The Vicious Supporting Character Must Flirt or Die [Transmigration into a Book] - Chapter 23

Jiang Yuan never expected Jing Ying to say something like that. For a split second, her mind went blank. Before she could even react, a pair of hands gently circled the back of her neck.

In that moment, all her senses seemed to heighten.

She became acutely aware of the coolness of those palms against her flushed skin. The contrast sent shivers over her entire body, goosebumps rising without warning. Those slender fingers wove into her hair, brushing along her scalp, sending tingling sparks along her nerves.

Then, the woman in front of her leaned in and lightly pressed her warm lips to Jiang Yuan’s forehead.

This kiss was softer, far gentler than the one at the dealership.

Like a dragonfly skimming across the surface of water, it was brief and gentle. Yet the impact it had on Jiang Yuan was just as powerful as that firm kiss from earlier.

They had kissed twice today.

Once at the corner of her lips.

Once on the forehead.

A strange tension hovered between them, thick and unnamed. Jiang Yuan couldn’t make sense of it. She wanted to, but no matter how she tried, it kept slipping out of reach.

Jing Ying pulled back slowly, a flicker of reluctance flashing in her eyes.

She had already revealed so much of her feelings tonight. She couldn’t go overboard. If she pushed too far, she risked scaring Jiang Yuan away and then she wouldn’t even have the chance to sneak in little moments like this.

Still…

Seeing the dazed expression on Jiang Yuan’s face after one goodnight kiss, Jing Ying couldn’t help herself. Her thumb moved gently and brushed twice over Jiang Yuan’s earlobe.

Jiang Yuan: !!!

She snapped her head up to look at her.

Her face flushed, deepening quickly into a vivid scarlet, like a sun-warmed peach at its ripest.

So fresh, so sweet.

So easy to bite into.

Jing Ying raised an eyebrow at her reaction.

Sensitive, huh?

Noted.

Her thoughts spun through a hundred clever ideas, but on the surface, she was as calm and composed as ever.

“What are you thinking? It’s just a goodnight kiss between friends. Since it’s done, time for bed. You should rest.”

She slowly withdrew her hands from Jiang Yuan’s hair. A light floral scent trailed behind her fingertips, lingering in the space between them.

Jiang Yuan: …

She watched Jing Ying’s tall, elegant figure disappear down the hallway. For a moment, her mind simply couldn’t keep up.

Without even thinking, she reached up and touched her own earlobe.

The realization hit her a moment later, and she jolted.

What the hell am I doing? Am I losing my mind?

Have I really been single for twenty-four years to the point that even a woman like Jing Ying is making my thoughts go haywire?

She rubbed her arms quickly, then stashed the ointment and dove into bed.

But even nestled under the covers, she couldn’t sleep.

Her body was burning up.

The flush on her cheeks refused to fade.

She took a long breath and turned the air conditioner temperature down. Still no use.

She kicked off the blanket completely, lying exposed to the cool air in just her nightdress. But the heat refused to leave her. Her skin was still hot and restless.

Thank goodness Nancheng was in the south, and the climate was warm. Otherwise, she would’ve been freezing to death like this.

Next door, Jing Ying had returned to her room looking as calm as ever. But in reality, she was far from composed.

She shut the door behind her, grabbed a towel, walked into the bathroom, and turned the cold water on full blast.

—

Early the next morning, Jiang Yuan emerged from her room to find Jing Ying already waiting at the dining table with breakfast laid out in front of her. Today’s breakfast looked far more luxurious than usual.

“You went all out this morning!”

Jiang Yuan sat down in surprise.

Several delicate dishes were set neatly in front of her.

There was century egg and lean pork congee, heart-shaped sunny side up eggs, warm crispy fried dough sticks, and delicate crystal shrimp dumplings with translucent skins.

She remembered Jing Ying had once promised to take good care of her and cook for her. She hadn’t taken it seriously at the time.

But seeing this spread made something warm bloom in her chest.

“You’re incredible. How did you improve so quickly?”

Jing Ying’s earlier cooking had been merely passable, but this morning’s meal was visually stunning and absolutely delicious.

“I studied a little.”

Jing Ying pointed toward a stack of cookbooks on the kitchen counter.

Jiang Yuan blinked.

She hadn’t expected her to actually learn.

And just from books? That was talent.

Her lips curled upward in pride.

She picked up her chopsticks, licked her lips, and blinked at Jing Ying with eager, glimmering eyes. “Can I eat now?”

At that moment, Jiang Yuan looked like a kitten begging for attention.

Jing Ying stood up and smiled at her. “There’s a little ritual before breakfast.”

“Ritual?”

Jiang Yuan blinked, confused.

Before she could process it, that familiar warmth brushed her forehead again.

Jing Ying pulled back quickly and sat down again.

She smiled. “Good morning, Xiao Yuan.”

“…Good… morning.”

Jiang Yuan couldn’t even form a proper sentence.

Her heart thudded in her chest.

A goodnight kiss.

A good morning kiss.

Did friends really need to be this close?

She scratched the corner of her mouth, full of uncertainty.

Her eyes kept drifting toward Jing Ying.

But the woman across the table looked like she had stepped straight out of an aristocratic painting. She sat upright, eating slowly and elegantly, her lips curled into a faint, serene smile as if nothing at all had happened.

By comparison, Jiang Yuan suddenly felt like she had overanalyzed everything.

