The Supporting Male Characters Who Died Alone All Those Years Later

The Wen family had many members; the original owner’s cousins numbered seven or eight. Since childhood, the original owner was treated as the example child. Praised by the elders and with a cold temperament, relationships with cousins were sometimes good, sometimes bad. Outside of exam periods, they were loving siblings, but during exams, they were just ordinary passersby.

(T/N: example child / someone ese’s child = the child that one would always be compared to by their parents, or an example that other children should strive for.)

Especially after Father He remarried, the original owner lavished affection on a newly-joined step-sister. Things that were previously denied to a certain cousin were easily given to Nian Shiyu. The relationship between the original owner and them hit rock bottom, to the point where they wouldn’t even stop to greet each other if they met at school.

After He Dongchen arrived, he didn’t make any special effort to improve the relationship. He just let things take their natural course.

Upon entering the house, Wen Qiqi happened to come downstairs and muttered quietly, “How come the sudden grade skip? Don’t want your little sister anymore?”

Wen Qiqi had a good impression of her cousin He Dongchen. Although he was aloof, he treated everyone equally. But after Nian Shiyu arrived, this iceberg cousin suddenly melted. During the recent school art festival, He Dongchen won first place in the piano competition and was rewarded with a ticket to a concert by a famous pianist. Wen Qiqi particularly liked that pianist and eagerly went to exchange it. She was coldly refused by He Dongchen.

Although Wen Qiqi felt disappointed, she didn’t dwell on it. Maybe cousin wanted to go himself.

But guess what? Later, she heard that some classmate of Nian Shiyu went to that concert!

Wen Qiqi was furious at that moment. Was his own cousin less important than a classmate of this half-step sister! All those years of companionship were for nothing!

He Dongchen glanced at the sarcastic Wen Qiqi, calmly greeted several elders, and then found a moment to respond to her, “What do you mean ‘don’t want anymore’? Aren’t you right here?”

Huh? Wen Qiqi reacted with wide eyes and an open mouth. Would this kind of thing be said by my aloof cousin!? It’s unbelievable!

Seeing her dumbfounded expression, He Dongchen quickly resumed his aloof demeanor and went with Father He to the backyard to see Grandfather Wen.

Grandfather Wen, 70 years old this year, was in robust health, with a ruddy complexion. At the moment, he was in the garden, holding a small hoe, carefully weeding around an orchid, his back slightly bent.

Father He was very attentive to his father-in-law. Upon seeing this, he immediately went up with a smile and took over the hoe, squatting down beside the orchid to take over Grandfather Wen’s work. His movements were skilled, clearly adept at this task. His expensive suit was dampened by dew, and his leather shoes stepped on the soil, but Father He didn’t mind at all.

Grandfather Wen wasn’t just a father-in-law but also a benefactor. If it weren’t for his strong support back then, He Dongchen wouldn’t be enjoying such a comfortable life now.

Currently, many projects still relied heavily on the Wen family’s leadership.

Grandfather Wen stood with his hands behind his back, smiling as he watched his son-in-law work. Although it was a bit sycophantic, it was still better than being stubborn about it.

As a son, He Dongchen couldn’t just stand by and watch. He gently lifted the hem of his formal pants and squatted down to help Father He.

Seeing this, Grandfather Wen smiled with satisfaction. “Dongchen, I heard you’ve set up a good security system. Tell Grandpa about it in detail.”

He Dongchen proceeded to explain. The website was managed by professional managers, but both Father He and the Wen family were listening attentively. Exaggerating a bit, every little thing would catch their ears.

After listening, Grandfather Wen nodded approvingly. “You’ve done well.”

Websites like those are like mosquitos annoying people, sticking to them and sucking their blood and feeling proud of themselves.

It’s bad enough they have the audacity of saying they were spreading the author’s fame; Wasn’t that the same thing as saying criminal behavior was funding the police? When a thief steals something, forcing the victim to make a purchase, can the thief proudly say they increased the store’s sales?

