The Supporting Male Characters Who Died Alone All Those Years Later

Si Manman smiled reluctantly, “Mr. He is right.”

She turned to He Guanyun beside her, speaking seriously, “Guanyun, everyone has their own thoughts and preferences. Even if you’re the younger brother, it’s not good to meddle at will. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Si Manman had more thoughts. She had a premonition that if He Guanyun persisted, He Dongchen would retaliate in kind, catching him and that Chen Baozhu in a marriage alliance.

That wouldn’t do. Although she and He Guanyun hadn’t confirmed their relationship yet, they had a kind of tacit understanding. They had even kissed in moments of confusion and infatuation.

She couldn’t let that Chen Baozhu steal him.

He Guanyun completely stopped talking.

A meal ended in silence.

***

He Dongchen vented his anger on someone, feeling refreshed as he went to work. Afterwards, he still remembered to instruct everyone; ‘He Guanyun wanted to prove himself and didn’t need assistance.’

He Guanyun was clueless about business matters. Without He Dongchen’s help, progress was slow and frustrating. Fortunately, he had some savings and didn’t need to worry about money for now.

Si Manman had originally thought that after returning home, she could benefit from the He family’s connections, but in the end, she had to take matters into her own hands, sending various gifts to build relationships and working hard to pick up her old networking resources.

Life was already difficult enough, and yet He Guanyun, who had never gotten his hands dirty, was still dragging his feet!

Watching a certain top-tier agent leave with a sneer, Si Manman felt a splitting headache. If not for maintaining appearances, she felt like grabbing He Guanyun’s ears and shouting, ‘We’re poaching people, not looking for trouble!’

He Guanyun didn’t think he had done anything wrong at all. He even complained with his legs crossed, “Manman, who are these people you’re contacting? A top-tier agent? You have such poor taste.”

Si Manman gritted her teeth, almost spitting out each word, “Then you find someone reliable.”

He Guanyun had some money on hand, which was not bad, but not nearly enough. If he had a few billion, he could throw it around as he pleased, with everyone eagerly supporting him. But he didn’t have that much money. Starting with tens of millions was enough, but then, without resources and connections, it was difficult to get things done even with money.

The easiest route was to leverage the He Group’s influence and team up with a talent agent who had significant resources to establish a studio.

However, He Guanyun was used to being casual, wearing the demeanor of a young master. He was uncooperative here, un cooperative there; No one enjoyed seeing his sour face.

The atmosphere became tense for a moment. Si Manman rubbed her forehead and suggested, “Should we still go to your elder brother?”

“No way!” He Guanyun refused, getting up with a grimace. “Let’s not talk about this anymore. I won’t go back to ask him.”

After saying that, he walked out of the private room first. Si Manman grabbed her bag and hurried to catch up. The two walked one after the other on the corridor paved with luxurious red carpet.

But suddenly!

A disheveled woman rushed out from a room ahead, swinging her bag and shouting, “Do you know who I am? I’m He Dongchen’s wife, the CEO of He Group!”

Two sleazy-looking men chased out from the room, laughing heartily. “Hey, a low-tier extra dares to claim she’s He Dongchen’s wife! That’s hilarious!”

“Yeah, if you’re He Dongchen’s wife, then I’m his father!”

The two men mercilessly mocked her and moved to grab the woman.

He Guanyun suddenly shouted loudly, “Sister-in-law!”

Then he swiftly moved and disappeared on the spot.

Si Manman, following behind, was dumbfounded. The woman in the sexy short skirt ahead, who was baring her teeth and claws, was He Guanyun’s elder sister-in-law!?

Beautiful? Virtuous?

Sorry, I can’t see that.

While Si Manman was lost in thought, He Guanyun decisively stepped forward with a strong masculine demeanor, shielding Xiao Tang protectively behind him. His sharp gaze swept over the two men as he spoke in a cold tone, “Dare to bully my sister-in-law without considering your own status!”

The two men, seeing He Guanyun’s refined and wealthy appearance, hesitated for a moment.

Si Manman composed herself and stepped forward with a slight smile, “If you don’t believe it, you can search President He’s pictures online. There’s a resemblance between the brothers.”

However, while one was mature and dignified, exuding nobility and aloofness, the other was casual and laid-back, bursting with artistic temperament.

The two men, somewhat convinced, searched for the pictures and their attitudes changed drastically after comparing them. They nodded repeatedly and apologized profusely.

Xiao Tang regained her composure, sighed in relief, and looked at He Guanyun standing tall and imposing in front of her, feeling empowered. Stepping forward, she confronted the two men sternly, “This incident can’t just be overlooked! If apologies worked, why would we need the police? I’ll report you for harassment!”

He Guanyun stood firmly by her side.

Si Manman quickly pulled He Guanyun aside and reminded him in a low voice, “We need to be mindful of our public image in the future. We can’t afford to have a police record.”

Especially her, having acted in several movies as a child, she had gained some fame. If they ended up at the police station, she dreaded how the media would spin it!

He Guanyun frowned, looking disapproving, “Man Man, how can we just think of ourselves? If my sister-in-law is in trouble, how can I stand idly by?”

“But she and your brother are divorced!” Si Manman gritted her teeth and advised in a hushed tone, “Considering your brother’s attitude towards her, it’s not exactly friendly. Are you sure you want to oppose him for her sake?”

He Guanyun’s hesitant expression immediately turned resolute. He vowed earnestly, “It’s precisely because my brother is heartless towards her that I can’t stand by. Otherwise, everyone might think the He family is cold-hearted.”

Si Manman was almost ready to kneel before him! What heartfelt logic! If the person involved doesn’t care, why are you rushing in to eat shit yourself!

