The Plan to Save the Villainess Supporting Actress [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 5

The consequence of speaking boldly was the production team coming to confiscate Nan Zhi’s secretly stashed phone.

The comment Nan Zhi had posted was actually sent through the system, she hadn’t brought a phone in with her at all.

To avoid raising suspicion, Nan Zhi had no choice but to grit her teeth and go into debt, exchanging points for a phone to hand over.

Staring at her balance of -9, Nan Zhi was heartbroken.

What kind of phone costs 20 points?!

System: “This is already a special discount, dear~”

Nan Zhi was furious: “Listen to what you’re saying!”

The system soothed her: “Though the points are gone, the female lead’s blackening value has stabilized! Once the mission is completed, there will be plenty of points waiting for you!”

Well… that was hard to argue with.

Nan Zhi glanced worriedly at Zhu Ran’s blackening value and couldn’t help but sigh.

65%.

Much higher than when she first arrived in this world.

But still better than the sudden spike to 89% not long ago.

She wondered what exactly Zhu Ran had gone through tonight.

The long night was silent, with only the steady breathing of a few roommates rising and falling in the dorm.

Exhaustion and drowsiness surged over her like a tide. Before Nan Zhi could sort out her thoughts, her eyelids grew heavy and drooped shut.

She turned over, and in her dazed state, her gaze inadvertently swept across the empty bed opposite hers.

The last thought in her mind before falling asleep was wondering when Zhu Ran would return.

By the time dawn broke, the owner of that bed still hadn’t appeared.

Roommate Zhang Xiaoting asked in surprise, “Did Zhu Ran stay in the practice room all night?”

Lin Fei glanced at the still-off camera before relaxing and sneering, “Some people are so annoying. Why do they have to show off and build a persona like this? Then again, since she has no real skills, this is the only path left for her.”

The others immediately laughed.

Nan Zhi couldn’t help but marvel.

These cannon fodders really put in the effort when the main characters weren’t around, impressive dedication.

“Some people are really strange. They can’t sing or dance well themselves, yet they turn around and mock those who actually have talent. If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was an A-class trainee,” Nan Zhi said, leaning over the edge of her upper bunk and smiling sweetly at Lin Fei and the others. “What, are you jealous of Zhu Ran?”

Lin Fei replied with a mocking tone, “Oh right, I almost forgot, we’ve got a backstabbing bootlicker in our dorm! Now that Zhu Ran’s getting some attention, you’re trying to latch onto her, huh? Too bad your so-called ‘good friend’ doesn’t seem to care much about you. A collaboration where your name only appears in the title? That’s a first for me.”

Nan Zhi’s eyes curved into crescents. “Yeah, yeah, Zhu Ran really does have more talent and popularity than you guys, doesn’t she? She can trend just by singing acapella, can you?”

Lin Fei’s neck flushed red with anger as she slammed the table and jumped up.

“Nan Zhi! Cut the sarcasm! You think Zhu Ran’s going to stay popular for long? She’s just riding high for now. Once the first performance airs, everyone will see how off-key she is. I can’t wait to watch her get backlash from all the hype!”

“She’ll definitely stay popular longer than you, Lin Fei. Instead of worrying about Zhu Ran’s first performance, maybe you should worry about yourself. People haven’t forgotten how you framed her as a thief. With a ‘controversial’ contestant like you, how do you think the production team will edit you?”

After saying this, Nan Zhi flashed Lin Fei a sweet smile, then calmly yawned and lay back down.

Lin Fei was so furious she nearly stomped her feet. If it weren’t for Zhang Xiaoting and the others holding her back, she would have lunged at Nan Zhi for a fight.

“Forget it, Fei Fei. We have the evaluation soon, don’t mess up the styling we worked so hard on.”

“Yeah, Fei-jie, don’t waste your energy on someone like her.”

Nan Zhi couldn’t be bothered with the remaining lackeys. She simply pulled the blanket over her head, stealing the last few moments to laze in bed.

What she didn’t know was that this entire exchange had been overheard by Zhu Ran, who had just returned to the dorm to change clothes.

Her grip on the doorknob was so tight her knuckles turned white.

Zhu Ran felt as though she were standing on the edge of a cliff, with violent waves crashing below. Each surge sent tremors through the rocky precipice.

She had been ready to drown.

But then Nan Zhi appeared, pulling her back to solid ground, bit by bit.

Zhu Ran lowered her lashes, the tension in her fingers gradually easing. For the first time, an indescribable emotion stirred in her chest.

No actually, it wasn’t the first time.

With every step Nan Zhi took toward her, she had sensed this inexplicable feeling.

Last night, she had hidden in the practice room the entire time not to rehearse or maintain her image, but because she didn’t know how to face Nan Zhi.

