The Cold and Ruthless Supporting Male Lead

Others’ thoughts were unknown to Hai Ku, but Hai Ku only knew one thing: he eagerly dug out a small dress from his wardrobe and couldn’t wait to try it on.

Hai Ku never returned the dresses he bought from Taobao as long as they fit him. However, he always washed them before putting them on to take pictures.

Although he enjoyed wearing women’s clothing, he never had the courage to wear them outside. Most of the time, he wore them at home for self-appreciation. As a result, his wardrobe contained over ten brand-new dresses, each with a unique style.

After taking pictures, Hai Ku would occasionally pull out a dress to wear for a short while, satisfying his interest.

Of course, that was the original owner. The current Hai Ku was different.

Afraid of wearing them outside?

Impossible! Not only would he wear them, but he would flaunt them, strutting around like he was carrying Pin Ru’s whole wardrobe.

(T/N: Pin Ru’s whole wardrobe = Chinese meme/term; used to describe a person’s coquettishness.)

If he decided to stand out, Mu Xiaoya would have no chance to shine.

By the time Hai Ku arrived at this point in time, the original owner had already washed all the clothes. All he had to do now was take them out and wear them.

In addition to clothes, the wardrobe also hid a few wigs; just two, to be exact. One was a brown bob with curls, and the other was long and straight black hair. Compared to the dresses, the number of wigs was rather limited.

This was likely because the original owner never intended to go out. Plus, he didn’t show his face on camera, so two wigs were sufficient for his needs.

But now, Hai Ku was a different person altogether. He was ready to flaunt himself; so much so that he could strut to the heavens.

From the wardrobe, he picked out a light pink puffed dress. Hai Ku had always thought that this type of dress was particularly demanding of the wearer’s figure, especially the legs.

The hem of the dress flared out like lotus petals, with pleated edges. Though it didn’t come with a petticoat, it naturally puffed up. It had a bit of a Lolita style, but not quite.

The dress’s design looked beautiful, but the fabric was a bit rough against the skin. It wasn’t an issue for taking pictures, but wearing it for long periods might feel uncomfortable.

The dress was meant to fall slightly below the knees. However, as a male, Hai Ku found the hemline barely reached above his knees.

This dress was one of Hai Ku’s first purchases, and it was a misstep. Yet, back then, he was too embarrassed to return it. Ever since buying it, it had been stashed away in a box, never once taken out.

The system watched Hai Ku put on the dress and couldn’t help but shudder. It looked good, no doubt about that, but it was truly a sight to behold.

After putting on the dress, Hai Ku wasn’t satisfied. He rummaged through the wardrobe and found a pair of stockings hidden in its depths. Once he put them on, they perfectly concealed his leg hair.

After some consideration, Hai Ku chose the long straight black wig. Looking into the mirror, even he couldn’t help but marvel at himself; I’m gorgeous!

Lan Bai: […]

***

Having already practiced taking pictures with many outfits, Hai Ku’s photography skills were now top-notch. Without much effort, he found the best angles and took several stunning close-ups of the dress.

The pictures he posted on Weibo never showed his face, and he didn’t plan to start now. But since he had taken the trouble to put on the wig, showing his eyes should be fine.

After an afternoon of tinkering, he selected the nine best pictures and made a collage. Cropping out half of his face, he confidently uploaded the pictures.

[[Cross-Dressing Enthusiast] ^_^ Yes, I’m really a guy.]

[[Photos.jpg] x9]

The post had only been up for a short time, yet comments began pouring in. There were just a few dozen, but Hai Ku wasn’t in the mood to read them. Instead, he turned to check the progress of his game download.

The game installation package had already been downloaded, and the game was now fully installed.

After tinkering all afternoon, Hai Ku felt a bit tired. He decided to take off the dress and wash it, then casually threw on a pair of boxer shorts before sitting back at his computer desk.

[Hai Ku: The game’s installed on my end. Let me know when you’re ready to start.]

[Zhuoye Xingchen: Hmm, how about after dinner?]

[Hai Ku: No problem. Let’s make it 8:00. I’ll grab something to eat first.]

[Zhuoye Xingchen: Okay. I’ll head downstairs now. I’ll ping you at 7:50.]

After wrapping up the chat with Zhuoye Xingchen, Hai Ku headed to his kitchen.

He had just gone grocery shopping yesterday, so the fridge was fully stocked. He casually cooked some noodles and, while eating, scrolled through his small Weibo account.

Although his secondary Weibo account wasn’t very active, every post he made could still garner a few hundred comments.

With a smile, Hai Ku scrolled through the comments filled with laments, especially those doubting that he was a guy. This stirred a mischievous pleasure in his heart.

After all, this secret would eventually be exposed by Mu Xiaoya, so Hai Ku didn’t feel like explaining much for now.

In the script, that was how it played out. But now that he was truly here, if Mu Xiaoya exposed him as she did in the original story, he’d have a reason; and an excuse, to target her.

