The Supporting Male Characters Who Died Alone All Those Years Later

Tao Tao’s frustration grew, and in her high heels, she marched into the room and walked directly towards He Dongchen, speaking in a familiar tone, “Dongchen, Aunt asked me to see if you’re coming home for dinner tonight.”

He Dongchen glanced at her, his gaze cold. “My parents are going back to the hometown today. They didn’t ask me to come home for dinner.”

Tao Tao’s face flushed with embarrassment. Her casual lie was instantly exposed, and it was in front of others! She felt deeply ashamed and angry.

Sensing the tension, Wen Hanxiao felt the atmosphere turn awkward. The beautiful woman was approaching with hostility. She quickly gathered the cat and decided it was best to leave.

After Wen Hanxiao left, only the two of them remained, and the atmosphere became increasingly strange.

***

He Dongchen checked the clock on the wall. It was 6 o’clock. He began tidying up the room, which had been disrupted by the husky. Fortunately, the commotion ended quickly, and the equipment was intact. After cleaning up, He Dongchen prepared to head to the cafeteria for dinner, as he would be on duty at the hospital that evening.

Tao Tao watched as he busily went about his tasks, feeling increasingly distressed. She took a few steps closer and spoke, with a touch of grievance, “Does it have to be like this? Haven’t we grown up together? Doesn’t that mean anything?”

He Dongchen stopped what he was doing and turned to look at her seriously. “The bond between people is mutual. You can’t just take and enjoy without giving anything in return.”

Over the years, the original He Dongchen had always been compliant, which had led Tao Tao to adopt a mindset of only taking and enjoying. A person who was used to taking and enjoying, when suddenly cut off from their dependency, naturally struggled to adapt. It was like a carefully nurtured flower suddenly deprived of fertilizer; it becomes ill and uncomfortable, and if not promptly adjusted, it will wither away completely.

Tao Tao was like that flower, struggling to adapt to ordinary soil while still feeling resentful over the loss of the previous nourishment.

He Dongchen finished speaking.

Tao Tao frowned, seemingly piecing something together, and her expression shifted from grievance to sudden realization. “So, all the things that have happened these past few days were meant to force me to respond? Did you deliberately give that girl your contact information just to annoy me? To make me jealous!?”

He Dongchen looked puzzled and then shook his head. Why couldn’t people accept the truth?

Just as he was about to clarify her misunderstanding, a faint voice came from the doorway. Wen Hanxiao, holding the orange cat, smiled awkwardly but politely. “Um, I forgot to take the payment slip.”

Without the slip, she couldn’t pay.

He Dongchen glanced down and indeed saw a snow-white slip in a corner of the room. He bent down, picked it up, and walked past Tao Tao to the door, handing the slip to Wen Hanxiao.

Wen Hanxiao took it with two fingers, smiled, and said, “Thank you. Goodbye.”

She then quickly disappeared down the hallway with the cat.

Seeing that, Tao Tao slightly curled her lips, thinking that the other person probably wouldn’t be overly sentimental now.

She took a few steps closer to He Dongchen. “Dongchen, let’s have a proper talk.”

“Dr. He! That husky’s wound reopened while it was struggling. You need to take care of it,” a nurse said, approaching quickly.

He Dongchen immediately followed her out, and Tao Tao realized the dog was one she had picked up. She hurried after them.

***

When they arrived, the husky was lying quietly on the bed. Despite its canine face, its expression seemed vividly resigned and hopeless.

The bandage on its rear leg was stained with a faint trace of blood.

He Dongchen attended to the wound while pondering. It seemed the domineering CEO had returned.

Jiang Shiguang had indeed returned.

Initially thinking the previous night was just a bizarre dream, he had awoken at 7 in the morning only to be alarmed and considered seeking a master to interpret the dream. Today, everything seemed back to normal at the company, where he kept an eye on his distracted subordinate, and all was as usual. But at 7 that evening, just as he got home, everything spun around, and upon waking, he had turned into a dog again!

Jiang Shiguang, feeling utterly hopeless, allowed himself to be handled by others.

He Dongchen found it amusing as he treated the wound on the husky’s leg. With a meaningful glance at Tao Tao, he said, “Neutering a dog makes it healthier.”

“Woof woof woof!!!” Jiang Shiguang perked up immediately, leaping off the bed and barking angrily at the terrifying man! As a fellow man, how could you be so cruel!

Tao Tao was in a complicated mood, somewhat wanting to make amends with He Dongchen, so she went along with his comment. “You’re the professional, I’ll listen to you.”

“Woof woof woof!” Jiang Shiguang immediately turned his head and barked at Tao Tao! What a daring woman! I’ll fire you!

He Dongchen stifled a smile and cleared his throat, saying seriously, “The wound isn’t fully healed yet. It’s not suitable for surgery.”

Tao Tao nodded in agreement.

Jiang Shiguang had just breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the audacious subordinate continue, “So, once the wound heals, can you help with the neutering? I’m not comfortable with anyone else doing it.”

The system nearby laughed with a pig-like snort. [Hahaha, the heroine asks the male supporting character to neuter the male lead! What a peculiar development!]

He Dongchen didn’t know what expression to make, glancing sympathetically at the male lead before vaguely shifting the topic.

***

The hospital was busy that day, and He Dongchen didn’t even get a chance to eat before being called away to help. Tao Tao had a lot she wanted to say but couldn’t find an opportunity, so she returned home deeply troubled.

Seeing her daughter’s distracted demeanor, Mother Tao asked curiously, “Why are you back so late?”

“I picked up a dog last night, and I went to see it at Dongchen’s hospital,” Tao Tao replied, throwing her bag on the sofa and collapsing into it. She grabbed a cushion and hugged it, her face clearly showing a need for someone to ask her about it.

