The Vicious Female Supporting Character and The Sadistic Heroine Got Together [Through the Book] - Chapter 11

After Li Changsheng tended to his wounds, the three of them went to the Floating Cloud Pavilion for dinner.

Perhaps out of gratitude, Shen Chou kept talking to Li Changsheng, and the two were soon deep in conversation. As they chatted, Shen Chou noticed something was off. Ever since they’d left that alley, Tang Suan hadn’t said a word.

Shen Chou assumed Tang Suan was still shaken from Xu Jinhui’s bullying, her spirits low.

She leaned closer and asked cautiously, “A-Suan, don’t be sad. Don’t worry, if Xu Jinhui ever dares to bully you again, I’ll make sure she gets what’s coming to her. I won’t let her hurt you again.”

“I’m not sad,” Tang Suan replied, shaking her head.

Hearing their exchange, the System, which had been observing them, fell into deep thought. It hadn’t expected Shen Chou to appear so early this time. Would she succeed this time? Or would she fail again, as she had countless times before?

Shen Chou, please don’t fail this time. Otherwise, I’ll be trapped here forever—and you will too. I hope one day you won’t be deceived by these illusory scenes, sinking so deep you can’t escape.

“Then how did you…?” Shen Chou was about to press her further when the food arrived. She had no choice but to stand up and help bring the dishes to the table.

Li Changsheng, sitting across from Tang Suan, narrowed his eyes, the scene from the alleyway flashing through his mind again.

“What are you staring at?” Shen Chou asked sharply as she sat down, noticing Li Changsheng’s intense gaze fixed on Tang Suan. A flicker of displeasure crossed her face.

Is this scumbag plotting something again? she thought. No way. I won’t let him hurt my daughter again.

Just as Shen Chou was thinking this, Tang Suan stood up. “Excuse me, I have to go,” she said, and left without looking back.

“Hey, wait! You haven’t even eaten…” Shen Chou reached out to stop her, but missed. She glanced wistfully at the lavish spread of food, swallowing hard. After a moment’s internal struggle, she decided to follow Tang Suan.

After all, nothing mattered more than the Protagonist.

After chasing for what felt like forever, Shen Chou collapsed against a wall, panting heavily.

Despite her frail appearance, Tang Suan moved with astonishing speed, vanishing in the blink of an eye. Shen Chou found this utterly baffling.

Remembering she still needed to pursue the Protagonist, Shen Chou took a few deep breaths and straightened up to continue the chase. But as she turned, she found herself face-to-face with Tang Suan.

Staring at the Protagonist, who was now standing mere inches away, Shen Chou felt her face burn. Her words came out in a stammer: “You… you weren’t gone? How did you suddenly appear again? You…”

She couldn’t finish the sentence, knowing her face must be flushed crimson. Before she could even ponder why she was blushing, Tang Suan’s clear, innocent gaze met hers, and Shen Chou nearly forgot to breathe.

“I heard you calling my name,” Tang Suan said, looking at her with a hint of confusion.

“…” Caught red-handed, Shen Chou felt utterly mortified. She awkwardly turned her head away, avoiding Tang Suan’s gaze.

Seeing that Shen Chou was alright, Tang Suan said, “I’m leaving now.”

“A-Suan, why are you leaving again?” Shen Chou called out from behind her, her voice carrying a hint of resentment she hadn’t even realized was there.

Tang Suan’s eyes darkened, but she said nothing, not even pausing her steps for a moment.

So, my girl is really determined to leave. Watching Tang Suan’s retreating figure, Shen Chou felt an overwhelming sense of loss.

But why does she have to go? Shen Chou couldn’t understand. Suddenly, as if struck by a realization, regret washed over her face.

If only I’d kept my distance from that scumbag male lead! Then my girl wouldn’t have misunderstood, wouldn’t have gotten jealous, and wouldn’t be sulking alone like this. Frustrated, Shen Chou pounded her head with her fist.

“What are you doing?” A voice from behind startled her.

She turned to see Li Changsheng standing there, and her guard instantly dropped.

“What’s your problem?” Shen Chou complained. “You scared me half to death, you know!”

“I’m sorry,” Li Changsheng said.

Huh? The notorious scumbag male lead, famous for his irresponsibility, is actually apologizing to me? Shen Chou was genuinely surprised.

She waved her hand dismissively. “Fine, fine. This Commandery Princess is magnanimous. I’ll forgive you this time, but be careful next time!”

As Tang Suan walked, she found herself standing before the gates of the General’s Residence. She gazed up at the plaque above the entrance, which bore the three characters “General’s Residence,” her eyes filled with an unreadable mix of emotions.

If she could have avoided it, she would never have returned to this place—this cold, heartless place that held no warmth or affection for her.

But she had nowhere else to go. This place, nominally called home but utterly devoid of familial warmth, was currently her only refuge.

Tang Suan couldn’t imagine what she would do if she were forced to leave here as well.

Mother, I miss you so much, Tang Suan murmured, tilting her head back as tears streamed down her cheeks.

After a moment’s hesitation, she finally stepped inside.

The greeting she received was nothing like Shen Chou’s concerned words. Instead, a merciless slap landed heavily on her face.

Smack!

Tang Suan’s head snapped to the side, a red handprint blooming on her cheek. Her soft, dark hair fell into disarray, and tears welled in the corners of her eyes, creating a hauntingly beautiful sight.

Before Tang Suan could even reach the dining hall, she was immediately bombarded with accusations: “Where have you been? As the legitimate daughter of the General’s Residence, you spend all day gallivanting about. What kind of decorum is this? Have you no regard for the honor of our family?”

“I didn’t!” Tang Suan roared back, her eyes bloodshot as she instinctively defended herself.

