Conquering the Male Supporting Character – CH 020

Chapter 20. Awkwardness

Shi Yao’s condition was an old ailment, something she was born with.

When she was born, the men of the Shi family who could support the family business had long since died at the beginning of the dynasty, and her father was nothing more than a sickly child who could compose poetry. The Shi family had naturally fallen into ruin, lacking food and clothing; she, born into poverty, was unlikely to fare much better.

Lu Wan listened quietly to her recount the past, seeing her indifferent expression, and did not offer any deliberate comfort.

For some people, past experiences were simply the past, requiring no consolation.

Human joys and sorrows were not shared; others’ comfort was merely based on their own empathy, of little use to the wounded, and offered little solace.

In fact, it might only stir up more unpleasant memories.

Not mentioning or asking was also a form of kindness.

Lu Wan deeply agreed with this.

“Did Ah Yao come to the Xie residence a long time ago?”

Lu Wan, seeing that her throat was dry from talking, handed her a cup of warm tea.

“Almost ten years ago, after my mother passed away, I was brought here.”

Shi Yao’s gaze fell on the cup in her hand, then drifted to the wooden lattice window beside the pavilion.

“Back then, the Xie residence was not much better. Uncle Xie also fell ill, his condition fluctuating. My eldest cousin was away on assignment and could not take care of the Xie residence in Luoyang, so it was my sixth cousin who had to manage many things inside and outside the residence.”

“Young Master Xie?”

Lu Wan was somewhat surprised. Considering Shi Yao and Xie Yu’s ages, Xie Yu was only a little over ten years old at that time.

Even a clever boy of ten or so would find it difficult to independently manage the Xie residence.

The interpersonal relationships among aristocratic families, the movement and deployment of servants within the household—these were no easy tasks. She had been reviewing the account books recently and had gained a deep understanding of this.

“Then what about Lady Xu…” Did the head madam not care?

Shi Yao paused slightly, then smiled. “My aunt’s situation is also not good.”

Then why was she able to go out of town to offer incense not long ago? Lu Wan suppressed her suspicions. Since Shi Yao did not want to talk about it, there must be another reason.

She had not seen Lady Xu when she came to the Xie residence today either.

According to etiquette, she should have paid her respects to the head madam of the household, but the Xie family seemed to have no such custom. She was directly greeted by Shi Yao upon arrival.

“Look, they are here.”

Shi Yao tugged at her sleeve, and Lu Wan looked up to see two young men walking towards them.

One wore plain clothes, the other a brocade robe; their styles were different, yet they walked together in inexplicable harmony. Upon closer inspection, both were outstanding individuals.

Xie Yu frowned slightly upon seeing the young woman beside Shi Yao, but quickly relaxed, saying casually, “Young Lady Lu has arrived too.”

Well, even his form of address had regressed in front of his dear cousin.

Was he afraid Shi Yao would misunderstand?

Lu Wan smiled insincerely and politely replied, “Master Xie.”

All her efforts had been wasted; she was already mentally cursing Xie Yu.

“Ah Wan is here too,” Xu Lin said familiarly. “Ah Yao, are you feeling better?”

Shi Yao caught a whiff of his perfume, and her face immediately turned cold. “Young Master Xu, where have you come from? Do not bring anything unclean into the Xie residence.”

This was the first time Lu Wan had seen Shi Yao so disrespectful, especially since the man was her cousin. Lu Wan’s heart skipped a beat, and she became more cautious.

But Xu Lin did not seem to care at all. He found a seat and poured himself some tea.

“Look at you.” Xu Lin swallowed a mouthful of tea, then grabbed a pastry and pretended to throw it at her. “Every time you see me, you find fault with me. So fierce! Be careful, you never get married.”

“Young Master Xu is quite handsome, yet he’s still unmarried,” Shi Yao replied coldly.

“You two, each take a step back,” Xie Yu said, sitting down with a gentle expression. “You’ve been arguing since childhood, making yourselves a laughing stock to outsiders.”

Lu Wan felt even more awkward hearing Xie Yu’s words. The three of them were acquaintances and relatives, making her feel even more like an outsider.

Was this man trying to get rid of her?

If a young lady truly admired Xie Yu, she would probably have awkwardly taken her leave after hearing this, perhaps even appearing heartbroken. But Lu Wan did not.

She forced a smile and changed the subject.

“Regarding the tavern matter, thanks to Master Xie’s thoughtfulness, I must thank you again today.”

Xie Yu did not even look at her, nodding slightly. “Zheng Qin handled everything afterward; I merely held a nominal position. Young Lady Lu, there’s no need for such formalities.”

He was practically saying that the matter had nothing to do with him and that Lu Wan had misunderstood.

Even though Lu Wan considered herself thick-skinned, she felt her face burning. After all, Shi Yao and Xu Lin were present; was not this a blatant slap in the face?

She was incredibly embarrassed and angry, but she could not retaliate.

【Ding! Lu Wan’s favorability -5, current favorability 25. Please do not cause trouble, host!】

Xie Yu’s expression remained unchanged, completely ignoring the strange voice and disregarding what the other meant by “causing trouble.”

“Xun’an, have you taken the wrong medicine today?”

Xu Lin raised an eyebrow, his eyes fixed intently on Xie Yu’s face. He could tell Xie Yu was interested in her, yet he was still so cold.

Yes, he must have taken the “Smiling Half-Step Madness,” Lu Wan added resentfully, her eyes lowered.

Xie Yu shifted his gaze, giving Xu Lin a light, fleeting glance. The latter immediately recalled countless painful past experiences and subconsciously moved back.

