The Supporting Male Characters Who Died Alone All Those Years Later

Forgiveness is not letting go; forgiveness is compromise.

The so-called “taking a step back for a broader view” was merely self-deception after being powerless.

If one has the ability, why retreat? Stepping on thorns could be more efficient.

To be fair, He Sijia wasn’t a bad person. She wasn’t disdainful of the poor or fond of the rich, nor does she resist He Juan, and she doesn’t intentionally act petty towards He Dongchen.

She was entirely focused on apologizing, on compensating, on alleviating her guilt, and on obtaining He Dongchen’s forgiveness.

It was precisely this most straightforward approach that forced the original owner to forgive, to compromise, and to be troubled for a lifetime.

He Dongchen’s request of He Sijia was simple. He didn’t demand that she be left with nothing or that she be disgraced. All he wanted was for her to keep a distance and be quiet.

The sound of the door closing echoed, leaving He Sijia alone in the corridor.

She looked at the abstract mural at the end of the hallway, hugging her arms and trembling all over.

After a moment, she wiped her tears and rushed out the door, running to Sima Yongqing’s company, crying like a blooming pear flower in the rain. “Take me away. I don’t want to stay in that house anymore.”

“What happened?” Sima Yongqing held her in his arms, gently patting her back to comfort her.

He Sijia cried for a long time before, with reddened eyes and a choked voice, she said, “He Dongchen said he doesn’t need forgiveness or compensation; he just wants me to leave.”

A trace of coldness flashed in Sima Yongqing’s eyes. Holding He Sijia’s face, he wiped her tears and asked softly, “Do you want to leave?”

He Sijia shook her head. “I don’t want to. That is the place I’ve lived in for 18 years. It’s my home.”

“Then don’t leave,” Sima Yongqing said, rubbing her head. “You’re right; it’s also your home. You’re innocent. Why should you have to leave?”

” But I… I feel so distressed. Am I really innocent?” He Sijia clutched Sima Yongqing’s clothes, looking anxious and unsettled.

“Of course you’re innocent. Think about it—being born is a matter of fate. Although you didn’t end up in the He family, you accidentally entered their home. That’s fate; it is no different from being born into it.”

He Sijia appeared thoughtful, as if she had accepted this explanation.

Seeing this, Sima Yongqing slightly curved his lips, his gaze distant, and said softly, “Don’t worry. Everyone will acknowledge that you’re innocent.”

No one could make my little girl sad and tearful.

(TN: *speechlessly disgusted.*)

***

A few days later, He Dongchen finished his tutoring and took the subway home.

Because he had to go back to the He family every day to stir up trouble and cause a commotion, He Dongchen didn’t continue to stay at the employer’s house.

After class, he took the subway to the foot of the mountain and then ran up the mountain to exercise.

Over time, his originally frail body had become much stronger.

One day, as usual, He Dongchen was running up the mountain. When he reached a corner of a park, he suddenly saw a middle-aged man lying by the flowerbed. The man was wearing a suit, and his briefcase had fallen aside. He was struggling to reach the briefcase, mumbling through chattering teeth for his medicine.

“Medicine, my medicine.”

He Dongchen changed direction, ran to the briefcase, and bent down to pick it up. He found a bottle of heart medication inside.

“Young man, my medicine,” the middle-aged man shivered as he got up.

He Dongchen unscrewed the bottle and poured out two pills, a hint of a smile in his eyes.

He shook the bottle and looked at the middle-aged man with a half-smile, “What kind of illness requires vitamin pills to stay alive? Let me see for myself.”

The man paused, then with a look of frustration said, “Ah, it must be my playful niece who swapped the medicine again!”

He Dongchen continued to watch him act.

In the original plot, the original owner was frustrated with nowhere to vent and just happened to save a staff member from a TV show, which later led to the mediation program.

He Dongchen reviewed his memory and thought the rescue was too coincidental, so he waited calmly. Sure enough, he saw a familiar man again, Wang Wude.

In the original plot, it was also about heart disease and medication, but the location and time were different.