How could I fall for a man like this!? Si Manman sank deep into self-doubt.

***

She watched helplessly as He Guanyun assertively defended Xiao Tang, helped call the police, and soon enough, police cars arrived with sirens blaring. The hotel manager stood nearby with a grim expression, instructing staff to evacuate guests.

Si Manman even spotted a familiar scene; a reporter poking around in the crowd.

Such a headache!

Coming out of the police station, Si Manman felt disheartened. However, when she checked her phone, she found that the incident hadn’t made the news.

Maybe I’m just too insignificant?

Si Manman shook her head self-deprecatingly.

Meanwhile, He Guanyun was still comforting Xiao Tang.

“Sister-in-law, don’t worry. I will make sure Big Brother compensates you!” He Guanyun already knew that during the divorce, his brother hadn’t given Xiao Tang a single penny, not even allowing her to take her clothes.

Back then, He Guanyun had blushed with embarrassment, too ashamed to show his face!

Xiao Tang looked at the embarrassed male lead and thought to herself, Indeed, a true male lead with integrity. Unlike He Dongchen, who not only was a scumbag but also stingy!

During the divorce, she had left with nothing; no clothes, no luggage. Her bank card linked to her phone had been frozen, leaving her with only her original salary card with a few tens of thousands.

A few tens of thousands versus 2 houses worth hundreds of millions! Was there even a comparison to make? Xiao Tang’s dream of becoming a rich woman shattered. She cursed the original owner for being a fool; why didn’t she transfer her assets and save up some money?

Now she was struggling to rent a place and find a job. At 26, unable to sign with any talent agency, she could only work as an extra on film sets, barely scraping by. Finally gaining the favor of an assistant director, she fell victim to an unwritten rule; not once, but twice!

Xiao Tang was furious. During her struggles, she had invoked He Dongchen’s name unexpectedly in front of He Guanyun.

Now, she looked at the male lead, who was full of self-blame, and forced a sorrowful smile, firmly saying, “Guanyun, I made it clear to your elder brother before we got married that I wouldn’t take a single cent from the He family. I appreciate your kindness.”

“No way! Our He family won’t stoop to such disgraceful actions.” He Guanyun furrowed his brow tightly, then his eyes lit up suddenly. “You want to enter the entertainment industry, right? It just so happens that Man Man and I are planning to establish a studio. Let’s do it together.”

Si Manman, prompted, nodded amiably.

Despite grumbling and even considering an exit strategy beforehand, given her qualifications, signing with a talent agency would be easy without standing on her own. She had received several olive branches over the past few days, but had initially planned to collaborate with He Guanyun. This would allow her to not only be her own boss, but also to rely on the He Group, killing two birds with one stone.

Now, however…

She looked at Xiao Tang, who had used her average acting skills to turn retreat into advance, and felt as cold as water inside.

At this point, the two were already discussing living arrangements.

***

Learning that Xiao Tang was renting a place alone, He Guanyun immediately said, “I have several properties under my name. Come and live in one of them.”

Xiao Tang looked hesitant, but in the end, she couldn’t resist He Guanyun’s insistence and reluctantly agreed, repeatedly assuring that she would pay the rent.

Watching the two about to move luggage, Si Manman clutched her stomach weakly and said, “Guanyun, I suddenly have a stomachache.”

He Guanyun frowned, torn between the girl he had feelings for and his sister-in-law. Finally, he said, “Then I’ll take you to the hospital.”

Apologizing to Xiao Tang, he added, “Wait here a moment. My assistant is on the way and will handle the moving.”

Xiao Tang graciously understood and looked at the beautiful and tall Si Manman with concern. “Should I accompany you both to the hospital?”

Si Manman forced a smile, tugging at the corners of her mouth. “No need. Your current appearance… it’s better to settle down first.”

Xiao Tang was wearing a sexy short skirt of black lace, her makeup smudged, her eyeliner blurred, and her hair disheveled; a less than presentable sight.

Xiao Tang was jolted awake, startled. She didn’t dare linger and watched the two depart before hurrying to find a restroom to tidy up.

Si Manman wasn’t actually ill and didn’t need to go to the hospital. She casually made up an excuse on the way, planning to go home and rest.

Subtly and not-so-subtly, Si Manman prodded He Guanyun, “Having Xiao Tang stay at your place might not be a good idea. Besides angering your older brother, it could easily lead to misunderstandings…”

Younger brother and sister-in-law; the classic couple from some public service announcement drama about morality.

He Guanyun shrugged indifferently. “Those who are clear are clear. As for my brother…”

He frowned and sighed, “I don’t know if he took the wrong medication. Xiao Tang is such a good person; even if they divorce, he should compensate her adequately.”

Si Manman remained silent. It was true that He Dongchen could be quite extreme, refusing to let her take even clothes and shoes. However, no one knew the whole story. What if Xiao Tang had done something even more extreme? So, it wasn’t easy to judge.

If I could think of that, why couldn’t He Guanyun, as the younger brother?

Was it just a matter of being biased, always considering Xiao Tang’s side? Why couldn’t he get along properly with his wealthy and influential elder brother, instead of constantly trying to go against him?

Si Manman felt a headache coming on, a bad premonition creeping in.

***

Meanwhile, at He Group…

He Dongchen received a call from Gu Huan. He raised a hand, signaling his assistant to leave the room, then stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the bustling city.

“What’s the matter?” He Dongchen asked with a smile. Gu Huan was very professional and wouldn’t call during work hours just to chat. So, this call must be business-related.

The person on the other end seemed to take a deep breath and then gritted their teeth, “I have a business deal to discuss with you. The documents have been sent to your email. Decide on the price and let me know.”

After saying that, they hung up the phone directly.