The Plan to Save the Villainess Supporting Actress [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 14

[LMAO, are Zhu Ran’s fans seriously bragging about her singing skills with that level of performance?]

[Seriously? Can’t you see Zhu Ran collided with her teammate’s movement? And it’s normal to be nervous during the first stage performance. Aside from the mistake, wasn’t Zhu Ran’s normal performance enough to crush the rest of her group?]

[Stop stirring up drama, okay? Zhu Ran is great, and so are the other girls. No need to fight.]

[Sure, Sister Ran messed up, but so what? Are the haters only alive today? It’s just the first episode, keep mocking now, and I bet your face will be stinging from the slap later.]

[Ugh, as soon as Zhu Ran appears, I know the comments are gonna blow up.]

[Black fame is still fame, I guess. Gotta hand it to her marketing team.]

[srds (still real though), Zhu Ran really stands out compared to the others in her group. When she was performing normally earlier, she totally caught my eye.]

[Not a fan, but Zhu Ran genuinely has talent, and she’s stunning, impossible to miss.]

[Same here, Zhu Ran’s visuals are next-level.]

[Her beauty is the least impressive thing about Ranran, her singing and dancing are straight-up A+ skills!]

After the first episode officially aired, the hashtag #ZhuRanFirstStageMistake trended on social media.

At the same time, Zhu Ran’s old a cappella short video resurfaced and climbed the trending charts on short-video platforms again.

In contrast, discussions about the original female lead, Shen Jiaying, were far fewer, nowhere near the fan-attracting momentum from the original plot.

Nan Zhi glanced at Shen Jiaying not far ahead, then at the newly added progress bar in the bottom right corner of her mind, utterly baffled.

[What the hell is “Female Lead’s Darkening Value”? Isn’t our target Zhu Ran???]

She really didn’t get it.

How did Shen Jiaying start darkening overnight?

Are you okay?

Was she still dreaming, or had the system been hacked?

The system cleared its throat: [Host, please mind your language.]

Nan Zhi: [If you can’t give me a reasonable explanation, I’m reporting you after we leave this world! This is ridiculous!]

The system: [Well, didn’t the host notice that Shen Jiaying’s progress bar is slightly different from Zhu Ran’s?]

Huh?

Nan Zhi squinted and took a closer look.

It really was… different!

Compared to Zhu Ran’s darkening value box, Shen Jiaying’s progress bar was more transparent.

What did that mean?

[As the host explores this world, every change to the original plot will also affect the original female lead, causing shifts in her mentality. This creates a certain deviation hence the “Original Female Lead’s Darkening Value” you see now.]

That kinda made sense. Let’s hear how it spins this further.

The system wiped nonexistent sweat from its forehead: [So the original female lead’s darkening value is semi-transparent, serving only as a reference. Unless absolutely necessary, the host doesn’t need to intervene regarding the original female lead.]

Nan Zhi: [Unless absolutely necessary? Meaning there might still be situations where I have to do something?]

The system: [Yes, but those are extremely rare cases. Only when the reference value hits 100% might it lead to the world collapsing.]

Looking at that tiny 0.5%, Nan Zhi finally relaxed.

For now, Shen Jiaying’s darkening value wasn’t anywhere near that point.

The system seemed hesitant before adding: [Just a reminder, host when a reference value appears in a small world, it means… there’s at least one or more “Awakened” individuals in this world.]

Nan Zhi froze.

【Moreover, typically, the reference character is likely to be an “awakened one.”】

An “awakened one” implies that Shen Jiaying or another character in the story has gained the ability of “foresight,” knowing the original plot of the book.

So, when did she awaken, and how much of the plot does she know?

Nan Zhi furrowed her brows.

In her line of sight, Shen Jiaying remained as she had been at their first meeting her face perpetually adorned with a vibrant, cheerful smile.

Even though today’s MV recording had started as early as 4:30 AM, leaving most people utterly exhausted, Shen Jiaying seemed to revel in the stage, smiling warmly and encouraging her fellow classmates.

If Shen Jiaying was indeed an awakened one…

Could Nan Zhi have altered the previous plot so effortlessly?

Or was Shen Jiaying’s awakening just beginning, leaving her unaware that parts of the plot had already been changed?

“What are you thinking about?”

The sudden voice startled Nan Zhi.

Zhu Ran was holding a bottle of mineral water, offering it to her.

“Thank you.”

Nan Zhi accepted the water with a smile, suddenly realizing she had been staring at Shen Jiaying for quite some time.