For the first time, Zhu Ran’s name had been spoken independently of Shen Jiaying, linked instead to someone else.

And that someone didn’t need her as a foil.

She had praised Zhu Ran’s singing, given her all the spotlight, and even asked the audience in the comments to support Zhu Ran more.

Nan Zhi was like a phone screen suddenly lighting up in the dark.

Not blindingly bright, but still the only light Zhu Ran had ever known in her life.

She exhaled softly. When she lifted her gaze again, there was a newfound determination in her eyes—one she hadn’t even noticed herself.

This time, during the evaluation, she wouldn’t let anyone control her anymore.

–

The theme song evaluation proceeded in group order.

After Group A, Group B was split into two rounds.

Shen Jiaying was placed in Group B’s second round, while Zhu Ran was assigned to Group C’s first.

Nan Zhi, meanwhile, ended up in Group C’s final round, right alongside Lin Fei.

In the original storyline, the female lead hadn’t stood out this early. Instead, she achieved a dramatic underdog victory through relentless hard work later on.

So, during this theme song evaluation, Shen Jiaying exhausted and mentally drained performed poorly in the official recording and was demoted to Group C.

Combined with the goodwill she’d earned from earlier short videos, the female lead not only reinforced her diligent persona but also garnered sympathy from fans. Despite her subpar performance, she gained massive popularity, which played a crucial role in the first elimination round.

Nan Zhi couldn’t help but tilt her head, glancing at Shen Jiaying through the crowd.

Sure enough, the girl looked off her face pale, even her signature sweet, cheerful smile lacking its usual energy.

“What’s wrong?”

Zhu Ran noticed her distracted gaze and couldn’t resist asking.

Nan Zhi snapped out of her thoughts but ultimately decided not to tell Zhu Ran.

The system hadn’t issued any task prompts, meaning the plot was progressing smoothly. If she warned Zhu Ran now, it might disrupt the storyline.

In the original plot, Zhu Ran had been so worried about the female lead that she lost focus during the evaluation, missing a beat and forgetting a move, which kept her in Group C.

From what Nan Zhi had observed, Zhu Ran absolutely had the skills to make it into Group A.

But if the plot demanded otherwise, what could she do?

Nan Zhi sighed faintly, ignoring the system’s protests as she mentally plucked at the little furball’s fluff in frustration.

Soon, Group B took the stage for their second round. Shen Jiaying was in the middle of her performance when she suddenly missed a few beats. From then on, her rhythm and movements fell completely out of sync, and she only barely managed to recover by the end of the song.

Although one of the instructors tried to explain the situation on her behalf, the mistake was too glaring. After deliberation, the mentors ultimately placed Shen Jiaying in Class C.

During the short break, Shen Jiaying, predictably tearful, came looking for Zhu Ran. Nan Zhi, tactfully dragging the system along, retreated to a distance to give the two some space.

Zhu Ran’s gaze followed Nan Zhi until she was far away, only snapping back when Shen Jiaying called her name again.

Tears welled up in Shen Jiaying’s eyes, and two drops rolled down her cheeks.

“Aran, how could I be so stupid? I feel awful.”

Zhu Ran thought for a moment before offering some comfort. “Work hard for the first performance. There’s still a chance to move back up.”

But Shen Jiaying shook her head. “No, Aran, I wanted to be in Group A. Now that I’m in Class C, I’ll lose so much screen time in the early stages of the show. And I don’t know anyone in Class C—I’m so scared. Can’t you stay in Class C with me?”

Zhu Ran lowered her eyes slightly. After a long pause, she slowly shook her head and said, “Sorry.”

Shen Jiaying grabbed Zhu Ran’s hand, crying. “Back when we were filming short videos, you refused to include me. Now you won’t even stay with me. Aran, do you have new friends now? Do you not want to hang out with me anymore? Am I not your best friend anymore?”

Zhu Ran found it almost laughable. This young miss kept talking about friendship, yet not once had she ever truly considered Zhu Ran’s feelings.

All of her so-called friendship was built on Zhu Ran’s sacrifices.

There was even a time when Zhu Ran suspected that Shen Jiaying was the most ruthless one in the Shen family.

But right now, she just didn’t want to engage with Shen Jiaying any further.

She took a deep breath, pulled her arm free from Shen Jiaying’s grip, and repeated, “Sorry.”

Zhu Ran truly couldn’t think of anything else to say to her.

Tears streamed uncontrollably from Shen Jiaying’s eyes, falling like broken strings.

Then, that sticky, tearful voice spoke again:

“Aran, tell me, if I hadn’t almost drowned when I was little, would my health have been better? Could I have finished the whole dance without messing up?”

Zhu Ran’s pupils constricted sharply.

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