The Supporting Male Characters Who Died Alone All Those Years Later

[Beep beep beep! Unauthorized operation detected by the host! Electric shock punishment initiated! Return and exchange of consumer goods, false consumption, electric shock punishment!!]

The spendthrift system kept prompting, and the countdown began.

The system nearly laughed out with a pig-like squeal! Yes! Just like this! Shocking the boss! Well done!

He Dongchen fell silent, then pulled out a ball of light from his right hand, kneaded it a few times, and stuffed it back in.

The next moment, a mechanical voice sounded; [Detection error, host did not engage in unauthorized operation, reward of 100,000 as compensation.]

He Dongchen was satisfied.

The system was dumbfounded; [How could this be!!!]

This spendthrift system was too naive; it didn’t even know when its program was altered!

Watching He Dongchen, who was leisurely tasting wine, the system silently shrunk back. This boss was indeed untouchable.

He Dongchen received the system and decided not to meet with the He family for the time being; it wasn’t interesting. Instead, he flew directly overseas, indulging in luxury while starting a business. In less than 3 years, he amassed a fortune of billions, becoming an inconspicuous big shot in the upper class society, a topic that everyone knew but dared not speak openly about.

Mr. Gu.

Rumors surrounded Mr. Gu, his background a mystery, his wealth abundant, seemingly endless money to spend. Yet, his temperament was too casual, often unpredictable, leaving others unable to respond.

***

“Boss, the Ruifeng Group board meeting is at 3 o’clock this afternoon.”

He Dongchen laid on a beach chair wearing sunglasses, his eight-pack abs evenly tanned. Upon hearing this, he casually replied, “Not going.”

Feng Ruying, his assistant, smiled and advised, “You’ve just taken office and it’s your first time leading the board meeting. It would be best to attend to stabilize everyone.”

“Oh.” He Dongchen continued nonchalantly, “Then you go in my place.”

Before Feng Ruying could say more, the lazy boss lying on the rocking chair waved his hand dismissively, “Alright, alright, just charge it to my account.”

Taking a deep breath, Feng Ruying silently recalled the amount on her paycheck, forcing herself to calm down.

As a diligent workaholic who almost lived and breathed money, Feng Ruying watched the big boss squander money without caring about gains or losses, feeling herself torn apart.

While reminding herself that she was just an employee and shouldn’t care about whether the boss made money or not, she couldn’t help but feel how much money, so much money, was flying away.

Floating in mid-air, the system watched as Feng Ruying clenched her hands desperately, feeling a pang of sympathy; they were both in the same boat.

The Emperor wasn’t anxious but the eunuchs were. It was truly heartbreaking working for the big shot.

(T/N: The Emperor is not worried, but his eunuchs are = (idiom); fig. the observers are more anxious than the person involved.)

After everyone left, the system earnestly advised, [Boss, relying on the spendthrift system like this, you will inevitably fall!]

He Dongchen snorted lightly, “You never said that when you had me spending in the system mall every day.”

The system instantly lost its confidence, drifting to the side with a sense of guilt, silently embracing itself.

***

Meanwhile, back in the country,

Today, He Bei had another falling out during a cooperation talk, almost coming to blows with the other party’s CEO over drinks.

Father He’s head throbbed, his headache splitting, “Can’t you control your temper?”

“How can I? I’ve been like this since I was a child,” He Bei slumped on the couch, completely out of shape, wasting the meticulous, expensive suit he was wearing.

Hearing that, Father He sighed deeply. It was their neglect that had led to the kidnapping incident and his younger son’s 20 years outside without proper education. Every time he thought of it, he felt guilty and couldn’t continue to blame his son. His heart was heavy, his brow furrowed, and a few strands of white hair had appeared at his temples, aging him several years.

In these 3 years, their eldest son had disappeared without a trace. Their younger son had been found, but for the sake of business, he had to assume his elder brother’s identity.

Back then, they had put in a lot of effort to barely negotiate the cooperation. They had thought it would end well, but it turned out to be a difficult beginning because their eldest son hadn’t been heard from for a long time. With both families in a bind, they had no choice but to let He Bei continue pretending to be He Dongchen.

He Bei had a rebellious streak in his bones, impulsive in nature. While he could manage to impersonate his elder brother for a while, doing so year after year was becoming increasingly difficult.

He Dongchen’s accumulation over 20 years, whether in knowledge, demeanor, style of action, or manner of speech, was impossible to imitate easily.

Being constantly watched and hearing praises of how excellent He Dongchen was, He Bei gradually developed a rebellious attitude. Several times, he intentionally behaved recklessly outside, causing several cooperative ventures to collapse.

Because of He Bei’s deliberate self-destruction, people started joking that they had switched personalities, wondering how a shrewd and reserved person could suddenly become ignorant and flamboyant.

Hearing these jokes, Father and Mother He were always on edge, secretly intensifying their efforts to find their eldest son.

The sound effects of a game filled the room with beeps and clangs. Father He snapped out of his thoughts, seeing He Bei swiftly manipulating his phone. His headache worsened; their eldest son never wasted time playing such games.

At that moment, Mother He entered from outside, her brows furrowed, and headed straight for He Bei. She snatched his phone away forcefully, her voice filled with anger…

“Are you in contact with Mu Xue again?”

He Bei frowned, then grinned mischievously, “Mom, you didn’t go and write her another check, did you?”

Mother He’s face turned ashen. “I’m doing this for everyone’s good. If that Mu Xue knows your identity and spreads it around, what will happen with Ruifeng Group?”

3 years had passed since their cooperation had come to an end. Now, the He family was actively seeking the next round of partnerships. At this critical juncture, if deceit surfaced, Ruifeng Group would certainly be displeased. Given the choice, who would opt to collaborate with a liar?

