The Supporting Male Characters Who Died Alone All Those Years Later

Fatty was sick, with vomiting and diarrhea, lying weakly in a cardboard box, tears streaming from the corners of his eyes. Wen Hanxiao was extremely anxious and instinctively called He Dongchen, urgently recounting the symptoms.

He Dongchen listened attentively and reassured her, “Don’t worry, I have a general idea of what the problem might be. I’ll go to the hospital to get some medicine. Since you’re afraid of dogs, you should stay home and wait.”

After speaking, He Dongchen threw out the trash and took the elevator upstairs.

Seeing her son throwing out the trash and then hurriedly preparing to leave, Mother He quickly asked, “Is something wrong at the hospital?”

“No, it’s just the neighbor’s cat is sick. I’m going over to check,” He Dongchen replied while putting on his shoes.

The neighbor’s cat?

Sitting on the sofa watching TV, Father He looked suspicious and tentatively asked, “A female?”

Isn’t it usually a pretty girl who makes a young man so spirited on a weekend?

He Dongchen nodded. Father and Mother He’s eyes immediately lit up. They exchanged a glance and spoke simultaneously:

Mother He: “What does she do for a living?”

Father He: “Is she pretty?”

Mother He pinched Father He’s waist, causing him to yelp.

He Dongchen smirked, his hand on the doorknob. Before opening the door, he replied, “She’s a manga artist.”

“Pretty.”

With a click, the door closed, and Father and Mother He inside the house were beaming with smiles.

“Doesn’t the wedding house need to be prepared again? Our son will be 29 soon.”

Mother He thought further and decided, “The previous house had bad luck. We should sell it and buy a new one.” Otherwise, if the daughter-in-law finds out that the wedding house was originally prepared for our son and another woman, she might be very upset.

“Alright, I’ll call our real estate friend right away.”

The two heads huddled together, eagerly discussing which area would be best for the new house.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Mother He thought her son had forgotten his keys and had come back to get something. Smiling, she went to open the door, only to find a stern-faced Mother Tao on the other side.

Mother He’s smile froze, and she hid her emotions, expressing concern, “Is something wrong?”

Mother Tao, with a serious face, said, “My daughter Tao Tao came home just now, went straight to her room without saying a word, and cried. As her mother, it breaks my heart. Can you give me a clear answer? Can Tao Tao and Xiao He get married or not?”

Mother He was taken aback. Knowing her son had a new interest, she couldn’t delay the girl any further, so she tactfully replied, “The two kids just don’t have the right fate. It’s almost there, but not quite.”

Mother Tao’s face fell at this response, and she pulled at the corners of her mouth, “Yes, almost.”

When Xiao He was pursuing Tao Tao before, Tao Tao had kept her eyes forward. After Xiao He left, she began to regret it. Fate between people can be just a tiny bit off.

With the answer in hand, Mother Tao didn’t press further and went back to comfort her daughter. One must always look forward.

***

Meanwhile, He Dongchen drove back to the hospital, prepared a medicine kit, and then hurriedly made his way to Wen Hanxiao’s house. Fortunately, he had considered the distance when renting the place, so the entire process took less than half an hour.

Wen Hanxiao had been keeping vigil over Fatty. When she heard the doorbell, she immediately rushed to the door, checked the monitor, recognized the familiar figure, and quickly opened the door.

“Quick, take a look at Fatty.” Wen Hanxiao was so anxious that she grabbed He Dongchen and led him inside.

He Dongchen followed along, and upon entering, he saw Fatty lying in the cardboard box, with mucus hanging from his mouth and his big eyes looking wet and miserable.

An indescribable odor still lingered in the air.

But neither of them paid it much attention. He Dongchen set down the medicine kit and carefully examined Fatty, saying, “It’s gastroenteritis. Kittens have very delicate stomachs, and even a slight mistake can cause gastroenteritis. Fatty’s condition is quite severe. I’ll start by giving him some anti-inflammatory medicine.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll follow your instructions.” Wen Hanxiao nodded vigorously like a chick pecking at rice.

Fatty was very uncooperative during the medication process. After much effort, they finally managed to get it into him. Afterward, both were drenched in sweat. Wen Hanxiao sat on the floor and self-reproached, “It’s all my fault. I’ve made Fatty suffer.”

She had been rushing to complete her serialization and had forgotten everything while immersed in her work. Often staying up until the early hours of the morning had disrupted her routine, which in turn had affected Fatty’s feeding schedule.

People can endure such strain, but a kitten can’t last for more than 3 months.

He Dongchen comforted her, “You’ve only had the cat for a short time. It’s just that you’re not used to it yet. You could get an automatic cat feeder, or I can remind you.”

Wen Hanxiao was taken aback. She looked up, adjusted a strand of hair by her ear, and quietly replied, “That would be a lot of trouble for you.”

“It’s not a hassle. I can set up a timed text message for you.”

Wen Hanxiao paused, her actions momentarily stalled, “…Oh.”

Her once erratic heartbeat calmed instantly, and she even felt a bit bored and sleepy.

He Dongchen watched her change expression with a low chuckle, his pleasant laughter filling the room.

Wen Hanxiao’s face flushed with embarrassment, and she turned her head away.

“Alright, I was just teasing you. Timed text messages aren’t very sincere. If you’re really busy, you can leave Fatty with me. I’ll take him to the hospital. They’re planning to set up a pet playground in the building next door, with professional care and very safe.” He Dongchen was serious now, his dark eyes growing deeper.

