The Plan to Save the Villainess Supporting Actress [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 7

Nan Zhi was furious.

She had scoured the original text retrieved from the system, just two thin pages filled with the female lead, Shen Jiaying, while the dialogue between the two of them was barely mentioned in passing.

With a dark expression, Nan Zhi closed the novel and fixed her gaze on Shen Jiaying’s face.

I should’ve just stood my ground earlier.

Nan Zhi gritted her teeth in frustration.

The system had warned her that altering the early plot would affect later developments, but she hadn’t expected a mere five-minute conversation to derail things so badly.

After this episode aired, how was Zhu Ran supposed to salvage her public image?!

And what about the female lead’s darkening tendencies?!

Most importantly, Zhu Ran had been placed in the F class for the theme song evaluation.

Which meant she might very well lose the chance to appear in the theme song MV.

Distracted, Nan Zhi muddled through the theme song performance and, unsurprisingly, also landed in the F class.

Ignoring Lin Fei’s smug expression, Nan Zhi tapped the system and asked, “Can’t we just make Zhu Ran turn dark now?”

[Warning: Host’s dangerous thoughts detected. Deducting 1 point.]

Screw this!

Nan Zhi couldn’t be bothered to watch the rest of the D and F group evaluations. She had the system cover for her and slipped out the back to look for Zhu Ran.

Seeing the location provided by the system, Nan Zhi frowned.

Zhu Ran was… by the fountain?

She remembered the original plot repeatedly mentioning that Shen Jiaying was afraid of water, while Zhu Ran, who usually preferred hanging out on the rooftop, had gone to see the fountain this time?

Was there some connection here?

Nan Zhi shook her head, pushing aside the distracting thoughts. For now, she just needed to find Zhu Ran.

Ten minutes later, panting as she reached the fountain, Nan Zhi happened to catch Zhu Ran just as she hung up a call.

Under the natural light, Zhu Ran’s pale complexion appeared almost translucent, the faint blue veins along her neck lending her an air of fragility, a stark contrast to her usual cold, unyielding demeanor.

Hearing movement behind her, Zhu Ran abruptly turned around. When their eyes met, both froze for a split second in unison.

Without thinking, Nan Zhi blurted out, “How did you sneak your phone in? Mine got confiscated.”

The moment the words left her mouth, silence fell between Nan Zhi, the system, and Zhu Ran.

System: “Uh… now might not be the time for this?”

Nan Zhi: “Shut up!”

“Ahem, well, what I meant was…” Nan Zhi awkwardly scratched her cheek, suddenly at a loss for words.

Zhu Ran spoke up at just the right moment, cutting her off:

“I’m sorry.”

Nan Zhi was stunned.

An apology? What does Zhu Ran have to apologize to me for?

Wait a minute!

Nan Zhi suddenly recalled that during those five minutes Shen Jiaying had spoken with Zhu Ran, Zhu Ran’s lips had also formed those two words.

What the hell is she apologizing for?!

An inexplicable surge of anger rose in Nan Zhi’s chest.

“Zhu Ran, do you even know what ‘I’m sorry’ means?”

Not giving Zhu Ran a chance to respond, Nan Zhi strode forward in a few quick steps, grabbing her wrist and holding it up.

“If you don’t, you can look it up right now.”

Zhu Ran’s expression shifted from shock to confusion, then finally settled into a frown.

They were standing too close, close enough that each other’s breaths were audible.

Nan Zhi’s gaze was scorching, the warmth of her touch gradually intensifying, spreading from Zhu Ran’s wrist like tiny sparks crawling up her limbs before finally converging in her chest.

Thump, thump.

The rapid heartbeat sent a wave of dizziness crashing over Zhu Ran’s head, and she instinctively took half a step back.

She saw Nan Zhi’s red lips moving as if speaking, but couldn’t hear a single word.

A sharp, incessant ringing filled her ears, mingled with Jiang Zhiyun’s sickeningly sweet compliments, Shen Jiaying’s trembling sobs, and the gurgling sound of pouring water.

She felt like she was suffocating.

Before passing out, Zhu Ran thought she heard Nan Zhi say, “You don’t owe anyone an apology.”

But… could she really?

–

[#Trainee101 Collapse# My heart aches for her, she’s pushing herself too hard QAQ]

[Help! Isn’t that my girl??? Any frontline fans here who know Zhu Ran’s latest condition?#Crying]

[Is that Nan Zhi carrying her? Were they arguing? And Zhu Ran fainted from anger??? What kind of plot is this, ridiculous.]

[srds, Nan Zhi is some kind of superhuman, carrying someone like that!]

[What the hell happened?! The show still hasn’t responded! Can’t they even ensure the trainees’ health and safety??]

[Been following the show for a while, and this name keeps trending every event. Who’s backing her? So annoying.]

[Spreading negativity at a time like this, how classy.]

[Unverified insider info: Today was the theme song evaluation. The trending girl pulled an all-nighter but underperformed and got placed in F. The mentor even asked the production team to monitor her mental state. The show’s done all it can, so certain fans better stop jumping around. If your fave can’t make it, don’t resort to cheap tricks for attention.]

[666, she’s not the only one who pulled an all-nighter. Guess sis is just really good at acting!]

