The Vicious Supporting Character Must Flirt or Die [Transmigration into a Book] - Chapter 17

That man. Who else could it be but Li Tingshen?

He leaned coolly against his Rolls-Royce, and when he saw Jiang Yuan approaching, he curled his lips into what he thought was a suave, aloof smile. “Avoiding me the moment you see me?”

Jiang Yuan remained silent.

A wave of goosebumps rushed down her arms.

When it came to posturing, no one could compete with Mr. Li.

She rubbed her arms, gave her body a quick shake, then headed toward her little Lotus on the other side.

The ignored Li Tingshen: “…”

Watching her about to walk past him without a glance, he suddenly moved. He stepped forward and grabbed her wrist.

Startled, Jiang Yuan immediately tried to pull her hand back, but he refused to let go.

“Li Tingshen, what are you doing? Let go of me! Are you trying to kidnap someone in broad daylight?”

Her voice was sharp, her panic genuine.

She had no idea what this bastard might try to pull.

To her shock, not only did he not release her, he tightened his grip and took a step closer. She was forced to back up until her body was pressed against the car.

He leaned down, bracing one hand on the hood while enclosing her completely within his arms.

They were barely ten centimeters apart.

Li Tingshen lowered his gaze and examined her closely.

This was not the woman he remembered.

Jiang Yuan’s former style had been truly dreadful. She wore loud, mismatched outfits, caked on garish makeup, and overwhelmed everyone around her with suffocating perfume.

But now, the woman before him had a refined and radiant face. Her features were stunning. Even with minimal makeup, she was breathtaking. There was a bold, dangerous beauty about her.

Her golden hair flowed over her shoulders. Her curves were striking even in conservative clothing.

Gone was the pungent scent. Now, she smelled only faintly of shampoo. It was subtle, but so intoxicating he could not stop breathing it in.

“Jiang Yuan, ever since you returned to Nancheng, you’ve been scheming, haven’t you? Playing hard to get just to get my attention?”

Jiang Yuan’s face darkened. She opened her mouth to reply.

But Li Tingshen didn’t give her the chance.

“I admit it. This tactic of yours is working. You’re far more attractive now than you ever were. Less annoying, too. I’m willing to give you a shot. But don’t expect exclusivity. When I need you, you show up. No blocking my calls again. My patience is limited. This is your one and only chance. You’d better take it.”

Jiang Yuan’s entire face flushed with rage.

The moment he straightened up, she gasped for breath.

She hated it when people got this close. The scent of another person, especially someone so familiar, always made her deeply uncomfortable.

She couldn’t help remembering all those scenes in the novel where women swooned in the male lead’s arms. Their hearts fluttering, cheeks flushing, breath stolen…

The author had gone to great lengths to describe his scent. A uniquely masculine aroma that supposedly made women weak in the knees, begging to kneel at this so-called emperor’s feet.

But right now, Jiang Yuan could only think—

Emmm… that smell?

What utter nonsense.

She wanted to slap that author in the face.

Taking a deep breath, she smiled and asked sweetly, “Mr. Li, did you just finish lunch?”

Li Tingshen: ??

“Did anyone ever tell you that when you eat garlic chives, you really ought to brush your teeth afterward? And even if you don’t, maybe you could try not talking so close to someone else’s face. Using your bad breath to destroy someone’s appetite is extremely impolite.”

Li Tingshen: …

His face darkened instantly. “What nonsense are you spouting?”

Jiang Yuan had already stepped around him and backed up, keeping a safe distance from her car.

“It’s not just a little advice about your behavior,” she added. “I should also remind you of something. Maybe I had questionable taste in the past, but from this moment on, you can chase whoever you want. It has nothing to do with me. I’m no longer someone a man like you can afford to aim for. You’d better keep that straight. If you’ve got nothing else, I’ll be going. Not walking you out.”

With a wave of her hand, she opened her car door and got in. She hit the gas before he could react, the red Lotus streaking past.

She nearly ran him over. He had to jump back in alarm.

By the time she was ten meters away, he finally registered what she had said.

His face turned dark.

He clenched his teeth and pointed after her as he shouted, “Jiang Yuan! Don’t you dare take my kindness for granted!”

But Jiang Yuan’s car screeched to a halt.

Then backed up.

His expression changed. He dodged instinctively as her sports car rolled right up to his feet. The window lowered.

