The Supporting Female Lead Chooses to Mark the Villain [Rebirth] - Chapter 30

Tao Di was a woman of action; she immediately booked Shen Nian’s time for the upcoming weekend.

After requesting a leave of absence from the drama club in advance, Shen Nian packed her things early that morning and rushed to the university’s south gate to meet up. While waiting for Tao Di, her phone rang. It was a call from the Shen residence landline.

Shen Nian froze. Fearing that something might have happened to Shen Zui, she hesitated for a few seconds before picking up.

“Hello, this is Shen Nian.”

There was no response from the other end, but Shen Nian could hear soft, steady breathing, proving it wasn’t a technical glitch. She frowned, confused, and gave another “Hello?”

This time, after a few seconds of silence, the call was abruptly disconnected.

“…” Shen Nian stared at the screen.

In the Shen family, Shen Zhuan was straightforward; she wouldn’t call just to stay silent. Was it Shen Que? Or perhaps Qi Yun, whom she hadn’t contacted in a long time?

As she mused, Tao Di arrived and waved from a distance: “Shen Nian!!”

Shen Nian tucked her phone back into her pocket and waved back as she went to meet them. Before she even reached them, she heard the girl clinging to Tao Di’s arm whisper in unrestrained excitement: “Holy crap! Is this the actor you got for free?!”

Tao Di leaned into her friend’s ear: “I told you she was beautiful!”

“Ah—” The girl clutched her chest, her face turning red. “That isn’t just ‘beautiful.’ With a face like that, being in an idol drama would be a waste of talent!” Her eyes widened. “And she’s actually willing to help you film an MV?!”

“Stop it!” Tao Di pressed a finger to her lips, looking nervous. “She’s coming over!”

Seeing this, Shen Nian had no choice but to pretend she hadn’t heard a thing and greeted them as usual. Tao Di introduced the two: the girl was Qi Lulu, her childhood best friend, who would be in charge of the filming today.

Shen Nian shook her hand politely, then stared pensively at the small camera in the girl’s hand.

“Um, well, I’m still a student and don’t have the money for a professional team,” Tao Di stammered. “So the MV… it has to be a bit DIY.”

Shen Nian: “…”

“I’m sorry I didn’t explain clearly beforehand,” Tao Di lowered her head. “If you don’t want to do it, you can leave now. It—it’s okay.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Shen Nian glanced at her phone, then looked up with a kind smile. “Let’s go. We shouldn’t waste time.”

Both Tao Di and Qi Lulu breathed a combined sigh of relief.

Glass Candy Wrapper was a song about a youthful secret crush. For an MV, this theme was relatively simple; almost any footage would work. Shen Nian had thought it would be easy and hadn’t prepared much during the week. However, she didn’t expect Tao Di and Qi Lulu to be even more casual than her.

“This spot is great!” Next to a tree-lined path, Qi Lulu pointed at a patch of colorful flowers. “Let’s do a few moves here.”

Tao Di whispered, “What moves?”

Qi Lulu rubbed her chin. “Something intimate. Just give it a ‘romantic’ feeling. How about you two hold hands and walk over from that direction?”

Tao Di blushed and looked at Shen Nian. Shen Nian sighed.

She looked at Qi Lulu. “Lulu, are you a photography major?”

Qi Lulu shook her head. “No.” She puffed out her chest. “But don’t worry, I’ve studied cameras. The filming will be fine!”

Shen Nian smiled and shook her head. “Filming isn’t as simple as you think.” She offered a brief explanation. “…Based on your idea, the shots will look very forced. It will only make the viewers feel awkward.”

Qi Lulu pursed her lips. “…You seem to know a lot?”

“I’m not a professional photographer,” Shen Nian explained. “But I’ve filmed—”

She nearly blurted out that she had filmed many works in her past life and was well-versed in lighting and camera movement. Fortunately, she caught herself in time. She rubbed her nose. “…I’ve seen a lot of works.”

“Ah!” Tao Di put her hands together. “As expected of a professional!”

Shen Nian took the camera from Qi Lulu and began to adjust the settings. “So, do you two have no plan or concept for today’s shoot at all?”

