The Supporting Female Lead Chooses to Mark the Villain [Rebirth] - Chapter 91

Sang Nian spent the entire day at the villa. Having missed two full years of her child’s growth, she took this opportunity to begin filling in the blanks.

Shen Zui was well-prepared. Seeing Sang Nian’s interest, she produced a thick photo album. The three of them sat together under the morning sun, flipping through frozen moments of beauty—watching Sannie grow from a tiny infant into the angelic toddler she was today.

At one point, as Shen Zui turned a page, her fingertips accidentally brushed against the back of Sang Nian’s hand. Sang Nian, holding Sannie in her lap, acted as if she hadn’t noticed, but a moment later, she reached out to stroke Sannie’s hair, naturally pulling her hand away.

Shen Zui’s hand paused, her lowered eyes masking her emotions.

For a fleeting second, Sang Nian felt they were like a couple in a tragic family drama—divorced, yet forced to pretend everything was fine for the sake of the child. But in reality, their relationship had never even been legally recognized…

“Mommy?” Sannie looked up at her. “Can you build sandcastles?”

Sang Nian looked at a photo of the little girl playing on a beach and smiled. “I can build big dinosaurs.”

“Huh?”

“Big dinosaurs that stomp on castles!”

“Whoa—” The little girl’s eyes widened in admiration.

Beside them, Shen Zui glanced up at Sang Nian. Sang Nian offered a thin, perfunctory smile in return. She stayed with the girl all day, only mentioning her departure after dinner.

“Can’t Mommy sleep with me?” Sannie tugged at her sleeve.

Filled with guilt, Sang Nian replied, “Next time, okay? Mommy didn’t bring her pillow or blanket.”

Sannie pouted. “Will I see you when I wake up tomorrow?”

Sang Nian forced a smile. “Mommy will visit whenever she has time.”

Sannie’s nose crinkled, clearly unhappy with the answer; tears began to well up. Seeing this, Shen Zui picked her up and whispered comfort into her ear. Sang Nian could only catch fragments: “…Mommy is busy with work,” “…be a good girl.” The child eventually calmed down and went with the nanny to take a bath.

Silence fell between the two women.

“I’m leaving,” Sang Nian said, standing up. She hurried toward the door, desperate to escape. She reached her car, but Shen Zui had followed her out and blocked her path.

“CEO Shen?” Sang Nian frowned. “Is there something else?”

Shen Zui’s cheeks were flushed from the chase. Sang Nian steeled her heart, prepared to ignore whatever she said, only to hear Shen Zui ask softly, “I need to go back to the apartment to pick up some things. Could you give me a ride?”

“You bought such a massive villa, and you don’t even have a car?” Sang Nian asked, looking away.

“My driver is on leave,” Shen Zui said with a straight face.

“Don’t worry. Once I have my things, I’ll take a taxi back. I won’t disturb you,” Shen Zui added. Sang Nian didn’t respond but sat in the driver’s seat and pressed the unlock button.

The drive was silent. When they reached the apartment’s underground garage, they got out of the car. Shen Zui remarked, “It’s been so long, I’m not sure where everything is. I might need to stay a bit longer to look.”

“Isn’t everything where it used to be?” Sang Nian walked toward the elevator, twirling her keys.

Shen Zui blinked. “You didn’t move my things?”

“Why would I touch your stuff?”

They entered the elevator. In the enclosed space, Sang Nian felt a surge of irritation and pulled off her mask.

“I thought you would have packed them up or thrown them away…” Shen Zui’s voice trailed off as the elevator stopped at the first floor.

The doors opened, and a group of noisy young people crowded in. Sang Nian lowered her head, but a sharp-eyed boy spotted her. “Shen Nian?!”

“Holy crap! Is it really her?” “I told you she lived here!” “Shen Nian! I’m your fan! Can I have an autograph?”

The crowd pressed in, shoving Shen Zui into a corner. Sang Nian, usually adept at handling fans, felt overwhelmed today. The group didn’t even press a floor button; they were too busy trying to invite themselves to her home.

“I’m sorry, this is my private time,” Sang Nian said firmly. “Which floor are you going to?”

“The 14th,” a girl answered, leaning into Sang Nian. “But we could go to your place instead!”

“That’s not convenient,” Sang Nian replied dryly.

The group began debating having their party at her place instead of their friend’s. As the noise escalated and Sang Nian saw Shen Zui being pushed around in the corner, she finally snapped.

“Stop pushing!” she shouted.

The crowd jumped back. Sang Nian quickly moved to Shen Zui’s side. Seeing her crumpled clothes, she asked under her breath, “Are you okay?” Her tone was harsh, but she couldn’t help the concern.

Shen Zui shrunk back slightly and grabbed the hem of Sang Nian’s shirt.

At the 14th floor, some people left, but a few persistent ones remained. “Shen Nian, come play with us…”

Sang Nian turned to decline, but felt the tug on her shirt. Shen Zui had pressed herself against her, much like the fan from earlier.

“It’s not convenient,” Sang Nian repeated coldly. She pulled Shen Zui closer, hiding the woman’s face against her chest so no one could see her. “If you don’t leave, I’m calling security.”

The remaining fans finally left. Silence returned.

“Is it always like this?” Shen Zui asked from her embrace.

“What?”

“The fans. Is it always like this?”

Sang Nian felt a strange sense of guilt under that clear gaze. She pushed Shen Zui back to create distance. “So what if it is? I’m not exactly lacking people who like me just because you’re gone. There are plenty of fans even more enthusiastic than them. Why? Do you care?”

Shen Zui said nothing.

They reached the apartment door. Sang Nian tried to scan her fingerprint, but her hand was sweaty and the sensor failed twice. As she tried a third time, a pale hand reached over her waist and pressed the sensor.

