The Supporting Male Characters Who Died Alone All Those Years Later

“What happened? Everything seemed fine during dinner,” Father He asked, puzzled, glancing at his wife’s stern face and signaling to his son for an explanation.

“What’s wrong? The Tao family has been stringing along our son! That’s what’s wrong!” Mother He finally exploded, hands on her hips, “All these years, Tao Tao has never hesitated to ask our son for help, acting as if she had every right. If she’s not his girlfriend, who behaves like that?”

“And all those times we shared our best food and gifts with them! Do you think I cared about a few bites of food? No, I don’t. But the bracelets and necklaces I gave, worth tens of thousands, were meant for a future daughter-in-law, not just a neighbor’s daughter! How could they accept everything without any consideration?”

Fuming, she continued her tirade, while the two men in the room dared not utter a word.

Meanwhile, next door, Mother Tao was also scolding her daughter, poking her head for emphasis, “Are you out of your mind? Why didn’t you say anything about not dating Xiao He? We’ve already been discussing the wedding house, and you two aren’t even a couple yet! Now we’ve embarrassed ourselves completely, and it’s awkward to face them in the future.”

Tao Tao, holding her head, mumbled softly, “If I said something, you would have just pushed me to find a boyfriend…”

Her mother raised her voice incredulously, “So now it’s my fault? Listen to this, Old Tao! She says it’s my fault! If you didn’t want to find a boyfriend, you shouldn’t have led Xiao He on. Any parent would be furious if their son was strung along like this!”

Father Tao, frowning deeply, took a breath and said, “This was poorly handled…”

Tao Tao shrank back, just about to slip away when her mother called out, “Are you really not planning to marry Xiao He?”

Tao Tao shook her head and firmly said, “I’ve always seen him as an older brother; I’m just missing that bit of feeling.”

Her mother took a deep breath, feeling exasperated. Xiao He had grown up right before their eyes, he was well-mannered, reliable, and had a respectable job. Such a good son-in-law, now lost.

“Forget it, maybe it wouldn’t have dragged on this long if it were meant to be,” her mother said, rubbing her temples in frustration and waving her hand. “Go get the bracelets and necklaces that the He family gave you and bring them to me. I’ll return them later.”

“Why?” Tao Tao blinked.

“Why!?” Her mother’s eyes widened. “Those were given by the He family to their future daughter-in-law! How dare you accept them and ask why! You’re usually so clever in arguing with us, but now you act like a fool.”

“Wasn’t it because they liked me?” Tao Tao was stunned.

Everyone always said that close neighbors were like family, and after 20 years of living across the hall, the He family were practically her elders too. It seemed normal for elders to give gifts to a younger one they liked.

Her mother rolled her eyes. “Then why don’t you buy an expensive bracelet worth tens of thousands for Grandpa Liu the doorman’s granddaughter, whom you like to tease?”

“Why would I? We’re not related…” Tao Tao was speechless. Yes, they were not related. No matter how well neighbors got along, at most, they would exchange some fruits or snacks.

Realizing her foolish mistake, Tao Tao felt her scalp tingle with embarrassment. She wished she could disappear into a hole. She quickly went to her room to retrieve the bracelets and necklaces, returning a moment later with a guilty expression, “The bracelet is fine, but I accidentally broke the necklace.”

Her mother, too exhausted to roll her eyes, weakly said, “Give them to me. Tomorrow, go buy an identical one to return.”

The incident left a sour atmosphere between the two families. He Dongchen, on the other hand, felt relieved. Clearing things up meant no more lingering awkwardness between the families.

***

The next day, after breakfast, He Dongchen suggested moving out for a while to avoid awkward encounters with Tao Tao.

His parents exchanged worried glances.

Oh no, our son has a broken heart!

Father He said, “It’s good for you to move out and change your environment.”

Mother He added, “When do you plan to move? Have you found a place yet?”

Since their son had just been heartbroken, the previously prepared marriage house wouldn’t be suitable to live in; it would only remind him of the pain.

He Dongchen replied, “I’ve looked at two places. I’ll go check them out later, and if they’re suitable, I’ll move this afternoon.”

Just as he finished speaking, the doorbell rang. Father He went to open the door and returned with two boxes, placing them on the table. “The Tao family returned these.”

Mother He saw the familiar packaging and knew it was the bracelet and necklace she had gifted. Opening the boxes, she found them brand new. She sighed, “The Tao couple is understanding. I don’t know how they ended up with a daughter like that…”

“Enough, let’s not talk about it. Our son is also to blame for not making things clear,” Father He interrupted his wife. Both children were at fault here, and the parents had been left to deal with the aftermath.

He Dongchen touched his nose and remained silent.

After breakfast, he drove to inspect the two apartments. He eventually chose a two-bedroom, one-living room apartment close to both home and work, fully furnished and ready to move in. There was a sign indicating renovations had just been completed on the opposite door.

The real estate agent quickly assured him, “The renovations are finished; it will be absolutely quiet.”

He Dongchen nodded, “I’ll take this one.”

They waited for the landlord and signed a 1-year lease on the spot, with a monthly rent of 3,500.

Afterward, the landlord, smiling broadly, engaged in small talk, “Mr. He, what do you do for work?”

He Dongchen smiled back, “I’m a veterinarian.”

