I Have the Aura of a Supporting Character in Yuri Novels - Chapter 42

The elevator chimed, and a woman with a pleasant appearance slowly stepped out. She looked indifferent, her eyes calm and unblinking. When a colleague called her name, Tang Xinhai smiled and nodded, then left their side.

Tang Xinhai went to the top floor, where a man wearing glasses greeted her with a handshake. “Assistant Tang, please follow me,” he said.

The man knocked on an office door. After getting permission to enter, he pushed it open and gestured politely for Tang Xinhai to go in first. Tang Xinhai lowered her eyes, concealing the displeasure that showed she wasn’t happy about being the errand runner this time.

“Thank you.”

Tang Xinhai didn’t spare the man a glance. Her cold and elegant features gave off a sense of pressure, yet they also sparked a desire in people to conquer her. This was a woman who was a formidable opponent, whether in business or in love.

The man’s gaze flashed with admiration, but recalling the other person’s interest in her, he immediately lowered his head cautiously, afraid that his look might provoke that person’s displeasure. After all, once Tang Xinhai was on that person’s radar, it meant she had been marked with his label and was absolutely forbidden for others to touch.

“Mr. Chu, this is the proposal Vice President Ye asked me to bring to you. Please take a look.”

The man, who had been resting his eyes in the office chair, slightly curled his thin lips when he heard Tang Xinhai’s footsteps. When he opened his piercing, intense eyes and fixed them on Tang Xinhai, Chu Chengwen’s demeanor became a little dangerous, and even the smile on his lips held a hint of evil, making the handsome man in the black shirt appear charmingly wicked and arrogant.

Tang Xinhai’s lips seemed to form a straight line. With one level of authority higher, she had to face the watchful Chu Chengwen. Besides, Tang Xinhai wasn’t one to shy away from things. If avoiding a situation worked, the company gossip would have faded away on its own without anyone’s intervention. So, avoidance was useless. Standing firm and facing the challenge was the only way to not be caught off guard.

Tang Xinhai respectfully placed the proposal on the desk, gave a polite nod to Chu Chengwen, and turned to leave.

“Assistant Tang, please wait.”

The man’s deep and husky voice was captivating. It was clear from his tone that he was a man who smoked often. The hoarse voice was very masculine.

Tang Xinhai didn’t look away, and said calmly, “Is there anything else, Mr. Chu?”

“Be my date for the banquet tomorrow night.”

Tang Xinhai remained composed. “As a company employee, it’s my duty to assist you, Mr. Chu. But Vice President Ye will also be attending the banquet, and she needs me by her side. She’ll have a lot of socializing to do tomorrow night, and I need to see her home. So, thank you for the offer, Mr. Chu, but I must decline.”

Chu Chengwen smiled lazily. He was slouching and looked a bit of a slacker, but Tang Xinhai didn’t underestimate him and remained vigilant.

He called Ye Yiran’s number on the internal line. It wasn’t busy, and Ye Yiran answered quickly. When she heard Chu Chengwen’s voice, her eyes showed a thoughtful look. As calculations for profit took over, Ye Yiran suddenly thought of Tang Xinhai’s clear eyes. She sighed and pressed her fingers against her temples, helping Tang Xinhai by saying, “Chengwen, I really can’t do without Xinhai by my side. I’ll take her to the banquet tomorrow night.”

Chu Chengwen was quite surprised. Ye Yiran rarely contradicted him. Although she was the youngest daughter of the old man in the family, her background wasn’t exactly clean. Back in the day, the old man was infatuated with a beautiful woman in the countryside and fathered Ye Yiran. The old man probably knew he had made a mistake and never acknowledged her until she went to college. It was only then that he met the daughter who was a stain on his past.

Chu Chengwen didn’t hold any prejudice against Ye Yiran. Everyone knew it was the old man who was at fault, and she and her mother were innocent. So, when the old man brought Ye Yiran into the company, few people objected, mainly because Ye Yiran had a good nature and hadn’t been led astray. Over the years, the entire family got along well.