[I won’t believe anything until there’s an official statement. Only my girl matters!]

[Doesn’t Nan Zhi have a phone? Say something!]

[Don’t drag us into this. Nan’s phone was confiscated last night. They were just talking normally, Zhu Ran fainted, and kind-hearted Nan took her to the infirmary, that’s it.]

“Nothing too serious. The girl hadn’t eaten for too long and passed out from low blood sugar. We’ll see how she is after the glucose drip.”

The doctor tucked his pen back into his chest pocket and pointed at the IV bag. “Call me when it’s done.”

Nan Zhi nodded like a woodpecker, thanking him profusely.

A staff member who had rushed over frowned and asked Nan Zhi, “How long has it been since she ate?”

Nan Zhi looked bewildered. How would I know?

The doctor flipped through the medical chart and drawled, “Probably hasn’t eaten since yesterday. I’d guess she hasn’t been eating properly for days. Kids these days really don’t care about their lives, tsk tsk.”

“Ridiculous!” The staff member’s face darkened with displeasure. “Was skipping meals really worth it? Now that this has happened, how are we supposed to handle the official statement?”

The doctor closed the chart and said lightly, “Same as usual, then.”

Nan Zhi asked curiously, “What’s ‘same as usual’?”

“None of your business,” the staff member replied offhandedly, pulling out his phone to make a call. Just as the call connected, a hand suddenly snatched the phone away.

“Who the, Teacher Xu! What are you doing here?!”

Xu Silan shot a cold glance at them and spoke into the phone, “I’ll handle Zhu Ran’s official statement.”

The staff member grimaced internally, his expression twisting comically.

Whatever was said on the other end made Xu Silan’s brow furrow. She added, “Delete everything that’s already been posted.”

Nan Zhi was so curious she felt dizzy, frantically asking the system, “What? What are they talking about?”

The system replied, “No idea.”

Nan Zhi was exasperated. “What’s the point of you then?!”

Meanwhile, Xu Silan finished her phone call and tossed the phone to a staff member, her tone carrying a hint of warning as she told them all to leave.

Nan Zhi hesitated, pointing at herself. “Teacher, do I need to leave too?”

Xu Silan frowned, thinking for a long moment before asking, “Who are you?”

Did you have to be so blunt, beautiful?!

Nan Zhi replied with a pout, “I’m Nan Zhi, Zhu Ran’s roommate.”

Xu Silan nodded, her brow relaxing slightly, and allowed Nan Zhi to stay.

As per the usual protocol, whenever a trainee had health issues, the production team would immediately release some misleading information to muddy the waters. Ideally, they’d incite fans of other trainees to start feuds, stir up chaos, and then issue an apology most of the time, the matter would just blow over like that.

As for the trainees’ reputations?

Unless they were one of the few key focus trainees, the rest didn’t matter.

Xu Silan had rushed over because she was worried the production team would handle this the usual way. Sure enough, it was just as she’d expected.

This was someone she had high hopes for. Until she decided to give up on her, no one else was allowed to interfere.

“Take good care of her. Let me know when Zhu Ran wakes up, I need to talk to her.”

After delivering her message, Xu Silan turned and walked out.

The doctor shook his head, gave Nan Zhi a few instructions, then stepped outside to light a cigarette.

Soon, everyone had dispersed, leaving only Nan Zhi and Zhu Ran in the empty infirmary.

Zhu Ran lay with her eyes closed, like a sleeping beauty from a fairy tale.

Her face was the size of a palm, her features delicate. Those slightly upturned eyes were tightly shut, stripping away the usual hint of coldness from her demeanor, leaving only a fragile, translucent girl lying on the hospital bed.

Nan Zhi couldn’t help but lean in closer.

Zhu Ran had changed into a new practice outfit that morning, and the faint scent lingering on her clothes drifted in the air.

What kind of strange perfume was this?

It was like deep in a forest, where sunlight hovered over the remains of a massive agarwood tree, decaying wood notes rich and dense, while vast clusters of roses spread in all directions from the corpse of that giant tree, sprawling and resplendent.

A barefoot girl stood atop that rose-covered coffin of a tree, looking back at Nan Zhi.

Decadent yet intoxicating.

And inexplicably sorrowful.

For no reason, Nan Zhi recalled the apology Zhu Ran had uttered before fainting.

She seemed to apologize to others out of habit.

As if it were only natural that she owed something to everyone around her.

But Nan Zhi didn’t understand, why did Zhu Ran feel that way?

When she danced, she was radiant.

When she sang, she was breathtaking.

“Why would you give up?” Nan Zhi tilted her head and finally murmured the question weighing on her heart.

“What exactly… are you sorry for?”

“Did they treat you badly?”

Zhu Ran, you deserve a dazzling life. No one can take that from you, no one can make you give up.

You were never just someone else’s backdrop.

You’re the brightest star I’ve ever seen.

As the city lights flickered on, the warm glow reflected off the glass window, entwining with the quietly descending night.

The doctor stubbed out the nearly finished cigarette in his hand. The drifting ashes, swaying as they fell, scattered with the wind until the last ember of crimson light faded away.

On the hospital bed, the girl lost in some unknown dream, let a single tear slip slowly from the corner of her eye, vanishing almost instantly into her hair.

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