After the Vicious Supporting Female Character Became the Heroine's Cat - Chapter 30.1

Cheng Nianian felt restless all day. Even though Qiao Jingshu, the one who had caused all the trouble, was now in a state of being shelved and couldn’t attend the promotional event, the incidents from the previous plot events had put Cheng Nianian on high alert.

On one hand, she instructed Zuo Ying to double-check the stage setup at the promotional venue, especially the chandeliers.

On the other hand, she had already made arrangements to go with Shen Yunmiao.

Shen Yunmiao didn’t know what Cheng Nianian was worried about, but seeing how insistent she was, she agreed.

At the same time, another matter that weighed heavily on Shen Yunmiao was the messages from an obsessive fan on Flow.

Although Cheng Nianian’s popularity remained high, as the focus on recent events gradually faded, Shen Yunmiao’s own popularity began to decline. Before the movie’s release, her Flow account had enjoyed a rare period of quiet.

But this fan persisted tirelessly, sending thousands of words of adoration every morning at 8 a.m., as if clocking in for duty.

Not only that, the fan also shared photos of scenery and food almost every day.

At first, Shen Yunmiao intended to ignore it, but later she felt it wasn’t right. Through the lengthy messages, she could sense the depth of the fan’s affection.

Perhaps this fan truly adored her.

Shen Yunmiao couldn’t quite describe her feelings. She had once harbored a secret crush on someone who seemed to live in the clouds, so she understood the pain of waiting silently and hopelessly for a response that never came.

So one morning, after careful consideration, she replied with a message: [Thank you for your affection.]

Shen Yunmiao had never encountered such intense adoration before. Of course, there had been people who liked her in the past, but their ways of expressing it had always made her uncomfortable.

Among them, this fan’s affection stood out as exceptionally sincere.

Almost instantly, the fan replied with a flood of exclamations, expressing their unwavering devotion.

Shen Yunmiao smiled faintly but also felt a pang of sadness. After all, no emotion in this world truly lasts forever.

Even the love between parents and children is often tinged with expectations, and when those expectations go unfulfilled, the affection inevitably wanes.

As for relationships between lovers or friends, the situation is even more uncertain.

But from that point on, Shen Yunmiao gradually began replying to the fan’s beautiful scenic photos.

She was an extremely tolerant person, gentle and calm like still water. Yet, no one dislikes receiving positive and uplifting emotions.

Before heading out in the morning, she glanced at her phone and, as expected, found a message from the fan named “Miao Miao’s Biggest Fan”:

[Miao Miao, are you going to the promotional event today? Please be careful and stay safe!]

Shen Yunmiao replied: [Thank you, I will. I’ll definitely be careful!]

She put away her phone but couldn’t shake off her unease. Cheng Nianian had also messaged her on WeChat, reminding her to stay safe, and now this message on Flow.

But this wasn’t her first time attending a promotional event. Why were they all so concerned about her safety?

Shen Yunmiao keenly sensed that something was off.

A faint sense of unease tugged at her heart.

Still, without concrete evidence of anything amiss, Shen Yunmiao didn’t let herself overthink it.

After tidying up, she headed to the venue.

To ensure Shen Yunmiao would come, Jian Shen deliberately chose a weekend. The roads were quite crowded on the way to the promotional event, and while waiting at a traffic light on her bike, she was even recognized by two people.

Shen Yunmiao finally felt a sense of reality about having stepped into the entertainment industry, but it was accompanied by a strong discomfort. She couldn’t shake the feeling that this job wasn’t for her.

There must be something else she was meant to do, but what? Shen Yunmiao couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

She could only attribute it to not being used to a life under constant scrutiny.

When she arrived at the venue, Jian Shen had just parked her car. Since it was the weekend and her assistant was off, she didn’t want to make the young woman work overtime and had driven herself.

Spotting Shen Yunmiao from afar, she felt both happy and a little guilty. She stopped the car but didn’t casually throw an arm around Shen Yunmiao as she used to. Instead, she said, “Why did you ride your bike? Next time, let me know, and I’ll pick you up.”

Shen Yunmiao smiled and thanked her but had no intention of taking her up on the offer.

Earlier that morning, Cheng Jianian had also offered to pick her up in fact, she had been insisting on it for days, even suggesting they go to school together.

Shen Yunmiao had politely declined every time, unaccustomed to the feeling of being chauffeured.

Thinking of Cheng Jianian, she felt a pang of melancholy.

After spending these past few days together, she could tell Cheng Jianian genuinely regarded her as a close friend, always wanting to give her the best of everything.

But this only made Shen Yunmiao more uneasy.

She was even afraid that the withdrawal would be too intense when the time came to cut ties.

Jian Shen, of course, knew about her close relationship with Cheng Jianian and tentatively asked, “Is Cheng Jianian coming today?”

Shen Yunmiao was taken aback and shook her head, a bit flustered. “Does she need to be here today?”

Jian Shen quickly shook her head. “No, no, it’s just that last night, Cheng Jianian kept asking about today’s event and even sent people to help set up the venue. I thought she might be coming.”

Shen Yunmiao imagined the scene, feeling a warm surge in her heart, but it was mixed with a suffocating discomfort.

She didn’t know whether to accept the care openly or start drawing boundaries right away, so she chose to say nothing.

The promotional event itself was quite simple, essentially a small meet-and-greet. The main cast would sing and play games on stage, interact a bit with the invited audience, and wrap up by giving away some movie tickets as a thank-you.

