I Have the Aura of a Supporting Character in Yuri Novels - Chapter 29

Tang Weixue’s mother was a frail woman with a gentle and kind nature, the type who was emotionally stable. Because of her health, she rarely got angry. She had been a good person for half her life, yet she never expected to be taken advantage of while she was recuperating.

Zhao Mingzhu was a distant relative, a girl who had grown up in an environment where she wasn’t cherished due to a preference for sons. She knew that her gentle, smiling cousin was a kind-hearted person. After she came of age, she secretly fled her family, hoping to stay with her cousin, even if it meant being a nanny to take care of her.

However, that gentle woman couldn’t bear to see the young Zhao Mingzhu give up her studies and start working so early. So, Zhao Mingzhu was able to finish college and get a good job entirely thanks to her.

It was precisely after witnessing the prosperity and luxury of the Tang family that Zhao Mingzhu set her sights on the mature and refined Father Tang. The two became involved, a classic case of a scumbag and a scheming woman.

At that time, Tang Weixue was still studying abroad. By the time she learned of her mother’s death, it was too late; she returned home and wasn’t even able to see her mother for the last time. Tang Weixue was only sixteen then, and she witnessed firsthand how terrifying the evil of human nature could be.

Her father had a new lover, and that new lover was her mother’s distant cousin. This made Tang Weixue suspect that there was something wrong with her mother’s death, but no matter how much she investigated, all evidence pointed to a natural death, with no one having caused her harm.

Death is like a lamp going out; the person can never return.

Tang Weixue remembered that her mother had a favorite red box. Every year on Tang Weixue’s birthday, she would put a gift inside it, saying she would give it to Tang Weixue when she turned eighteen.

But Tang Weixue would never receive that gift.

So, Tang Weixue searched the entire house but couldn’t find the red box. The only people who could have had close access to it were her father and Zhao Mingzhu. No matter how much Tang Weixue threatened Zhao Mingzhu, she wouldn’t budge, clearly knowing that this trump card shouldn’t be revealed until a crucial moment.

Therefore, Zhao Mingzhu’s phone call brought a gloomy and malevolent look to Tang Weixue’s brow. Her tone was indifferent, as if she hadn’t been provoked by Zhao Mingzhu. “You finally admit the red box is in your hands.”

Zhao Mingzhu chuckled, caressing her abdomen meaningfully. “I know you hate me, but humans are selfish. I have to think more about myself. Not everyone is born into a life of luxury like you. Yuanyuan, I’m here with your dad, so you can marry with peace of mind.”

Yuanyuan was Tang Weixue’s nickname. Ever since her mother passed away, no one in the family had called her by that name. It wasn’t that they were unwilling to; it was that Tang Weixue felt these two didn’t deserve to.

“Zhao Mingzhu, don’t dirty my ears.”

Zhao Mingzhu didn’t care about Tang Weixue’s insult. She knew this proud woman always looked down on her and, in fact, hated her.

Tang Weixue ended the call, her expression cold and devoid of any warmth. She leaned back in her chair, lost in thought.

For years, she had been searching for the red box, but it was as if it had vanished into thin air. Sometimes she had even considered killing Zhao Mingzhu, but she was unwilling to ruin her life for a woman like her. After all, it was a life, and the law wouldn’t let Tang Weixue off the hook. However, after seeing a photo of her mother, Tang Weixue completely abandoned the idea. She wanted to honor her mother for the rest of her life; there was no need to give up her own life for a scumbag.

Tang Weixue knew Zhao Mingzhu well; she was a greedy and shallow person. Since she was keeping the red box, there would definitely be a day when she would need to use it. She had gone to great lengths to hide it to threaten Tang Weixue, so Tang Weixue had enough patience to wait for her to show her hand.

Tang Weixue pressed a finger to her forehead, a smirk playing on her lips.

Since she was so impatient to call and threaten her, Tang Weixue didn’t mind fanning the flames even higher.

That evening, Tang Weixue drove to the old house. Aunt Liu, who was cleaning the yard, was overjoyed to see Tang Weixue, who hadn’t been to the house in a long time. She looked her up and down. “You’ve gained some weight. That’s good; at least I know you haven’t been neglecting yourself.”

Tang Weixue unconsciously touched her cheek. It seemed she had been well-fed by Xiaozhu these days, enough for Aunt Liu to say she’d gotten fatter.

They chatted and laughed as they entered the living room. Coincidentally, Father Tang hadn’t gone fishing today. He was wearing reading glasses and looking at his phone. Though an old guy, he was well-preserved. Besides Tang Weixue, his daughter, no one dared to cross him. Plus, with a doting wife by his side, Father Tang felt like he was getting younger. Unfortunately, he had no outlet for all this energy. He had repeatedly suggested to Tang Weixue that he return to the company to help, but Tang Weixue always smiled and declined.

