The Supporting Female Lead Chooses to Mark the Villain [Rebirth] - Chapter 8

“I’m at school,” Shen Nian replied, looking up at the gates of A-University in the distance.

There was a two-second silence on the other end before Shen Zui asked, “It’s Sunday. Why did you go back so early?”

“I had some business to take care of while I was out.” Hearing her voice, Shen Nian’s mood relaxed instinctively. She walked forward, one hand in her pocket and her phone in the other. “Did you eat, Young Aunt?”

Shen Zui toyed with her salad with a silver fork. “…I was waiting for you to come back so we could eat together.”

Shen Nian failed to catch the subtle, difficult-to-define emotion in her voice. She responded quickly and naturally: “I’m not coming back for lunch. Go ahead and eat.”

“…” Shen Zui’s hand trembled, her fork striking the glass bowl with a sharp ting.

Her appetite vanished instantly. She tossed the utensil aside and leaned back against the cushions. The bed still held a trace of Shen Nian’s cedar scent, but after a whole morning, it had faded until it was almost imperceptible.

Shen Nian quickened her pace, stepping into the shade of the trees. “Is there anything else?”

“Niannian is certainly busy, running around even at high noon,” Shen Zui remarked, her voice neither warm nor cold. “Put aside the unimportant things. Don’t let anything delay you from coming home for a meal.”

She emphasized the word “home,” but Shen Nian only registered the word “meal.”

“Got it. I’ll grab a wrap at the cafeteria later.”

Shen Zui bit her lip. “…”

Fine, she thought, I’m full—full of anger.

Nearby, a vendor was selling fresh fruit under a tree. In the sweltering midday heat, the man fanned himself with a cattail leaf. As Shen Nian passed by, the sight of golden pineapples soaking in saltwater made her mouth water.

She asked Shen Zui, “Auntie, do you want some pineapple?”

“Hmm?”

Shen Nian smiled. “I’ll bring some back for you to try this evening.”

“Is it sour?” Shen Zui wrinkled her nose. Her voice sounded indifferent, but the corners of her lips had already curved upward. “I can’t handle sour things.”

“It won’t be,” Shen Nian reassured her. “It’s already been prepared.”

Shen Zui’s tone finally lightened. “Alright.”

A bus pulled up at the stop ahead. Shen Nian said goodbye, hung up, and took the bus back to her dormitory.

The Dormitory and the Gym

The undergraduate apartments at A-University were standard four-person rooms with loft beds, desks underneath, and private balconies. While these conditions were modest compared to the luxury of the Shen estate, Shen Nian cherished them; she had fought hard to gain permission to live on campus.

She had returned to grab her student ID, but she ran into her three roommates returning from the cafeteria. The girls were laughing and playing, but they stopped in surprise when they saw her.

“Shen Nian? Why are you back?” they asked curiously. “Weren’t you on leave for a vacation?”

Looking at their familiar faces, Shen Nian felt a wave of nostalgia. In her previous life, she had lost touch with them after graduation. “Something came up, so I canceled the trip,” she explained.

“Perfect timing,” Xu Hongni said, leaning back in her chair. “The second round of casting for Warm Light starts next week. Are you going?”

Shen Nian frowned. “Are all three of you going?”

“Yeah! We’re going to try our luck!” Xu Hongni nodded.

Shen Nian shook her head. She spoke plainly: “The actress already cast for the second female lead has a difficult personality. I’m afraid joining that set will only lead to being bullied.”

This wasn’t just a rumor; in her past life, Xu Hongni had secured a minor role in that film. Because her character had a conflict with the second female lead, she was targeted and isolated on set. After the movie’s release, she was even subjected to months of cyberbullying.

“Huh?” The roommates didn’t know Shen Nian’s full background, but they knew she came from wealth. “If someone as powerful as you is afraid of being bullied, what kind of background does that actress have?”

Shen Nian didn’t elaborate. She tucked her student ID into her pocket. “If you go to the audition, just be careful.” She shifted the subject quickly. “I’m going to sign up for a gym membership. Do you want to come?”

The three exchanged a look and tacitly shook their heads. After a few more pleasantries, Shen Nian left.

She went straight to the gym nearest to the school and used her student discount to purchase a personal training package. The trainer, a female Alpha, was thrilled by the quick payment and took her for a physical assessment.

Shen Nian assumed she was in good shape, but the trainer frowned at her charts. “…You’re only eighteen?”

“Yes,” Shen Nian replied, confused. “Is there a problem?”

“Your growth plates are already closed, meaning you won’t grow any taller,” the trainer said, glancing at Shen Nian’s slender frame. “Usually, that doesn’t happen until after age twenty.”

“Is that so?” Shen Nian had undergone countless checkups over the years because she was required to provide blood for Shen Zui, but this was the first time she’d heard this.

“Were you very overweight as a child?” the trainer asked. “Over-nutrition can cause early closure.”

Shen Nian shook her head with a smile. “No.” In her memory, she had always been thin and weak, likely due to the monthly blood draws.

“That’s strange then,” the trainer muttered, scratching her head. She decided to design a workout plan based on adult standards rather than adolescent ones.

The Unwanted Encounter

Two hours later, Shen Nian finished her first session. After a shower and a change of clothes, she left the gym feeling refreshed. It was only 4:30 PM when she hailed a taxi, bought the pineapples at the West Gate, and arrived back at the Shen estate.

She walked with a light step, thinking the fruit would be perfect for Shen Zui’s afternoon tea. However, she froze as she approached the medical building.

Two women stood at the entrance.

Shen Que was dressed in a sharp business suit, her jacket draped over her arm as she checked her watch. A few meters away, Qi Yun stood in a form-fitting brown qipao, staring blankly at the ground. Though they were legal partners, they stood far apart with no eye contact. A stranger might have assumed they were enemies.

These were Shen Nian’s nominal parents.

The reborn Shen Nian no longer feared them, but she still felt a deep loathing for them. Assuming they were there to visit Shen Zui, she turned to leave, hoping to return later to avoid them.

But misfortune never comes alone. As she turned, she collided with a pair of sinister eyes.

Shen Zhuan (her nominal sister) approached her, reaching out an arm to drape it familiarly over Shen Nian’s shoulder. “My dear little sister… Woah!”

Shen Nian stepped aside. Shen Zhuan’s arm hit empty air, and she stumbled forward a few steps before stabilizing herself. She turned back, glaring with fury.

Realizing there was no escape, Shen Nian straightened her collar and greeted her expressionlessly.

“Sister.”