After Becoming The Malicious Female Supporting Character, I Was Pursued By The Third Female Lead - Chapter 5

Yu Keqing’s body stiffened violently, as if struck by an invisible bolt of lightning. Her already lowered head sank even deeper, almost pressing against her chest.

Her long eyelashes trembled frantically, resembling the wings of a frightened butterfly curled up under the eaves, too terrified to spread its wings.

She bit down hard on her lower lip, her teeth sinking millimeter by millimeter into the soft flesh until a faint, metallic taste of blood spread across the tip of her tongue, its bitterness making her eyes sting.

Faced with the suffocating pressure radiating from Lin Sheng, a scent that mingled the heavy fragrance of roses with Lin Sheng’s own clinical, chilly aura. Yu Keqing felt caught in a seamless, suffocating net, binding her tightly.

She lacked even a fraction of the courage to speak. Her only instinct was to shrink back into the corner of the bed, her shoulders rounding slightly as if she could diminish herself into an invisible speck of dust to entirely evade this suffocating rose aroma.

“Not speaking?”

Lin Sheng applied a fraction more pressure with her fingertips, her digits securely locking around Yu Keqing’s slender wrist, a wrist so frail it felt as though it might snap with a single twist. Her well-defined fingers clamped down, quickly raising a red ring around the wrist, sending a dull, throbbing ache radiating through Yu Keqing’s blood vessels and into her limbs.

Lin Sheng’s tone carried a palpable impatience, her brow furrowing slightly. Yet, deep within her eyes lay a hidden trace of anticipation she herself had not fully realized. She anticipated that Yu Keqing would take the initiative to tell her about what had happened during the ten years she was gone. She wanted to know, wanted to hear it directly from Yu Keqing’s mouth rather than unearthing it through her own investigations, the two approaches were entirely different in nature.

But Yu Keqing’s shoulders only shook uncontrollably, like a withered leaf swaying in the autumn wind. Crystal tears began to well up in her eyes once more, accumulating until they finally spilled over her pale cheeks and splashed onto the back of Lin Sheng’s hand, carrying a fleeting hint of warmth.

Subtle, broken whimpers leaked from her throat, faint as the mewling of a kitten, so fragile that the slightest touch might shatter her into dust.

The moment Lin Sheng subconsciously raised her hand, every hair on Yu Keqing’s body stood on end. Believing a slap was about to rain down on her face, she closed her eyes in a frantic panic, scrambling to shield her face and head with her hands, letting only slivers of pale skin peek through her fingers.

“Don’t hit me, don’t hit me…”

Her voice shook beyond recognition, saturated with deep terror and supplication. Her repetitive pleas harbored the shadows of countless past traumas.

She knew she had touched Lin Sheng’s body in the bathroom just now. Even though it hadn’t been voluntary, Lin Sheng never cared about her consent.

It wasn’t as if similar situations hadn’t happened before. Lin Sheng used to find it loathsome just to breathe the same air as her in the same house.

Once, in the dead of a freezing night, Lin Sheng had suddenly shaken her awake from a groggy sleep, harshly shouting at her to get out.

At that time, she was wearing nothing but a thin nightgown, and the temperature outside was barely ten degrees. She had curled up by the doorway, enduring the piercing cold for the entire night until her hands and feet turned a pale, bruised blue. It wasn’t until the next morning, when Lin Sheng left the house for the company, that she was permitted back inside.

The freezing torment of that night remained etched into her very bones to this day, impossible to shake off.

Lin Sheng stared blankly at her own hand suspended mid-air, her fingertips still retaining the smooth texture and warmth of Yu Keqing’s skin.

She had only seen her weeping so wretchedly and wanted to help wipe away the tears on her face, hoping to smooth over the panic between her brows. Yet, it had provoked such a massive reaction.

Memories surged within Lin Sheng’s mind. Recalling the things she had done to Yu Keqing in the past, she bit her lip.

The atmosphere instantaneously collapsed into a dead silence. Within the sprawling bedroom, only the sounds of their breathing remained, intertwined, one rapid, one slow, one light, one heavy, rendering the air thick and oppressive.

Outside the window, the moonlight filtered through the sheer curtains, casting dappled shadows across the floor, yet failing to dispel even a fraction of the heavy gloom.

Lin Sheng slowly pried away the hands Yu Keqing used to shield her face. Her movements were gentle as her fingertips lightly brushed across Yu Keqing’s tear stained cheeks, using the pads of her fingers to carefully wipe away the teardrops.