The original owner was a veterinarian, working at a nearby pet hospital with a decent salary, easily covering the 3,500 yuan rent.

In his previous life, he treated people; in this life, he treated pets.

The landlord raised an eyebrow. “That’s good. Pets are allowed, but any damaged furniture or sofas must be replaced at your own expense.”

He Dongchen nodded, having no objections.

The landlord handed him the keys and left with the real estate agent, seemingly discussing the agency fee.

He Dongchen looked around the apartment, did a quick clean, and prepared to go home to move his belongings. As he was leaving, an orange cat slipped into the apartment, but he swiftly caught it.

“Meow, meow, meow.” The orange cat kicked its short legs, looking fiercely cute. When He Dongchen released it, the cat quickly ran away and disappeared.

He Dongchen guessed it might belong to someone nearby and didn’t think much of it.

After returning and moving his belongings, he finally settled into his new home.

***

The next day, Monday, He Dongchen woke up, washed up, went downstairs for a morning run, and grabbed breakfast. At 8.30 AM, he prepared to leave for work at the pet hospital. As he was about to leave, he received a text message.

Tao Tao: [I’m going to be late! Give me a ride!]

He Dongchen raised an eyebrow. Is she still half-asleep?

He ignored the message and drove to work.

“Dr. He, have you had breakfast?”

“Good morning, Dr. He.”

He Dongchen entered the building, greeted by the smiling faces of the nurses. Staying true to the original owner’s sharp-tongued nature, he nodded coldly.

That morning, He Dongchen examined two cats, one dog, and a pet pig that was squealing loudly.

He remained unfazed, administering a shot in the pig’s rear end with a serious expression, as if he were performing a major surgery.

The pig’s owner felt a mix of sympathy and thought the vet was quite handsome.

“All done.” He Dongchen finished the vaccination and returned the squealing pig to its owner.

By lunchtime, when He Dongchen went to the cafeteria, he received a text from Tao Tao: [Have you moved out? Why? Is it really necessary to be so cold?]

He Dongchen ignored the message, figuring that Tao Tao would be busy with the dog CEO by evening and wouldn’t have time to monitor him.

Sure enough, around 10 o’clock that night, He Dongchen received an anxious call from Tao Tao: [Dongchen, I found a dog at the company entrance. It seems injured. Can you come and take a look?]

He Dongchen almost replied with a refusal but held back. To be honest, he was also curious to meet the dog CEO who had taken the original owner’s position.

[Bring the dog to the hospital where I work, and I’ll head over there right away.]

[Huh?? Can’t you come pick me up?]

[No.] He Dongchen ended the call, put on a gray overcoat, grabbed his keys, and left.

***

10 minutes later, he arrived at the hospital. Another 10 minutes passed before Tao Tao arrived, sweating and breathless, carrying a medium-sized husky. Her high heels were crooked and her face was flushed.

He Dongchen took the dog, examined it, and said professionally, “His leg is injured and will need surgery. Please go over there to pay the fees, and I’ll arrange for the surgery.”

“Oh, okay.” Tao Tao took the invoice and left.

He Dongchen lifted the husky onto the operating table, took up a gleaming scalpel, and measured about three inches below its belly. The half-closed-eyed husky suddenly closed its legs and started howling at him with an intense glare.

The system was stunned; [D-D-D-Does this mean you’re going to neuter the male lead?]

He Dongchen raised an eyebrow and casually corrected, “Nonsense. Neutering is beneficial for the dog’s health.”

The system was alarmed; so it wasn’t just neutering!

It’s terrifying, truly terrifying!

Jiang Shiguang also found the man in front of him terrifying, especially the scalpel in his hand!

Suddenly turned into a dog, petted and cuddled by his subordinate, now in a pet hospital, facing the danger of losing his testicles; Jiang Shiguang was filled with despair. What kind of sins had I committed?

After the anesthesia was administered, Jiang Shiguang closed his eyes in tears, reluctantly losing consciousness.

Fortunately, He Dongchen didn’t actually carry out the procedure. He skillfully treated the leg wound and completed the surgery.

Tao Tao approached and asked, “How did it go?”

He Dongchen removed his gloves and answered, “The surgery went smoothly. I recommend observing the dog in the hospital for a few days.”

He left the rest of the instructions to the nurse, and after checking on the dog CEO, he left for home as it was getting late.

As Tao Tao watched him leave, she felt an inexplicable sense of loss.

In the past, He Dongchen would have been hands-on, would have driven her home, inquired about her well-being, and been concerned about why she was working so late. He would have noticed the red marks on her feet from her high heels, and, in the past, he would have gone to the mall to buy her a new pair of shoes without saying a word, helping her change into them.

At that moment, memories deep in Tao Tao’s mind began to resurface, and she unknowingly started to tear up. Waves of grievance rose in her heart. Even if they couldn’t be together, they had grown up together. Was it really necessary to be so cold, to lay everything bare in front of the parents, and to move away?

The young nurse noticed that Tao Tao was staring absently in the direction where Dr. He had just left. Curiously, she asked, “Do you know Dr. He?”

Tao Tao snapped back to reality, adjusted her hair awkwardly, and forced a smile, “Yes, we’re neighbors and grew up together.”

“Oh, so you were childhood sweethearts. Why didn’t you go home together? It’s so late—it’s not safe…”

Hearing that, Tao Tao’s smile grew even more bitter.