“Alright, alright! It was my fault for taking the wrong medicine, alright?”

After finishing his tea, Xie Yu had no intention of staying any longer.

“Ayao, I will have someone bring some medicinal herbs over later. You rest well. I have other matters to attend to, so I will be leaving now.”

He did not even glance at Lu Wan.

Watching the two of them walk away, Lu Wan looked away and saw Shi Yao still staring blankly outside.

Following Shi Yao’s gaze, she saw that the man Shi Yao was looking at—the one who had tried to put his arm around Xie Yu but was coldly pushed away—was clearly Xu Lin.

So that’s it; Shi Yao was actually looking at Xu Lin.

This was amusing! Lu Wan immediately felt much happier; it was truly gratifying.

Did Xie Yu know that with his white moonlight Xu Lin in front and Zhou Yan, the roadblock behind, he would never be able to catch up with his dear cousin Shi Yao?

She had not expected Shi Yao to be playing the role of a bickering couple, but alas…

Thinking of Xu Lin’s early demise in the original story, she sighed softly; ultimately, it would not end well.

Besides, Xu Lin seemed like a philanderer; he might not stay for Shi Yao.

“Why are you sighing, Ah Wan?”

Shi Yao looked at her, considering whether her sigh was because of Xie Yu’s earlier outburst, and offered a few words of comfort.

“My cousin was quite ruthless just now; he did not mean to target you, Ah Wan.”

She looked at Lu Wan with curiosity. “He’s always been gentle and polite; this unusual behavior is truly rare.”

It seemed Shi Yao genuinely did not know Xie Yu had feelings for her, which pleased Lu Wan even more.

Even if Shi Yao was right, it was still incredibly childish, no different from a kindergartener who likes to pull hair clips off little girls.

Too lazy to mention him again, Lu Wan decided to put her conquest plan on hold for the day. Playing with her cup and gently blowing on the floating tea leaves, she changed the subject.

“The invitations to Princess Dingyang’s poetry gathering were sent to all the residences the other day. Will Ah Yao go? It will be cold then, so I will probably need to prepare extra hand warmers.”

“I am not going,” Shi Yao said listlessly, counting the pastries on her plate.

“It’s just a bunch of noble ladies, so boring. I will just use the excuse of going out to admire plum blossoms in the snow to meet some young men from wealthy families.”

Lu Wan chuckled, then fell silent again.

Indeed, most of these poetry gatherings among young ladies were for the same purpose, plus showing off their reputations.

She wanted to win over Xie Yu, while Shi Yao was after Xu Lin, so naturally, she did not find it very interesting.

“Then…did Young Master Xie go in previous years?”

“Perhaps he would.” Shi Yao shook her head, offering no further information. “I do not know either.”

After staying a while longer, Lu Wan took her leave. As she left the Xie residence, she caught a glimpse of Xie Yu’s figure in the distance, but he vanished as soon as she turned away.

She was not sure if it was just her imagination, but she felt as if Xie Yu was avoiding her.

She turned around and, naturally, did not see the vanished figure reappear from around the corner of the corridor, watching her leave expressionlessly.

Back at her residence, she had someone find the invitation to the poetry gathering. Holding it in her hand, she looked at it, her gaze suddenly fixing on a line of text.

“Jimei Garden? The poetry gathering is at Jimei Garden?”

“What was the name of that sycophant who came up with the idea? Wang Liu’er.”

Suddenly, everything became clear. Lu Wan felt as if her mind had been opened and her heart brightened. So that was how it was.

No wonder the name Wang Liu’er sounded familiar when Xu Lin mentioned it; it had appeared in the book before.

That must have happened later. The female lead went to Jimei Garden to enjoy the scenery and encountered a clueless hoodlum who, drunk, claimed that Jimei Garden was originally owned by his former master, spewing vulgarities. The male lead taught him a lesson.

The master he was talking about was clearly the Old Madam’s maternal family.

So… the incident at the tavern… suicide as atonement…

Lu Wan still held the invitation in her hand, now clutching it tightly; it was trembling slightly upon closer inspection.

She never expected the Old Madam to be so cruel.

To frame her mother through a shop under her name, she was actually willing to sacrifice two lives.

If that person really died in front of everyone, her mother would never be able to clear her name.

Lu Wan bit her lip, pondering what to do. If she told her mother, there would be no evidence left, and her mother would have no recourse but to be angry.

Besides, she could not explain how she had learned the connection; she could not very well say she had dreamt about it.

Since that was the case, she could only keep it a secret.

But if she were to swallow this anger, she would not be Lu Wan.

Her expression shifted, and she frowned, deep in thought.

“A-Yun.”

Lu Wan called out, peeking out. A-Yun, who was busy outside, quickly entered the inner room, standing respectfully by the soft couch, head bowed. Her bare feet, adorned with nail polish, were immediately visible.

“My Lady, you will catch a cold like this.”

She disapproved and pulled the blanket down, covering the vibrant red petals.

“A-Yun,” Lu Wan sat up and leaned closer to her, smiling mischievously, her eyes crinkling with a bright, innocent light.

“Go and tell the kitchen staff to send a few dishes with mushrooms to the Old Madam tonight. Find someone you know well; make it seem like a coincidence.”

The order was strange, but since it was her mistress’s command, she should do it. A-Yun agreed and went out to make the arrangements.

In the warm, fragrant inner room, only Lu Wan remained on the soft couch.

She sat up, hugging her knees, a slight smile playing on her lips. The plan in her mind was gradually taking shape.

The Old Madam had previously sent a monk to probe her, so this time she would let her probe as well, to see if people were truly afraid of ghosts and spirits.