The outside world said that Father Tang had raised a good daughter; not only had the company’s performance reached a new level, but she had also allowed him to retire early and enjoy his old age. Everyone who saw him was envious.

But this was just talk. People in their circle knew that Father Tang had to live on his daughter’s whims. So, having an overly successful child wasn’t always a good thing, but having a less successful child was even more troubling. Ah, these were all debts.

Father Tang didn’t care what others thought. He now looked at Tang Weixue with an air of disapproval, finding fault with everything she did.

“Where’s Zhao Mingzhu?”

“What Zhao Mingzhu? That’s your elder!” Father Tang immediately put on airs, afraid his presence wasn’t strong enough to overpower his daughter, Tang Weixue.

Tang Weixue casually took a clementine from a fruit plate and began to peel it. “Don’t use the ‘elder’ card on me. I’m your daughter. A father who’s not a decent person, do you think I’d have a good temper? I call you ‘Dad’ not because I truly see you as one, but out of respect for my mother and other elders. The day you die, we’ll see if I still call you that.”

She didn’t think her words were cursing herself. Tang Weixue knew she wasn’t a good person, but she had her bottom line and didn’t want to ruin her life for a scumbag.

“Unfilial daughter! Unfilial daughter! Get out!” Father Tang wanted to slap himself. What kind of daughter had he given birth to, one who only tormented him and caused him constant worry?

Tang Weixue chuckled, tapping her foot on the ground. “The name on the deed to this old house is mine, Dad. You’re not getting senile, are you? You want to kick me out? That’s not going to happen.”

This reminded Father Tang of a perceived betrayal. This house should have been his, but his parents had quietly changed the name to Tang Weixue’s. Father Tang believed his parents’ love for him was fake; they didn’t trust their son but trusted a granddaughter!

The real reason was that after he married Zhao Mingzhu, the heir to the Tang family was no longer him. If he could make such a mess of his marriage, how could he be trusted to manage the company? So, Tang Weixue was given high hopes and became the successor.

Even now, Father Tang hadn’t realized what he had done wrong. He spent his days feeling sorry for himself, hating others and Tang Weixue, but never hating himself.

Tang Weixue’s mockery made Father Tang smash a teacup. The sharp sound forced Zhao Mingzhu to appear. She slowly came down the stairs, clinging to Father Tang and trying to soothe his anger, playing the part of the understanding companion.

Zhao Mingzhu’s eyes were on Tang Weixue. Noticing she was as composed as ever, Zhao Mingzhu felt deeply uncomfortable. It seemed all her previous threats had been ignored by Tang Weixue.

“Your father’s health isn’t what it used to be. You should stop angering him so much.”

Tang Weixue didn’t reply, calmly eating the clementine in her hand without even glancing at Zhao Mingzhu.

But Zhao Mingzhu enjoyed lecturing Tang Weixue, always acting like a senior and pointing fingers. She thought that with a temper like Tang Weixue’s, no man would ever want to be with her. After all, men liked women who were gentle and understanding, like herself.

She was consistently oblivious and felt she had a trump card. She used to be afraid of Tang Weixue, but that was just her being accommodating. Now it was different; Tang Weixue should be groveling at her feet.

Zhao Mingzhu felt a rush of satisfaction, and her resentment faded. She continued to nag Tang Weixue.

At that moment, Tang Weixue finished the last slice of orange. She wiped her hands with a napkin and, with lightning speed, slapped Zhao Mingzhu across the face.

The room went silent.

Tang Weixue slowly smiled. “I’ve thought about what you said on the phone. You’ve been waiting for me to get married, haven’t you? Fine. Give me my mother’s keepsake first. If I don’t see the red box, I won’t get married.”

“How dare you hit me! I’m your stepmother!” Zhao Mingzhu covered her swollen cheek and yelled back at Tang Weixue.

Tang Weixue was unfazed. “You’re not my wife; you’re just my stepmother. I’ll hit you if I want to. Do I need to dote on you?”

Zhao Mingzhu gasped for air, her eyes red with anger from Tang Weixue’s humiliation. “You’ll never see your mother’s keepsake in your life!”

“Then I won’t get married.”

Tang Weixue took a step closer to her, her gaze heavy and her presence extremely intimidating. “I hate multiple-choice questions. You gave me a choice on the phone, so I’m giving you this slap. Listen carefully. Now it’s your turn to choose: Do you let me see the red box first, or do I not get married? The choice is yours.”

Tang Weixue’s smile wasn’t exactly friendly, but her tone was gentle, sending shivers down Zhao Mingzhu’s spine. She was the one who should have had the upper hand, so why did she suddenly feel at a disadvantage?

“Tang Weixue, you’re ridiculous! Do you have any respect for me, your father?” Father Tang saw his wife looking at him with a wronged expression, and he prepared to show his authority. He took off his reading glasses and threw them at her face.

