The Plan to Save the Villainess Supporting Actress [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 2

On the rooftop of the building, Zhu Ran finished a round of practice, her breathing slightly labored.

She picked up the phone she had placed on the bench to record her routine and began reviewing the footage with practiced ease. After identifying a few movements that didn’t look quite right, she swiped to exit, only to realize her alternate account was still logged into the livestream.

Nan Zhi was no longer on screen; only Lin Fei and a few others remained, desperately trying to salvage their image.

Zhu Ran skimmed through the barrage of comments with little interest.

She wasn’t blind to Lin Fei’s petty tricks.

A clumsy lie like theft could be easily debunked even without Nan Zhi reversing her testimony.

But still…

Zhu Ran closed her eyes briefly, a fleeting image flashing through her mind, causing her brows to furrow involuntarily.

She exhaled softly, and when she opened her eyes again, her expression had returned to its usual calm.

It wasn’t time yet.

Just as she was about to exit with a tap of her finger, a comment caught her attention.

[Is Nan Zhi still here?]

Nan Zhi.

She hadn’t missed the sudden shift in Nan Zhi earlier.

One moment, she had been a timid follower, obediently carrying out Lin Fei’s orders.

The next, she had turned the tables, her eyes sparkling, long lashes fluttering like crow’s feathers, revealing a sly glint beneath.

Creak!

The rooftop door let out a harsh sound. Zhu Ran turned toward the noise and saw a head peeking out from behind the door.

When she recognized the person, she froze for a moment before hurriedly putting away her phone.

It was Nan Zhi.

Zhu Ran couldn’t explain why she had panicked for that split second.

Perhaps it was because the very person she had been thinking about had suddenly appeared before her, startling her.

Nan Zhi waved enthusiastically, her face lit with joy. “Zhu Ran! What a coincidence! What are you doing up here?”

The sunlight was just right, casting a soft glow on the girl as she walked toward her with a radiant smile. The golden light gently illuminated her face, her natural beauty shining through, her hair swaying softly in the breeze.

Zhu Ran’s heartbeat inexplicably skipped a beat. Before she could even process it, she blurted out, “Why did you come up here?”

The moment the words left her mouth, she regretted them.

She hadn’t intended to engage with Nan Zhi.

Yet she had responded with a question.

Questions invited answers, making it harder to extricate herself from the conversation quickly.

Sure enough, Nan Zhi immediately latched onto the topic.

“It’s too crowded downstairs. I came up for some fresh air. Speaking of which, why are you practicing up here in secret? There aren’t even any mirrors, it must be so inconvenient.”

The show had officially entered the theme song phase, so to prevent leaks, the livestream hadn’t included the practice rooms.

Yet here Zhu Ran was, secretly practicing alone on the rooftop instead of using the practice rooms.

The original novel described Zhu Ran as eccentric and averse to socializing seems there was some truth to that.

Ever since the system mentioned Zhu Ran practicing on the rooftop, Nan Zhi’s doubts had resurfaced.

In the original plot, the second female lead, Zhu Ran, was mediocre in skill, barely scraping into the finals thanks to the protagonist’s relentless support.

But according to the earlier events, Zhu Ran was already tainted by scandal after the theft incident.

The protagonist wasn’t a top-tier contestant either, how could she possibly carry Zhu Ran to the finals?

It didn’t add up.

This world seemed to deviate from the original storyline in some ways.

During the livestream mishap, Nan Zhi had followed the book’s logic and taken the blame, yet Zhu Ran’s corruption meter had still inched up slightly.

Blindly adhering to the plot might lead to more situations like this.

To save the target, one must first understand them.

Unfortunately, the target wasn’t giving her the chance.

Nan Zhi had just planned to initiate a friendly conversation to build some rapport when the broadcast announced an assembly notice.

Zhu Ran took the opportunity to gather her water bottle and other belongings and headed out.

Perhaps in her haste, she didn’t even notice the earphones slipping from her pocket.

Nan Zhi picked them up and was about to call out to Zhu Ran, but when she turned around, the girl was already gone.

Only the faint warmth lingering on the earphone wire remained, loosely draped over Nan Zhi’s fingertips.

[System Notification: The target is about to enter the plot. Host, please proceed to the designated plot point immediately.]

Nan Zhi was baffled. What plot? There was nothing like this in the novel!

–

The practice hall was packed with girls.

Nan Zhi arrived a little late and hurriedly found the light green team, blending into the crowd.

