The Vicious Female Supporting Character and The Sadistic Heroine Got Together [Through the Book] - Chapter 5

Tang Suan had another nightmare.

She jolted awake, gasping for breath, her back drenched in a cold sweat. Lian’er wasn’t beside her. Recalling the nightmare’s content, Tang Suan’s eyes darkened as she slowly clenched her fist. This time, the subject of her nightmare wasn’t Shen Chou, but Li Changsheng.

Li Changsheng, Tang Suan repeated the name inwardly, a wave of irritation washing over her. It wasn’t that she didn’t love him—that would be a lie—but this inexplicable aversion was equally real, leaving her utterly conflicted.

Forget it, Tang Suan told herself, dropping her hand from her throbbing head. Just then, Shen Chou came to mind.

Shen Chou, the woman who had once been a thorn in her side, constantly making her life difficult and earning her utter loathing. Yet recent events had begun to shift Tang Suan’s perception of her.

Perhaps Shen Chou isn’t as bad as I thought, Tang Suan mused. But the thought was immediately followed by a frown and a mental scolding for her “saintly” tendencies. What if she has ulterior motives? Why am I so moved by such small acts of kindness?

Yes, how Shen Chou treated me in the past is still vivid in my mind. Take the recent incident, for example: Shen Chou’s current unconscious state was entirely her own fault.

Shen Chou had lured Tang Suan out under Li Changsheng’s name. Tang Suan, feeling she had avoided Li Changsheng long enough, decided it was time to meet him and went to the appointed place as instructed in the letter. The moment she saw Shen Chou, she knew she had been tricked. She turned to leave, but Shen Chou grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

A torrent of insults and taunts followed, Shen Chou declaring that Tang Suan was unworthy of Li Changsheng and that only she herself was fit for him. Tang Suan watched her venomous expression and listened to her meaningless jeers, feeling utterly bored and mentally exhausted. She remained silent throughout, not uttering a single word.

To her surprise, Tang Suan’s indifference only enraged Shen Chou further. Feeling scorned, Shen Chou vowed to teach Tang Suan a lesson and make her realize her own power.

Tang Suan stared at her as if she were a madwoman. Shen Chou, with her fragile ego, couldn’t bear this contempt. When she noticed the lake behind Tang Suan, a sinister smile crept across her face. Sensing danger, Tang Suan tensed, her guard rising.

In the next instant, Shen Chou lunged forward, attempting to shove Tang Suan into the lake. Tang Suan couldn’t swim, and childhood trauma had instilled in her a deep-seated fear of water. Instinctively, she dodged to the side, perfectly evading Shen Chou’s clumsy shove.

Shen Chou was in trouble now. With a splash, she lost her footing and tumbled into the water, screaming as she fell.

“Help! Someone, save me!” Shen Chou flailed her arms, struggling desperately in the water. Lake water poured into her mouth as Tang Suan walked to the edge of the lake, slowly crouched down, and extended a hand.

Believing Tang Suan was going to rescue her, Shen Chou swam toward her, reaching out as she approached. But just as her fingers brushed Tang Suan’s, Tang Suan abruptly withdrew her hand.

Shocked, Shen Chou jerked her head up, meeting Tang Suan’s mocking gaze. Gritting her teeth, she spat out, “Tang Suan, you—!”

Seeing Shen Chou’s furious expression, Tang Suan smirked slyly. The next moment, to Shen Chou’s utter astonishment, she leaped into the lake. Before Shen Chou could react, Tang Suan began shouting for help as well.

Hearing the commotion, nearby people immediately rushed to the scene. Shen Chou’s body gradually sank, her consciousness fading. Even as the lake water engulfed her head, she couldn’t understand why Tang Suan had jumped in.

To clear her own name, of course, Tang Suan thought with a cruel smile.

The scene shifted to Tang Suan sitting at her dressing table, Lian’er combing her hair. Tang Suan held a teacup, her fingers slowly tracing its rim, a faint smile playing on her lips, though her expression remained somewhat somber.

