After the Vicious Supporting Female Character Became the Heroine's Cat - Chapter 29.1

Before Shen Yunmiao noticed Xu Baiyang’s sudden appearance, she was first startled by the warmth of the hand on her waist.

She froze for a moment but didn’t pull away, instead noticing the worry and anxiety in Xu Baiyang’s eyes.

Xu Baiyang took a few steps forward, suppressing his agitated anger, and smiled gently. “Yunmiao, what are you doing here?”

Shen Yunmiao frowned almost imperceptibly, not quite understanding why having hot pot here seemed like such a grave offense. She asked, puzzled, “I came here with a friend to have hot pot. What’s wrong, Senior?”

Xu Baiyang realized he might have overreacted out of concern. Shaking his head, his smile remained warm. “It’s nothing, I was just a bit surprised. This place isn’t very safe, so it’s better not to come here often in the future.”

He didn’t even spare a glance at Cheng Jianian beside them, which suited her just fine she had no desire to see that wretched man anyway.

If she were to say it, Xu Baiyang was even more despicable than Ji Hanfeng. In the original storyline, Ji Hanfeng at least held the position of first love, making their relationship somewhat mutual.

But Xu Baiyang was different. He had long known about the relationship between Ji Hanfeng and Shen Yunmiao, yet he still chose to meddle in their feelings.

Every day, he pretended to be a gentle, sunny senior, but in reality, he was nothing but a wolf in sheep’s clothing, a homewrecker with ill intentions, shamelessly inserting himself into someone else’s relationship.

In the end, he even had the audacity to whine about waiting for thirty years. It was utterly nauseating.

Xu Baiyang didn’t have any favorable feelings toward Cheng Jianian either. He had also attended Jincai High School, though he was a year ahead of them, and had heard a thing or two about this young CEO’s temperament.

His family was quite well-off as well. Though not on the same level as Cheng Jianian’s, he still moved in similar circles.

Because of this, he was aware of this junior’s behavior, it wasn’t just bold, it was downright arrogant.

Coupled with the rumors he’d heard about Cheng Jianian and Ji Hanfeng, he instinctively assumed that Cheng Jianian had brought Shen Yunmiao to such a chaotic place out of jealousy toward her “rival in love.”

That was why he had been so anxious.

Cheng Jianian was well aware of what he was thinking. She let out a mocking chuckle and said, “Senior thinks this place isn’t safe?”

Xu Baiyang was biased against her, but since Shen Yunmiao was present and had just referred to Cheng Jianian as her “friend,” he couldn’t say much.

He could only smile and reply, “You might not know this, Junior, but while the first and second floors here are relatively normal, the upper floors are a bit chaotic.”

He suddenly stopped, feigning surprise. “Ah, I’ve said too much. I’m sure you already know about this, Junior.”

This was a deliberate attempt to lead Shen Yunmiao to think the worst. His implication was simple: as someone who was practically a leader in their social circle, how could Cheng Jianian not know what went on in this club? Yet she still brought Shen Yunmiao here, what were her true intentions?

Cheng Jianian curled her lips into a faint smile. “Senior, you might not know this, but in a place like this, some people can only see the chaos. But when I’m here, it’s clean and safe.”

At these words, even Xu Baiyang, who was skilled at maintaining a pleasant facade, couldn’t quite hold back his expression, which twisted for a moment.

But Cheng Jianian had no intention of letting him off the hook. She continued leisurely, “Actually, it’s like this everywhere. Whether a place is chaotic or not has nothing to do with the location, it depends on the person.”

“Wherever Miaomiao goes with me, she’ll always be safe.”

Her intention was to mock Xu Baiyang for his lack of capability and his tendency to make baseless accusations.

But Shen Yunmiao, who had been silently listening all along, felt her heart skip a beat, her earlobes gradually turning red. She had no idea why this person suddenly said such ambiguous words.

She turned to Xu Baiyang and offered an apologetic smile. “Sorry, Senior, we just finished eating hotpot and are a bit tired, so we’ll head back first.”

Xu Baiyang felt a knot in his chest, a suffocating frustration that left him unable to speak. But since Shen Yunmiao had already said so, there was nothing more he could add.

Putting on a magnanimous and considerate tone, he said, “It’s so late now, it might not be safe for two girls to go alone. Let me walk you back?”

Cheng Jianian was exasperated by his shamelessness. No wonder he had done such disgraceful things in the original story, he was shameless to begin with.

He wasn’t even as decent as Ji Hanfeng. At least Ji Hanfeng had some sense of boundaries and didn’t seem quite as detestable.

Shen Yunmiao gently reached out and pinched the tips of the fingers resting on her waist. The touch was light, like teasing a kitten. Cheng Jianian stiffened instantly and refrained from saying anything harsh.

Seizing the chance to ease the tension, Shen Yunmiao said, “Thank you, Senior, but that won’t be necessary. My place is very close by, and it’s only just gotten dark.”

Since she had made it clear, Xu Baiyang couldn’t shamelessly insist on accompanying them. He had no choice but to nod and say, “Alright.” As a last resort, he added, “Remember to let me know when you get home safely.”

Cheng Jianian: “?”

Who do you think you are, asking to be notified of our safe return?

She was so angry she almost laughed. Fortunately, Shen Yunmiao kept a firm grip on her hand and pulled her away, preventing the situation from escalating further.

After walking a few meters, Shen Yunmiao glanced back discreetly. Seeing that Xu Baiyang was no longer in sight, she finally relaxed and let go of Cheng Jianian’s hand.

Cheng Jianian stared at her now-free hand, feeling a bit sullen. She pressed her lips together slowly but said nothing.

