A Scummy Alpha Supporting Character Accidentally Marks the Heroine After Transmigrating into a Book (GL) - Chapter 48

A few drops of wine had splashed onto Yan Nanjue’s shawl. She only noticed it after getting into the car. Fortunately, it was in an inconspicuous spot—just a small, light-red stain on the pale pattern. Since she couldn’t deal with it immediately, she simply closed her eyes and ignored it.

【Quick reflexes,】 the System remarked.

“I saw the way she raised her hand; she was aiming for the top of the heroine’s head. She deliberately chose red wine, clearly wanting to humiliate her,” Yan Nanjue said with relief. “I’m glad my hands were faster. Imagine how embarrassing it would have been for the heroine to be splashed in the face in front of everyone.”

【Not bad, not bad.】 The System offered a token of praise.

Yan Nanjue excitedly checked the Blackening Value, but the number remained exactly the same as the last time she looked. She couldn’t help but wonder, “It’s been so long, why isn’t the Blackening Value moving?”

【System: Who knows?】

“Could it be because I haven’t changed any key plot points lately?” Yan Nanjue speculated. “I’ve been avoiding the traps that caused her to blacken in the original book one by one. Her value dropped every time I dodged a pit. Does it only hit zero after I’ve successfully navigated the entire plot and avoided every disaster?”

But she couldn’t stay in this book forever. The main storyline was Bai Wan’s revenge history, and her own role only occupied the first half of the book. She couldn’t stay here forever watching over Bai Wan, could she?

Lost in thought, Yan Nanjue peeked open one eye and stole a quick glance at Bai Wan, who had been dazing out the entire trip. “What’s up with the heroine? She seems to be in a daze constantly. That doesn’t fit her character setting.”

The System observed seriously. 【Not necessarily. Maybe she’s just been high-strung for too long. When she relaxes, it looks like dazing out.】

Yan Nanjue looked a few more times, feeling like something was off, but she didn’t dare stare too long for fear of being caught. She withdrew her gaze.

Back at the apartment, she took off the wine-stained shawl. Her fingertip brushed against the dried liquid; realizing she couldn’t clean it herself, she tossed it onto the sofa.

Bai Wan watched her movements.

“Pour me a glass of water.”

Yan Nanjue seemed exhausted, sitting on the sofa and ordering with her eyes closed before even changing out of her formal wear. Bai Wan complied. She leaned down slightly, placed the glass on the table, and picked up the shawl. The silk felt smooth and soft—the touch of extremely high-quality fabric.

Yan Nanjue opened her eyes. “Leave it in the laundry basket. Let the servants handle it.” Red wine stains were difficult to wash; they required professional treatment.

Bai Wan paused, her gaze falling on the stain. The light-red wine had spread, leaving a small, mottled mark.

A mark that should have appeared on her own body.

During a sudden situation she hadn’t even noticed, Yan Nanjue—who had been busy socializing—had reacted first, instinctively pulling her behind her back.

…Just like last time.

When the out-of-control vehicle lunged, she had been shielded. The light-red wine stain darkened, resembling the blood that had dripped onto her face, the two completely different scents overlapping in her mind.

Bai Wan’s fingertips tightened, wrinkling the shawl. As her finger rubbed the small blemish, she momentarily felt as if she were touching a bloodstain.

…Time and time again. Last time it was blood. This time it was wine.

Bai Wan turned around. The Alpha was leaning back on the sofa in a relaxed posture, one arm raised high and resting on a pillow. That pale, bare arm was turned toward her unreservedly, as if displaying something.

The deepest scar was actually near the crook of her arm, where the flesh was softest; the mark left there was the most prominent. The pale white scar wasn’t usually obvious, but under the glow of the floor lamp, it stood out starkly.

Every question she had been unable to solve seemed to find an answer at this moment.

Bai Wan thought: Yan Nanjue seems… to actually like her.

This madwoman has fallen for me?

Bai Wan’s gaze lost focus for a second. She couldn’t describe the feeling that accompanied this guess. Beyond shock, she felt only absurdity—endless, preposterous absurdity—which quickly faded into silence.

She gripped the fabric in her fingers tightly.

Yan Nanjue actually liked her. After torturing her for two years, Yan Nanjue had actually fallen for her “canary”?

The madwoman had initially labeled her a vase, then a canary, and finally an untamable wild dog—a mad dog that wouldn’t let go no matter how hard it was beaten. She had always known this. She also knew how much the lunatic wanted to turn her into an obedient dog.

So now, what did Yan Nanjue consider her?

Bai Wan’s soul felt as if it were being pulled from her body by an invisible hand, looking down at everything from a bystander’s perspective. Past words surfaced in her mind, reminding her of the fact that Yan Nanjue likely liked her.

Then she thought: So what?

Even if it were true, Yan Nanjue’s change amounted to nothing more than saving her a few times. This was what Yan Nanjue owed her. It was long overdue.

Bai Wan’s gaze lingered for too long. Even someone as obtuse as Yan Nanjue noticed something was wrong. She opened her eyes to look at the person beside her, unexpectedly meeting a pair of deep eyes filled with emotions she couldn’t decipher. Her heart skipped a beat.

What is the heroine thinking now? That look of deep-seated bitterness is giving me the chills.

She silently withdrew her outstretched arm. “Are you…”

“Yan Nanjue, have you fallen for me?”

Two voices rang out simultaneously.

Yan Nanjue’s mind went blank. She failed to react immediately. …Huh? What is the heroine saying?? Is it what I think it means? Who likes who?

【System: She’s asking if you like her.】

“I heard her clearly! I just find it unbelievable. How could this question come out of Bai Wan’s mouth?”