The two girls shook their heads in unison. Shen Nian couldn’t help but laugh. She suggested, “In that case, why don’t you listen to my ideas?”

The girls nodded like little chicks pecking at grain. For a moment, Shen Nian felt like a kindergarten teacher leading a basic course on MV production.

Based on the lyrics, Shen Nian designed a simple plot. The story began at the school canteen, where Shen Nian’s character accidentally takes the protagonist’s (Tao Di’s) bag of candy. Tao Di follows her but lacks the courage to step forward and explain. With a concrete outline, their efficiency skyrocketed, and by noon, the camera was filled with effective footage.

“But it’s such a waste…”

At lunch, while Shen Nian treated them at the school cafeteria, Qi Lulu grumbled while fiddling with the camera. “Most of the shots of Shen Nian are just her back. It doesn’t show off her face at all…”

Tao Di, sipping soup, looked up. “It’s actually fine!” She smiled at Shen Nian. “Shen Nian really is an actor! Even her back looks good! It makes it easy for the audience to project themselves as the one with the crush!”

Shen Nian smiled warmly. “That’s exactly what I was thinking. Ease of projection.”

Tao Di was about to say more when her phone vibrated. She looked at it, her eyes widening in delight. “The songs I uploaded passed the review!”

“Oh?” Shen Nian looked over. “The two new songs?”

“Yes!” Tao Di nodded. “I uploaded the audio files first. I’ll submit the MV once it’s edited.”

“Wow—” Qi Lulu leaned in. “Has anyone listened yet?”

Tao Di glanced at the backend data and shook her head dejectedly. “No.”

“It was just uploaded; it’s normal to have no plays,” Shen Nian mused. “Don’t worry, the platform gives traffic to new songs. You’ll see the results in a few days.”

Tao Di clutched her phone to her chest. “But… what if even with the traffic, no one pays attention?”

“They will.” Shen Nian used clean chopsticks to place a rib on Tao Di’s plate, offering an encouraging smile. “I believe your talent and hard work will definitely be discovered.”

After a morning of running around, the sweat on Shen Nian’s forehead had dried, leaving only a faint flush on her cheeks. When she smiled, her white teeth were bright and clean. Tao Di suddenly tilted her head and started fanning her face with her hand.

“Are you hot?” Shen Nian asked, puzzled. “The AC in the cafeteria is quite high.”

“I’m fine,” Tao Di whispered, lowering her head to eat.

By evening, with Shen Nian’s tireless assistance, the MV finally had a prototype. The three stood by the lake at dusk to exchange ideas.

Qi Lulu insisted: “I still think not showing Shen Nian’s face is a crime against beauty! Since we’re already here, let’s film a final scene where Tao Di successfully strikes up a conversation!”

Shen Nian gave a wry smile. “Glass Candy Wrapper only describes the feelings of a crush; it doesn’t mention a happy ending.”

“Oh, the song doesn’t, but the MV can provide closure for the audience!” Qi Lulu urged. “Come on, come on!”

Shen Nian had cleared her schedule for the day, so she agreed to film one more version. She stood by the lake. Tao Di stood behind her, stood on her tiptoes, and tapped her shoulder. Shen Nian turned around, and the two locked eyes across the bag of candy.

The moment Shen Nian turned, Qi Lulu wanted to shove the camera right into her face. “Yes, yes! Just like that! That look is so doting!”

At first, Shen Nian maintained her expression. But Qi Lulu was so excited that the lens didn’t move from her face for half a minute. Shen Nian’s smile began to feel stiff; judging that enough time had passed, she turned her head toward the camera with a helpless look.

“Haha,” Qi Lulu grinned. “Why are you looking at me? Look at Tao Di!”

Shen Nian laughed. She was about to continue when her peripheral vision caught a figure on the nearby grass that absolutely should not have been there. She froze.

“Shen Nian?”

Regaining her senses, Shen Nian immediately raised a hand to cover the camera lens and ran toward that figure. Under the glow of the setting sun, the lake glittered beautifully.

