The Cold and Ruthless Supporting Male Lead

Hai Ku was a shut-in with a passion for reading all kinds of romance novels. After finishing each book, he would leave a lengthy review of a thousand words. This type of reader was usually beloved by authors.

Unfortunately, Hai Ku’s reviews were always from the perspective of the male supporting character, ruthlessly criticizing them until nothing was left.

[Tsk, is this male supporting character an idiot? What exactly does he see in the female lead?]

[Is this guy stupid? He can’t even see through the female lead’s petty tricks?]

[…]

[…]

As a result, every time Hai Ku left a review, the author would promptly blacklist him.

Yet, this did not dampen Hai Ku’s enthusiasm. He remained passionate about creating new accounts to read, vent, and review. After countless cycles of this, Hai Ku finally triggered the “Ruthless Male Supporting Character” system.

Hai Ku: “…What kind of nonsense is this?”

[System rebooting. Binding host data…]

[Binding successful. Please transform into the male supporting character and coldly reject all their requests!]

His hand, holding a cigarette, trembled slightly. Hai Ku’s emotions were complex. Before he had time to utter a word, he was dragged into a virtual intelligence space.

Without giving him any chance to refuse, the system presented a screen with only two choices:

[Agree.]

[Think it over, then agree.]

“Wait a minute. What benefits do I get from doing all this?” The surroundings were pitch black except for the mission interface. Having seen enough strange things, Hai Ku had developed some resistance to them. He wasn’t panicking; instead, he seriously inquired.

[Host, as soon as you enter the mission world, you will become one of its characters. Your every action will be written into the story.]

“So I can change those idiotic plots?” The thought of all the infuriating plots he had read made Hai Ku eager to try. His eyes sparkled with excitement.

[Yes. Moreover, if you no longer wish to do these missions, you can quit anytime. You can also freely choose the mission world and pick any character to become.]

The system’s voice was flat, but its words held undeniable temptation for Hai Ku. Without a second thought, he clicked “Agree.” As he was pulled into the dimensional world, his nerves buzzed with excitement.

When he opened his eyes, he was no longer in his original room.

***

Sitting up from a soft, white bed, Hai Ku scanned the room. The entire space had a minimalist design, with only shades of gray and white, reflecting the owner’s personality. A small table beside the bed held a few books Hai Ku had no interest in, along with a pair of gold-rimmed glasses at the edge.

Squinting his sharp eyes, Hai Ku picked up the glasses and set them aside. His defined fingers tapped lightly on the desk as if waiting for something.

Within seconds, the phone beside him vibrated.

The corners of his soft lips lifted slightly. Hai Ku glanced at the caller ID.

Wan Yan.

The female lead of this world.

As with countless romance plots, Hai Ku’s identity in this world was Lin Zixiang, a male supporting character hopelessly in love with the female lead, Jiang Wanyan.

In this story, Hai Ku’s most hated character was Lin Zixiang. Lin Zixiang was the quintessential cannon-fodder male supporting role—always there to comfort the female lead and hand over life lessons to the male lead.

Lin Zixiang wasn’t bad-looking, had excellent work skills, but thanks to the plot, was blind enough to fall for the female lead.

After confessing his feelings and being rejected, he even said something as foolish as “I’ll wait for you.” And wait, he did—for 2 whole years, until the domineering CEO appeared.

Jiang Wanyan, in fairness, wasn’t problematic in her everyday behavior. Still, Hai Ku considered her a bit of a white lotus.” When she rejected Lin Zixiang, she said, “I only see you as a brother,” and even after that, she continued to stay in touch, making Lin Zixiang think he still had a chance.

(T/N: White Lotus = girls who are innocent looking but with an evil heart, something like femme fatale. A lotus flower is white in color but underneath its roots are dirty and covered in mud.)

Of course, she was the female lead, basking in the glow of her protagonist halo. Readers were there for the thrill, so Hai Ku didn’t mind that kind of setup.

But Lin Zixiang? Hai Ku really wanted to crack open his head to see if it was filled with tofu dregs.

For the sake of the female lead, Lin Zixiang had done plenty of foolish things. He even took her in when she was pregnant and had been kicked out by the male lead. He waited until her child was born, all the while believing he still had a chance.

Ignoring his family’s objections, he silently cared for the mother and child for 2 years. He fed the baby formula, cradled the child, and soothed them; acting more like a mother than the female lead herself. His devotion even caused his parents to suffer heart attacks from anger.

If all this had led to a happy ending, it might have been forgivable. But the problem was, the female lead’s heart remained with the male lead. When the male lead came back to reclaim her, Lin Zixiang still refused to give up. He continued to linger in the background, playing the role of her trusted confidant and the child’s godfather.

Hai Ku wanted nothing more than to beat a man like Lin Zixiang to death—with a stick, no less.

Hai Ku deliberately chose this moment in the story; the point when Jiang Wanyan discovered she was pregnant with the male lead’s child and called Lin Zixiang, asking to stay at his place for a while.

***

Jiang Wanyan was nervous. Her delicate, beautiful face was pale as she curled up on the sofa, resembling a fragile white lotus. The slightest touch seemed enough to break her. Her anxiety mirrored a frail breeze, swaying the entire flower and making her appear unbearably delicate.

In the past, whenever she called Lin Zixiang, he would always pick up immediately. But now, after dialing for the second time, there was still no answer. Perhaps he was busy.

After leaving Jiang Wanyan in suspense long enough, Hai Ku finally picked up the phone, his tone lazy. “Hello?”

“Brother Zixiang…” The moment the call connected, Jiang Wanyan’s voice cracked, as if she were on the verge of tears.

Hai Ku suppressed the urge to laugh, knowing it wasn’t the time to be too gleeful. “What’s wrong?”

“Brother Zixiang, can I ask you for a favor?” Jiang Wanyan’s voice trembled, as if she were sobbing uncontrollably. In reality, her eyes were merely red, with no tears falling.

“Oh… No.”

“I’m pregnant, and—” Jiang Wanyan hadn’t expected him to refuse. Her words faltered, and an awkward silence followed. She assumed she had misheard. “Brother Zixiang, did you hear what I just said?”

“Yes, I heard.” To emphasize his excellent hearing, Hai Ku even smiled as he repeated, “You asked if I could help you, right?”

Jiang Wanyan’s anxiety grew. Her hand gripping the phone turned pale. “Then… your answer just now…”

Hai Ku’s response was even more direct. Afraid she wouldn’t understand, he deliberately slowed his speech. His voice was low and magnetic, yet each word struck like a dagger. “I said no. No. Do you understand? Hmm?”