NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1 - The Underachiever Supporting Male (1)
Finally dead!
Propping himself up with a cane, He Yanhui stood with difficulty in front of the tombstone, waving away the butler and using a handkerchief to wipe away his tears.
The tombstone reflected an image of a couple; the man was tall and handsome, the woman lively and pure. They were a famous model couple in Haishi, known for their love from school days to marriage, from black hair to white, always loving and never having a quarrel. Recently, a movie had even been made about them, sweet enough to give the entire nation cavities.
He Yanhui had played an important role in the movie.
He was the loyal supporting male to the female lead, Xue Qingqing. He would appear forcefully when they quarreled and leave tearfully when they reconciled, remaining devoted and silently protecting Xue Qingqing for the rest of his life.
Everyone believed that He Yanhui was deeply in love with Xue Qingqing, that his feelings never wavered, and he was willing to stay single for life. But the truth was only known to He Yanhui. After Xue Qingqing’s rejection, he no longer liked her. He had inexplicably lost the ability to love anyone else, and every time he thought about love or marriage, he felt utterly unmotivated.
Because he never talked about love or marriage, everyone thought he was still pining for Xue Qingqing. They marveled at her charm and praised the greatness of love. No matter how many times he tried to explain, they would always give him a knowing look; ‘I understand, you can’t say it, you don’t want to affect their relationship.’
Every time, He Yanhui wanted to spit in their faces; ‘You don’t understand a thing! You know nothing!’
And so, He Yanhui bore the label of the lovelorn supporting male and remained single all his life.
Now, he had finally lived to see this couple die, and couldn’t help but shed tears of excitement.
***
He Yanhui took a deep breath, feeling the air was so fresh. He felt ten years younger, his whole body brimming with strength, and even entertained thoughts of a late romance.
The butler, standing by, saw He Yanhui wiping away his tears and couldn’t help but console him, “Please, take care of yourself. Miss Xue has Master Lin to accompany her in the afterlife. You don’t need to join them so soon.”
He Yanhui’s mouth twitched.
He was tired of the misunderstandings.
He Yanhui gave the tombstone a blank look, ignored the worried butler, and walked away from the cemetery step by step, his back somewhat bleak and desolate.
The butler sighed inwardly; The master is truly devoted.
That night, the deeply devoted He Yanhui got up in the middle of the night and accidentally fell, dying on the spot.
Having lived to 80 was enough. He Yanhui had no regrets, but as he floated in the air, watching people at his funeral sigh and comment on how deeply he had loved Xue Qingqing, staying unmarried for her sake, even in death following closely behind her.
“I didn’t! I’m not!”
He Yanhui felt furious, his mind full of expletives, and he shouted with all his might, but no one could hear him.
Filled with this resentment, he floated aimlessly, not knowing how long he drifted until he reached a certain space and found many other spirits gathered around a towering pillar of light.
***
“Hey, brother, which book are you from?” A spirit emanating resentment approached He Yanhui.
Startled, He Yanhui, who had been staring at the pillar in a daze, floated back a bit. Seeing who it was, he asked in confusion, “What do you mean, which book?”
“Hey, you’re new here?” The spirit, seemingly bored, began to explain, “See, all the spirits here, including you and me, are supporting male characters from novels. Because of our lingering resentment, we can’t reincarnate and are stuck in this space.”
He Yanhui was stunned, “Supporting male characters from novels?”
“That’s right. Our original worlds were all derived in the novels. See that pillar of light in the center? If you stand in front of it for a while, you’ll see a book. That’s the world you were born in.”
Skeptical, He Yanhui floated silently to the pillar of light and noticed that it was surrounded by countless mysterious symbols, intimidating to look at.
After a moment, a book indeed appeared in his mind.
[The Top Student’s Little Cutie]
He quickly skimmed through it and couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. It recorded his life; a rebellious youth due to family issues, performing poorly in school, transferring schools, falling for a girl, gradually reforming, and after failing to win her over, silently protecting her for the rest of his life.
Now He Yanhui understood why he had felt unmotivated whenever he thought about love or marriage. His character was meant to end up lonely; as the deeply affectionate supporting male, he had to remain chaste for the female lead!
“Brother, look on the bright side.” The spirit from earlier had floated over without He Yanhui noticing.
He Yanhui couldn’t look on the bright side; he felt even more dejected.
“Don’t lose hope. Get in line and wait for Lord Dongchen to resolve your resentment. Then you can reincarnate.”
Get in line?
He Yanhui then learned that all the spirits trapped here were supporting male characters from novels who ended up lonely. Their resentment prevented them from reincarnating. However, Lord Dongchen could enter the novels, replace them, change their fates, and resolve their resentment.
Once the resentment was gone, they could escape the novel worlds and reincarnate in other worlds.
He Yanhui frowned. “Let someone else change my fate?”
The spirit sneered, “If you think you can do it, then go ahead.”
He Yanhui was at a loss for words. In life, he had been an ordinary person. In death, all he could do was float around without any abilities. How could I possibly go back and change my fate?
After much thought, He Yanhui felt that although letting someone else take over his body was strange, if he couldn’t resolve his resentment, he wouldn’t be able to reincarnate and would be stuck here forever. Following the spirit’s guidance, he placed his palm on the light pillar and silently took a number.