Shen Yunmiao didn’t consider herself particularly skilled at singing or dancing, but with Qiao Jingshu absent and Yuan Duan, like her, not professionally trained, they were both in the same boat neither knew what they were doing.

Reluctantly, she chose to sing. Jian Shen assured her not to worry and suggested pre-recording the song for lip-syncing.

The idea made Shen Yunmiao cringe with embarrassment; it didn’t feel like an honest or respectable thing to do. In the end, she decided to practice on her own and declined the lip-syncing proposal.

She had no choice in the song, it had to be the soundtrack from her part in the movie. The music was composed by a renowned musician Jian Shen had hired, with lyrics and melody perfectly capturing the character’s tragic theme.

It wasn’t an easy song to sing.

Even right before going on stage, Shen Yunmiao was still practicing.

Yuan Duan, noticing her gentle yet worried expression, comforted her, “Don’t worry, you’re definitely better than me. I still get made fun of for my New Year’s Eve performance.”

Shen Yunmiao wasn’t afraid of being mocked, but only if she could actually manage to sing the song.

Both of them had already performed during the opening segment, and now it was Liang Jue, the male lead, on stage.

As a professionally trained art student, he excelled at both singing and dancing, and he effortlessly performed a song while dancing, pushing the atmosphere to its peak.

Even in the preparation room, the waves of cheers could be heard. Amidst the clamor, a crisp knock suddenly sounded at the door.

Shen Yunmiao, who was sitting closest to the door, went to open it. To her surprise, standing outside was the very person who had reminded her to be careful that morning Cheng Jianian, holding another large bouquet of fresh flowers.

Shen Yunmiao stared blankly at her smiling gray eyes as Cheng Jianian cheerfully placed the flowers in her arms.

The bouquet, which Cheng Jianian had asked Zuo Ying to order that morning, was a delicate mix of white tulips and pink roses fresh and elegant, perfectly matching Shen Yunmiao’s temperament.

After handing over the flowers, Cheng Jianian casually wrapped an arm around Shen Yunmiao and guided her inside.

Yuan Duan was taken aback when she recognized the visitor. She had heard from Jian Shen that the two were close, and with the buzz around Flow’s attention trending for two days, it was impossible for her not to know.

But she hadn’t expected the young CEO to value Shen Yunmiao so highly, even making a personal appearance for the promotional event.

Yuan Duan thought to herself, You truly can’t judge a book by its cover. Shen Yunmiao seemed so simple and understated, yet she had such a deep connection with someone as flamboyant as CEO Cheng.

Putting on a smile, Yuan Duan went to greet her. Noticing Cheng Jianian’s deep black suit, she had a sudden inspiration and boldly asked, “CEO Cheng, would you like to go on stage and sing a song today?”

This was exactly what Cheng Jianian had in mind. Even if Yuan Duan hadn’t suggested it, she had planned to go up anyway partly to prevent any mishaps with the stage lighting, and partly because, according to the storyline, Miaomiao’s singing wasn’t top-notch. Combined with her nerves during her first performance, she had faced some criticism for a while.

If the two of them sang together, the outcome might not be so dismal.

But she couldn’t bring it up with Shen Yunmiao beforehand, knowing she would definitely refuse.

So, she had to show up unexpectedly and catch her off guard.

Cheng Jianian nodded reservedly.

At this point, what could Shen Yunmiao say? She understood Cheng Jianian’s good intentions but grew even more troubled about how to repay such kindness.

Yuan Duan, unaware of her inner turmoil, exclaimed, “That’s wonderful! Yunmiao just mentioned she was a bit nervous. If you go up with her, I’m sure everything will be fine.”

Not to mention, Cheng Jianian’s presence was bound to generate a huge wave of attention.

Yuan Duan couldn’t help but admire what a great friend Cheng Jianian was offering selfless help without expecting anything in return.

Soon, it was Yuan Duan’s turn to take the stage.

She headed backstage to prepare, bidding a quick farewell to the two before leaving.

Alone together, the atmosphere grew slightly awkward. Shen Yunmiao lowered her head, unsure of what to say. “Thank you, A’Nian.”

Cheng Jianian firmly grasped her shoulders, forcing her to meet her gaze. Her gray eyes shimmered with warmth. “No need for thanks, Miaomiao. If I can help you, it makes me incredibly happy.”

Shen Yunmiao’s heart skipped a beat, and she nodded, the tips of her ears turning red.

Her earlobes were particularly sensitive; even when her expression remained calm, they would flush bright red.

Cheng Jianian had noticed this pattern long ago and deliberately reached out to pinch one of her earlobes.

Shen Yunmiao jolted and looked up.

Meeting a pair of teasing eyes, she realized she was being teased and didn’t know how to respond.

Flustered and embarrassed, even her gentle dark eyes flickered with urgency.

Cheng Jianian, thoroughly pleased, suggested with satisfaction, “Let’s try singing together now.”

Let’s not do that one-person-one-verse thing either; just sing together directly. That way, Shen Yunmiao can follow along softly.

She asked Shen Yunmiao if the in-ear monitor was working well.

That in-ear monitor was also prepared for her in advance expensive, and then delivered through Jian Shen.

In fact, it wasn’t just the in-ear monitor; Shen Yunmiao’s entire outfit was arranged by Zuo Ying according to her measurements.

Compared to a stage costume, this outfit was more fitting, made of better material. The flowing white silk accentuated her slender waist, as if it could be held with one hand, while the weight of history seemed to press down on the fragile princess.

The atmosphere aligned perfectly, amplifying her snow-like, pure and cool temperament.

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