After the Vicious Supporting Female Character Became the Heroine's Cat - Chapter 39.2

Ji Hanfeng’s anxious voice came through, “Yunmiao, are you safe? Is everything alright?”

Shen Yunmiao instinctively lowered her voice, “I’m fine, perfectly safe. Don’t worry.”

“I see,” Ji Hanfeng sounded slightly relieved but also troubled. “Yunmiao, the thing is, I’ve already announced that you’ll be attending. If you don’t come, it might.”

Shen Yunmiao understood his concern, “Hanfeng, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for this to happen. But I might be leaving the entertainment industry, so.”

Ji Hanfeng frowned. “Quit the entertainment industry? Whose idea is that? Cheng Jianian’s? But you’re at the peak of your career right now. If you quit now, Miaomiao, you!”

“Hanfeng, listen, I’ll do my absolute best to go tonight, and if I can’t make it, I’ll let you know,” Shen Yunmiao sighed. “But from now on, I might not be able to help you anymore.”

Ji Hanfeng understood this was her way of telling him not to interfere. Helplessly, he replied, “What can I even say? I’ve never been able to persuade you anyway. It’s fine as long as you’re happy.”

“Just consider this my plea to you: if anything bad happens, you must tell me. No matter what it is, Yunmiao, I’ll do everything in my power to help you.”

Shen Yunmiao smiled faintly. “Thank you, Hanfeng.”

That afternoon, Cheng Jianian returned home after calming down at the company. The moment she opened the door, she called out cheerfully, “Miaomiao, guess what I brought back?”

Shen Yunmiao was stewing pork ribs in the kitchen. Hearing her return, her eyes lit up with joy. “What is it?”

Cheng Jianian proudly revealed a thermal bag containing freshly roasted chestnuts. “Just came out of the wok come try some!”

She peeled a sweet, soft chestnut, still steaming hot, and popped it directly into Shen Yunmiao’s mouth.

Shen Yunmiao slowly held it between her lips, blinking. “So sweet.”

Cheng Jianian beamed. “Do you like it? If you do, I’ll have them deliver different varieties here from now on.”

The word “deliver” felt oddly deliberate. Shen Yunmiao forced herself to ignore the unsettling implication and forced a stiff smile. “Sure but, A’Nian, I need to leave soon. It’s almost six.”

Cheng Jianian’s expression remained unchanged, her tone still gentle, but her words sent chills down Shen Yunmiao’s spine. “Miaomiao, what are you talking about? Go where? Didn’t we agree to stay home together always?”

Shen Yunmiao’s smile turned pale. “A’Nian, we can’t do this. We made a promise to someone, we should keep it. Let’s go together, okay?”

Cheng Jianian merely blinked slowly. “I never agreed to anything, Miaomiao. I really don’t understand what you’re saying.”

A deep sense of powerlessness washed over Shen Yunmiao. “Jianian, please don’t be like this. I love you. I promise after this one time, I’ll stay with you every single day. Okay?”

But Cheng Jianian only continued peeling chestnuts, absorbed in her task. “Hurry, eat the chestnuts before they get cold.”

Seeing that reasoning was futile, Shen Yunmiao helplessly accepted the newly peeled chestnut and stuffed it into her mouth. “A’Nian, stop peeling them for me. I really have to go now.”

As she spoke, she untied her apron and headed straight for the door.

The villa was massive, with multiple floors. Step by step, she walked toward the entrance, her mind clouded by profound confusion.

What should she do?

How could she make A’Nian happy again?

She reached for the door handle and pulled with some force, but it wouldn’t budge.

Shocked, she turned around. Cheng Jianian stood silently by the dining table, meticulously peeling chestnuts one by one, her smile still tender and innocent.

“Miaomiao, I peeled more for you.”

In that instant, Shen Yunmiao’s heart turned cold.

She looked at Cheng Jianian, her heart aching unbearably. “A’Nian, A’Nian, listen to me. This isn’t right, it can’t go on. I want to go out. You can’t keep me locked in here.”

Cheng Jianian stared at her blankly, the curve of her lips carrying a chilling intensity. “Not allowed? Why not, Miaomiao? I love you, and you love me too. Didn’t you say you only love me? Why are you abandoning me? Why are you leaving me?”

As she spoke, under the dim light, a thin layer of mist gathered in her gray eyes. With a blink, the mist coalesced into droplets, slowly trickling down. “I love you!”

Shen Yunmiao didn’t know whether to wipe away her tears first or reason with her. She knew her lover was ill, gravely ill. If left untreated, everything would be lost.

She turned back, her heart aching as she reached out to wipe away the scalding tears. “Don’t cry, A’Nian. It’s my fault, but I truly never meant to abandon you. How about we go together?”

But Cheng Jianian clung to her tightly, sobbing, “No, no, I can’t let you go. If you go, we won’t be able to stay together. Fate has decided you’re not mine. I love you! I love you, Miaomiao, I really do.”

Shen Yunmiao held her firmly. “I love you too. Listen to me, A’Nian, I love you as well. But this isn’t about love. We made a promise to someone, and we have to keep it, don’t we?”

“I promise you, I will never leave you. But tonight, I have to go. Otherwise, I’ll always owe someone a favor. That’s not right, is it?”

Gently, she stroked the soft cheek and tucked away the stray strands of hair. “You love me, and I love you. We’ll be together forever. We won’t be separated.”

Cheng Jianian released her shoulders and gave her a pitiful smile. “Miaomiao is right. We won’t be separated, but I won’t let you go.”

Shen Yunmiao finally sensed something amiss. She looked at Cheng Jianian in disbelief. “A’Nian, are you going to lock me in?”