Beep. “Welcome home,” the automated voice chirped.

Shen Zui didn’t pull her hand back; instead, she hugged Sang Nian from behind, circling her waist. “Enthusiastic and proactive? That must be very troubling for you.”

Sang Nian suppressed her emotions. “Not necessarily,” she lied. “Maybe it’s exactly what I need.”

Shen Zui’s grip tightened. Sang Nian could feel the other woman’s body pressed against her back. She tried to pry Shen Zui’s hands away, but Shen Zui interlaced their fingers.

“Like this?” Shen Zui rubbed her thumb over Sang Nian’s hand. “Is this what you need?”

Sang Nian broke free using her strength as an Alpha, pushed Shen Zui against the hallway wall, and pinned her shoulders. “I admit, CEO Shen, you are good at schemes. But when it comes to seduction, you’re an amateur.”

Shen Zui looked at her earnestly. “Then teach me. I can learn.”

Heat surged through Sang Nian. She fled to the kitchen and downed half a bottle of ice-cold water to kill the rising desire.

“What you’re looking for is in the kitchen?” Sang Nian asked, trying to deflect. “The snacks from back then are all expired; I threw them out.”

“It’s not snacks.”

“Then what? Are you here for the cookware?”

Shen Zui walked over and stood in front of her. Sang Nian tried to push past, but Shen Zui caught her wrist.

“What now?”

“Didn’t you tell me to look?” Shen Zui’s eyes curved. “I found it.”

“Shen Zui, this isn’t funny.”

“Niannian…” the woman whispered.

“Enough!” Sang Nian’s voice was filled with suppressed pain. “Am I just a toy you can toss away and then reclaim whenever you want? Since three years ago when you lured me into marking you… were you planning this even back then? What do you want?”

“You don’t know?” Shen Zui’s hands were cold as she held Sang Nian’s. “I brought her back because I wanted to be with—”

“Heh,” Sang Nian cut her off. “Did you ever ask if I wanted that? You leave whenever you want and return as if nothing happened, certain that I’ll be waiting here to forgive you. You’re quite the businesswoman. I almost forgot—you didn’t come back alone, you brought Sannie. With a child involved, I suppose I have to do whatever you say?”

“I—”

“Dare you say you had no selfish motives?!” Sang Nian pressed a finger to Shen Zui’s heart.

At that, Shen Zui broke. Large tears began to fall. She bit her lip, trying to stop, but she wasn’t as strong as she thought. Sang Nian felt the warmth of the tears on her wrist and pulled away, her own heart aching.

“Of course I had selfish motives,” Shen Zui sobbed. “I was afraid… afraid that when I came back, there would be someone else by your side. Sannie was either going to be my leverage to win you back, or…” she laughed bitterly, “…the only reason I’d have left to keep living.”

“But my love for her is real,” Shen Zui continued, clutching her heart. “She is our child. I love her…”

“If you were already thinking about coming back then, why did you leave?!” Sang Nian finally roared. “Why go for three years without a single word?!”

Shen Zui lowered her head and cried silently. She didn’t answer.

“Get out,” Sang Nian said, her face in the shadows. “Go. Sannie will be sad if she doesn’t see you for too long. I’ll talk to a lawyer about child support for the last two years. As for the future, we can discuss a visitation schedule.”

Shen Zui panicked, throwing herself into Sang Nian’s arms. “No! Don’t say that!”

But Sang Nian remained unmoved. “Three years, Shen Zui. This place gets colder every year. I should have moved long ago. You’ve taken control of the Shen family; that villa is your new beginning. We both got what we wanted—fame and success. Maybe that’s its own kind of closure.”

“That’s just you,” Shen Zui said, tasting blood on her lip. “I never cared about fame.”

“I admit,” Shen Zui buried her face in Sang Nian’s chest, “leaving was my own brand of selfishness. I wanted to resolve the conflict between you and the Shen family in my own way.”

“The lawsuit was over! I even signed a letter of leniency! What conflict was there left to solve?” Sang Nian demanded.

“Because the Shen family’s revenge was only just beginning,” Shen Zui whispered. “My mother had to accept the legal defeat regarding the adoption, but they had so many other ways to hurt you.”

“You think I was afraid?!” Sang Nian yelled.

“I was afraid!” Shen Zui wailed. “My lover and my family were about to start an endless war. What was I supposed to do? Who was I supposed to help? How much help could I give without making you sad or my mother angry?”

Sang Nian’s hand trembled. She wanted to wipe away the tears.

“Even if we had stayed together then, our relationship would have been worn down bit by bit by that friction,” Shen Zui continued.

Sang Nian realized how naive she had been. Could she have really watched Shen Zui be torn apart by her family? It was a stalemate.

“And you can’t imagine my mother’s methods…” Shen Zui cupped Sang Nian’s face. “I was afraid that if I looked away for one second, she would… she would…”

Sang Nian would never know that during the trial, Shen Zui had returned to her small building in the Shen estate. Every night, she dreamed she was on the roof of a skyscraper. It was dark and cold.

In the dream, she would look over the railing and see a cold body lying on the ground below, surrounded by sirens. Blood would soak the ground, eventually rising up like a tide to swallow the skyscraper and drown her in a sea of red.

She never dared to think about who the body belonged to, but she was even more terrified of who the killer was.

She had lost weight and become a shell of herself. Her mother, Shen Bi, finally couldn’t take it anymore. When she woke up from a collapse, Shen Zui was by her bed, staring blankly out the window.

“Ah Zui…”

“Mother,” Shen Zui interrupted. “Let’s go abroad. When the trial is over, I’ll go with you for your recovery.”

Shen Bi laughed bitterly. “Can you bear to leave her?”

Shen Zui was silent for a long time. Finally, she nodded.

“Yes. I’m going to break up with her.”