Lian’er, surprised to see her usually reserved mistress smiling, felt both curious and pleased. As she continued combing, she chuckled, “Miss, you seem unusually cheerful today. Did something good happen?”

Tang Suan paused, her expression turning blank. She set the teacup down on the table and replied coolly, “No.”

Just then, Lian’er finished inserting the last hairpin. “All done!” she announced happily.

“Oh, right,” Tang Suan said, turning slightly to ask Lian’er, “Has Shen Chou come by today?”

Since that day by the lake, Shen Chou had visited Tang Suan almost daily, each time with a different excuse. One day she wanted someone to share a delicious meal with, the next she wanted company to admire the flowers, and the day after that she wanted someone to go shopping with her.

At first, Tang Suan had responded as she always had, either refusing to see Shen Chou or treating her with cold disdain when they crossed paths. But Shen Chou refused to give up, persistently returning to pester her again and again.

Gradually, Tang Suan let Shen Chou have her way. In recent days, Shen Chou had even abandoned her previous cold demeanor. When Shen Chou came to visit, she would instruct Lian’er to prepare some pastries.

Shen Chou’s face lit up with surprise and delight when she saw the pastries were all her favorite flavors. Watching her happily munch away, her cheeks puffed out in an adorable way, Tang Suan, sipping tea nearby, felt a rare sense of contentment.

Don’t you hate her? Tang Suan questioned herself inwardly, realizing her changing attitude toward Shen Chou.

Hate? Of course I hate her! She loathed nothing more than those who had wronged her.

She wasn’t some saintly fool who would easily forgive those who had harmed her. The only reason Shen Chou was an exception was because Tang Suan could clearly sense they weren’t the same person. Though they shared an identity and an identical appearance, their personalities were polar opposites. The former Shen Chou had been arrogant and selfish, while the current one was naive and optimistic.

Tang Suan didn’t know what had happened to cause this transformation, but she was certain they were no longer the same person. As for why she didn’t expose the truth, it was because the current situation suited her purposes perfectly.

At the General’s Residence, Shen Chou was preparing to leave.

After breakfast, she strode confidently out of her room. As she passed through the courtyard, she noticed several flowering trees in full bloom. Their small, white blossoms, as pure as snow, clustered together like cascading tassels.

Shen Chou didn’t know what kind of flowers they were; her knowledge of botany was woefully limited. Drawing closer, she inhaled their rich fragrance, which mingled with the crisp morning breeze to create an intoxicating scent.

Standing beneath the trees, she took a deep breath. In that moment, she almost imagined the white blossoms transforming into Tang Suan, sitting upright and smiling at her. Shen Chou rubbed her eyes, but when she opened them again, Tang Suan’s figure had vanished, leaving only the slender, swaying trees standing gracefully in the breeze.

Still, from a distance, the flowers did resemble Tang Suan in a long, white dress. But Tang Suan would never smile at her like that. An illusion was just that—an illusion.

Shen Chou shook her head, banishing the fanciful thoughts from her mind. Before leaving, she casually plucked a bouquet of the flowers, intending to give them to Tang Suan later.

Just as Shen Chou was about to reach the gate, she ran into the Prime Minister, who had just returned from court. He was deep in conversation with a colleague when he glanced up and saw Shen Chou skipping toward him.

Seeing his precious daughter acting so lively and unladylike, especially in the presence of a stranger, the Prime Minister’s face darkened instantly.

“Ahem,” he cleared his throat, smoothed his beard, and adopted a stern tone. “Where do you think you’re going?”

Shen Chou’s eyes widened as she recognized the Prime Minister and the minister beside him. She quickly curtsied politely. “Greetings, Father. Greetings, Lord Liu.”

But as she moved, the flowers she was holding were exposed.

The Prime Minister’s face grew even darker at the sight of the flowers. “What are you doing with those flowers?”