Mother Tao, familiar with her daughter’s behavior, asked, “What do you want to say?”

Tao Tao hesitated before burying half her face in the cushion and murmuring, “I found out that He Dongchen is quite popular. I heard that every day, women bring their pets to see him.”

Mother Tao narrowed her eyes slightly. “Xiao He has always been excellent. It’s just that you were blind before, only looking ahead. What’s going on? Have you changed your mind now?”

Unable to withstand her mother’s gaze, Tao Tao muttered, “I’m not sure.”

“If you’re interested, you’d better act quickly. I heard that the He family is already arranging blind dates for Xiao He.” Mother Tao left slowly after dropping this comment. The blind dates were just a fabrication; it was too soon to find a reliable match.

But Tao Tao didn’t know that. Upon hearing that He Dongchen might be going on blind dates, she felt distressed and her mind was in turmoil, with past images replaying over and over.

Fortunately, she still had the excuse of the dog at the hospital.

The next day, Tao Tao went to work with dark circles under her eyes. As soon as she stepped into the office, she felt a chill. Friendly colleagues came over and whispered, “The CEO is in a bad mood today. Be careful.”

Tao Tao immediately braced herself and, after organizing the documents and double-checking that everything was in order at her desk, cautiously knocked and entered the office.

“President Jiang, are you busy? I have a document that needs your signature.”

“Come in,” came the sullen response.

Tao Tao took a deep breath and walked in, only to be met by Jiang Shiguang’s grim smile. He gestured for her to come closer, his expression somewhat menacing. “We’ll deal with the document later. I have something to ask you.”

“What is it? Please go ahead,” Tao Tao straightened her back, her mind racing. The CEO never discussed personal matters with subordinates. Had I made a mistake at work?

Jiang Shiguang’s hand, resting on his knee, unconsciously clenched into a fist. He nonchalantly said, “I heard you found a dog at the company entrance.”

Is that it? Tao Tao was puzzled but answered honestly, “Yes, that’s right.”

“Perfect. A friend of mine has been looking to adopt a dog. You can give it to me. I’ll have my secretary reimburse you for the expenses at the hospital.” Jiang Shiguang had already confirmed that he would be spending from 7 PM to 7 AM in the body of a dog and was always at risk of losing his… well, parts. Naturally, he wanted to keep the dog for himself and take good care of it.

“No,” Tao Tao replied without hesitation, her tone resolute. The dog was a connection between her and He Dongchen; she couldn’t just give it away, even if it was the boss asking. Work was important, but her future with He Dongchen was even more so.

Jiang Shiguang was taken aback. He hadn’t expected that the usually docile subordinate would dare to defy him! His face darkened as he said, “How much do you want? Name your price.”

“It’s not about the money. If President Jiang has no other matters, I’ll be leaving now,” Tao Tao said firmly, turning on her heel and forgetting the document that needed to be signed.

Behind her, Jiang Shiguang was fuming with frustration.

Unable to retrieve the dog, Jiang Shiguang was both exasperated and helpless. His subordinate refused to comply, and there was nothing he could do. He wasn’t about to resort to underhanded tactics to get it.

The blocked path forced Jiang Shiguang to try another route. He continued to stage escape attempts daily in the hospital, but with the pet hospital’s strict security and his own leg injury, he couldn’t find an opportunity. Instead, he ended up injuring himself further and had to lie low for the time being, waiting for the right moment.

During his recovery, Jiang Shiguang learned from the gossip of a nurse that Dr. He, who was treating his leg and frequently concerned about his… well, parts, was a childhood friend of Tao Tao.

Tao Tao had changed her usual pattern of working late, now leaving work on time every day and rushing to the pet hospital. She would show various forms of concern for Dr. He, and after being turned down, looked disappointed as she patted his back, murmuring to herself.

“Why didn’t I realize my feelings sooner…”

“Dongchen must be upset with me. It’s okay, our bond from growing up together can’t just vanish…”

Jiang Shiguang avoided Tao Tao’s touch, feeling no emotion. Oh, it was just a story of someone who, when pampered, took it for granted, and when lost, regretted it.

As a man, Jiang Shiguang still had some discernment. That cold and distant Dr. He didn’t seem like someone sulking over a fight, as Tao Tao described. The eyes of someone in love were unmistakable, and every time Dr. He looked at Tao Tao, his gaze was indifferent, showing no joy or sadness. To him, Tao Tao seemed less interesting than the cats and dogs.

Well… his gaze toward himself seemed more interested.

Sometimes, Jiang Shiguang even wondered if he was being seen through.

***

A week later, Dr. He checked on the male lead again and announced, “You can be discharged.”

Jiang Shiguang was overjoyed! Once discharged, he would definitely find a chance to escape! Humph, if it weren’t for that woman, Tao Tao, coming to the hospital every day to win back Dr. He with the dog, I would have been discharged a long time ago! It was just a minor wound!

Just as he was thinking that, he heard Tao Tao unwillingly say, “Isn’t there any problem? Maybe stay a bit longer.”

Are you crazy! Jiang Shiguang was furious! Stay longer? The scar might fall off!

He Dongchen had been annoyed by Tao Tao these days and flatly refused, “The hospital kennels are limited; don’t waste resources.”

Jiang Shiguang breathed a sigh of relief and suddenly found Dr. He quite agreeable.

“Then, let’s proceed with the neutering surgery,” Tao Tao’s words shattered Jiang Shiguang’s relief and delivered a heavy blow!

Neutering!

“Woof woof woof!!!”

Jiang Shiguang went crazy! He barked angrily at Tao Tao!

Do we have a grudge in our past lives??!!!

You want to win back your childhood friend, fine! But you can’t use me as a stepping stone! I’m just a poor dog. Please let me be!