The Cold and Ruthless Supporting Male Lead

No matter what, as someone who mingles in the anime and gaming circles, Zhuoye Xingchen knew the reason behind Hai Ku’s smooth legs. Part of it was due to naturally sparse body hair, while the other part was because cross-dressers typically shave their leg hair. Shaving was simply a normal thing.

Already holding preconceived notions, Zhuoye Xingchen only felt pity for Hai Ku. How pitiful to have liked such a girl in the past.

Although Mu Xiaoya seemed to kindly remind him that Hai Ku enjoyed cross-dressing and that continuing to stream with him might have some influence, her words were filled with malice. The opportunity to play this game today had been granted to her by Haiku Shilan, making her behavior a classic case of repaying kindness with enmity.

Zhuoye Xingchen’s impression of this girl dropped even further. Fearing that her harsh words might hurt Hai Ku, he unmuted his mic.

“Today is just to help you practice your gaming skills, right? Let’s not talk too much.” Zhuoye Xingchen’s tone was cold. While he was somewhat gossipy, he disliked gossiping behind people’s backs.

Only a few minutes had passed since he entered the chatroom, yet Zhuoye Xingchen already felt it was unbearably long. Normally, gaming time flew by, but now every second felt like a year.

Mu Xiaoya’s face heated up. She couldn’t understand why Zhuoye Xingchen had suddenly stopped her. After all, she was merely exposing Hai Ku’s secret.

How could a man like Zhuoye Xingchen possibly accept another man who cross-dressed?

However, sensing his displeasure, Mu Xiaoya reluctantly shut her mouth. After a short while of gameplay, her fingers grew tired. Zhuoye Xingchen hadn’t spoken at all, which made her feel bored.

The game Zhuoye Xingchen had chosen for her involved continuous finger movements. Players needed to follow the arrows on the screen and press the keyboard accordingly. As time went on, the arrows moved faster and faster.

It was a simple game designed to train reflexes and hand speed. While it looked easy, it was surprisingly effective.

Seeing that Zhuoye Xingchen’s mic was still muted, Hai Ku said, “Actually, her hand speed isn’t bad. But she’s too eager for quick results and has developed a bit of laziness. That’s probably why she’s feeling frustrated now.”

“I know she wants me to carry her in games, but her skills are so poor. If it’s just for laughs, that’s fine. But if she really expects me to carry her seriously, I’m bound to get criticized,” Zhuoye Xingchen said helplessly. He already regretted his decision to game with a girl.

After 2 minutes of silence, Mu Xiaoya couldn’t take it anymore. Seeing Zhuoye Xingchen’s muted mic only made her feel worse.

“Big boss, are you there? How long do I have to play this game? Can’t you tell me more about the game?” She slowed her finger movements, rubbing her sore fingertips. Her voice turned soft and coy. “My fingers hurt~.”

“You’d better say something to her,” Hai Ku said with a wry smile. The girl’s impatience was obvious. After playing for a while with no visible progress, she was naturally displeased.

Reluctantly unmuting his mic, Zhuoye Xingchen sighed. “Gaming isn’t something you can master overnight. If your hand speed is lacking, you’ll have to train it. If you’re aiming for technical skills, this is the only way. If you’re going for humor or other styles, then the technical requirements can be a bit lower.”

This kind of advice was something Mu Xiaoya had already heard from Hai Ku, so it annoyed her. However, since Zhuoye Xingchen was a top player, she had no choice but to endure it despite her reluctance.

When he finally finished speaking, Mu Xiaoya changed the topic back to Hai Ku. “I know Haiku Shilan in real life~. I know him quite well, actually. But he’s much luckier than me.”

“You’re pretty lucky too,” Zhuoye Xingchen immediately replied. He wasn’t lying; Mu Xiaoya was indeed fortunate to have someone like Hai Ku care for her so foolishly.

“How am I lucky~? But yeah, Hai Ku is pretty pitiful. He doesn’t seem to have many friends around him. So I can only be his bestie. Otherwise, I don’t know who else would play with him.”

Zhuoye Xingchen was surprised. “You’re close to him?”

“I’m his one and only bestie! Of course, we’re close. Otherwise, why would he let you carry me?” Mu Xiaoya boasted, feeling a sense of accomplishment from flaunting her connection with Hai Ku. “Even though we’re close, I don’t want to cause you trouble. If Hai Ku’s cross-dressing gets exposed, it could affect you negatively.”

Mu Xiaoya genuinely believed she was doing Zhuoye Xingchen a favor. Given his large fan base and his recent frequent collaborations with Hai Ku, it was evident that Hai Ku had gained a lot of followers.

Many of Hai Ku’s fans had started following Zhuoye Xingchen as well, aware of their good relationship.

Considering Zhuoye Xingchen’s numerous female fans, Mu Xiaoya thought it would be disastrous if they discovered his friend Hai Ku was a cross-dresser. It might lead to misunderstandings and unwarranted speculation.

