The Comeback of the Cannon-Fodder Supporting Actress

Xiao Lu looked at Yin Peiran again, feeling that his complexion had improved a lot.

However, she was still a bit worried.

”Do you have any stomach medicine at home?”

Yin Peiran shook his head.

Xiao Lu picked up her bag and headed outside: ”Then I’ll go buy some for you. Keep some stomach medicine at home; just in case you have a stomachache, you can take some. Also, remember to eat on time from now on and stop skipping meals.”

”Alright.”

Yin Peiran nodded with a smile.

He followed Xiao Lu outside, but she waved him off: ”No need to see me off, I’m not leaving yet. I’m just going to buy medicine and I’ll be back soon.”

”I’ll go myself.”

Yin Peiran held onto Xiao Lu.

Xiao Lu rolled her eyes: ”You go by yourself? You’re all talk and no action. I know you; you say it nicely, but as soon as I’m gone, you’ll forget. I have to get it myself to feel at ease.”

When Xiao Lu returned to the dormitory, it was already very late.

Her roommates questioned her as soon as she entered: ”How was it? Having too much fun with your boyfriend to think of anything else?”

Xiao Lu took a basin to wash up and replied afterward: ”When we were coming back after dinner, I happened to run into an old friend I hadn’t seen in a long time, so we chatted a bit more.”

She placed the basin properly: ”By the way, I’m going home to stay tomorrow.”

Her roommate on the bunk above sighed: ”I envy you; you’re so close to home, you can go back whenever you want. Unlike me—I’m thousands of miles away and can’t return even if I want to.”

Xiao Lu lay in bed and messaged Anning, asking if she had time since she had a friend visiting their home.

Anning saw the message early in the morning and immediately replied to Xiao Lu, saying she had time and invited Xiao Lu to bring her friend to visit the next evening.

After replying, Anning mentioned it to Xiao Yuan as she headed out.

Xiao Yuan followed Anning outside: ”I’ll drive you to the office.”

On the way, Xiao Yuan said to Anning: ”It’s just as well that we meet him, to see who he really is.”

That evening, Anning and Xiao Yuan headed home early.

Xiao Yilin also returned promptly after school upon receiving the news.

The three of them had just returned home when Xiao Lu arrived with Yin Peiran to visit.

Xiao Yuan greeted and chatted with Yin Peiran with a smile, while Anning took Xiao Yilin and Xiao Lu to cook in the kitchen.

In the kitchen, Xiao Yilin caught Xiao Lu, grinning foolishly: ”Sis, I didn’t expect you and Professor Yin to be old acquaintances. With your relationship, he’ll definitely help me. If he synthesizes the crucial element for my cosmetics, they’ll undoubtedly succeed. You don’t know how effective my cosmetics are; if they go into production, they won’t have trouble selling, and we can charge high prices.”

”You wish.”

Xiao Lu chuckled: ”You’ll have to talk to him yourself; if he agrees to help, that would be wonderful.”

”Definitely, he’ll surely help.”

Xiao Yilin hurriedly continued washing vegetables: ”Let’s have Mom make a few specialty dishes later. After he eats at our place, he won’t be able to refuse my request.”

”Why don’t you make some specialty dishes yourself?”

Anning overheard Xiao Yilin’s shameless comment and couldn’t help but laugh with a reprimand: ”Never seen someone exploiting their mother’s culinary gifts like this.”

Xiao Yilin, entirely unabashed, replied: ”Well, you are my Mom. Why be formal with your own mother?”

Anning felt a bit itchy-handed; this cheeky kid was really spoiled to the point of wanting to defy the norms.

Xiao Yuan sat in the living room on the sofa and looked at Yin Peiran, asking with a smile: ”LuLu tells me you’re a good friend of hers, known each other for years. How did you meet?”

”Yes, it’s been many years.” Yin Peiran spoke to Xiao Yuan with great courtesy and respect, his words tinged with some caution: ”When LuLu was little, my family and the Zhang Family were neighbors. At that time, the Zhang Family wasn’t as big as it is now; the company was just a small one...”

Xiao Yuan listened intently.

Listening to Yin Peiran’s slow recount, he finally understood how Yin Peiran, this unpredictable factor, came to be.

In fact, Yin Peiran was saved by Xiao Lu.

