Transmigrating into a novel as a supporting female character: all for the sake of seducing the secon

Ji Yan leaned against the vanity mirror beside her, watching her retreat behind the screen with a leisurely air, deliberately drawing out his words: "Don't worry, I'll only see what I need to see."

The rustling sound of fabric rubbing came from behind the screen, mixed with Ning Yi's indignant words: "If you keep talking nonsense, I won't eat with you anymore."

He chuckled softly and replied, "Okay, enough nonsense, let's change it quickly."

After Ning Yi changed her clothes, she left with Ji Yan.

After getting into the car, Ji Yan naturally adjusted the seat back for her, turned on the air conditioning, and then took a thin blanket from the back seat to cover her legs.

"Take a nap if you're sleepy, I'll wake you when we get there." He started the car very quietly, afraid of disturbing her.

Ning Yi nodded and leaned her head against the car window.

The neon lights outside the window flashed by, casting flickering shadows on her face. The performance had taken a toll on her energy, and her eyelids felt as heavy as lead. Before long, she drifted off to sleep and closed her eyes.

When she opened her eyes again, the car was already parked steadily in front of a private restaurant.

Ji Yan didn't wake her up; he simply rested one hand on the steering wheel and quietly looked at her with his head turned to the side.

"Awake?" He spoke very softly, reaching out to tuck the thin blanket around her as it slipped down. "I just parked the car, afraid you might be sleeping too soundly."

After they got out of the car, Ji Yan locked the car and walked to her side, naturally taking her hand and leading her inside: "I checked the travel guide before coming here, and it said that the chef here is best at making modified Jiangnan cuisine. I thought that you had used up a lot of energy from the performance, so it would be just right to eat something light and delicate."

Upon entering the restaurant, following the waiter's guidance, as we pushed open the wooden door to the private room, a faint sandalwood scent mixed with the fresh aroma of the food wafted towards us.

The room was lit by only a few antique-style palace lanterns, their warm yellow glow flowing over the mahogany tables and chairs, making the potted asparagus fern in the corner appear even more elegant.

Ning Yi's heart softened at the serene atmosphere, and she turned to look at him with a smile in her eyes: "This place is indeed very nice, you've gone to a lot of trouble."

Ji Yan pulled out a carved pearwood chair for her, his fingertips brushing against her back unintentionally: "It's rare to have time to have a proper meal with you."

The menu had been prepared in advance, and the waiter announced the names of the dishes in a low voice: "Let's start with two refreshing appetizers. One is chilled bayberry and lychee jelly, made by simmering seasonal Dongkui bayberries and glutinous rice lychees into a jelly, with a little mint water added to cut through the richness and refresh the palate."

"Another dish is stir-fried water chestnuts with water caltrops, along with tender water caltrop pieces and fresh shrimp. Only a little chicken oil was added to enhance the aroma when stir-frying."

The waiter spoke slowly and softly with a Jiangnan accent when announcing the dishes: "The main dishes include braised tofu with crab roe, made with freshly extracted June yellow crab roe, simmered with tender tofu over low heat, and finally sprinkled with crab roe to enhance the flavor. The steamed shad is made with a three-pound Yangtze River shad, steamed with its scales on, and drizzled with a sauce made from aged Shaoxing wine and shredded ham. The fish scales melt in your mouth."

"There's also a Jasmine Crispy Duck, with the skin roasted until crispy and filled with jasmine petals and pine nuts. It has a floral aroma and is very refreshing. Finally, there's a dish of rock sugar stewed pear with peach gum."

Ji Yan nodded, and seeing that Ning Yi didn't want to add any more dishes, he told the waiter to prepare to serve them.

"I noticed your voice was a little hoarse backstage. Drink more stewed pear and peach gum later," Ji Yan said.

She sang on stage for nearly three hours, and the high notes at the end were indeed a bit taxing on her voice, but she didn't pay much attention to it.

Ning Yi felt a warmth in her heart: "You are quite observant."

"Of course I'll take your affairs to heart," Ji Yan said, reaching out to pour her a cup of warm floral tea. "Let's soothe your throat first."

Soon, all the dishes were served.

The braised tofu with crab roe was served steaming hot. The tender tofu was trembling from being stewed, coated with golden crab roe, and sprinkled with glistening crab roe.

Ji Yan ladled out a small half-bowl and pushed it in front of her: "Eat slowly, be careful it's hot."

Ning Yi scooped up a spoonful and put it in her mouth. The smoothness of the tofu mixed with the freshness of the crab roe, and she could even taste the small pieces of crab meat on her tongue. It was so delicious that her eyes narrowed: "This cooking is amazing! It's even more authentic than the last time I ate it."

Ning Yi swallowed the food in her mouth, looked up at Ji Yan with curiosity in her eyes: "Speaking of which, how come you suddenly have time to come over? Didn't you say you were going to shoot an advertisement a few days ago? I thought you would be spending all your time on set these days."

Ji Yan was using serving chopsticks to put a piece of meat from the belly of a shad on her plate. Hearing this, he smiled and said, "The commercial was filmed ahead of schedule, and then we made a last-minute adjustment to the schedule with the client, which freed up a few days."

He pushed the fish into her bowl: "I knew you had a performance today, so I thought I'd come and see."

"When are you leaving?" Ning Yi forked a piece of crispy duck, the skin crunching in her mouth.

Ji Yan joked, "You want me to leave so soon?"

Ning Yi was amused by him and glared at him, but she didn't suppress the corners of her mouth: "I was worried that your schedule was tight."

Ji Yan chuckled softly and reached out to wipe the crumbs from the corner of her mouth: "Don't worry, my schedule is clear for the next two days, so I can spend some time with you."

Ning Yi's eyes lit up: "That's perfect, I don't have any plans for tomorrow, I'd like to check out a private exhibition here."

“What a coincidence, I had the same plan.” Ji Yan raised an eyebrow.

She was taken aback: "You know about that private exhibition too?"

Ji Yan paused in her chopsticks, her smile deepening: "A friend mentioned a while ago that he has some enamelware pieces from the Republic of China era, and I thought you might like them."

Ning Yi, biting her chopsticks, looked up and asked, "Is your friend a collector?"

Ji Yan replied, "Yes, he's going tomorrow too, and he said he could help us introduce him to a curator."

Ning Yi raised her eyebrows and said, "That's great, it saves us from having to ponder the exhibits for no reason."

Ji Yan served her a spoonful of peach gum stew: "The curator is very knowledgeable about artifacts from the Republic of China era. Let him tell you the stories behind them."

Ning Yi couldn't help but tease, "Mr. Ji, you've prepared a very thoughtful surprise."

Ji Yan raised an eyebrow: "After all, we're accompanying Miss Ning, so we need to do our homework."

"By the way, are you staying with me tonight?" Ning Yi asked.

Ji Yan looked up at her, a smile playing in his eyes: "Otherwise, where do you want me to stay?"

Ning Yi was momentarily speechless at his question, her hand pausing as she picked up some food: "I meant... the hotel room is big enough."

Ji Yan chuckled softly, his tone softening: "I've already had my luggage delivered to your hotel, so I'll naturally be with you tonight."