The Plan to Save the Villainess Supporting Actress [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 30.1

The night the first public performance ended, despite the nondisclosure agreements signed by the audience, numerous text-based spoilers flooded group chats and fan forums. The hottest post featured a single sentence as the header: “Her name is Nan Zhi.”

The original poster’s writing skills were exceptional. They detailed everything: the emergency costume change for The Fool, the total rearrangement of the track, and Zhu Ran’s final speech. From terms like “new life” and “rebirth,” fans quickly pieced together a narrative of salvation.

[I’m dizzy. Can the shippers stop being so extra? Ran was just saying she worked hard and thanked her peer for the support. To turn that into a fantasy is truly speechless.]

[Look at the super-topic name on the post. Who’s the one trespassing on whose territory to be a hater?]

[Ugh, solo stans please exit to the right. Don’t come here acting crazy. Your idol said those words herself. If you can’t stand it, call the police.]

[I was there. Both of them were incredibly cool today. It was Ran who mentioned Nannan first, and both captains thanked their opponents. It shows they have a great relationship, no need to fight.]

[The show updates tomorrow. No need to argue; we’ll have new “sugar” to enjoy then~]

Meanwhile, another topic went viral: “The Meaning Behind The Fool’s Outfits.” Thousands of comments debated whether the trainees were “clout-chasing” or “speaking up for women.”

Lost in the noise was the fate of the culprit who destroyed the costumes: Shao Xiling. Rumor had it she had been knocked unconscious, tied up with rope, and dumped in a corner of the prop room. By the time staff found her, she had been bound for five hours.

While the production team fretted over how to handle the situation, another hot post surfaced. It featured the original stylized photos of The Fool, the trashed resting area, the shredded costumes, and Kong Annie’s broken violin. Fans across the board were furious. The seven major fan bases of the The Fool members issued a joint statement demanding a resolution. Ultimately, the show reported the property damage to the police and handed Shao Xiling over.

As for the person who kidnapped her…

“Don’t you find it weird?” Tang Keyue leaned toward Nan Zhi. “The surveillance only shows Shao Xiling running into the room herself. No one else entered that prop room afterward. It’s like she tied herself up. Why would she do that?”

Nan Zhi, of course, wouldn’t tell the truth. She just smiled and brushed it off. “Maybe she was scared of the consequences and tried to divert suspicion. By the way, why are you still lurking in our dorm?”

Two days had passed since the performance. This afternoon, the final results for the first round were recorded. Including Shao Xiling, 41 trainees were eliminated. The Fool group advanced in its entirety, while the Because group lost four members.

On the day the episode officially aired, Zhu Ran’s popularity exploded, even crashing the voting server. Unsurprisingly, she ranked 3rd in this round’s standings. Nan Zhi placed 11th, while Mu Siqiong, Yu Yulin, Xia Lan, and Jian Zhiyao all made it into the debut lineup. Even Tang Keyue climbed to 35th.

Shen Jiaying, however, plummeted to 55th place, barely surviving the 61st-place cutoff by a mere 500 votes.

The show gave everyone a short break before recording for the second performance began the next morning. Coincidentally, of the six original residents of Nan Zhi’s dorm, four had been eliminated, leaving only Nan Zhi and Zhu Ran.

Tang Keyue was green with envy. “Waaah! Why are you in such a rush to kick me out? I was going to apply to transfer to your room!”

Nan Zhi jumped. “Don’t you dare!”

“Why so excited? You don’t welcome me?”

“Of course not!” Nan Zhi quickly smoothed things over. “It’s just… you’re in a dorm with Xue Zhi. If you leave, she’ll be bored.”

Tang Keyue argued, “We’ll just bring her along! Our room is full; we have to wait in line just to wash our faces in the morning. We can balance the numbers out here.”

Nan Zhi waved her off frantically. “No, no. Maybe next time. Go back now!” She practically shoved a grumbling Tang Keyue out the door.

Please! I finally have a world of two with Zhu Ran. How could I let you guys interrupt!

