The villainous female supporting character becomes a heartthrob, and the powerful man successfully r

When Xia Ying received the world's storyline, she was already laughing in exasperation. The original owner of this body was the eldest princess of the Great Chu Dynasty, the late empress was her mother, and her fiancé was a young general—it was practically a script for a happy life.

But fate seemed to be playing a cruel joke on her.

One day, her fiancé suddenly stopped being close to her and started spending time with her sister instead.

The original owner suffered double betrayal and tried to argue and make a scene, but the more she did so, the more Xie Chi'an disliked her and even proposed a marriage exchange.

The original owner was unwilling to accept this, and when the emperor asked her, "Jiaojiao is a noble princess of the Great Chu Dynasty. Only by marrying into the grasslands can we stabilize their relationship. Yingying, don't you agree?"

"Father, you can make the decision yourself."

The original owner said those words, but it was spread that she encouraged the emperor to arrange a marriage between the princess and the emperor. She tried her best to defend herself, but Xie Chi'an didn't believe her at all and distanced himself even further from the original owner. In order to make up for Xia Jiaojiao, he even manipulated all the things left by the late empress to belong to Xia Jiaojiao.

"Jiaojiao died for you, and that's what you owe. Xia Ying, you value material possessions so much more than your sister; you've disappointed me greatly!"

The original owner of this body was clearly driven mad. She said, "But you clearly said before that you would protect me and defend me when Consort Xian and Xia Jiaojiao bullied me. Why, why did you break your promise?"

She attacked Xie Chi'an and Xia Jiaojiao with a gold hairpin, but he captured her and filed a complaint with the emperor. The emperor was furious and demoted the original owner to a commoner, imprisoning her in the Changque Palace.

Xie Chi'an and Xia Jiaojiao were betrothed and became a harmonious and happy couple.

Xia Ying examined the original owner's obsession: "I don't want to get involved in their tragic love story; I want to go out and see the wider world."

She murmured softly, "Leave everything to me, don't worry."

Xia Ying snapped out of her reverie and focused on the man before her. Seeing the gleam in his hawk-like eyes, she felt a surge of joy.

Ao Congxun: "Princess, we really like the tea and sugar from the Central Plains. I wonder if the princess could help us with that?"

"Chunhe, bring me my waist token."

Chunhe respectfully presented a carved waist tag. Ao Congxun did not rush to act, but instead looked at Xia Ying with a probing gaze.

"Young Master Ao, keep this waist token safe. Go to Baitangfang and find a manager surnamed Liu. He will help you resolve this matter."

Ao Congxun carefully picked up the waist token, thought it over, and then put it into the pocket of his clothes.

The two chatted happily, and Ao Congxun had forgotten Xie Chi'an's instructions, talking only about interesting things on the grassland.

It tells the story of how they held a grand gathering, trained falcons and rode horses, and expressed their feelings to their loved ones.

Xia Ying listened more and more intently, her starry eyes sparkling, a faint smile playing on her lips. Her beautiful face made Ao Congxun momentarily dazed, his words caught in his throat, unsure of what to say.

Just then, Chunhe whispered a few words to Xia Ying, who straightened up and said gently, "Young Master Ao, it's getting late. I still need to go to the lantern festival, so please excuse me. Please tell Brother Chi An that I don't blame him."

Her words brought Ao Congxun back to reality. He was so engrossed in his time with Xia Ying that he had forgotten that the princess before him was his friend's fiancée!

"Princess, I am here today to apologize on behalf of Brother Chi An, and naturally I should also make amends for his mistake. Would you mind accompanying me to the lantern festival?"

Ao Congxun looked at Xia Ying with hope. There was no way he could leave. He still had to help his friend and accompany the princess. How could he leave first?

"If Young Master Ao doesn't find it boring, please go ahead."

"How could I be bored with the princess? I had a very pleasant chat with her just now." Ao Congxun walked over to Xia Ying and walked alongside her.

As they disembarked, he took the first half-step forward, extending his arm and saying, "Princess, watch your step."

