After the Vicious Supporting Female Character Became the Heroine's Cat - Chapter 40

After returning, Shen Yunmiao was extremely cautious. As usual, she climbed over the wall again. Initially, she was a bit worried, fearing that there might be some issue after the villa’s security mode was activated.

Fortunately, nothing happened, and there was no sound. She pressed the remote lightly, and the door opened.

A soft “beep” echoed thankfully, it didn’t disturb anyone inside.

Unbeknownst to her, a tall figure on the open balcony silently watched the entire sequence of actions before slowly turning back to the bedroom and lying down.

When Shen Yunmiao entered the room, she saw Cheng Jianian still lying alone on the bed, exactly as she had left her.

Shen Yunmiao breathed a sigh of relief, took off her clothes and put them away, then quietly climbed into bed.

The thin white gauze curtains fluttered slightly, and under the moonlight, that sharply defined face was half illuminated and half shadowed, with a trace of weariness visible in the eye sockets.

Shen Yunmiao tenderly touched the closed eyelids and murmured, “A’Nian, I will always be with you from now on. Don’t be afraid.”

The long eyelashes beneath her fingertips trembled slightly.

Shen Yunmiao nestled closer into her embrace, breathing in the rich scent of roses, and fell into a deep sleep.

After she drifted off, the hand resting on her waist moved slightly, wrapping around her.

Gray eyes opened in the darkness, gleaming faintly.

When Shen Yunmiao woke up in the morning, the bed was already empty.

She rubbed her sleepy eyes and had just stepped out of bed and pushed the door open when she noticed Cheng Jianian downstairs, holding two plates of food apparently breakfast and setting them on the dining table.

Hearing the noise, Cheng Jianian looked up and smiled toward her.

“Come down quickly for breakfast, Miaomiao.”

Seeing her usual demeanor, Shen Yunmiao felt a secret sense of relief and descended with a smile in her dark eyes.

Breakfast was lavish, featuring steamed dumplings, toast, fried eggs, and the millet porridge that Shen Yunmiao loved.

As Cheng Jianian blew on the porridge to cool it down, she said, “Miaomiao, a new villa has been completed in the development zone. How about we go stay there for a few days?”

Shen Yunmiao had no objections and nodded, “Sure, but do we need to bring anything?”

Cheng Jianian smiled gently, “We don’t need to bring anything. Everything is already there.”

Her expression carried an elusive depth, and intuition told Shen Yunmiao that something was off, but her emotions urged her not to probe further to just let things be.

She lowered her head and slowly ate the bread, though it felt tasteless in her mouth.

Cheng Jianian didn’t say much more, merely continued feeding her.

Suppressing the inexplicable unease in her heart, Shen Yunmiao reassured herself that everything was fine today, nothing was wrong.

They set off right after breakfast.

The new development zone truly lived up to its name nestled in the suburban wilderness dozens of miles from the city. The mountain showed no signs of “development,” with lush forests and muddy paths even on the way up.

Shen Yunmiao felt strange, but seeing Cheng Jianian’s cheerful expression as she drove, she suppressed that odd feeling.

Maybe she was just overthinking it.

Shen Yunmiao leaned against the car window, watching the scenery flash by outside, a vague sensation stirring within her.

The world suddenly felt very quiet.

It took over half an hour by car to reach the villa.

This was a mountain villa, beautifully situated amidst serene bamboo groves. A pure white cottage stood at the mountain’s center, enveloped in mist and clouds, exuding an aura of seclusion.

Cheng Jianian drove the car through the gate still an automated one that opened on its own.

Shen Yunmiao turned her head to look back. The deep black gate closed heavily, as if cutting off this place from the outside world.

Shen Yunmiao had never felt such resistance toward a place before.

She always felt an eerie chill here. Despite it being daytime, the pure white, castle-like Western-style building carried an oppressive atmosphere.

Cheng Jianian parked the car, got out first, and pulled the door open for Shen Yunmiao, smiling as she said, “Miaomiao, let’s get out.”

Shen Yunmiao forced a smile and stepped down, only to tread on the smooth, slippery bluestone pavement.

Frowning, she said, “A’nian, this place makes me feel a bit uncomfortable. Can we go home?”

But Cheng Jianian crouched down, tied her shoelaces, and gently touched the clean, neat white sneakers. Her gray eyes held boundless tenderness as she said, “Miaomiao, wouldn’t it be nice if we stayed here from now on?”

A string in Shen Yunmiao’s mind snapped with a “buzz.” She almost thought she had misheard. Tentatively, she asked, “A’nian, what do you mean?”

Cheng Jianian lifted her face, looking up at Shen Yunmiao from that angle. Her face appeared somewhat pale from above. “Wouldn’t it be nice if we lived here together? Miaomiao, don’t you love me? Can’t we be together here?”

Shen Yunmiao cupped her face. Sunlight filtered through the mist, casting a hazy glow. Her dark eyes, tinged with the morning fog, were filled with infinite sorrow. “A’nian, I love you, but we can’t do this.”

“This isn’t right. Don’t we still have to go to school?”

But Cheng Jianian stared at her unblinkingly. After a long while, she finally said, “It’s fine. I’ll take care of everything. As long as we’re together, like before, nothing will happen.”

