Secretly Seducing the Third Female Lead Behind the System’s Back - Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Finally Recognized Everyone

Just as Bai Chu managed to shake her off, the next second, Jiang Yisheng hugged her tightly again, rubbing her tear-streaked face against Bai Chu’s clothes.

“President Jiang, please behave yourself,” Bai Chu said, finding Jiang Yisheng utterly insane. She pushed her away forcefully and fled the café on her own.

Jiang Yisheng turned to look at Zhang Tao, still sniffling. “So… I’m really rich, right?”

Zhang Tao gently wiped her tears with a tissue. “President Jiang, your family is very wealthy.”

“Then can I have more of that cake from earlier? I didn’t even dare eat breakfast,” Jiang Yisheng whimpered even more pitifully, now leaning into Zhang Tao’s arms and sobbing again.

“I’ll order it right now.” Zhang Tao held her steady with one hand and pulled out her phone with the other to scan and order.

President Jiang normally wasn’t a fan of sweets, and since she suddenly wanted some, Zhang Tao didn’t dare guess her preferences. She simply ordered every type on the menu.

Jiang Yisheng, now cried out, stared at the table full of desserts, blinking her puffy eyes. “Ordering this much is such a waste.”

Still, she picked up a fork and dug into the closest cake.

Strawberry flavor.

It was delicious.

“How much is this one?” she asked, chewing.

Zhang Tao checked the receipt. “Ninety-eight yuan.”

Jiang Yisheng tilted her head, stunned, with cream still on the corner of her lips. “This tiny piece is ninety-eight?”

She immediately smacked her lips, savoring every bite of that ninety-eight yuan taste.

“What about that one?” she pointed to a matcha cake.

“That one’s a hundred and eight,” Zhang Tao replied.

Jiang Yisheng’s jaw dropped, her fork frozen mid-air. “How much did all of this cost in total?”

“Eighteen hundred and sixty-eight.”

Cough… cough…

“I’ll just eat this one slice. If the rest can’t be returned, pack it up and take it home,” she said, still in disbelief at how expensive it was.

Zhang Tao nodded and called a server to pack the leftovers.

After eating, Jiang Yisheng asked, “Do I have anything else scheduled later?”

Zhang Tao, who had long since memorized her boss’s itinerary, answered, “You have a reception at two in the afternoon. The gown has already been altered as requested and will be delivered to your office by lunchtime.”

“For dinner, you were scheduled to meet President An, but…” her voice trailed off.

“But he didn’t accept?” Jiang Yisheng said bluntly.

“Exactly.”

“Perfect. Then I’ll just order takeout at home.” Jiang Yisheng didn’t want anything to do with that male lead anyway.

“Let’s go,” she clapped. “Didn’t you say I had a meeting? Let’s go see.”

Now that she was sure this wasn’t a scam, Jiang Yisheng relaxed completely. Her mood had done a 180—she never imagined something as great as transmigrating into a novel could happen to her, and into a rich second-generation at that.

She admitted she had been too quick to complain when she first realized she was the ‘evil supporting female lead.’ Now? She loved playing the villainess. The only pain this role usually suffers is unrequited love—and since she wasn’t in love, she was basically invincible.

She was so excited that she completely forgot how she’d just cursed the author for giving the female supporting character the same name as her.

This opportunity had to be cherished. If one day she was suddenly sent back, she’d have to return to that lousy job again.

Jiang Yisheng arrived at the base of Yujiang Corporation. She looked up—the building was so tall it was almost impossible to see the top. It was impressive.

The security guard at the entrance saw her and rushed over to open the car door respectfully.

“President Jiang.”

Still not used to the title, she chuckled awkwardly. “Hello, hello.”

As she stepped through the company doors, every employee bowed and greeted her with “President Jiang,” one after another. She could barely keep up with responding.

By the time she reached her office, she thought she was ready—but when the door opened, she realized she hadn’t prepared enough.

Right inside was a collection of lush greenery, carefully arranged. Beyond the plants was a massive open balcony. It stretched inward along the windows, and to the left stood a dining table topped with blooming orchids. On the left side of the table was the reception area, with a wine cabinet and a tea station beside the sofa.

Across from the reception area was the work space. Sitting at the desk gave a sweeping view of the entire Jiang City.

Now she understood why CEOs in novels could stand in front of windows for hours.

“President Jiang, it’s almost time. Shall I have the gown brought in?” Zhang Tao reminded her at the right moment.

“Sure,” Jiang Yisheng nodded, still stunned.

Soon, Zhang Tao returned with three or four women—one pushing a rack of gowns, another carrying jewelry and shoes, and another with a makeup case.

What is this, ancient royalty? Jiang Yisheng silently complained.

Then, as Zhang Tao led her into a small room attached to the office to change, Jiang Yisheng was shocked all over again. There’s an actual changing room?

Her mind kept getting blown.

The gown was complicated to put on. She felt like her entire body was bound tight, barely able to breathe.

“This is too tight,” she muttered, rubbing her now-flat stomach.