He Bei justified himself confidently, “That’s precisely why we need to keep her in check.”

Mother He choked up, unexpectedly at a loss for words.

She was exasperated, “I’ll make it clear. Our He family will not accept a girl from an ordinary family as our daughter-in-law!”

Mu Xue, from a generations-old fishing family, exuded the scent of fish all over. Mother He looked down on her from the bottom of her heart. If she had exceptional qualities, that would be another matter, but with only a high school education and no notable achievements, she wasn’t up to par even as an internet celebrity.

Listening to his mother’s rant, He Bei grew impatient.

His feelings toward Mu Xue, his childhood sweetheart, were complex. On one hand, Mu Xue had never looked down on him since childhood, unlike the people in their small town. She had been one of the few sources of warmth during those 20 wasted years in the backward, impoverished town. On the other hand, Mu Xue’s presence constantly reminded him of how he had wasted 20 years, scorned by others.

After rambling on for a while and seeing no reaction from her son, Mother He lamented, “I’m doing this for your own good. If you continue to entangle yourself with that woman, your marriage with the Ho family is doomed!”

In 3 years, a lot had changed.

Initially indifferent to He Bei, Ho Xuan now thoroughly despised him, especially after he had assumed He Dongchen’s identity, her fiancé’s identity. His ambiguous interactions with Mu Xue in public or online had made her lose face in their circle.

Initially, Ho Xuan had helped He Bei conceal his identity and solve problems when they arose. Now, she couldn’t bear to look at him.

The He family observed all of it with growing anxiety. If things continued this way, the He family would sooner or later face a marriage cancellation from the Ho family.

After all, the originally engaged person was the capable and astute He Dongchen, not the current dandy He Bei.

“Cancel the engagement if you want,” He Bei shrugged indifferently. Although Ho Xuan was beautiful, she was always so stern, not half as understanding as Mu Xue.

Every time he faced Ho Xuan’s disdainful tone, He Bei couldn’t lift his head, feeling uncomfortable all over.

Seeing his attitude, Mother He felt a pang in her heart, sighed deeply, and continued to speak earnestly.

***

Watching from the side, Father He suddenly regretted everything. If he hadn’t entertained those absurd thoughts back then, would his younger son be living freely now, without the frequent family disputes and the constant need to patch up lies externally?

Father He rubbed his temples with a raised hand. At this point, besides his elder son’s return, he couldn’t see any way out.

In the midst of despair, a phone call came in.

Father He raised his voice abruptly, “What! Ruifeng Group has changed ownership?!”

The other two in the room stopped talking, staring at Father He in shock.

Ruifeng Group was their family’s biggest patron. With new ownership, could the collaboration continue? What if the new chairman brought along their own connections?

While He Bei felt nervous, he strangely found relief. If the collaboration fell through, he wouldn’t have to pretend to be He Dongchen anymore.

In these 3 years, his disgust towards his unseen elder brother had grown deeply rooted.

Father He continued to shout into the phone, “Such a big deal! Why didn’t we hear anything beforehand? Are you all just loafing around?”

“Mr. Gu? Which Mr. Gu!?”

***

At the same time, the He family received the news that Ruifeng Group had changed ownership. Ho Xuan suddenly breathed a sigh of relief and proposed to annul the engagement.

She gritted her teeth, “I can’t stand He Bei anymore!”

He might be foolish, but flirting with other women on top of that! She had painstakingly helped He Bei conceal his identity, only for that scoundrel to show no professional ethics at all! Posing as her fiancé, he got involved with some internet celebrity named Mu Xue, completely humiliating her in their social circles.

Father and Mother Ho exchanged a glance, nodding in agreement, “Indeed, it’s time to annul the engagement.”

How could they be satisfied with He Bei?

Initially, because He Dongchen had disappeared at sea to save their daughter, immediately annulling the engagement seemed unjustifiable. Over the past 3 years, they felt they had done enough. It was time. They couldn’t really let their daughter marry that rascal He Bei, could they?

The three of them discussed finding an appropriate time to make their decision known.

Little did they expect that He Dongchen, missing for 3 years, would return.

***

The reactions of both families were broadcasted to He Dongchen throughout by the system.

Thanks to the appearance of the spendthrift system in this world, the system was very active and eager, afraid that the boss might think it was useless and kick it out, thereby promoting the spendthrift system.

[Boss, look at them, haha, they’re killing me. When you return as the CEO of Ruifeng Group, let’s see their reactions!]

Originally, in the original plot, no one welcomed the original owner back.

Now, things were getting much more interesting.

[It can only be said that a person’s abilities are crucial. Without his gold finger, He Bei can’t make big money, and all his shortcomings are magnified infinitely. The He family and Ho Xuan are reminiscing about the original owner.] The system analyzed wisely, then sighed, [That Mu Xue is quite capable; she directly choked off the possibility of He Bei and Ho Xuan developing feelings.]

[Ding dong! Consume 10 million within an hour! Complete the mission to receive double rewards; failure results in electric shock punishment!]

The mechanical voice rang out, and the system suddenly fell silent, whimpering. This spendthrift system is cheating! It seriously upset the balance of the world! I’m going to complain!

He Dongchen enjoyed seeing the system squirm like this, casually dialing a phone number.

Feng Ruying, who had just come down from the board meeting, stood silently…

Consume 10 million within an hour! Why?! Why?! Why does he always assign me these kinds of tasks!

I’m just an ordinary employee!

Inside, Feng Ruying was breaking down, but she maintained her demeanor as an elite assistant on the surface, instructing the driver to park the car at the nearest shopping mall and go inside to shop.