The Supporting Female Lead Chooses to Mark the Villain [Rebirth] - Chapter 70

Shen Nian arrived home at 8:30 PM. As she opened the door, the sensor light in the foyer flickered on. In the living room, Shen Zui looked up from her book.

“You’re back?” Shen Zui stretched, her sleepwear riding up her thighs.

Shen Nian didn’t speak. She wiped her hands with a wet wipe from the cabinet and walked straight toward her. She snatched the book from Shen Zui’s hands and tossed it onto the floor with a heavy thud.

Shen Zui looked up in surprise, her eyes meeting Shen Nian’s cool, intense gaze. Shen Nian leaned down, cupped her chin, and kissed her. It was a fierce kiss, tinged with suppressed anger—not at Shen Zui, but at the world—and a desperate, aggrieved plea for comfort.

Shen Zui softened, embracing her back and allowing Shen Nian to press her deep into the sofa. When they finally broke apart, both were breathless.

“What happened?” Shen Zui asked gently, sensing the faint aura of sadness clinging to her lover.

Shen Nian buried her face in Shen Zui’s neck, listening to the steady thump-thump of her heart. After several minutes, she finally spoke. “I went to see Huang Zhen.”

“Are you sick?!” was Shen Zui’s first reaction.

“No,” Shen Nian soothed her with a kiss. “It has nothing to do with my health. I wanted to know about my background.”

Shen Zui’s brow furrowed slightly. Shen Nian began to explain herself, but Shen Zui pressed a hand over hers. “Niannian, you don’t need to explain. You’ve grown up; you have the right to know.” She gave a small smile. “Next time, don’t go to others. Just ask me.”

The Truth Revealed

Shen Nian took a deep breath. “I was adopted at age three, before I even differentiated. How did the Shen family know my pheromones could cure your condition? It can’t be a coincidence.”

“It wasn’t,” Shen Zui admitted. She looked toward the window, her voice distant. “When my mother (Xi Wu) was gravely ill, the doctors suggested a desperate measure: find an Alpha with a specific mutation whose pheromones wouldn’t trigger an allergic reaction.”

Shen Nian’s heart raced. “Did they find one?”

“They did,” Shen Zui nodded sadly. “But it was too late. Blood treatments couldn’t stop her decline. The only option left was for that Alpha to completely mark her. But my mother… she refused. She would rather die than let a stranger mark her.”

Shen Nian felt a dull ache in her chest. She hugged Shen Zui tightly, realizing she had forced her to relive a tragedy.

“Later,” Shen Zui continued, “when I differentiated into an Omega, it was discovered I had the same fatal gene. My mother (Shen Bi) searched for that Alpha again, but he had fled the country. However, they found his child. They found you.”

Shen Nian froze. “Me?”

“You were the child of that Alpha and one of his girlfriends. Neither wanted to raise you, so you ended up in a welfare house. The Shen family adopted you before you differentiated, hoping you would turn out to be an Alpha like your father.”

Shen Nian finished the story for her. “And when I did, they used my blood to treat you.”

“I’m sorry…” Shen Zui whispered.

“Don’t say sorry!” Shen Nian interrupted, her voice trembling with emotion. “I am grateful. I’m so happy that I was an Alpha, and that I arrived in time to save you.” She held Shen Zui as if afraid she would vanish like Xi Wu.

A New Identity

After the emotions settled, Shen Nian made a request that startled Shen Zui. “I want to move my household registration (hukou) out of the Shen family.”

“You want to terminate the adoption relationship?” Shen Zui asked, surprised.

“Yes,” Shen Nian said firmly. She looked Shen Zui in the eye. “I’ve grown up, Shen Zui. You can’t just keep being my ‘Aunt’ in any capacity.”

Shen Zui stared at her, realizing the depth of Shen Nian’s intent to tear down the last barrier between them as lovers. After a long silence, she nodded. “I understand. Don’t be impulsive; I will handle it.”

Shen Nian also mentioned she was looking for an elderly couple who had cared for her as a child—likely workers from the now-defunct welfare house. Shen Zui offered help, but Shen Nian felt confident Mo Huai could find them.

The Graduation Ceremony and the Missing Letter

The next day was graduation. The A-University campus was swarmed with fans, eight out of ten screaming Shen Nian’s name. After the ceremony, Shen Nian was mobbed for photos and signatures.

In the chaos, her friend Yang Min encountered a middle-aged man outside. He had weary but handsome eyes that looked strangely familiar. He handed Yang Min a thin envelope. “I’m a family member of Shen Nian. Could you give this to her?”

Yang Min, in a hurry to meet her own family, left the envelope on Shen Nian’s bag in the hall. However, a group of rowdy students accidentally knocked over the chairs. The thin envelope slipped to the floor, unnoticed.

When Shen Nian returned to grab her things, a cleaner asked if the letter was hers. Shen Nian, not recognizing it, said “No.” The envelope—and the secrets it held—was swept into a dustpan and thrown into the trash, destined for destruction.

The Celebration

Shen Nian ducked out of her graduation party early, eager to get home. She found the living room dark, but light spilled from the dining room.

There stood Shen Zui, dressed formally with perfect hair and makeup, pouring champagne.

“Happy Graduation,” Shen Zui said, her eyes twinkling. She had prepared a grand meal for just the two of them.

Shen Nian leaned in, her voice husky. “Is that all? You know… I’m very hungry right now.”

Shen Zui felt a flicker of regret for teasing a “hungry beast,” but she smiled, leading Shen Nian to the table. The night was just beginning.