The Supporting Female Lead Chooses to Mark the Villain [Rebirth] - Chapter 35

Late that night.

Tao Di’s social media feed, which had been flooded with malicious comments, suddenly updated. Paid shills and aggressive fans swarmed in, intending to play their usual game of “whoever shouts the loudest is right.”

However, the situation took a sharp turn.

Tao Di’s new post included a clear, powerful audio recording that laid bare the truth. In the recording, a voice unmistakably belonging to Mina argued irritably: “How much longer are you going to be f—ing stubborn? Do you still not know your place? You don’t agree? If you don’t agree, I’ll make sure you can’t show your face in this industry!”

Tao Di’s weak voice followed: “…Sister Mina, I signed a singer’s contract with the company, not a songwriting contract for you. Is it wrong for me to want to release my own songs?”

“The company? Heh, don’t talk to me about contracts.” The sound of clicking high heels grew louder, as did Mina’s voice. “A loser with no traffic and no fans like you dares to mention releasing songs? Me using your songs is doing you a favor, understand?”

Tao Di, clearly unable to hold on, sought help: “Director…”

The company executive gave a theatrical sigh, uttering a classic line: “Tao Di, I’ll say something fair here.” He began his performance: “You really are in the wrong here. If Mina likes those songs, just give them to her. Look at the mess you’ve caused now.” With a cold laugh, he added snidely, “The company has to expend energy cleaning up after you.”

The audio was less than ten minutes long, but it concisely extracted the key points, putting the oppression of a bottom-tier singer by Mina and the Director clearly on the table. Anyone with a modicum of judgment could see the truth.

Mina’s more rational fans beat a hasty retreat, while countless “passers-by” began to demand justice for Tao Di.

【I knew Mina wasn’t anything good. She talks so dirty in private.】 【Trying to force-buy someone’s work and then accusing them of stealing? Have you no shame @Mina?】 【This company is trash too, their favoritism is blatant.】 【Hang in there, girl! I love “Glass Candy Wrapper,” and you sing it way better than Mina anyway!】

Tao Di ignored the noise and specifically replied to a comment praising the video editing: 【I didn’t edit it myself; a friend helped me make the video.】

The user replied: 【Then your friend is amazing too!】

At the Apartment.

Shen Nian saw the tide turning and let out a sigh of relief. Seeing how late it was, she shut down her computer. In the bedroom, a dim sleep lamp cast a soft glow.

As she climbed into bed, she unexpectedly met Shen Zui’s half-closed eyes. “Little Aunt?” Shen Nian whispered.

Shen Zui remained expressionless, half her face hidden in shadow, looking inexplicably displeased. Once Shen Nian lay down, Shen Zui leaned over and expertly burrowed into her arms. Shen Nian’s body was a bit stiff, but Shen Zui simply closed her eyes and drifted back to sleep. Shen Nian exhaled slowly, pulled her closer, and left a light kiss by her ear.

Over the next few days, Shen Nian monitored the situation. She expected the company to counter-attack to save Mina. However, before that could happen, news of a top-tier male star’s secret marriage and child exploded online.

The public’s attention was instantly diverted. Tao Di’s “beautiful turnaround” began with a bang but ended in silence.

Soon, they hit a wall. Glass Candy Wrapper mysteriously vanished from the new song charts. Daily listens plummeted from five figures to a measly two digits. Tao Di spent her meager savings on promotions, but it was like throwing a stone into the ocean—not even a ripple.

When Shen Nian met her again, the energetic girl looked haggard. “Maybe the company is right…” Tao Di said, her voice muffled. “I don’t have traffic like Mina. These works will just collect dust if they stay with me.”

Shen Nian flicked her forehead. “You still don’t realize this shadow-banning is their doing?”

“Then… Shen Nian… what should I do?”

Shen Nian rubbed her temples. This stage of the game required “burning money.” Even as a daughter of the Shen family, she didn’t have much liquid cash. She asked Tao Di if she wanted to sue, but Tao Di shook her head like a rattle. As a student, a lawsuit could ruin her before it even began.

Back Home.

Shen Nian walked in barefoot to find Shen Zui working on her laptop on the sofa. Shen Nian was glued to her phone, only noticing the older woman when she reached the coffee table.

“Little Aunt?”

Shen Zui gave a soft “Mm” and ended her call with a subordinate. Shen Nian stopped in front of her. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“If I didn’t say anything, would Niannian have failed to notice me?” Shen Zui countered.

Shen Nian smiled and went to sit down, but Shen Zui proactively stretched out her legs, colonizing the spot Shen Nian had chosen. Shen Nian stopped, looking at her in confusion. Shen Zui just raised an eyebrow. She looked so beautiful even in her arrogant annoyance that Shen Nian couldn’t look away from her pink lips.

