The Vicious Female Supporting Character and The Sadistic Heroine Got Together [Through the Book] - Chapter 4

“I swear, I didn’t mean for that to happen. It was a complete accident. Please believe me,” Shen Chou said earnestly, her expression sincere.

Tang Suan, her back turned, glanced sideways at Shen Chou and let out a cold snort, refusing to speak. Whether it was an accident or not, she loathed Shen Chou even more now.

Seeing this, Shen Chou took a step closer to Tang Suan. She reached out to take Tang Suan’s hand, but when she met Tang Suan’s icy gaze, she quickly withdrew her hand, nervously clasping it to her chest.

Despite her anxious demeanor, Shen Chou wasn’t truly afraid of Tang Suan. She was simply overwhelmed by seeing her beloved fictional character standing before her, alive and talking to her. Who wouldn’t be thrilled to see their favorite fictional character come to life?

Shen Chou was so excited she nearly couldn’t speak. Tang Suan hated her? No matter. She had plenty of time and opportunities to cultivate their relationship.

She would definitely earn her daughter’s trust, change the ending, and save the protagonist. Just thinking about it made Shen Chou’s heart race with excitement.

Tang Suan noticed Shen Chou staring at her like a lovesick fool. She couldn’t help but frown and ask, “Why are you staring at me like that?”

“Ah? Was I?” Shen Chou blushed, self-consciously touching her face. She thought she’d been hiding her feelings well, but the Protagonist had seen right through her. No matter, she thought, I just adore my darling daughter too much.

Tang Suan rolled her eyes at Shen Chou’s response. That blatant gaze? Does she think I’m blind? Tang Suan took a deep breath, unwilling to waste any more time with Shen Chou. She turned away and said, “You came to apologize, right? Are you done? If there’s nothing else, you can leave now.”

Shen Chou wanted to say she truly had come to apologize, but before she could speak, a rough, angry voice startled them both. Tang Suan trembled like a leaf, clenching her fists. Seeing her reaction, Tang Suan immediately guessed the newcomer’s identity and inwardly cursed.

“Impudence! You insolent wretch! How dare you speak to the Ning’an Commandery Princess like that?”

No one else would dare speak to Tang Suan like that, except for her father, who had abandoned her after her mother’s death, failing to fulfill even the most basic responsibilities of a parent. Though Tang Suan’s life in the original novel was truly tragic, the pain inflicted by others paled in comparison to the wounds inflicted by her own father.

Shen Chou still remembered Tang Suan’s desperate plea to her father in the novel: “You’re my own father! I’m your daughter, we share the same blood. Why do you treat me like this? What have I done wrong?! Father, it hurts so much…”

At this passage, Shen Chou burst into tears, desperately wanting to leap into the book and hug Tang Suan, to tell her, You’ve done nothing wrong!

Even as Shen Chou was still lost in her grief, a heavy slap landed on Tang Suan’s face. The sharp, resounding crack jolted Shen Chou awake, her eyes widening in shock.

Behind General Tang, Tang Yi watched with undisguised glee.

Shen Chou’s fury ignited. How dare anyone strike the daughter she cherished? Even if he was her father, this was unforgivable.

Tang Suan was equally stunned. She clutched her swollen cheek, her pupils dilated with disbelief. Her face flickered through a storm of emotions—grief, anger, shock, and a tangle of other feelings threatening to drown her like a vast ocean.

Not again! Not again!

It’s always the same! Every time I have a conflict with someone, no matter who they are or whose fault it is, he just barges in, doesn’t bother to ask what happened, and starts hitting and yelling! Every time I try to explain, I get a harder slap in return!

How many more times do I have to endure this? How much more can I take? Who treats their own daughter like this? I’ve lost count of the times I’ve wondered if I’m even his real daughter.

Ever since her mother died, the man had grown cold and indifferent, barely acknowledging her existence. He never showed her kindness, treating her worse than the stray cats and dogs he picked up at the gate.

The loving father she once knew had died with her mother long ago. Now, all that remained was an empty shell, a hollow facade.

Tang Suan, furious, turned and shouted at General Tang, “Why can’t I? I’ve done nothing wrong! They’re the ones at fault, not me! Why don’t you ask them? Why don’t you ask them how they’ve treated me?!”

As she spoke, tears threatened to spill again. She tilted her head back, desperately trying to hold them back. Shen Chou stood beside her, her heart aching as she watched Tang Suan’s reddened eyes.

General Tang, stunned by his daughter’s defiance, was speechless. The hand he had struck her with trembled uncontrollably.

But in the next moment, his anger flared. He raised his hand again and snarled at Tang Suan, “You rebellious wretch! How dare you talk back to me?!”

He moved to strike her again.

Tang Suan closed her eyes, her heart as cold as ashes, bracing herself for the blow.

At the same time, she made a silent vow: if General Tang struck her again, she would sever all ties with him. From that moment on, they would be separated by mountains and rivers, by the vastness of the sky and the sea, never to meet again in life or death.

If General Tang refused to let her leave, she wouldn’t care. She would follow the example of Nezha, carving her flesh to return to her mother and stripping her bones to return to her father. If the bond had to be broken, it would be severed completely, cleanly, and irrevocably.