However, there was one thing that the old man couldn’t rest easy about before he died: the fact that Ye Yiran, in her thirties, refused to marry. She also treated Chu Chengwen like her own son. This was why Chu Chengwen was so shocked when Ye Yiran turned him down.

Chu Chengwen’s eyes were full of meaning. He couldn’t understand how Tang Xinhai had caught Ye Yiran’s eye. He had to give respect to his elders. Chu Chengwen didn’t want to make Ye Yiran lose face, so he said with a smile, “Alright, I’ll listen to you, Aunt.”

Tang Xinhai remained calm, as if she wasn’t the one they were talking about.

This composure made Chu Chengwen admire her even more. There was no shortage of beautiful women, but an interesting soul was the most important factor in his attraction to her.

He was genuinely curious about why she disliked him so much. Tang Xinhai, who would smile at others, always looked miserable whenever she saw him, which he found a little amusing.

Chu Chengwen hung up the phone, placed his hands on his abdomen, and smiled with a civilized air that was very deceiving. He laughed and said, “Assistant Tang, are you single?”

Although it was a question, the certainty in his tone deepened Tang Xinhai’s dislike for him.

“Company policy prohibits discussing personal lives and forbids office romance during working hours.” She was addressing Chu Chengwen’s question, but he said dismissively, “A woman with your qualities, Assistant Tang, could live a comfortable life after marriage. The man who marries you would definitely be an exceptional person from a good family. You wouldn’t need to go to work, so there’d be no such thing as an office romance.”

Tang Xinhai dug her nails into her palms, suppressing the anger boiling inside her. She curled her lips into a gentle smile, which made Chu Chengwen’s eyes light up with satisfaction. It was clear that her looks were very much to his liking. A simple smile made his heart flutter.

Tang Xinhai had never shown any affection towards Chu Chengwen. She had always been cold and hard, deliberately ignoring his advances. This rare smile, of course, captivated Chu Chengwen.

“I haven’t considered your point of view, Mr. Chu, because…”

She slowly widened her smile, her gaze meeting Chu Chengwen’s with a clear, bright look that made him feel as if he was looking at a precious piece of glass.

She said, “Because I’ve never thought about starting a family with a man in the future, because I like women.”

Tang Xinhai said it candidly. A sentence that had been buried in her heart for a long time was finally spoken. This made her feel both amused and a little sad. She never thought she would say this almost-confession to Chu Chengwen. But this was good, she thought, a practice run. She knew she would have to say it to her one day.

Her eyebrows relaxed, revealing a sense of ease and joy. The cold and serious look from before was gone. When she spoke of the person she loved, she couldn’t hide her emotions. Tang Xinhai was now full of tenderness, and that affection in her eyes and eyebrows was extremely unpleasant to Chu Chengwen.

Chu Chengwen’s indifferent expression disappeared. He tapped his knee with his fingers, a habit he’d had for many years when he was thinking.

He didn’t show any anger but wished Tang Xinhai well with a half-smile.

Tang Xinhai looked a little shy. She didn’t say anything else to him and found an excuse to leave his sight.

As soon as the office door closed, Chu Chengwen’s face darkened. He was filled with anger and kicked the desk fiercely. “Likes women? Hmph, that’s what silly people say when they haven’t had a taste of a man yet. Forget it, she’s just a woman. I’m not so desperate that I have to marry her!”

He lost interest in Tang Xinhai. His pride wouldn’t allow him to be a pathetic simp in love. As a man who was always flattered by women, Chu Chengwen certainly wasn’t short of options. If not Tang Xinhai, there would always be others who would try to win his favor.

The night was filled with sparkling stars. He drove home and saw his father, Mr. Chu, flipping through a newspaper as soon as he entered the house. From the kitchen, he could hear his mother’s frequent, hearty laughter, being teased by his cousin, Si Borong. But that wasn’t the main point. What Chu Chengwen was more concerned about was the strong aroma in the living room.

“Dad, Aunt Ma didn’t make these dishes, did she?”

After eating Aunt Ma’s food for more than twenty years, Chu Chengwen knew immediately that it wasn’t her cooking.

Mr. Chu laughed and said, “This is what that rascal Borong brought back. Now that you’re home, we can eat. Chunhui, your son is back.”

