The Supporting Female Lead Chooses to Mark the Villain [Rebirth] - Chapter 3

The act of marking itself is not inherently complex—it simply requires an Alpha to bite into the hidden gland at the back of an Omega’s neck and inject their pheromones. Once soothed, the Omega’s body remembers that specific scent; the pair is bonded, and the Omega is no longer disturbed by external pheromones.

However, since middle school, biology classes tirelessly hammer one point into every Alpha’s head: Never be too rough with an Omega. A marking performed without sufficient comforting is tantamount to assault.

To complete a mark, Shen Nian first had to stir Shen Zui’s desire, leading her into a state of emotional arousal where she would willingly cooperate.

This sounded simple in theory, but even though Shen Nian had lived to thirty in her previous life, she was still a total novice who had never even shared a proper kiss. Standing there, cupping Shen Zui’s face, she clumsily extended her tongue to lick the woman’s lower lip—then froze, dazed and unsure of the next move.

“Pfft—” Beneath her, Shen Zui let out a soft, amused laugh.

Shen Nian felt the heat rush to her head. The cool, elegant fragrance unique to Shen Zui drifted at the tip of her nose. She took a deep breath, and the scent seized the opportunity to invade her body, flowing through her limbs and bones.

Driven by a surge of inexplicable courage, Shen Nian pressed her lips against the other woman’s again. This time, her kiss was earnest.

The “Pearl of the Shen Family” appeared cold on the outside, but her lips were incredibly soft and warm. Without needing a teacher, Shen Nian quickly found the pleasure in the act, sucking and tasting Shen Zui’s lips as if trying to fill every crevice with her own scent.

The bitten lips became slightly congested, tasting even more enticing. Shen Nian ground her lips against them slowly, feeling Shen Zui’s breathing gradually lose its rhythm. Eventually, their breaths became completely entangled, impossible to distinguish.

“Nian… Niannian…” Shen Zui reached out, pressing her hands against Shen Nian’s shoulders. “No…”

Shen Nian was in no state to listen. Shen Zui’s attempt to speak only made it easier for her to invade further. Catching sight of the tongue hidden within, Shen Nian abandoned the swollen lips and pressed the attack inward.

“Mmm—”

A current of electricity shot up Shen Nian’s spine to the crown of her head. Before she realized it, she had let out an uncontrollable moan. The wet, hot tenderness inside Shen Zui’s mouth caused her to lose herself completely. Having tasted the sweetness, she explored deeper, refusing to retreat even when her tongue bumped against Shen Zui’s teeth.

After several rounds of entanglement, the self-taught Shen Nian mastered the rhythm. She held Shen Zui’s face firmly, keeping her head tilted back, her tongue sweeping through the heat of the woman’s mouth as if she wanted to swallow her whole.

So sweet. Every breath and taste was filled with Shen Zui’s unique fragrance.

Beneath her, Shen Zui’s eyes were hazy, her breathing a chaotic mess. She only managed to gasp for air during Shen Nian’s brief moments of “mercy” before her lips were sealed once more.

As the passion deepened, Shen Nian naturally sought more. Her fingers trailed down from Shen Zui’s face, following the graceful line of her jaw down to her throat. Shen Zui’s silk nightgown was already disheveled, revealing her pale neck and a wide expanse of snowy skin.

Shen Nian released her lips, her gaze and fingertips falling onto Shen Zui’s exquisite collarbone. She teased the skin along the shoulder, her fingers lightly pinching the edge of the neckline…

Slap!

Shen Zui raised her hand and delivered a slap to Shen Nian’s face. It wasn’t particularly heavy, but the insult far outweighed the physical pain. Shen Nian withdrew her hand, staring blankly at Shen Zui.

“Get off.” Shen Zui’s swollen lips still bore the glistening traces of their kiss. She lowered her eyes, pulling up her fallen collar as she spoke in a low, strained voice.

