After the Vicious Supporting Female Character Became the Heroine's Cat - Chapter 37.1

By July, with half the filming completed, Jian Shen planned to shoot scenes in Jiangnan.

She discussed it with Shen Yunmiao. Cheng Jianian was busy with family troubles and couldn’t accompany them.

However, if they waited any longer, the scenery wouldn’t match what Jian Shen envisioned.

She couldn’t very well stop Shen Yunmiao from going, but a faint unease lingered in her heart. It was only after Shen Yunmiao reassured her that she reluctantly agreed to let her go.

Shen Yunmiao joined the crew on location. Since Cheng Jianian couldn’t go herself, she sent Zuo Ying along and gave her a long list of instructions.

Zuo Ying practically stuck to Shen Yunmiao like glue, fearing something might go wrong. Shen Yunmiao sighed helplessly, “I’m feeling fine now. Nothing should happen.”

Zuo Ying sighed, “Miss Shen, please bear with me.”

Jian Shen was even more exasperated. She had initially been glad Cheng Jianian wasn’t coming, thinking it would be easier to film some intense scenes. Little did she expect that Zuo Ying would be temporarily assigned as the manager.

The assistant had gone ahead to set up the location, so Jian Shen took on the role of driver. Zuo Ying and Shen Yunmiao sat in the backseat as they headed to the shoot.

Just then, Shen Yunmiao’s phone rang, it was Cheng Jianian calling.

Shen Yunmiao answered with a sweet smile, “What’s up?”

Cheng Jianian had just finished a series of meetings and looked weary, but the moment she saw Shen Yunmiao’s face, her spirits lifted. “I just missed you,” she said, gazing at her with a coquettish expression.

Shen Yunmiao’s heart softened. “Mm… I miss you too,” she replied softly.

The other two in the car pretended not to hear.

Cheng Jianian asked, “Are you in the car now? Make sure to dress warmly and bring an umbrella. I checked the weather forecast, it’s been raining there these past few days.”

Zuo Ying, who was in charge of carrying the umbrella, thought to herself, “…”

Rather than reminding Shen Yunmiao, it felt more like Cheng Jianian was hinting at what Zuo Ying needed to do.

She silently turned to look out the window.

Shen Yunmiao repeatedly assured her she would.

The two exchanged a few more tender words.

Suddenly, Zuo Ying sensed something amiss.

She quietly rolled down the window. The July drizzle pattered softly.

There weren’t many cars on the road. She glanced toward a narrow alley, it was quiet, and the dim evening light made it hard to see clearly.

Remembering that a security vehicle was following behind them, Zuo Ying told herself she might have been mistaken. Even the sharpest intuition could be wrong sometimes.

The car safely passed the alley.

Just as Zuo Ying breathed a sigh of relief, a vehicle suddenly sped out from the next alley, the wind roaring so loudly it felt like it could pierce their eardrums.

In an instant, she lost all reason.

The last thing she saw clearly before losing consciousness was Shen Yunmiao’s calm, dark eyes.

Just before the call ended, an earth-shattering crash, loud enough to nearly rupture eardrums, stunned Cheng Jianian.

Panicked, she cried out, “Miaomiao, Miaomiao, what’s wrong? Talk to me.”

Her entire body trembled, frozen in place. Agony swept through every limb, so intense it was unbearable.

She grabbed another phone and immediately contacted her subordinates calling the police, dispatching people, and mobilizing the security team.

Cheng Jianian didn’t know how she endured those long minutes. She thought she wouldn’t be able to speak, but the words came out anyway clear and articulate, driven not by reason but by overwhelming emotion, stumbling forward in desperation.

She drove, boarded a flight, and arrived in the filming city in a daze.

Upon landing, there was already someone waiting to receive her. The security team had called her multiple times. When she called back, they informed her that the injured had already been sent to the hospital.

Cheng Jianian’s voice trembled as she asked, “How exactly did you manage to let this happen? Tell me, hmm?”

The person in charge of communication on the security team was also filled with guilt, unsure of how to explain. All they could say was, “Ms. Cheng, we didn’t do this on purpose. We were following them closely, but…”

Cheng Jianian had no time to argue with them. Suppressing a surge of frustration, she replied coldly, “I don’t want to hear excuses. Right now, find out exactly what happened with that car. Otherwise, all of you will be paying the penalty for breach of contract.”

The person on the other end repeatedly assured her they would.

After hanging up, Cheng Jianian stood outside the hospital room, hesitating, unsure whether she should enter.

The car had been hit and flipped over, crashing through the guardrail and plunging into the river. Fortunately, it had fallen into the water, preventing an explosion. The security team had reacted swiftly and rescued everyone.

Shen Yunmiao had suffered the lightest injuries, mostly superficial wounds like scrapes and bruises. Zuo Ying’s condition was slightly more serious, with a fractured left arm.

Only Jian Shen had sustained a severe head injury.

When Cheng Jianian heard the diagnosis on the way, she had momentarily spaced out. This outcome was exactly the same as the result of the first car accident in the original storyline.

Miaomiao was barely injured, but because of this, Jian Shen had fallen into a coma, becoming a vegetative patient.

