The Supporting Female Lead Chooses to Mark the Villain [Rebirth] - Chapter 7

Shortly after breakfast, Shen Bi arrived to visit her daughter.

“Grandmother,” Shen Nian greeted her politely with lowered eyes. Sensing it was time to leave, she picked up the meal tray and exited the room.

Yu Bingnan was waiting outside, her expression sour as she watched Shen Nian emerge. In her past life, Shen Nian would have simply kept the peace and acted as though she hadn’t noticed the hostility. This time, however, she looked the woman directly in the eye.

“Is there something you need?” Shen Nian asked.

Yu Bingnan hadn’t expected Shen Nian to confront her so boldly. Taken aback, she frowned and looked away. “No.”

“Heh,” Shen Nian let out a cold, sharp laugh.

She realized that submissiveness was useless. When dealing with a lapdog like Yu Bingnan, a firm stance was the only way to earn a modicum of respect.

Since it was getting late, Shen Nian planned to head back to her own room, but halfway there, her phone rang. It was Xi You.

“Are we heading back to school together?” Xi You asked.

Originally, they had requested five or six days off for their coming-of-age celebration. Now that the sailing trip had fallen through, Xi You was naturally making other plans.

“You go ahead,” Shen Nian replied. The storm had passed, leaving the ground littered with fallen petals and leaves. Shen Nian walked along the edge of the path, careful not to step on them. “I won’t be back to cancel my leave until Monday.”

“Ugh, this is so annoying,” Xi You complained over the phone. “That upperclassman from the Publicity Department has been relentlessly hitting on me. I’ll be harassed the moment I get back.”

Shen Nian’s response was half-hearted. “Can’t you just reject him directly?”

“Are you stupid?” Xi You’s tone sharpened. “He has connections and resources. Do you really expect me to burn that bridge?” She paused, then sneered. “I’m not like you; at least you’re technically a young lady of the Shen family.”

Shen Nian smiled dryly. “It seems a Publicity Department head carries more weight with you than a ‘Young Lady’ of the Shen family does.”

“You!” Xi You hissed, her fingers clenching her dress in frustration. “Shen Nian, what is wrong with you lately? You’re being so cynical.”

A raindrop fell from the eaves, landing squarely on Shen Nian’s head. It didn’t hurt, but it was bone-chillingly cold. She quickened her pace to avoid a puddle. “Am I?”

“You know exactly what you’re doing!” Xi You lost her patience and revealed her true motive. “Whatever. You have to deal with that upperclassman for me.”

“Sure,” Shen Nian agreed readily. “Give me his contact info. I’ll tell him straight out that you don’t like him and to stop bothering you.”

“No!” Xi You stopped her immediately. She hesitated for a few seconds before instructing, “Just tell him to stop pestering me, but… but don’t mention me. I don’t want to ruin my relationship with him.”

“Pfft,” Shen Nian chuckled.

Xi You was confused. “What are you laughing at?”

“Your plan is quite ingenious,” Shen Nian praised sarcastically. “By sacrificing one ‘villain,’ you achieve a perfect outcome for everyone else.”

Xi You didn’t catch the self-deprecation in her voice. “Then it’s settled. I’ve sent you his business card. Make sure you handle it before noon.”

The “sacrificed villain” listened to the dial tone as Xi You hung up. Shen Nian initially intended to put her phone away, but the desolate view of the fallen flowers was boring. She pulled her phone back out and clicked on the contact info Xi You had sent.

The man’s name was Zhou Nan, a junior at the Academy of Arts. He was known for his social maneuvering and his access to various industry resources.

While waiting for him to accept her friend request, Shen Nian browsed his public social media page. Scrolling through, she accidentally stumbled upon a casting call for a small web drama.

The post was so inconspicuous it was almost buried. If Shen Nian didn’t have the memories of her past life, she likely wouldn’t have been drawn to the bizarre title: The Chronicle of Zhuang Zhou: The Spirit Temple.

As a low-budget modern fantasy web drama, the Zhuang Zhou IP would become a minor hit later that year. However, its success would be short-lived. Despite receiving more investment for the second season, the project would fall apart after the lead actor breached his contract, eventually vanishing from the public eye.

Shen Nian clicked the details and quickly identified a role she could realistically vie for. Without wasting time, she dialed the contact number provided.

The Shen family had never let her go hungry, so in her previous life, Shen Nian had been a late bloomer. She had followed Xi You into the Academy of Arts but hadn’t realized her own potential for independence through acting until her senior year.

