The Supporting Female Lead Chooses to Mark the Villain [Rebirth] - Chapter 12

On the counter sat a bar of off-white soap. Shen Nian leaned in, her nose catching a faint scent of plum blossom.

She stole a glance toward the door, then stealthily picked up the soap, vigorously rubbed a handful of lather between her palms, and returned it exactly where it had been.

The en-suite bathroom in Shen Zui’s room was incredibly high-end, featuring an automatic massage bathtub and a dazzling array of premium toiletries. Shen Nian adapted quickly. Amidst the swirling mist of the bath, she closed her eyes and indulged, allowing the lingering gloom and frustration of the day to wash away.

Half an hour later, she stood before the vanity mirror, scrutinizing herself in a pink silk bathrobe. After a moment’s thought, she pulled the neckline down slightly, revealing her pale, porcelain skin and the soft, youthful curves of her figure.

Inside the bedroom, Shen Zui was drinking her medicinal soup.

As Shen Nian approached, the bowl held only the final sip. Shen Zui tilted her head back and drained it, her pink lips pressing against the ceramic rim.

“Let me.” Shen Nian stepped forward quickly to take the empty bowl, using her thumb to brush away a stray drop of medicine that had trickled down to Shen Zui’s chin.

Seeing the glistening drop on her fingertip, a bold idea suddenly struck her. She lifted her hand to Shen Zui’s lips.

Shen Zui quickly understood her intent and turned her face away. “No.”

“Drink it,” Shen Nian urged softly. “Don’t let it go to waste.”

Shen Zui turned her eyes back to her, a shimmering brilliance swirling in her gaze. In the next second, she extended her small tongue, deftly curling it around Shen Nian’s fingertip to swallow the drop of medicine.

An electric current surged from the tip of the captured finger, rapidly spreading through Shen Nian’s entire body until she felt practically numb with the sensation. She turned away in a daze and placed the empty ceramic bowl on the bedside cabinet.

“Pass me the tablet,” Shen Zui commanded.

“Mm.” Shen Nian picked up the device and climbed back onto the bed, bringing both herself and the tablet close to Shen Zui.

Right in front of her, Shen Zui initiated a video call with Shen Zhuan.

The call was answered almost instantly. Shen Nian stayed out of the camera’s frame, but from her angle, she could still see the screen perfectly.

On the screen, Shen Zhuan’s face nearly filled the entire view. “Auntie!”

“Back up a bit.” Shen Zui frowned and moved the screen further away.

Shen Zhuan froze, then backed away from the lens with a pitiful expression. “Oh, right… okay…”

Shen Nian couldn’t help but curl her lips into a smile. In her past life, she had lived to the age of thirty and had never once seen Shen Zhuan make such a face. Looking at Shen Zui beside her, she realized through a haze that she had missed many things in her previous life.

“Why did you trash Shen Nian’s room?” Shen Zui asked, cutting straight to the point.

“F***!” Shen Zhuan practically jumped. “She really went to you? Did she talk trash about me?!”

“Shen Zhuan.” Shen Zui leaned her face on one hand, her patience wearing thin. “Do not make me ask a second time.”

Being so close, Shen Nian could clearly see the subtle changes in Shen Zui’s expression. Her brow was slightly furrowed, and her beautiful phoenix eyes were narrowed more than usual. Even though her face was still breathtakingly beautiful, she exuded an authority that made one’s legs go weak.

Shen Zhuan’s bravado vanished instantly. “I… I…” She stammered for a long time before finally gritting her teeth. “I just can’t stand her! So what if I trashed her room?!”

Shen Zui: “You are twenty years old. Is this how the family taught you to handle things?”

“…” Shen Zhuan stared wide-eyed. “What?”

Shen Zui rubbed her temple. “I will discuss this with the family again. Politics does not suit you. You should consider other career paths.”