Reaching up again, she tucked a stray lock of hair from Yu Keqing’s forehead behind her ear, her fingertips inadvertently brushing against her earlobe, sensing the icy chill and tremor of the skin beneath.

Lin Sheng’s tone softened as well, rendering even her threats gentle. “It doesn’t matter if you won’t say it. I’ll just have someone investigate. Only when the time comes… don’t regret it.”

Yu Keqing was wrapped in nothing but a large, white bath towel. Following her frantic struggles moments ago, it had long since loosened and slipped down, pooling around her waist to barely conceal her intimate form.

Her body, having been soaked in the hot bathwater, still retained a faint, rosy flush blooming from her slender neck all the way to her delicate collarbones. Her skin was peppered with the hickeys Lin Sheng had left behind, some light, some dark, scattered across her skin. Even her slender fingertips bore a faint ring of teeth marks.

Those were from the bathroom just now, when Lin Sheng, dissatisfied with her weak wrists and infuriated by her refusal to submit, had nipped at her in a vent of frustration, though she had deliberately restrained her force so as not to break the skin.

This subconscious restraint was an affection Lin Sheng harbored deep in her heart, one she refused to admit and was too stubborn to voice.

In stark contrast, Lin Sheng’s own milk-white skin remained fair and flawless, resembling exquisite mutton fat jade gleaming with a subtle luster. Having just released her desire, she exuded a lazy, seductive charm, looking like a brilliant red rose in full bloom, its fresh buds still glistening with translucent dewdrops, full, ripe, fragrant, and alluring, possessing a fatal attraction.

Yu Keqing had only ever witnessed her fully unleashed state once. And it was that single instance where she had lost her mind, inadvertently bartering away her own pitiful, helpless life, plunging herself into an abyss from which she could never return.

Facing Lin Sheng’s softly voiced threat, Yu Keqing’s fingers clamped tightly onto the silk sheets beneath her. The soft fabric crumpled under her grip, forming shallow folds as her knuckles turned white from the exertion, her fingertips trembling slightly.

Several times she parted her lips, wanting to say something, wanting to explain. But the words died in her throat each time, swallowed back down by the sheer terror in her heart. Unable to utter a single sound, she could only let fear wrap around her heart like vines, tightening further and further.

Lin Sheng did not seem to expect an immediate answer. The expectation in her eyes gradually waned, replaced by a trace of faint detachment.

She changed into her pajamas right in front of Yu Keqing, a silk camisole nightdress. The black satin fabric accentuated her snow-white skin, putting her striking figure on full display. With a slender waist and exquisite curves, every inch of her skin radiated a fatal temptation.

Yu Keqing instinctively averted her gaze, not daring to look.

But in the next second, she was yanked into the covers by Lin Sheng.

She fell uncontrollably into a soft, warm embrace saturated with a heavy rose fragrance. It was Lin Sheng’s scent, familiar yet terrifying to her.

Lin Sheng raised a hand, gently stroking the crown of her head, her fingertips tenderly running through Yu Keqing’s soft hair. Her hollow yet mature voice drifted down from above, carrying a hint of hoarseness left over from their intimacy, yet laced with a deliberate gentleness.

“You’re tired today. Go to sleep early.”

Yu Keqing, however, remained entirely rigid, not daring to relax in the slightest. She exerted all her effort to curl herself up like a cooked shrimp, her spine tautly braced to minimize physical contact with Lin Sheng as much as possible, seeking a shred of security, even if that security was so microscopic it was practically negligible.

Lin Sheng’s hand, adorned with bright red nail polish, slowly came to rest on Yu Keqing’s bare back. Her fingertips carried a cool temperature, slowly tracing along her hot, smooth skin, eliciting a delicate tremor wherever they passed.

Yu Keqing’s back was smooth and refined to the touch. Lin Sheng’s fingertips couldn’t help but linger, stroking a few more times as a trace of imperceptible longing flashed deep within her eyes.

Yu Keqing herself didn’t know where she found the courage.

She didn’t dare tell Lin Sheng how the scars on her body came to be, she didn’t dare voice the terror in her heart, and she didn’t dare speak of her years of grievances. Yet, she summoned the bravery to ask about Wen Man and Jiang Shuang’s marriage.

Her voice was as faint as a mosquito’s hum, carrying a layer of testing and an unnoticeable trepidation. “Did Man’er and Professor Jiang… really get a divorce?”