Then, he felt a gentle touch; Xia Ying's slender, jade-white fingers had already touched him. After getting off the boat, she quickly withdrew them.

During this brief encounter, Ao Congxun pursed his lips tightly, barely daring to breathe, afraid that his disordered and heavy breathing would expose his despicable thoughts.

The number of people on the long street continued to increase, and passersby turned their heads when they saw Xia Ying, their eyes filled with undisguised surprise.

Ao Congxun naturally took in all these gazes. His fists clenched unconsciously, and he glared back at them fiercely with a chilling look. The passersby shuddered and quickly looked away.

"Princess, I haven't tasted many delicacies in the Central Plains. Do you have any recommendations?"

Ao Congxun set his sights on the restaurant not far away, wanting nothing more than to take Xia Ying to a private room and hide her away, not letting anyone see her!

"Let me think, there really is one. Let's go." Xia Ying smiled, tilting her head to the side. She was no longer as dignified as when they first met, but instead had a more playful and lively air about her.

She walked in front, and Ao Congxun followed automatically behind her. He was like an eagle soaring over the grassland, his eyes locked on his target and he wouldn't give up until he achieved it!

The two arrived at an open stall, and their luxurious clothes made the wonton stall owner feel extremely apprehensive.

"Honorable guest, what would you like to order?"

"I'd like two bowls of wonton noodles. Chunhe, you can arrange the rest of the people."

Xia Ying put down a ten-tael silver ingot and continued, "These will be used to pay for all of our meals."

The stall owner smiled and said, "Alright, please wait a moment, sir."

Ao Congxun looked around the stall. The open-air stall had only two tables: one for making sesame cakes and the other for making sugar figurines. It was no different from any other ordinary stall.

Xia Ying noticed his confusion and explained, "When Father Emperor was young, he and Mother Emperor would often bring me here in plain clothes. Mother Emperor loved the wonton noodles here the most, and she would add shrimp and chili. Back then, the stall owners were still young. You see, they are old now, but they are still very much in love."

As she spoke, her eyes grew somewhat melancholy. Ao Congxun noticed this change in her mood and comforted her, "Princess, if you wish to eat, you can always come to me, and I will always be there to keep you company." After saying that, realizing he had been too hasty, he added, "And thank you very much for your great help, Princess."

Xia Ying: "Young Master Ao, aren't you going back to the grasslands?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Ao Congxun's smile froze on his face for a moment, as if he had just woken up from a beautiful dream. He said, "It will be some time before we return to the grasslands, no rush. Princess, please don't worry, just send someone to look for me. I'm staying at the Yunlai Inn on Chang'an Street."

He had completely forgotten his own plans, staring intently at Xia Ying with burning, hopeful eyes, like an ordinary person waiting for a fairy's mercy. Xia Ying remained silent for a few moments, and his heart clenched with her pain.

"Of course! I'm bored in the palace, and Father... I'd be happy to have another friend to play with."

Ao Congxun forced a smile. Yes, he was a friend and playmate.

Yingying's fiancé was never herself!

His hands, which were under the table, were clenched tightly. He thought of Xie Chi'an's reason for coming to him, and his back teeth were almost ground to powder.

With such a perfect fiancée as Yingying, he still fawned over her, even seducing Yingying's younger sister. How despicable!

He felt extremely resentful. No, why did Xie Chi'an get to do this?!

The stall owner served the two wonton noodles. Ao Congxun ate while sighing, but there was always a hidden meaning in his words.

"Princess, these wonton noodles are indeed delicious. It's a pity that Brother Chi'an won't be able to taste them. He's been very busy lately, and the Qixi Festival is so important, yet he's been absent all this time. What a shame."

Xia Ying chuckled and said, "Brother Chi An never eats these things with me. I'm so happy that Young Master Ao likes them. It seems we have similar tastes."

"Same tastes"—these four words kept echoing in Ao Congxun's mind. Xie Chi'an didn't like them, but he and Yingying did. Didn't that mean that he and Yingying were a perfect match?!