The Cold and Ruthless Supporting Male Lead

“Tsk, do you think I’d bother telling you something so ordinary?” Long Ritian waggled his finger, his expression dripping with mystery. “Listen, I actually saw Ouyang Guang tutoring a girl on the rooftop!”

“Our school has a rooftop?” Hai Ku was utterly shocked, his face filled with disbelief.

“Are you serious, or are you just pretending not to know?” Long Ritian looked equally astonished. “The school’s rooftop has always been a hotspot for couples. Don’t you know there’s this super-cute freshman girl? Ouyang Guang practically snatched her from Yan Yue right in front of everyone!”

With an air of gossip, Long Ritian recounted the entire story to Hai Ku from beginning to end.

Only then did Hai Ku realize just how remarkable the female lead was.

It turned out that after Lan Weicai had dinner, she ran into Yan Yue, who had just been in a fight. Out of kindness, she took him to the school infirmary.

Coincidentally, Ouyang Guang was also there, and since the school nurse was away, Lan Weicai ended up taking care of both of them.

Under such circumstances, it became one of those clichéd moments; ‘Woman, you’ve successfully caught my attention.’

Yan Yue and Ouyang Guang began competing over her, even expressing their frustrations about homework.

However, when it came to academics, Yan Yue was no match for Ouyang Guang.

This led to Ouyang Guang taking Lan Weicai to the rooftop to help her with her studies.

Hai Ku found the whole story headache-inducing. He used to enjoy reading these kinds of stories, but now that he thought about it, the plot often didn’t make much sense.

Some parts that once felt thrilling now seemed entirely nonsensical upon reflection.

A single girl causing such chaos among the powerful families; How could the teachers ignore it? And were the powerful families all blind?

“Let’s go! I heard things are escalating up there. Come on, man, let’s check it out.” Without waiting for a response, Long Ritian slung his arm around Hai Ku’s shoulder and dragged him along.

Although Hai Ku’s original body wasn’t weak, it still couldn’t compare to a privileged athlete like Long Ritian. Half-pulled and half-pushed, he found himself on the rooftop.

***

As soon as they reached the entrance, Hai Ku heard Lan Weicai’s piercing, heart-wrenching voice.

“Stop fighting, both of you!”

The shout was so loud it almost ruptured Hai Ku’s eardrums. Seeing all the main characters of the story gathered in one place, Hai Ku felt an ominous premonition. “I don’t think this looks good. How about we head back to class?”

“Class? Who cares about class? If we’re skipping, we might as well enjoy the show. Come on, come on, this is perfect timing!” Long Ritian’s excitement only grew at the sound of the commotion. “At this hour, no other students would dare to skip class, so the rooftop is the perfect spot for some entertainment.”

Before Hai Ku could protest, Long Ritian shoved him forward, completely caught up in his excitement.

Stumbling from the push, Hai Ku found himself right in front of Lan Weicai.

“Brother Haiku…” Seeing a familiar face, Lan Weicai’s eyes lit up with hope. “Brother Haiku, please stop them from fighting!”

Hugging his practice book, Hai Ku looked at Ouyang Guang and Yan Yue, who were wrestling on the ground, and frowned. He raised his voice and shouted, “What are you two fighting for? Weicai is going to the movies with Duanmu Xi this weekend!”

The scuffle came to an immediate halt. Both of them stared at him in disbelief.

Yan Yue and Ouyang Guang were both sporting visible injuries, but Ouyang Guang’s face was clearly worse off. Despite his bookish charm and a bit of protagonist-level martial arts, he couldn’t match Yan Yue’s combat bonuses.

“Y-you two, please stop fighting… Senior, you don’t need to fight over me like this,” Lan Weicai stammered, clearly frightened.

At first, she had only wanted Ouyang Guang to help her with her Five-Three exercises. After all, Ouyang Guang was consistently ranked first in the entire grade and was a model student in the teachers’ eyes. With his help, completing her practice book would have been a breeze.

But she hadn’t anticipated that Yan Yue would also offer to tutor her.

Initially, she had thought the three of them could study together harmoniously, but to her surprise, the two boys ended up arguing over a single problem.

Lan Weicai never imagined it would escalate into a physical fight, leaving her too scared to approach them.

Having climbed back to their feet, Yan Yue and Ouyang Guang both walked over to Lan Weicai, disbelief written all over their faces.

Yan Yue: “You’re saying you’re going to the movies this weekend?”

Ouyang Guang: “And with Duanmu Xi, no less?”

Lan Weicai blinked, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears, and nodded hesitantly. “Yes, I’ve already made plans with Senior Duanmu. We just haven’t decided on which movie to watch yet.”

Hai Ku stood off to the side like a forgotten extra, his expression cold as he watched the unfolding soap opera before him.

“No way, I’m coming too,” Yan Yue declared, his face hardening. He snatched Lan Weicai’s phone and fiddled with it for a moment before handing it back. “I’ve added your QQ number. When you go out, make sure to call me. I don’t like you hanging out with this little friend. Hurry up and block him.”

“I…” Ouyang Guang started to say he wanted to go too, but he stopped himself. He was already in his final year, and the heavy academic workload left him little time. Although he had initially found his junior cute, with so many others vying for her attention; each with better qualifications, he figured his withdrawal wouldn’t make much difference.

