The Supporting Male Characters Who Died Alone All Those Years Later

“Here you go!” Nian Shiyu pouted, reluctantly handing the pen back to He Dongchen. She then turned her head with a huff, her eyes slightly red, looking as if she were about to cry.

This made everyone else feel that He Dongchen was causing trouble for no reason. Wasn’t it just a pen? Did he really need to make his sister upset over it?

Nian Shiwen quickly went over to comfort her, giving all his pens to his sister and then glaring at He Dongchen. “You’re so stingy.”

He Dongchen threw the pen into his bag and casually said, “This time it’s a pen, last time it was a notebook, and before that, it was a jersey. Aunt Nian, I suggest you take Nian Shiyu to the hospital to check if she has kleptomania or something.”

“Dongchen! What nonsense are you talking about?!” Father He frowned, his tone severe. Kleptomania? How could he say something so unpleasant!

He Dongchen smiled indifferently, as if he didn’t see the anger of those around him.

Nian Shiyu, realizing what he meant, became furious and embarrassed. “Who has kleptomania! I took those things because my classmates wanted them!”

“So, you took my personal belongings and gave them to the girls at school?” He Dongchen sneered, disgusted. “Are you proud, enjoying their adulation?”

Nian Shiyu was particularly popular among the girls at school, not just because she had three handsome brothers, but also because she would occasionally take things and give them to the girls, making them swoon. Some even went further, arranging dates using her name because they envied what she had.

It was just short of openly selling her brothers.

Later, when she entered the entertainment industry, it got worse. She arranged fan meetings and investor meetings, always acting first and reporting later, then pretending to be innocent.

This behavior might not seem like much at first glance, but if the genders were reversed, it would be quite different. Imagine a brother secretly taking his sister’s personal items and giving them to strange men, arranging dates with strangers for his own selfish reasons.

If this were posted online, it would definitely be condemned. Why was it considered acceptable just because it’s a brother? In today’s society, boys can also suffer and need to protect themselves!

Nian Shiyu hadn’t expected her private actions to be exposed, but she only felt slightly uneasy for a moment. Soon, she confidently said, “What’s the big deal? They wouldn’t use it for anything bad.”

Lu Xuyan, who was about to leave, thought of his inexplicably missing clothes and lowered his eyes to hide his disgust.

Nian Shiwen, who was rather insensitive, didn’t see the issue and sided with his sister. “Exactly, you’re making a fuss over nothing.”

He Dongchen hadn’t intended to argue with them, but seeing Nian Shiwen’s attitude, he felt annoyed. He looked at him meaningfully and said, “Shi Wen, didn’t you lose a wristband? I saw a boy in our class wearing one that looks quite similar.”

Did Nian Shiyu only give things to girls?

Naïve!

Nian Shiwen, slow to react, finally realized and said in disbelief, “You must be mistaken!”

“Whether I’m mistaken or not, why don’t you ask your dear sister?” He Dongchen said, then grabbed his backpack and left. As he passed the hallway, Lu Xuyan avoided him, watching Nian Shiyu without any intention of leaving together.

Nian Shiyu, seeing her brother getting angry, was puzzled. “Are you talking about Wang Kuanliang’s wristband? It’s indeed yours. I noticed you didn’t use it much, and Wang Kuanliang seemed to like it a lot, so I gave it to him on my own. Brother, you’re not mad at me, are you?”

Nian Shiwen was more than angry—he was furious!

“How dare you take my things!”

Nian Shiyu innocently replied, “I didn’t take it for nothing. Didn’t you enjoy the game console Wang Kuanliang gave in return?”

Nian Shiyu didn’t think she had done anything wrong. Exchanging a rarely used wristband for the latest game console was a great deal in her eyes!

“I’ve told you I hate Wang Kuanliang! Why did you give my stuff to him?” Nian Shiwen was on the verge of losing it, wishing she could storm upstairs and smash that stupid game!

