A Scummy Alpha Supporting Character Accidentally Marks the Heroine After Transmigrating into a Book (GL) - Chapter 35

Under the watchful eyes of everyone present, Yan Nanjue suddenly stood up.

Yan Changqing, sitting beside her, was startled by the abrupt movement. Her hand, which had been silently tapping the table, stopped. “Que?”

Yan Nanjue’s face was cold and grim. “I have an urgent matter to deal with. Excuse me, everyone.”

With that, she grabbed her coat from the back of the chair and hurried out.

Yan Changqing looked at Lin Furuo, her eyes questioning what had happened. Assistant Lin felt a surge of nerves. “Forgive me, Chairman Yan. I need to go with President Yan to handle this. I will message you the details on the way.”

Yan Changqing nodded and let her go, then raised her hand to signal for the meeting to continue.

Yan Nanjue arrived at the hospital in a whirlwind.

It was now pitch black outside, and the inpatient department entrance was quiet. As Yan Nanjue stepped out of the car, Lin Furuo whispered rapidly: “Chairman Luo is on a business trip and can’t make it back immediately. Mrs. Luo and the eldest Miss Luo heard what happened at the villa and have rushed here. It’s not yet confirmed if Miss Shuqing’s fall has anything to do with the Madam, but the Madam and the butler are currently at the hospital.”

The elevator doors slowly opened on the VIP floor. Rounding the corner, Yan Nanjue’s gaze landed in the distance.

Bai Wan was sitting on a cold hospital bench, her eyes downcast, lost in thought. She was still in her loungewear and slippers; the thin fabric was clearly not enough for such a frigid night. her exposed ankles were slightly blue from the cold, and her lips were pale.

Yan Nanjue’s heart tightened slightly. She looked past her and saw the butler standing in front of Bai Wan, speaking softly and politely to the Luo family.

Mrs. Luo looked extremely agitated, her voice rising uncontrollably. “How could a perfectly fine person fall down the stairs for no reason?!”

Luo Huazhi was stroking her mother’s back, soothing her with a gentle voice, her eyes filled with worry for her sister. Sensing someone’s arrival, Luo Huazhi looked up. “Mother, President Yan is here.”

Bai Wan looked up slowly. Yan Nanjue met her gaze across the long corridor. Aside from her lack of warm clothing, Bai Wan seemed fine; her expression was as cold as ever, her brows lowered with a trace of intense annoyance. She took only one look before withdrawing her gaze, silently listening to Mrs. Luo’s scolding.

Yan Nanjue walked quickly to the ward entrance, the “click-clack” of her heels breaking the hospital silence. She signaled for the butler to step aside.

Mrs. Luo’s face was full of fury, though she managed to suppress it due to their status. “Que, it’s not that I want to blow this out of proportion, but today’s incident has crossed my line. Shuqing was perfectly fine when she left home; the next news I get is that she fell down the stairs.”

She glanced at Bai Wan, a deep resentment welling in her eyes.

Bai Wan kept her head slightly bowed, her long lashes veiling her eyes and hiding all emotion. No one saw that those amber eyes were filled with icy disgust. The emotions hidden behind her mask of indifference were nearly uncontrollable—violence, gloom, and stubbornness were starting to leak out.

So noisy. Every single one of these voices was so loud.

Bai Wan watched as if she were a bystander. The surrounding sounds couldn’t enter her ears, nor could they cause a ripple in her emotions. She had long predicted how this would end.

…But it didn’t matter. She didn’t care about the outcome. No matter what happened, no one could leave a mark on her heart. She cared about nothing—not being slandered, not being scolded, not being hated. She let it all happen, and she ignored it all.

Bai Wan closed her eyes.

In the next instant, a coat was thrown over her head and landed in her lap. Her lashes fluttered, and she opened her eyes reflexively. It was a black suit jacket, infused with the fragrance of its owner. She looked up and saw Lin Furuo standing there.

Sensing her gaze, Assistant Lin—afraid of being misunderstood—secretly signaled for her to look ahead.

A graceful silhouette suddenly occupied her vision. Wavy hair draped over the woman’s shoulders, revealing a sliver of snow-white skin at the neck. The woman’s sleeves were rolled up to her elbows, showing forearms that were slender yet not weak; an Alpha’s body was naturally powerful.

Whether intentional or not, Yan Nanjue stood with her back to Bai Wan, blocking her from the others’ accusatory glares.

Mrs. Luo’s voice carried a sob. “You grew up with our Shuqing; you know she isn’t a reckless person. Not long ago, her hand was burned. Though she said it was an accident, I asked her friends—they said Miss Bai didn’t hold the tray steady, and it scorched her hand, leaving such a massive scar.”