“Senior Ouyang…” Lan Weicai’s voice trembled, as if afraid he would announce his intention to join them.

“Junior,” Ouyang Guang began, trying to smile warmly. But the blood at the corner of his mouth made him wince, and he furrowed his brow. He patted her shoulder gently. “I wish you happiness…”

“Senior…” Lan Weicai looked on the verge of tears, deeply moved.

Hai Ku: “???”

Is the bar for happiness really this low these days?

“If you end up winning her heart, I hope you’ll treat her well,” Ouyang Guang said seriously, turning to Yan Yue with a stern expression.

“Humph, you don’t need to tell me that,” Yan Yue replied, his face still bruised but carrying a hint of tsundere pride. After saying this, he stepped closer to Ouyang Guang and smiled. “You’re a good brother.”

Ouyang Guang smiled back. “You are too.”

Hai Ku: “???”

What kind of divine drama was this?

Why did it feel so different from the tacky, over-the-top stories I used to read?

“Clap! Clap! Clap!” Off to the side, Long Ritian was applauding enthusiastically, his expression overwhelmed with emotion. His loud clapping echoed dramatically. “I’m touched by your brotherly bond! I’ll book the entire theater for your movie this weekend, and Hai Ku, you’re coming too.”

“N-no, that’s really not necessary…” Hai Ku adjusted his glasses, feeling the ridiculousness of the situation. He wanted no part of this absurd drama.

“Oh, don’t worry about saving me money. It’s all the same whether you go or not,” Long Ritian said with a whistle, turning to Lan Weicai with a mischievous smile. “Little junior, you don’t have any objections, do you~?”

“No, no…” Lan Weicai had never imagined things would turn out like this. She weakly replied.

“We’ll head to the school infirmary first. You two should go back to studying,” Ouyang Guang said.

“Then I’ll head back now…” Lan Weicai was already frightened by everything that had happened today, and she had never skipped class before. She was scared, so she quickly ran back to the classroom.

But the more she thought about it, the more uncomfortable she felt. Both of the seniors had been so kind to her, but she couldn’t be a woman who was indecisive. Lan Weicai made up her mind; if she was really going to be in a relationship, it could only be with one person. She absolutely wouldn’t be someone who played both sides!

Her resolve grew stronger, and with that, she lightheartedly returned to the classroom.

However, when she got back to her desk, the huge stack of Huanggang Secret Practice Books startled her.

“Th-this…” Seeing so many practice books, Lan Weicai felt her legs go weak.

She even wanted to ask who hated her so much that they would send her this many practice books.

“I sent them to you. No need to thank me,” Yan Yufeng said with a smile. Although he no longer liked Lan Weicai that much, he couldn’t let all these practice books go to waste. It was also a way to pay tribute to his youth that had passed.

Lan Weicai: “…”

All the little affection she had once felt for Yan Yufeng disappeared. Her eyes reddened, her heart was in turmoil, and she had no interest in doing the practice books at all.

In the novel’s world, for the sake of convenience in romance, the setting was that except for the senior year, everyone else only had 5 days of classes a week, with 2 days off. On Friday and Sunday evenings, there were evening self-study sessions, and the weekends were free for fun.

***

After the evening study session, Lan Weicai was blocked by Duanmu Xi and Yan Yue at the school gate.

“Junior, Yan Yue says he’s going with us to the movies tomorrow?” Duanmu Xi, who was a possessive person by nature, was finding it hard to accept that he couldn’t even have a proper date now that he finally liked someone. He couldn’t help but want to confirm.

Lan Weicai nervously nodded. “Senior Long said he’d book the entire theater… so…”

Duanmu Xi’s veins almost popped out, but he still kept his gentle and refined expression. “So you’re telling me that, apart from Yan Yue, Long Ritian also wants to join in the fun?”

“Mm,” Lan Weicai nodded like a chick pecking at rice, her voice soft. “It’ll be more lively if everyone goes together.”

“You…” Suddenly realizing he hadn’t confessed to her yet, Duanmu Xi suppressed his frustration. “Then I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning.”

“Tsk, you’ve already said everything. I’ll pick you up too. I’ll take you home now.” After saying the first part, Yan Yue realized he didn’t even know where Lan Weicai lived, so he quickly added, “I mean, I’ll take you home now.”

“I…” Feeling the pressure, Lan Weicai’s gaze drifted, but when she spotted Hai Ku, her eyes lit up, and she smiled sweetly. “No need, Seniors. I see Brother Haiku over there!”

As soon as Hai Ku saw the female lead walking toward him, he wanted to run.

But she was athletic and quickly darted over to him.

Hai Ku could only ask awkwardly, “Why aren’t you going back?”

“Brother Haiku, both Senior Yan and Senior Duanmu want to take me home, but I’d feel embarrassed, and I don’t want them to argue. Could you take me home instead?”

Lan Weicai’s voice was soft and gentle, and her words seemed to imply that she didn’t want to make things difficult for Yan Yue and Duanmu.

But to Hai Ku’s ears, it sounded awkward and uncomfortable.

“Then you could just walk back on your own, right? If I take you home, what if those two fight with me?” Hai Ku felt confused. Why should I be the one to take her home when they were both offering?