However, since Mu Xiaoya hadn’t done anything yet, Hai Ku couldn’t be bothered with her.

Mu Xiaoya was still a senior college student. With only a few courses left in her final year, most of her time was spent interning and writing her thesis. That gave her the free time to become a game streamer.

Hai Ku briefly reviewed Mu Xiaoya’s information but didn’t find it particularly useful.

As long as he stopped helping her, she likely wouldn’t cause much trouble.

The aroma of the soup wafted through the kitchen. Hai Ku added a handful of vegetables before finally scooping out the noodles.

Just as the noodles were ready, Mu Xiaoya’s voice call came through.

***

Unhurriedly, Hai Ku carried his bowl of noodles to the living room, washed his hands, and only then leisurely answered the WeChat call on his phone.

“Xiao Hai… I saw those posts on your secondary account. Are you sure it’s okay to reveal your face like that? Isn’t it a bit risky? What if people find out you’re a guy?” Mu Xiaoya started with a barrage of concerns as soon as the call connected.

Exhaling a breath, Hai Ku blew on his noodles, puzzled over why Mu Xiaoya seemed so concerned about his secondary account. “Didn’t I already state that I’m a guy? It’s written clearly in my Weibo profile too. Whether they believe it or not is up to them. Besides, I didn’t even show my full face; just my eyes.”

He had already explained things clearly and openly. If they still didn’t believe him, that wasn’t his problem. Hai Ku had never felt he was deceiving anyone.

If his profile said he was male, his gender marker said male, and he emphasized it in his posts, the disbelief was on them; not on him.

“Fine, fine. But if you get found out later, don’t say I didn’t warn you!” Hearing Hai Ku’s nonchalant tone, Mu Xiaoya grew anxious. This was entirely different from what she had imagined. “So, when are you going to carry me in a game? I just signed a contract, but my traffic and fanbase aren’t growing at all…”

“I think you should figure out your own gaming style, what kind of games you like to play, and what suits you. Fans grow gradually; there’s no such thing as instant success.” Hai Ku deflected her request with deliberate vagueness, though his words were honest.

Mu Xiaoya had only signed the contract a few days ago but was already eager to have a massive fanbase. That kind of overnight success simply didn’t exist.

“But I’ve been working really hard…” Mu Xiaoya’s tone turned aggrieved, her voice filled with a pitiful whimper. “I’ve already posted several videos, but they’re barely getting any views. If you help me out and bring over some of your fans, my video views will gradually increase…”

Mu Xiaoya was genuinely anxious. She checked Hai Ku’s profiles every day and noticed how his follower count kept climbing; both on his main and secondary accounts. Meanwhile, despite posting several videos, her views remained abysmally low.

The reason Mu Xiaoya managed to get a contract was her good looks and sweet voice. Although her follower count was small, it was clear she had potential.

Being able to sign a contract with fewer followers than others made Mu Xiaoya happy, but it also made her impatient.

She streamed for several hours each day, but every time, only a scattered few dozen, at most a couple of hundred, viewers would enter her live stream room. This small number of fans was nothing compared to Hai Ku’s following.

Moreover, the comments made it obvious that many people entered her live stream room just to listen to her voice and look at her face, having nothing to do with her gaming skills.

These kinds of comments made Mu Xiaoya even more anxious. What she needed were compliments on her gaming skills, not people coming in every day to praise her for her looks. After all, she had signed on as a gaming streamer, not anything else!

“Slurp~” Hai Ku took a sip of his noodles, speaking in a muffled tone, “Our styles are completely different. I’m all about skill-based streaming and never show my face during broadcasts. If I stream with you and lose fans, what then? Most of my fans are girls. What if streaming together leads to misunderstandings?”

Mu Xiaoya: “…” Why had Hai Ku suddenly become so talkative? He hadn’t been like this before.

“You should put in some effort yourself first. Improve your skills, and I’ll consider helping you later. Right now, your skills are just too weak.” Hai Ku didn’t completely shut her down, leaving her a chance instead.

With her current gaming level, the best Mu Xiaoya could manage was to play some simple games like 4199. If she tried those more challenging two-player games, who knew how many times she’d die; forget about streaming them.

To be fair, her frequent failures could be an entertaining highlight for drawing fans, but that kind of content was better suited for the humorous or parody segments. Hai Ku’s gaming skills had always been excellent, and he couldn’t afford to have his reputation dragged down.

If his reputation were ruined, even the smallest mistakes later on might drive his fans away.

“I know my skills are bad, which is why I wanted to practice with you!” Mu Xiaoya bit her lip and softened her tone.

“I still don’t trust you enough. I’ll send you a game installation package in a bit. Play through it yourself first and see how you do.” After streaming for four hours every day, Hai Ku didn’t feel like doing anything else, let alone acting as her practice partner.

It wasn’t unreasonable for Hai Ku to sound so cold. Mu Xiaoya asking for help was her business, and whether he agreed or declined was his.

Hai Ku wasn’t altruistic enough to let himself be someone else’s stepping stone.