In an instant, the flickering flames of intimacy were extinguished. Shen Nian suddenly felt a chill and turned to sit on the edge of the bed, her hand over her cheek. Lacking experience, she had no idea how she had offended the other woman. After two seconds of hesitation, she managed to croak out: “Young Aunt…”

“Do you still remember I’m your aunt?” Shen Zui wiped the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand, her eyes clouded with a misty haze. “Do you have any idea what you’re doing?”

“I—?” Shen Nian realized something was wrong. Looking at Shen Zui, she exhaled slowly. “I want to mark you.”

“Who taught you that?” Shen Zui narrowed her eyes, but the forced anger was undermined by the redness at the corners of her eyes. “What is our relationship? You want to mark me?”

Shen Nian frowned and shot back: “You don’t want it?”

Shen Zui pulled the duvet up to her chest and gave a cold huff. They confronted each other in a heavy silence. However, the pheromones in the air hadn’t dissipated yet; a stray scent teased Shen Nian’s nose, evoking misplaced memories. She hadn’t noticed before, but now that she was calm, she realized Shen Zui’s pheromone was a beautiful plum blossom scent, which harmonized strangely well with her own woody cedar, as if they were meant to coexist.

Shen Nian rubbed her temples. Hardening her heart, she decided to speak plainly. “We both know exactly what our relationship is. The title of ‘family’ is just a thin layer of camouflage that can be pierced with a single touch. What matters now is that your condition is critical. Only my mark can solve the problem!”

Shen Zui’s brow knit. “Who said that?”

Shen Nian was stunned. Shen Zui pressed on: “Did a doctor send you? Where are the medical orders? Does this follow treatment protocol?”

Her chest heaved with agitation, her pale skin flushed with a faint, uncharacteristic pink.

“No…” Shen Nian was caught off guard, left stammering. Shen Zui’s reaction was entirely unexpected. Logically, since Shen Zui secretly loved her, shouldn’t she be privately thrilled to be marked? Why this reaction?

“You really don’t want to be marked?” In her disbelief, the words slipped out: “Do you… not like me?!”

Shen Zui bit her lip, a look of deep humiliation crossing her face at the question. She pointed directly at the door and uttered the harshest words since they met: “Get out! Get out of here!”

Shen Nian got off the bed mechanically. Her smoke-blue dress slid off the white bedding without leaving a trace. She left the building in a daze. A storm was coming; the sky was shrouded in dark clouds, and the surroundings were terrifyingly dim.

The wind howled, slapping her face. The gust cleared Shen Nian’s mind. She bit her lip so hard it throbbed. Where did it go wrong?

She began to doubt the novel’s contents, wondering if she had been deceived. Perhaps the drama of Shen Zui seeking revenge after her death was just her own ridiculous imagination.

Just as Shen Nian was sinking into self-doubt, a voice snapped her back to reality.

“Shen! Nian!” An aggressive Xi You strode down the corridor. She was still wearing the colorful short dress from the morning, with a few grains of sea sand clinging to her delicate ankles. She was the very definition of youthful energy.

Shen Nian looked at her with complex emotions. Here was the person she had pampered for twenty years—and one of the people responsible for her fall into the abyss. Of course, the current Xi You wasn’t as worldly as she would be in ten years.

Xi You stopped in front of her and threw a cute swim ring at her. Even in her anger, she looked charming. “My birthday celebration is completely ruined because of you!”

Both of them had just celebrated their eighteenth birthdays; this week-long sailing trip was supposed to be their coming-of-age ceremony.

Shen Nian caught the swim ring. She didn’t have the energy to deal with the girl. Standing in the wind, she said perfunctorily, “Next time. Next time we can…”

“There is no next time!” Xi You hit her shoulder. “Liu Ru got angry and left! Now I have no way to get that important role! Waaaah—” She covered her eyes and began to cry.

Shen Nian recalled the name. Liu Ru’s aunt, Zhou Muqiu, was a hot new director. Her project Warm Light was in the casting phase, and the role of the innocent second female lead was exactly what Xi You wanted.