Jiang Yuan gave him a cold, mocking smile. “Mr. Li, your ‘kindness’ is far more than I could ever afford.”

Then, she slammed the car into reverse.

The rear of the Lotus crashed into the side of his Rolls-Royce, caving in the door.

“That’s for making me uncomfortable. Next time, it won’t be a door. It’ll be your leg.”

She rolled up the window and tore off, leaving nothing but exhaust behind.

Li Tingshen was too furious to speak.

Watching his furious expression in the rearview mirror, Jiang Yuan finally let out a breath.

What a joke.

Did he think every woman existed to be his plaything?

Summon them when he pleased, toss them when he was bored?

And the nerve to say he was giving her a chance to date him?

Ha. What kind of man had that much self-importance?

At one time, the original Jiang Yuan had been naive enough to fall for that low-grade scumbag. But that version of her no longer existed. She was Jiang Yuan now.

And she was not someone you could toy with.

She floored it, heading straight home.

…

Back at home, Jing Ying had already completed preparing lunch. She had cooked four dishes along with a soup, including tomato and scrambled eggs, stir-fried green beans, steamed fish, shredded pork with chili, and yam pork rib soup. Everything was arranged neatly on the table, ready for Jiang Yuan’s return.

Just then, her phone rang.

Jing Ying frowned and answered.

A nurse’s voice came through. “Miss Jing, this is the First People’s Hospital. Your mother, Miss Jing Meilan, has just woken up. Please come to the hospital as soon as possible.”

Jing Ying froze. Then her eyes lit up.

“I’ll be right there,” she said quickly.

She ended the call, wiped her hands, and rushed out.

At the gate of the complex, she happened to run into Jiang Yuan, just pulling in.

Jiang Yuan noticed her immediately and braked. “Jing Ying, what happened? You’re in such a rush.”

“My mom woke up. I’m heading to the hospital now.”

“I’ll take you. Let me drive,” Jiang Yuan offered, turning her head.

Jing Ying looked conflicted. “But you just got back. It’s alright, I can go by myself. I made lunch for you.”

Jiang Yuan shook her head. “It’s hard to catch a cab here. Get in. Let’s go together. I want to see Auntie too.”

Jing Ying paused, then nodded. “Okay.”

She fastened her seatbelt. Glancing at Jiang Yuan, whose serious face was every bit as anxious as her own, Jing Ying felt quietly moved.

In a low voice, she said, “Thank you, Jiang Yuan.”

“Don’t mention it. I’m just glad I got back in time. If that scumbag had wasted any more of my time, I might’ve missed this.”

“Scumbag?” Jing Ying blinked. “Who?”

Jiang Yuan froze. She had said too much.

Quickly, she waved it off. “No one. It’s nothing.”

Jing Ying narrowed her eyes and turned to study her.

Jiang Yuan felt uneasy.

She did not want Jing Ying to know anything about Li the Scumbag.

In the original story, it had been Jing Ying who met him at a bar.

Later, when she entered the entertainment industry, she signed with his company.

But now? Jiang Yuan had changed all that. She had taken those encounters for herself.

As of now, the two leads had never even met.

But she could not trust that the plot wouldn’t twist.

If they ever fell for each other again, everything would unravel.

That had to be stopped.

The fairy-like female lead could never fall for that scumbag Li.

Jiang Yuan was still spiraling when she realized Jing Ying had been watching her this whole time, her expression unreadable.

…

They arrived at the hospital. After changing into disposable protective clothing, they entered the ICU.

Auntie Jing had indeed woken up. The moment she saw her daughter, her trembling hand reached out.

Jing Ying’s eyes turned red. She crouched beside the bed, letting her mother touch her face.

“Mom, you’re finally awake.”

“Xiao Ying…”

Mother and daughter were on the verge of tears.

Jiang Yuan quietly stepped back to give them space and went to speak with the doctor.

Inside the room, Auntie Jing stroked her daughter’s face with deep affection. “You’ve suffered, Xiao Ying. It’s my fault. I wasn’t careful. I’m so sorry.”

“Mom, don’t say that. You’re awake now. That’s all that matters. If there’s anything you want to eat, just tell me. Don’t hold back. Look at you, you’ve gotten so thin. Once you’re better, I’ll make sure to fatten you up.”

Jing Ying gently smoothed her mother’s hair.

Her mother smiled through watery eyes.

A moment later, Jiang Yuan returned.

Auntie Jing looked at her with warmth. “Who’s this lovely girl with you?”

