The Supporting Female Lead Chooses to Mark the Villain [Rebirth] - Chapter 24

Inside the small villa.

The soothing herbal soup sat in a priceless white porcelain bowl. It had gone from warm to bone-cold, yet it hadn’t received so much as a glance from the person on the bed.

Shen Zui had her mini-laptop balanced on her lap, talking fitfully to the person on the other end of the screen.

“…How long has it been losing money? The TI series of projects should have been halted long ago. How exactly are you managing things?”

Sensing her foul mood, Qin Li’s responses from the other side of the computer became increasingly cautious.

“We planned to do that during last week’s meeting, but…” After a pause, she plucked up her courage and continued, “Those projects are under General Manager Shen Que’s responsibility. Her stance is that initial losses are normal for a project, and she doesn’t want the head office interfering too much.”

“Shut them down.”

Shen Zui looked at her phone, not even bothering to look up as she made the final call.

Qin Li hurried to note this down in her priority schedule. “Understood, President Shen. I’ll arrange it immediately. As for the General Manager’s side…”

The message thread on Shen Zui’s phone remained stuck at over an hour ago. After Shen Zui had abruptly ended the video call, Shen Nian hadn’t sent a single message.

She opened the settings, toggled the network services off and then back on, but the screen remained silent.

Shen Zui’s brow furrowed. She looked up slightly at the laptop on her knees. “What did you say?”

“No—nothing.” Qin Li wisely shut her mouth. “I’ll handle the rest.”

Five years ago, after Shen Zui moved into the isolation ward, Qin Li—her most trusted confidante—had taken over as the acting CEO of the Shen Group. The family’s network wasn’t overly complex, and with Shen Zui pulling the strings from behind the scenes, Qin Li could honestly say she enjoyed the position. Although she occasionally had to deal with Shen Que and various “relatives” from the Qi family, she did so willingly for the sake of her seven-figure salary.

“Mhm.” Shen Zui nodded expressionlessly. “Anything else?”

“Uh, please wait, there is one more thing…” Braving Shen Zui’s scrutinizing gaze, Qin Li pushed on. “It’s like this, President Shen.”

She took a deep breath. “My cousin is getting married next week. I’m going over to help and was hoping to take my annual leave at the same time. I’ll hand this work account over to my assistant. If anything important comes up, Gloria will coordinate with you.”

“I see.” Shen Zui’s expression remained indifferent, but she showed no signs of refusing. She merely added pointedly, “You’ve worked hard; you truly deserve a good rest.”

Qin Li forced a small smile.

Shen Zui tossed her phone aside and leaned back languidly. “But… is a cousin’s wedding really worth a whole week of your time?”

“She’s a sister I’m very close with,” Qin Li explained simply. At this, she sighed with emotion. “There’s quite an age gap between us. I always felt like she was just an innocent little girl who knew nothing of the world. But she’s only been working for two years, and in the blink of an eye, she’s getting married.”

Shen Zui’s eyes flickered.

Qin Li didn’t notice this detail and continued, “To be honest, I’ve only met the guy a few times. I don’t really know what he’s like. But that girl is head over heels for him. There’s nothing we can do but go along with it.”

“Young people these days…” Shen Zui’s tone held a rare note of conflict. “Why are they all in such a hurry to get married?”

Qin Li shook her head. “It’s not everyone… it depends on the person.”

“They’ve just started university or just started working, they haven’t achieved anything in their careers yet, and they’re already busy flirting and falling in love.” Shen Zui narrowed her eyes, her right finger unconsciously tapping against her leg. “If a young girl is immature, shouldn’t her family be more strict with her?”

“Huh?” Qin Li was utterly confused. “Then, then what you mean is…”

Shen Zui glanced at her with an air of pity.

“…” Qin Li swallowed nervously. She felt the distinct confusion of someone who had done something wrong but had no idea what it was.

“Let’s hang up.” Shen Zui leaned forward and pressed the exit key. Out of sheer politeness, she squeezed out one final sentence: “Have a nice holiday.”

“Thank you, President Shen!” Before Qin Li could finish, the screen went black.

Seeing this, Qin Li slumped into her chair and let out a long, shaky breath.

Having finished her work for the day, Shen Zui pulled up her knees, letting the laptop slide onto the bed. She felt an inexplicable exhaustion, yet her mind was hyper-active, making sleep impossible. She used a voice command to turn off the overhead lights and leaned against the headboard to rest her eyes.

The room was left with only a dim, amber sleep lamp, casting her lonely silhouette against the pale wall.

Knock, knock, knock—

After a while, there was a knock at the door.