“Auntie!” Shen Zhuan panicked completely, two large beads of cold sweat rolling down her face. “No… what—what do you mean?” Her voice trembled. “Why? Just because I trashed that rat’s—because I trashed Shen Nian’s room?!”

Shen Zui narrowed her eyes, tapping her cheek with a slender index finger. “The political world is complex. With your personality, you’ll cause a disaster for the family sooner or later.” She leaned back. “It’s better if you’re like your mother—stay quietly in the family company. Even if you mess up, cleaning up after you will be simple.”

“I don’t want to!” Shen Zhuan raised her voice, her face turning red. “I don’t want to be like my mother!”

Shen Zui frowned.

Shen Zhuan stiffened her neck. “Auntie, I’m not an idiot. If I really met someone powerful, I wouldn’t be this impulsive. But… but…” She bit her lower lip, unable to voice the rest.

Shen Zui sneered. “But what?”

“What does Shen Nian even count as? Is she worthy of me being careful?” Shen Zhuan tried to lift her chin high. “She’s just a rat. If I crush her, I crush her. Do I really need to answer to anyone for that?”

A night breeze suddenly picked up, causing the shadows of branches cast into the room to flicker. Without leaves, the skeletal shadows looked remarkably like human finger bones.

Shen Nian turned her head and rubbed her ear, which was itching from the noise.

“And that is exactly why I say you are stupid,” Shen Zui said into the brief silence.

“…” Shen Zhuan’s face turned a shade of sickly green.

Shen Zui’s gaze was icy, and her words became increasingly merciless. “You don’t even have the discernment to judge a person’s character. How can you talk about picking your battles?”

Across the screen, the aunt and niece were like fire and ice; the gap between them was as vast as that between a human and an insect.

Shen Zhuan’s mouth opened and closed several times before she asked defiantly, “Is it not true? What is there to fear about Shen Nian?”

“Then what is this right now?” Shen Zui glanced at her contemptuously. “Do you think I came here specifically to reason with you?”

Hearing this, Shen Nian was taken aback. She reacted quickly, pulling her collar straight before leaning in beside Shen Zui, deliberately entering the camera’s view.

Shen Zhuan was still pondering Shen Zui’s words when she suddenly looked up and met Shen Nian’s smiling eyes. She was instantly petrified.

With a smirk on her lips, Shen Nian intentionally leaned closer and raised a hand to wave. “Good evening.”

Shen Zhuan’s expression was a masterpiece of disbelief. Her pupils trembled violently within her wide-open eyes, as if she were experiencing a world-ending earthquake. Faced with Shen Nian’s deliberate provocation, she slammed her phone face-down on the table.

The screen went black, and one could only judge from the heavy, ragged gasps that Shen Zhuan was still nearby.

“Pfft.” Shen Nian couldn’t help it; she covered her mouth and laughed out loud.

“You f***ing…” Shen Zhuan obviously heard the laughter. She angrily picked up the phone again, but as soon as she met Shen Zui’s cold eyes on the screen, her skyrocketing fury was instantly extinguished.

Shen Zhuan bit her lip, complaining with a mix of grievance and resentment. “Auntie, you’re biased…”

“It’s late, and this has gone on long enough.” Shen Zui rubbed the space between her brows. “Apologize to Shen Nian, and then have someone tidy up her room.”

“I… I…” On the screen, Shen Zhuan’s eyes turned red from the pressure.

As the eldest daughter of the third generation of the Shen family, she had rarely suffered any grievances. The word “apologize” was alien and strange to her. But she wasn’t actually stupid; she could hear that Shen Zui wouldn’t let this go until she achieved her goal.

When Shen Zui said she hadn’t come to “reason,” the subtext was clear: she had come to demand justice for Shen Nian.

Though the word “justice” felt somewhat absurd in this context, it was the reality. Proud as Shen Zhuan was, for the first time, she understood what it meant to be forced by circumstances.