“If she’s gone, she’s gone.” Thunder rumbled in the distance. Shen Nian stepped under the eaves. “The role was already decided internally. No matter how much you suck up to her, it won’t matter.”

The crying stopped instantly. Xi You chased after her, grabbing her sleeve. “Decided internally? How do you know?”

Shen Nian knew because in her past life, Xi You had complained about losing that role for six months. She couldn’t explain this, so she just shook her head silently.

Xi You stepped in front of her. “It was her, wasn’t it?! She told you!”

“Her?”

“I was wondering why you’d run back here for no reason…” Xi You glanced toward the medical building. “What benefit did she promise you this time? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Shen Nian realized the misunderstanding. “It has nothing to do with Young Aunt.”

Xi You clearly didn’t believe her. “Hmph. She’s not as simple as you think.”

“Anyway, the birthday thing is on you!” Xi You huffed, wrinkling her nose. “I’m angry! You better find a way to make it up to me!” Without waiting for a response, she turned and left.

Shen Nian watched her go. Just as the girl disappeared around the corner, the rain finally fell—fast, heavy drops that stained the stone floor dark gray in an instant. The smell of wet earth rose up, washing away the scent of pine and plum blossoms.

Shen Nian looked at the swim ring in her hand and then toward the east. The medical building stood in the rain, water dripping from its eaves.

“Coming-of-age ceremony…” Shen Nian murmured the words. She suddenly remembered she had just turned eighteen. Shen Zui knew this well; she had gifted her a yacht as a birthday present.

If Shen Zui liked her at this point, it would mean she had harbored feelings for her while she was still a minor. But Shen Zui was not that kind of person. In the room, her look of humiliation when asked if she liked Niannian made sense.

“So… at this point, Shen Zui doesn’t love me yet.” Shen Nian’s mood strangely improved. With the rain as her backdrop, she turned and walked away with a light step.

Inside the Medical Building

Shen Zui stood by the window for a long time until the door opened. She turned and met the doctor’s worried gaze before looking back at the rain.

“Miss,” the doctor said. “You should be resting. Please go back to bed.”

The world outside was a blur of water. Shen Zui sat back on the bed, noticing the red spots on her ankles had spread to her calves. She pulled her legs onto the bed and scratched them.

“We are still identifying the allergen,” the doctor said, walking over. “But Niannian’s presence earlier should have acted as an excellent stabilizer for you…”

The mention of Niannian brought back the memory of the kiss. At first, Shen Nian’s actions were as clumsy as a child’s. Shen Zui had thought the “marking” comment was a joke and was secretly happy to be close to Niannian again.

But later…

Shen Zui’s breathing hitched as she touched her lips. She had never known that a mere memory could trigger such a strong physical reaction. She felt as though she were still pinned to the bed, her body soft and helpless under the girl’s irrational demands.

“Why did she come today?” Shen Zui asked. Niannian had never stepped foot in this building before.

“I don’t know,” the doctor replied.

“So you didn’t tell her about the marking?”

The doctor looked terrified. “No! Absolutely not! I never spoke of it to her!”

Shen Zui studied her and realized she wasn’t lying. She considered another possibility: “Did Mother send her?”

“I… I’m not sure,” the doctor admitted. “But I doubt the Madam would do that.”

“When is Mother back?”

“By early morning.”

“Mm.” Shen Zui felt tired and waved her off. “Go on then.”

Before leaving, the doctor pointed to the bedding. “Do you… need that changed again?”

A faint scent of cedar drifted from the duvet—a woody, sun-dried fragrance that made Shen Zui dazed for a moment. Out of the doctor’s sight, her ears turned red.

“No need,” she said.

Once alone, Shen Zui lay back down. She happened to settle in the spot where Shen Nian had been lying. Surrounded by the scent of cedar, she let out a sigh of comfort.

She allowed herself to drown in the scent for a long time before muttering a defensive excuse to the empty room: “…Changing it is just too much trouble.”