The Supporting Female Lead Chooses to Mark the Villain [Rebirth] - Chapter 96

Back at the villa that night, during a casual conversation, Sang Nian mentioned that she planned to take Sang Ni to the mall the next day.

“Tomorrow?” Shen Zui asked. “At what time?”

“We’ll head out around 10:00 AM,” Sang Nian replied.

“Could you wait until the afternoon?” Shen Zui inquired, adding by way of explanation, “A friend is coming over to visit tomorrow.”

“A friend?” Sang Nian naturally knew exactly who this “friend” was, but she deliberately asked, “Which one?”

“…” Shen Zui was silent for two seconds. “Zhou Ling. You probably don’t know her.”

Sang Nian nodded. “Indeed, I’ve never heard of her.”

As she helped Sang Ni play with building blocks, she looked up and cast a nonchalant glance at Shen Zui. “You’ve only been back for a few days, and you’ve already made a new friend?”

Sang Ni looked up at her mommy in confusion. Sang Nian rubbed the top of her daughter’s head, signaling with her eyes for the girl not to expose her, and to just focus on building her castle.

Shen Zui walked over to them. “She’s a friend I met while abroad,” she introduced briefly. “She’s coming to see Sang Ni.”

“Oh.” Sang Nian tickled her daughter’s chin.

Sang Ni looked up, only to hear her mommy ask with a slightly childish expression, “Nini, do you really want to be visited by Auntie Zhou?”

Sang Ni blinked her beautiful large eyes. She looked at Sang Nian, then at Shen Zui, deliberating for a long time before whispering, “Does Mommy want her to?”

Sang Nian was very satisfied with her daughter’s thoughtfulness. “She isn’t coming to see me. Whether I want her here or not is irrelevant.”

“Then…” Sang Ni dropped the blocks and crawled into her mother’s arms. “I’m just like Mommy~”

Sang Nian reached out and pulled her daughter close. Shen Zui watched the two of them perform their little act, her expression thoughtful. Before she could process it further, Sang Nian looked up.

“In that case, let’s move it to tomorrow afternoon,” she said. “We’ll head out after we’ve hosted the guest for lunch.”

“Alright,” Shen Zui replied. Once the matter was settled, she knelt beside Sang Nian and placed a small window onto the half-finished block castle.

The Encounter

The next day, the moment Zhou Ling stepped through the door, she felt something was off. A servant led her to the first-floor living room and served tea and pastries, but Shen Zui and Sang Ni were nowhere to be seen.

When she questioned the servant, she received an unexpected answer: “The two Mesdames are on the third floor helping the Young Mistress change clothes. They will be down shortly.”

Zhou Ling frowned. “The two Mesdames?”

The servant gave a noncommittal hum and remained professional. Zhou Ling stood up. “I’ll go up and see Sang Ni.”

“Miss Zhou,” the servant blocked her path quickly, her hands folded respectfully. “Madam said it’s a bit messy upstairs and not suitable for guests. Please wait a moment longer; the Mesdames will be down soon.”

Even someone as dense as Zhou Ling could feel the tension now. “Which ‘Madam’ said that?”

The servant glanced at her with a complex look. Fortunately, the tension didn’t last long; the sound of three sets of footsteps echoed from outside the living room.

“The Mesdames are here,” the servant sighed in relief.

Zhou Ling turned toward the door and saw a slender, pale hand resting on the frame. The door swung open, revealing a graceful figure. Even as a fellow Alpha, Zhou Ling had to admit that this sudden newcomer was flawlessly beautiful. Sang Nian’s features were already the gold standard of “glamorous” beauty; this morning, she had applied subtle makeup that looked effortless yet radiated nobility.

Catching Zhou Ling’s gaze, Sang Nian curled her lips into a smirk, a clear flash of provocation in her eyes. Zhou Ling was stunned, but in a blink, the woman’s smile turned innocent as she approached.

“Miss Zhou, I presume? A pleasure.”