Even Shen Jiaying had turned to glance at Nan Zhi several times.

Nan Zhi gave Shen Jiaying a polite smile before shifting her gaze back to Zhu Ran.

This time, her smile reached her eyes, making her look like a lively little deer.

“How does it feel to stand under the spotlight?”

Class F had four substitute members, and Nan Zhi and Zhu Ran happened to be positioned at opposite corners, only able to exchange a few words during breaks.

Zhu Ran wore the standard beige British-style academy uniform, showcasing the elegant lines of her leg muscles. Her long black hair was slightly curled, with one side tucked behind her ear and the other cascading down her cheek, exuding a lazy yet cool aura.

“It’s… really different from the practice room.”

Zhu Ran glanced up at the stage lights, her dark eyes sparkling like stars.

Unlike their debut stage, this time they were truly standing on the director’s stage, bathed in the spotlight.

In the future, the seats below would be filled one by one.

People would scream and cheer for them in grand revelry.

Just the thought of it was exhilarating.

Nan Zhi grinned at Zhu Ran when suddenly a sweet voice interrupted:

“Ran, it’s so great to be with you.”

Nan Zhi turned sharply.

Shen Jiaying had somehow approached the two of them and was now smiling at Zhu Ran.

“By the way, where were you yesterday afternoon? I looked for you everywhere. Someone in our class wanted to ask you to teach us dancing.”

Shen Jiaying’s makeup emphasized her almond-shaped eyes, adorned with exaggerated, curled false lashes. Paired with her signature radiant smile, she looked adorable and innocent.

Even Nan Zhi had to admit it was an incredibly charming, sweet face.

But Zhu Ran suddenly stiffened, her entire demeanor shifting as if she were resisting Shen Jiaying’s proximity.

“I was in the dorm.”

“Oh,” Shen Jiaying’s expression softened slightly. “What a shame. I wanted to show off how amazing my best friend is.”

“You’re the impressive one. It’s not easy to secure the center position. Congratulations.”

Shen Jiaying smiled gently. “Thank you, Ran.”

She paused, then added, “I heard you two are on good terms with Teacher Xu?”

Though Shen Jiaying’s voice wasn’t loud, she made no effort to lower it. As soon as she spoke, several girls nearby turned their attention toward them.

Nan Zhi took a subtle step forward. “What exactly are you trying to say?”

Shen Jiaying tilted her head with a smile. “Nothing much, I just thought Teacher Xu seemed aloof at first, but he’s actually quite kind. He even recommended trainees to fill in on stage.”

“Originally, the formations for Class C and D were short a few people. We were chosen to fill in because we practiced hard. It doesn’t seem to have much to do with which teacher recommended us, right?”

Nan Zhi mimicked Shen Jiaying’s innocent blink and added, “Opportunities like this are rare. I think anyone in Class F would want to give it their all, don’t you agree?”

Shen Jiaying’s smile stiffened before she deliberately curved her eyes again. For the first time, a visible crack appeared on that beautiful face.

“Right, that’s why I said I’m happy to stand on stage with Aran. After all, Aran worked so hard to earn this opportunity.”

She emphasized the word “hard,” smiling, but her gaze was unsettling.

Nan Zhi suddenly recalled the words Zhu Ran had spoken on the rooftop.

Those were facts, events that had already happened.

Which meant that even though Shen Jiaying knew how the story would unfold, she had never once tried to protect the younger Zhu Ran.

Shen Jiaying had always known Zhu Ran’s role in this world.

A foil to the female lead.

To others, it was just a few lines in a book, a few weightless pages.

But for Shen Jiaying, for Zhu Ran, it was eighteen years of their real lives.

Shen Jiaying had undoubtedly accepted this setting willingly.

So she never once considered changing Zhu Ran’s fate, never tried to pull her out of her suffering.

Nan Zhi didn’t know why, but she felt an overwhelming surge of anger.

The sweet smile before her grew brighter, yet it only made Nan Zhi feel sick.

How could she have the audacity?!

A hand suddenly circled Nan Zhi’s wrist.

The familiar, slightly cool touch spread across her skin, strangely soothing her emotions.

“Thank you,” Zhu Ran said calmly, her gaze unnervingly placid as it rested on Shen Jiaying, as if looking at just another stranger.

“In the future, I’ll work hard too, to seize every opportunity. Shen Jiaying, maybe one day, we’ll be rivals.”

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