Her cheek was pressed against Lin Sheng’s chest. Before her eyes was Lin Sheng’s fair skin, and her nose was filled with the rich, warm scent of roses.

Such an intimate posture might look like love to an outsider, but to her, it was a danger so profound she couldn’t even close her eyes, each second passing like walking on thin ice.

The moment her words fell, Lin Sheng’s hand tracing her back froze. Her fingertips abruptly tightened, her previously gentle grip turning rigid.

Under the soft, warm glow of the wall lamp, Lin Sheng’s brows knitted tightly, forming a deep furrow. The gentleness in her eyes vanished instantly, supplanted by an icy chill and hyper vigilance.

“So you really are longing for her.”

Lin Sheng’s voice lacked any warmth, like freezing water in the dead of winter pouring straight over Yu Keqing’s head, leaving her entirely cold.

Terrified, Yu Keqing trembled violently, her body instinctively retreating to escape Lin Sheng’s touch, desperate to flee this suffocating embrace.

This act of retreat only infuriated Lin Sheng further, instantly igniting the rage in her heart.

Lin Sheng suddenly applied force, pinning her ruthlessly against the soft pillow. One hand clamped tightly around her slender neck, her fingertips squeezing slightly to inflict a suffocating pressure. Her tone was saturated with icy fury and paranoia. “You still haven’t given up. Even now, you’re still pining for Jiang Shuang.”

Yu Keqing shook with terror, tears cascading once more. She shook her head frantically, desperately trying to explain herself, her voice broken and disjointed, heavy with grievance and supplication. “No, I’m not, I never have… I’m not pining for her…”

The bitterness in her heart was about to drown her, a dense, agonizing pain spreading from her heart to every corner of her limbs.

She believed Lin Sheng locked her in this luxurious yet frigid house, forbidding her from leaving and banning Wen Man from visiting, because Lin Sheng thought she still harbored feelings for Jiang Shuang and would go pester her again.

She believed that even after all these years, Lin Sheng remained consumed by her feelings for Wen Man. Even though Wen Man had personally told her that she and Jiang Shuang divorced simply because they lacked affection and had no intention of ever remarrying, Lin Sheng still guarded against her at every turn, terrified she might do something to Wen Man or try to steal Jiang Shuang away from her.

In her eyes, everything Lin Sheng did was for Wen Man’s sake, a testament to Lin Sheng’s deep devotion to Wen Man.

It never crossed her mind that from Lin Sheng’s perspective, her inquiries about Wen Man and Jiang Shuang’s divorce signified that she was still pining for Jiang Shuang, harboring lingering feelings that posed an unprecedented threat to the intensely possessive Lin Sheng.

In Lin Sheng’s heart, Jiang Shuang was her greatest enemy, the one person who could make Yu Keqing abandon this home regardless of the cost.

Her jealousy and envy stem entirely from the devotion Yu Keqing once held for Jiang Shuang.

“Shut up! You dare deny it when you clearly are!”

Lin Sheng’s furious roar echoed in the bedroom, laced with intense rage and resentment. The warmth on her face vanished instantly, the surrounding atmospheric pressure dropping to a suffocating low, as if a violent storm would erupt in the next second.

The fingertips that had held a trace of gentleness a moment ago now viciously constricted around Yu Keqing’s throat. The force grew greater and greater, and the agony of suffocation instantly enveloped Yu Keqing.

Unable to breathe, Yu Keqing’s face turned rapidly pale, her lips bruising into a purplish hue.

She instinctively reached out, desperately tearing at the hand squeezing her throat, making hacking noises from her throat as she choked out a garbled plea: “Cough… let… let go…”

A dense wave of jealousy and fury swirled in Lin Sheng’s eyes, like two burning blazes threatening to consume her.

Those fox like eyes locked tightly onto Yu Keqing, her gaze as sharp as a blade; she had already been driven to a complete loss of reason by her anger.

“Yu Keqing, if you dare harbor such thoughts, I will ensure you never see Xiao Bao for the rest of your life.”

At the mention of the name ‘Xiao Bao’, Yu Keqing’s struggles weakened significantly, her eyes filling with despair and supplication.

Only then did Lin Sheng slightly relax her grip, allowing the near death Yu Keqing to narrowly claw her way back to life.

Before Yu Keqing could even steady her breathing, Lin Sheng’s punitive kiss slammed ruthlessly onto her lips.

Unlike the gentle intimacy in the bathroom, this kiss carried a raw brutality. She bit down hard on Yu Keqing’s lips until a faint taste of blood bloomed in their mouths, its bitterness making their eyes smart.