“Nan Zhi?”

Inside the bathroom, the sound of the shower stopped. After a moment, Zhu Ran’s cool voice drifted out. “What is it?”

“There’s a white shirt on my bed. Could you hand it to me?”

A white shirt? Nan Zhi’s eyes darted to the garment.

A moment later, the bathroom door opened a crack. Through the frosted glass, Nan Zhi could see a graceful silhouette, a bath towel wrapped around her chest. Zhu Ran reached out a fair arm, dotted with a few droplets of condensation. The steam billowed out, clashing with the air conditioning of the room.

Caught in the rush of hot and cold air, Nan Zhi felt her soul momentarily leave her body. She barely remembered touching that arm or how she managed to squeeze into the bathroom.

Within the small, misty space, Zhu Ran’s face and shoulders were flushed from the heat. She wore only the towel, precariously tucked to cover her curves. Seeing Nan Zhi push her way in, Zhu Ran froze, her face turning even redder.

“You… what are you…”

Nan Zhi smiled and pressed forward, pinning her against the wall and interlacing their fingers.

“The cameras outside are still on…” Zhu Ran whispered.

“I turned them off when I came in.”

Zhu Ran tilted her face away. “Unfair.”

“What’s unfair?” Nan Zhi nibbled on her collarbone, licking it slowly in a torturous manner.

Zhu Ran’s voice trembled. “You’re… taking advantage of the situation.” She was only in a towel, while Nan Zhi was fully dressed.

“And you weren’t ‘taking advantage’ in the dressing room the other day?” Nan Zhi finally released her collarbone and looked up, pressing her body even closer.

“I haven’t dried off yet,” Zhu Ran said hurriedly. “I’ll get your clothes wet.”

Nan Zhi bit her lip to swallow her response. Her fingers slid slowly along Zhu Ran’s arm, sending sparks through Zhu Ran’s mind. Nan Zhi leaned in and captured her lips.

As they merged together, someone accidentally bumped the shower handle. A spray of warm water rained down on them.

Zhu Ran caught her breath, her voice husky. “Wasting water.”

“It’s fine.” Nan Zhi smirked, unaware that she didn’t look much better. Her white t-shirt was now soaked and clinging to her, becoming translucent. Her pleated skirt was a mess.

Zhu Ran chuckled softly and turned the tables, hooking her arm around Nan Zhi’s waist and switching their positions. Now it was Nan Zhi pinned against the cool tiles. Cold porcelain at her back, unbearable fire at her front. It was more maddening than standing outside the door crack.

Zhu Ran pressed into Nan Zhi’s neck, forcing her to tilt her head back. By silent agreement, neither touched the shower handle, letting the sound of the water swallow every sound of the night.

Knock knock—

“Nan Zhi? Zhu Ran? Are you in there?”

Through two doors, the muffled voices of Xia Lan and Jian Zhiyao reached them. Nan Zhi jumped, a gasp escaping her. Fortunately, Zhu Ran’s lips muffled the sound before the girls outside could hear.

“Shh—” Zhu Ran’s eyes were rimmed with red, her voice losing its steadiness. “They’ll find out.”

Nan Zhi was almost in tears.

“They’re not here? Tang said… that’s weird. Where’d they go?”

As the voices outside faded, Nan Zhi focused entirely on Zhu Ran. She just hoped they would leave quickly so she could survive this lethal moment. Zhu Ran buried her face in the crook of Nan Zhi’s neck, breathing in the coconut milk scent.

“I’ve wanted to say,” she hummed lowly, “your perfume is so sweet.”

“But… don’t you… dislike sweets?”

Zhu Ran pressed her forehead against Nan Zhi’s and kissed her softly. “If it’s you, I like everything.”

Finally, the footsteps outside disappeared. Nan Zhi exhaled, a glint appearing in her eyes as she gently tugged at the corner of the towel. It was only fair to pay back everything from a moment ago.

The night deepened, and lights flickered on in the dorm building. The sounds of singing and guitars echoed through the halls, but in the steam of one bathroom, lovers whispered of endless affection. The night was young, and the celebration was far from over.

