the shimmering lake for a long while before closing her eyes to rest against the back of the bench.

“You’re sleepy, President Ye.” Xia Yihuan’s voice came from beside her—close and pleasant, as lovely as the rustling of leaves in the wind.

“Yeah,” Ye An nodded, answering softly.

“Want to sleep for a bit?” Xia Yihuan asked.

Ye An shook her head with her eyes closed. “I’ll catch a cold…”

Before she could finish, Xia Yihuan took off her coat and draped it over her.

Ye An opened her eyes to glance at her, then closed them again after a moment. “It’s not comfortable to sleep here.”

With those words, Xia Yihuan stood up and slowly shifted closer to her.

This time Ye An didn’t look at her; she simply turned her head and leaned gently against her shoulder.

Once all this was done, neither spoke. Xia Yihuan’s scent was pleasant and warm, making Ye An instinctively think of that night once more.

She sensed that since that day, something in their relationship had begun to change, but she didn’t dare explore it, nor did she want to think too much.

Sleepiness began to surge. Ye An no longer hesitated and, rare for such an open environment, fell asleep. After an unknown amount of time, a wave of warmth suddenly brushed against her cheek.

Ye An pursed her lips slightly; that touch was moist and gentle, feeling wonderful. Almost instinctively, she wanted to seek it out, hungering for that warmth.

So, in a daze, she turned her face slightly, trying to capture it.

Sure enough, in the next second, her lips sensed that warmth. Xia Yihuan had recently drunk some fruit wine, and the crispness of the alcohol mixed with the sweetness of the fruit gradually seeped into her lips. It was truly delightful.

Ye An’s lips curved slightly as she drifted back into a boundless dream. For a moment, she couldn’t tell if what had just happened was real or fake, but that heart-stirring feeling remained vividly etched in her mind.

It felt good.