Unaware of her mood, Shen Yunmiao asked gently, “Jianian, should we wait here for your driver, or would you prefer to take a taxi back?”

Considering that Cheng Jianian couldn’t be seen in public, she carefully phrased her question.

Cheng Jianian replied nonchalantly, “It’s fine. We can go to Ruijing together, I have a place there.”

Shen Yunmiao sighed. “But you!”

“It’s okay,” Cheng Jianian said with a smile. “I brought a mask.”

As she spoke, she pulled two masks from her pocket. They were a pair of cute white masks with a simple design only a small dog drawn in the upper right corner.

Cheng Jianian’s mask was yellow, while Shen Yunmiao’s was white.

She casually handed one over. Without much thought, Shen Yunmiao reached for it, but Cheng Jianian pulled it back. Shen Yunmiao froze, looking at her in confusion. Her dark eyes clouded with bewilderment, making her appear rather pitiful.

Cheng Jianian grinned. “What did you just call me?”

Shen Yunmiao hesitated and tentatively asked, “Jianian?”

Cheng Jianian’s smile widened. “That doesn’t sound very nice.”

She blinked encouragingly at Shen Yunmiao, whose slender, fair neck flushed pink. Stumbling over her words, Shen Yunmiao murmured, “A-Nian?”

“Exactly!” Pleased with the answer, Cheng Jianian’s mood visibly brightened. She looked at Shen Yunmiao and said, “I’m giving you a mask shouldn’t you thank me?”

By now, Shen Yunmiao understood exactly what she was hinting at. With a resigned tone, she said, “Thank you, A-Nian.”

Such an intimate form of address, even when spoken by a friend, felt somewhat hard to adapt to, let alone the fact that she didn’t consider them friends at all.

Shen Yunmiao didn’t know how she should treat the person beside her.

Under the streetlights, the other girl smiled warmly. Her usually indifferent gray eyes were now filled with the clear glow of the lights, exuding a gentle tenderness.

No matter what, she should put on her mask first.

Thinking it was over, Shen Yunmiao reached for her mask, only to find her hand grasping at air. Cheng Jianian leaned in slightly and deftly, gently helping her put on the mask.

Her earlobes, which had been touched, felt burning hot, and her vision gradually blurred.

Everything was in chaos utter chaos.

Even as they started walking home, Shen Yunmiao still felt a bit dazed, as if she were floating among clouds. Stepping too firmly would make her feel like she was about to fall, while stepping too lightly made her feel as if she were sinking into cotton.

Nothing felt right.

Her wavering steps mirrored her unsettled emotions.

Lost in her thoughts, she barely registered what Cheng Jianian was saying beside her, only catching that it was something about studies.

Before she knew it, they had reached the residential complex. The tips of her delicate ears were still flushed a deep crimson.

Cheng Jianian seized the opportunity to take her hand, smiling as she said, “Let me walk you in.”

Shen Yunmiao blinked, slowly starting to react with a refusal.

But she was already being led forward by the hand.

The two stepped into the elevator, looking like a couple who had worked hard all day and were finally heading home together. Cheng Jianian felt a secret thrill, thinking to herself that this felt entirely different she definitely needed to have more meals like this in the future.

When the elevator doors opened, she reluctantly escorted Shen Yunmiao to the hallway.

Finally snapping out of her daze, Shen Yunmiao looked at Cheng Jianian’s gray eyes, which seemed to hold a mix of reluctance and grievance, and impulsively blurted out, “Would you like to come in for a while?”

She regretted it the moment the words left her mouth.

The two bouquets of flowers at home were still not fully dealt with half were pressed in frames, while the other half were conspicuously displayed on the balcony. What would it mean to invite someone in under such circumstances?

But Cheng Jianian gave her no chance to take it back, nodding immediately. “Sure, sure. I’m waiting for my driver anyway.”

Her smile was innocent.

Shen Yunmiao felt deeply helpless but didn’t dare delay. It was already dark outside, and if she really made Cheng Jianian wait alone downstairs for her driver, she knew she would be the one who couldn’t bear it.

So she quickly opened the door. With the windows open in the summer, a cross-breeze swept through the room as soon as the door opened, lifting Shen Yunmiao’s hair as she stood in front. Soft strands drifted toward Cheng Jianian’s face, carrying with them a refreshing fragrance.

Cheng Jianian’s heart itched with curiosity. How could someone’s hair smell so good? Lost in the thought, she couldn’t resist reaching out to catch a strand, letting it rest gently in her palm before it slipped away.

She didn’t dare tug, afraid of breaking such beautiful hair.

So she let it go.

Shen Yunmiao, completely unaware, pulled the door open and said politely, “Please come in, though the place is a bit messy.”

Cheng Jianian snapped back to reality, thinking to herself, I’ve seen it messier, I’ve even been the one to make the mess. What’s this?

But she kept the thought to herself, instead teasing lightly, “Not at all. How could it be messy? It’s much tidier than my place.”

She had always been skilled at saying things with a straight face.

But this time, it wasn’t entirely baseless nonsense, because Shen Yunmiao’s place was indeed tidy. She was naturally a neat person, and everything in her home was arranged in perfect order.

The only time it might have been messy was probably when there was a disobedient little kitten around, Cheng Nian thought with a hint of melancholy.

But she quickly let it go. It was fine since she couldn’t live here as a cat, she could still move in as a human.

Cheng Nian casually sat down on the sofa, acting as if she were completely at home. Shen Yunmiao watched her, a strange feeling flickering in her heart.

But soon, she hurried to tidy up the cluttered mess on the coffee table.

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