Under his gaze, Wen Hanxiao suddenly felt that sitting on the floor was somewhat awkward. She slowly tucked her legs under herself and gazed at the bouquet of pink roses on the coffee table in the distance, saying, “You’re right. Professionals would definitely take better care of him than I could.”

Fatty in the cardboard box shifted his eyelids and slowly fell asleep.

“Now that we’ve talked about Fatty, shouldn’t we discuss your situation?” He Dongchen began slowly.

“My situation?” Wen Hanxiao blinked, pointing at herself with a puzzled expression.

He Dongchen nodded and reached out to smooth down a strand of her hair that had fallen out of place. “How long has it been since you’ve rested? Your dark circles are so heavy.”

Wen Hanxiao was immediately jolted awake! Oh no! I’ve been saying up for 2 days, and my appearance must be awful!!!

Ah!!!! I’m going to die!

Wen Hanxiao hurriedly stood up and ran into her room. She glanced at the mirror, clamped her mouth shut to stifle a scream.

Who was that crazy woman in the mirror! Her hair was a mess, her complexion pale and haggard, her dark circles could rival national treasures, and her clothes were wrinkled.

Wen Hanxiao was mortified and furious. How would I ever face people again?

How could I face anyone!

He Dongchen stayed in the living room, waiting for her to come out. Instead, he heard the faint sound of running water, indicating she was taking a shower.

Seeing the living room was a mess with some of Fatty’s waste scattered around, he decided to roll up his sleeves and clean up. The first step was to open the windows for ventilation. It was late October, and the air had turned cold. The chilly, fresh air rushed into the room, lifting the white curtains.

By the time Wen Hanxiao finished tidying herself up and came out, the living room was already transformed. She looked at He Dongchen, who was heading out with two bags of trash, and felt an odd sensation, as if they had been living together as a married couple for a long time.

“I ordered some health porridge for you. I’ll text you when it arrives, so remember to open the door,” He Dongchen said before leaving with the bags of trash.

Wen Hanxiao noticed the medicine kit on the coffee table and intended to remind him, but the words inexplicably stuck in her throat.

There was a reciprocal gesture; she was also curious to see how He Dongchen’s place looked. She could use the excuse of returning the medicine kit to visit him.

The system floated in the air, smirking and nudging, [She noticed you left the medicine kit but didn’t remind you. Tsk tsk, what a scheming beauty.]

He Dongchen, while taking the elevator downstairs to dispose of the trash, casually remarked, “Oh, I left it on purpose.”

The system fell over.

Ha! This Is a truly scheming man!

***

Using Fatty as a means, their relationship advanced rapidly.

He Dongchen received more and more small cookies; orange flavor, watermelon flavor, mango flavor. Every few days, he had to replace the box on his desk, and he was quite stingy, not sharing with others.

As a result, his colleagues at the hospital were increasingly convinced that he had a significant other! At the very least, a romantic interest!

Unfortunately, that person was not Miss Tao, the childhood sweetheart.

People generally have a desire for a happy ending, hoping to see lovers end up together, especially childhood friends achieving their happy conclusion.

Therefore, a few people even attempted to offer advice.

“Dr. He, the excitement of newness comes quickly and fades just as fast. Don’t lose out on true love.”

He Dongchen’s expression was indifferent. “Is that so? So, you often seek novelty with your clients? Does your wife know?”

The visitor’s face froze. “How did you know!?” He had been very careful, not even looking at a cat’s human mother more than necessary in the hospital.

He Dongchen smiled, slightly raising his chin, and pointed forward. “Now, not only do I know, but your wife also knows.”

After saying that, He Dongchen lifted his foot and left. Behind him, as expected, he heard a woman’s questioning voice and a man’s pleas for mercy.

The system followed with a humph, [Daring to make the boss do things?]

He Dongchen’s sharp tongue had caused some gossip at the hospital. Combined with Tao Tao being busy with work and coming and going in a hurry, the gossip gradually died down.

***

This weekend, He Dongchen went home to have dinner with his parents.

During the meal, Father He suddenly said, “I’ve put the old house up for sale. You can choose where you want to buy, since you’ll be living there. Pick the house yourself.”

He Dongchen immediately realized that his parents were preparing a wedding house for him again.

He thought for a moment and said, “I’ve been trading stocks recently and have some money. I’m planning to buy the rented house. You can keep the money from selling the house or use it to buy some retirement insurance.”

Although his salary from working at the pet hospital wasn’t enough, He Dongchen was used to managing his finances carefully. He had been trading stocks since he arrived, and now his savings were substantial, making it more than enough to buy a house.

Mother He recalled that the girl her son liked lived just across the hall, so buying there would be suitable; close to home and close to work, all within a few minutes’ walk.

“Isn’t a two-bedroom, one-living-room place a bit small?”

“I’ll check if the neighboring house is for sale and see if we can open up a connecting wall,” He Dongchen replied.

He acted on his words. He found the landlord and proposed buying the house. Although the landlord was initially reluctant, He Dongchen offered too much money. With tears, the landlord accepted the payment. When he heard that He Dongchen also wanted to buy the house next door, he immediately said, “The house next door is also mine.”

So, it was settled, both houses were bought together, all in cash.

The landlord, after receiving the money, was all smiles. “Wow, a pet doctor makes so much money?”

He Dongchen smiled casually, not offering any explanation.