The Cold and Ruthless Supporting Male Lead

“Huff…” Bing Jingxue removed the bear costume headpiece, her face drenched in sweat. Her once fair and delicate face was now flushed.

It had been a month since she broke up with Xi Hai, and Bing Jingxue was filled with regret. She felt she had used him and couldn’t shake the guilt in her heart.

Her family background was decent, but once she entered university, her parents wanted her to become independent. The allowance they gave her was just enough to cover her tuition and fees.

Having grown accustomed to spending extravagantly, she wasn’t pleased about suddenly needing to live frugally. However, she didn’t have the courage to ask her parents for more money.

In the end, she turned to the cheapest form of entertainment; playing games.

In terms of gaming, Bing Jingxue was an amateur, but her luck was extraordinary. When someone starts feeling invincible, it’s hard for them to come back down.

Having been spoiled since childhood, she developed a stubborn, competitive streak, believing the world should revolve around her. Coupled with her good looks, being in a university with a 9:1 male-to-female ratio only boosted her confidence further.

Life should have gone smoothly for her, but then she met someone like Hai Ku.

In truth, he was the one who truly caught her attention. However, as a girl, she chose to be reserved and didn’t make her interest obvious.

After all, she believed that boys should be the ones to pursue girls. Having grown used to being adored on campus and looking several times more beautiful in the game, Bing Jingxue’s confidence soared.

But that person was incredibly irritating. Time after time, he said those things and did those actions, pushing her patience to the limit.

Later, although Xi Hai treated her well, she couldn’t resist the psychological pull of ‘what you can’t have is always better.’ Bing Jingxue still found herself unable to stop seeking Hai Ku’s attention.

Especially… after she learned what he looked like in real life.

The money she made from selling the game’s exit was insignificant to her. She only sold it because that exit had been discovered by Hai Ku, and she thought if she sold it, he might come back and scold her for it.

But now, thinking back, she felt her past self was laughable. Bing Jingxue couldn’t even explain why she had acted so foolishly at the time.

She could have handled it better…

But no matter what she said now, nothing could undo the mistakes she had made. Exhaling deeply, Bing Jingxue felt lost and uncertain.

After collecting her wages for the day, she returned to her dormitory, feeling like she was drifting aimlessly through life.

Soon, she would be in her senior year and starting an internship, yet she had no clear goals in life. She had no interest in pursuing graduate school and knew she wasn’t cut out for it.

Feeling like something was missing, Bing Jingxue became restless. But time wouldn’t wait for her, nor could it be turned back.

After breaking up with Xi Hai, she tried dating one or two other boyfriends. But each time, the feelings were off; completely different from what she had imagined.

During the setbacks she faced while job hunting, Bing Jingxue began to think that men were lazy and annoying creatures…

Her roommates had all found jobs, and several had even settled into stable positions. Those who hadn’t yet secured stability had boyfriends supporting them.

Bing Jingxue felt even more lost. She was stuck in an awkward position; not good enough for high-level positions, but too proud for low-level ones.

The prince she had once fantasized about countless times never appeared. Rejected again and again during interviews, after switching jobs repeatedly, Bing Jingxue even considered going back to prepare for graduate school.

But it had been over a year since she graduated, and the knowledge from her books was no longer fresh in her mind. When she held a textbook, she felt completely at a loss.

Ultimately, she couldn’t stick with it.

Only after stepping into society did she realize that life in the real world was entirely different from college. Although people often called college a small society, Bing Jingxue had oversimplified what society was like. She had assumed it would be just like university, only on a slightly larger scale.

However, once she truly entered the workforce, she discovered that everything was different from what she had imagined.

All her past arrogance, all the skills she once thought were so impressive; out in the real world, there were countless people better and more talented than her.

Although she was no longer dependent on her parents, her meager salary left her with no savings.

***

After yet another resignation, Bing Jingxue returned to the company where she had interned. Slowly, she became more reserved, more silent, more willing to swallow her pride and endure hardships…

Her former boyfriends had come looking for her before, but she could no longer recapture the feelings she once had. Especially in the real world, love wasn’t enough of a reason to be with someone.

With love must also come bread. Bing Jingxue gradually became more pragmatic. The innocence, the fluttering emotions, and the envy she once felt toward others now seemed laughable.

The luck she had always taken for granted seemed to be slipping away from her…

Years of work left Bing Jingxue more exhausted than ever. By the time she was 25, her family began pressuring her to go on blind dates.

