The Supporting Female Lead Chooses to Mark the Villain [Rebirth] - Chapter 38

The end-of-term showcase was a grand event for the Acting Department. Although held internally within the college, no detail was overlooked. From the stage props to the smallest accessories on the actors, the organizers’ dedication was evident everywhere.

The story of Mushroom Jungle took place on a luxury cruise ship. As the curtain rose, the audience was greeted by men and women in Republican-era attire dancing indulgently, instantly pulling everyone into a world of glitz and debauchery.

To the strains of a songstress’s melodic voice, Lu Jue, played by Shen Nian, stepped from the wings into the light with a brisk pace.

At first, the audience followed the spotlight to her, wondering who this newcomer was. But when Shen Nian slowly removed her hat, revealing a face that could overturn nations, most of the room instinctively held their breath.

Shen Nian tilted her head and smirked.

“Ahhh—!” “Holy crap, this actress is gorgeous!” “Shen Nian! Shen Nian!”

The audience, snapping out of their trance, erupted into cheers.

The crew of The Chronicle of Zhuang Zhou had gathered before the show and was currently seated in the front row toward the corner.

Wang Ze curled his lip and snorted. “Tch, just putting on an act.”

Tan Zhu couldn’t take it anymore and whispered, “If you’re so great, go up there yourself. What’s the point of chirping like a cricket behind someone’s back?”

Wang Ze sat bolt upright. “She’s just relying on her face! If I went up there, I’d be a hundred times better than her!”

Tan Zhu rolled her eyes.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Wang Ze felt insulted and straightened his collar. “I am the male lead of our production! The male lead! Do you know how much weight those words carry?!”

“Heh.” Tan Zhu gave a dry laugh and quickly turned back to the stage as Shen Nian made her next move.

“What a wonderful place,” Lu Jue said, affectedly waving a hand in front of her nose, her expression mocking. “Men and women draped in priceless jewelry, every gesture reeking of the putrid scent of money. I wish I could be surrounded by such a stench forever, trapped in a cage of gold. Sadly, my parents weren’t up to the task; I’m just a poor girl born in the slums.”

The dialogue was cynical, fitting Lu Jue’s greedy and world-weary persona. Yet, coming from Shen Nian, it didn’t spark resentment in the audience; instead, it made them anticipate what she would do next.

This was the hardest part of playing Lu Jue—making the audience know she was no good, yet finding it impossible to hate her.

“But it doesn’t matter,” Lu Jue continued, walking toward the center of the stage. “Exquisite deception can turn a beggar into a lady. Just like the common ferns by the roadside—if they mix with noble seeds, they too can be planted in fertile soil.”

The plot unfolded as Lu Jue stole a brooch from the innocent heiress, Qin Lan, to solidify her “noble” identity. Through this facade, she met the eighty-year-old Master Zhang and Xu Jun, the young woman forced to become his eighth concubine.

Lu Jue and Xu Jun formed a wary alliance. During a ball, Xu Jun drugged Master Zhang.

“I’ll distract everyone. You take him back to his room and quietly bring out that set of Imperial Green jade jewelry,” Lu Jue whispered in the shadows. “I’ll wait for you by the lifeboats at the stern in thirty minutes.”

In the spotlight, Lu Jue cupped Xu Jun’s face and kissed her cheek. “Once we have that jewelry, we’ll be set for life. You can study abroad or travel the world.”

The audience watched as Lu Jue effortlessly handled Master Zhang’s men and Xu Jun’s family with her masterclass acting. Everything seemed to be under control. But at the stern, things took a sharp turn.

Lu Jue didn’t find Xu Jun. Instead, Qin Lan, the rich lady, came running out. “Lu Jue! Run! They’re coming for you!”

Before Lu Jue could react, a crowd swarmed her and pinned her to the deck. She was dragged to a luxury suite, where she found the room stained with blood.

“Miss Xu!” the Captain pointed at the kneeling Lu Jue. “Look, is she the killer?!”

The crowd parted, and a pale Xu Jun walked out. Her voice trembled. “It’s her! I saw her plunge the fruit knife into my fiancé’s heart!”

“Absurd!” Lu Jue’s voice was hoarse. “I was on the deck the whole time!”

“Can anyone prove it?” Xu Jun countered.

