The Cold and Ruthless Supporting Male Lead

(T/N: NP = “N-player” romance, meaning multiple love interests // White Moonlight = a crush; or someone that’s too good you feel like you can’t touch them.)

[Please choose the next world!!!]

Lan Bai’s voice was filled with excitement. They had dawdled in this world for so long that now, finally able to leave, Lan Bai was just short of setting off firecrackers in celebration.

After finally making a decent friend, Hai Ku spent a few experience points to copy a version of himself in that world, hoping to create a version that could become lifelong brothers with Zhuoye Xingchen.

“Why are you in such a hurry? I still have to carefully choose the world.” Hai Ku flipped through the floating worlds with a smile, picking and choosing. “Do you think I lack ambition?”

[What do you mean by that?] The system, staring intently at Hai Ku’s actions, was itching to just select a world for him. [Can you choose a world first before chatting with me? I’ve noticed that you’re getting lazier. You used to make decisions quickly, but now you’re just dragging things out.]

“When I first entered these worlds, it was just for fun. But if it were someone else, they might take each world as an opportunity to learn, to seriously push their own limits. Yet, I’ve always treated it like playing a game.” Hai Ku chuckled but then sighed. “Maybe I’m just not suited to be the protagonist. Even if I were given a second chance, I don’t think I’d change; I’d still just talk big without actually putting in the effort.”

Lan Bai: […]

“So!” After deliberately building up suspense, Hai Ku clapped his hands and selected a yellow-tinted world. “I want to follow my… explicit desires!”

Lan Bai: […]

As his system, Lan Bai was naturally the first to receive information about this world. He had always thought his host was just an ordinary, honest, chubby otaku; who would’ve guessed he had such hidden depths?

“Ahem, you have to understand; I don’t just read shoujo manga.” Scratching his head awkwardly, Hai Ku grinned. “Of course, I explore other genres too…”

Back when he wasn’t yet familiar with the system, Hai Ku had no intention of exposing his inner thoughts. But now that he had completely figured Lan Bai out, he had no problem revealing himself anymore.

The world he chose this time was bathed in yellow because it was a highly explicit NP novel centered around the female protagonist.

The novel’s heroine was named Ji Xiaomei, a recent university graduate. The story was set in the entertainment industry. Ji Xiaomei hadn’t studied acting, but she had a stunning face that had attracted countless scouts since childhood. However, she had always turned them down, focusing on her studies instead. She successfully graduated without ever stepping into the entertainment world.

Hai Ku’s role in this world, however, was far less innocent. In fact, it was the most villainous supporting male character he had ever played in all his missions; and also the unluckiest one.

Because, in this world, Hai Ku was the heroine’s “White Moonlight”; her untouchable ideal, the cinnabar mole on her heart.

(T/N: cinnabar mole = considered a symbol of a deeply cherished love or a person you once had but can no longer have.)

Hai Ku was a D-list celebrity who had once enjoyed a brief period of fame, but his arrogance got him blacklisted. Yet, during his short-lived stardom, he had unknowingly imprinted himself in Ji Xiaomei’s heart, becoming her irreplaceable White Moonlight.

After graduating, she continued rejecting talent scouts; until Hai Ku’s manager approached her. Only then did Ji Xiaomei waver.

Using his title as “Hai Ku’s manager,” the agent quickly signed Ji Xiaomei. Thanks to her striking looks, she soon stood out in a talent show and became the most popular newcomer.

When she finally stood before her former idol with a brand-new image, that very idol; Hai Ku, spoke hurtful words out of jealousy.

Heartbroken, Ji Xiaomei drowned herself in alcohol, only to “accidentally” bump into the CEO of XX Company, who had been drugged. Naturally, things heated up between them.

The CEO found her intoxicatingly irresistible. Before leaving, he even slipped her a business card, hoping she would reach out after sobering up.

But who was Ji Xiaomei? She was the female lead! And not just any female lead; she was a rising idol. Upon waking up, she fled in a panic. As for the business card? Who knew where she had tossed it?

The XX Company CEO (Male Lead #1) waited for her call, but when it never came, he couldn’t stop thinking about her. So, of course, he used his connections to track her down.

By then, a month had passed. Ji Xiaomei, as the winner of the talent show, had landed a promising role in an idol drama. Given her stunning looks, the company decided to push her toward acting. Naturally, she was now a rising star.

During the drama shoot, the most popular heartthrob (Male Lead #2) gently comforted Ji Xiaomei with his kind words and warm demeanor, helping her move on from the pain of losing her first time. Then, naturally, another heated encounter ensued.