How could even the heroine have this misunderstanding?!

Yan Nanjue was terrified by the sudden question, almost jumping off the sofa. She was so scared her pheromones nearly leaked out. She looked up in disbelief, meeting Bai Wan’s silent gaze, and realized the question was serious.

Bai Wan truly suspected she liked her. Yan Nanjue’s scalp felt numb. She instinctively swallowed before hardening her face into a sneer: “Fancy that.”

She stood up, looking down at Bai Wan.

“Self-important.”

“Delusional.”

Insulting words spilled from her scarlet lips in succession. Yan Nanjue didn’t hide her emotions, indirectly proving how absurd she found the question.

“It’s nighttime, Mrs. Yan. Your daydreaming is ill-timed.” She let out a cold laugh, as if hearing the greatest joke in the world. “How could I possibly like someone like you? A stubborn bone who doesn’t listen. Which part of you do you think is worthy of my affection?”

“You may have no shame, but I do.”

Yan Nanjue walked away, exaggerating her reaction. “You’ve sat in the position of Mrs. Yan for too long; your brain has gone soft. To think you’d dare utter such a fantasy.”

They brushed past each other. “Stop talking such nonsense. If word gets out, people will think I have no standards,” Yan Nanjue dropped the line. “Know your place, Bai Wan.” Then, she retreated to her room.

Listening to the string of insults, Bai Wan knit her brows and looked sideways. She suddenly noticed something wrong with Yan Nanjue’s gait. She was top-heavy, and her heels were light.

She is feeling guilty.

Bai Wan suddenly found it funny. Her lips moved, mouthing a silent word: Humiliated.

She stared at the slammed door for a few seconds. The trace of mockery vanished instantly, replaced by cold indifference. Whether Yan Nanjue liked her or not had nothing to do with her. There was no possibility between them, and she didn’t need the affection of a lunatic.

Given everything Yan Nanjue had done in the past, this seemed more like a change in strategy—a more sophisticated lie to deceive her, play with her, and train her into a dog.

She shouldn’t have asked. Asking such a question would only bring endless trouble. Why had she blurted it out? Bai Wan couldn’t understand. She closed her eyes, discarding all chaotic thoughts. She hated dealing with such complex matters; for her, the best way was to ignore it and strike at the root.

After a dozen seconds, she opened her eyes to take the shawl to the laundry basket. Just as she took a step, her nose caught a scent. Her footsteps faltered.

It was the scent of fruit wine, with an almost imperceptible, wispy sweetness that seemed to rush past her like a physical entity. Like a strand of hair, or a spiderweb—ethereal and formless. She could almost feel the touch as the scent brushed past.

Bai Wan paused, feeling that the scent was strange. Initially, she thought it was the wine stain on the shawl, but sniffing it revealed only a faint red wine scent, mostly covered by the perfume the “viper” usually wore.

So where did this scent come from? Was it an Alpha’s pheromone? Chen Wanjun or Ji Ziyi? Who had Yan Nanjue been close to lately?

…It didn’t matter. Bai Wan frowned and tossed the garment into the basket.

Inside the room, Yan Nanjue was about to explode. “Crap! Why did the heroine suddenly ask me that? Who likes her! It’s one thing for others to misunderstand, but why her too? Doesn’t she think it’s creepy and nonsensical for an enemy to suddenly like her?!”

“And she just asked it straight out?! Seeing the heroine say ‘I like her’ with that expressionless face is terrifying!!!”

The System’s interface shook from her shouting. 【Maybe she noticed your changes?】

“Can’t the changes just be me suddenly finding my conscience and being nice to her?!” Yan Nanjue fumed. “Why do these people always jump to ‘love’? The childhood friends, the ‘Green Tea’ rival, and even the host’s mother thinks so!”

The System felt something was off. After a moment of silence, it asked: 【Do you really not know the reason?】

Yan Nanjue looked blank. She instinctively looked up to meet the System’s “eyes,” realized she was being silly, and looked down again. Her dark eyes were filled with pure confusion. “What reason? Do you know?”

The System looked at her beautiful, bright face. Her peach-blossom eyes were exquisite—tender and soft. Her scarlet lips and snow-white skin made even her current state of screaming on the rug look like a beautiful, pouting maiden. This was Yan Nanjue’s original face. A face so beautiful it looked like a girlfriend was attached to every strand of hair.

The System thought about her reaction and asked: 【Have you ever been in love? Or rather, have you ever liked anyone?】

Yan Nanjue nodded instinctively. “If I have to use the word ‘like,’ the only things I like are food and that stray cat I fed many times back in school. Too bad the cat ran away.”

The System’s tone became kind and fatherly: 【Never mind. Go play.】

Yan Nanjue was completely lost.

【Don’t you realize? All your behaviors look like you’re deeply in love with Bai Wan. You trust her, you protect her, and you let everyone know how much you value her. I thought this was part of your plan—using your favoritism to protect her.】

Yan Nanjue froze. “But I only do it for the mission!”

【System: Other people don’t know that.】

“Even if I have feelings for the heroine, it’s pure ‘mission-based feelings.’ I am the mission-taker; she is the mission itself.” Yan Nanjue couldn’t help but ask, “Why are you answering so clearly this time?”

【I haven’t seen a pig run, but I’ve eaten pork. I’ve watched many hosts fall in love,】 the System said. 【Currently, your mission progress isn’t lagging. If they misunderstand, let them. At worst, just treat the heroine like that stray cat you fed. She’s just as piteous as a stray kitten anyway.】

Yan Nanjue was dazed. Treat Bai Wan like… a stray cat I’m feeding?