The old man had put a lot of force into it. As a man, his strength was considerable. The sharp corner of the glasses’ temple hit the corner of Tang Weixue’s eye, drawing a streak of blood.

Tang Weixue turned her face away. A drop of blood slid down her cheek. Her expression was unchanged, as if she wasn’t the one who was hurt. Her beautiful, painted brows were still calm. Tang Weixue quietly looked at her father. The sting made her mouth twitch. She said, “It would have been better if you had died back then.”

She fearlessly wiped the blood with a tissue. “Three days. I’m only giving you three days. If you don’t move out of this house, I’ll personally call people to help you move.”

The wound at the corner of Tang Weixue’s eye was like a blooming blood lotus. When she smiled faintly, the flower bloomed with passion, but no one was enchanted by her smile. Tang Weixue’s eyes gave them a feeling of suffocating pain.

Zhao Mingzhu swallowed, glaring at the panicked Father Tang. He was truly getting old and his mind was confused. It was one thing to yell, but why did he have to get physical?

Father Tang said nervously, “This is your old man’s house! You can’t kick me out.”

Tang Weixue only left one last sentence before turning to leave.

“Zhao Mingzhu, the red box in your hand can only be exchanged for one condition. Remember that.”

She left the house. Staying there for even one more second would make Tang Weixue feel sick.

Tang Weixue got back in her car. It was silent. After a while, she drove off and disappeared down the street.

Tang Weixue wasn’t sad about her father’s actions. Ever since he remarried, she knew his heart was harder than stone. In fact, the wound she received today gave her the perfect opportunity to kick them out. She wasn’t kicking them out sooner or later, but now, precisely because of the red box in Zhao Mingzhu’s hand.

Being kicked out of the old house by his daughter would make Father Tang lose face. He was an incompetent man, and from a certain perspective, he and Zhao Mingzhu were the same kind of people: shallow and obsessed with appearances. So, Father Tang wouldn’t leave the old house. It was one thing to have his daughter take over the company, but if he also had to leave the old house, how could he show his face in their social circle?

This was why Tang Weixue had said that last thing before she left. She was curious to see if the normally understanding Zhao Mingzhu would be willing to sacrifice the red box for Father Tang.

Tang Weixue was very clever. From the moment she walked into the old house, she was calculating how to deal with Father Tang and Zhao Mingzhu. Just as she said, she hated making choices; she preferred to be the one giving them.

So, Zhao Mingzhu, what will you choose?

Tang Weixue sighed. Her eyes were filled with an untamed brilliance. Even with the injury, it didn’t affect her mood.

However, the wound needed to be treated. She turned the steering wheel to the left, planning to go see Huang Moli.

But when she arrived at Huang Moli’s clinic, Tang Weixue suddenly had another idea.

“Huh? Where did that guy go?” Huang Moli felt like she had seen Tang Weixue’s car, but it wasn’t at the entrance. She rubbed her eyes, feeling strange. Was she mistaken?

By now, it was dark. Tang Weixue, who had been busy all day, had been on edge even at the old house. It was only during the drive home at night that she could truly feel relaxed.

The streetlights shone brightly, illuminating the way forward.

As Tang Weixue drove home, her headlights illuminated two people in front of her, one tall and one short. Tang Weixue squinted. The pain from her wound made her impatient, or maybe it was because she saw someone she didn’t want to. So, Tang Weixue got out of the car and walked toward them against the cold wind.

“What are you doing?”

She was wearing a dark coat, her brows furrowed, her expression one of cold distance. She gave off a chilly vibe, not the aloofness of a cool beauty, but the fierce gust of a blizzard, wrapping around a person with coldness that was hard to resist.

Tang Weixue put her arm on Zhujun’s shoulder, protectively. She was unconditionally siding with Zhujun because the man opposite, Bai Xiangming, looked furious, as if he could pounce and harm Zhujun at any moment. This made it impossible for Tang Weixue to sit idly in her car; she had to get out and protect Zhujun.

What a day filled with troubles, Tang Weixue thought.

How could Tang Weixue know that this was because Dou Huayue couldn’t save Qiu Hongliang, so she had asked Bai Xiangming to find a way, which led to the current situation?

Zhujun unconsciously moved closer to Tang Weixue, her eyes crinkling in a smile as she was about to speak, but then she saw the wound at the corner of Tang Weixue’s eye. Zhujun immediately became furious. “Who did this?”

She hadn’t been this angry when Bai Xiangming shamelessly came to bother her, hoping she would forgive Qiu Hongliang. Back then, she just felt there was no need to get angry over a fool, because getting angry was bad for your health.

But now, Zhujun had forgotten all about staying healthy. Her eyebrows were furrowed, and she anxiously pulled at Tang Weixue’s arm, asking how she got hurt.