Ji Xiaomei was deeply touched. She felt she had finally found true love.

But just then, the director invited her to his room to discuss the script.

Innocent and unsuspecting, Ji Xiaomei didn’t sense any danger and ran over; at midnight, no less.

Thus began yet another “I don’t want this, I don’t want this; oh, you little minx” struggle. The director (Male Lead #3), who had long harbored impure thoughts about her, took full advantage of the situation, leading to yet another inevitable turn of events.

Until the filming ended, the female lead maintained an open romantic relationship with the heartthrob (Male Lead #2), while also secretly engaging in an underground affair with the director (Male Lead #3).

Of course, the ever-resourceful XX Corporation CEO (Male Lead #1) discovered everything and declared, “You can only be my woman! What are these other men worth?”

Thus, he forcefully snatched the female lead away. The CEO of XX Corporation thought; How could a small-time actor and a minor director possibly compete with me?

However, he never expected that the heartthrob was actually the illegitimate son of a wealthy tycoon. To be with the female lead, he was willing to submit to his father, even agreeing to acknowledge him; on the condition that he could marry Ji Xiaomei and inherit his father’s fortune.

And the director was even more impressive. On the surface, he was just a director, but in reality, he was the president of a major entertainment company.

The XX Corporation CEO was stunned. He never imagined that these two men had backgrounds and statuses that rivaled his own!

But the woman’s allure was simply too intoxicating; he couldn’t bring himself to give her up. So, the three men engaged in an intense battle of schemes and power struggles.

In the end, they agreed to share the female lead equally. By all logic, this should have been the conclusion; leading to a cliché, steamy ending where everyone lived harmoniously in passion.

However, just before the story wrapped up, Hai Ku, the supporting male character, was suddenly brought back into the picture.

The person I cherished in my heart was actually rejected by someone?

How is that possible?

Who would be so blind?

The three domineering male leads were furious. Without hesitation, they dragged Hai Ku out and mercilessly punished him. Not only did they cut off all his financial resources, but they also forced him into addiction through malicious means. In the end, with no money and completely dependent on that substance, he could only waste away in misery.

Ji Xiaomei had initially been troubled by the three men constantly vying for her attention, but one day, she discovered that her “White Moonlight” had actually been killed by them.

Ji Xiaomei was enraged and heartbroken. She cried, caused a scene, and even threatened to take her own life.

Left with no choice, the three domineering male leads temporarily put aside their rivalry and worked together to comfort her.

Thus, the final outcome was that Ji Xiaomei, overwhelmed by her love for these three men, forgave them for everything they had done. In the end, the four of them engaged in a passionate entanglement on an unimaginably large bed.

(T/N: speechless… *washing my eyes out with soap*)

***

Just reading this plot made Lan Bai’s eyes burn. Aside from the steamy scenes, everything else was utterly mind-breaking.

Staring at Hai Ku with a doubtful expression, Lan Bai hesitated before asking, “Are you planning to cross-dress and take Ji Xiaomei’s place to endure this NP suffering?”

It wasn’t that he was making wild guesses; he was still reeling from the sheer impact of the last world. He hadn’t yet recovered.

“Ahem! What nonsense are you saying? I’m a straight man!” Hai Ku turned his head guiltily, feeling a bit embarrassed. Most guys who read this kind of content did so in secret. Unless they were incredibly close friends, they wouldn’t openly share it. Right now, he truly saw Lan Bai as his best bro.

Back when he read these stories, it was purely for enjoyment. But now, thinking about it, he wondered; if the supporting male character hadn’t spoken so cruelly to the female lead in the beginning, would things have turned out differently?

“So, you want to change the female lead’s fate?” Lan Bai slowly analyzed as he processed the world’s information. “But this female lead, even though she was pretty stubborn at first, still ended up juggling multiple relationships and accepting an NP ending. Honestly, this kind of story is just something to read for fun; there’s no need to change it, right?”

After all, it was fiction. Any kind of setting or world could exist.

When it came to NP stories, Lan Bai wasn’t even sure how one would go about altering them.

“I just feel like the supporting male character didn’t actually do anything wrong. He only rejected the female lead, and the only problem was that his tone was harsh. So I just want to see; if he had rejected her gently, would the ending have been different?” Having played the role of a supporting male so many times, Hai Ku couldn’t help but empathize with them whenever he thought about the stories he had read before. The same was true this time.

Understanding his thought process, Lan Bai nodded. “I see. But you have to remember; this world has three official male leads, not secondary ones. They’re all main characters, and they’ll all be drawn to the female lead. Be careful.”

“Alright…”