The Comeback of the Cannon-Fodder Supporting Actress

What does it feel like to like someone?

Anning couldn’t quite say.

Xiao Lu changed her approach and asked, ”Then how do you feel about my dad?”

”About your dad?” Anning thought while speaking, ”Just thinking of him makes me happy, I can’t help but smile. When he’s around, no matter what happens, no matter how big the problem, I feel like I can overcome it. Being with him feels stable and reassuring. If he gets hurt, it hurts me more than if I were hurt myself. I just want him to be well...”

Anning thought a little longer and seriously said to Xiao Lu, ”If you meet someone who makes you feel like you can trust him with your life because he would never harm you, then you’ve probably found true love.”

”Is that how it is between you and my dad?”

Xiao Lu chuckled and felt relieved by what she had heard.

Anning nodded, ”Yes, your dad is the one who makes me happy, worried, yet feeling solid.”

”What are you talking about?”

Just then, Xiao Yuan walked in and saw Xiao Lu and Anning chatting, so he asked.

Xiao Lu got up, ran over, and affectionately hooked her arm around Xiao Yuan’s, ”Mom said you’re her most loved person.”

Xiao Yuan couldn’t help but smile as he put down his bag and ruffled Xiao Lu’s hair, ”Your mom is also my most loved person.”

”So cheesy.”

Xiao Lu laughed, ”How can you talk about love in front of your daughter without it being cheesy?”

”Oh no.” Anning smelled the chicken soup from the kitchen and quickly got up to run to the kitchen, ”I got so caught up talking to you, I forgot to cook the meal.”

During winter break, Qin Xiaomeng followed Anning to the film set for a visit, and after visiting twice, Qin Xiaomeng felt that acting was incredibly interesting. You can live many kinds of lives, experience all sorts of human conditions, which made her utterly fascinated.

After returning, Qin Xiaomeng went to New Art even more eagerly, where there was a teacher hired specifically to teach acting to artists. Qin Xiaomeng joined them and gradually became immersed.

After that, during this break, if Qin Xiaomeng wasn’t studying acting, she was on the set as an extra, and when she got home at night, she’d still do her homework. Her schedule was packed.

Qin Xiaocong spent the whole break navigating the stock market.

Xiao Yilin was also busy to the point of being invisible.

Not until New Year’s Eve did the children gather together at home.

On New Year’s Eve, Anning and Xiao Yuan told the kids that this year’s New Year’s dinner would be prepared by them; Anning and Xiao Yuan would just wait to enjoy it.

So, in the afternoon, the kids began working together, busily preparing the New Year’s dinner.

Meanwhile, Anning and Xiao Yuan could enjoy a rare moment of leisure.

The two of them took a nice nap at noon, then in the afternoon, they took a stroll hand in hand, and by evening, when they returned, the house was already filled with the aroma of food.

All five kids could cook, but their skills were just passable; they could whip up some homestyle dishes, but complex recipes were off the table.

However, the kids each made their specialty dish, lining the table with seven plates and eight bowls, which looked quite abundant.

Anning looked at the dishes on the table—some cold dishes like smashed cucumbers and marinated wood ear salad, sliced braised meat, and hot dishes, mainly the usual ones. Of course, a New Year’s Eve dinner is not complete without chicken and fish. In the middle, there was steamed fish and chicken nuggets Anning had fried earlier; the kids heated them up and poured some sauce over.

Although there was nothing gourmet about the dishes, Anning was quite satisfied with how they turned out.

The last dish was tomato and egg soup made by Qin Xiaocong, and as he placed the porcelain bowl on the table, he called the family to quickly join for the meal.

After dinner, Xiao Yuan summarized all the year’s events and then prompted the kids to talk about their plans for the coming year, whatever little goals they had or anything.

As they stayed up late, Xiao Yilin suddenly remembered something.

She sat next to Xiao Lu, ”Sis, there’s a young professor newly appointed at your school, I think his name is Yin, do you know him?”

Xiao Lu shook her head, ”He’s not a professor from our architecture department, how would I know?”

”Then can you help me find out, or maybe take me to your school to look for him?”

Xiao Yilin whispered to Xiao Lu.

Xiao Lu looked at her, ”Why do you want to find him?”

”There’s something I need.”