Didn’t that jerk Wang Kuanliang used to ogle my ass! He had to be beaten a few times before he learned to behave! Just the thought of him wearing his wristband, potentially doing god-knows-what disgusting things with it, made his stomach churn. He wished he could throw up everything he’d just eaten for breakfast.

Nian Shiyu, startled by the shouting, felt tears welling up. “You all are so mean to me! I’m not talking to any of you!”

With that, she grabbed her backpack and dashed out the door, wiping tears away as she went.

“Be careful! Don’t run off!” Nian Yao chased after her to the entrance hall, looking anxious. Spotting Lu Xuyan still there, her eyes brightened a bit. She grabbed him and spoke urgently, “Xu Yan, go after your sister quickly. There are cars on the main road. I don’t want anything to happen.”

Lu Xuyan hung his head and mumbled a response.

Nian Yao smiled with relief, patting his thin shoulder gently. “You’re always so thoughtful. Be a good boy and go.”

Lu Xuyan blinked and then stepped out the door to catch up with Nian Shiyu.

***

Meanwhile, He Dongchen was already seated in the car. He watched as Nian Shiyu stormed past angrily, with Lu Xuyan casually trailing behind.

He chuckled, put on his headphones, took the window seat, and pondered how to extricate himself from the whole family affair.

It had been 2 months since the start of sophomore year, and the drama of being the overprotective brother had long played out. Now, whether trivial or significant, news about Nian Shiyu always reached his ears first.

Perhaps it was time to put an end to this kind of life sooner rather than later.

He Dongchen thought to himself.

10 minutes later, the gates of Chenguang High School came into view. He Dongchen got off the car with the crowd, stepped through the school gates, and quickly felt the familiar popularity he had as the aloof school heartthrob. Wherever he went, girls blushed and stuttered in his presence, then huddled together and chattered excitedly after he left.

“So handsome! So jealous of Nian Shiyu!”

He Dongchen sighed inwardly. What a silly world this was.

High school isn’t about daydreaming.

The system had already infiltrated the school forum and, looking at the infatuated comments there, clicked his tongue. [Boss, you’re ranked first.]

Generally speaking, the charm of a top handsome man always outshined the sunshine heartthrob and the arrogant school bully.

Unattainable heights were forever divine!

He Dongchen smiled and ignored it, striding through the campus with long legs.

[Hey, Boss, this isn’t the way to the classroom!]

He Dongchen wasn’t headed to the classroom but to the teacher’s office.

***

“I want to participate in next year’s college entrance examination.”

The homeroom teacher was momentarily stunned, then pushed his glasses and looked at his promising student. Though regretful, he still replied gently, “Sure, I’ll find some test papers and schedule a time for you to take them.”

He Dongchen hadn’t expected the teacher to be so accommodating. He smiled and nodded in response.

In Class 2-1 of sophomore year, the classroom was buzzing with discussion. Everyone was talking about one thing; Nian Shiyu was in tears! Who had the audacity, not fearing Nian Shiyu’s three brothers, to bully her?

Before He Dongchen entered the classroom, a male student approached him with a wink. “Hey, your sister is being bullied.”

He Dongchen chuckled. According to the original owner’s persona, upon hearing that, he should have been as cold as an ice-making machine, his face stern as he resolved to stand up for Nian Shiyu.

But at that moment, He Dongchen found himself unsure how to react.

The male student, seeing his response, seemed puzzled and scratched his head, as if experiencing a moment of hesitation.

Although his face remained expressionless, He Dongchen couldn’t shake the feeling that something was amiss.

Fortunately, the bell rang for class, breaking the silence.

He Dongchen walked into the classroom with the crowd, ignoring the subtle glances from everyone, and calmly sat behind Nian Shiyu.

Yes, that’s right, he sat behind Nian Shiyu, with Lu Xuyan on the right and Nian Shiwen on the left.

Nian Shiyu was surrounded daily by the school’s three most handsome boys, and no matter which direction she turned, she could see handsome faces.

He Dongchen muttered silently about the absurdity, thinking about skipping a grade and changing classes soon, so he couldn’t be bothered to change seats.

