The Comeback of the Cannon-Fodder Supporting Actress

Xia Man was full of surprise: ”Grandma, this is a good thing.”

”Do you agree?”

Anning looked at Xia Man.

Xia Man nodded vigorously: ”We agree, why wouldn’t we? Grandma found someone who cares, she’ll have a companion in her later years. We could only be happy about it, why wouldn’t we agree?”

”As long as you agree.”

Anning laughed again.

When the dishes arrived, Anning said to Xia Man, ”I haven’t told Jingchen about this yet. You should let him know and see what he thinks. As for Jingchen’s father, I’m not concerned. I have money, and I won’t need him for my retirement. His agreement doesn’t matter to me, but Jingchen is different. I must ask for Jingchen’s opinion.”

”Alright, I’ll help sound it out for you.”

Xia Man got along particularly well with Anning now.

Anning was open-minded and especially supportive, always guiding Xia Man on how to solve her problems and teaching her many life lessons, which benefited Xia Man greatly.

Some things are just strange like that. Many people might spend a lifetime together and only have a lukewarm relationship, or even behave like enemies, but some people feel inseparable after just a few days.

For Xia Man now, she really resonated with Anning and truly liked the Old Madam. Getting along with Anning was easy and pleasant. She even thought about taking more care of the Old Madam since Anning would also be in Su Hai in the future.

”Eat more; you love this shrimp.”

Anning moved a plate of shrimp in front of Xia Man, smiling: ”After a while, I’ll have the Old Man invite you both for a meal, so you can get to know each other.”

”Okay.”

Xia Man peeled some shrimp, placing them on Anning’s plate: ”Grandma, you eat.”

Anning looked at Xia Man with great satisfaction.

This young girl is truly wonderful, one could say Xi Jingchen has better judgment than Xi Zhenhua.

Xia Man is lively and lovely, kind-hearted, yet principled, with her own values. The young girl is beautiful, excels in her studies, isn’t greedy or cunning, carries herself with grace, and loves Xi Jingchen deeply. The more you look, the better it gets.

Thinking about Xia Man’s fate in another lifetime due to Xi Jingchen, Anning felt heartache for this young girl.

”You eat too, stop peeling just for me.” Anning ate the shrimp and had some soup. Once she was about seventy percent full, she put her chopsticks down.

Now Xia Man also ate exquisitely with Anning, learning to maintain her health too, eating till seventy percent full. She used to love fried foods or foods with lots of additives but now hardly eats them.

Of course, she would still eat a little, but much less than before.

Watching Anning put down her chopsticks, Xia Man also put hers down. She called the waiter, took two takeout boxes, and packed the leftover dishes: ”I’ll put this in our home’s fridge, so Jingchen can heat it up tonight, saving the hassle of cooking.”

Xia Man said with a smile to Anning.

Anning got up to help her pack as well.

After finishing the meal, Anning wanted to take a taxi to drop off Xia Man, but Xia Man insisted otherwise. Anning said: ”Let me at least see you off. I haven’t visited your school yet, so it’s a chance to take a look.”

At the school gate, Xia Man got off the car first, then went around to help Anning out, and walked around the campus arm in arm with her.

They toured the school, and as Anning was leaving, she took out a watch from her bag and put it on Xia Man’s wrist: ”I noticed the one you wore before was broken, so I bought you a new one. See if you like it. If not, I’ll give you the receipt so you can exchange it.”

Xia Man looked at the elegant and simple watch on her wrist and immediately smiled: ”It’s beautiful, I really like it, thank you, Grandma.”

She didn’t ask about the price. She knew Anning’s generous nature meant the watch was not cheap, but knowing Anning genuinely liked her and sincerely wanted to gift her things, she didn’t query further.

After Anning left, Xia Man returned to her dormitory.

She had left with only a small bag, but came back carrying a heap of things.

Upon entering, Li Yan looked at her enviously: ”Did the Old Madam buy you things again?”

Xia Man placed the items on the bed, planning to move them to her new home later, as the dorm couldn’t hold them all: ”Yes, I originally went to accompany Grandma shopping for clothes, and she ended up buying me all this stuff. I’ve got so many clothes now I can’t wear them all.”

She said this as she took down her hair and fetched a brush to comb it.

Yu Qiaoling, who lived across from Xia Man, noticed the watch on Xia Man’s wrist: ”Is that watch newly bought?”

After brushing her hair, Xia Man tiredly lay down on the bed: ”It’s a gift from Grandma. She said my old one was broken, so she bought me a new one.”

It so happened that Yu Qiaoling was reading a magazine, and on the very page, there was information about Xia Man’s watch.

Yu Qiaoling brought the magazine over to compare with the watch on Xia Man’s wrist: ”Identical! It’s a new model this year, said to have a pre-sale price over a hundred thousand, and now the price is even higher. Oh my god, Xia Man, the Old Madam is so extravagant. Can you help me ask if she needs another granddaughter?”

Li Yan was also particularly envious of Xia Man: ”How did you manage this stroke of luck? Xi Jingchen is our school’s heartthrob, and so many girls secretly admire him, but you’ve snagged him. People used to say his family situation was complicated, but it turns out there’s such a wealthy grandmother in the picture. What can I say? Anyway, all I have left is envy, jealousy, and resentment.”

Xia Man wanted to say something, but at that moment, her phone rang.

She hurriedly answered; it was a call from Xia Man’s mother, asking whether Xia Man would come home for summer vacation and when.

Xia Man wasn’t sure yet.

She told her mom she’d let her know in a few days; she might stay in Su Hai for an internship to gain experience, so she wasn’t sure about going back. Or maybe she would go back, but it couldn’t be confirmed yet.

After hanging up with Mrs. Xia, Xia Man thought for a moment, then called Xi Jingchen.

Xi Jingchen had just finished lunch; since Anning and Xia Man were out shopping today, he took the time to tidy up the new home.

The house he bought was fully furnished, including furniture, but some essentials still needed to be purchased, like household items, kitchenware, and bedding, as well as some small crafts. Xi Jingchen got up early to shop, only returning by mid-morning, and was busy setting things up until he finally ordered takeout for lunch.

After eating, he wanted to rest a bit when he received Xia Man’s call.

Hearing Xia Man’s voice, Xi Jingchen suddenly felt full of energy, not tired at all: ”Manman, back from shopping with Grandma?”

”Yes, I had lunch with Grandma, and she took me back.” Xia Man’s voice was sweet with a hint of laughter, clearly indicating she was in a good mood.

”Take a rest first, and I’ll pick you up later. Our home is almost set up; come over and see if anything’s missing.”

Xi Jingchen lay on the sofa with a smile, chatting with Xia Man.

After some chatting, Xia Man mentioned the reason for her call: ”My mom asked if I’m going home for summer vacation. I wanted to ask what your plans are for the summer?”

Xi Jingchen thought about it: ”I’ll go back with you. You’ve met my grandma, but I haven’t visited your parents yet. It’s about time I paid them a visit.”

Xia Man hadn’t even mentioned this to her family yet. Hearing this, she quickly said: ”Okay, I’ll call my mom and let her know. By the way, come pick me up later; Grandma bought me so many things that I can’t carry them all.”