The call was picked up by a man who was loudly slurping noodles while talking to her. The production crew was clearly broke and lacked any formal structure. Upon learning Shen Nian was a student at A-University’s Art Department, he gave her an address near the West Gate.

“I’ll send you a location,” he said, smacking his lips. “Come over to the youth apartments. We’ll do an on-site audition.”

Shen Nian didn’t hesitate. “Alright.”

She rushed back to her room, changed into a simple tracksuit, and hailed a taxi to the meeting point. On the way, Zhou Nan accepted her friend request.

Zhou Nan: Who is this?

Shen Nian: Shen Nian. Freshman, Class of ’62, Art Department.

Zhou Nan didn’t reply. Shen Nian knew he was aware of who she was; she and Xi You were practically inseparable on campus. Since he was pursuing Xi You, it was impossible for him not to know her.

She sent another message: Senior, your behavior is causing Xi You some distress. Please stop bothering her.

Zhou Nan: Did Xi You ask you to tell me this?

Shen Nian raised an eyebrow. She replied: She was the one who gave me your contact information.

With that, the two reached a tacit understanding and the conversation ended.

Half an hour later, the taxi dropped her off at the West Gate. Following her navigation, she found a hidden youth apartment in a “village-within-the-city.” She knocked on the door of Room 302. Two men in white tank tops stared at her.

“Tsk,” the man at the door grunted, not even bothering to let her in. He scratched his face. “Are you here to audition for the role of ‘Chen Amin’?”

Shen Nian nodded. “Yes.”

The man waved her off. “Sigh, no, it won’t work. You can go.”

Shen Nian held the door open. “We haven’t even started the audition. How do you know I’m not right for it?”

The man laughed, eyeing her face. “How do I know? You’re too beautiful. You clearly don’t fit the part.”

The other creator inside joined in. “I told you to ask for a photo first. You made a beautiful girl come all this way for nothing.” He walked over and appraised her. “Height is good, but your build is a bit too slight.”

“Chen Amin” was a peripheral character—a “lovable oaf” type meant to provide muscle. The role required someone plain-looking so as not to overshadow the leads. Shen Nian knew this, but she had no choice; it was the only role left that she could remotely fit.

“Don’t worry about my face,” she said quickly. “It’s hard to make someone beautiful, but making someone ugly is easy. I’m very interested in the script for The Chronicle of Zhuang Zhou and I’m willing to change my physique for the role. Please, just give me a chance.”

“A production crew? Hahaha, you’re the first person to call us that,” the man at the door laughed, baring his teeth. He rubbed his nose and looked at her. “Usually I’d ignore talk like that, but you… you don’t look like someone who’s hurting for roles. Do you really want to join us?”

Shen Nian nodded firmly. “I do!”

The two men exchanged a look. Finally, the door swung wide. “Alright, let’s give it a shot. We’ve got nothing else to do this morning anyway…”

Shen Nian breathed a sigh of relief. With the acting experience of her past life, she was confident.

Once she received the audition script, she immediately slipped into the character of “Chen Amin.” She slumped her posture, her eyes becoming dull and vacant as she delivered the line: “This spirit shrine doesn’t look like much.” Then, she performed a reaction to being “slapped in the face” by the supernatural, her features contorting in a comical, terrified shock.

The two creators were stunned. “Why didn’t you come earlier? If we’d known, we would have cast you as the male lead!”

Shen Nian was speechless for a moment. “I’m a female Alpha.”

“We can change it! We can change the script!” the writer, Nan Zheng, cried out, waving an electronic pen. “It’s just a gender swap! It won’t affect the main plot.”

Shen Nian remembered that the person who eventually caused the crew to fall apart was the original “male lead.” She narrowed her eyes and suggested temptingly, “It’s not too late to change it now, is it?”

“We can’t…” the director, Cai Kang, said rationally. “We already signed the contract with that handsome guy. We’re afraid he’d sue us.”

The three of them fell into silence.

Regardless, Shen Nian got the role of “Chen Amin.”

By the time she left the apartment, it was noon. The 12:00 sun was high, making everything feel warm and pleasant. Shen Nian pulled out her phone to call another taxi, only to see 12 missed calls on the screen.

While she was staring in shock, the number called again.

“Niannian,” Shen Zui’s voice came through, a mix of anger and vulnerability. “Where did you go?”