After the Vicious Supporting Female Character Became the Heroine's Cat - Chapter 25.1

Her consciousness drifted, floating from a cold, desolate winter night, past the scene of a car accident. Cheng Jianian blinked, feeling as though the two accidents were about to overlap in her dazed state.

In the distance, under an upturned streetlight, a frail girl was crying. Instinctively, she moved closer to comfort her, but the sobs only grew heavier.

Though her mind was hazy, a dull ache had already settled in Cheng Jianian’s chest, preceding her awareness. Frantically, she reached out to touch the girl, but her hand passed through, dissolving into nothingness.

Instantly, an indescribable pain surged in her heart, so intense she could hardly breathe. For a fleeting moment, clarity pierced through the fog in her mind, allowing her to glimpse something extraordinary.

But soon, her consciousness descended back into chaos.

Cheng Jianian’s eyes snapped open. The room was now decorated as a hospital ward, bathed in warm white light. Sunlight streamed through the window, and expensive machines emitted sharp beeps as medical staff filed in.

Gasping for air, she struggled to move her long-unfamiliar body, stiff from disuse. With great effort, she raised a hand and rasped, “Don’t give me any sedatives.”

It was common practice to administer sedatives to patients who had just awakened from a vegetative state to prevent them from harming themselves before their consciousness fully returned.

The doctor paused, then nodded, exchanging a few words with the nurse. Some of the staff adjusted the machines, while others began recording her vital signs.

Cheng Jianian’s ears buzzed, making it impossible to discern what anyone was saying. Only one thought echoed clearly in her mind:

She wanted to see that person. She yearned desperately to speak with her, to hear her voice again, to see her smile.

Soon, Zuo Ying and Old Cheng arrived.

At the sight of her awake, Zuo Ying’s tears fell in torrents. Annoyed, Cheng Jianian waved her off dismissively. Cheng Su, however, remained expressionless.

Cheng Jianian was long accustomed to her mother’s detached demeanor. In her memory, her mother had always been this way, unmoved by anything.

Even when news of her father’s death had arrived from the sea, her mother had coldly responded with a simple, “I see.”

As for her, Cheng Jianian knew she mattered more to her mother than her good-for-nothing father ever had but not because she was her daughter. It was because she was her successor.

Cheng Su sat down and asked in a flat tone, “How are you feeling?”

The test results had come back, all normal, a positive outcome, yet eerily unusual for someone who had been comatose for months.

After her surreal experiences over those months, Cheng Jianian understood that the winter car accident had been entirely outside the plot. By some twist of fate, she had become the cat of the female lead, Shen Yunmiao, while the storyline of the villainess continued to unfold.

Now, her return was merely a correction, a restoration of her role as the villainess, allowing the world to resume its intended course.

Thus, at this point in the plot, she was at her most troublesome and manipulative. With the storyline reset, her body naturally showed no signs of abnormality.

She took a sip of water, her throat somewhat soothed, and replied calmly, “I’m fine. I’m sorry to trouble you, Mother, for making this trip.”

Cheng Su was long accustomed to her daughter’s businesslike tone. Hearing that everything was fine, she said nothing more and went straight to the point: “While you were unconscious, a young girl delivered a letter to me with a cipher key.”

Cheng Jianian quickly replied, “She’s my friend. We’ve known each other since high school. I told her to draw the cipher and send a letter if she ever needed help.”

Cheng Su gave a slight nod, offering no further opinion. The mother and daughter fell back into their usual silence. After a long pause, Cheng Su spoke slowly, “Be more careful in the future. I looked into the incident, it was indeed a case of drunk driving. The matter has been handled.”

“In two years, you will become the head of the Cheng family. The safety of the family head is of utmost importance. You cannot afford to be so reckless.” As she spoke, Cheng Su stood up, clearly preparing to leave.

Cheng Jianian showed no reaction to these words she had heard countless times. No matter how heavy the responsibility, it was always the same old story.

Once Cheng Su had left, Zuo Ying cautiously peeked her head through the door. Cheng Jianian sighed in exasperation, “Come in.”

Zuo Ying pushed the door open cheerfully, her eyes brimming with tears. “Boss, I missed you so much! You have no idea how agonizing these past few months have been for me.”

“Enough,” Cheng Jianian cut her off, recalling all the mischief Zuo Ying had gotten up to while she was a cat. She hardly believed Zuo Ying had suffered. “Let me ask you did an exceptionally beautiful girl come to deliver flowers while I was unconscious, only for you to chase her away?”

The mere thought of it made Cheng Jianian’s blood boil. She could still vividly recall the desolate look in Miaomiao’s eyes that night, the lamplight catching her lashes and transforming into boundless disappointment.

Fortunately, the flowers had eventually found their way to her.

“Huh?” Zuo Ying racked her brain. Many people had sent flowers to Cheng Jianian, and faces flashed through her mind. Unconsciously, she thought of Shen Yunmiao, who had arrived that evening.

Exceptionally beautiful she fit the description perfectly. Coupled with the fact that she and the boss had attended the same high school, Zuo Ying suddenly had a bad feeling.

Her gaze trembled as she looked at her boss, whose displeasure was evident and whose anger seemed imminent. She forced an awkward smile. “It wasn’t like that.”