What should she do? Was it truly impossible to change the course of the plot?

Thinking about the inexplicably falling crystal chandelier and Jian Shen in the ICU, for the first time, she felt a sense of confusion.

What should she do? If things really unfolded as in the plot, then one day, she would lose Miaomiao because they were destined to be enemies.

Enemies fated to stand on opposing sides.

But how could she? How could she ever treat Miaomiao that way?

After composing herself to appear less anxious and disheveled, Cheng Jianian pushed open the door to the hospital room and smiled. “Miaomiao.”

As soon as Shen Yunmiao saw her, she hurriedly tried to get out of bed.

But Cheng Jianian rushed over and quickly stopped her. “Don’t move, don’t move. You’ve just been injured, don’t make any sudden movements.”

Her tone carried a hint of reproach.

Shen Yunmiao gently ruffled her hair. “Did you take a flight here overnight?”

Cheng Jianian let out a soft “mm” in response. Kneeling on the floor, she wrapped her arms around Shen Yunmiao’s legs, her voice strained. “If I had known something like this would happen, I would have.”

Shen Yunmiao pinched the tip of her ear. “What nonsense are you talking? If I had known something would happen, I would never have gone out.”

Cheng Jianian’s nose tingled with the urge to cry, but she forcefully suppressed it, whispering, “It’s my fault for not protecting you. It’s all my mistake.”

“What are you saying?” Shen Yunmiao gently pulled her back slightly, their eyes meeting. Her dark gaze was serious. “Don’t say things like that. What does this have to do with you?”

“You’ve already done more than enough,” Shen Yunmiao said, cupping Cheng Jianian’s face and speaking softly. “Not everything can be avoided. Perhaps this is just something I have to go through in my life.”

Cheng Jianian shook her head. “No, no! You shouldn’t have to experience any of this.”

After a moment, she realized she shouldn’t be projecting her distress onto Shen Yunmiao. She pulled over a nearby chair and sat down, regaining her usual calm composure. “I got a bit too worked up just now. I’m sorry, Miaomiao.”

Shen Yunmiao looked at her with heartache. “I know! I understand.”

Cheng Jianian picked up an apple from the side and began peeling it. Matters concerning Jian Shen and the car accident swirled around her heart, weighing her down until she could barely breathe.

She peeled the apple slowly, her gaze fixed intently on the fruit.

Shen Yunmiao did not disturb her, instead watching her with equal focus.

After a long while, Cheng Jianian finally pulled herself out of that painful and bewildering state of mind. She had only one solution left to hide this person away, somewhere no one could ever find her.

She spoke as if casually, “Miaomiao, could you stop acting?”

She knew it was an absurd request, but she truly had no other choice. She couldn’t lose this person.

The peeler tilted almost imperceptibly, and time seemed to stretch and slow under the weight of her anxious heartbeat.

Suddenly, a slender, soft hand covered her fingertips, gently pressing down on the peeler. “Alright, be careful not to cut yourself.”

Cheng Jianian couldn’t help but look up, her dark eyes bewildered as they met the other’s gaze, only to find her smiling warmly.

“As for your question just now, I said yes. I won’t act anymore.”

She raised both hands to cup Cheng Jianian’s face, her dark eyes glistening with a faint mist. “To me, acting is just a very, very small matter. But you, Xiao C, are the most important thing to me. I don’t want to make you suffer, and I don’t want you to live in constant fear.”

“I will leave the entertainment industry.”

Her voice was soft, her fingertips brushing against Cheng Jianian’s trembling lashes, as if piercing straight into her heart.

Cheng Jianian blinked in confusion, unable to hold back a tear that fell with a soft plop.

Immediately after, she set down what she was holding and wrapped her arms tightly around the person in front of her, immersing herself in the crisp, clean scent of fresh snow, unable to pull away.

In that moment, she felt incredibly small and utterly powerless.

But what else could she do? Let this person slip away from her completely?

She couldn’t. Shen Yunmiao was as important to her as life itself perhaps even more so.

Cheng Jianian wasn’t afraid of death, but she was terrified of losing Shen Yunmiao.

“Don’t be afraid, A’nian. I’ll always be with you.” Moved by the depth of her emotions, Shen Yunmiao held her tightly in return, making her promise.

Not long after, Shen Yunmiao was discharged from the hospital. Zuo Ying followed closely behind, but Jian Shen never woke up.

She had no family to speak of, having devoted her life to art all these years, and no particularly close friends or lovers. In the end, it was Cheng Jianian who arranged for her to be taken back to City A.

Cheng Jianian instructed Zuo Ying, “Take good care of Jian Shen. Also, make sure you rest well yourself lately. There’s no need to come by unless necessary.”

Zuo Ying, exhausted both mentally and physically, replied, “Boss, I looked into it. The car that day was indeed arranged by Old Madam Cheng for Li Shengran.”

It was as expected.

Li Shengran would find it difficult to use the same tactics against Cheng Jianian again, but if Cheng Su was helping her, that changed everything.

Cheng Jianian didn’t know what her dear mother was trying to accomplish. Rubbing her temples, she said decisively, “Then we’ll make sure Mother can’t help her anymore.”

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