But fate seemed determined to thwart Tang Suan’s wishes. The slap never landed on her face; Shen Chou stepped in front of her, blocking the blow.

Seeing General Tang raise his hand again, Shen Chou swiftly pulled Tang Suan behind her, spreading her arms protectively. Facing the general, she shouted, “Dare to strike her? Try it!”

General Tang dismissed Shen Chou’s words as a joke, paying them no heed and continuing his advance.

Seeing this, Shen Chou gritted her teeth and roared, “Insolent! How dare you defy the Commandery Princess’s orders?”

This time, General Tang finally registered Shen Chou’s words. When their meaning sank in, he froze in shock. Behind him, Tang Yi, who had been secretly gloating, also stiffened in disbelief.

What’s going on? Tang Yi wondered. Why is Shen Chou protecting that vile Tang Suan? Just days ago, she was asking me for schemes to harm her! I heard she was unconscious for days after falling into the water—did she hit her head?

Otherwise, how could her temperament have changed so drastically, now shielding Tang Suan? Tang Yi’s heart churned with suspicion and confusion.

Shen Chou cared nothing for what others thought. Her mind was consumed by a single thought: to protect Tang Suan at all costs.

In the past, Shen Chou had been an outsider, while Tang Suan was a character within the pages of a book. She had no way to protect her then. Now, finally given the chance to stand by Tang Suan’s side, Shen Chou vowed to protect her, even if it meant her own death.

Even the System hadn’t anticipated the depth of Shen Chou’s devotion to Tang Suan. Upon learning Shen Chou’s intentions, the System grew anxious, recalling its original purpose in selecting Shen Chou as its host.

Trapped within this world, the System needed to find a way back to reality. The only way out was to find a host who could complete the mission: saving the Protagonist and altering the ending, as it had explained to Shen Chou. The System had chosen Shen Chou because it sensed the woman’s intense inner obsession.

No one else was better suited to be the host. Initially, the System should have been pleased; the deeper Shen Chou’s obsession, the higher the chances of mission success. But now, it feared that even after completing the mission, Shen Chou might choose to remain in this world. If that happened, the System would be trapped here forever.

It had lost count of how many times they had tried again. Another failure would mean eternal confinement. Only if Shen Chou escaped could the System follow. Shen Chou, please, don’t let me down…

The System knew she couldn’t place all her hopes on Shen Chou alone, but this was her only option.

What’s happening? Why does my heart ache so? The crowd watched as Shen Chou suddenly doubled over, her brow furrowed in pain as she clutched her chest. Realizing everyone was staring, Shen Chou’s weathered face flushed crimson. “What are you all staring at?!” she barked.

Tang Suan stood behind her, her gaze fixed on Shen Chou with unfathomable depth. She couldn’t understand why Shen Chou was helping her.

General Tang, a veteran of countless battles, a man who had weathered storms of war, quickly recovered from his initial shock. Regaining his composure, he addressed Shen Chou firmly: “Commandery Princess, please step aside!”

“What do you intend to do?” Shen Chou immediately spread her arms wide, shielding Tang Suan completely behind her. Her eyes narrowed warily at General Tang, who still gripped his longsword, clad in heavy armor. He had clearly rushed here straight from the military camp, still in his battle gear, without even changing his clothes.

General Tang drew his longsword and pointed it at Tang Suan, who stood behind Shen Chou. His voice rang with righteous fury as he declared, “Today, I will avenge her deceased mother by punishing this rebellious son for his insubordination!”

“You wouldn’t dare!” Shen Chou snapped, her voice sharp as a whip.

Having read the original novel and knowing how the story ended, she understood that General Tang truly loved Tang Suan. He had always protected her in his own twisted way. But his methods were so complicated, so suffocating. Even now, when he meant to protect Tang Suan, he resorted to harsh words, widening the chasm between them and making it even more difficult to bridge and heal.

“Tang Suan has not committed insubordination,” Shen Chou insisted. “I was the one who wronged her first. I should be apologizing to her!” Turning to Tang Suan, she said, “I’m sorry! I was the one who tried to harm you first. You have every right to hate me. I apologize for my past mistakes. I, Shen Chou, swear before heaven today that I will never harm you again!”

Tang Suan remained silent for a few seconds before softly saying, “I accept your apology.”

Half a month ago, Shen Chou had lured Tang Suan out under Li Changsheng’s name, intending to push her into the lake. Instead, Shen Chou had slipped and fallen in herself, losing consciousness. Her parents seized the opportunity to turn the tables, falsely accusing Tang Suan of harming their daughter. This led to General Tang scolding Tang Suan and placing her under house arrest.

Shen Chou had reportedly only regained consciousness a few days prior, and she had rushed to see Tang Suan the moment she awoke.

Perhaps she genuinely wanted to repent.

Still, the abruptness of her change was astonishing. Just half a month ago, Shen Chou had been plotting to harm Tang Suan; now, she claimed to want to protect her. The sudden shift in attitude was both shocking and somewhat comical.

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