Conquering the Male Supporting Character – CH 019

Chapter 19. Dreaming of her

“How ridiculous,” Xie Yu thought coldly. She was just a young woman under his protection, yet she could still hold his attention so constantly.

His relationship with her was like that of a hunter constantly eyeing his prey—how could it not be laughable?

Even if he had deliberately seduced her, though his methods were somewhat despicable, he had ulterior motives.

He would never have harbored any other intentions.

Displeased, Xie Yu quickened his pace. The dim light in the dungeon nearly caused him to bump into Xu Lin, who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion.

“Xun’an, what’s wrong? Why are you so distracted?”

He and Xie Yu were practically family, having worked together for years. Even in the dim light, he could see the absent-mindedness beneath Xie Yu’s expressionless face.

Xu Lin reached out to stop him, then subconsciously rubbed his wrist. He had an appointment yesterday to play half a day of Chuiwan, and his wrist was still sore. Unexpectedly, Xie Yu did not even glance at him, bypassing him and walking straight away.

“Xie Xun’an!”

He called out, but the other did not turn around, so he could only hook his arm around Xie-Jue’s shoulder to stop him. “Tell me, what’s wrong with him? I’ve rarely seen him like this.”

Xie-Jue stopped and gave a wry smile. “Supervisor Xu, you are asking me? How would I know?”

“Our young master’s mind is as deep as a bottomless pit, more intricate than embroidery. How could I possibly guess what he’s thinking?”

Xu Lin inwardly agreed, raising an eyebrow and laughing.

“Then tell me, who did your young master meet today, and what did he do?”

Since they were not strangers, Xie-Jue spilled the beans, giving a general account of what happened, but he had not followed him into the room and did not know what had transpired inside.

With a sudden slap, Xu Lin unexpectedly gave Xie-Jue a slap on the back, his smugness and glee barely concealed.

“Xie Xun’an, Xie Xun’an, I never thought you’d end up like this. I really thought you were born cold-hearted and abstinent, destined to shave your head and become a monk. Turns out you just had not met the right person yet.”

Xu Lin was quite pleased with himself. He glanced at the bewildered Xie-Jue, chuckled twice, waved his hand, and went inside.

Leaving Xie-Jue standing there, somewhat at a loss, he could only jog after his master.

Late at night, Lu Wan dismissed the others, placed Xiao Bai on the rosewood-carved lacquer table, and leaned down to meet those round, bright cat eyes.

And indeed, Xiao Bai had been eating and drinking well lately, gaining weight, its white fur fluffy, making it irresistible to want to pet it.

Lu Wan stroked its little head and gently hooked its chin with her fingertip, signaling it to begin.

【Lu Wan: Check Xie Yu’s current favorability rating.】

【Xiao Bai: Ding! Checking… Target’s favorability rating was fluctuating wildly, unable to check!】

This works?

Lu Wan angrily picked up a pink paw and scratched it. Seeing no reaction, she became even more annoyed and angrily rubbed the cat’s head.

Meow~ Meow~~

The heartless Xiao Bai cat seemed to enjoy it even more, meowing several times in a row. Even its heterochromatic eyes narrowed. When she stopped, it opened them wide, its eyes full of innocence, as if asking, “So comfortable, so comfortable, can you continue?”

This was too annoying! Lu Wan coldly ground her back teeth. If there were a system complaint portal, she would definitely write a thousand-word rant and immediately click submit.

“What a terrible system! It is out of energy and cannot query anything.”

She was helpless now. Lu Wan smiled wryly and slumped onto the table, meeting Xiao Bai’s curious gaze.

Tempted, she reached out and slowly stroked Xiao Bai’s soft belly, listening to its purring.

Lu Wan was lost in thought. Xie Yu’s favorability towards her was fluctuating wildly. If Xiao Bai was not lying…

What was Xie Yu doing right now to cause such a dramatic shift in his favorability towards her?