She lowered her head slightly and spoke rapidly, a second before her tears could fall. “…I’m sorry.”

Shen Zui was not satisfied. She showed no wavering at the sight of her niece’s tears. Instead, she frowned with distaste. “Sorry to whom?”

“Shen… Shen Nian… sob…” Shen Zhuan wretchedly wiped the tears from her face. Facing the camera, she choked out every word again. “Shen Nian, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have… trashed your room.”

Shen Nian didn’t respond, only letting out a cold, mocking “Heh.”

Shen Zui ended the call immediately.

Silence returned to the room. After a few seconds, she turned to look at Shen Nian. “Satisfied?”

Shen Nian leaned against her shoulder, maintaining a superficial smile. “Satisfied. With my Young Auntie stepping out to uphold justice for me, how could I not be?”

Shen Zui poked her forehead. “Stop being so duplicitous with me.”

“…” Shen Nian’s smile faded.

She sat up straight again, stretching her legs as she stared at the decorative fake flowers on the cabinet, muttering, “How boring.”

Shen Zui rested her hand on her knee. “I am already your backer. What more do you want?”

Shen Nian turned to look at her. Shen Zui, newly freed from the agony of her illness, was still frail and pale, yet the power she wielded was terrifying. Having someone like Shen Zui as a backer was likely a dream for anyone else.

Shen Nian wasn’t unmoved, but her heart held a much vaster ocean of ambition. “What use is a temporary apology? She still won’t truly respect me.”

“You want her to fear and revere you?” Shen Zui asked.

“Yes.” Shen Nian didn’t hide her ambition, nodding heavily.

Shen Zui smiled. “Then I truly cannot help you with that.” She shook her head and took Shen Nian’s hand. “That is something you have to earn for yourself.”

Feeling the warmth of Shen Zui’s skin on the back of her hand, Shen Nian flipped her hand over and gripped back. Her heart skipped several beats. When she looked up, her voice carried a hint of a spoiled plea. “Young Auntie, teach me.”

“Hmm?” Shen Zui looked up, revealing her slender, snow-white neck. She looked as noble as a swan from a fairy tale.

Shen Nian’s eyes darkened. With a sudden movement, she flipped over and hovered over Shen Zui, pressing her weight down. “Just like you taught Shen Zhuan just now… teach me how to deal with her.”

During the call, Shen Zui’s words to her niece had been harsh, but every sentence had carried a hidden pointer. Shen Nian wasn’t stupid; she had heard it.

Shen Zui narrowed her eyes. “You want to deal with her?”

“Yes!” Shen Nian nodded. “Is she allowed to suppress me while I’m not allowed to strike back?”

Shen Zui smiled and reached out to gently stroke her cheek. Her voice was full of indulgence. “Niannian has suffered so many grievances over the years.”

Shen Zui was startled. “What’s wrong?”

“…” Shen Nian’s nose turned red in spite of herself.

She didn’t want to be so pathetic, but Shen Zui’s words had struck her heart without warning, catching her completely off guard.

Yes, Shen Nian thought. I suffered heaven-sent grievances. Those people squeezed every bit of utility out of me and then pushed me off the 59th floor.

It had hurt so much when she hit the ground. The feeling of internal organs rupturing and limbs shattering was unbearable. Luckily… luckily…

She stopped supporting her weight with her arms and let herself collapse onto Shen Zui, secretly wiping her overflowing tears on the bedsheets. Shen Zui wrapped her arms around her back, gently patting her in consolation. She didn’t speak, but her tender embrace was enough for Shen Nian to slowly heal herself.

After a long while, Shen Zui took her hand and traced two characters into her palm.

“Qi… Zhou?”

“Yes.” Shen Zui nodded.

Shen Nian remembered hearing the name. “Who is he?”

Shen Zui didn’t answer, merely looking at her with interest. Shen Nian didn’t disappoint her; under her expectant gaze, she quickly found the connection. “Qi Zhou… he is Shen Zhuan’s young uncle.”