“Come in,” Shen Zui said.

The light from the hallway spilled through the gap in the door, stinging her eyelids. Shen Zui frowned slightly and raised an arm to cover her eyes.

Without waiting for the visitor to speak, she said drowsily, “The bowl is on the cabinet. I didn’t drink it. Take it back.”

The footsteps approaching the bed stopped. A moment later, they turned toward the cabinet.

Clack. The sound of something being set down.

Shen Zui had a very strong sense of personal space. Since she moved into the ward, unless it was an emergency, even the security cameras were forbidden. The medical staff knew her personality; they never lingered, always being as efficient and quick as possible.

But this time, the visitor had been standing by the cabinet for a long while, seemingly with no intention of leaving.

Shen Zui was already in a bad mood, and this made her even more irritable.

“What else is—”

She lowered her arm to look over, but when she saw the familiar figure, her voice vanished.

Shen Nian picked up the bowl of cold herbal soup. She brought it to her nose to sniff it, then looked back at Shen Zui on the bed.

“The doctor said this is brewed from natural herbs to help you sleep. Why didn’t you drink it?”

Shen Zui was stunned for a moment, then looked away awkwardly. Her right hand rested on her leg, aimlessly smoothing and then wrinkling the bedsheets over and over again.

No one spoke. The room was so quiet that their breathing could be heard.

Shen Nian sighed and took the porcelain bowl outside first.

When she returned, she found Shen Zui had gotten out of bed and was standing with her back turned by the cabinet. Perhaps because it was inconvenient to trim it while in the ward, Shen Zui’s black hair had grown down to her lower back. As she leaned over slightly to hold something, her long hair slid over her shoulders, flowing like falling blossoms in a courtyard. It carried the faint scent of cold plum blossoms.

As Shen Nian approached, Shen Zui heard her and turned around, cradling a box of cherries in her arms.

“Do you want to eat them?” Shen Nian asked, reaching out. “Give them to me, I’ll wash some.”

Shen Zui didn’t hand them over. Instead, she kept them in her hands, inspecting them repeatedly. The cherries in the plastic box were large and plump, making a dull thudding sound when moved—one could tell they were of the highest quality without even tasting them.

She held a cherry up against the light; its ruby-red skin shimmered like intoxicating wine.

“You bought these?”

The question was quite childish, making Shen Nian smile. She brought a hand to her lips and coughed twice. “Tonight was a bit rushed. Next time, let me know earlier and I’ll go to the orchard to pick them myself.”

“Niannian!” Shen Zui was clever enough to catch the teasing tone.

“Hmm?” Shen Nian blinked playfully. “What is it?”

Shen Zui wrinkled her nose, walked over, and stood on her tiptoes to pinch Shen Nian’s cheek. “I don’t like it when you’re so glib.”

Shen Nian realized her wit had missed the mark. She poked out her tongue and asked innocently, “I can’t even try to cheer you up?”

Shen Zui looked up at her, starlight shimmering in her eyes. “Your Auntie isn’t one of your female classmates who needs coaxing.”

“Where did that come from?” Shen Nian was puzzled. She let out a mock-sorrowful sigh. “It seems I’ve done the wrong thing again? I heard what you said and immediately took a taxi to buy cherries and bring them here. I didn’t expect it to make you unhappy instead. Well then…”

She left the sentence hanging, but she turned her body toward the door, acting as if she were about to leave.

Shen Zui stood her ground.

Shen Nian intentionally moved in slow motion, but she didn’t hear the other woman try to stop her. Her heart sank, and she started wondering if she could still make it back to school before the dorms closed.

But as she took her first step, she realized the hem of her shirt was being held.

Shen Nian turned back to see Shen Zui gripping her shirt tightly. She was using so much force that her knuckles were white.

“…” Shen Nian stopped and looked down into her eyes. “Auntie?”

Shen Zui pursed her lips, her expression unreadable. She thrust the cherries into Shen Nian’s hands. “…Taste them.”

Understanding the gesture, Shen Nian smiled. “Mhm. I’ll go wash them. Wait a moment.”

She walked briskly into the adjacent bathroom.

The premium gift-boxed cherries were already quite clean. Shen Nian took out a small handful, rinsed them under the water, and brought them back to Shen Zui on a porcelain plate. The water-slicked cherries were even more tempting, clustered together in a pile.

“Here.” Shen Nian picked the largest one and held it out to Shen Zui.

She expected Shen Zui to take it with her hand, but the noble pearl of the Shen family was feeling lazy and merely opened her mouth slightly.