Zhou Ling wondered if she had imagined the provocation. She reached out to shake hands. “And you are…”

“Shen Nian,” Sang Nian used her stage name. “I am Sang Ni’s Alpha mother.”

Zhou Ling’s eyes widened. “So it’s you.”

“Yes.” Sang Nian shook her hand firmly, smiling like the picture of kindness. “Thank you for looking after Sang Ni these past two years.”

Zhou Ling felt the strength in the other woman’s grip; it was so tight her hand began to ache. Her face paled slightly as she feigned composure. “No, it was nothing.”

Shen Zui entered, leading Sang Ni. Her gaze swept over the awkward pair, lingering for a second on their joined hands. “Zhou Ling,” she greeted the guest calmly. “Please, have a seat on the sofa.”

Sang Nian seemed to just realize she was still holding on. She released Zhou Ling and nudged her toward the seats. “Go on, let’s sit and chat.”

Sang Nian was half a head taller than Zhou Ling. Standing close, she looked down at her, mentally checking off another win. It was childish, but she felt a dark sense of satisfaction, as if she were slapping that “Old Hag” (Shen Zui’s mother) across the face from a distance.

This is the match they arranged for Shen Zui? Sang Nian thought. With someone like herself as the standard, could Shen Zui really be interested in Zhou Ling? It was an insult to Shen Zui’s taste.

“Mommy?” Sang Ni tilted her head. “Why are you laughing?”

“Hmm? Was I?” Sang Nian touched the corner of her mouth.

“Mm-hm,” Sang Ni nodded. “You look so happy.”

Sang Nian guided Zhou Ling onto the sofa and turned to her daughter. “Maybe it’s because I’m so happy to meet your Auntie Zhou.”

Zhou Ling: “…” Happy about what? I don’t even know you!

If Sang Nian could hear her inner thoughts, she would hear Zhou Ling screaming: Stay away from me!

The Showdown

The family of three sat closely together on one sofa, creating a stark contrast to Zhou Ling, who sat alone. It was immediately clear who the outsider was. Shen Zui watched Sang Nian teasing the child and looked away to hide a flicker of a smile.

“Nini,” Zhou Ling took a deep breath. “Auntie brought you your favorite music box. Want to come see?”

Sang Ni looked at Sang Nian. Sang Nian helped move the girl’s braids behind her shoulders. Sang Ni blinked and shook her head.

“Didn’t you like it before?” Zhou Ling struggled to keep her smile. “Auntie spent a long time finding this exact one.”

“Don’t want it,” Sang Ni hugged Sang Nian. “Mommy will buy me one!”

Sang Nian chuckled and pinched her daughter’s cheek. “It doesn’t conflict. You can have the one Auntie Zhou gave you too.”

“Really?” The little one was smart and studied Sang Nian’s expression.

Sang Nian nodded and set her on the floor. “Go on. Remember to say thank you.”

Being only two years old, Sang Ni was innocent; she ran happily toward Zhou Ling. With the child gone from between them, Sang Nian and Shen Zui were now sitting flush against each other.

Sang Nian was dressed exquisitely today. Normally, she would sit with her legs together in such a dress, but now she sat casually, her knee inevitably brushing against Shen Zui’s. Shen Zui looked down at her own skirt, which featured a bamboo embroidery. The pattern flowed from her own clothes and seemed to continue onto Sang Nian’s.

They were different dresses, but they shared the exact same motif—a blatant, secret signal of their connection. Sang Nian noticed, and a shallow smile bloomed on her face like a breeze over a still lake.

Zhou Ling felt like she was sitting on pins and needles. After showing Sang Ni how to work the music box, the girl ran back to Sang Nian, leaning on her thighs. “Mommy! Look! The dolls move!”

“Wow,” Sang Nian played along. “So pretty! Just like our Sang Ni!”

Zhou Ling stood up abruptly. “Shen Zui, I… I need to use the restroom.”