Mrs. Luo’s voice choked. “My heart aches seeing that scar. Shuqing dreams of being a painter; what if it leaves a permanent injury? How will she hold a brush?”

“I was willing to overlook the burn since it was an ‘accident,’ but then today happens,” Mrs. Luo’s tone shifted. “I don’t know how Shuqing provoked Miss Bai to deserve such retaliation…”

Luo Huazhi frowned and patted her shoulder, signaling her to stop. Mrs. Luo brushed her hand away, glaring at her with unabated blame. “Luo Huazhi, your sister is lying in that bed unconscious—half of the responsibility is yours! Didn’t you have your secretary following her?! How could something this big happen? She was covered in blood when she arrived!”

Secretary Lü bowed her head in guilt.

“Mother… you know that’s not what I meant,” Luo Huazhi said helplessly. “Shuqing hasn’t woken up yet; don’t judge someone so hastily.”

Mrs. Luo looked at Bai Wan, her resentment unrestrained. “Judge? I wish I could. First the hand, now the stairs. We don’t even know if she’ll open her eyes…”

Yan Nanjue felt a bad premonition. She stepped forward, completely shielding Bai Wan from view, and asked with a frown, “How is Shuqing?”

Mrs. Luo stepped aside to let her look through the window. Luo Shuqing’s head was wrapped in bandages, her leg was in a cast, and her face looked even paler against her light blonde hair.

“Aunt Luo, I understand your anxiety,” Yan Nanjue said, “but we need to know the facts first. Butler, what happened?”

The butler repeated the details: “When Miss Shuqing fell, only she and the Madam were present. None of us saw how it happened. But on the way to the hospital, Miss Shuqing said she felt like she was pushed.”

Silence fell over the corridor.

Mrs. Luo breathed heavily. “You heard it. Only the two of them were there.”

“Que, our Shuqing truly loves you. I even thought of playing matchmaker, but you didn’t like her. I didn’t force you, nor did I let Changqing force you into a blind date; I respected you, and up until now, I respected your wife.”

“But to put it bluntly, a person like Miss Bai is lucky beyond belief to marry into the Yan family. I have no objection to her sitting in the position of Mrs. Yan, but she shouldn’t have targeted Shuqing time and again!” Mrs. Luo’s voice grew louder. “Shuqing just loves you! What did she do wrong?! Her only mistake was falling for someone who doesn’t love her back. If it weren’t for Bai Wan, Shuqing would be the one married to you!”

“—Aunt Luo,” Yan Nanjue interrupted her. “Your hypothesis doesn’t hold.”

Her voice was cold and flat. “I have always seen Shuqing as a sister; what you are saying is inappropriate. Bai Wan is my wife, and she always has been.”

Her clear, cool voice carried a faint sense of certainty. She seemed to possess the power to control the room as she spoke each word firmly:

“I know Bai Wan. She wouldn’t stoop to this.”

Bai Wan’s eyelashes fluttered almost imperceptibly. She gripped the coat, thinking coldly: A hypocritical defense.

Yan Nanjue looked at Mrs. Luo, her eyes seemingly possessing a soul-stirring magic. “Once Shuqing wakes up, we will ask her if Bai Wan really pushed her. If the investigation proves it was her, the Yan family will bear any compensation.”

“Compensation?” Mrs. Luo sneered. “If anything happens to Shuqing, even killing her wouldn’t be enough to pay for it!”

Yan Nanjue said calmly, “You are too emotional, Aunt Luo.” She looked at Luo Huazhi, who understood and leaned over to soothe her mother.

Assistant Lin stepped forward. “Mrs. Luo, the priority is Miss Shuqing’s recovery. I have already contacted the best brain specialists. I believe Miss Shuqing is blessed and will be fine. Chairman Yan knows you are heartbroken, but she truly cannot get away right now; she will visit the Luo family personally.”

Still agitated, Mrs. Luo gave Bai Wan a hateful look before being helped into the ward by Luo Huazhi.

Luo Huazhi closed the door. “Nanjue, my mother is just worried about Shuqing; her emotions were too high.” She turned. “I’m sorry, Miss Bai Wan, don’t take my mother’s words to heart. Nanjue and Shuqing are just friends; Shuqing… sometimes acts without considering the consequences.”

Hearing this level of understanding, Yan Nanjue almost cried with gratitude. This was the first person she’d met since transmigrating who actually helped her explain things!

“Is Shuqing okay?” she asked.

Now that her mother was absent, Luo Huazhi was honest: “A moderate concussion, seven stitches on her head, a leg fracture, and bruises elsewhere. We’ll know more when she wakes up.”

Hearing the list of injuries, Yan Nanjue shook her head inwardly. Luo Shuqing is really too ruthless toward herself…

System: Otherwise, how could she be called the Vicious Female Lead? If there was a ‘Green Tea’ KPI, she’d be number one.