“I like her,” Cheng Jianian interrupted, cutting off her excuses.

As a mixed-race individual, Cheng Jianian’s gray eyes often carried a sharp, brooding intensity. But at that moment, as if recalling something pleasant, a softness flickered in her gaze, momentarily dispelling the usual harshness.

Zuo Ying blinked, stunned, almost unable to comprehend those simple words.

What did she mean, “like”? Was the boss asking her to draft a contract for a sugar baby arrangement?

In the next instant, the softness in Cheng Jianian’s eyes vanished, replaced by their usual indifference, though the tips of her ears remained flushed.

“I want to pursue her, Zuo Ying. I’m telling you this because I know you’re more sensible than Li Shengran. From now on, treat Miaomiao with the same attitude you treat me. Understood?”

Zuo Ying’s brain short-circuited for a few seconds, struggling to process the fact that her boss had apparently turned into a lesbian after the car accident. It was so unbelievable that she opened her mouth and blurted out without thinking, “But what about you and Young Master Ji?”

“There’s nothing between us. If you insist on making a connection, then I dislike him. That’s all. Now, brief me on everything that’s happened at the company these past few months, and notify Li Shengran to come. I’m firing her.”

Even though Cheng Jianian was usually decisive and efficient, Zuo Ying was still taken aback. She felt she needed to upgrade her brain, it was becoming less and less reliable.

What a bizarre car accident it had been. The boss’s rumored love interest had turned into an enemy, the rumored rival had become the goddess he intended to pursue, and now his capable assistant was about to be fired.

Zuo Ying, tempered by countless trials, had remarkable adaptability. While swiftly carrying out her assigned tasks, she also notified Li Shengran to come over immediately.

Tsk, how pitiful, Zuo Ying thought, shaking her head at the thought of her “former colleague.”

But he deserved it. Without a doubt, it was because Li Shengran had been shielding his childhood friend while they engaged in unethical behavior. Now, they had crossed the boss’s well, the boss’s wife?

Recalling her few encounters with Shen Yunmiao, Zuo Ying felt a lingering fear. She hoped the boss’s wife, who seemed kind-hearted, wouldn’t hold it against her.

She couldn’t afford to face the boss’s ruthless methods.

“Shengran, didn’t you say you could definitely make sure Shen Yunmiao wouldn’t be able to act? How is she perfectly fine now?”

Li Shengran looked at Qiao Jingshu, who was sitting on the sofa questioning him discontentedly, and felt increasingly impatient. “Do you think I wanted her to be okay?” he snapped. “Who knew she’d manage to avoid it?”

Thinking about what happened the previous night, he felt sick to his stomach. He had planned a fatal blow, but Shen Yunmiao had somehow sensed the driver was suspicious and insisted on leaving. And not only did she leave, she took Jian Shen with her.

But maybe it was for the best, he didn’t want either of them around anyway. Who would have thought that cat would be so agile, saving both Jian Shen and Shen Yunmiao? What a loyal pet.

Li Shengran sneered inwardly. Now it would be much harder to try again.

Turning his gaze back to Qiao Jingshu, who was sipping her drink on the sofa, he felt another wave of irritation. “And by the way, keep your little girlfriend in check. Stop letting her do such stupid things all the time.”

Qiao Jingshu shrugged indifferently. “So what?”

“So what?!” Li Shengran was furious. “Scratching another artist’s face isn’t just stupid, it’s illegal! And I’m the one who has to clean up her mess!”

Qiao Jingshu slammed her cup down on the coffee table, her demeanor unyielding. “Why are you so worked up? Just because Cheng Jianian woke up and called Zuo Ying instead of you? It’s not like you’re being fired!”

Her words hit a nerve. The hospital had reported abnormal brainwave activity from Cheng Jianian the night before. By now, he should have woken up.

But only Zuo Ying had been summoned. Li Shengran hadn’t received any notification.

It was obvious Zuo Ying was more trusted.

That was precisely why Li Shengran had been tolerating Qiao Jingshu’s antics at the company lately. He had always been second to Zuo Ying in Cheng Jianian’s eyes. After Cheng Jianian’s accident, Li Shengran had been scheming to surpass Zuo Ying, quietly building his own power base.

Qiao Jingshu was his “glove.” Whenever she did something despicable, he was usually the one supporting her from behind, covering up the mess and reaping the benefits.

Now that Cheng Jianian was awake, Li Shengran didn’t know if his actions would be exposed.

He was afraid of Cheng Jianian. That man was ruthless to himself and even more so to others.

When Mercury Entertainment was first established, Cheng Su was in charge. Li Shengran had worked under him back then. Cheng Jianian only started making moves within the group when he was sixteen, and at the time, Li Shengran hadn’t taken the “young master” seriously at all.

However, everything that followed exceeded her expectations. That young girl, with her overly flamboyant temper and arrogant demeanor, had managed to seize firm control of the group in such a short time.

Li Shengran was no fool; she had long chosen Cheng Jianian as her master, but Cheng Jianian had never once taken her seriously.

She couldn’t stand it couldn’t stand why Zuo Ying, two years her junior, held a higher position than her, and couldn’t stand how Cheng Jianian completely disregarded her, even when she worked her hardest like a dog, only to be ignored.

Resentment accumulated bit by bit, but ambition swelled in an instant.

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