If it weren’t for Sun Hong underhandedly moving Xiao Lu to the Zhang Family, Yin Peiran might have died long ago, and none of these subsequent events would have happened.

Xiao Lu, this girl, is kind-hearted and gentle. She is Xiao Yuan’s biological daughter, a striking resemblance to Xiao Yuan in her ethereal, almost otherworldly beauty; since childhood, she had caught the secret admiration of many young boys due to her looks.

At that time, the Zhang Family had some money, running a small company. Zhang Hao and Mrs. Zhang were eager to nurture Xiao Lu well, enrolling her in many extracurricular classes regardless of her interests.

Xiao Lu had to learn piano, dance, and all sorts of arts.

Once, Xiao Lu was late returning home from dance class and, on her way back, encountered Yin Peiran, who had just fled his home.

At that moment, Yin Peiran had clearly been beaten. He had been hungry for two days and just beaten up by his father, nearly fainting as he desperately crawled away from home, seeking someone to save him.

Xiao Lu happened to see him and helped Yin Peiran to a clinic in the community to treat his wounds, even getting him an IV; Xiao Lu paid the medical bills with her saved allowance.

Later, Xiao Lu and Yin Peiran became acquainted.

The two families lived close by, and Xiao Lu gradually learned about Yin Peiran’s regular beatings, his mother having run off with someone, his father being a heavy drinker who neither cared for him nor did anything but beat him when displeased after getting drunk, locking him up without food, causing Yin Peiran to suffer various ailments.

Xiao Lu felt quite sympathetic toward Yin Peiran.

During that innocent and kind-hearted time, Xiao Lu thought she should help this big brother, secretly leaving home meals for Yin Peiran often; she wouldn’t eat her snacks, and when she saved enough, would sneak them to him when his father wasn’t home, so he could have something in case he went hungry.

Besides food, she gave most of her allowance to Yin Peiran.

At that time, although the Zhang Family wasn’t significantly wealthy, their living conditions were excellent, always generous with their children. Xiao Lu received plenty of allowance, and she had already saved enough money to cover a small family’s expenses for several years.

Not having much concept of money, she thought of being good to this big brother and gave him all of her allowance.

In this way, the two interacted for several years until Yin Peiran was fourteen or fifteen, and his father, in a drunken state, accidentally choked on water and died at home. Afterwards, Yin Peiran sold the family house and left, and around that time, the Zhang Family’s business expanded and moved out of the community, leading to their parting.

After listening to Yin Peiran’s story, Xiao Yuan nodded: ”So that’s how it was. You two practically grew up together; since LuLu trusts you, so do I. In the future, while LuLu is at school, I’ll rely on you to look after her.”

Yin Peiran was very pleased to hear this: ”Rest assured, Uncle, I will take good care of LuLu.”

During dinner, Xiao Yilin brought up the request for help from Yin Peiran, who agreed readily.

After dinner, Xiao Lu escorted Yin Peiran outside. As they reached the door, Xiao Lu noticed Du Heng’s car approaching.

Du Heng parked and got out, looking towards Xiao Lu: ”LuLu, I’m here to pick you up.”

”What?”

Xiao Lu was stunned.

Du Heng, somewhat aggrieved, said: ”We agreed yesterday to watch a movie together today; did you forget?”

Xiao Lu suddenly realized.

The encounter with Yin Peiran yesterday had made her so happy that she forgot her plan with Du Heng: ”Uh, wait for me a moment. I’ll change my clothes and we can go.”

Xiao Lu felt quite sorry for Du Heng, hurriedly telling Yin Peiran: ”Then, I won’t see you off. Be careful on the way home.”

”Alright.”

In the shadows, Yin Peiran’s face contorted in a way Xiao Lu couldn’t see, filled with jealousy he couldn’t conceal.

He walked a few steps forward, just as Xiao Lu was about to turn back into the house, and Yin Peiran grabbed her suddenly.

”You...”

Xiao Lu jumped in fright. She wanted to speak but seeing Yin Peiran’s ill look, tightly holding onto her for support, she feared he might faint.

”What’s wrong with you?” Xiao Lu was nearly in tears: ”Dad, Dad, please come out.”

Du Heng rushed over: ”What’s wrong with him?”

Du Heng struggled to control himself from not hitting Yin Peiran.

Xiao Lu didn’t see, but Du Heng did; this Yin Peiran was likely doing this on purpose—with ill intentions towards Xiao Lu.