The Supporting Female Character Was Pampered by the Aloof Heroine - Chapter 1

Darkness.

It was as though she had been submerged in a pool of thick black ink.

She opened her eyes, closed them, then opened them again.

Tang Yiling finally confirmed her situation.

She instinctively raised a hand and held it straight out in front of herself.

She could not see so much as a single finger. It was the first time she had ever experienced darkness this absolute.

As expected of a rigorously constructed fictional world!

Tang Yiling stopped moving. As though her soul had been sucked out of her body, she sat there blankly in the darkness.

After a long while, she let out a soft sigh.

Sigh.

This was her first day in the world of the novel.

Only a few hours ago, she had still been lying on the bed in her rented apartment, tucked beneath her soft, fluffy comforter and enjoying the precious freedom she had before going to sleep.

Several consecutive weeks of overtime had swallowed up far too much of Tang Yiling’s personal time.

As a form of silent protest, she had begun staying up late out of revenge.

The clock went around and around as Tang Yiling switched repeatedly between several apps.

Finally, at three in the morning, a novel caught her attention.

It was advertised as a “dual-female-lead” novel.

One heroine was aloof and sophisticated, while the other was gentle and warm. Both of them fell in love with the same man.

The sleepiness that had finally begun to creep over her vanished instantly.

Relying on her rich imagination, Tang Yiling perfectly envisioned the entire process of the two heroines going from romantic rivals to lovers.

Once she started reading, she stayed up for three nights straight.

And yet not a single plot development she had been hoping for ever appeared.

In the early hours of the fourth morning, Tang Yiling finally faced reality.

This so-called “dual-female-lead” novel was actually about two heroines who each had their own romantic storyline with the male lead.

In the end, the unattainable white-moonlight heroine left for another country, while the sunshine heroine got everything she wanted.

When the word wedding appeared, Tang Yiling’s final shred of hope shattered. Her vision instantly went black.

The golden light that had already begun seeping through the window gradually faded away.

The blanket over her body suddenly felt as heavy as a mountain, pressing down until every inch of her hurt. She could not breathe, nor could she move.

Tang Yiling thought that she really ought to sleep.

She was so tired.

It would be wonderful if she did not have to wake up early for work and could sleep a little longer.

In fact, Tang Yiling did sleep for a very long time.

She was awakened by someone patting her shoulder and saying, “Excuse me, you’re not allowed to lie down here.”

Tang Yiling’s eyes snapped open.

She stared around blankly at the unfamiliar surroundings.

She was reclining sideways on a sofa, and the ceiling spotlights made her dizzy.

Not far away, people kept glancing over, their attention drawn in her direction.

Tang Yiling sat up and instinctively apologized. “I’m sorry. May I ask where—”

Before anyone could answer, the student who had awakened her suddenly covered her mouth excitedly, physically suppressing a scream.

“Li Lan! It’s Senior Li Lan!”

Tang Yiling followed her gaze.

A tall young woman had just entered the auditorium.

Her long hair was casually pinned up, while her combination of a blouse and long skirt made her look more like a department head who had come to conduct an inspection.

Her cool, pale skin seemed to glow, and her thin lips were lightly pressed together.

The outer corners of her beautiful phoenix eyes tilted upward, yet her gaze was icy, as though she did not notice everyone staring at her.

Her beauty naturally possessed a certain sharpness, but paired with her indifferent expression, it became cold, restrained elegance.

Like everyone else, Tang Yiling could not look away.

Only three words remained in her mind.

So incredibly beautiful!

Wait…

Li Lan.

Why did that name sound so familiar?

Tang Yiling turned her head and caught sight of the words displayed on the screen to her left.

Ancheng University Welcome Gala.

She suddenly remembered.

Wasn’t this the novel she had just been reading?!

The story took place in Ancheng, and the white-moonlight heroine was named Li Lan.

Had the novel actually made her so angry that she transmigrated into it?

Come to think of it, there was another reason Tang Yiling had continued reading the novel.

The third female lead in the book had exactly the same name as her.

The novel’s Tang Yiling was a typical cannon-fodder character.