Lu Jue looked at the crowd. “I was with all of you at the ball!”

“Yes,” the guests replied, “but thirty minutes ago, you said you felt unwell and left. No one knows where you went after that.”

At that moment, Lu Jue had been at the stern, full of hope, waiting for Xu Jun.

The confrontation was intense. Shen Nian’s explosive performance left Xu Jun’s actress, Xu Lele, struggling to keep up.

“Shen Nian’s presence is so strong!” Zhou Nan couldn’t help but marvel. “This is a live play, not a film set. She’s as good as professional theater actors…”

Wang Ze snorted again, drawing the icy glares of the entire Zhuang Zhou crew. Unable to withstand the scrutiny, he stood up and stormed out, grumbling about “trashy plays.”

On stage, Lu Jue was thrown into a makeshift brig. That night, Xu Jun appeared at her cell, confessing she had killed Master Zhang by accident during an argument and framed Lu Jue in a panic. She offered to break Lu Jue out and elope.

They met in a secluded corner of the deck. Xu Jun told her to wait while she went to fetch the hidden jewelry. But instead of Xu Jun, Qin Lan appeared again.

“She lied to you again! She’s bringing the Captain here right now to have you executed immediately!”

Thunder crashed in the background. Lu Jue trembled. Qin Lan, the “foolish” rich girl, offered her a different escape boat. “Go to Spring City and find the Kanglan Pharmacy. It’s my grandfather’s shop. If he sees this brooch, he will take care of you.”

The golden brooch Lu Jue had once stolen was now handed back to her as a gift of life.

Suddenly, Xu Jun appeared behind them, clutching a black bag. “Lu Jue! What are you doing? Come back! We have to go!”

Lu Jue stood between them—the lover who betrayed her, and the simple lady who had loved her from the start.

“Who will she choose?” Tan Zhu murmured.

With one final look at Xu Jun, Lu Jue leaped into the dark, churning sea.

In a twist, Qin Lan pointed the finger at Xu Jun. The “innocent” heiress revealed her teeth for the first time. “You’re just a low-class girl sold to an old man. You were never worthy of her.”

The jewelry spilled across the deck. Xu Jun was arrested as the killer.

In the final scene, a newspaper headline in Spring City reported a bloated corpse washed ashore. The face was unrecognizable, but the golden brooch on its chest shone brightly. Qin Lan stared at the paper and collapsed.

The curtain fell to thunderous applause.

Backstage, Shen Nian found Shen Zui waiting at her vanity, wearing a mask.

“Little Aunt?”

“You’re back.” Shen Zui’s eyes crinkled behind her mask. “Great performance. Congratulations.” She handed over a bouquet of flowers.

“Thank you,” Shen Nian whispered, blushing. “Did you see it all?”

“Every bit.” Shen Zui stood up and pulled Shen Nian down by the back of her neck. “A clever liar, undone by her only two moments of trust.”

“Lu Jue had no choice,” Shen Nian sighed. “Either way led to a dead end.”

“The writer left it open,” Shen Zui mused, her finger tracing Shen Nian’s collarbone. “Maybe if she had waited for Xu Jun, they would have made it.”

“Once betrayed, Lu Jue would never trust her again,” Shen Nian countered.

Shen Zui’s gaze grew deep. “And what about you, Niannian? If someone betrayed you, would you never trust them again?”

Shen Nian didn’t answer directly. She looked into Shen Zui’s clear eyes and asked, “What about you? Would you?”

Silence fell between them until Tao Di and Qi Lulu arrived. Shen Zui immediately shifted into “caring elder” mode, meticulously straightening Shen Nian’s messy stage costume and brushing makeup dust off her skin. Her touch made Shen Nian shiver.

“Done?” Shen Nian grabbed Shen Zui’s wrist to stop her.

Shen Zui smiled and pinched Shen Nian’s palm. “Go on. Attend to your cute singer friends.”

After seeing Tao Di and Qi Lulu off, Shen Nian returned to her seat. Shen Zui looked up from her phone. “So reluctant to see them go?”

“No…” Shen Nian protested, her face red.

Shen Zui teased her with a look. Shen Nian, feeling the exhaustion of the afternoon and the discomfort of her stage makeup, leaned back.

“I think I’m just a little tired…” she explained softly.