Si Chunhui came out with a dish, and Si Borong was also busy. She smiled warmly when she saw her son. Si Borong took the dish from her and quickly placed it on the table. He said proudly, “You all always say I’m good for nothing, but this time I really struck gold with a food review.”

Si Chunhui gave him a look. “You’re a free spirit and don’t have to be responsible for the company, but your sister is exhausted every day.”

He shrugged dismissively. “My sister is more capable than me. Let her earn the money. It’s nice for me to get my dividends every year.”

Chu Chengwen sat down and looked at the delicious food on the table. He was quite interested. “It looks good, and it smells good. Whose cooking is this?”

“You’ll be surprised if I tell you! Do you remember Zhuyun? Aunt, that ruby necklace you bought before was from Zhuyun. You liked it a lot.”

Si Chunhui heard this and made a bold guess. She was surprised and said, “Did that little girl Zhuyun make these? She has this skill?”

Chu Chengwen’s mind pictured Zhuyun: fresh, clean, and pure. Her face was round, and she was a woman who was full of sweetness when she smiled.

Mr. Chu picked up his chopsticks, and his look of contempt turned into one of admiration. He tasted the mandarin fish with sweet and sour sauce, and the taste was delicious. The fish was tender. It was an excellent dish!

“She’s a gifted person. With this cooking skill, she can definitely become someone important,” Mr. Chu said.

Si Borong grimaced in pain. “Uncle, do you know how much this table of food cost us? That Zhuyun is a real money-grubber. The first time I went to her shop and asked for takeout, she told me they were sold out. Her private dishes are limited every day. I went again today, and she said they were sold out again. Who does she look down on? I paid ten times the price to buy someone else’s spot, and that’s how I got these three private dishes and four stir-fried dishes to bring home.”

Chu Chengwen’s eyes twitched. He said humorously, “Did you offend her?”

Si Borong racked his brain. “No, I have no connections with her. I can’t have offended her. Oh, yeah, brother, I’m not the only one who knows Zhujun’s restaurant. Ding Qiuyan and Shu Wan know about it too. Don’t you think she’s embarrassed?”

Si Chunhui scolded him in dissatisfaction. “What’s embarrassing about earning an honest living?”

Chu Chengwen didn’t expect Zhuyun to have such a calm side. He had underestimated her before. After tasting a spoonful of the salted pork with bamboo shoots soup, he couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows. “I only thought Zhuyun had the skill to appraise jewelry. It seems she’s hiding a lot.”

Si Chunhui nodded in agreement. Thinking of the couple she had met many times before, she said with regret, “Even a pampered darling has to grow up one day. Chengwen, if you ever run into Zhuyun, help her if you can. Her relatives are not easy to get along with. It’s been hard on this child.”

Chu Chengwen said helplessly, “I don’t have any contact with Zhuyun. How can I help?”

At this point, Chu Chengwen became curious about another thing. He said, “Borong, by buying someone else’s spot for the private dishes, did you cause trouble for Zhuyun?”

Si Borong couldn’t bear to look up, eating the food on his plate with gusto. If his parents hadn’t gone on a trip and his demon boss sister wasn’t such a workaholic, he would have definitely let his family have a good meal first. What a pity they missed out on this treat.

“It’s fine. I asked, and that person wasn’t angry. She looked like she had a good relationship with Zhuyun. And that person was pretty, too. What was her name? Xinhai? If I wasn’t in a hurry to come home for dinner, I would have asked for her contact information. She was a really amazing woman. Her figure…” He was halfway through his sentence when Si Chunhui hit him on the head. He originally wanted to say her figure was top-notch, but his aunt wasn’t someone to mess with, so he decided to focus on eating.

But Chu Chengwen’s thoughts were stirred. Although he had already decided to give up on Tang Xinhai, when he heard his cousin praising her, Chu Chengwen felt uncomfortable, as if his property was being taken over by someone else.

“Are you talking about the woman with a cold face, wearing a dark blue suit, and a silver-white rose brooch?”