She had lived with the Tang family for twenty years and only discovered during her sophomore year of university that she was a fake heiress from a wealthy family who had been switched at birth.

The real heiress, Tang Geyun, was a student in the same year at the same university, though they studied different majors.

To vent the grievances she had suffered over the past twenty years, Tang Geyun treated Tang Yiling like a thorn in her side.

Not only did she drive a wedge between Tang Yiling and her adoptive parents, she also bullied her at school.

The sole purpose of Tang Yiling’s character was to prove just how vicious the real heiress truly was.

In the end, she was driven into a corner with nowhere left to turn and jumped from the top floor of the library.

The incident caused quite a stir in the novel.

Because of it, the two heroines began reevaluating their careers and romantic lives, ultimately moving toward different endings.

Tang Yiling nearly burst into tears on the spot.

Of all people, why had she transmigrated into this character?

Was she really going to have to jump off a building?

That would hurt so much!

And besides, what an undignified way to die!

Tang Yiling no longer had the attention to spare for Li Lan. She hurriedly searched the auditorium for Tang Geyun.

Unless she remembered incorrectly, Tang Geyun would be here. She would hand Tang Yiling a glass of “spiked” lemonade and then lock her inside the auditorium’s storeroom.

The drink would leave her in a miserable and humiliating state. Tang Geyun would seize the opportunity to take photographs of her, causing her adoptive parents to become deeply disappointed in her.

Tang Yiling was not sure which person was Tang Geyun, so she could only start with the lemonade.

Tang Geyun would surely take the glass nearest to Tang Yiling.

Therefore, all Tang Yiling had to do was move every glass of lemonade nearby farther away.

Like a thief, she secretly carried the glasses back and forth, exchanging their positions.

Perhaps doing this was not entirely proper, but this was a fictional world.

Besides, she was the only “real” person here.

When Tang Yiling reached the drinks table for the final time, a clear voice suddenly sounded from behind her.

“Hey. What are you doing?”

As expected of a fake world.

The plot transitions were astonishingly precise. Characters practically appeared out of thin air.

She turned around and looked at the woman standing behind her in an evening gown.

Tang Geyun actually bore some resemblance to her, though her manner carried a distinct arrogance.

Tang Yiling placed her hands behind her back and discreetly set down the last safe glass of lemonade she had swapped over.

Her voice was slightly hoarse from nervousness.

“N-Nothing! I wasn’t doing anything.”

Tang Geyun’s scrutinizing gaze settled on her face.

She casually picked up a glass from the table and held it against Tang Yiling’s lips.

Her command was brief and direct.

“Drink.”

Tang Yiling instinctively took half a step back.

Were characters always this straightforward when following the plot?

Was there no small talk or polite pretense first?

Tang Geyun’s gaze grew unfriendly.

Tang Yiling could not be bothered to put on an act and pretend to refuse. She tipped her head back and drained the lemonade in one gulp.

It was sweet and sour.

Actually, it tasted pretty good.

Under Tang Geyun’s watchful gaze, she turned around with a flourish and walked away.

Tang Yiling had no idea what would happen if she defied the plot.

But what was the worst that could happen?

At most, she would be thrown back into her original world to continue working herself to death as a corporate beast of burden.

Unexpectedly, only a few minutes later, Tang Yiling was struck by a violent headache.

She tried to leave the auditorium, but after taking only a few steps, she collapsed onto a lounge chair.

When she opened her eyes again, she found herself surrounded by this absolute darkness.

Tang Yiling was somewhat confused.

She remained lying still and carefully examined the changes in her body.

There was no burning heat.

No weakness in her limbs.

Nor was there some desperate need demanding an outlet.

It simply felt as though she had gotten another peaceful night’s sleep.

What was going on?

Had Tang Geyun switched drugs at the last minute?

Tang Yiling pushed herself upright and found her phone inside her coat pocket.

The screen lit up. Although there was no signal, the faint light still gave her a small sense of security.

She picked up the phone and shone it around the room.

Approximately two meters away, she discovered the plot’s other victim.

The top buttons of the woman’s blouse had been undone, revealing a slender, pale neck.