Shen Nian forced herself to look away. “I thought you wanted me to stay away,” she teased, pointing at the legs blocking her path.

“No,” Shen Zui replied.

“Then what is this for?”

“I’ve been sitting all afternoon. My legs are sore,” Shen Zui said righteously.

Shen Nian’s voice went slightly husky. “Want to go lie on the bed?”

“No.”

Shen Nian offered, “I’ll massage them for you?”

Shen Zui paused. “Do you know how?”

“I’ve learned a bit,” Shen Nian nodded (referring to her past life). She sat on the sofa, letting Shen Zui’s legs rest naturally on her lap. Her fingers began a rhythmic kneading.

“Mm,” Shen Zui sighed in comfort. She watched Shen Nian’s face in the evening sun. “Where did you go today?”

“The gym, and I saw a friend.”

Shen Nian suddenly thought: to break the company’s suppression of Tao Di, the simplest way was to outspend them. She couldn’t do it, but if Shen Zui stepped in…

“Niannian,” Shen Zui tilted her head. “What are you thinking?”

Shen Nian snapped back to reality. She felt a bit guilty and shook her head. She realized she had started subconsciously viewing Shen Zui as her “way out,” which wasn’t a good sign. She stopped her movements, her palm still holding Shen Zui’s toes. The massage had turned into something ambiguous.

Shen Zui wiggled her toes, her soft pads brushing Shen Nian’s skin. Shen Nian suddenly let go as if burned, letting Shen Zui’s feet fall onto her lap.

“Hiss—”

Shen Zui’s eyes were tinged with a flush. She glared at her and used her foot to punishingly brush against Shen Nian’s chin. Shen Nian froze, unable to even defend herself.

Just then, her phone vibrated. Tao Di’s music video had passed review and was live. Within a minute, dozens of comments appeared. Shen Nian frowned—Mina’s fans had arrived first, flooding the post with “don’t touch our Mina” and “stop clout-chasing.”

But five minutes later, the tide changed. People weren’t talking about the song. They were asking about…

【OMG the Alpha in the MV is so handsome!】 【Not exaggerating, my legs went weak when she turned around!】 【Who is this Alpha actor? Does she have an account? I need to follow her!】 【This face makes any secret crush make sense!】

“…” Shen Nian’s head felt heavy with disbelief. “Why is this happening? Is the focus wrong?” She even began to wonder if the company was doing this to distract from the song.

Shen Zui sat up and leaned over Shen Nian’s shoulder, seeing the screen. She took the phone away.

“Little Aunt?”

Shen Zui ignored her and played the MV. Even Shen Nian was impressed by the editing. Under the bright, fresh filters, she and Tao Di played out a game of pursuit. At the end, by the lake in the sunset, Shen Nian turned around to reveal her face.

Shen Nian felt awkward looking at herself. “It’s… just okay,” she muttered.

But Shen Zui’s eyes were glued to the screen. She paused it on Shen Nian’s face.

“It’s very beautiful,” Shen Zui murmured. “Niannian is very beautiful.”

Shen Nian leaned in close, her breath hitting Shen Zui’s cheek to assert her presence. But Shen Zui was still staring at the screen. Shen Nian felt a surge of jealousy—of herself. She grabbed Shen Zui’s chin and forced her to look at her.

“Very beautiful?” Shen Nian asked.

“Mm,” Shen Zui nodded.

“Then just look at me. Why look at the phone?”

Shen Zui tilted her head, her gaze wandering over Shen Nian’s features. Shen Nian blushed, realizing her logic was flawed, but she wouldn’t admit it. She blurted out, “…Looking at the phone too long is bad for your eyes.”

Shen Zui was stunned for a moment, then burst into a laugh. Shen Nian’s face burned. She reached for the phone, but Shen Zui caught her hand, their fingers locking.

“Niannian is right,” Shen Zui said. She turned off the screen and tossed the phone away. “Niannian is right here. I’ll just look at Niannian.”

She climbed onto Shen Nian, pinning her down. “How much did she pay you for this?”

Shen Nian shook her head. “I did it for free to help a friend.”

Shen Zui’s hand moved to Shen Nian’s neck. “Helping?”

“Mm… yes,” Shen Nian managed, her heart racing at the touch.

“Niannian… is so good to her friends,” Shen Zui whispered. She leaned down and licked the spot on Shen Nian’s lip that the girl had just licked herself.

Shen Nian’s breathing grew heavy.

“In that case, Niannian should help your Auntie with a favor too.”

Shen Nian nodded without thinking. On the high-end sofa, the two became inextricably tangled. As they lost themselves in a kiss, they had no idea that several hashtags were currently racing toward the top ten trending topics:

#GlassCandyWrapper MV Lead #HardNotToCrushOnAFaceLikeThis #TaoDiGlassCandyWrapper