“Mph! mph!”

Yu Keqing struggled with everything she had, her hands pushing hard against Lin Sheng’s shoulders.

Lin Sheng pinned her down securely, trapping her wrists above her head to render her entirely immobile, leaving her with no choice but to endure Lin Sheng’s rapacious plundering.

Tears spilled continuously, soaking the pillow beneath her and leaving a small, dark patch of moisture.

Misunderstanding hung like a thick fog, dense and heavy, enveloping both of their hearts, impossible to dispel or see through.

Yu Keqing did not dare explain, nor did she know how to.

She feared that the moment she spoke, it would only invite a more violent wrath from Lin Sheng, and she feared her explanations would look like mere excuses in Lin Sheng’s eyes.

Meanwhile, Lin Sheng had long been blinded by the intense jealousy consuming her heart, taking Yu Keqing’s silence as validation.

Yu Keqing really does still have feelings for Jiang Shuang! She really hasn’t given up!

Once this thought took root, it spread like wildfire, completely dominating Lin Sheng’s mind. The jealousy and resentment in her heart erupted fully, driving her already intense possessiveness to an even more paranoid, unhinged extreme.

Yu Keqing loves Jiang Shuang! Yu Keqing loves Jiang Shuang!

She would not allow it! Absolutely never!

She shifting into a state of paranoia, firmly believing that Yu Keqing’s inquiries about Wen Man and Jiang Shuang’s divorce were driven entirely by a desire to gather more details on Jiang Shuang, intending to seize the opportunity to throw herself at Jiang Shuang once more.

After all these years, Yu Keqing was still thinking about her!

Abominable! Yu Keqing, you are truly abominable!

Lin Sheng’s kiss grew increasingly fierce and heavy, as if she could purge all her jealousy and resentment through this singular act of violence.

Kissed to the point of oxygen deprivation, Yu Keqing’s face flushed a deep crimson, a trail of fresh blood leaking from the corner of her mouth. Her tears fell like severed pearls, washing over her entire face, her eyes entirely hollow with despair and helplessness.

By the time this agonizing, punitive kiss finally ground to an end, Yu Keqing’s lips were completely mangled and swollen, with dried blood staining the corners.

Her tears had practically run dry, the light in her eyes entirely extinguished. She lay motionless as Lin Sheng adjusted her limbs, looking like a broken doll that had been clumsily pieced back together, numb and despairing.

The rage in Lin Sheng’s eyes receded a fraction.

She reached out to lightly trace Yu Keqing’s swollen lips, clearly harboring a shred of regret for her brutality, yet her stance remained unyielding. “Yu Keqing, remember your identity. You are my legal wife. In the future, you are not permitted to utter the name ‘Jiang Shuang’ in my presence ever again, not even a single mention. If you ever harbor those messy thoughts again, you will stay in this room forever.”

Yu Keqing leaned weakly against the pillow, her gaze vacant and her expression numb, resembling a vessel stripped of its soul.

Lin Sheng retrieved a tube of ointment from the nightstand, carefully applying it to the wounds on Yu Keqing’s lips, the tenderness of her fingertips a jarring contrast to her violence from moments before.

Yu Keqing, however, offered no reaction, neither flinching away nor responding, as if the pain of the wound had nothing to do with her.

It wasn’t until Lin Sheng opened the drawer of the nightstand and pulled out a silver chain that had been prepared long ago that Yu Keqing’s pupils slowly shifted. A faint ripple of emotion finally resurfaced in her hollow eyes, it was terror, it was despair, it was a complete and absolute death of the heart.

The cold metal chain wrapped gently around her slender ankle. The icy sensation instantly shot through her entire body, followed immediately by a sharp click as the metal clasp locked securely in place.

The other end of the chain was anchored to a metal ring in the corner of the wall. Its length was just enough for her to move around within the bedroom, but she would never be able to escape this room.

The key was in Lin Sheng’s hand.

Yu Keqing felt as though she had plunged into an ice house, the blood in her entire body completely freezing over at this moment. An icy chill crept from her ankle straight to her heart, leaving her core shivering, each breath she drew laced with a piercing frost.

“No! Don’t!” She lunged forward to grab the key.

Lin Sheng hid her hand behind her back and said, “I didn’t want to do this either, but you refuse to be good and always make me angry. Isn’t it better to just be obedient? If you listen to me, I can give you anything.”