Shen Yunmiao finally realized the incurable, terrifying possessiveness and the deeply rooted, obsessive love of her beloved.

Trembling, she brushed her fingertips over those gray eyes, her heart aching. “A’nian.”

The person before her knelt devoutly on one knee, looking up.

Helpless.

They were both helpless.

One was busy fighting the world, while the other was painfully battling her own fears.

Shen Yunmiao loved this person by instinct.

And so, no matter what, she could only helplessly allow everything to unfold.

They moved into this mountain villa, surrounded by flowers and trees, with fresh air and nothing to worry about.

Shen Yunmiao’s means of external communication weren’t entirely cut off, but they were close to it, everything was under comprehensive control.

Nothing could be sent out.

It’s fine, Shen Yunmiao comforted herself. After all, she didn’t care much to begin with. She spent her days lying in bed, sleeping.

Books weren’t restricted. Movies, TV shows, reality programs she could browse all kinds of works freely.

Cheng Jianian seemed to genuinely want to live here, without any particularly extreme behavior.

Yet, Shen Yunmiao still felt a vague sense of discomfort.

Gradually, she felt her consciousness and soul detaching, and her physical condition deteriorated significantly.

Every day, she endured the agony of her mind being torn apart, trying to appear less troubled.

It wasn’t just her. She could clearly sense that Cheng Jianian’s spirit was also tormented by suffering.

How had the two of them ended up like this? She couldn’t understand it. All she could do was try her best to dissolve Cheng Jianian’s inexplicable fear with her own love.

Cheng Jianian, true to her word, stayed wherever Shen Yunmiao was, showing no interest in going out. She guarded her almost obsessively, never leaving her side.

Shen Yunmiao didn’t know how to address Cheng Jianian’s psychological state, so she pretended as if nothing had happened, acting as if they were still the same as before. But the subtle changes between them were suffocating.

Cheng Jianian’s mental state grew worse. After breakfast each day, she would retreat to the greenhouse, not to do anything in particular, but simply to sit there in a daze. She would pick up her phone and scroll through the backlog of work, barely even lifting her eyelids as she skimmed through it.

The only time she seemed happy was when she opened her alternate WeChat account. Every day, she would share uplifting messages with Yunmiao:

“Miaomiao, have you been feeling down lately? Did something happen?”

“Take a look at this morning’s sunrise, it’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

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After a while, a delayed reply would come:

“Nothing’s wrong. It’s beautiful, thank you!”

Cheng Jianian curled her lips into a mocking smile, though it was unclear who she was ridiculing. Suddenly, she burst into laughter, the sound brittle and sharp, like the final cry of a dying bird.

She typed out her words slowly, deliberately:

“Miaomiao, I’ve been meaning to ask you for a while now, why did you leave the entertainment industry? Was it because of a relationship, like people online are saying?”

She waited for the answer like a judge passing sentence, tormenting herself. But soon, Shen Yunmiao replied:

“Of course not. It’s just that I felt something more important than acting had come into my life, and it conflicted with my career. Thank you for your constant support and concern, though! ww”

Cheng Jianian could no longer hold back her anguish. Covering her mouth, her teeth nearly biting into her lips, tears began to fall, one after another.

What were they to do now? She knew she had done wrong. She knew she was insane. But she didn’t know any other way to keep this person by her side. Selfishly, she had trapped her, hoping to keep her hidden away forever.

How could things have come to this?

A sharp, urgent doorbell cut through her thoughts. Frowning, Cheng Jianian checked the surveillance feed. Outside, a misty rain had begun to fall. The smart door’s performance was impeccable, and through the rain-streaked screen, she could see a group of people standing beyond the gray door several police officers and Ji Hanfeng.

This was to be expected.

Cheng Jianian’s lips curled into a bitter smile. She had truly outsmarted herself this time, accelerating the very loss she had tried so hard to prevent.

A frantic knocking began, accompanied by the incessant ringing of the doorbell. It seemed they were prepared to break the door down. But this was the latest security system, equipped with an automatic lockdown mechanism. It would be impossible to breach in such a short time.

Cheng Jianian picked up the remote and pressed it gently.

With a soft “beep,” the smart door slid open.

Several police officers strode toward her.

“Miss Cheng Jianian, hello. This is my police badge. We’ve received a report alleging your involvement in a case of unlawful confinement. Please cooperate with our investigation.”

Cheng Jianian responded with a slow, almost absent-minded, “Oh.”

From behind the officers, Ji Hanfeng was nearly frantic. “Cheng Jianian, where is Miaomiao? You didn’t you didn’t kill her, did you?!”

“I’m right here.”

A gentle voice cut through the tension. Not far away, a young woman in a white blouse and black skirt stood quietly, her gaze calm and steady.

She stepped closer, her voice growing more resolute with each word as she said:

“I’m sorry, officer, but I’m afraid you’ve wasted your efforts. I’m perfectly safe and nothing is wrong.”

“If you don’t believe me, you can check the ownership of this villa. How could anyone be confined against their will in their own home?”

Cheng Jianian stared at her blankly, meeting her calm, reassuring smile.

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