Qin Xiaocong was eavesdropping and got a bit anxious, ”What’s so important that you need to find a stranger?”

Xiao Lu also was a bit puzzled.

”I want to create cosmeceuticals, and some components need to be synthesized by a professional and have their formula analyzed. Professor Yin is an expert in this area, he’s incredibly skilled in biochemistry; at only twenty-something, he’s already obtained many patents. I just want to see if he could help.”

Xiao Yilin explained quietly.

Xiao Lu couldn’t help but frown, ”Can you really manage to enlist such an expert?”

”It’s worth a try.” Xiao Yilin pleaded, ”Just take me there, if it really doesn’t work out, I’ll settle for something else.”

Xiao Lu thought for a moment, ”Alright, I’ll help you ask around.”

”Great, great.”

Xiao Yilin was elated, quickly pulled out her phone, and showed a saved photo to Xiao Lu, ”Look, that’s Professor Yin Peiran, isn’t he young? And he’s incredibly handsome.”

Xiao Yilin’s phone unexpectedly had pictures of another man, which made Qin Xiaocong feel somewhat jealous and uneasy.

He turned his head, ”Handsome? Am I not handsome too?”

Xiao Yilin glanced at Qin Xiaocong with a laugh, ”You call that handsome? I call it beauty. Qin Xiaocong, with your looks, if it were ancient times, you’d be the kind of Evil Seductress that brings down nations.”

Qin Xiaocong was infuriated, glaring at Xiao Yilin.

Xiao Lu took Xiao Yilin’s phone, carefully examining the handsome man in a white lab coat, ”He looks familiar, I think I’ve seen him somewhere.”

”Could it be at school?”

Xiao Yilin squeezed closer to Xiao Lu.

Xiao Lu shook her head, ”Probably not, send me a picture and I’ll think it over.”

Xiao Yilin swiftly sent the photo to Xiao Lu, ”Please, do take it seriously, help me find out soon.”

”Okay.”

Xiao Lu agreed.

On New Year’s Day, after Anning and Xiao Yuan got up, they started handing out red envelopes to the kids, then started making calls to wish friends and family a happy New Year and whatnot.

On New Year’s Day, the whole family stayed home to rest; they didn’t go out or anything. By the second day, they visited the Xie Family’s to wish them a happy New Year, and by the third day, many people came to their home with New Year greetings.

Among these visitors were Xiao Yuan’s clients, people from Anning’s company, and some friends who were close to both of them.

With so many guests coming over, aside from bringing gifts, naturally, they would give the kids red envelopes too.

Xiao Lu and Xiao Yilin, being the older girls, stayed home on the third and fourth day to help entertain guests.

With so many guests visiting, later on, the three younger ones were enlisted to help as well.

No matter how the kids were outside, at home, they were the sweet, sensible, polite kind. While entertaining guests, their tongues were sweet, calling everyone uncle, aunt, brother, and sister, charming the guests into constant praise.

Several ladies who were close to Anning laughed and said to her, ”Just look at your children, each one is so good-looking, they’re good at learning, polite, and diligent. I wish I could take them home to raise them myself.”

Anning laughed too, ”They only act this good in front of adults, I couldn’t let them loose; if I did, they’d constantly stir up trouble. A Yuan and I are almost worried sick.”

Then another lady held Xiao Lu’s hand and asked Anning, ”Is your eldest daughter dating anyone? How about I introduce her to someone?”

The lady next to her quietly tugged at her sleeve, and when Anning chatted with someone else, the other lady whispered, ”That Du family’s young master is already pursuing her. Judging by the Du family’s determination, they definitely plan to wed her, so stop messing around.”

Xiao Lu overheard this remark and felt rather helpless.

Du Heng had always been quite attentive to her, and even after she told him several times, Du Heng hadn’t given up but instead became even more ardent in his pursuit.

She didn’t dislike Du Heng, quite the opposite, she even had some affection for him. Plus, Du Heng had said that pursuing her was his business, accepting him was hers, and he didn’t force her to accept him. Besides, Xiao Lu hadn’t met anyone she truly loved, so why not give it a try with him? Perhaps, over time, she might fall in love with him.

Xiao Lu also found this reasoning somewhat convincing, so she no longer resisted, which led to everyone in their circle knowing that Du Heng was pursuing Xiao Lu and was determined to win her over.