The Supporting Female Lead Chooses to Mark the Villain [Rebirth] - Chapter 15

The eighteen-year-old Shen Nian of the past had no life plan. She had been content to drift through life, crushed by the suffocating weight of the Shen family. In her previous life, it wasn’t until several years after graduation—when she was fortunate enough to meet a benefactor—that she realized she could fight for her own freedom.

Before that, she was a “beautiful waste” in the eyes of her professors—a parasite who took no responsibility for her own future.

With two minutes left before class, the professor went up to the podium to boot up her laptop and prepare the courseware. Just then, Shen Nian’s phone vibrated. The video call was from Shen Zui. After connecting her Bluetooth earbuds, Shen Nian answered.

She heard Shen Zui’s voice coming from the other end, tinged with the lingering laziness of someone who had just woken up. “Back at school?”

Shen Nian glanced at the professor, who was barely two meters away. She didn’t speak. Instead, she pointed the camera at her desk, took a piece of blank paper, and wrote a single word: “Yes.”

Her handwriting was elegant and powerful, flowing yet possessing sharp edges—hard to imagine it came from the hand of a girl who had only just reached adulthood.

Shen Zui looked a bit puzzled. “When did you start practicing your calligraphy again?”

Shen Nian’s hand trembled slightly. She wrote: “Have you seen my writing before?”

“Mm,” Shen Zui replied, though she didn’t volunteer to elaborate on the topic.

Shen Nian wrote: “Class is about to start. Is something the matter, Young Auntie?” This explained her situation while also serving as a polite hint to end the call.

Shen Zui let out a “Hmph,” willfully counter-questioning, “So what if you have class?”

Shen Nian pondered her meaning and tentatively wrote: “I might not be able to reply promptly. If you get bored, just hang up.”

On the screen, Shen Zui elegantly took a sip of milk. Soon, the bell rang, and the lecture officially began.

The professor’s surname was Zhang, and she was in charge of their vocal music instruction. This Monday morning session was a Line Delivery class. She opened her mouth to establish discipline, her voice clear and exceptionally piercing.

“Alright, settle down. The bell has already rung; learn some restraint.”

As the words fell, the classroom immediately went silent. Shen Nian’s eyes lit up as she looked at her, her gaze filled with genuine admiration—she wasn’t sure if she would ever possess such a commanding voice by the time she reached the professor’s age.

Because the gaze was so intense, Professor Zhang couldn’t help but glance at her.

“…Practicing your lines is just like working out at the gym; you must train constantly to develop the habit of abdominal breathing and ensure the flexibility of your lips and tongue. Last class, I asked you to go back and try the monologues on pages 66 to 68. How do you feel about them?”

At this, not only did no one speak, but most of the students looked like they wanted to bury their heads in their desks.

“Heh.” Professor Zhang took it all in. “I’ll first review the techniques taught in this chapter, then I’ll call people up to perform and correct your mistakes.”

She clicked through her PPT. “Come, let’s look at the summary first…”

Shen Nian was listening intently when a voice suddenly popped up in her earbud: “You really like this teacher?”

Shen Nian’s train of thought was interrupted. She wrote: “Huh?”

Shen Zui: “You’ve been staring at her without blinking for five minutes.”

Shen Nian: “???”

She glanced at the clock on the wall and confirmed that only three minutes had passed since class started. It was clearly impossible to argue with Shen Zui about the duration of time right now. After a moment’s thought, she replied: “The professor is very professional.”

“Is that so?” Shen Zui rubbed her ear. “Isn’t she just reading complex, professional terms off a PPT?”

Shen Nian: “Don’t you think her voice alone is very attractive?”

Vocal training had been integrated into every action of this old professor. Even if she was just reading from the book, Professor Zhang’s voice had a comfortable rhythm and perfect emphasis—like a textured vinyl record that never felt dull.

Shen Zui didn’t think so. “I don’t.” After a pause, she added, “It’s not as nice as yours.”

Because the earbud was pushed in deep, Shen Zui sounded like she was whispering right against Shen Nian’s cheek. For a moment, Shen Nian even had the illusion that the other woman was still in her arms, her nose catching that faint scent of plum.

Gripping her pen, Shen Nian hesitated for a long time before writing: “I still need a lot of practice.”

“Shen Nian.” Professor Zhang called her name directly.

Shen Nian startled, put down her pen, and stood up. “Professor.”

Professor Zhang narrowed her eyes. “How many techniques did I just summarize? Come, repeat them for me.”

Shen Nian looked up at the projection screen and found it was already blank. She knew she had been caught daydreaming and admitted it gracefully. “I’m sorry, Professor. I was distracted just now.”

“Pfft… hahahaha!”

The students behind her erupted into a fit of schadenfreude-filled laughter. Xi You watched Shen Nian’s back along with the others, though her gaze was dark, filled with an indescribable emotion.

“Hey, I’m telling you…” Her deskmate leaned in. “I finally understand why you didn’t choose Shen Nian. She’s really ‘no good.'”

