The Fragile Supporting Lady Is Too Clingy - Chapter 19

Li Shuyu leaned against the woman’s embrace, her arm being gently massaged stroke by stroke, so comfortable that she nearly drifted off to sleep.

The aches in her body had unknowingly eased somewhat.

“What class did you have today?”

She asked drowsily.

Li Qiuyue’s lowered eyes flickered slightly, her lips pressing together faintly. “Today, the teacher taught the Golden Butterfly Dance.”

“How did it go? Did you enjoy it?”

At some point, Li Shuyu had slipped from her shoulder to rest her head on the woman’s lap, gazing up at her with open eyes.

Every nuance of her expression was laid bare before her.

Li Qiuyue seemed somewhat uneasy, tilting her head slightly as she whispered, “It was alright.”

But then, as if recalling something, her expression grew cold and desolate, her red lips pressed until they turned pale. She said, “I wasn’t very happy.”

Li Shuyu had been leaning against her in a daze, but upon hearing this, her eyes widened in shock not because Li Qiuyue was unhappy, but because she had actually chosen to share that unhappiness with her.

In the original story, the female antagonist was as aloof as the moon, rarely expressing herself, whether happy or unhappy. This was the first time she had openly admitted to feeling displeased.

Was she trying to confide in her, or was she tattling?

Either way, it meant her efforts were bearing fruit. She had taken a step closer to this pitiful woman who had been pushed to the brink of darkness by everyone around her.

Li Shuyu’s heart tightened slightly, her expression unusually serious as she sat up and frowned. “Why weren’t you happy? Did someone bully you?”

She could easily imagine it given the female antagonist’s position in the household, it was entirely possible.

Let her say it again: delicate beauties should be cradled in the palm of one’s hand, cherished and pampered. No bullying allowed!

Li Qiuyue’s naturally misty eyes swept over her before lowering again, her long sideburns swaying gently in the breeze.

Her silence only made Li Shuyu more anxious. Raising her still-sore arm, she grasped the woman’s slender, soft shoulders and shook her lightly, urgency in her voice. “Who bullied you? Tell me, and I’ll make sure they pay for it, alright? Don’t just stay silent, how am I supposed to know if you don’t tell me?”

She felt a headache coming on. The female antagonist was perfect in every way except for her reticence, always speaking in half-truths, forcing her to guess. But she wasn’t a mind reader, how could she possibly know?

“Sweetheart, just tell me. Don’t keep things bottled up you’ll make yourself sick.”

One hand still resting on the woman’s shoulder, the other slipped behind her head, gently stroking her soft, raven-black hair as she spoke to her like coaxing a child.

Li Qiuyue couldn’t deny that she was bewitched by this gentle third sister. Her restless heart, adrift until now, seemed to settle momentarily in this moment, her eyes involuntarily welling with even more mist.

She had already resolved to come back and complain, she wanted to see if Li Shuyu would truly stand up for her, if she really meant what she said about wanting to be true sisters.

At some point, the woman’s body leaned slightly forward, her forehead nearly brushing against Li Shuyu’s. Li Shuyu tensed abruptly, her bright eyes fixed intently on her, silently encouraging her to speak her mind.

After a pause, she finally heard the woman’s slightly aggrieved voice. Sniffling, she said, “The teacher scolded me today.”

But this time, her eyes remained fixed on Li Shuyu.

How strange, she didn’t lower her head or avoid her gaze. Instead, she met her eyes directly, her red lips slightly pursed, her delicate brows faintly furrowed, looking utterly pitiful.

Li Shuyu’s heart softened instantly, and she immediately assumed the teacher must have been at fault.

What couldn’t be said in a gentle tone that they had to resort to scolding?

Did the Pingyang Marquis’s household invite them here just to lecture people?

Li Shuyu didn’t think the female lead had done anything wrong. With such a well-behaved personality now, how could she possibly be at fault?

She shifted slightly, moving closer until she was sitting side by side with the other, almost half-embracing her in her arms. This time, it was Li Qiuyue leaning against her shoulder.