Why disguise the sordid nature by wearing a royal cloak?

Grandfather Wen praised his grandson a few more times.

Father He beamed with pride. That’s my son!

***

In the evening, guests arrived one after another. Celebrities and wealthy businessmen gathered together, chatting amiably.

He Dongchen first accompanied Father He show his face, then joined Wen Qiqi and others in entertaining their peers.

Upon his arrival, someone joked, “Why didn’t you bring your step-sister? Bring her out for us to see, let’s see what kind of person can melt our school’s iceberg.”

He Dongchen ignored their teasing, found a seat, and casually remarked, “Just following my Dad’s wishes a bit, no need to make such a fuss.”

“Yeah,” Wen Qiqi chimed in, with a disdainful tone, “You guys aren’t taking those boring school gossips seriously, are you?”

Upon hearing that, everyone naturally didn’t want to admit they were boring. They quickly changed the subject and talked about other things.

Feeling triumphant, Wen Qiqi raised an eyebrow at He Dongchen.

He Dongchen chuckled and asked the system to check if that pianist would be holding a concert soon.

[Sure thing.] The system immediately connected to the internet, quickly searched, and after a moment said, [Coincidentally, the official website just released news. There’s a concert next month in the neighboring city, on the weekend.]

“Alright, book a few tickets for me.”

As He Dongchen finished speaking, his phone vibrated. The ticket code for the concert lay in the message. With a tap of his finger, he forwarded it to Wen Qiqi.

Meanwhile, Wen Qiqi, puzzled, took out her phone and immediately smiled.

That night, He Dongchen and Father He stayed overnight at the Wen’s. They left after having lunch the next day.

***

He Dongchen didn’t want to go home and see those people, so he asked Father He to drop him off directly at school.

Before getting out of the car, Father He hesitated for a moment, then couldn’t help but say, “Son, do you not like them?”

He Dongchen didn’t want to trouble Father He, so he said, “No, it’s just that I prefer peace and enjoy being alone. Please don’t think too much about it.”

Father He opened his mouth as if to say something but ultimately remained silent, driving away. He Dongchen watched the car merge into traffic, then turned and walked towards the school gate. It was a quiet weekend at school, and He Dongchen strolled leisurely through the campus, stepping through the fragmented shadows cast by the tall trees.

***

The next day, Monday, the school became crowded again.

During the flag-raising ceremony, Lan Xuyan was caught fighting and went up to admit his fault. He displayed an arrogant and cool attitude while lazily reading his self-criticism letter. The girls below were ecstatic, while the teachers and leaders were extremely frustrated.

He Dongchen stood among the seniors, trying to blend in.

In the afternoon, during the second period, He Dongchen ran errands for the homeroom teacher who had forgotten their exam papers. As he passed the laboratory building, he suddenly heard a loud bang overhead, followed by screams and chaotic footsteps.

He Dongchen suddenly remembered a plotline from the original story; In Year 2, Class 1, during a laboratory class, there was an accident downstairs where a fire broke out. The original owner and others protected Nian Shiyu and escaped safely, but several unfortunate students were seriously injured in the stampede.

Realizing that, He Dongchen forgot about the exam papers and hurried towards the other side of the laboratory building where the door had been broken yesterday and was now under repair. Many students in the original story had run there only to find the door blocked, losing control of their emotions and causing a stampede.

The school was now in turmoil, teachers organizing evacuations and setting up cordons to prevent other students from approaching the laboratory where dangerous materials were present, possibly leading to an explosion.

The situation was urgent, and everyone looked at the thick smoke billowing from the laboratory, collectively holding their breaths, worried for those students who hadn’t managed to escape yet.

On the fifth floor, in a certain laboratory, Nian Shiyu was being pulled down by Nian Shiwen and Lan Xuyan, caught in the chaos, not knowing who accidentally stepped on her, looking disheveled.

