A Scummy Alpha Supporting Character Accidentally Marks the Heroine After Transmigrating into a Book (GL) - Chapter 67

The younger sister nodded instinctively.

The girl, recovering from the awkwardness of being caught talking behind someone’s back, worried that her words had been misinterpreted. She hurriedly explained, “Sister Bai Wan, we didn’t mean any harm. We just think you and Senior Su look a little bit alike. We weren’t trying to compare you; you’re both very outstanding people!”

The person before them remained silent.

The younger sister looked on anxiously as the older girl called out cautiously, “Sister Bai Wan?”

Bai Wan kept her eyes lowered. Nearby was a wall made of a water curtain. The spotlights reflected into the flowing water, and the shifting ripples cast moving light onto her pale neck—like a slithering, transparent snake, touching her skin almost imperceptibly, winding around her in circles, tightening.

She asked: “Do I really look like her?”

The girl whispered, “A little.” She thought of something and pulled out her phone. “There should be old photos of Senior Su on the school forum; it’s a very famous trending post. Sister Bai Wan, do you want to see?”

Bai Wan’s gaze fell on the dim screen. She knew about this forum—a former roommate had mentioned it—but she hadn’t been interested. Or rather, she wasn’t interested in anything; she didn’t reach out or proactively seek information.

The girl, sensing her curiosity, suggested: “Or we could exchange contacts, and I’ll send you the forum link? Senior Su and I share the same major; she’s very famous in our department.”

Bai Wan agreed. It was rare for her to harbor such curiosity about a person.

—Su Changyin.

This name that had appeared around her multiple times… who exactly was this Eldest Miss Su, this “Senior Su”?

Yan Nanjue was looking at a message from Lin Furuo. The assistant told her that Bai Wan was currently reading at the hotel and didn’t seem to have any plans to go out this afternoon.

Ji Ziyi leaned over, and Yan Nanjue tucked her phone away. Looking up, she saw Chen Wanjun had already walked ahead. Ji Ziyi was holding several cultural souvenirs from the museum. “Which one looks better?”

Yan Nanjue pointed to one of them. “The red one.”

“Got it.”

Ji Ziyi looked at the one she pointed to, then at another. “If it were a gift for someone, which would you choose?”

Yan Nanjue stuck to her choice. Ji Ziyi looked thoughtful, and in the end, she bought all of those souvenirs. As they left the museum, Yan Nanjue saw the bag in her hand; a brooch was packaged separately, fitting the “gift” description. She asked curiously, “Who is it for?”

Did Ji Ziyi fall for someone again?

Ji Ziyi smiled. “Take a guess?”

Chen Wanjun approached, her gaze sweeping over the gift bag. “Isn’t Cheng Lian gone?”

Ji Ziyi replied nonchalantly, “I can still mail it.”

Yan Nanjue understood. It was for Boss Cheng. But hadn’t they broken up? Was Ji Ziyi lingering on the past? She looked at Chen Wanjun, who gave a slight shrug, also not understanding why.

Ji Ziyi leaned the back of her head against the car window, her voice lazy and relaxed. “Just treat it as my hand acting on its own. I promised to give her a gift before, and it’s not too late to send it now. Plus, I don’t like owing people things.”

Yan Nanjue realized that this was to draw a clean line. She hadn’t expected Ji Ziyi to be so principled in this regard.

Returning to the hotel, Yan Nanjue hesitated at the elevator and impulsively pressed a different floor. When the doors opened, she stepped out and walked toward the courtyard Lin Furuo had mentioned, circling the perimeter.

There weren’t many people inside; Bai Wan had long since returned to her room. Yan Nanjue checked the time and realized it was late. They were heading back to A-City tomorrow morning; Bai Wan should be nearly asleep by now.

She aimlessly walked around the courtyard. On her way out, she ran into two high-school-aged girls leaning on a corner sofa with milk teas, looking at one of their phone screens. Seeing something, the short-haired girl let out an incredulous gasp.

“For real? That actually happened? I thought that only happened in novels…”

The voice was a bit loud. Yan Nanjue took a few extra glances, realized she didn’t know them, and ignored it, heading straight upstairs.

On the return trip the next day, Yan Nanjue’s flight was delayed. It was already evening when she returned to the villa. She asked the butler, who said Bai Wan was resting in her room.

