Chapter 1

The pouring rain came down in torrents, and Shen Yan sat dazed in the rain. Her freezing hands clutched the sleeve of a man’s suit.

After a moment, Shen Yan lifted her gaze, meeting a cold and dark stare.

The man stood tall, like an aristocrat, with someone holding an umbrella for him, ensuring he wasn’t the least bit messy. He calmly pulled his sleeve back.

“Do you want to get back together, Shen Yan? What makes you think I would want you now?” he said, then stepped forward, squatting down, and pinched her chin. “How about this, you jump from the third floor, and I’ll give you a chance. How about that?”

These were the words Meng Yi’an had said to Shen Yan three years ago. At that time, Shen Yan did just that—she jumped from the building to try and reconcile. Afterward, she was rescued, but when she begged Meng Yi’an, he only told her he was giving her a “chance” but never intended to reconcile.

She… she was back? Back to three years ago?

Seeing Shen Yan in a daze, Meng Yi’an sneered.

Now, Shen Yan had only one thought: she could not make the same mistake again.

Quickly standing up, Shen Yan shivered from the cold. She slightly bent down. “I’m sorry, I won’t foolishly think about getting back together with you again. I won’t disturb you anymore.” With that, she started running away.

Shen Yan was drenched in rain, trembling from the cold, but her steps grew quicker. She was like a fragile flower swaying in the wind and rain, no one needed to break her—she would wither on her own.

Meng Yi’an expressionlessly walked toward the car door. The person holding the umbrella for him bent down to open the car door, not daring to say another word.

An hour later, Shen Yan returned to her apartment. After taking a hot shower, she sat on the couch, in a daze.

When Shen Yan was with Meng Yi’an, he was poor, but soon after she broke up with him for the sake of her “future,” he became a wealthy bachelor, the kind every woman wanted to marry.

Meng Yi’an hated Shen Yan, but he didn’t know that Shen Yan’s actions had nothing to do with her “future.” Everything she did was for him. She just couldn’t say it. Even later, when Shen Yan desperately tried to chase him, it was only for the chance to be with him…

Shen Yan picked up a bottle of mineral water from the table and took a sip. Now, she had no feelings for Meng Yi’an. She didn’t want to be with him anymore because she had already made many efforts. Now that she had the chance to be reborn, she was determined to stay away from Meng Yi’an and focus on building her own career.

Remembering the books she had read in the space before her rebirth, Shen Yan pursed her lips.

The world she was in was actually a novel. Although Shen Yan was shocked, she still finished reading the whole book.

In that novel, she was a cannon fodder character, and Meng Yi’an was the villain. Meng Yi’an fell for the female lead, while she, as the ex-girlfriend, caused trouble for the female lead. Eventually, Meng Yi’an had her blacklisted.

The book didn’t explain why she broke up with Meng Yi’an—only that she did so because he was poor. Later, when Meng Yi’an became a rich heir, she thought of reconciling with him.

Of course, in the book, Shen Yan was just the typical cannon fodder to push the plot between the villain and the female lead forward.

After Shen Yan became cannon fodder, the female lead met the male lead and began their deep, emotional romance. Meng Yi’an did many things during this time, but the female lead, who once treated him as a friend, grew to hate him. Eventually, Meng Yi’an started a business war with the male lead. In the end, Meng Yi’an lost, because the male supporting character, who liked the female lead, teamed up with the male lead to defeat him.

This was the love story in the novel CEO’s Sweet Wife.

They all liked the female lead, but Shen Yan, having become cannon fodder, wasn’t mentioned in the book anymore.

Of course, she was just cannon fodder. Why would the book continue to talk about her?

Shen Yan had once doubted herself after reading the book because she was only cannon fodder. But later, she realized that even if she was just cannon fodder, she had to keep trying, because she had her own goals.

In the space, after Shen Yan realized this, she returned to this world.

She thought to herself: no matter how Meng Yi’an falls for the female lead, she wouldn’t be the one pushing the plot forward. As long as she didn’t push the plot, she wouldn’t be cannon fodder anymore.

As for Meng Yi’an, Shen Yan smiled bitterly. He hated her so much; as long as she didn’t want to reconcile, he wouldn’t want to be with her either.

Having made up her mind, Shen Yan went to her bedroom to rest.

The apartment she lived in was rented by her manager. It was a one-bedroom unit. Since Shen Yan had bought some girly items, the room looked very cozy.