Shen Zui inclined her head. She was practically giving the answer away. “He and Shen Zhuan are close. If you’re interested, you can look into his background.”

Shen Nian blinked in surprise, then nodded dizzily as she recovered. Shen Zui had been recovering in this villa for years; Shen Nian had only asked for basic advice, and hadn’t expected to be handed a powerful trump card.

Shen Nian looked up at her, suddenly recalling Xi You’s words from earlier: “She isn’t as simple as you think.”

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Shen Zui pinched the soft flesh of her cheek.

“How do you know so much?” Shen Nian asked, bewildered.

Shen Zui laughed. She stroked Shen Nian’s face. “Your Aunt has ten years more experience than you. If I didn’t even understand these things, how could I be your elder?”

Shen Nian narrowed her eyes. “Then do you also know the secrets of Mother and Grandmother?”

At these words, Shen Zui’s body stiffened. The air around them froze for an instant, and Shen Nian even held her breath. Shen Zui looked at her with a chilling gaze.

“Mind your manners.” Suddenly, she smiled, and the atmosphere in the room returned to normal. “One must not gossip about one’s elders behind their backs.”

Shen Nian nodded with a muffled “Mm.”

Shen Zui said “don’t gossip,” but she hadn’t denied it. Looking at her impossibly beautiful face, Shen Nian was certain she possessed information beyond imagination. But the frustrating part was that Shen Zui wouldn’t help her deal with her own sister or mother; at this point in time, this “hidden boss” hadn’t even fallen in love with her yet.

Shen Nian secretly ground her teeth.

“Get down,” Shen Zui pushed her shoulder.

“I’m going back to school tomorrow…” Shen Nian didn’t move. She raised her hand to loosen her collar, revealing a scene of soft beauty. “Unless something happens, I’ll only be home on weekends.”

Shen Zui’s movements paused. She gave a neutral “Mm.”

Shen Nian took the chance to lean in close to her neck. She caught that faint plum scent again. “A temporary mark isn’t thorough. If we don’t see each other for a week, will your condition relapse?”

Shen Zui hooked a finger under her chin, scratching her like one would a pet. “The school dorms aren’t great; you should come home more often,” she said. “I’ll have a driver pick you up.”

“No.” Shen Nian smiled, shaking her head as she let the bathrobe slip off. She rested her hand on Shen Zui’s collar. “I have a safer way.”

Shen Zui’s gaze deepened. “Oh?”

Shen Nian leaned in, tentatively pressing a kiss to the corner of her mouth. “Let’s do it one more time… to deepen the mark.”

Shen Zui tilted her head, her lips meeting the kiss Shen Nian had prepared. As she opened her mouth to speak, Shen Nian took the opportunity to slip between her lips. Her soft tongue traced Shen Zui’s teeth, and in her eagerness, she grazed a sharp tooth, sending a numbing sensation through her. Instead of pulling away, Shen Nian craved this mixture of pain and desire. She reached out to hold the back of Shen Zui’s neck, forcing her closer.

Shen Zui resisted, her teeth almost piercing the surface of Shen Nian’s tongue until the taste of blood was imminent. Shen Nian didn’t stop; she pressed forward even more, eventually taking full control after an intense struggle.

Soon, Shen Zui was breathless, her eyes misty, left with nothing but the ability to gasp in Shen Nian’s arms.

Shen Nian hadn’t had enough. She released her lips, her fingertips sliding down Shen Zui’s neck as she whispered into her ear, “Your legs.”

Shen Zui looked at her through a daze.

“Be good,” Shen Nian chuckled, her voice a low, seductive hum. “Open them a little.”

“Ah…” A broken moan escaped Shen Zui’s lips.

On this second night of tasting such sweetness, the great “Backer” was bullied quite ruthlessly by the young woman who had just had her first taste of desire.