“This is our home Miaomiao, I’m not locking you in. I just want to be with you always and forever.”

Shen Yunmiao finally realized that the person before her was beyond reasoning. She couldn’t expect her to let go willingly.

The villa’s door was a smart lock, and without a doubt, Cheng Jianian had remotely locked it. If she wanted to leave, she would have to retrieve the spare remote from the bedroom. But Cheng Jianian’s current state made her too afraid to venture out.

Should she not go?

That would only harm both of them.

Staying in for one day was manageable, but what about the future? What would become of her and A’Nian? She could give up everything just to stay by this person’s side, to bring her peace and happiness.

But if things continued this way, what would happen in the long run? Would A’Nian’s condition worsen? Would she suffer even more because of it?

Shen Yunmiao didn’t dare to think further. Besides, she was a person of strong principles. Breaking a promise would weigh heavily on her conscience.

If it were for Cheng Jianian, she could bear the guilt of breaking a promise.

But a deep-seated fear gripped her, a strong intuition that if she didn’t go today, their relationship might be doomed forever.

Shen Yunmiao forced herself to calm down, drawing on past experiences to handle the situation.

But it was futile.

The pain was too overwhelming.

Shen Yunmiao suppressed a stifled breath, forcing herself to smile as gently as possible as she soothed, “I won’t go out, A’Nian. Let’s sit down, okay?”

Cheng Jianian stared at her with red-rimmed eyes and slowly sat down, feeling that her emotions had come on too suddenly and irrationally.

But she truly couldn’t control it, if she were to lose Miaomiao, she’d rather die right now.

The two of them struggled to calm their emotions, hastily ate a few bites of food, and then Shen Yunmiao and Cheng Jianian both rested.

Of course, this was Shen Yunmiao’s suggestion.

She wasn’t planning to sleep. Under the moonlight, her gaze quietly traced the contours of her lover’s face.

Cheng Jianian was of mixed heritage, with French ancestry. Her bone structure was strikingly defined, and she had a pair of gray eyes, like a genetic jackpot, giving her an air of noble detachment.

Shen Yunmiao turned over lightly and slipped out of bed, moving with extreme caution as she retrieved a spare remote control from the drawer. She quickly changed her clothes and used the smart remote to open the door.

However, the main gate outside the garden wasn’t something a smart remote could handle, it required a fingerprint.

Shen Yunmiao didn’t dare risk testing whether her fingerprint would work, afraid that if it failed, an alarm would sound, and then it would truly be over.

She swiftly found a foothold in a corner of the wall, stepped on it lightly, and vaulted over.

The wall was well-constructed, so stepping on it posed no issue.

Shen Yunmiao took a deep breath and jumped down to the ground.

She didn’t even dare bring her phone, but she had a thick wad of cash in her pocket, prepared by Cheng Jianian enough for anything she might need.

Shen Yunmiao hailed a taxi, quickly gave the destination, and hoped she could still make it in time.

When she arrived, she found a massive crowd, all her fans.

Biting her lip, she asked the driver to head to the back entrance of the venue.

Of course, the back door was closed.

Shen Yunmiao didn’t have a key, so she asked the driver to stop, repeated her earlier trick, found something to step on, and climbed over the wall again.

As soon as she entered, she could hear the deafening noise inside. The place was in an uproar, with her fans demanding to know why she hadn’t shown up.

Wiping sweat from her brow, Shen Yunmiao thought with relief, Thank goodness I came, or Ji Hanfeng would have been finished.

She squeezed her way backstage, listening to the heated discussions, knocked on a door, and asked directly, “Excuse me, where is Ji Hanfeng?”

A young actress inside turned her head and immediately recognized her, exclaiming in surprise, “Senior! What are you doing here? President Ji is up front, apologizing, I think.”

“Take me to him,” Shen Yunmiao said calmly.

The young girl immediately stood up, not daring to waste a second, and hurriedly led the way.

Ji Hanfeng was indeed apologizing upfront, explaining that Shen Yunmiao had been unexpectedly unable to attend.

Without hesitation, Shen Yunmiao walked straight over and said with a smile, “I’m sorry, I was delayed by something today and arrived late.”

Seeing her, Ji Hanfeng was both shocked and relieved.

He had tried calling her several times afterward, but Shen Yunmiao hadn’t answered any of them, making him fear that something had happened. Fortunately, it hadn’t.

Shen Yunmiao smiled and said, “Thank you all for your support. However, I’m only here to promote this drama and make a guest appearance. I don’t have many scenes, so please focus your attention on our main cast. Thank you.”

Her words were perfectly diplomatic, effectively taking responsibility for the fans’ actions.

The fans remained relatively composed; although they were quite upset, they didn’t say anything since she had shown up.

Shen Yunmiao continued, “I’m truly touched by everyone’s concern for me. However, there’s one more thing I need to share, I may retire from the entertainment industry in the future. I’m sorry to disappoint all of you who have supported me, but there are more important things in my life now. My apologies.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire venue erupted in an uproar. Not only the fans in the audience but also Ji Hanfeng looked over anxiously.

Shen Yunmiao, however, simply added on her own, “Thank you for accompanying me all this way. The mountains are high and the rivers long if fate allows, we shall meet again.”

She put down the microphone, and Ji Hanfeng immediately followed her off the stage, handing the microphone to the stunned lead actor beside him.

Ji Hanfeng couldn’t hold back any longer and asked, “Yun Miao, what’s really going on with you?”

Shen Yunmiao offered a gentle smile. “It’s nothing, but I must hurry back now. After this, Hanfeng, let’s leave our next meeting to fate.”

Ji Hanfeng stood frozen in place, watching the figure disappear into the distance.

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