The Supporting Female Lead Chooses to Mark the Villain [Rebirth] - Chapter 57

No matter which path she took, the outcome was the same: Shen Zui eventually followed Shen Nian back to the apartment.

In that familiar environment with its high-end décor, the artisan bed—worth hundreds of thousands of yuan—remained rock-steady. Yet, Shen Zui felt herself drifting all night, her feet never quite touching solid ground.

When it finally ended, Shen Nian changed the sheets before holding Shen Zui close to sleep. The previous set of linens, now tossed in the laundry hamper, was a damp, crumpled mess.

The absurdity of it all came the next morning. While Shen Zui remained in a deep slumber after their night of intimacy, Shen Nian found herself trending on the hot search list with another woman.

#XiYouShenNian #LeadActressOfWarmLightRelationshipExposed #ShippingHighVisualCPs

A prominent paparazzi team had caught a “huge scoop” at the premiere of Warm Light. They leaked the news of the rising starlet Xi You’s relationship that very night.

The article used extremely suggestive wording: “A girlfriend quietly attends the premiere to show support,” followed by, “While the crowd dispersed, the young couple couldn’t restrain themselves, whispering sweet nothings in the back row of the theater.”

Unsuspecting netizens, fueled by the text and accompanying photos, didn’t doubt the authenticity for a second.

Shen Nian’s phone had been on silent since she returned home the previous night—it was the tail end of the New Year break, and she hadn’t expected anything urgent to happen while she was busy “settling scores” with Shen Zui.

Consequently, when she woke up at 11:00 AM and saw 99+ unread messages and missed calls, she was momentarily stunned. Just then, Mo Huai called again. Shen Nian glanced at the still-sleeping Shen Zui and tiptoed out of the room.

“Sister Mo?”

“Shen Nian!” Mo Huai practically screamed. “What is going on with you and that Xi You?”

Shen Nian frowned. “What happened?”

“Did you just wake up?” Realizing Shen Nian’s confusion wasn’t feigned, Mo Huai calmed down slightly. “Is Xi You with you?”

“No. Tell me, what’s wrong?”

“You were secretly photographed at the Warm Light premiere yesterday…” Mo Huai rubbed her temples, sounding exhausted. “Go check the internet yourself. We’ll talk in a bit.”

Shen Nian hung up and opened her social media app. Entering the hot search, she frowned the moment she saw the photos.

The angles were incredibly deceptive. During their conversation, Xi You had touched her twice—once grabbing her arm and once initiating a one-sided hug. Both moments had been captured to look like intimate gestures.

Crucially, in these photos, only Shen Nian’s profile was visible; while it clearly identified her, her actual expression was hidden. Based solely on the bright smile on Xi You’s face, it looked as though the two were indeed having a flirtatious, joyful conversation.

Under the post, casual observers were already celebrating:

“These two! Their visuals are so well-matched!”

“Ah! It looks like Xi You and Shen Nian went to the same school. Is this a sweet campus romance?”

“I love seeing beautiful people together. This is a feast for my eyes.”

Shen Nian’s brow deepened. A message from Mo Huai popped up:

Mo Huai: What is your relationship with Xi You?

Shen Nian: We are essentially just acquaintances.

Mo Huai: Just acquaintances? Then why were you hugging in the theater?

Shen Nian narrowed her eyes and typed out: I was set up.

The Industry’s Calculation

Mo Huai felt Shen Nian was being a bit extreme. She sent a series of messages explaining the industry logic:

Mo Huai: Xi You’s movie just released. She’s Zhou Muqiu’s lead actress; her status is much higher than yours. In this situation, she’s the one who stands to lose more. Believe it or not, your follower count has already jumped by tens of thousands. If this really is a misunderstanding… ask her side how they want to handle it.

Shen Nian tried calling Xi You, but the call didn’t go through. She cold-snorted and sent a text: Are you aware of the hot search? Do you have time to discuss a solution?

Xi You eventually replied: I’m at the company; it’s not convenient to talk. I’ll start a group chat. Add your manager so we can all communicate easily.

The group was formed quickly. Mo Huai sent Shen Nian a private voice message: “Good lord, her manager is Fan Xiuran? He has a massive background.”

Mo Huai explained that while Fan was officially a “newbie,” he was the protégé of the legendary Liu Yong and had deep family ties in the industry. His influence was immense.

In the group chat, Fan Xiuran sent a long message:

“@ShenNian @MoHuai, from the current trend of public opinion, the news of this relationship is bringing massive positive benefits. It’s helping both newcomers and their respective works. We are optimistic and don’t want to waste this opportunity. What do you think?”

In short: Hype the “CP” (Couple pairing).

It was a standard industry tactic. Any manager with a business mind would jump at it. Mo Huai was already planning how to squeeze some benefits out of these “big spenders” when a message popped up:

Shen Nian: No.

Shen Nian: I want an immediate clarification.

Mo Huai nearly dropped her phone. She called Shen Nian immediately, questioning why she was being so hasty.

“Sister Mo,” Shen Nian said, her mood souring. “This was meant to be a discussion on strategy. My strategy is to clarify immediately.”

“Shen Nian, listen to me! This does us no harm!” Mo Huai argued. “Xi You has a higher status and a better background. Hype this up with her, and we come out on top. Why not just roll with it?”

“I don’t need it,” Shen Nian sneered.

“Fine, you’re noble,” Mo Huai said sarcastically. “The Omega hasn’t said anything, yet you—the Alpha—are acting like you’re the one being taken advantage of.”

Shen Nian took a deep breath. “To be honest, Sister Mo… my relationship with Xi You is not good. I don’t want anything to do with her.”

Shen Nian then explained the history—omitting the details about the Shen family’s true power—explaining how she and Xi You grew up together, and that Xi You was technically her “distantly related aunt.”

“So she treated you like a ‘spare tire’ (backup) while she was being pursued by others?” Mo Huai summarized.

“You could say that,” Shen Nian replied.

Understanding the history, Mo Huai dropped the idea of the hype and agreed to handle Fan Xiuran. By 2:00 PM, both sides issued a clarification: they were just “ordinary friends” supporting a movie premiere.

The High School “Evidence”

The storm seemed to have passed, but the next morning, things took a turn for the worse. A “high school classmate” posted “candid” photos from their school days.

The photos showed a younger Shen Nian holding an umbrella for Xi You in the rain or handing her a milk tea. Unlike the theater photos, these clearly showed Shen Nian’s face—稚嫩 (tender/youthful) but filled with a gaze that was anything but “innocent.”

Memory flooded back to Shen Nian. Back then, she truly had been infatuated with Xi You. She had even gotten into a fight with a rich kid over her.

Then, Xi You “accidentally” liked the post, only to un-like it an hour later.

Public opinion shifted instantly. People now believed the “ordinary friends” clarification was just a cover-up for a long-term, secret romance.

Mo Huai was in a bind. “We can’t clarify anymore. It will just look like we’re trying too hard to hide it. The best we can do is ‘cold treatment’—wait for new news to bury this.”

Shen Nian stood tall, her eyes narrowing as she looked at the rising heat of the “Nian-You” hashtag.

“Expose the fact that Xi You and I are relatives,” Shen Nian decided.

“Are you sure?” Mo Huai asked.

“I’m sure,” Shen Nian said, her voice steady and chilling. “Guide all these interactions toward ‘family’ and ‘friendship.’ I want this finished.”