The Supporting Female Lead Chooses to Mark the Villain [Rebirth] - Chapter 87

That night, Sang Nian had a dream.

The setting was familiar—the high-end apartment where she had lived for several years. She and Sunny were sitting on the living room carpet playing a game when, by accident, the little girl dropped a colorful ball. It rolled away and vanished from sight.

Sang Nian helped her search, looking through the dining room, the balcony, and several bedrooms. They checked every nook and cranny, but the ball was nowhere to be found.

Finally, they stopped in front of the master bedroom door.

“It’s inside,” Sunny told her.

Sang Nian looked at the closed door and shook her head. “Impossible.”

Sunny let go of her hand and pressed her ear against the door. She was certain. “It’s right inside! I heard it!”

“Heard what?” Sang Nian asked.

“Mommy.”

As soon as the word was spoken, the sensor-locked door slid open. Sang Nian looked up to see a woman in a knee-length nightgown walking gracefully toward them.

Sunny dove into the woman’s arms. Like the little fish in the picture book searching for its mother, she wriggled with joy.

“Found you!” Sang Nian heard her childish voice express pure delight. “Mommy, I knew it was you!”

Sang Nian tried to step closer, desperate to see the woman’s face, but a thick fog suddenly rolled into the dream. No matter how hard she pushed forward, she could no longer reach them.

Then, she woke up.

At first, the memory of the dream was clear. By the time she finished washing up, however, her brain had processed the redundant information, leaving behind only faint traces.

Sang Nian checked her phone and saw a message from her manager, Mo Huai, sent five hours ago:

【I’ve boarded. Arriving at 10:30 AM local time. If you’re free, come pick me up?】

Sang Nian thought for a moment and replied: 【Okay.】

It was just 8:00 AM. The drive from the hotel to the airport took about an hour, which gave her enough time to change and grab breakfast on the first floor.

Just as Sang Nian was systematically carrying out her plan, there was a knock at the door. She glanced at the monitor and went straight to open it.

“Mommy!” Sunny was standing outside.

The moment the little girl saw her, it was like a flower bud meeting the warm sun; her smile was as radiant as could be. “I have something yummy for you!”

“Breakfast?” Sang Nian asked. She leaned down and scooped the child into her arms.

“Mhm!” Sunny nodded.

The hallway was empty, so Sang Nian brought her into the room. “Have you eaten?”

“Not yet. I want to eat with Mommy.”

“Alright,” Sang Nian said. “Who prepared this?”

“Mama bought it.”

“Then we should thank her.”

“Mhm.” Sunny sat on a chair and smiled proudly. “I already did.”

“So well-behaved?”

“I said it for you, too!” Sunny held up her chubby little hands. “I said it twice!”

“I see.” Sang Nian laughed and opened the brown paper bag, taking out the items one by one. “You’ve done me a huge favor. Let me think… how should I thank Sunny?”

Sunny hid her hands behind her back and looked at her shyly. Sang Nian leaned in and kissed her on the cheek.

“Hehe.” The little girl’s eyes crinkled into crescents.

“I’ll owe you one for now.”

“Huh?” Sunny looked at her. “Just now…” She pouted and made a “mua” sound, imitating a kiss. “Wasn’t that it?”

“Of course not.” Sang Nian was amused. “The kiss was just interest.”

Sunny was puzzled. “What is interest?”

As Sang Nian was pondering how to explain the concept, Sunny interrupted her thoughts. She stood on the chair and reached out to Sang Nian. “I don’t want anything else. I want Mommy to kiss me again.”

“Oh?” Sang Nian leaned in. “How many times?”

The little girl looked at her expectantly. “Many, many!”

Sang Nian couldn’t hold back any longer; she pulled her into her arms and gave her several affectionate kisses. “Gosh, where did a big treasure like you come from?!”

Sunny giggled like a floating little cloud—white, tender, and soft.

Breakfast consisted of Cantonese dim sum, including several of Sang Nian’s favorites. When she first saw them, she wondered if her tastes were just very common, or if it was a coincidence that the neighbor had happened to buy exactly what she liked.

Sunny held her milk bottle and took occasional bites of the food Sang Nian fed her. By the time they finished, her little belly was bulging.

“I have to go out.” After tidying up the trash, Sang Nian spoke to the little girl while putting on her coat. “Is Auntie Su in the room? I’ll take you back.”

Sunny scurried over to her feet. “I’m going out too!”

Sang Nian laughed. “Where are you going?”

“With Mommy!”

“…” Sang Nian knelt down and tapped the girl’s nose. “You really don’t treat me like a stranger, do you?”

Sunny blinked her beautiful large eyes, clearly not understanding the idiom.

“I can’t take you,” Sang Nian said seriously, holding her hand. “There are many bad people in the world. A baby can’t just go out with anyone.”

Sunny nodded. She thought for a moment and defended herself: “I’m not doing that.”

“So you should go back now.” Sang Nian checked that she had everything ready and picked her up.

Leaving the room, she walked to the door opposite hers. Just as she was about to press the doorbell, Sunny suddenly wrapped her arms tightly around Sang Nian’s neck.

“Sunny?”

“You aren’t a bad person!” the little girl declared righteously.

Sang Nian: “…”

“You are Mommy!” Sunny continued to shout. “I can go with Mommy!”