“This is Jiang Yuan,” Jing Ying said with a soft smile. “She’s my friend, and also my boss and housemate.”

Auntie Jing blinked in surprise. “So young, and already your boss?”

Jiang Yuan stood politely to the side. “Hello, Auntie Jing. I’m Jiang Yuan. I wouldn’t really call myself her boss. We’re close friends. Please don’t let formalities create distance between us.”

She smiled shyly.

Her timid expression made Auntie Jing laugh, and the tension in the room eased instantly.

“Xiao Ying told me everything. You signed her and helped us get through a difficult time. You even paid for my hospital bills. She’s lucky to have someone like you. Thank you.”

“Auntie, really, there’s no need to thank me. That’s what friends do. Besides, I’m planning to ride on her coattails once she starts winning awards and raking in money. I’m the one profiting here.”

She winked playfully at Jing Ying, then squatted down beside Auntie Jing.

In a soft voice, she added, “Between you and me, the first time I saw Xiao Ying, I knew she was going to be a star. I didn’t even know why I felt that way back then. But now that I’ve seen you, I get it. She looks just like you. That kind of beauty was born to shine on screen.”

Her words were sweet, and her smile even sweeter. Auntie Jing laughed so hard she almost teared up again.

But Jiang Yuan quickly soothed her. “You just woke up. No getting too emotional.”

The two of them chatted away happily. Jing Ying quietly moved to the side to peel apples, glancing over at the warm scene.

For a moment, she felt like the outsider.

She finished two apples, handing one to her mother and one to Jiang Yuan.

Jiang Yuan beamed. “Thank you.”

Jing Ying smiled faintly.

The visiting hours passed quickly. After chatting and feeding Auntie Jing some apple puree, it was time to leave the ICU.

Outside, Jiang Yuan told Jing Ying what the doctor had said.

“Dr. Zhao said since Auntie woke up, there shouldn’t be any more complications. They’ll monitor her for two more days, then move her to a regular room. She’ll probably stay there for another three to five days. I’ve already arranged for a VIP room. It’ll be more comfortable for her.”

Jiang Yuan looked up and saw Jing Ying staring at her.

“Emmm… why are you looking at me like that?”

Jing Ying suddenly said, “You’re so good to me.”

Jiang Yuan blinked, then laughed. “Of course. We’re friends. Isn’t that what friends do? Besides, my kindness comes with strings attached. You don’t think this kind of VIP treatment is easy to earn, do you?”

She gave a theatrical wink.

Jing Ying raised an eyebrow. “Oh? And what strings might those be?”

Jiang Yuan grinned mischievously. “Not telling. If I say it out loud, it won’t work anymore.”

Jing Ying suddenly wrapped an arm around her waist and pinned her to the hospital hallway railing, trapping her from behind. She slipped a hand to Jiang Yuan’s side and began to tickle her. “You really won’t say?”

The moment her side was touched, Jiang Yuan melted, curling into Jing Ying’s arms.

She laughed and shook her head. “Nope! Never! Hahaha…”

“Still not saying?”

One arm held her in place while the other kept tormenting.

“Not saying! Never ever!”

Jiang Yuan was terribly ticklish. Tears welled up from laughing too hard, but she refused to give in.

Jing Ying looked at her teary, flushed face and her heart skipped a beat. She rubbed her fingers along Jiang Yuan’s cheek.

“Fine. Then call me Sister Jing and I’ll let you go.”

Jiang Yuan knew she was being punished for calling her Xiao Ying in front of Auntie earlier. She twisted and squirmed, trying to get free, but Jing Ying was lean and surprisingly strong. There was no escape.

She pouted. “Not calling you that.”

Her body kept shifting. They were pressed so close together.

It was summer. Only two layers of fabric separated them, and both could feel the other’s warmth.

With that last wiggle, something changed.

Jing Ying’s whole body went hot. She quickly took a step back and let go.

Jiang Yuan collapsed to the floor, gasping.

When she turned, Jing Ying’s face was visibly red.

“???”

Jing Ying gave a couple of awkward coughs and extended a hand. “Alright, alright. Enough teasing. Get up. People are starting to stare.”

Jiang Yuan reached for her hand but had no  strength left. When she gave a tug, she lost her balance and pulled Jing Ying down with her.

Her eyes widened.

Jing Ying’s face came rushing toward hers.

Then a warm sensation landed at the corner of her lips…