Her response was met with another stinging slap.

Tang Suan initially wanted to retort, but when she caught a glimpse of the person’s robes out of the corner of her eye, she clamped her mouth shut, refusing to speak another word.

This time, the blow hadn’t come from Tang Yi’s mother, the matriarch of the General’s Residence. Instead, it was from her own father, Grand General Tang, whom she had always revered.

“Impudence!” Grand General Tang thundered. “How many times have I taught you? How dare you talk back to your mother?”

“She’s not my mother!” Tang Suan finally snapped, tears streaming down her face. “My mother died long ago, in that freezing winter. You told me yourself! Have you forgotten?”

“Don’t you dare mention that woman!” Grand General Tang roared, another slap landing heavily on Tang Suan’s cheek.

The room fell into complete silence.

Outside the General’s Residence, Shen Chou continued to struggle to enter, only to be repeatedly blocked by the guards at the gate.

“Let go of me! I need to see Tang Suan! Do you even know who I am? I’m the Ning’an Commandery Princess, personally appointed by the Emperor himself! How dare you commoners block my way?”

Shen Chou couldn’t understand what was happening. She visited Tang Suan daily, so the guards at the General’s Residence should have recognized her by now. They’d never stopped her before. But today, two unfamiliar faces stood guard, refusing to acknowledge her claim as the Ning’an Commandery Princess.

She argued until her throat was raw, but they remained unmoved.

Enraged, Shen Chou pointed a trembling finger at them. “You won’t let me in? Fine! Very well! You’re so brave, so admirable! Just wait, don’t back down now! I salute your courage!”

Shen Chou hurled every insult she could think of, but the two guards stood like statues, not even glancing at her.

One of them finally spoke. “If you claim to be the Ning’an Commandery Princess, you’ll need to produce the token that proves your identity.”

Right, why didn’t I think of that? Shen Chou frantically patted her pockets, only to realize the token was missing.

Unable to find it, Shen Chou nearly burst into tears. She didn’t know if she’d lost it or simply forgotten to bring it.

On the other side, Grand General Tang stared in disbelief at his trembling hands. He had actually slapped Tang Suan twice. Seeing her sprawled on the ground, he reached out to help her up, but hesitated, his hand freezing mid-air.

Tang Yi and her mother watched the scene in stunned silence, though their expressions betrayed a hint of malicious glee. They secretly wished Tang Suan would suffer even more, preferably being banished from the General’s Residence forever.

Even they couldn’t have imagined that their wish would soon come true, and Tang Suan would indeed be driven out of the General’s Residence.

Father, you’ve completely shattered all my hopes, Tang Suan thought, tears streaming down her face.

Her despairing gaze pierced Grand General Shen’s heart. He wanted to apologize, to embrace her, but ultimately did nothing.

Tang Suan struggled to her feet, her eyes cold as she stared at Grand General Tang. Seeing his outstretched hands, a sardonic smile curled her lips.

She couldn’t understand what she had done wrong. As a child, she had fallen gravely ill with a fever. When she recovered, she had no memory of her past. The worst part was waking up to a world blanketed in snow, only to learn of her mother’s death.

Everyone outside said her mother deserved her fate, that she was a spy sent by an enemy nation. They claimed her father had been bewitched into marrying her mother, leading to Tang Suan’s birth.

Though Tang Suan had no memory of the past, no recollection of her mother whatsoever, her intuition told her that her parents had been together out of love.

But she was wrong.

After her mother’s death, she became a taboo in the family, her father forbidding any mention of her. All traces of her mother had long been burned away by him.

Soon, her father remarried, bringing Tang Yi’s mother into the General’s Residence. Not long after, Tang Yi was born. Tang Suan often hid in corners, watching the three of them together, their happiness seeming to exclude her. It was as if they were the real family, and she was just an outsider.

As Tang Yi grew older, she began to envy Tang Suan’s advantages. She envied Tang Suan’s exceptional beauty, which had earned her the title of the capital’s most beautiful woman. She envied Tang Suan’s innate intelligence, her mastery of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting—skills that even the Emperor praised.

What she didn’t know was that Tang Suan sometimes envied and resented her too. She envied her having parents who doted on her, parents she could sit beside and enjoy their warmth. Tang Suan, on the other hand, had nothing.

Tang Suan couldn’t even remember the last time she had shared a meal with her father.

If she had once harbored a shred of hope for her father, her heart was now as cold as ashes.

Tang Suan’s lips moved silently, forming words without a sound.

Though she made no sound, General Tang instantly understood her lip movements. As a father, you don’t deserve the title!

“You…” Father Tang wanted to say it wasn’t true, that he truly loved Tang Suan, but the words caught in his throat.

For years, he had deliberately neglected Tang Suan, even spoken harshly to her, all to protect her from those who sought to harm her. Yet in the end, the one who hurt her most wasn’t some enemy, but her own father.

Yes, he had failed as a father. He had failed Tang Suan, and even more so, he had failed her mother by not protecting their daughter.

But what could he do now? He knew countless eyes were watching from the shadows, and he had to maintain the facade.

He didn’t dare hope Tang Suan would forgive her after learning the truth. He only wished for his daughter’s lifelong peace and happiness.

“Guards, bring the family law!” Father Tang barked, turning his gaze away from Tang Suan’s eyes as he addressed the servants beside him.

Just then, Tang Suan’s personal maid, Lian’er, rushed in, having heard about her mistress’s predicament.

Seeing Grand General Tang about to punish Tang Suan, Lian’er immediately knelt and pleaded, “Master, please don’t! I beg you to spare Miss!”

Support The Vicious Female Supporting Character and The Sadistic Heroine Got Together [Through the Book]