“I’ll go in and see her,” Yan Nanjue said.

Luo Huazhi opened the door. Mrs. Luo was clutching her daughter’s hand, staring at her with worry. On the bed, Luo Shuqing was deathly pale. The burn scar on her arm was exposed—the pale flesh looking like a spiderweb. Yan Nanjue gained a new appreciation for her ruthlessness.

After the visit, they stepped back out. Luo Huazhi acted normal toward the “culprit” who supposedly pushed her sister. “It’s late. You all should head back. I’ll call when she wakes up.”

Yan Nanjue left Lin Furuo behind. She turned and faced Bai Wan directly for the first time that night.

Bai Wan was draped in the suit jacket, her long hair tucked inside. Her gaze was cold as she looked at Yan Nanjue in silence.

“Wear it properly,” Yan Nanjue ordered coldly.

Bai Wan bit her lip and put the jacket on correctly instead of just draping it. Yan Nanjue was satisfied but didn’t show it. They were about the same height, but Bai Wan was much thinner; the jacket that fit Yan Nanjue perfectly looked loose on her. Yan Nanjue couldn’t help but think: If only she weren’t so thin.

She gave Bai Wan one last cold look and strode down the hall. Faint footsteps followed behind her, the two sounds drawing closer until they overlapped.

Luo Shuqing didn’t wake up until midnight.

Luo Huazhi eventually forced the secretary to take their sobbing mother home. The room was finally quiet. She picked up a water cup and flicked a drop onto the bed. A bit of cold water landed on Luo Shuqing’s forehead, and her lashes trembled.

“Stop faking,” Luo Huazhi said.

Luo Shuqing opened her eyes weakly. “When did you wake up?” Luo Huazhi asked.

“Not long ago. I heard Mother crying, had a headache, and ‘passed out’ again.”

Luo Huazhi looked at her, not knowing what to say. Their relationship was complicated; she had lived abroad with her grandmother for years while Shuqing stayed home. She couldn’t truly reach her sister anymore.

“Did Sister Nanjue come?” Luo Shuqing whispered.

Luo Huazhi felt even more helpless. “Yes.”

“How was she? Did she… feel sorry for me?”

Luo Huazhi avoided her gaze. “No. Her reaction was flat. She only looked at you a few times and left.”

The light in Luo Shuqing’s eyes died instantly. “When she came to visit, her wife was at the door—”

“Don’t mention her,” Luo Shuqing interrupted. “I don’t want to hear it.”

“Did she really push you?”

Luo Shuqing avoided the question. “Did she say anything? Repeat everything she did and said after she arrived.”

“Luo Shuqing!” Luo Huazhi called out sternly. She had confirmed her suspicions. “You cherish yourself too little. How can you joke with your own body?! First the burn, now this… was the burn also you—”

Luo Shuqing looked away. “I only want to know what she said and did.”

Angered by her sister’s stubbornness, Luo Huazhi repeated Yan Nanjue’s actions coldly. When she finished, Luo Shuqing was silent for a long time before pulling the blanket over her head.

“Luo Shuqing! Answer me!” Luo Huazhi strode forward and ripped the blanket back. She froze.

Behind the blanket, Luo Shuqing was in tears. “She really… didn’t say anything. Why, Sis? Why? I thought if one person left, she would only see me… why did a Bai Wan appear? I knew they had no feelings for each other, but why… why has she changed? Why not me? Why can’t it be me?”

Luo Huazhi turned away, her voice harsh: “Dislike is dislike. She doesn’t just dislike you; she doesn’t like that Bai Wan either.” She paused. “You asked me why I’m so sure she doesn’t love you? I’ll give you the answer.”

“—Yan Nanjue simply has no heart.”

Silence reigned. Bai Wan buttoned the suit jacket, the faint fragrance of the fabric reaching her nose. She closed her eyes, and several scent notes immediately jumped into her mind: Petitgrain, lavender, amber, bamboo…

She recognized the top, middle, and base notes. It wasn’t the first time she had smelled this.

After a long time, Bai Wan opened her eyes. The car stopped, and as she leaned over to get out, the night wind brought a stronger waft of the perfume.

“—It wasn’t me.”

A voice suddenly broke the silence of the night. Yan Nanjue, who had already stepped out, paused and turned around.

“I didn’t push her,” Bai Wan said.

Yan Nanjue’s pupils flickered. Was Bai Wan… explaining? The heroine was actually explaining herself to her?!

System! System, system, system! Yan Nanjue called out in disbelief. Was she just explaining to me?!

System: Yes.

Yan Nanjue felt like she was walking on air. Is she not going to blacken anymore? She offered an explanation for the first time! If she has the desire to explain, my mission is close to success, right?