Si Borong frowned. “Cold face? No, she had a very good relationship with Zhuyun. You could tell they were good friends. She was smiling so brightly. But she was wearing that outfit. She was wearing it when she first came in, but she changed upstairs later. That’s why I took a few extra glances at her.”

Chu Chengwen narrowed his eyes, feeling even more frustrated. A down-on-her-luck Zhuyun could make her smile, but she wouldn’t even look at a perfect man like him, and she kept saying she liked women! Tang Xinhai really didn’t take him seriously.

Tsk, this woman was so disobedient.

Si Chunhui couldn’t help but notice her son’s unusual behavior. It was just a name, but he seemed very interested. Who was this woman named “Xinhai”?

However, Si Chunhui had a gentle nature, and her son was grown up. She had no desire to pry. After all, they were old, and too much interference would only backfire.

“Borong, call me next time you go to Zhuyun’s place.”

Si Borong was surprised and asked, “What’s wrong with you?”

He found an excuse. “Zhuyun has a lot of good stuff. I used to ask around about it. Now that I know her address, I should go and take a look. Didn’t Mom say to help her out?”

“Oh, okay, I’ll call you then.”

“Okay.”

The city was rainy, and the autumn rain pattered down, bringing a rare coldness. It was only then that people realized that the cold winter was slowly waiting in line. When autumn left, it would stay in the city, accompanying the people there through the coldest months of the year.

With the rain, the business in the restaurant was inevitably affected. But Zhuyun was happy for the peace and quiet. She wasn’t worried about thieves coming to the store anyway, since she had 857’s all-day surveillance. So she stayed on the second floor, sprawled on the sofa, reading a comic book. She was as carefree as a fairy.

Little Zhu, little Zhu, a customer is here.

Zhuyun was at the most exciting part of the comic. She reluctantly closed the book, resignedly put on her apron, and slipped the comic into the front pocket. She walked downstairs listlessly.

“Welcome. What would you like to eat?”

As soon as she got downstairs, she saw a woman with her back to her, looking at the small sweet osmanthus potted plant in the shop.

With hair reaching her waist and a slender figure, Shu Wan turned around. Her gentle eyes looked at Zhuyun and said, “I haven’t been here for a few days, and the chrysanthemums have been replaced with sweet osmanthus.”

When Zhuyun saw it was an acquaintance, she took out the comic book, leaned on the counter, and started reading again, while saying distractedly, “The chrysanthemums withered, so I replaced them with sweet osmanthus.”

Shu Wan looked at the carefree Zhuyun, who had no one to look after her, and felt a little envious for some reason. She couldn’t help but say, “I wish I were you. You know, my parents want me to marry Zhang Peilin.”

Zhuyun had no interest in being Shu Wan’s confidante. She pretended not to hear her and continued to read her comic.

Shu Wan walked over and spoke again helplessly. “You should come to my wedding, too.”

“Huh?”

Shu Wan regretted saying this immediately because Zhuyun’s attitude made it clear that she didn’t want to go to the wedding.

“Wei Wei will be there, too. Are you really not coming?”

When Zhuyun heard that name, she laughed at herself. “She used to be my best friend, but I haven’t seen Wei Wei in a long time. I can’t keep up with friends like that.”

Shu Wan was surprised. “She didn’t come to see you?”

“No. Isn’t that how fake friends are?”

Shu Wan suddenly stopped envying Zhuyun. Although she didn’t have to face the situation of marrying someone she didn’t like, her parents were dead, her family was bankrupt, and even her good friends had cut off contact with her. There was nothing to envy about being this miserable.

Her eyes flickered. She stopped chatting with Zhuyun and elegantly chose a seat, saying, “Just make me today’s private dish.”

For some reason, every time she came to Zhuyun’s restaurant, she felt a lot better. Looking at the flowers and eating good food made her happier than spending a lot of money shopping. So Shu Wan and her friends would occasionally come to Zhuyun’s place for a meal. With their promotion, Zhuyun even added a few expensive private dishes that ordinary people wouldn’t buy. Why not make money if she could? Who would say no to money?

The faint fragrance of flowers was gradually replaced by the smell of food. Shu Wan’s appetite was whetted, and she looked at her waist in frustration. She told herself she absolutely couldn’t come again next month, or she would definitely gain weight.