But she did not seem to have done anything special today.

She poked Xiao Bai’s chubby cheeks slightly, and sure enough, its fur bristled, and she burst out laughing.

“A man’s heart is like the bottom of the sea,” she concluded.

“I still need to find a chance to see Xie Yu again,” Lu Wan thought, resting her chin on her hand, her eyes wandering, letting out a long, resentful sigh.

“Dry weather, be careful with fire!”

“Dong—dong! Dong! Dong!” The loud sound of gongs echoed through the streets and alleys.

Some people living along the street, not sleeping soundly, groggily tossed and turned in bed, counting the hours in their half-asleep state—one slow, three fast—it was already the fourth watch of the night.

Meanwhile, in the Xie family mansion in the north of the city, in the inner room of the study, the young master on the bed suddenly opened his eyes.

He sat up, and what he saw was the familiar scene he saw every day.

Xie Yu let out a soft sigh, beads of sweat appearing on his smooth forehead, looking unusually disheveled.

A corner of the window was open, and the cold night wind fluttered the weak candlelight, casting flickering shadows on the young master’s gentle and handsome face, blurry and hazy.

Xie Yu rose and poured himself a cup of tea. The winter air was cold, and he disliked having someone keep watch at night, so the tea was already cold.

His slender fingers steadily held the cup. He took a sip, his mind still replaying the scene from his dream.

The woman nestled in his arms was soft and lovely. She seemed amused by him, letting out a few coquettish words in his embrace, her laughter as clear as silver bells.

The fragrance emanating from her was rich yet sweet, invading the surroundings, enveloping him, entwining him, and refusing to dissipate.

He looked down and saw the person buried in his arms, gently nuzzling his chest like a cat.

A section of her jade-like neck peeked out from beneath layers of soft silk, snow-white and translucent, both pure and alluring, like warm jade exuding fragrance.

He gazed coldly at the expanse of snow, unable to look away. A heat gradually ignited in his eyes, drawn in. He lightly touched it with his fingertips, then again, until their skin was pressed together.

His fingertips roamed, lingering, reluctant to leave, ambiguous and tender.

The person in his arms, stimulated, snuggled closer, her arms tightening around his waist.

The poor, verdant vine had finally found a towering pine, wanting only to cling to it, to absorb its essence, to share its life and death.

Finally, as if bewitched, he lowered his head, forcefully embracing her neck, their breaths mingling, his nose gently brushing against the delicate skin he had just caressed, his lips pressing against her warm, soft place, giving her two tender pecks.

He took another deep breath, the sweet fragrance that had surrounded them filling his nostrils.

Suddenly, his mind went blank. He roughly tightened his grip on the woman in his arms, wanting only to hold her tightly within him.

The woman in his arms seemed uncomfortable with his tightness. She lifted her head, breathing softly, her eyes tinged with rosy hues, her raised eyebrows exuding a delicate arrogance.

That stunningly beautiful face—it was clearly Lu Wan!

Xie Yu woke up instantly.

Recalling the absurd scene in his dream, Xie Yu pressed his temples, a slight smile playing on his lips. He had truly been blinded.

He had only deceived a young girl into falling for him, yet he himself had fallen under the spell first.

The curve of his lips turned mocking. His hand tightened, his fingertips gripping the cup so hard they turned white.

After a long while, the small celadon cup was finally placed securely on a tray of the same material.

————

“Madam, Supervisor Xu has sent an invitation, saying he has business to attend to.”

A-Yun refilled her teacup, announcing the visit with her head bowed.

“Supervisor Xu?”

Lu Wan looked up from a pile of account books. These past two days, Lady Zhou had suddenly decided to teach her how to check the accounts, and she had to pretend to comply.

Taking the tea to moisten her throat, she repeated, “Supervisor Xu? Not Master Xie?”

“This invitation says Supervisor Xu.”

A-Yun took out a flashy name card and handed it to her.