Seeing that He Yanhui had taken a number, the spirit kindly revealed, “It’s said that those with more accumulated merit can make more wishes.”
He Yanhui recalled that he had done quite a bit of charity work during his lifetime, so his merit should be substantial.
Then came the endless waiting, waiting for the legendary all-powerful Lord Dongchen to resolve his resentment.
***
During this time, some spirits disappeared, and new ones arrived. He Yanhui transitioned from a new ghost to an old one, yet his resentment remained.
After an indeterminate amount of time, He Yanhui suddenly felt dizzy. When he regained his senses, he found himself in another empty space, facing a young man in white clothes as pure as snow. Although he couldn’t clearly see the man’s face, he sensed it was undoubtedly very handsome.
He Yanhui understood that this must be the esteemed Lord Dongchen. As he was pondering, the man spoke.
“You can make two wishes. Speak,” the voice was ethereal, resonating in his ears and filling him with awe.
“Get married and have children!” He Yanhui blurted out without hesitation. To hell with ending up alone!
“Granted.”
“And… let my father remarry.” He Yanhui closed his eyes, his voice hoarse. In his rebellious youth, he had caused his father to live alone all his life by acting out based on others’ provocations. After experiencing loneliness himself, he realized just how terrifying those seemingly light words, ‘end up alone,’ truly were.
“Granted.”
With that, the man in white disappeared, replaced by a mirror. The mirror slowly unfolded a scene.
***
At Haishi First High School, the weather was clear, with a gentle breeze. The teaching building occasionally echoed with the sound of students reading aloud. On the playground, boys chased after a basketball, sweating profusely. Under the shade of the trees, girls who feared the sun laughed and played. Everything was so beautiful and harmonious.
He Dongchen had his hands in his pockets, letting the breeze tousle his bangs. A slight, nonchalant smile played on his lips.
Wang Peng, walking ahead, felt worried. This new transfer student seemed rather carefree and he had no idea how much trouble he might cause in the future.
He rubbed his cool, balding head, feeling stressed.
“From now on, you’re a student in my class. No matter how you were at your previous school, in my class, you have to study hard and follow the rules.”
“Mm-hmm,” He Dongchen agreed readily, the chains on his pants jingling.
The two of them crossed the playground and entered the red-and-white teaching building. They climbed to the third floor, stopping at the first classroom, Class 1 of the first year.
“Excuse me, Teacher Wang,” Wang Peng knocked on the door.
The English teacher, who was in the middle of a lesson, paused and frowned even more deeply when she saw the boy behind Wang Peng.
In contrast, the students in the classroom became excited. This new student was so handsome! And he looked a bit rebellious.
The boy wore a black skull shirt and ripped jeans. A sparkling green diamond earring adorned his right ear, and a few strands of green mixed with his hair, which hung over his eyebrows. He stood there casually, a nonchalant smile on his lips. The students all silently labeled him; flashy, handsome.
He was the complete opposite of the top student, Lin Zhiyuan, who was cool and aloof.
Seeing the eager eyes of his students, Wang Peng felt bitter. It’s going to be another stressful day.
He cleared his throat and raised his voice, “Let me introduce our new classmate, He Dongchen. Let’s all help each other and make progress together.”
He Dongchen gave a cooperative, friendly smile, but with his roguishly handsome face, it appeared more mischievous and wild, making the girls’ hearts race.
Oh, by the way, since he had entered this body, his name had automatically changed to He Dongchen.
Wang Peng pointed to an empty seat towards the back of the fourth row. “Sit there for now; we’ll adjust if needed later.”
He Dongchen nodded and walked to his seat under everyone’s gaze. Since he hadn’t received his textbooks yet, his desk was empty. His desk mate, however, was enthusiastic and shared his book with him.
He Dongchen didn’t refuse but soon felt sleepy. He pushed the book back and lay down on the desk to take a nap. He had only just arrived, and the original owner had stayed up all night playing games.
Seeing him sleep through the first class, everyone was speechless; he was quite bold.
The English teacher’s forehead twitched, but she continued with the lesson without saying anything.
***
After class, she immediately grabbed the homeroom teacher, Wang Peng, in the office to inquire, “What’s his background?”
It was known that Haishi First High School, as the leading school in the city, rarely accepted transfer students unless they had strong connections or excellent academic performance.
Wang Peng adjusted his glasses and said, “He has it all, believe it or not.”
The English teacher was surprised. “He certainly doesn’t look it.”
“He’s the heir to He Real Estate. He attended middle school in Beijing and did well academically. I’m not sure why he transferred to Haishi.”
And he looks like a troublemaker.
***
He Dongchen spent most of the morning sleeping, which made the other curious students hesitant to ask questions.
When the lunch bell rang, He Dongchen woke up almost on cue. His desk mate, who was about to head to the cafeteria, hesitated before inviting him, “Want to go to the cafeteria together?”
“Sure, I’m starving,” He Dongchen said, standing up and leaving the classroom with a few boys, chatting and laughing.
They were all teenagers, talking about sports, games, and their favorite athletes and singers. He Dongchen quickly blended in with the boys, his black hair with green streaks making him particularly noticeable in the cafeteria.
In just one lunch period, the gossip-loving students spread the word; a bold and roguishly handsome new student had transferred to Class 1 of the first year.