Taking the suitcase from Lin Furuo, the butler said worriedly, “Madam doesn’t seem to have slept well. She looks quite drained. She went back to her room to rest without eating anything and hasn’t come down yet.”

Yan Nanjue’s movement to unbutton her cuffs paused. “How long has she been back?”

“About twelve or thirteen hours. There’s food kept warm on the stove. Miss, should I take some up to Madam?”

“Not yet.” Yan Nanjue started walking.

The butler watched her. The direction she was going was clearly toward Bai Wan. Satisfied, she told the cook to slice some mild fruit to bring up to the Miss later.

Upstairs, Yan Nanjue stood before Bai Wan’s door. She raised her hand.

Knock, knock, knock.

No response. She knocked again patiently. Still nothing.

Strange, is the heroine still sleeping?

【System: Tomorrow is a workday. Maybe she wants to catch up on sleep now.】

Yan Nanjue thought that made sense. Just as she turned to leave, there was a slight sound behind her. The door opened just a crack.

Bai Wan stood behind the door, most of her beautiful, siren-like face hidden in the shadows. She looked down. The main light wasn’t on, only a warm-toned wall lamp, and most of that light was blocked by the door, making the room look even gloomier.

Yan Nanjue knit her brows. “You’re awake? Why didn’t you open the door sooner? The butler said you’ve been sleeping since you got back and haven’t eaten a single meal.”

As she spoke, Bai Wan lifted her eyelids. Yan Nanjue met those amber pupils, which seemed to glow in the dark like a winding stream of water flowing in the depths of her eyes—silent, heavy, and unexpectedly cold.

The corridor was deathly quiet. A draft blew through; the temperature difference between day and night in A-City was huge, and the night wind carried a chill that hit the back of Yan Nanjue’s neck. A nerve in her brain twitched abruptly—it felt like an omen.

“Are you unwell?” she asked.

“Yes,” Bai Wan spoke, her voice carrying a muffled, raspy coldness.

Yan Nanjue’s expression remained aloof, but she didn’t leave. “What’s wrong?”

“My head.” Bai Wan lowered her eyes, hiding all emotion and cutting off contact with the outside world. “I have no appetite. I’m going back to sleep.”

With just those two sentences, she ended the conversation. The door closed in front of Yan Nanjue, the lock engaging with a faint, light click.

Yan Nanjue felt a sense of oddness. “What’s wrong with the heroine?”

【System: Didn’t she say? No appetite and a headache.】

Yan Nanjue took a few steps toward the elevator, then paused and instinctively looked back. She saw only a closed door. Nothing seemed wrong, yet she felt a trace of inexplicable unease.

“System, I feel like the heroine is being weird.”

【System: Haven’t you always felt that? When has she ever felt ‘normal’ to you?】

Yan Nanjue was speechless. “…That’s not what I mean. I just feel… forget it, it’s probably nothing.”

The next morning, Yan Nanjue observed her as they left for work. Bai Wan’s expression was calm, though there was a faint bluish tint under her eyes—she still looked like she hadn’t slept well. She ate very little, pushing her bowl aside after a few sips of porridge and putting on her shoes to head out.

Over the next few days, Bai Wan went to work as usual. Assistant Lin’s reports were the same as they had been for countless weeks. Yan Nanjue relaxed slightly and found an opportunity to tell her about Ji Ziyi’s birthday.

Ji Ziyi’s birthday was an all-night affair. She preferred the nighttime atmosphere, so the event was set for the evening.

As night fell, a group of “rich second-gen” types drove to the riverside. Yan Nanjue could drive, but she hadn’t been behind the wheel in a long time. It felt a bit foreign at first, but the moment she hit the accelerator, the floaty feeling in her body vanished.

The group arrived at the same time, parking their cars along the deserted riverbank. The night in A-City was still cool, and the wind by the river was strong. Ji Ziyi, however, wore only a camisole and jeans, with a light jacket tied around her waist. Her hair was messy in the wind as she sat with her legs tucked in the open trunk of her car, the blurred lights of the river view behind her. When she saw Yan Nanjue, she smiled—a strand of hair caught at the corner of her mouth, looking casual and lazy.

Even though it was her birthday, she didn’t seem to care much. Her clothes were casual, her posture relaxed. She was as unconstrained as the wind on the river—a reckless, free spirit.