Though she didn’t meet anyone she truly liked, she reluctantly interacted with the people her family introduced to her.

Finally, she found someone decent, got pregnant, and began preparing for marriage. However, Bing Jingxue soon discovered that the man had been hiding something from her all along.

“What did you just say?” Still holding the ultrasound report in her hand, Bing Jingxue stared at her boyfriend, trying to determine whether what he said was true or false.

“I’m sorry. It was something I did when I was young and impulsive…” The man lowered his head. “Everyone has their reckless moments in youth. Don’t tell me you’ve never had one. Besides, you’re already having my child; surely you don’t mind there being one more? I promise to treat you both well.”

Smack!

With a swift motion, Bing Jingxue slapped him hard across the face, her anger nearing madness.

Over the years, though she had given up on the dream of a knight in shining armor, she still longed for a love that was devoted and exclusive.

She didn’t even mind if this man had ex-girlfriends or had been with other women. But how could she possibly accept the fact that another woman had already borne his child?

This kind of melodramatic situation was something Bing Jingxue had never believed would happen to her. She had only ever imagined living a simple, ordinary life.

But she forgot that for ordinary people, life was filled with all sorts of possibilities; good and bad, happiness and misfortune.

***

“…”

Watching Bing Jingxue in her current state, Hai Ku didn’t feel much of anything. She was merely living the life of an ordinary person. She had lost her luck, lost her destined soulmate, and now everything depended on her own efforts.

Lan Bai had grown unusually quiet during this time. Perhaps the passage of time had matured him somewhat. Without even waiting to see Bing Jingxue’s tragic ending, he pulled Hai Ku back into the system space.

“You’ve always wanted to see what would happen to her after losing the luck you gave her. Why don’t you want to watch anymore now?” Unable to fathom the system’s thoughts, Hai Ku could only voice his own confusion.

“I used to like her.” Lan Bai had already turned off the screen, unable to bring himself to watch Bing Jingxue’s future unfold.

Whether she chose to abort the child and start anew or to have the child and begrudgingly stay with that man, it no longer felt like something he should interfere with.

At first, there had been a sense of vindictive satisfaction, but over time, Lan Bai realized he was merely an outsider all along.

He could control his own actions but could not dictate Bing Jingxue’s choices. Therefore, whether her ending was good or bad, it was all determined by her own decisions.

As for himself, he was just a bystander. Watching her suffer made him laugh, and seeing her happy made him uncomfortable.

Even though he was merely an NPC, just a string of data, Lan Bai found himself growing increasingly human, and this realization made him laugh at himself.

He had already transcended that world, no longer a part of its data. Therefore, Lan Bai felt he could choose to forget everything from that world.

“Honestly, I think only those born lucky can become Mary Sue protagonists. People like Bing Jingxue can only live as an ordinary person. So, there’s no need for us to focus on the lives of ordinary people anymore. After all, we’re here to reject the female lead as supporting male characters, aren’t we?” Seeing his system’s uncharacteristic silence, Hai Ku felt uneasy.

As a man, Hai Ku couldn’t even understand why he had been so obsessed with watching Mary Sue dramas in the past. He knew the absurdly perfect male leads were fake, and the female leads, all with fair skin, beautiful faces, and long legs, were equally unrealistic. Yet he kept watching.

Though he had once felt lost, he later realized it was because the characters in those Mary Sue stories lived such idealized lives.

Graduating from university, getting married, owning their own company, and having someone who loved them wholeheartedly; living a smooth and flawless life.

These were the kinds of things most ordinary people dreamed of achieving…

Even when the character wasn’t particularly outstanding, even when the persona wasn’t likable, even when the character seemed so hypocritically innocent; why did they still live such perfect lives?

The foolishness lay in comparing these fictional stories to reality. Those glamorous moments didn’t show how much luck had been sacrificed, how many other characters had been sidelined, just to glorify the female lead and the male lead. Countless supporting roles were left ruined in their wake.

Sighing deeply, Hai Ku realized he was overly sentimental today, and it truly didn’t suit him.

“For your next world… how about something a little easier?” After letting go of his lingering resentment, Lan Bai felt much more relaxed. He even found himself willing to sit with Hai Ku and enjoy the spectacle.

“Why should it be easier? Isn’t it good to challenge myself a bit?” Hai Ku raised an eyebrow and pulled out a book. “You know the saying; when it comes to crossdressing, it’s either zero times or countless times. So, I want to give it a try.”

Lan Bai: “…” Was it because of my personal vendetta that even my host has started acting ridiculous?!