After the Vicious Supporting Female Character Became the Heroine's Cat - Chapter 13

The scene Cheng Jianian needed to film wasn’t particularly complicated. Yu Buyan had just left her homeland and arrived in the Kingdom of Qu to become its queen. Under the intentional indulgence of the King of Qu, one of the consorts in his harem instructed the Grand Marshal to summon the divine envoy, a role played by Cheng Jianian’s cat during the divine festival.

On the altar, the divine envoy stepped on the sacred object, causing it to crack, and conveyed the divine message that a drought demon was approaching.

The message indicated that the one who had attracted the drought demon was none other than Yu Buyan, the new queen.

Originally, the plot required Yu Buyan to personally expose the lie by pulling out the catnip hidden beneath the sacred object. After calmly debunking the deception, she would earn the admiration of the King of Qu.

However, due to Qiao Jingshu’s earlier commotion, Jian Shen had no choice but to revise the scene. The revised version featured Yuan Duan, playing Yu Buyan’s personal physician, taking the blame under Yu Buyan’s instruction. She confessed that she had seen the medicinal catnip being carried away by the divine envoy the day before. When she chased after it, she found it had fallen beneath the sacred object but was too afraid to retrieve it immediately.

Jian Shen explained the script until her throat felt dry. She took a sip of Mizone and remarked casually, “To be honest, this version is even better. Otherwise, the female lead I worked so hard to write would come off as reckless, making a move so rashly in a new place.”

“But,” she added, stroking her chin, “after making this change, we still need to shoot a scene of the kitten carrying the catnip.”

“Is your kitten up for it? If not, I can have the special effects and editing teams splice something together.”

Shen Yunmiao didn’t dare answer on behalf of her kitten. She reached out and gently stroked the lazy cat nestled in her arms, signaling for the kitten to respond.

Cheng Jianian lazily flicked her long, drooping tail and let out a soft “meow.”

“Oh, your kitten actually understands human speech?” Jian Shen marveled, reaching out to touch the little white cat’s clearly clean and pet-able head.

But Little Cheng had her pride. Shen Yunmiao’s touches were one thing, who did Jian Shen think she was, daring to pet her?

The previously docile and lazy kitten immediately bared her teeth.

Jian Shen withdrew her hand awkwardly and rubbed the tip of her nose, saying sheepishly, “She’s quite the character.”

Yuan Duan, who had been listening nearby, laughed. “Director Jian, you just don’t get it. Cats know exactly who they’re close to. You’re not even qualified to be our cat’s servant.”

Well said, quite reasonable.

Cheng Jianian let out an approving “mrow.”

Shen Yunmiao, who had been holding the cat all along, smiled. “My kitten is a bit shy around strangers, but she’s not fierce. She often gets bullied by other cats.”

She continued stroking the kitten in her arms, her skilled hands making Little Cheng purr softly in contentment.

“Haha, I don’t think so,” Jian Shen chuckled. “Your cat looks like she can hold her own in a fight. If she went up against my troublemaker, she’d definitely have him rolling on the ground.”

Shen Yunmiao smiled without responding, though inwardly she disagreed. Her well-behaved kitten would never fight especially since she was terrified of black cats.

Once the explanations were complete, everyone prepared to start filming.

Cheng Jianian’s scenes were minimal: one required her to step on the sacred object a few times during the divine festival, and the other involved the kitten watching as the Grand Marshal placed the catnip.

Little Cheng performed flawlessly. Even standing on the bare, yet-to-be-transformed-by-special-effects “sacred object,” she carried herself with elegance. On camera, the little white cat took a few graceful, model-like steps, then lifted her head, her blue and golden heterochromatic eyes piercing through the lens, captivating everyone.

Both scenes were completed in a single take.

Jian Shen nearly clapped in admiration. “Truly wonderful! Your kitten is so photogenic and beautiful. I’ll definitely call you again for scenes like this in the future.”

Shen Yunmiao smiled faintly. “Thank you in advance, then.”

She had been sitting near the edge and, as soon as the shoot ended, went over to pick up her kitten, placing it securely back into the pet carrier. It seemed she intended to leave right away.

Jian Shen called out to her, “Hey, what’s the rush? It’s quite a hassle for you to come all this way. How about this? I’ll sort out your scenes shortly, and we can finish filming them all before you go. You can leave the kitten with me.”