A girl beside them countered, “How is she ‘no good’?” She clicked her tongue. “I think she’s great. Even if the sky falls, Shen Nian has that face to prop it up.”

“Tch~” The deskmate intimately draped an arm over Xi You’s shoulder. “Xi You isn’t a superficial Omega who only looks at faces. How could she be with Shen Nian just because she’s pretty?”

Hearing this, the others turned to see Xi You’s reaction. Xi You curled her lip. “Right.” As she spoke, she lowered her head and unconsciously rubbed her knuckles. “…She’s always been like this.”

“Like what?”

“Silence!” The girls were right in the middle of their gossip when Professor Zhang slammed the table in a fury.

She then glared at Shen Nian. “You don’t listen in class, you don’t turn in your homework, and you even missed the final exam last term. What exactly did you come to school for?”

“I’m sorry, Professor,” Shen Nian apologized sincerely once more. “I won’t make those mistakes again.”

Professor Zhang clearly didn’t believe her, but not wanting to delay the class, she waved her hand to signal her to sit down. “Let us continue. We were just discussing logical stress and grammatical stress in dialogue; I want to emphasize the difference between the two again…”

During the dry explanation, her deskmate nudged Xi You’s arm and winked, gesturing for her to check her phone. Xi You lit up the screen and found the group chat was on fire.

【Suddenly realized Shen Nian is so mediocre.】 【You just realized today? She’s always been the bottom-tier student in our class.】 【She used to just sleep in the back. Now that she’s made a fool of herself, the filter I had for her is completely shattered.】 【You all know how discerning Xi You is. There’s a reason she won’t accept Shen Nian.】 【Haha, speaking of which, I suddenly don’t envy Xi You anymore. Miaomiao’s boyfriend is better—a 190cm hunk from the PE department, handsome and strong.】

Xi You read through the unread messages one by one. Normally, she might have defended Shen Nian for the sake of her own pride, but Shen Nian had just recently humiliated her in public.

Xi You: 【She’s been like this since primary school. Poor grades and no ambition.】

Someone found it strange: 【Poor grades? A-University’s admission score is quite high. How did she get in with poor grades?】

Xi You sneered: 【Family arrangements, obviously. Our department doesn’t place much weight on academic scores anyway.】

At this, the accusations against Shen Nian became even more intense.

【Holy crap, so that’s how it is!】 【Ugh, I really loved her looks, but the fantasy is totally ruined now.】 【Even if someone like Shen Nian gains followers later because of her face, she’ll just be mocked as a ‘vase’ (eye candy), right?】 【Lol, thank god you didn’t agree to be with her, Xi You.】 【Shen Nian is completely unworthy of Xi You. Our Xi You is beautiful AND in the top three of our class. Several teachers have said Xi You has a limitless future and will definitely be famous!】 【Shen Nian is really useless!】

Watching the negative comments pour in, the corners of Xi You’s mouth couldn’t help but curl into a satisfied arc.

Soon, the class was halfway through. Professor Zhang turned off the PPT and looked over the students to pick someone for a check-up.

In the dead silence, Shen Nian flipped her textbook to page 66. On it was a dialogue from the classic play The Visit.

The Visit tells a story of unconventional revenge. The protagonist, Claire, is a multi-billionaire who was abandoned by her lover in her youth and spent half her life in exile accumulating vast wealth. In the present, her hometown of Güllen is facing an economic crisis and desperately needs funds. Claire’s return is as timely as a godsend. She offers to invest a billion dollars, but on one condition: the execution of her former lover, Ill, who abandoned her. Under the corrosion of capitalism, the fragile morality of the townspeople is no match for the omnipotence of money. From initial resistance to final compromise, through one vivid and ridiculous face after another, the play reveals the ugly face of the bourgeoisie doing as they please.

Shen Nian didn’t particularly like the story. For realistic reasons, she couldn’t empathize with a “slap-face” female lead who succeeded through money and power. However, in her previous life, she had spent a massive amount of effort studying various plays to improve her acting when she joined the drama troupe. The Visit was one of them.

Professor Zhang was a strict teacher, and the students didn’t dare meet her eyes. After scanning the room, she chose her favorite student, the Class Monitor.

“Yang Min, you come up.”

Behind Shen Nian, a girl with a high ponytail stood up. “Yes, Professor.” She left her seat and walked to Professor Zhang’s side, turning to face the class.

Professor Zhang was clearly very satisfied with her, even offering words of comfort. “Don’t be nervous. Take it slow.”

The Monitor nodded reservedly. She took a deep breath, trying to enter the role, pulling the corners of her mouth high to mask her innocent face with a look of desire.

“…I have bought all of Güllen; how it prospers is no concern of yours. As for ‘humanity’—since this world turned me into a prostitute, I shall turn the whole world into a brothel.”

“If you wish to dance but cannot pay the price, then you simply shall not dance. Now I can pay, and I want Güllen to trade the corpse of one man for its prosperity!”

After she had read only two paragraphs, Professor Zhang signaled for her to stop.

The Monitor fiddled with her fingers anxiously. “Professor?”