By sheer coincidence, Zhu Ran’s spot wasn’t far away. Remembering the earphones in her pocket, Nan Zhi squeezed her way over with some effort.

“Who from Class A hasn’t arrived yet? Go check the dorms quickly.”

“Are all the other classes accounted for?”

“Recording starts at 05. Everyone, check if your mics are on and if any adjustments are needed.”

The broadcast sounded again, and a few girls rushed into the room, bowing apologetically as they merged into their respective groups.

After much struggle, Nan Zhi finally made it to Zhu Ran’s side and lightly tapped the girl’s palm.

Zhu Ran’s hand was cold, and she instinctively pulled back slightly upon contact, as if she disliked physical touch.

When their eyes met, Nan Zhi became even more certain of this.

Even when falsely accused of stealing earlier, Zhu Ran hadn’t looked this uncomfortable.

Sure, “Nan Zhi” had initially helped the clique frame her, but hadn’t she retracted her statement later?

Zhu Ran silently tucked her hands behind her back and asked, “What is it?”

Nan Zhi had intended to discreetly return the earphones, but the other girl had already withdrawn her hands.

[System: She really seems to dislike you.]

[Nan Zhi: QAQ]

“You dropped your earphones.”

Nan Zhi simply opened her palm and gestured with her chin for Zhu Ran to take them.

The white earphone wire was coiled neatly in Nan Zhi’s hand.

The girl’s skin was delicate and translucent, faintly revealing the pale veins beneath, with a soft pink hue at the joints, like springtime cherry blossoms blooming upon her.

For some reason, Zhu Ran couldn’t bring herself to look too closely.

“Thanks,” she murmured, reaching out to take the earphones. Her fingertips brushed Nan Zhi’s palm as lightly as a feather carried by the wind.

A strange tingling sensation spread from her fingertips, pausing briefly before coursing through her entire body.

“You’re welcome. I was wrong before, letting you take the blame. I’m sorry. Don’t be mad at me anymore, okay? Hmm?”

Zhu Ran lifted her gaze slightly, meeting those glistening eyes, and for a moment, she felt dazed.

The words of response lingered on her lips, almost spoken, but after a brief hesitation, they remained unvoiced.

Fortunately, someone at the front tested the microphone, breaking the peculiar tension between them.

In a fleeting moment unnoticed by anyone, Zhu Ran tightened her grip on the earphones and exhaled softly in relief.

–

The assembly was for a post-live event reward.

Based on the live broadcast popularity rankings, the top 25 contestants would get the chance to film short promotional videos.

These 25 contestants could choose between solo or duo filming.

In the original plot, the female lead, Shen Jiaying, had barely made the cut at 25th place.

While filming the short video, she had no idea about the incident involving Zhu Ran, so she chose to collaborate with her roommate from Class B for the video.

In other words, Zhu Ran wasn’t originally part of this plotline.

Yet, on the big screen’s ranking list, the name in 25th place had changed from Shen Jiaying to Zhu Ran.

The system thoughtfully explained: [The plot changes made by the host will affect the development of all future storylines. Because the host intervened for Zhu Ran, the hashtag #ZhuRanIsolated briefly trended, sparking a small wave of discussion and attention. Currently, Zhu Ran’s real-time popularity has surpassed the original female lead, so this plotline naturally shifted to the supporting female character.]

Nan Zhi: [I remember the original female lead gained some goodwill from this short video in the plot. If this good fortune has transferred to Zhu Ran, she shouldn’t turn dark anymore, right? Then wouldn’t my role here be over?]

As if hearing her thoughts, the next second, Zhu Ran’s darkening value began fluctuating again.

Nan Zhi: !

Nan Zhi abruptly looked up, following Zhu Ran’s gaze, and saw a petite, adorable girl walking into their view with a bright smile.

Nan Zhi: [That’s Shen Jiaying, right? System, why does Zhu Ran’s darkening value start fluctuating when she sees Shen Jiaying?]

System: [Host is requested to explore this independently.]

The girl politely greeted Nan Zhi, but before Nan Zhi could respond, she immediately turned to Zhu Ran: “Ran, I came up with an idea for the video shoot. Let’s go discuss it over there?”

Nan Zhi’s hand, halfway through returning the greeting, paused mid-air before smoothly lifting to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

Perfect, very natural!

Just as Nan Zhi was about to gracefully exit the scene, Zhu Ran’s cool voice sounded from behind:

“Sorry, I’ve already invited Nan Zhi to work with me.”

Nan Zhi, the person in question, turned back in confusion: “Huh?”

Wait, since when?!

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