Just then, another person walked in.

She shook her wet umbrella and put it in the umbrella stand by the door. She sat on the chair at the counter and used a tissue to wipe the rainwater from her hands. Tang Xinhai saw the comic book that Zhuyun had left behind and smiled gently.

After Zhujun served Shu Wan’s meal, she rushed over to Tang Xinhai and said with a smile, “It’s cold. I’ll make you a bowl of ginger tea later. Don’t catch a cold.”

Tang Xinhai didn’t want to drink ginger tea at all. Not liking the taste was a small matter. The main reason was that she wanted to spend more time with Zhuyun and couldn’t bear to see her use her time in the kitchen.

The shop was usually busy, and Tang Xinhai would be considerate and not bother her. But today, Shu Wan was the only person in the shop, and Zhuyun didn’t have to be as busy as a spinning top, so she naturally wouldn’t let go of this good opportunity to spend time together.

She took Zhuyun’s hand and pulled her in front of her, letting Zhuyun’s waist rest against her leg. Tang Xinhai’s arm subtly wrapped around Zhuyun’s waist. She picked up the comic book and said, “Little Zhu, did you finish the last one?”

“Yeah.”

Tang Xinhai said with certainty, “You stayed up late, didn’t you?”

Zhujun pursed her lips and smiled sweetly. “I just couldn’t help myself.”

She shook her head helplessly and said, “You were busy all day and still had the energy to stay up late. Zhuyun, you’re really something.”

“That’s because I’m young!”

Tang Xinhai saw that she was still being playful, and she got annoyed. She gave her a glare and said, “If you stay up late again, I’ll confiscate your comics.”

“Tang Xinhai, you’re so mean!”

“If little Zhu was a little more obedient, why would I have to be so annoying?”

Zhuyun squinted at the calm Tang Xinhai. It must have been her imagination, but she felt that Tang Xinhai had been getting bolder lately. Since that time she came upstairs, Tang Xinhai had become a frequent visitor. Sometimes she would even stay overnight in the guest room. All in all, Tang Xinhai was leaving more and more traces of her existence in this shop.

“Hmph.”

This person was taking advantage of her soft heart to do as she pleased.

Tang Xinhai smiled even more, holding her by the waist and having Zhuyun sit on her lap. Behind her was that extremely close soft spot. Zhuyun was like a cat with its tail stepped on. She complained, “What are you doing!” And there was another person here, too.

She looked innocent. “Reading a comic book with little Zhu.”

“No way, big sister. You’re reading as soon as you get off work? Aren’t you hungry? I’ll go make you some delicious food!” She said she would do anything to get away. Tang Xinhai’s eyes had been strange lately, and it made her flustered.

Tang Xinhai didn’t care if there was anyone else there. In her eyes, they were just faceless figures. She rested her chin on Zhuyun’s shoulder and used her hand to turn Zhuyun’s face back to its original position. She whispered in her ear, “I’m not hungry. Let’s rest for a while. Little Zhu, weren’t you just busy?”

“I’m just worried you’ll be hungry,” she mumbled.

The intimacy between the two made Shu Wan, who was eating alone, roll her eyes. It was only two dishes. How tired could she be? Was there any need to be so concerned about Zhuyun?

Suddenly, the door was pushed open, and a regular customer walked in. This time, Si Borong wasn’t live-streaming. He walked in front and saw the intimate Zhuyun and Tang Xinhai at a glance. He couldn’t help but tease, “You two are hugging and holding each other in broad daylight. What are you doing?”

At this, the entire place fell silent, with various expressions.

Zhuyun: Oh my god, does this idiot know how to use idioms?

Tang Xinhai: Thank you. You can say more if you want.

Shu Wan: Finally, someone else is here to eat this lovey-dovey food with me!

Behind him, Chu Chengwen’s face completely darkened. At the company, she was noble and cold, and wouldn’t even spare him a glance. He didn’t expect her to be like this in private.

Damn it, I think I’m even more interested in her now!

Heh, woman, you have successfully caught my attention!

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