The newcomer wore a mask that covered most of her face, leaving only a pair of clear eyes visible—eyes more brilliant than the golden light on the water. Stopping a few steps away, Shen Nian rubbed her eyes in disbelief.

“Little Aunt?”

Shen Zui proactively closed the final gap between them. She reached out to brush a stray hair from Shen Nian’s forehead, her voice very gentle. “Did I interrupt you?”

“No…” Shen Nian’s mind was a mess. She grabbed Shen Zui’s shoulders and looked around. “Why are you here? Are you allowed to go out freely already? Where are the doctors? Where are they?”

“Don’t be nervous.”

“Shen Zui!” Shen Nian frowned, her voice rising in irritation. “This isn’t a joke!”

Faced with her sharp gaze, Shen Zui was stunned for a moment. But soon, her lips curved into a smile. The sound of her laughter was muffled by the mask, but it couldn’t hide her genuine joy. “Do you think I would joke with my own body?”

Shen Nian pursed her lips. Tao Di and Qi Lulu caught up: “Shen Nian? Is this… your friend?”

Shen Nian’s tongue felt tight. “She is…”

“I am her elder,” Shen Zui introduced herself. “Shen Zui, Shen Nian’s aunt.”

The evening breeze lifted the hair on her shoulders. Even though she wore no makeup and only her eyes were visible, the two young girls were momentarily dazed.

“Hello!” Recovering, Tao Di stepped forward to shake her hand. “I’m Shen Nian’s friend. I troubled her to help with my filming today—wait?”

When Tao Di was still two steps away from Shen Zui, Shen Nian suddenly moved. Amidst the sound of early summer cicadas, the girl in the plain white shirt turned and shielded Shen Zui completely. She pulled Shen Zui into her arms, protecting her. Then, Shen Nian turned to Tao Di with a look of warning in her eyes.

Tao Di stopped abruptly. “…”

“Sorry,” Shen Nian retracted her hostility slightly, offering a brief explanation. “My aunt’s health isn’t very good.”

“Oh, I see…” Tao Di stood awkwardly, tugging at her hem.

Enveloped in the familiar scent, Shen Zui relaxed her body and leaned into Shen Nian’s embrace. She wasn’t entirely well-behaved, though; she reached up to brush a speck of dust from Shen Nian’s cheek. Shen Nian caught her soft hand.

The camera battery died, let out two beeps, and shut off. Qi Lulu tucked it away, a strange thought popping into her head: Why do these two look so well-matched? She quickly shook her head to dispel the dangerous idea.

Since the filming was over and Shen Nian was worried about other things, she bid them a quick farewell and led Shen Zui away from the lake. Under the falling night, students were out for walks. As the crowd grew, Shen Nian’s anxiety increased.

“Are you really okay? Your body?”

“Niannian,” Shen Zui teased her. “Do I look like I have a problem?”

Shen Nian took a deep breath and asked through gritted teeth, “…So why did you show up here without giving me a single word of warning?!”

“Don’t be angry.” Shen Zui stopped and naturally stroked the girl’s reddened earlobe.

“Wow!” “Is that the beauty from the Acting Department? Does she have a girlfriend?” “Ahhh, that feels so sweet!”

Gasps came from the girls passing by. Hearing the ambiguous words, Shen Nian’s face turned red. She grabbed Shen Zui’s wrist and walked away faster, only to hear them continue.

“She’s blushing!” “Shen Nian looks so innocent like this. Look at her girlfriend, so elegant and poised.” “The innocent puppy and the mature sister? Help, I ship it!”

Shen Nian couldn’t help but look back at Shen Zui’s expression, only to meet a pair of laughing eyes. Under the streetlights, Shen Zui’s skin glowed with a warm light. Her clear eyes seemed to have a magic that could draw one’s soul in. She understood Shen Nian’s embarrassment perfectly and was quite content to admire it.

“Niannian.”

“Hmm?” Shen Nian leaned in.

Shen Zui’s finger tickled her palm, her tone light and teasing: “Niannian, you’re quite popular at school, aren’t you?”