The System was baffled by how its host could interpret seven words so deeply.

“Before, she couldn’t even be bothered to explain,” Yan Nanjue argued. “She acted as if being wrongly accused was none of her business. Now, no one even asked, and she volunteered it! That means she cares about the situation!”

She hurriedly checked the Blackening Value, waiting for a surprise.

Current Blackening Value of the Heroine: 60/100

Heavens! What a huge surprise!!! Yan Nanjue was nearly dizzy with joy. System, am I dreaming?

The System checked the stats, equally shocked. You were actually… right.

When did it drop? The System checked the logs. It hadn’t been a straight drop. It rose when the news broke, but the moment Yan Nanjue arrived at the hospital, it began a steady decline, finally stabilizing at 60.

System: Wake up, you’re blocking her path.

Yan Nanjue realized she was still standing in the way of the car door.

The butler asked, “The Madam hasn’t eaten since noon; she must be exhausted. I’ll have the cook make something. Is there anything you’d like?”

“I’m not hungry,” Bai Wan refused.

“Please eat something, Madam. You look terrible and you were out in the cold for so long,” the butler urged. “At least you had the jacket.”

Bai Wan gripped the lapel of the jacket slightly tighter. “Clear soup noodles will do.”

As the servants went to prepare the food, Yan Nanjue returned a call to Yan Changqing. She explained the day’s events succinctly.

“Are you sure it had nothing to do with her?” Yan Changqing asked.

Through the window, Yan Nanjue saw Bai Wan eating noodles in the dining room, the steam dampening her lashes. She walked a bit further away. “Yes. I am certain.”

“Based only on your trust?”

“Yes.”

“Fine,” Yan Changqing didn’t press further. “I will handle the Luo family. Don’t interfere, and don’t let Bai Wan and Luo Shuqing meet again. When Shuqing wakes up, go visit her one more time.”

Yan Nanjue agreed. Hanging up, she looked back at Bai Wan, her mood better than ever. 60 blackening points—that was five points lower than when she first arrived!

She headed upstairs, forgetting about the clothes. In the dining room, the butler asked, “Madam, you can just give the jacket to the servants. I’ll wash it and return it to the Miss’s room.”

Bai Wan paused for a few seconds before taking the jacket off and handing it over. The fabric held a faint body heat, a blend of perfumes, and a trace of rose scent. The scents were intertwined as if they were one.

“Assistant Lin said the Miss hasn’t eaten either; I’ll bring her some food,” the butler said.

Bai Wan suddenly remembered something. “Are you familiar with Yan Zhi?”

“Miss Yan Zhi? She used to come to the villa often. She looks quite like the Miss did when she was young, though she’s much more lively.”

“Do you know her tastes?”

The butler thought for a moment. “Miss Yan Zhi isn’t a picky eater. She likes anything delicious—sweet, sour, spicy—just not bitter. Why do you ask, Madam?”

“Nothing,” Bai Wan said, putting down her chopsticks. “She stayed at the apartment for a few days; I was just curious.”

Yan Nanjue arrived at the hospital with Assistant Lin. Seeing Luo Shuqing having blood drawn through the ward window, Yan Nanjue’s legs went weak.

System, save me… She turned away immediately.

“President Yan?” Lin Furuo asked.

“She’s having an exam. It’s impolite to look. We’ll wait.”

Once the nurse left with the vials of blood, Yan Nanjue entered. Luo Shuqing’s face lit up when she saw her. “Sister Nanjue! You came!”

Yan Nanjue walked to the bed as the secretary stepped out. “How is your body?”

“I’m fine, just hurting. Everywhere hurts,” Luo Shuqing said piteously, lowering her head to show the bandages and the patch of hair that had been shaved for stitches.

“It’s good that you’re okay. I have one question to ask you.”

Luo Shuqing guessed what was coming. She gripped her arm where the blood was drawn, her jaw tight. Don’t ask that question…

“I don’t remember,” she blurted out first. “Concussions have side effects. I can’t remember what happened or how I fell. If you think I was pushed, then I was pushed. If you think I fell, then I fell.”

She threw the choice to Yan Nanjue, a tiny spark of hope in her eyes. Even though she knew the answer, she hoped against hope that Yan Nanjue would choose her.

“—Bai Wan is not the kind of person who would do this.”

Luo Shuqing shut her eyes tight, her eyeballs trembling under her lids. She couldn’t face her.

“Sister Nanjue,” she whispered, her voice cracking. “Do you really know her? Are you so certain she wouldn’t do this?”

Yan Nanjue met her gaze. “Yes.”

Just one word, accompanied by the slightest nod. Regardless of her “god’s eye” view of the plot, she chose to believe in Bai Wan.