Without hesitation, Shen Yunmiao declined, “Thank you, Director Jian, but I’d rather not. We’ve been out long enough today, and I’m worried Guaiguai might not adjust well.”

Director Jian knew her personality once she made up her mind, she rarely changed it. Just as he was about to express regret, he noticed the little white kitten in the carrier frantically scratching at the transparent window.

He quickly said, “Look, your kitten doesn’t seem to want to leave!”

Cheng Jianian indeed had no intention of leaving. Today, because she was here, Shen Yunmiao had taken a taxi both ways. But usually, Shen Yunmiao rode that worn-out bicycle early in the morning and returned late at night, enduring the cold and exhaustion. If she could save her one trip, it was worth it.

Besides, she had nothing else to do while waiting here.

Shen Yunmiao picked up the carrier and frowned, peering through the transparent shell at the little kitten inside, who was flailing its paws wildly. The moment Cheng Jianian noticed her gaze, she immediately put her paws down and sat upright.

The carrier was spacious and well-ventilated. As the breeze blew, her long white fur rustled softly. With pink-tipped ears, she let out a gentle, well-behaved “Meow.”

Shen Yunmiao lowered her gaze and whispered, “Guaiguai, do you really want to stay?”

“Meow!”

Stay! Otherwise, next time you’ll have to ride that bike for so long again.

Looking into the kitten’s beautiful, translucent heterochromatic eyes, Shen Yunmiao smiled helplessly. “Alright, but you have to promise me you won’t run around. While I’m filming, you’ll stay by Director Jian’s side, okay?”

Little CEO Cheng nodded happily, meowing excitedly. The thought of saving Shen Yunmiao time and money filled her with a bittersweet joy.

When will I be able to turn back into a human? I really, really want Shen Yunmiao to stop worrying about everything soon.

Ah, such feline worries.

Jian Shen happily took the carrier and placed it beside him. Knowing how precious this kitten was to Shen Yunmiao, he made sure to sit close, keeping a careful watch.

Over there, Shen Yunmiao had already gone to change and put on makeup. Fortunately, her appearance fit the role perfectly, and since the Song Kingdom’s princess was known for her simple, elegant style, the makeup and styling were done quickly.

Jian Shen filmed a scene with Yuan Duan and then moved on to Shen Yunmiao’s part.

By the count, Shen Yunmiao didn’t have many scenes left at most, two more days of shooting, and she’d be done.

Since the scenes were filmed out of order, today’s shoot depicted the period a few months after the Song Kingdom’s princess first arrived in the Ying Kingdom. Forced to come against her will, as her heart belonged to another, she made no effort to please the Ying Kingdom’s ruler.

Frustrated and angered by this aloof beauty, the ruler had not visited the Pepper Chamber for several months.

In this scene, a maid reported that the ruler had once again favored Consort Li.

The young queen sat by the bed, her expression unchanged as the cold moonlight bathed her. Her hair, left untied, cascaded softly over her plain robes.

She held a chess piece, yet could only play out this unfinished game against herself black against white, not a contest of wits, but a struggle within her own heart.

She knew deeply that the life of a pampered and noble princess was gone forever. The candlewick flickered in the gentle breeze, casting shifting glimmers in her dark eyes. After this night’s game, she would never again touch the black and white pieces of the board.

Though this scene had no dialogue, it was exceptionally demanding on acting skills. The actress needed to convey the shifting mindset of the Princess of Song.

Abandoning the tenderness of the past, choosing the pinnacle of power.

Shen Yunmiao immersed herself in the role almost instantly. As the wind tousled her hair, she conveyed everything the scene required through the subtlest of expressions.

She was like the bright, pure moon, yet fate had led her astray into the mortal world.

Even Cheng Jianian, who had won the Best Actress award years ago, was deeply moved by her performance.

The expressiveness was simply overwhelming.

Life is like a play, and sometimes acting isn’t just about “performing.” The outpouring of emotion, the explosive intensity in a single moment these things can’t be cultivated through practice alone; they require innate talent. Some actors spend their entire lives chasing the ability to create works that immerse the audience completely.

And Shen Yunmiao was born with that gift.

She was the world’s darling, destined one day to captivate everyone around her.

Little Cheng, too, inevitably became one of the many, utterly entranced by the person on screen and in reality.

Her attention was so wholly fixed on that individual that she lost the feline instinct for vigilance, failing to notice the footsteps quietly approaching from behind.

Not just her, even the bustling crew remained unaware of the situation unfolding nearby.

Support