The Cold and Ruthless Supporting Male Lead

Hai Ku felt incredibly weak, pitiful, and helpless at the moment.

Although he had anticipated the female lead’s halo attracting a few quality men, having five show up all at once was simply overwhelming for him.

Let alone Lan Weicai, a young girl still in the throes of adolescent naivety; even if Hai Ku himself were the protagonist, he doubted he could resist such temptation.

No wonder early Mary Sue school dramas featured so many young romances. With so many outstanding men surrounding you, who could possibly hold out?

Making a decisive decision, Hai Ku felt it was time to give up on the mission of guiding the female lead to study diligently and strive for excellence. He decided he should focus on minding his own business. If someone wanted an early romance, so be it.

While he was lost in his thoughts, Long Ritian spoke up, “Hey, by the way, where are you from?”

“Uh…” It was just a generic childhood friend setup, and his family background was only modestly well-off. After thinking for a moment, Hai Ku replied, “I come from a happy and harmonious family.”

Long Ritian: “…”

“But since all of you have such great family backgrounds, why did you choose to attend an ordinary high school? And even live on campus?” Hai Ku finally voiced a question that had puzzled him for a long time. He could never understand why people with such immense wealth would attend such an average high school, let alone share a six-person dorm room.

“This is part of our family’s training. Even though we occupy spots in the school dormitory, it doesn’t mean we’ll stay here forever,” Ouyang Guang said with a smile. “I’m sure it’s the same for you, right?”

The rest of the group nodded in agreement, leaving Hai Ku momentarily speechless.

After packing up his belongings, the entire dorm was indeed left with only Hai Ku.

Shivering under his blanket, Hai Ku experienced the lonely feeling of being the last one left in the dorm during his college years.

Fortunately, morning classes in high school started quite early. Exhausted from a day of packing, Hai Ku managed to sleep soundly despite the empty dorm room.

The next day was Lan Weicai’s birthday.

Hai Ku had already prepared a gift but didn’t plan to congratulate her in person. The first-year teaching building was separate from the second-year one. Although they weren’t far apart, Hai Ku didn’t feel like making the trip.

Even with all the knowledge and memories from the original owner, high school studies still required reinforcement. Immersing himself in the classroom, Hai Ku dove into the ocean of knowledge.

***

Lan Weicai hurried home right after school at noon, thinking about the gift Hai Ku had prepared for her. She skipped along the way, brimming with excitement.

Because she was in such a rush, she accidentally bumped into someone on the way.

“Ouch—” Her athletic reflexes allowed her to regain her balance quickly after stumbling. She looked at the person she had bumped into and asked, “Sorry, are you okay?”

Taking a deep breath, Lan Weicai extended her hand to the person who had fallen.

Only then did she realize it was Yan Yufeng, the transfer student who had joined her class that morning. Feeling a bit shy, Lan Weicai apologized again in a soft voice, “Sorry about that…”

With a slight squint, Yan Yufeng swatted her hand away. “I’m fine.”

“Alright then, I’ll be going.” After all, it was her birthday, and she didn’t want to upset herself. Apologizing once more, Lan Weicai hopped away cheerfully.

Yan Yufeng stared at the bouncing figure disappearing into the distance, his heart pounding. That girl… she’s actually different from the usual lovesick fools…

After much effort, Lan Weicai finally made it downstairs, panting heavily.

She wasn’t used to running back home by herself. In the past, Hai Ku would always give her a ride on his bicycle. Taking a moment to catch her breath, Lan Weicai rested briefly before preparing to head upstairs.

“Excuse me, where is Xingfu Garden Complex?” a pleasant voice called out from behind her.

Turning around, Lan Weicai saw a male student in the same school uniform as hers. Feeling a bit nervous, her voice trembled slightly as she replied, “Xingfu Garden Complex is right across the street. Just walk out of this neighborhood, and it’s directly opposite.”

“Thank you. My name is Duanmu Xi. It seems we go to the same school. I’ll make sure to thank you properly next time.”

“No, no need to thank me. I’ll head upstairs now…” Still in a dazed state, Lan Weicai felt like luck was truly on her side today, having encountered so many handsome boys.

However, what she looked forward to the most was still the gift Hai Ku had prepared for her.

In previous years, Hai Ku always gave her delicate little trinkets. No matter what it was, the gifts always seemed to perfectly align with her tastes; things she absolutely adored.

This year, Hai Ku had even mentioned that he would prepare a huge surprise for her sixteenth birthday.

Because of that, Lan Weicai was filled with both great curiosity and anticipation for the gift.

With a smile tugging at her lips, Lan Weicai pushed the door open eagerly. “Dad, Mom, I’m home!”

“Welcome back! The gifts are already on your desk. Hai Ku’s gift was just delivered by his mother. Go ahead and open them quickly,” her mother called out.

“Alright~” Overwhelmed with excitement, Lan Weicai’s hands trembled as she began unwrapping the gifts.

The gift seemed heavy and exceptionally tall. As she peeled off the wrapping paper and revealed the box inside, her heart pounded with anticipation.

Carefully opening the box, Lan Weicai saw a few large words staring back at her.

‘Five Years of College Entrance Exams, Three Years of Simulations (Mathematics).’

Lan Weicai: “…”

Frowning, she couldn’t believe it. How could such a big box be filled entirely with practice books?

Taking out the first book, Lan Weicai continued to dig through the box.

‘Five Years of College Entrance Exams, Three Years of Simulations (English).’

Chinese…

History…

Politics…

…

…

Lan Weicai: “Wahhhhhh…”

“What are you crying about?” her mother called out upon hearing the commotion upstairs.

“Wahhhhhhhh…” Lan Weicai cried even louder.

***

After an entire day of classes, Hai Ku truly experienced the exhaustion of being a high school student again. By the time he returned, he was so drained that he collapsed onto his bed, barely wanting to move.

However, with evening self-study still ahead, he could only allow himself a brief rest.

“Aren’t you going back today?” Hai Ku, sprawled on his bed like a dead fish, asked Yan Yufeng, who was lying on the opposite bed.

“I met an interesting girl today…” Yan Yufeng seemed unsettled. That afternoon, he’d noticed her eyes were red and puffy. He couldn’t help but wonder what had happened.

Hai Ku had a vague sense that something was off.

Why did this feel like one of those clichéd ‘domineering CEO’ tropes? The classic ‘Woman, you’ve successfully caught my attention.’

“She seemed so happy at noon, but if she was suddenly upset by the afternoon, what do you think could be the reason?” Yan Yufeng raised his head and looked at Hai Ku, unable to stop himself from asking.

The image of that girl with reddened eyes lingered in his mind, making him feel inexplicably uneasy.

“Uh…” Hai Ku’s heart raced. Something was definitely about to happen. “Maybe… she didn’t finish her homework?”

Yan Yufeng: “…”

Although he found the explanation ridiculous, Yan Yufeng still approached Lan Weicai during evening self-study. “Did you forget to finish your homework?”

Lan Weicai blinked her teary eyes. The thought of that massive box filled with Five Years of College Entrance Exams, Three Years of Simulations brought fresh tears streaming down her cheeks.

“Wah…!”