“Be good,” Sang Nian coaxed.

But the little girl wasn’t interested in logic. Before the negotiation could even begin, her eyes turned red.

“Alright, alright.” Sang Nian feared her “little pearls” more than anything. “How about we ask your Mama’s opinion? If Mama agrees, I’ll take you with me.”

Sunny calmed down and sniffled. “Okay.”

“No taking it back,” Sang Nian said, wanting to set the ground rules. “If Mama says no, you have to stay with her and be good.”

She was being very thorough, certain that the other parent would never agree.

Sunny was very compliant. “Mhm.”

Relieved, Sang Nian finally pressed the doorbell. The person inside unlocked it remotely. Sang Nian pushed the door open but saw no one.

Standing in the entryway with Sunny in her arms, she called out tentatively, “Hello?”

A woman’s voice responded in English, “What happened?”

The woman had a slight London accent, and her speaking pace was incredibly pleasant to the ear. She seemed to be intentionally lowering her voice; Sang Nian felt a slight tingling sensation at the tips of her ears.

She shook it off and explained her schedule as planned. “It will be crowded at the airport. I’m afraid I won’t be able to look after her properly.”

“I understand,” the woman replied. She then called out, “Sunny, come here.”

The two syllables of “Sunny” sounded slightly different in her voice—a specific intonation that felt strange. Sang Nian was puzzled but didn’t dwell on it, assuming it was a special nickname between mother and daughter.

Following the instruction, Sang Nian bent down and set the little girl on the floor. The girl kept her promise and headed back, but she was reluctant, looking back at Sang Nian every three steps. Eventually, Sang Nian had to look away to keep from softening her heart and calling her back.

She took a deep breath to refocus. “I asked Sunny’s nanny to pass along a dinner invitation last night. I was wondering if you were free this evening?”

“Dinner…” The woman’s voice paused for several seconds. Just as Sang Nian thought she was going to decline, the woman responded in a raspy voice, “Yes, I am.”

For some reason, Sang Nian felt a flash of joy. She gave a soft “Mhm” and said, “I’ll be back this afternoon. I’ll come by then.”

“Alright.”

With the agreement secured, Sang Nian turned to leave.

After successfully picking up Mo Huai, the two went to a well-reviewed French restaurant.

“Foreign Michelin stars aren’t all that,” Mo Huai commented boldly in Chinese. “Insanely expensive, and the portions are tiny.”

Sang Nian laughed. “If I’d known, I should have taken you to the $20 buffet on the next street.”

“Tsk.” Mo Huai glanced at her and turned to the waiter to order another serving of cherry foie gras. “Actually, I’ve just realized French cuisine is quite good. Especially when someone else is paying—it’s worth having a few more courses.”

Knowing she was joking, Sang Nian replied with a smile, “Sure, eat as much as you like. We’ll take a bottle of red wine with us when we leave.”

Mo Huai scoffed. “No need for that.”

The two finished their meal and were supposed to return to the hotel. However, while waiting for a taxi, Mo Huai received a call. After talking to a foreigner for a while, she hung up and tilted her head toward Sang Nian. “We’re not going back yet. Let’s go—there’s an impromptu interview.”

Sang Nian frowned. “Now?”

“I’ve been in contact with these people for a long time. We couldn’t agree on the terms before, so I didn’t think it was necessary,” Mo Huai explained. “But their headquarters finally gave in. You’ll be the first Asian face to break their record!”

“I came out in a hurry, I’m not prepared…”

Mo Huai looked her up and down. “Prepared for what? You look fine! You’re charming enough without even trying. If you actually dressed up, who are you trying to kill with your looks?”

Just then, a taxi pulled up. Mo Huai nudged her. “Go on, it’s a rare opportunity.”

Sang Nian remembered her morning promise. “It won’t take long, will it?”

“It’s just an exclusive interview,” Mo Huai said, checking her phone. “If all goes well, we’ll be done in two hours.”

“Okay.” Sang Nian pushed aside her worries and got into the car.

Engaging work makes one lose track of time. When the interview finally concluded, Sang Nian took her phone back from Mo Huai.

She lit up the screen and her eyes widened instantly. “How is it already 8:00 PM?”

“What’s wrong?” Mo Huai asked, handing the contract back to a woman nearby. She looked at Sang Nian in confusion. “Do you have an appointment? No one contacted you all afternoon.”

Her phone had been silent the entire time—not even a spam message.

“I…” Sang Nian gritted her teeth. It would take at least forty to fifty minutes to get back to the hotel. She knew there was no point in rushing now. She sighed and shook her head. “Forget it.”

She could only let it go.

At the same time:

Shen Zui, wearing a brand-new, form-fitting qipao and holding Sunny’s hand, stood at Sang Nian’s door.

She had been ringing the bell for five minutes, but there was no response from inside.

“Mommy…” Sunny had already realized what was happening, her nose turning bright red. “Is she not eating with us?”

Shen Zui gave up trying and picked her up. “Mommy is busy,” she coaxed gently, even making a rare concession. “Mama will take Sunny to get your favorite ice cream, okay?”

“I don’t want ice cream.” Sunny buried her head in Shen Zui’s chest. “I want Mommy…”

“Be good.” Shen Zui stroked her back soothingly and headed toward the elevator.

“Mommy will be with us eventually. Don’t be in a hurry.”