They finally squeezed down to the first floor, only to find that the door wouldn’t open!

A group of panicked students crowded behind the door, banging on it, trying to retreat, with more students continuously rushing down, forming a pile, unable to move.

Lan Xuyan, relying on his agility, forcefully squeezed to the back of the door to try to open it, but there were too many people making a commotion, and there was simply no room to maneuver.

“Damn it!” He cursed softly, turned and squeezed out, shouting to Nian Shiwen, “Go to another door.”

Nian Shiwen didn’t waste any words. With one hand around his sister, he struggled out of the staircase, rushed to the second floor, and then crossed the smoky corridor of the second floor towards the stairs on the other side.

What they didn’t know was that shortly after they left, the jammed door was opened.

A strong beam of light illuminated the stairwell, shining on the anxious faces of everyone.

“The door’s open!” Everyone exclaimed with joy, then rushed out of the door in a rush.

He Dongchen smashed open the door and quickly retreated without being bumped into.

Teachers arrived belatedly, dispersing the crowd. Upon learning that He Dongchen had smashed open the door, they looked relieved.

Once the students who had escaped danger calmed down, they came over one by one to thank He Dongchen.

He Dongchen was surrounded by everyone, casually saying it was nothing.

***

In this touching moment, a figure suddenly rushed in, grabbing He Dongchen’s collar and raising a fist.

Everyone gasped, unable to stop it in time.

He Dongchen’s eyes sharpened. He grabbed the person’s fist and threw them to the ground.

“Brother!” Nian Shiyu rushed over, throwing herself onto Nian Shiwen, who had been thrown to the ground, crying bitterly. With red eyes, she accused He Dongchen, “How could you hit my brother?!”

He Dongchen hadn’t even spoken yet when a circle of classmates around him clamored in his defense, “It was clearly this person who suddenly rushed up to start a fight.”

“Yeah, He Dongchen was just defending himself. We all saw it. Don’t try to falsely accuse him!”

Nian Shiyu, who had always been adored by everyone, surrounded by admirers like stars around the moon, suddenly faced so many accusations and was momentarily at a loss. Tears welled up in her eyes and streamed down her cheeks, smudging the sooty marks on her face into a grimace.

Lan Xuyan arrived late, standing in the crowd, clutching his wrist with a furrowed brow.

Finally, Nian Shiwen, who had regained her composure, stepped forward to defend his sister. She got up and told He Dongchen, “Why didn’t you open the door sooner?! Do you know Shi Yu almost got hit by something just now!”

Nian Shiwen had gone through a lot of trouble to protect his sister through the corridor, almost being hit by something along the way. After narrowly escaping, covered in dust and grime, he suddenly heard people around saying that the door had been opened!

They had barely left when the door was opened right after!

And it was He Dongchen who opened the door!

Nian Shiwen couldn’t understand why, but suddenly he exploded with anger, irrationally rushing over upon seeing He Dongchen surrounded and praised by a group of people, completely losing his cool, ready to throw punches.

He Dongchen looked confused, utterly baffled by Nian Shiwen’s thought process.

Am I to blame for that?

Others also felt He Dongchen was unfairly treated. He had kindly opened the door, only to be criticized for opening it too late. This was too damn unfair!

And, was Nian Shiyu injured? Wasn’t she standing here fine, crying her eyes out?

Nian Shiwen was out of his mind.

Everyone agreed on that.

He Dongchen chuckled sarcastically, saying, “Are you going to blame me for not rushing up to save Nian Shiyu?”

As if reminded of something, Nian Shiwen looked at He Dongchen with disdainful eyes, saying, “Yeah! Why didn’t you come up! Shi Yu is your sister!”

Onlookers suddenly remembered; Oh right, isn’t He Dongchen supposed to dote on his sister? Why didn’t he rush to save her this time?

There was a previous incident where Nian Shiyu got into an argument at the convenience store, and He Dongchen ran the fastest.