“…” Shen Nian was stunned for a split second.

Once she realized, she leaned further in until the cherry touched Shen Zui’s lips.

Shen Zui lowered her eyes and took a bite. The cherry was succulent; the rich juice immediately burst from the skin. A small amount stained Shen Zui’s thin lips, while the rest rolled onto Shen Nian’s fingers.

“Hiss—” Shen Nian stifled a gasp and quickly pulled her hand back, catching the juice with the tip of her tongue.

When she looked up again, she saw Shen Zui tilting her head and laughing happily.

“Is it that funny?” Shen Nian asked.

Shen Zui, with the cherry still in her mouth, stared at Shen Nian’s fingertips. “They’re all stained red.”

Shen Nian gave a soft “tsk,” popped the remaining half of the cherry into her own mouth, and spread her fingers to inspect them.

Shen Zui’s attention shifted to Shen Nian’s moving cheeks as she chewed. Her own tongue felt a bit tingly, and she suddenly felt as though the cherry meat in her mouth had taken on a different flavor.

Seeing that Shen Zui was distracted, Shen Nian suddenly reached out with her stained finger and pressed it against the corner of Shen Zui’s mouth.

Shen Zui’s eyes widened.

“Hahahaha—!” Shen Nian doubled over with laughter. Between laughs, she said, “There. Now, now you’re stained red too.”

“Niannian?” Shen Zui snapped out of it and narrowed her eyes. “Childish!”

She leaned forward to grab a tissue from the cabinet, but Shen Nian blocked her way, making it impossible to reach.

Shen Nian’s laughter remained unabashed. Shen Zui’s face gradually reddened with embarrassment.

“Alright, I was just teasing,” Shen Nian said, wisely stopping her laughter. She spat out the pit, wrapped it in a tissue, and set it aside. Looking at Shen Zui’s beautiful face, she asked, “Are you still unhappy even after eating cherries?”

Shen Zui turned her head away to avoid her gaze. The cherries were fresh and sweet; there wasn’t a single thing wrong with them.

But she insisted on finding a flaw, whispering, “It wasn’t the one I wanted.”

“So I didn’t mishear you on the phone.” Shen Nian scratched her hair and confirmed once more, “You really meant the one in my hand at the time?”

Shen Zui gave a low “Mhm.”

“Why?” Shen Nian was still baffled. “Was there something special about that one?”

Shen Zui looked up, a faint, cryptic smile on her lips. “Nothing special.” She ground her back teeth. “So you couldn’t bear to give it up?”

“…I was just afraid you wouldn’t like the taste,” Shen Nian answered sheepishly. She didn’t argue further and held the entire porcelain plate out to Shen Zui. “How could I not be willing? Here, I brought it to you.”

“Hmm?”

Shen Zui was confused at first, but she soon noticed a tiny, out-of-place cherry among the pile of large, red fruits. Compared to its neighbors, this cherry was not only a size smaller but its color was dull.

“The quality of cherries from street stalls is usually quite average,” Shen Nian said, watching her. “Are you sure you want to eat this one instead of the ones I hand-picked from the boutique supermarket?”

It was impossible to explain, but at that moment, the frustration in Shen Zui’s heart mysteriously dissolved. A smile played on her lips, as if the person making a scene just now wasn’t her at all. “…Oh.”

After a moment, she added, “Niannian has a good eye.”

“As long as you know. If you like them, eat a few more.” Looking at her compliant expression, Shen Nian couldn’t help but reach out and pat the top of her head. “I asked the doctor; eating more fresh fruit is good for your health.”

Shen Zui gave a soft “Mhm” and picked one up.

Seeing her cooperate, Shen Nian felt a secret sense of relief. The little cherry Xu Lele had given her looked out of place on the porcelain plate. After staring at it for a while, Shen Nian found it an eyesore and prepared to finish it off in one bite.

But just as she picked the little cherry out to put it in her mouth, Shen Zui suddenly spoke: “What are you doing?”

“Huh?” Shen Nian froze, looking at her in confusion. What was she doing? Besides eating a cherry, had she done anything else?

Shen Zui’s brow furrowed. Right in front of Shen Nian, she snatched the cherry and stuffed it into her own mouth.

Because she was in such a hurry, she almost bit the pit, her face contorting slightly. “Mmph…”

“Slow down, slow down.” Shen Nian was puzzled but respectful, sighing as she gently patted Shen Zui’s back.

Once Shen Zui had recovered, Shen Nian couldn’t help but ask, “Is that one… sweeter?”

Shen Zui looked up and glared at her indignantly.

“It’s sour to death!”