Clearly, the other party had deliberately positioned himself to repay the life-saving favor.

The vitamin pills in the bottle were the best evidence. The original owner had struggled with eating since childhood and had never taken vitamin pills, so he naively got deceived, thinking he had done a good deed and met a good person. Even if he was left speechless and frustrated on the show, he still appreciated the opportunity Wang Wude had provided.

When the vitamin pills were exposed, Wang Wude was extremely flustered.

He Dongchen just quietly watched him, with two birds chirping in the trees above, as if cheering him on.

Wang Wude gritted his teeth secretly and, putting on a brave face, continued acting. He patted his chest, smiled, and said, “I feel much better now. Thanks to you, young man, for picking up the medicine. Otherwise, I would have been so nervous that my heart couldn’t handle it and I might have frightened myself to death.”

He Dongchen seemed to understand, “I see. So it’s not frightening if the medicine is swapped. I’ve learned something new.”

He then put the medicine back in the briefcase, tossed the briefcase to Wang Wude, and turned to leave.

Wang Wude clumsily caught the briefcase, pretending to be struggling, and hurriedly said, “Young man, don’t go! You’ve done me such a big favor, it’s not an exaggeration to call it a life-saving grace! I work for a TV station. I can’t guarantee much, but I have significant connections in this field. If you have any ideas, just let me know. I’ve got you covered.”

“Alright,” He Dongchen said as he stopped.

Wang Wude’s eyes lit up, and his smile became even more amiable. “Tell me what you want. I’ll go through fire and water to repay your life-saving grace.”

He Dongchen spread his hands, with his five fingers pointing at Wang Wude. “100,000 yuan should be a fair compensation for your life-saving grace, don’t you think?”

Wang Wude’s eyes widened in shock. This wasn’t how the script was supposed to go! The He family was so wealthy; he wants to extort me for 100,000 yuan?

He licked his lips, trying to steer the conversation back on track.

“Actually, my wife just had a baby, so we’re a bit tight on cash. Could you ask for something else? For example, do you want to be on TV? I can arrange that!”

“Our show specializes in mediating disputes. If you have any grievances, come on and speak up. We’ll take the side of the just and condemn the unjust, bringing justice to the world!”

Wang Wude spoke with righteous fervor! His bloated, greasy face looked earnest, as if he were the very beacon of justice!

He Dongchen stroked his chin, pretending to be tempted.

Wang Wude felt a surge of delight, thinking that indeed, this was an inexperienced young man.

At that moment, He Dongchen suddenly started running, tossing a parting remark over his shoulder, “Not interested.”

“Hey? Don’t run!” Wang Wude grabbed his briefcase and chased after him, thinking he couldn’t let this cooked duck fly away!

Wang Wude, now middle-aged with a beer belly, was out of breath after just a few steps. His leather shoes thudded heavily on the ground, becoming increasingly cumbersome.

He Dongchen led for a while, then suddenly stopped and looked at the sweaty Wang Wude. “Aren’t you supposed to have a heart condition? You’re running quite cheerfully.”

Wang Wude stumbled, falling face-first onto the ground. With a ripping sound, his tight dress pants tore open, revealing his bright red underwear.

He Dongchen disdainfully averted his gaze and continued running up the mountain.

Wang Wude watched his departing figure, tears streaming down his face.

***

At dinner, He Dongchen brought up the incident as a joke. “These days, do TV stations need to drum up business everywhere? Pretending to have a heart condition, claiming life-saving favors, and dragging me onto some show.”

He Zhenglan put down her chopsticks and frowned. “What show?”

The others looked at He Dongchen, waiting for an explanation.

He Dongchen glanced at everyone’s faces and said meaningfully, “A mediation show, where trivial family matters are brought onto the program and a bunch of guests and viewers criticize and judge.”

“Did you agree?” He Zhenglan immediately became serious, glaring at He Dongchen. Lin Xiumei furrowed her brows slightly, He Juan looked anxious, and He Sijia seemed confused and helpless.