The Vicious Female Supporting Character and The Sadistic Heroine Got Together [Through the Book] - Chapter 7

“Your Highness is overthinking things,” Tang Suan said, lowering her gaze. “How could I possibly be angry with you?”

Li Changsheng pressed further, “Then does A-Suan know why Shen Chou sought you out? I recall your relationship was quite strained before.”

Tang Suan shook her head. “I don’t know.”

Silence fell again.

Li Changsheng studied Tang Suan for a moment before breaking into a smile. “It seems A-Suan truly doesn’t know the reason. Still, you must be careful. I remember Shen Chou once harmed you.”

“Mm, I will.”

Hearing their conversation, Shen Chou thought, They’re definitely talking about me. But their words were like a fog, especially Li Changsheng’s.

At that moment, Shen Chou desperately wanted to slam down her teacup, rush over to him, grab his robes, yank him from his seat, and demand, “Can you speak plainly? Can you just say what you mean? Do you even know how to talk? I should be careful? You’re the one the protagonist should be wary of, you big oaf!”

Her anger surged. With a clatter, she slammed her teacup onto the table, spilling tea across the surface. She sprang to her feet, gathered her skirts, and turned to leave.

The waiter, who had been brewing tea nearby, jumped at her sudden outburst and hurried after her, whispering, “Madam, where are you going?”

“None of your business!” Shen Chou snapped without turning around.

The waiter persisted, following her for a few more steps. Shen Chou whirled around, glaring at him. “I said, stop following me! Are you trying to annoy me?”

The moment her words left her lips, the once-noisy theater fell silent. She stiffly raised her head, stealing a glance around, and realized everyone was staring at her.

Shen Chou felt utterly mortified, wishing she could crawl into a crack in the floor and disappear. She risked another glance toward the private box, relieved to see Tang Suan and Li Changsheng hadn’t noticed the commotion and were still chatting casually.

She let out a silent sigh of relief, then turned back to the waiter, clutching his hand with a tearful expression. “I’m so sorry,” she pleaded. “I didn’t mean to lose my temper like that. Please forgive me. Here’s some money to make up for it. Just promise you won’t follow me anymore, okay?”

The waiter stood there, his mouth slightly agape, clutching the money pouch in his hand, and nodded dumbly.

Watching Tang Suan’s retreating figure, the innkeeper scratched his head in confusion. He’d never encountered a guest like this before—someone who would apologize to servants for losing their temper. This was a first.

As Shen Chou approached the private room, her brisk pace suddenly slowed to a cautious shuffle. Her fingers nervously twisted the fabric of her dress, the repetitive motion rising and falling, rising and falling…

Shen Chou, what are you so afraid of? she chided herself inwardly. You’re not the one who hurt Tang Suan—it was the original owner of this body. Remember, you’re here to save the Protagonist, to love her, to change the ending.

With that thought, Shen Chou parted the beaded curtain.

“Your Highness said he had some matters to discuss with Sister Tang and asked me to wait elsewhere,” she said with a practiced smile. “But I’ve been waiting and waiting, and Your Highness still hasn’t come for me. I couldn’t help but come looking for you.”

The words sounded so grand and proper that even Shen Chou doubted if she had actually spoken them. Yet they had undeniably come from her own mouth.

But at this moment, she couldn’t afford to dwell on such trivialities.

No one offered her a seat, so Shen Chou simply found one for herself, deliberately positioning herself between Tang Suan and Li Changsheng.

Li Changsheng’s lips twitched slightly as he observed Shen Chou’s carefree, smiling demeanor.

It had only been a month since they last met, yet her personality had undergone a complete transformation, now bordering on shameless.

The question remained: did she still harbor feelings for him, as she once had? Shen Chou’s current behavior baffled not only Tang Suan but Li Changsheng as well.

Shen Chou, what game are you playing? Li Changsheng thought, his gaze fixed on her, his eyes dark and unreadable.

Noticing Li Changsheng’s intense stare, Shen Chou felt a pang of fear. She nervously asked the System if it could reveal his thoughts.

The System promptly relayed Li Changsheng’s recent thoughts to her, word for word.

Shen Chou couldn’t help but roll her eyes. Is that all he’s thinking about? she scoffed inwardly.

But—

This scumbag male lead is so narcissistic! Does he really think I’m still the same Shen Chou? That I still like him? Dream on!

*******

Though Li Changsheng’s background was tragic, Shen Chou felt no sympathy for him. When she first read the novel, she had pitied him, seeing him and the equally miserable Protagonist as kindred spirits, destined for each other.

Back then, she had genuinely ached for Li Changsheng. She had pitied him for having to constantly wear a mask to survive, practicing fake smiles in the mirror every day, slowly losing himself and becoming the very person he despised. She had pitied him for resorting to any means to achieve his goals, gambling everything for power, all to become strong, yet no one understood him. She had pitied him for his scheming mind, his cold-blooded cruelty, and his obsessive madness, which ultimately led him to conquer the empire but lose the woman he loved, leaving him to spend the rest of his days in utter solitude.

But when she witnessed the Protagonist’s indirect death at his hands, Shen Chou’s affection for Li Changsheng vanished completely. On the day the original Shen Chou drove the Protagonist to her death, Shen Chou had wept uncontrollably, using up three entire boxes of tissues. Between sobs, she cursed the original Shen Chou, and made sure to include Li Changsheng in her tirade.

After all, in a way, Li Changsheng was the true mastermind behind it all. Without his tacit approval and indulgence, how could the original Shen Chou have acted so arrogantly and recklessly, driving the Protagonist to her death?

Li Changsheng had been doubting whether Shen Chou still loved him, until she revealed she had sought him out because she couldn’t wait any longer for him to come to her. A faint smile curled his lips. Shen Chou still loves me after all. As long as she did, he could continue to use her.

After all, Shen Chou’s status was exceptionally prestigious. She was a Commandery Princess, her father a Prince, and her mother from a renowned noble family with formidable influence.

If he married both Shen Chou and Tang Suan, he would secure two powerful allies, in addition to the Empress’s support. With such backing, the position of Crown Prince would be within his grasp.

However, he had promised A-Suan that if he ever ascended the throne, he would make her Empress.

It seems this matter requires careful consideration, Li Changsheng thought.

Shen Chou watched the flicker in Li Changsheng’s eyes, recognizing the calculations behind his gaze.

This time, with me here, Li Changsheng, I won’t stop you from vying for the throne. But don’t even think about harming Tang Suan. I’ll protect her and tell her to stay as far away from you as possible.

With these thoughts, Shen Chou’s face brightened into a radiant smile once more. She rose to her feet and addressed Li Changsheng: “Come, Your Highness, allow me to offer you a toast.”

Li Changsheng raised his wine cup, clinked it against hers, and drained it in one gulp. Setting down the cup, he smiled and asked, “Commandery Princess, what brings you to offer me a toast today?”

Shen Chou would never be foolish enough to declare war on him outright. From this day forward, she would begin vying for the Protagonist’s affections, and she would do it by feigning innocence and seducing her like a green tea btch.*

It was her only option. If she stuck to the original owner’s arrogant and aloof personality, she’d never stand a chance of winning over the Protagonist. So, she had to adopt a different persona.

For a cold, stubborn beauty like the Protagonist, brute force would never work. She had to approach her with gentleness and subtlety.

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