It really was just a simple goodnight and good morning kiss.

After breakfast, Jing Ying didn’t let her lift a finger.

She even insisted on driving them both to the company.

…

Jiang Yuan was the CEO. Jing Ying was the company’s leading artist. Naturally, their work followed very different paths.

As they entered the elevator and prepared to part ways, Jing Ying suddenly took Jiang Yuan’s hand. She turned and adjusted the collar of her blouse.

She smoothed out a small wrinkle and looked at her with a gentle smile. “Thank you for your hard work.”

“…”

Jiang Yuan swallowed. “You too.”

As Jing Ying stepped out of the elevator, she turned and said, “Once I’m done here, I’ll come watch your open audition.”

“Okay.”

Jiang Yuan stood alone in the elevator, watching her leave.

Her face flushed instantly.

She turned and caught her reflection in the mirror, noticing the deep flush spreading across her cheeks.

She covered her face with both hands.

This is bad. This is really bad.

Ever since last night, something’s been off when we’re alone.

Why do I keep blushing and getting flustered?

Is it because she’s just too damn attractive?

Even I’m falling for her?

She shook her head hard.

She had to fix her expression. She couldn’t let her employees see her looking like this.

Strangely enough, Jiang Yuan was usually calm and in control.

But every time she stood in front of Jing Ying, her IQ seemed to evaporate.

She took a deep breath and stepped out of the elevator.

Her assistant greeted her politely. “Good morning, Ms. Jiang.”

“Morning.”

Jiang Yuan gave her most professional smile and nodded slightly.

Secretary Xiao Qi walked over and placed several folders on Jiang Yuan’s desk.

“Ms. Jiang, here are the materials for the ten o’clock meeting, the documents that need your signature, the artist profiles Mr. Zhang sent over for your review, and Mr. Xue’s promotional strategy. These are several key projects that require your attention. Also, your dinner meeting with Mr. Su from Huaxia Entertainment has been arranged to discuss the collaboration.”

Jiang Yuan nodded, signaling for her to leave everything on the desk.

She was ready to dive into work.

But Xiao Qi didn’t move.

Jiang Yuan raised an eyebrow. “Is there something else?”

Xiao Qi blinked and leaned forward, her expression gossip-ready. “Ms. Jiang, did you hear? Something major happened with Mr. Li from Li Entertainment.”

Jiang Yuan’s eyebrow arched. “You mean he got hospitalized?”

She already knew her third brother had sent him to the ER.

But Xiao Qi dropped her voice. “Not just that.”

“What else?” Jiang Yuan leaned in slightly.

Xiao Qi immediately launched into full-speed mode. “I heard he messed with the wrong people. Not only did someone beat him so bad that he ended up with broken ribs and a fractured leg, but now he’s also under a surprise tax audit. His company is facing a temporary shutdown.

“Also, have you checked Weibo? Apparently, a talent manager lost their phone, and someone leaked all the dirt inside. All of it is about artists under Li Entertainment.”

“Weibo?”

Jiang Yuan took Xiao Qi’s phone and checked.

Sure enough, the trending page had exploded.

#1. Li Entertainment Artist Scandal Compilation

#2. Secret Rate List for Casting Couch Deals in Li Entertainment

#3. Netizen Reports: XXX Suspected of Group Drug Use

#10. Li Entertainment Under Audit

…

Four of the top ten trends were about Li Entertainment. And the top three? All involved their artists.

Jiang Yuan couldn’t help but laugh.

This wasn’t new. It had happened in the original story, too.

That veteran agent from Li Entertainment had climbed the ladder by selling out artists. When their phone was lost and everything got leaked, the entertainment industry had been rocked to its core.

She just didn’t expect it to happen so soon.

And now, it wasn’t just the artists in trouble. The entire company was under fire.

Li Tingshen was in deep.

Who on earth had the power to crush him like this?

…

In the WeChat group, the activity was suddenly back.

Group name changed by Jiang Yanting to: “Scumbag Li is Done.”

Third Brother: The tax audit and scandals, was that you guys? [seeing through everything.jpg]

Second Brother: √ [smug.jpg]

First Brother: Yes.

Third Brother: Damn! I knew it. You two always go hard. Big bro orders the audit, second bro leaks the dirt. There’s no way that agent’s phone was just “lost.”

Second Brother: [evil grin.jpg] It really was lost. I just happened to be the one who picked it up.

Third Brother: …Sure, I believe you.

Third Brother: But seriously, does our little sister know you did this for her?

Second Brother: …

First Brother: …

Jiang Yangui: …

Clearly, neither of them had told her.

In truth, the Jiang brothers adored their little sister. But over the past few years, Jiang Yuan had made plenty of mistakes and managed to offend all three of them.

Big brother Jiang Yanfei was quiet and steady. Second brother Jiang Yanting always wore a smile, but he was dangerous underneath.

Especially after what happened a year ago. Back then, Jiang Yanting had stood before the whole Jiang family and said he would never care about Jiang Yuan again.

Even though he had gone back on that countless times in secret, he still hadn’t said it out loud. Things between them had remained cold.

Jiang Yanting: Let’s not talk about it. Consider that the artist scandal is my contribution to the public good. That’s it. I’m done here.

Jiang Yanfei: I’ve got work too.

Jiang Yangui: …Honestly, little sis has really changed. If you want to be good to her, you should at least let her know.

But after that, the group went quiet again.

Jiang Yangui sighed.