Although her long skirt was stained with dust, its expense and sophistication were impossible to conceal.

Straight, glossy black hair spilled downward, covering half her face.

It just happened to leave her strong brow bone and tall, elegant nose exposed.

Tang Yiling instinctively held her breath.

It was Li Lan.

She and Li Lan had been locked up together, exactly as the novel’s plot dictated.

In the book, Tang Geyun had locked both of them inside the auditorium’s storeroom.

They remained there for the entire night.

Since it was not an important plot point, the author had brushed over it in a single sentence.

The only consequences were that Tang Yiling was reprimanded by her parents, while Li Lan remembered Tang Geyun as a vicious supporting female character.

At that moment, Li Lan appeared not to have noticed Tang Yiling’s presence.

Her eyes were closed, and fine beads of sweat had formed across her forehead, as though she were desperately enduring something.

Holding up her phone, Tang Yiling sank into thought.

From the look of things, Li Lan must have drunk the glass of lemonade that had originally been intended for her.

Through some bizarre twist of fate, the two of them had still been drawn into this part of the plot.

As one of the heroines, Li Lan ought to possess certain privileges, right?

The perfect opportunity to cling to a powerful thigh had presented itself.

It all depended on whether Tang Yiling could seize it.

Perhaps the beam from the phone’s flashlight was making her uncomfortable, because Li Lan slowly lifted her eyelids.

Despite the awkward state she was in, her eyes remained just as calm and indifferent as before, like a deep and unfathomable pool.

Li Lan’s lips moved.

“You…”

Before she could finish, Tang Yiling had already thrown herself forward.

She grabbed Li Lan’s arm, her voice urgent.

“S-Sister, don’t be afraid. I’ll find a way to get you out.”

Li Lan’s body stiffened.

The storeroom fell silent again.

Just when Tang Yiling thought she was about to be rejected, Li Lan raised an arm and rested it against the back of her neck.

Her arm exerted a slight pressure, pulling Tang Yiling closer.

Her palm was warm—so warm that even Tang Yiling’s breathing quickened.

Li Lan’s voice was very low, as though she were deliberately trying to bewitch her.

“Help me.”

Tang Yiling raised her head and met Li Lan’s eyes.

Their position was far too intimate. She tried to create some distance between them.

“How am I supposed to help?”

“You already agreed.”

Li Lan was no longer asking her.

It sounded more like she was announcing a conclusion.

She stretched out her arm. The palm resting against the back of Tang Yiling’s neck curved around, and her long fingers began rubbing Tang Yiling’s soft, rounded lips, drawing her completely into her embrace.

Tang Yiling was bewildered.

The original novel had never described what happened that night. She had no idea whether this was how the plot was supposed to unfold or whether something had gone wrong.

Her lips were rubbed repeatedly until a faint numbness spread across them.

The crisp, woody fragrance surrounding Li Lan slipped into Tang Yiling’s nose and enveloped her completely.

At some point, Tang Yiling’s phone fell to the floor.

The flashlight faced downward, leaving only the faintest trace of light.

The entire room was plunged into darkness once more.

“I…”

Tang Yiling did not know what she wanted to say.

Her mind had completely crashed, almost as though she were suffering from the lemonade’s aftereffects.

Li Lan murmured, “Mm.”

It sounded as though she were responding to her, yet also as though she were comforting her.

Then increasingly heavy, rapid breathing sounded beside Tang Yiling’s ear.

Li Lan’s other hand brushed across Tang Yiling’s back and waist before disappearing beneath the hem of Li Lan’s own skirt.

Li Lan was clearly the one who had been drugged.

Li Lan was also the one trying to relieve herself.

Yet Tang Yiling somehow developed the illusion that she could feel everything Li Lan was experiencing, and the pounding of her heart grew louder and louder.

Li Lan’s embrace tightened.

A sound remained suppressed within her throat, hovering on the verge of escaping.

Suddenly, she lowered her head and kissed Tang Yiling on the lips.

Tang Yiling’s breath caught.

She felt as though a string inside her mind—one that had been stretched taut for far too long—had finally snapped, just as expected.