The attendants all froze.

Zhang Tao cautiously asked, “Was it altered too small? I can have the tailor come right away.”

But from her understanding, this size should have fit perfectly.

“It’s fine. No need to trouble anyone,” Jiang Yisheng waved it off.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Dressed in her tight gown and high heels, Jiang Yisheng was escorted to the hotel.

Just as she walked through the door and was about to admire the decor, a sharply dressed man approached.

“Let’s go,” he said coolly, his gaze forward, elbow slightly lifted—inviting her to link arms.

Jiang Yisheng managed a polite smile, then turned and whispered to Zhang Tao.

“Who is he? What should I call him?”

Zhang Tao swore, of all the shocking moments today, this one from her boss shocked her the most.

“An Hao,” she replied, trying to stay calm.

He’s An Hao? Jiang Yisheng was just as stunned.

She turned to look at the man—Hmm, the nose is a nose, the eyes are eyes… he is male-lead-worthy.

She didn’t take his arm but took the lead instead. “Let’s go.”

An Hao glanced at her, then retracted his elbow, his expression unreadable.

As Jiang Yisheng walked ahead, she quietly tugged at Zhang Tao. “Where are we going?”

“To greet our host, President Zhang Yuankai.”

“What does he look like?”

“He’s the tall one in a gray Zhongshan suit with gold-rimmed glasses,” Zhang Tao said, scanning the crowd.

Jiang Yisheng glanced around but couldn’t spot him. Nearing the crowd, she got anxious. “Where? They all look the same.”

Zhang Tao lowered her voice to a whisper: “The bald one.”

Ah—instantly she spotted him and smiled politely, whispering, “You should’ve said that earlier. What do I call him?”

“You usually call him Uncle Zhang.”

“Uncle Zhang! Long time no see,” Jiang Yisheng greeted him right away, slipping into social mode with ease. She had always been outgoing in real life—now, with the novel setting, she felt even more confident.

“Yisheng, you finally made it! It’s not easy to get you out these days,” Zhang Yuankai beamed.

“Oh come on, Uncle Zhang, I’d skip anyone else’s event—but yours? I have to attend,” she said, really getting into the act.

“Haha! You little rascal,” he laughed heartily.

“By the way, where’s that An Hao kid? Didn’t you two come together? When will we finally get to drink your wedding wine?”

“He’s still in the trial phase. I’m focused on my career for now, so the wedding wine may take a while,” Jiang Yisheng replied vaguely, unsure what kind of relationship people believed they had.

“Just like your mother, Yu Mushan—so confident and level-headed,” Zhang Yuankai praised. “Well said.”

The rest of the time, Jiang Yisheng almost forgot An Hao was even there. More and more people came to greet her, and Zhang Tao advised her to sip tea instead of wine and quietly prepped her with key info and taboos for each person.

As Zhang Tao’s voice grew hoarse, Jiang Yisheng felt bad and handed her a cup of warm water.

“Thank you, President Jiang,” Zhang Tao was genuinely touched.

Just then, she spotted Bai Chu from afar.

She was about to warn Jiang Yisheng, but Jiang Yisheng grabbed her hand, eyes glowing with delight.

This was her second time seeing Bai Chu, and compared to everyone else, Jiang Yisheng felt genuinely close to her.

She rushed over. “We meet again, Bai Chu-jie. About this morning… I’m really sorry.”

Bai Chu’s expression was neutral. She merely nodded, clearly not interested in talking.

Jiang Yisheng didn’t mind. Bai Chu was a few centimeters taller, and under the soft lighting, her fair skin glowed. Her thick, graceful brows, long lashes casting shadows over unreadable eyes, sharp jawline, elegant nose, and delicate lips—

“President Jiang.”

Before she could finish admiring, she was interrupted by another woman beside Bai Chu.

Jiang Yisheng reluctantly turned her gaze.

The woman was about her height, with softer features, big bright eyes—adorably charming.

Still, Jiang Yisheng preferred looking at Bai Chu.

“Hello,” she greeted politely, then subtly gestured to Zhang Tao for help.

Zhang Tao sucked in a breath, then leaned in under Bai Chu’s sharp gaze and whispered, “He Youran.”

“Aha.” Jiang Yisheng slapped her thigh and was about to say something but changed it at the last second. “Youran, you’re here too!”

What she was going to say was: “So you’re He Youran.”

Well, the main and supporting characters were all here now. She’d finally recognized them all.

As soon as she said that, Bai Chu’s gaze grew more probing, and even He Youran looked a little confused.

“I’ve been so busy these past few days—my memory’s been fuzzy. Hope you can forgive me,” Jiang Yisheng scratched her head awkwardly.

“Youran.”

A warm male voice chimed in right on cue.

Jiang Yisheng turned and, sure enough, An Hao was walking over with a smile, eyes full of affection for He Youran.

Tsk tsk. A true male-female lead pairing—what a good ship to stan.

While thinking that, Jiang Yisheng sneaked another glance at Bai Chu.