The second performance groupings were even more intense. The remaining 60 trainees were divided into 8 groups to perform with four regular mentors and four guest mentors. Trainees chose songs based on their rankings.

Zhu Ran, Mu Siqiong, Xue Zhi, Nan Zhi, and Jian Zhiyao ended up in the same group. Now, they were completely separated from Shen Jiaying. The atmosphere in the group was excellent—the only problem was the blatant intimacy between Zhu Ran and Nan Zhi, which frequently caused the other three to roll their eyes.

“We know you’re close, but could you dial it down!” After the seventh practice, Nan Zhi was lying with her head in Zhu Ran’s lap, and the former “ice queen” was actually asking if Nan Zhi needed water.

“Every fan of ‘You Ran Nan Shan,’ look at this! Your idols are showing off their love every day without a care for our lives! My suggestion is to vote them both out so they can go date in private and stop bullying us!” Jian Zhiyao’s outburst caused a roar of laughter.

In truth, since the first performance, they all sensed the relationship had transcended friendship. At first, they were polite, but then the couple started being shamelessly affectionate.

Training went smoothly; they had received unanimous praise from the mentors. “Alright, that’s it for today! See you tomorrow, you stinky couple.”

Night fell. Back at the dorm, the “fluffball” System suddenly rushed out.

“Nan Zhi? You shower first,” Zhu Ran said. “I’ll tidy up here.”

Once Zhu Ran was gone, Nan Zhi turned to the System. [What’s wrong?]

System: [A report about the second female lead has been detected online. I’ve intercepted it for now.]

Nan Zhi read the long post. After a few lines, she sneered. “Shao Xiling wrote this, didn’t she?”

System: [Exactly!]

Shao Xiling had detailed the relationship between Zhu Ran and Shen Jiaying, but her target wasn’t just Shen Jiaying.

Nan Zhi’s anger flared as she read. Shao Xiling had been sued for property damage, but because she was a first-time offender and Kong Annie was soft-hearted, it ended in a settlement. Shao Xiling was only fined and briefly detained. Instead of repenting, she had turned even more malicious.

She wrote that she destroyed the costumes under Shen Jiaying’s orders. She claimed Shen Jiaying and Zhu Ran had conspired to seduce a certain top-tier male idol and used her as a pawn. She even claimed the “undressed” look for The Fool was proof of their “intent.”

Furthermore, she alleged that the Shen family had bribed company executives to get Shen Jiaying into the debut group and that they allowed their adopted daughter (Zhu Ran) to maintain “inappropriate relationships” with higher-ups.

“What kind of filth is in her head to think people are so disgusting?!” Nan Zhi could barely stand it.

However, the post was clever. Mixing truth with lies made it more believable. Nan Zhi’s eyes darkened as she began to “edit” the long post. The System peeked at her work and felt a surge of respect. [A master!]

Nan Zhi lifted her chin proudly. Reporting was what she did best!

“This way, the crimes committed by the Shen couple can also be brought to light. But how do you plan to handle Shao Xiling? Your points are low; I don’t have much energy left.”

Nan Zhi narrowed her eyes, but before she could speak, the bathroom door opened.

“The buttons on this shirt are a bit hard to do up.”

A husky voice drifted out, pausing with a slight drawl. In the dim light, the atmosphere turned ambiguous. Nan Zhi looked up, her throat feeling dry. With her damp hair scattered, Zhu Ran was looking down, patiently working on a button. From Nan Zhi’s angle, she could see the tips of Zhu Ran’s ears turning red.

Despite failing to fasten the top button three times, Zhu Ran maintained a very calm demeanor, as if she truly just wanted to discuss a wardrobe malfunction.

System: [Whoa!]

[Wait, this isn’t the time for ‘spicy’ thoughts! Shao Xiling.]

Before the fluffball could finish, Nan Zhi covered its eyes, forced it to shut down, and tossed the little ball into a corner.

“Want me to help you?”

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