Nian Shiyu was currently sulking with her head on the desk. She heard some movement from the back row but no one paid attention to her, which only made her more upset.

Lu Xuyan, who had disappeared the previous night, was now sleeping with his head on the desk.

Nian Shiwen arrived in the classroom just after morning self-study, unusually solemn, and ignored Nian Shiyu.

Class 2-1 was genuinely surprised now!

What’s going on? Nian Shiyu is angry, and the three doting brothers aren’t around to soothe her!

Remember how during PE class, Nian Shiyu got a minor injury, and they hovered around her for half the day!

This is truly bizarre!

***

For nearly two class periods, the feud between the siblings spread through the school, spawning several exaggerated versions of the story.

He Dongchen listened intently, feeling exasperated.

This school’s atmosphere really needed some serious adjustment.

During the break, He Dongchen went to the restroom. While washing his hands, he suddenly heard a loud bang!

He turned around to see Nian Shiwen dragging a boy into the restroom, kicking him against the wall with a fierce expression. If you didn’t know better, you’d think Lu Xuyan possessed him.

“I’m warning you! Stay away from my sister from now on!” Nian Shiwen’s face twisted with disgust as she roughly tore off the black wristband from the boy’s right hand and threw it into the trash bin.

Giving the boy a final warning glare and casting a quick glance at He Dongchen, he turned and left.

He Dongchen felt it was none of his business and was about to leave when he saw the boy suddenly squat down, retrieve the wristband from the trash, carefully clean it as if it were precious, sniff it satisfiedly, and then tuck it into his pocket before quietly leaving.

He Dongchen: “…”

Well then.

As a straight guy, he couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for Nian Shiwen this time.

Back in the classroom, He Dongchen noticed Nian Shiwen had gone off to console his sister again, while Lu Xuyan slept through two class periods before fully waking up.

Soon, Nian Shiyu was cheered up by the two, laughing with tears in her eyes. When she saw He Dongchen come in, she turned her head arrogantly, as if expecting an apology.

He Dongchen ignored her completely, which only seemed to infuriate Nian Shiyu.

***

During lunch in the cafeteria, He Dongchen received a call from his father.

“Why suddenly want to skip a grade?” his father asked.

He Dongchen couldn’t be bothered with explanations. “If I want to skip, I’ll skip. No particular reason.”

His father found his son’s attitude quite bold, but since he had always been diligent in his studies, never causing any worries, his father accepted it gracefully. If his son had the ability, skipping a grade was fine.

Thinking for a moment, Father He added, “Even in senior year, don’t forget to take care of your sister.”

He Dongchen rolled his eyes ungracefully, “She still has two other brothers.”

Father He didn’t dwell on that point further; he knew well enough the dynamics between his son and stepdaughter.

The homeroom teacher acted swiftly, and in the afternoon, He Dongchen took the test to skip a grade.

Without a doubt, He Dongchen aced the test and was immediately transferred to Class 3-1 of the senior year by the homeroom teacher.

He Dongchen promptly requested accommodation.

The newly appointed homeroom teacher smiled warmly, “Sure, sure. There happens to be a spare bed in the boys’ dormitory. When do you plan to move in?”

“Today will be fine.”

In just one day, He Dongchen swiftly skipped a grade and swiftly moved into his new accommodation.

The classmates of Class 2-1 were stunned! Wasn’t the hot topic just about the four siblings having a falling out? How did it suddenly become about He Dongchen skipping a grade?

New gossip spread so quickly.

They watched in disbelief as He Dongchen efficiently packed his books, left with the senior year homeroom teacher, and didn’t even bid a formal farewell before leaving, as cool and aloof as ever.

As soon as he left, the classroom exploded.

“What’s going on? Why did He Dongchen suddenly skip a grade?”

“Yeah, there was no warning at all. Hey, Shiyu, isn’t He Dongchen your brother? Didn’t you know?”

Nian Shiyu’s face turned ugly. He Dongchen had never mentioned skipping a grade! Could it be because of what happened this morning?

She bit her lip, tears welling up in her eyes.