Shen Yan originally thought she wouldn’t be able to sleep, but to her surprise, she fell asleep and slept all the way until the next morning.

The first thing she did when she woke up was check her phone, and she saw a message from her manager. It was about an audition for the role of a palace maid next to the female lead in the drama Chen Fei in the afternoon.

Shen Yan was currently just a small-time star with little recognition. Her manager handled more than a dozen artists, and Shen Yan wasn’t the best among them. She wasn’t the manager’s top pick, so this message was probably a group notice sent to several artists, informing them of the opportunity to audition.

When Shen Yan saw the message about the audition, her eyes brightened.

Chen Fei was a small-budget web drama. Both the male and female leads were newcomers, but after the drama aired, it became a huge hit, topping the trending lists and boosting the popularity of the leads, as well as some supporting characters.

Although the palace maid role next to the female lead in Chen Fei didn’t become a breakout role, it still gained some attention.

In her previous life, this role was taken by another artist from her manager’s team. Shen Yan didn’t audition for it because she had jumped from a building to try to reconcile with Meng Yi’an and had gotten injured. She had been too focused on Meng Yi’an afterward. Later, that artist told Shen Yan that the role had been “reserved” for her, so Shen Yan didn’t attend the audition.

However, the role of the palace maid wasn’t actually reserved for anyone, and after Chen Fei became a hit, her manager asked her in confusion why she hadn’t auditioned.

Shen Yan was more beautiful than He Han, and the palace maid role required a clean and elegant aura, which matched Shen Yan’s temperament perfectly. But He Han didn’t want Shen Yan to audition. If He Han failed to get the role, it would look like someone else stole it.

This time, Shen Yan was determined to seize the opportunity!

After making up her mind, Shen Yan got up and went to the bathroom to freshen up.

Shen Yan was beautiful, but not in the stunning way. She was the kind of beautiful with a clean, graceful aura. Her skin was fair and flawless. Her eyes sparkled, especially when she smiled with a hint of mischief.

After drying her face, Shen Yan noticed the shampoo and soap on the sink. She hesitated for a moment, then threw them all into the trash. These were things she had used when she was with Meng Yi’an. After their breakup, she kept using the same products, but now she didn’t want any connection to him. There was no need to continue using the same toiletries she had used with him.

She ordered some new toiletries online and then left the bathroom.

The audition was in the Film City in A City, and it would take about two to three hours to get there by car. Since there was still plenty of time before the audition, Shen Yan wasn’t in a rush. She decided to make herself some breakfast first.

When she opened the fridge, Shen Yan froze for a moment before letting out a small laugh.

Ever since she had known she had a chance to reconcile with Meng Yi’an, Shen Yan had been thinking about it every day. So, it was no surprise that there was nothing to eat in the fridge—not even a pack of instant noodles.

She stared at the fridge for a while before closing the door and ordering takeout.

Just then, her phone rang. It was a call from He Han, the artist who had played the role of the palace maid beside the female lead.

After He Han took on that role, she didn’t become famous because of it, but she gained a lot of other opportunities as a result.

Shen Yan answered the call but didn’t say anything.

He Han laughed and said, “Yan Yan, did Sister Zhou send you the audition notice for the palace maid role in Chen Fei?”

Shen Yan replied, “Yeah, she sent me a message. I’m going to audition.”

He Han paused before saying, “I’ve been given the role. You don’t need to bother auditioning—it’s a waste of time going back and forth, and you won’t be chosen.” Her tone was somewhat apologetic.

Shen Yan smirked and replied, “Sorry, I’ve been given the role too.” With that, she hung up the phone.

He Han was left stunned for a moment before muttering, “What does she mean by ‘been given the role’? Wasn’t this just a message sent out by the manager to everyone?” Then, a strange look crossed her face as she realized something—did Shen Yan figure out her intentions?

If Shen Yan auditioned, He Han didn’t think she would be able to secure the role.

He Han had heard that Chen Fei was a small-investment web drama, but the investors had connections to a major video platform. So, as long as the platform recommended it, this could be a great opportunity for low-tier actors like them.

After thinking for a while, He Han decided she would still go to the audition. She wanted the role, but as for Shen Yan, she would find a way to stop her from auditioning.

Shen Yan received the takeout, had porridge and shrimp dumplings, and then left for the Film City to attend the audition.