As Shen Zui prepared to call a servant, Zhou Ling cut in: “Why don’t you show me? Also, tell me about the layout and prices here. I’m planning to buy a house in City A.”

Shen Zui frowned slightly. “You’re moving your focus to the domestic market? You didn’t mention that.”

“You returned to the country without telling me either,” Zhou Ling sighed. “If your mother hadn’t called me, I wouldn’t have known!”

Shen Zui’s voice remained flat. “I intended to tell everyone once I was settled.”

“You’re alone with a child in a strange city…” Zhou Ling put on a worried face. “Of course I’m concerned.”

Before Shen Zui could speak, Sang Nian interjected, “Thank you for your concern, Miss Zhou.” She draped an arm across the back of the sofa behind Shen Zui, making it look as though she were holding her. “For our family, the ‘strange environment’ was being abroad. Besides, she has me. Sang Ni is with her biological mother, and Shen Zui has someone to take care of her. What exactly are you worried about?”

Zhou Ling was speechless. She turned back to Shen Zui. “Shen Zui, please… show me the way.”

The Aftermath

After Zhou Ling left, defeated, the atmosphere shifted. Later that week, Sang Nian received a call from her agent, Mo Huai, about a commercial shoot. This meant she would have to be away for a few days.

When the weekend arrived and Sang Ni heard her mother was leaving for a week, the little girl burst into tears. No amount of coaxing worked.

“I can cancel the work,” Sang Nian said, heartbroken by her daughter’s tears.

“Cancel it?” Shen Zui countered. “And then what? Are you going to keep yourself out of the spotlight for years? You have to let her understand that Mommy is working, not abandoning her.”

Eventually, Shen Zui managed to calm the child down and put her to sleep.

“Coax Me”

In the quiet hallway outside the bedroom, Sang Nian prepared to check her things for the trip. She felt a tug on her sleeve.

“What is it?” Sang Nian asked.

Shen Zui’s voice was a whisper. “The commercial… takes a whole week?”

“Four or five days,” Sang Nian replied. “It’s a series of shorts.”

“No wonder she cried so hard,” Shen Zui murmured.

“It’ll be hard on you,” Sang Nian said, looking away. “I’ll video call her often. If you need anything, you can…”

Shen Zui looked up, her lower lip bitten pale. “I need something right now.”

Sang Nian paused. “Go ahead.”

Shen Zui reached out, cautiously grasping Sang Nian’s arm. “Can you coax me, too?”

Sang Nian was stunned. “What?”

“I helped you coax Sang Ni,” Shen Zui stepped closer, her eyes brimming with a suppressed emotion. “Coax me too, alright?”

Sang Nian felt a surge of wicked playfulness. She knew Shen Zui was at her breaking point. “How should I coax you? Do you want to cry like Sang Ni?”

“Would it work?” Shen Zui asked breathlessly.

“No,” Sang Nian scoffed. “I have no interest in seeing an adult cry. If you want me to coax you, shouldn’t you pay a price?”

Sang Nian led her into the guest bedroom and closed the door. She sat on the bed and beckoned Shen Zui over. The air grew thick with the scent of Cold Plum—Shen Zui’s Omega pheromones.

Sang Nian pulled Shen Zui closer, exposing the gland at the back of her neck. Because it hadn’t received Alpha pheromones in three years, it was pale and “dry.”

“It’s been nearly three years,” Sang Nian whispered, her voice tinged with a bit of resentment. “Can you still hold out?”

“I can’t…” Shen Zui’s voice broke. “Since we met again, it’s been harder… I missed you so much…”

The scent of Cold Plum intensified. Shen Zui’s body, reacting to the proximity of her Alpha, had spontaneously entered Heat.

“Is that so?” Sang Nian stood up, suddenly breaking the physical contact. She looked at the trembling Shen Zui with the eyes of a hunter. “Prove it to me.”

“What?” Shen Zui asked, her mind clouded by the heat.

Sang Nian gave a playful, cruel smile. “Wait for me here.” She turned and left the room, shutting the door behind her.