Tang Weixue enjoyed this very much and was immediately overjoyed. She soothed the anxious Zhujun. “I’ll tell you about this later. Let’s deal with the trouble in front of us first.”

“Okay, fine.” Zhujun said reluctantly, but still shot a fierce glare at Bai Xiangming.

Bai Xiangming, who had just been called a “trouble” to his face, was frustrated. But then he remembered that he wasn’t the one in the wrong; his mother was. So, he had to explain himself properly and not be misunderstood by them.

“Zhujun, I honestly didn’t know about what happened at school. I know you’ve been wronged, and my mother and I are willing to compensate you. Principal Qiu is not young. The prison is not a place for him. A kind girl like you will surely forgive him. After all, girls are soft-hearted.” Bai Xiangming talked for a long time, thinking that everyone makes mistakes, and correcting them is better than going down the wrong path. Besides, this was something Dou Huayue had arranged, and Bai Xiangming didn’t want to disappoint her.

Zhujun wordlessly pointed to her head. “You’re seriously ill. Go see a doctor while you’re still young. You’re good for nothing but moral blackmail. Who said girls have to be kind? I’m sorry, but I’m petty, I hold grudges, and I won’t let Qiu Hongliang off the hook. I’ve already told the education bureau that I won’t reach a private settlement with him. He can do whatever he wants; it has nothing to do with me.”

Zhujun would have had time to argue with Bai Xiangming, otherwise she wouldn’t have given him her number after Lin Miaomiao called. But now, Zhujun didn’t have time to humiliate Bai Xiangming; she had more important things to do.

Bai Xiangming’s eyebrows furrowed in a pained expression. Hearing Zhujun’s ungrateful words, he was utterly disappointed. “You’re not at all like her…”

It didn’t matter if they looked similar; she was not as wonderful as his first love.

Zhujun’s face darkened, and she gave Tang Weixue a meaningful look.

You’re the female lead, you’re more capable. Please, make him go bankrupt. This guy is seriously out of his mind.

Tang Weixue dotingly rubbed Zhujun’s cheek. Zhujun was just too cute like this. Sure enough, once she was by her side, Tang Weixue’s mood brightened.

Zhujun swatted her hand away. “You’re the patient, don’t take advantage of me.”

She cut to the chase. “Mr. Bai, I know you once had a first love who might have looked a bit like me, but please remember, I can never become her. When a person dies, they’re dead. The real way to remember them is to keep them in your heart, not to use the excuse of missing them to harm another innocent person. Your wife, Ms. Dou, has already told me everything about you two. I’m not interested in getting involved in your family affairs, so please don’t bother me again.”

Zhujun didn’t forget to throw Dou Huayue under the bus. She smiled faintly. “Your mother’s methods are ruthless and vicious. I was lucky that I ran into Big Sister that day, or my fate wouldn’t have been good. It seems this isn’t the first time your mother has done something like this. Mr. Bai, please leave and don’t disturb my life again.”

A rush of thoughts flooded Bai Xiangming’s mind. He didn’t doubt Zhujun’s words because that old story had happened many years ago. If Zhujun knew the details, the only possible source would be Dou Huayue; there was no other possibility.

A chill ran down his spine. Zhujun’s words made Bai Xiangming question the cause of his first love’s death. Just like this incident with Zhujun, if it hadn’t been exposed, he would have had no idea that Dou Huayue had been doing so much behind his back. So, was his first love’s death truly an accident?

His face was ashen, and he didn’t even notice when Zhujun and Tang Weixue left.

Tang Weixue closed the door and laughed. “I thought Xiaozhu would need me to step in.”

Zhujun was in no mood to banter. She grabbed Tang Weixue’s hand and pressed her onto the sofa, then got the first-aid kit. Thanks to instructions from Encyclopedia 857, Zhujun was able to treat the wound properly.

Zhujun looked at Tang Weixue, who had a bandage on the corner of her eye, and said angrily, “You went to work and got into a fight, didn’t you?”

Tang Weixue laughed. “No fight. I’m a decent person.”

She didn’t slyly keep Zhujun in suspense. She said, “I had an argument with my dad.”

Zhujun’s voice instantly became louder. “So he hit you? That’s not okay. He has a violent temper. People with such a bad temper die quickly!”

“Sorry, I shouldn’t say that about your dad, but it’s what I truly think.” Zhujun mumbled, not very convincingly.

Tang Weixue wouldn’t blame her. Not only was Zhujun hoping for that man’s early demise, Tang Weixue was too.

“Why did he hit you? Just because of the marriage?”

“Tang Weixue, don’t be foolish. Don’t go and get married just because of what he said!”

If you get married, I… can I still be your nanny? No, I definitely couldn’t. So you can’t get married.

“857, what can I do to stop her from getting married?”

If it’s not Bai Xiangming, it could be someone else. Zhujun was in a panic.

[Then you can marry her.]

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