Following his gaze, Shen Chou realized the flowers were visible. Startled, she quickly hid them behind her back. She stood awkwardly, her eyes darting around, and scratched her head sheepishly. “Nothing,” she mumbled.

Her denial only made her look more guilty.

“Do you know that damaging trees is a crime punishable by theft?” the Prime Minister demanded.

“Huh?” Shen Chou looked completely bewildered. Fortunately, the Prime Minister’s Wife arrived just then, drawn by the commotion.

“My lord, you’re back,” the Prime Minister’s Wife hurried forward to greet him.

Seeing the Prime Minister’s Wife arrive, Shen Chou knew her chance to escape had come. She gathered her skirts and dashed out of the Prime Minister’s Residence.

“Stop her!” the Prime Minister barked, turning to the guards at the gate as he saw Shen Chou fleeing.

The two guards immediately blocked Shen Chou’s path.

Shen Chou strained with all her might to pry their arms apart, but they wouldn’t budge. Frustrated, she stomped her foot. Left with no other choice, she turned back and pleaded in a sweet voice, “Father!”

The Prime Minister remained unmoved. “You’re not going anywhere today!” he declared, his voice as cold as stone. “As the Prime Minister’s daughter, you shouldn’t be running off to other people’s houses all the time. It’s unseemly! You never used to be like this!”

Hearing these words, Shen Chou’s spirits sank. She realized she was trapped for the day.

Fortunately, the Prime Minister’s Wife, who doted on Shen Chou and couldn’t bear to see her upset, stepped in to reason with her husband. “My lord,” she urged, “let Chou Chou go out. Staying cooped up indoors for too long will stifle her. It’s better for her to take a walk and get some fresh air.”

Hearing the Prime Minister’s Wife speak, Shen Chou felt her opportunity had arrived. Her eyes lit up, and she nodded vigorously, like a chick pecking at grain.

This was a stark contrast to her situation after Tang Suan’s Mother passed away, when her father had completely ignored her. In reality, the Prime Minister and his wife doted on Shen Chou and shared a deep affection for each other.

Despite the Prime Minister’s stern demeanor, he was all bark and no bite. When Shen Chou misbehaved, he would threaten punishment but never follow through, sometimes putting on a show with a few harsh words.

Sure enough, after a few words of persuasion from the Prime Minister’s Wife, his attitude softened noticeably.

Seizing the moment, Shen Chou acted swiftly. While the two burly guards and the Prime Minister were distracted, she slipped out unnoticed.

As she burst out of the Prime Minister’s Residence, Shen Chou couldn’t help but laugh heartily. Turning back to the Prime Minister, who was fuming and glaring, she called out, “Father, I’m off! I’ll bring you back something delicious when I return!”

“Don’t bother coming back at all!” the Prime Minister retorted, flinging his sleeves in exasperation.

The Prime Minister’s Wife quickly smoothed his ruffled feathers. “My lord, don’t get so worked up.”

“It’s all your fault for spoiling her!” The Prime Minister glanced at his wife, recalling their journey from childhood sweethearts to husband and wife, and finally to their present state. He couldn’t bring himself to scold her, not even a little.

The Prime Minister’s Wife came from a distinguished family, steeped in the arts of music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, literature, and etiquette. Beyond her gentle, kind, cultured, and reasonable nature, she possessed a remarkable empathy. It was precisely this quality that made the Prime Minister love her so deeply.

Having pledged vows as steadfast as mountains and oceans, and weathered the mundane realities of daily life, their affection had long transcended earthly bounds, as unshakeable as a fortress.

As the person who knew the Prime Minister best, the Prime Minister’s Wife understood that his words were merely a matter of saving face. She smiled and nodded in agreement, “Alright, alright…”

Meanwhile, Shen Chou, who had just stepped outside, never imagined she would encounter Li Changsheng—the Fifth Prince and the scumbag protagonist of this novel.

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