Yan Nanjue let her gaze linger for a few extra seconds. “Ji Ziyi’s charm… seems to be exactly this ‘doing as she pleases’.” No wonder there were so many people flocking to her and so many ex-girlfriends.

【System: Right.】

Yan Nanjue thought for a bit and added, “The original host’s friends are actually quite good. Not just Ji Ziyi and Chen Wanjun—if Luo Shuqing hadn’t fallen for the original host, they would have been great friends too.”

【System: They are your friends now, too.】

Yan Nanjue froze, then shook her head internally. No, they aren’t. This was just a book. To her, they were just a group of NPCs—only NPCs.

The surrounding people were all part of Ji Ziyi’s social circle. Luxury cars surrounded them, and the quiet riverbank became noisy and lively. Chen Wanjun arrived late; she had a bit of a cold, so unlike Ji Ziyi, she wore long sleeves and pants, wrapped tightly in a light coat.

Yan Nanjue and Bai Wan approached. Ji Ziyi leaped lightly from the car and walked toward them with a smile. Having received no reply from the System, Yan Nanjue focused back on Ji Ziyi.

Because Bai Wan was there, Ji Ziyi didn’t reach out toward Yan Nanjue, instead only draping an arm over Chen Wanjun’s shoulder. “You two ladies certainly made me wait.”

Chen Wanjun lightly patted her hand. “It was less than ten minutes late.”

Yan Nanjue looked at Bai Wan. The heroine hadn’t been feeling well lately. The butler said she slept very little, and the sedative prescribed the day before didn’t seem to have helped much. Perhaps from lack of sleep, Bai Wan was noticeably spacing out.

Yan Nanjue took Bai Wan’s hand and pulled her closer. The skin was cool from the wind. Looking sideways, she saw Bai Wan was only wearing a single layer—clearly not enough for the windy riverbank. She knit her brows. Fortunately, she was prepared and had Assistant Lin leave spare clothes in the car.

“Stay here, don’t move.” Yan Nanjue let go of her hand, signaled Chen Wanjun to watch her, and turned back to the car for clothes.

Two of the group were unloading things from their cars—some small handheld fireworks and some fruit drinks. Ji Ziyi went over to inspect the fireworks. Chen Wanjun stood in place, her chin slightly tucked into her high collar.

“There’s going to be a firework show later. A-Yi likes excitement; she wants to play with those on the ground.”

Bai Wan stood with her arms crossed, her gaze fixed on a small patch of ground before her toes, her expression cold. Chen Wanjun glanced at her. “You look unwell.”

“I’m not.” Bai Wan spoke, her voice as flat as her expression, revealing no emotion.

She lifted her eyes, her gaze sweeping over the women gathered by the trunks before looking past them into the vast night. The city lights on the opposite bank were blurred into points of light, countless halos falling onto the dark river, shattered by the rushing water until not a single complete point of light remained.

Chen Wanjun noticed where she was looking. In her peripheral vision, Yan Nanjue opened the car door. She looked at Yan Nanjue, then at the dazed Bai Wan, her eyes narrowing.

Hmm? Is Bai Wan… unilaterally fighting with Yan Nanjue? She looked away after two glances. Someone else’s family matters weren’t for her to interfere with.

Yan Nanjue returned with the clothes and happened to hear one of the women wailing, “Why is there no alcohol, Ji Ziyi?!”

Another looked at her with amusement. “Eldest Miss, we drove here; we didn’t walk. We have to go back to Young Master Ji’s house later. Do you plan to leave your car here and walk back?”

The woman put her hands on her hips, venting her temper at her friend—spoiled but not annoying. “I’m not the one driving, what’s wrong with me having a drink!”

The person who came with her, who was responsible for driving, pinched her arm. “Miss Yun, let’s say I’m allergic to the smell of alcohol, okay? We’ll drink together at Ji-shao’s place later, mm?”

“Fine, since you put it that way. Who told me to be so understanding?”

Yan Nanjue withdrew her gaze, walked past them, and draped the coat over Bai Wan’s shoulders before going to Ji Ziyi’s side. Behind her, Bai Wan froze, her hands clutching the lapels of the coat so tightly her knuckles turned white.

