The Supporting Female Lead Chooses to Mark the Villain [Rebirth] - Chapter 5

An hour later.

The storm of passion had subsided. Shen Nian brushed the sweat-dampened hair from the woman’s forehead and whispered into her ear, “Young Aunt?”

Shen Zui kept her eyes closed, letting out a raspy, sobbing murmur at the disturbance while pressing a hand against Shen Nian’s shoulder. Seeing this uncharacteristically soft and charming side of her, Shen Nian couldn’t help but smile. As the warmth reached her eyes, she realized how genuine her happiness felt, and she touched her lips in quiet reflection.

Shen Zui’s sleep was fitful. She turned her head to the left, exposing the fresh wound on her neck. The bleeding had stopped, but the area was still red and swollen, a clear set of teeth marks visible on her pale pink gland.

Shen Nian’s breath hitched; she instinctively licked her own canine teeth. She vividly remembered the sensation of marking her. Despite her lack of experience, her instinctual desire had successfully aroused Shen Zui. At the height of their intimacy, she had seized the moment to complete the mark.

Shen Zui’s reaction to being bitten had been adorable—she trembled like a small animal caught by its predator, yet she had clung to Shen Nian’s back as if trying to merge their bodies. When Shen Nian finally pulled back to look at her, she found Shen Zui’s eyes red with tears.

Shen Nian had kissed them away, patting her back. “Did I hurt you?”

“Niannian…” Shen Zui had sobbed her name, her voice thick with a cute, hiccuping accusation. “Too much… Niannian is being too much!”

“Yes, yes, it’s my fault,” Shen Nian had whispered, kissing her lips to distract her. “Niannian was wrong.”

Eventually, exhausted, Shen Zui had fallen into a deep sleep in her arms. Shen Nian decided against a “complete permanent marking” for now—that would require staying in bed for three days, and she wasn’t sure the outside world would leave them undisturbed for that long. However, their pheromones were now matched; Shen Zui was finally safe from the interference of others.

Checking Shen Zui’s leg, Shen Nian was relieved to see the swelling and red spots had almost vanished. She massaged the slender limb for ten minutes until it returned to its snowy white state.

Suddenly, a beep-beep sound broke the silence.

Shen Nian moved the pillow she had used to cover the security camera. The green light was off; a piercing red light flashed instead. The person on the other end was sending a message. After confirming Shen Zui was still asleep, Shen Nian dressed and walked out.

The Confrontation

Outside the room, the female doctor looked nervous. “The Madam is back,” she whispered. “She’s waiting for you. She’s in a very bad mood… be careful.”

Shen Nian took a deep breath. In her past life, the person she feared most wasn’t the overt bullies like Shen Zhuan, but the matriarch, Shen Bi. Shen Bi was a vegetarian who chanted Buddhist sutras and appeared merciful, but to Shen Nian, she felt like a predator.

Shen Nian found Shen Bi sitting on the sofa, fingering a string of sandalwood beads. It was nearly midnight.

“Sit,” Shen Bi said without looking up. Her voice was calm, but Shen Nian felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up—a survival instinct honed from two lifetimes.

“A’Zui fell ill; you worked hard this time,” Shen Bi said after a moment, finally looking at her with eyes that were cloudy yet piercing.

“It wasn’t hard,” Shen Nian replied, maintaining her composure. “Caring for Young Aunt is my duty.”

“Good child.” Shen Bi nodded. She signaled to her assistant, Yu Bingnan, to bring out a gift: dried Hashima (forest frog fat), a luxury tonic.

Shen Nian tried to decline, but Yu Bingnan’s face darkened. “Nian-jie’er, a gift from an elder cannot be refused. This is the Madam’s heart.”

Yu Bingnan approached Shen Nian, her black shoes clicking on the floor like a death march. She leaned down, offering a whole, dried, shriveled Hashima. “Why don’t you have a taste? Don’t let the Madam’s efforts go to waste.”

It was a blatant insult. Hashima must be soaked overnight and prepared carefully; offering a raw, dried carcass to “taste” was a move of pure malice.

Shen Nian looked at Shen Bi. The older woman had her eyes closed, chanting sutras, pretending not to notice. They wanted to humiliate her.

In her past life, Shen Nian would have swallowed the dry carcass like a clown to appease them. This time, she stood up and calmly took the dried frog from Yu Bingnan’s hand.

Yu Bingnan smirked. But before she could speak, Shen Nian hurled the Hashima directly into the woman’s hypocritical face.

“Ah!” Yu Bingnan screamed, clutching her face. She lunged forward to slap Shen Nian, but Shen Nian caught her arm and delivered a resounding slap of her own.

Smack!

The room went dead silent. Even the “Bodhisattva” on the sofa opened her eyes.

“You’ve followed Grandmother for decades, and this is the only stupidity you’ve learned?” Shen Nian looked down at Yu Bingnan. “Who taught you to eat Hashima like this? If you pull a stunt like this in public, you’ll shame the Shen family name.”

Yu Bingnan shook with rage, but Shen Bi gave no order to attack.

“Grandmother,” Shen Nian said, seizing the initiative. “You shouldn’t spoil these useless servants.”

“You certainly have a filial heart, disciplining my people for me,” Shen Bi said coolly. She stood up, her back as straight as bamboo. She walked to Shen Nian and patted her shoulder. “It’s been a long day. Go back and rest.”

Shen Nian shook her head. “I just marked Young Aunt. She’ll want me when she wakes up. I need to stay by her side.”

The air froze. A flash of lightning outside illuminated Shen Bi’s eyes, which were now brewing a storm.

Suddenly, the string of beads in Shen Bi’s hand snapped. The sandalwood beads scattered across the floor with a series of loud thuds.

“Alas,” Shen Bi sighed, looking at the broken string. “A’Zui went to the mountains to pray for these for me years ago, back when her health wasn’t so bad.” She looked directly at Shen Nian. “Niannian, do you think I have a good temper?”

Thunder roared, shaking the building. Shen Nian clenched her trembling hands into fists inside her pockets.

“Since Grandmother loves the beads so much,” Shen Nian said, her voice steady, “once Young Aunt is better, let her accompany you to get a new string.”

The female doctor, emboldened, chimed in: “Yes! The new treatment plan is much better than simple blood injections. The Miss will be able to go out soon.”

Shen Bi’s thumb moved over the empty air where her beads used to be. “Is that so… well, that would be wonderful.”

The Return

The tension broke slightly. A sound came from the bedroom. The doctor checked the monitor. “The Miss is awake… she’s looking for Niannian.”

“I’ll go in,” Shen Nian said immediately.

Yu Bingnan tried to block her, but Shen Bi scolded her. However, Shen Bi then turned her cold gaze toward the doctor. “I wasn’t aware that treatment plans could be changed without consulting the family.”

The doctor turned pale. “It was an emergency… if we didn’t mark her, the Miss might have…”

“I don’t care about that,” Shen Bi interrupted. “I asked: shouldn’t you have consulted us?”

Yu Bingnan dragged the trembling doctor away as Shen Nian retreated into the bedroom, shutting the door on the chaos. Inside, Shen Zui’s eyes were red as she called out, “Niannian.”

“I’m here.” Shen Nian climbed onto the bed and pulled the woman into her arms.

“Are you busy?” Shen Zui whispered, playing with the ribbon on Shen Nian’s shirt.

“No,” Shen Nian soothed. “I’m staying right here with you all night.”

Shen Zui nuzzled into her shoulder, breathing in the scent of cedar. She closed her eyes and drifted back to sleep. Exhausted herself, Shen Nian let out a yawn and allowed herself to sink into a dreamless sleep alongside her.