That strong, pungent smell of perfume? Lu Wan frowned, holding it further away, and quickly glanced at it.

It really was not Xie Yu. She was somewhat disappointed.

“Go and invite Supervisor Xu over, and bring up some refreshments.”

Since he was here, just entertain him. Judging from the original plot, this man was Xie Yu’s confidant; though he died young, he could not be neglected.

Lu Wan lazily got up, rubbing her back. She’d spent the whole afternoon looking at the account books, and she’d had something to tell her mother when she went to pay her respects that evening. Now, under the guise of seeing him, she could easily get away with it.

“Greetings, Young Lady Lu.”

Xu Lin greeted her with a smile, his peach blossom eyes sparkling.

“I’ve come to inform you of the results of my investigation into the tavern matter.”

“How could I trouble Supervisor Xu to come in person? You could have just sent someone to inform me. I truly feel bad about this trouble.”

Lu Wan politely poured him some tea.

“Where is Master Xie?”

As soon as the words left her mouth, she seemed to realize her mistake and hurriedly changed the subject.

“Have you found out who was responsible for the incident at the tavern?”

Xu Lin’s eyes flashed, but he took a sip of tea before slowly replying.

“The incident at the tavern originated from Widow Qin’s son trying to extort money. A hanger-on named Wang Liu’er suggested the idea, but he accidentally ate poisonous mushrooms before coming, which led to this disaster. Those who went to arrest Wang Liu’er reported that they found him hanged from the roof beam, and the coroner ruled it a suicide. It seems he heard the plot had been exposed and simply ended his own life.”

“Now that Wang Liu’er has committed suicide to atone for his sins, and the truth has come to light, Madam, you can rest assured. The authorities will handle the rest.”

A hanger-on named Wang Liu’er…

Lu Wan felt something float through her mind, but she could not quite grasp it.

However, Xie Yu’s absence was quite puzzling. She had hinted at it to Xu Lin, but he had not responded. She would have to be direct.

“I see,” Lu Wan said, feigning a sigh.

“Thanks to Master Xie’s presence that day, the tavern was spared a bad reputation. But I wonder… Master Xie, he…”

Xu Lin raised an eyebrow. Ah, it seemed his earlier impression was not unfounded; Xie Xun’an might indeed be harboring feelings for someone else.

He subtly observed Lu Wan, inwardly admiring her. Xie Yu was certainly blessed with good fortune; he would not be so envious then.

Xu Lin stroked his chin, saying with a slight toothache, “It was supposed to be Xun’an who came today.”

Sure enough, he saw the young lady’s eyes light up.

He cleared his throat, and he visibly saw the young lady tense up, yet she remained extremely attentive to his next words.

“However, I heard that Ah Yao is ill again, probably because he’s busy with this matter.”

Lu Wan’s eyes dimmed, and she responded somewhat reluctantly.

“So it is because Ah Yao is ill? I have not seen her these past few days; that’s why.”

He did not mention Xie Yu at all this time.

Xu Lin was secretly delighted, practically strutting around with glee.

Xie Yu was not actually taking care of Shi Yao, of course, but occasionally giving him a little nudge over trivial matters was his favorite thing to do. Anyway, these things were easy to expose, and it would not matter much; it was just a way to teach him a lesson about how difficult it was to appease his mistress.

He left with a smug look on his face. Lu Wan maintained a facade of sadness, but in reality, she was completely unmoved, even a little indifferent.

The male supporting character was just a male supporting character, like a sunflower, always revolving around the female lead.

What a waste of her money.

Well, even though it was just something she ordered, it was still something she asked to do.

Lu Wan nestled on the soft couch, stroking Xiao Bai’s fur, somewhat lost in thought.

However, Shi Yao was actually ill. Lu Wan frowned. She remembered reading in the book that Shi Yao was frail and would fall ill every winter, and could not help but feel a pang of sympathy.

Perhaps she should go visit her at the Xie residence.