Chen Wanjun took a look at her. Bai Wan looked back expressionlessly, her gaze hiding a hint of coldness. Chen Wanjun thought for a moment and said: “A-Yan sometimes says the opposite of what she means. You can try interpreting her words in reverse.”

She said only that, stopping there, and walked over to Yan Nanjue to look at the fireworks they were studying.

Yan Nanjue had little interest in fireworks she had to light herself. She casually took a sparkler from Chen Wanjun and waved it twice while sipping fruit juice. The burning sparks at the tip shifted with her wrist, leaving a fleeting red trail in the night.

She unknowingly walked over to Bai Wan’s side and handed her a freshly lit sparkler. Bai Wan didn’t look at the object in her hand, but instead lifted her eyes. Amidst the faint sizzling sound, Bai Wan stared at Yan Nanjue. The sparks were reflected in her “legal wife’s” eyes, lighting up those jet-black depths. The exploding sparks were so brilliant and dazzling that it seemed they weren’t sparklers, but her eyes themselves.

Her eyes were bright, and the tip of her nose was slightly red from the wind. Yan Nanjue seemed to be moved by the scene.

Bai Wan just watched her. Watched her bright eyes, her scarlet lips, and her hair being kissed by the wind. Her alluring features were even more attractive now, her dark eyes like fine snow or a spring breeze. The blurred light and shadow fell across Yan Nanjue’s face, softening her features. Her usually cold and mocking expression could almost be called gentle.

A gentleness never seen before.

In this close proximity, Bai Wan inexplicably thought: How much of this emotion is because of me? Is her softness because of her friend’s birthday, the beautiful fireworks, or… because of me?

The sparkler soon burned out. The light in Yan Nanjue’s eyes dimmed. Without that cluster of sparks, she seemed to return to the Alpha Bai Wan had loathed and even hated for two years. Those eyes were as dark as ink and as cold as frost.

Yan Nanjue felt a faint flutter of excitement in her heart. She looked up. Bai Wan didn’t move, letting those eyes collide with hers.

Nearby, two women with the best photography skills pulled out their cameras, determined to get a perfect shot of Ji Ziyi. “I really love the vibe Ji Ziyi has. You don’t even need to find an angle; the photos come out with life and a story. Do you get it?”

“I get it. Unlike a ‘tool person’ like me who can only do peace signs and waste film.”

“Get out of here, haven’t I taken enough good shots for you?”

The group was laughing. The laughter reached Yan Nanjue’s ears, breaking her train of thought and ending her eye contact with Bai Wan. She looked around and suddenly thought of a better word than “youth”: Freedom. At this moment, they were all free, not bound by the limits of a book or the status of an NPC.

NPCs, huh… She only spaced out for two seconds. Looking at Bai Wan, she whispered, “What were you looking at me for just now?”

Bai Wan kept her lips pressed together.

“Bai Wan?” she called. Realizing the name didn’t fit her persona, she raised an eyebrow and asked: “What is Mrs. Yan dazing out for?”

Bai Wan didn’t reply, and Yan Nanjue didn’t press.

After a while, Chen Wanjun checked her watch. “It’s almost time.” Ji Ziyi stood up from the blanket on the ground, and the others followed.

Bai Wan’s gaze was fixed on the Alpha’s profile. Her lips parted slightly, uttering the name: “Yan Nanjue.”

Yan Nanjue turned her head.

WHOOSH—BANG!!

The first firework exploded, lighting up the night sky. Then, countless brilliant fireworks rose into the air, bursting in succession. The falling trails looked like countless tiny shooting stars streaking across the black heavens, forming a curtain of light.

In the misty night, half of Yan Nanjue’s face was hidden in shadow. Her high nose bridge became the dividing line; the colorful light fell on her pale skin, intoxicating and radiant. Her eyes held stars, and the corners of her eyes were flushed red—this rich color on her face acted as the finishing touch, making her suddenly come alive.

Bai Wan watched her, unable to spare a single glance for the brilliant display behind her. She could only see Yan Nanjue. Only her, just her.

Bai Wan’s lips moved, saying something. Unfortunately, her voice was completely swallowed by the explosions of the fireworks. Yan Nanjue heard nothing. Her ears were full of the sounds of the celebration.

Bai Wan was asking:

“—Who is Su Changyin?”