Her slender, delicate hand softer than most women’s gently stroked the other’s arm as her voice grew even more patient, laced with coaxing. “Was it the teacher who taught you the Golden Butterfly Dance who scolded you?”

The slender shoulders in her embrace seemed to shrink slightly, followed by a whisper so faint it was almost inaudible. “Mm…”

It seemed she would only answer if prompted. Li Shuyu suppressed her impatience and continued, “What did she scold you for? Tell me, and I’ll go reason with her.”

At some point, Li Qiuyue’s fingers had curled into the hem of Li Shuyu’s clothes. Though this was exactly what she wanted, she still feigned timidity and tried to dissuade her. “Third Sister, you needn’t trouble yourself for me. It was just some harsh words, I can bear it.”

Bear it? You look like you’re about to cry from grievance.

Li Shuyu’s heart ached for her, and her tone couldn’t help but reflect it. “They don’t even know you, what right do they have to say such things? Did you just let her scold you without retorting?”

The young girl pressed her lips together and answered dutifully, “She’s a teacher Father hired. How could a student talk back to a teacher?”

Damn it, that makes me even angrier.

“Even if she’s a teacher, she shouldn’t scold you for no reason. What exactly did she say?”

Li Shuyu looked genuinely indignant, as if she were truly upset on her behalf.

Li Qiuyue’s grip on the other’s clothes tightened. She knew that once she lodged this complaint, the dance teacher hired for the concubine’s daughter might very well be dismissed. But… what did that have to do with her?

Li Shuyu only felt the head resting on her shoulder nuzzle slightly closer. The woman’s soft voice carried a trace of grievance and timidity. “The teacher asked why I hadn’t attended class for days. I explained that I’d been ill, but she was displeased and scolded me… humiliated me. She said I was always using a frail demeanor to seduce men, that I was putting on an act. Third Sister…”

The more Li Shuyu listened, the angrier she grew, until a few scalding teardrops landed on the back of her hand. Li Qiuyue lifted her reddened eyes, her pale face filled with aggrieved protest. “I didn’t seduce any men, and I wasn’t putting on an act. Third Sister knows that, doesn’t she?”

She looked unbearably fragile, as though she were wholly dependent on the woman before her, stirring an inexplicable protective urge in Li Shuyu.

The female lead is already so miserable, how dare they bully her like this!

If she turns dark, they’re definitely part of the reason!

Heart aching, she pulled Li Qiuyue into a hug, soothingly stroking her back over and over. Pressing her cheek against the other’s head, she promised, “I’ll take you to class tomorrow and talk to your teacher for you. Don’t be afraid, you didn’t do anything wrong. I’ll stand by your side.”

The female lead was just too pitiful so pitiful that she wanted to protect her at all costs.

For the first time, she entertained the thought of separating the male and female leads so that Li Qiuyue could have her wish fulfilled.

The urge to cherish and protect someone is truly terrifying.

Hidden against the other’s neck, Li Qiuyue’s beautiful eyes flickered.

She said, “You didn’t do anything wrong. I’ll stand by your side.”

She shouldn’t have believed it. She’d been toyed with too many times before, she ought to know that Li Shuyu was just acting on a whim. But… having walked alone for so long, she also yearned for someone to lean on, someone to shield her from the storms and snows of the world, to hold her close in their embrace.

Once again, she thought she’d take the gamble.

Li Qiuyue suspected she must have been a gambler in her past life. She kept deluding herself into believing that there were people in this world who cared for her, who would protect her.

Her hands, which had been hanging limply at her sides, slowly wrapped around Li Shuyu’s waist, then tightened little by little.

Li Shuyu had already made up her mind to seek justice for the supporting female character. The next morning, she rose early, paid her respects, and then asked Lady Wen about Li Qiuyue’s daily lessons. Upon learning that the dance instructor’s class was scheduled for that very morning, she immediately dragged Li Qiuyue along, striding with bold determination toward the place where the lesser-born daughters attended their lessons.

Lady Wen didn’t know what she was up to, only sensing her displeasure. Hurriedly, she sent her personal maidservant to follow and keep watch, fearing that someone might disrespect Li Shuyu and provoke her anger.