Playing the role of the concerned friend, Mu Xiaoya said earnestly, “You’ve been so kind to him these past few days, and I’m really touched. But I don’t think he’d want to drag you down with him.”

As if she were embodying Hai Ku’s inner thoughts, the things Mu Xiaoya said were enough to make one’s skin crawl.

Using the tone of a “good best friend,” she presumptuously guessed at his feelings, completely ignoring Hai Ku’s true thoughts and voicing her own assumptions instead.

Finding such a girl rather headache-inducing, Zhuoye Xingchen felt utterly incapable of continuing to communicate with her.

“Uh… but I think he’s a pretty decent guy…” With the person in question right beside him, Zhuoye Xingchen felt a bit awkward, especially since Hai Ku remained silent. “I think we’ll just stop here for today. I’ll send Hai Ku the link for this game, and you can ask him for it later. I’ve got something urgent to handle, so I’m logging off now.”

Before Mu Xiaoya could respond, Zhuoye Xingchen hurriedly exited the private room.

***

After leaving, he cautiously glanced at Hai Ku.

Hai Ku’s expression seemed normal, but at this moment, Zhuoye Xingchen couldn’t quite gauge his mood. Tentatively, he asked, “Those things that girl said… did they upset you?”

Hai Ku shook his head, a faint smile appearing on his face. He seemed completely at ease. “Maybe they would’ve in the past, but not anymore. Don’t worry, I’m not that naive.”

“Come on, with your looks, you’d turn heads on an entire street! Just standing there, all the girls would be sneaking glances at you!” Zhuoye Xingchen patted him on the shoulder to console him. “You definitely don’t need to hang yourself on one crooked tree. Remember, if that tree falls, there’s always another one waiting.”

Appreciating Zhuoye Xingchen’s kind intentions, Hai Ku wasn’t particularly upset to begin with. After humoring him for a while, Mu Xiaoya’s message finally came through.

[Mu Xiaoya: Sorry, Hai Ku, I told Zhuoye Xingchen about your cross-dressing.]

Hai Ku curled his lips into a faint smirk and leaned back on the sofa. This girl… pretending to apologize now? Where was this earlier?

[Hai Ku: It’s fine. Even if you didn’t tell him, I would’ve eventually. Not only that, but I’m also planning to meet him in person. What do you think of me showing up in cross-dress?]

[Mu Xiaoya: Hai Ku, are you insane? You can’t ruin Zhuoye Xingchen’s future just because of your own selfishness. He has so many fans, and you two have been streaming together a lot recently. If you show up in cross-dress and his fans find out, do you realize what could happen? Have you even thought this through? You’re being so selfish!]

[Hai Ku: We’re just regular friends; it’s not like we’re crossing any lines. What’s the problem?]

[Mu Xiaoya: I must’ve misjudged you! For a little fame, you’d actually exploit Zhuoye Xingchen…]

“Ha,” Hai Ku let out a disdainful laugh and handed his phone to Zhuoye Xingchen. “Hey, ‘big shot,’ looks like I’m planning to exploit you~”

“Sure thing,” Zhuoye Xingchen replied cheerfully, nodding without hesitation. “If you want, we could even film a face-to-face video. You can wear your cross-dress too. There’s been a lot of memes online lately—let me ‘inspect your treasure’ while we’re at it.”

Feigning discomfort, Hai Ku rubbed his shoulder dramatically. “Geez, why do you sound so… flamboyant?”

“Come on! So, what’s your plan now? Are you going to cut ties with her completely?”

“For now, I’m just ignoring her. I’ll see what happens later. If she doesn’t bother me, I’ll let it go. But if she tries to pull something shady again, I won’t hold back.” Hai Ku was never one to be overly kind. His current inaction was merely out of laziness. However, if Mu Xiaoya did anything more disgusting in the future, she’d have no one to blame but herself.

Noticing Hai Ku’s lingering feelings, Zhuoye Xingchen suggested, “Hey, I think you should try cross-dressing at that comic convention. You know, the one happening in the neighboring city in half a month. Have you gotten an invite for that? Even if you haven’t, you could still go.”

Cross-dressing might cause a bit of a stir on an ordinary day, but at a comic convention, even gender-bending was a major highlight. Once fans became more accepting, revealing his cross-dressing wouldn’t be a big deal.

“I’ve been thinking about it,” Hai Ku nodded. He had already planned to gradually reveal his cross-dressing hobby. It would be better for him to disclose it himself than to have the female lead leak it. “I haven’t received an invite for that one, but I could still go and film a video. I think it’d work.”

“I could join you. I only have 2 hours on stage, so I’d have plenty of time to help you film. Are you planning to go in cross-dress directly, or will you change there?”

“Of course, I’ll go dressed up. You won’t even recognize me!” Hai Ku smirked.

He had already begun plotting how to reveal his cross-dressing in a way that fans would gradually accept. By easing them into it, he could avoid the online harassment and forced emigration that usually followed such revelations.