Translated by Eve
Edited by Wuxian
Although Sui Yuan’s rank was not great in the end, it was enough to make the others have a whole new level of respect for him. After all, for him to be so calm and courageous in his first ever high-speed motorcycle competition was really not an easy thing to do. Most people would err, over and over, or even give up halfway.
Yun Yi was obviously very proud of his good brother’s excellent display. He straightforwardly pat Sui Yuan on the back several times, praising him, expressing with excitement that he would invite him back next time to play together again.
Sui Yuan made a bitter smile as he evaded Yun Yi’s palm, "Enough! I’m not that interested in this kind of sport. It’s alright to come out once in awhile to get rid of excess energy, but I wouldn’t be able to stand coming frequently!"
While he was speaking, he didn’t forget to observe the female lead’s reaction. When he noticed that she was pale and slightly trembling, yet pretending to be calm, he couldn’t help but shove at Yun Yi, criticizing him with furrowed brows, "Your female companion doesn’t look to good, ah? Go take care of her, ba!"
Yun Yi cast his head away, rather awkwardly, "I’ve said it many times! She’s not my female companion! I also don’t like her! I only brought her along to scare her a bit, that’s all. Why do I have to take care of her?!"
"This is a duty of a gentleman," Sui Yuan sneered, pushing Yun Yi over in an unquestionable manner. Furthermore, although he appeared vexed on the surface, Yun Yi still obediently walked towards the female lead in the end and then started another bout of arguing with her.
Seeing that the male and female leads were interacting ’harmoniously’, Sui Yuan sighed in relief. He then shifted his gaze over to Yue Minghe. Before, he had found it rather odd that Yue Minghe hadn’t gone over to help the female lead when she was feeling unwell. As a result, after looking over, he understood: the female lead’s body was unwell, but the weakly supporting male lead also did not seem any better.
Yue Minghe had been born prematurely. He was innately weak and he also didn’t like to exercise. Thus, his complexion was even fairer than the female lead who was always bustling around all-day long, working. At this moment, he looked even paler and feebler. His slender and lanky body was leaning against the motorcycle, powerless, brows slightly furrowed, hand supporting his forehead. The image he made unexpectedly carried a beauty akin to a sickly but still beautiful maiden.
Sui Yuan did not feel that ’the other is so beautiful and weak, so I really want to take care of him’. He only walked over out of obligation as a good friend, "How are you? Do you feel really unwell?"
Yue Minghe raised his head to glimpse at Sui Yuan and smiled, "En, a bit. Indeed, this kind of activity is unsuitable for me, ah...."
"Before, you said you were worried about us so you wanted to come along. Now, I’m the one who’s worried," Sui Yuan complained, reaching out to support Yue Minghe up. However, he didn’t expect that the other didn’t seem to have any strength at all and would directly go limp, falling into his arms, appearing trusting and reliant on him.
Sui Yuan had a blank expression. He couldn’t push the other away and could only carry Yue Minghe to his car despite his unwillingness and let him sit in the passenger seat.
After all, Yue Minghe’s condition was not good and Sui Yuan did not plan on staying long. He directly told Yun Yi that he was going to leave and then forced himself to walk back to his car under the female and male lead’s reluctant-to-part gazes. He then sent Yue Minghe home.
"Sorry, Ah Ning, for making you leave early today in order to take me home. You couldn’t play to your heart’s content," Yue Minghe tilted his head to look at Sui Yuan, tone apologetic. His complexion looked much better, but he still seemed feeble.
"It doesn’t matter, la. Anyway, I probably wouldn’t be able to keep up with Ah Yi and them," Sui Yuan shrugged his shoulders with indifference. On the surface, he acted intimate with Yue Minghe, but inside, he was constantly doubting him.
He did not forget his final task and had always been secretly watching Yue Minghe. It was just a pity that the description of this supporting male lead was not that detailed. It was even rather fuzzy, only leaving a vague impression of being gentle like jade and weakly. He was always gentle to the max towards the female lead. Whenever she needed him, he would appear. When she didn’t need him, he would be hidden away. As for what the supporting male lead was like when the female lead was not around, the plot did not mention it at all. This made Sui Yuan clueless on where to start in his assessment of the other.
Sui Yuan could perceive that the way this Yue Minghe treated him was rather different from that in the plot. In the plot, the female lead was the person Yue Minghe cared about the most, or rather, the only person he genuinely cared about. Even with the kind of friends he has, like Hao Ning and Yun Yi, he still maintained a faint distance. He was gentle but aloof.
Only, he could not use the plot as the sole basis of his judgement. After all, Sui Yuan had that fraudulent halo that would attract the male lead, female lead, supporting male lead, and supporting female lead alike. Sometimes, not even passerby characters or cannon fodder would be spared. It was not impossible for Yue Minghe to gradually change his attitude and get closer to Sui Yuan. It was actually even extremely natural for that to occur. If the other continued to act the same way he had always acted despite being under the halo’s influence, now that would be more suspicious.
All the way, Sui Yuan was thinking all sorts of things. Sui Yuan would also occasionally divide his attention and chat with Yue Minghe. In the end, he brought the other home very smoothly. Yue Minghe’s parents were very busy and were also fond of quietness. In their giant apartment, there was only a single old butler who handled everything. It was so lonely it could not be any more lonely. Sui Yuan also couldn’t wear out the old butler in good conscience so he could only half-carry Yue Minghe up the stairs and wait until he was able to settle him down with much difficulty before he could consider his task finished.
"Many thanks, Ah Ning," Yue Minghe changed into pyjamas and sunk into his undeniably soft and peaceful mattress. He stared up at Sui Yuan quietly, lips curved into a smile, unable to cover up his happiness at this moment.
"There’s no need to thank me for this. It couldn’t be that you consider me as an outsider?" Sui Yuan acted displeased and reached out to brush away the rather long hair over the other’s forehead. However, he didn’t expect that Yue Minghe would grab onto his hand.
Sui Yuan was startled. Yue Minghe, however, released him again, very naturally, "It tickled a bit. Don’t mess around."
Sui Yuan："........................"
——Was he being disliked?
"OK, la. Then you rest well. I’ll take my leave," Sui Yuan took his hand back and looked at the time, "It’s still quite early right now. I’m going to go out for a drink. Perhaps I’ll encounter a like-minded, beautiful lady to spend the night with, ne!"
——That’s right. Sui Yuan had deliberately said this. His goal was to bring back sense to the supporting male lead, so that he wouldn’t be inexplicably bent by his halo. Fortunately, the majority of male characters in the BG worlds were straight. Even if they’re affected by the halo, they wouldn’t be bent without any pressure unlike in the BL worlds.
Yue Minghe furrowed his brows, obviously not very fond of this hobby of his. Except that, he could not give too much comment on his good friend’s private life and could only dim his smile, "Don’t overdo it. This isn’t a good habit. It’s not good for your body."
"OK, la. I understand, health specialist!" Sui Yuan responded casually and without much care.
Yue Minghe pursed his lips, displeased, and added, "What I said isn’t only limited to alcohol, but women too."
Sui Yuan："........................"
——To use that kind of face to say those kinds of words, don’t you feel that it’s quite out of place, supporting male lead daren?
Seeing that Sui Yuan was shocked into speechlessness, Yue Minghe probably realized that what he said was not very in line with his personality and very quickly waved his hand, heart weary, indicating that this was the end of this subject.
Sui Yuan silently turned around and walked down the stairs. Who would have thought that when he reached the bottom of the stairwell, he would be faced with the butler donning an affectionate smile.
Sui Yuan felt his scalp go numb at that butler’s affectionate gaze and lowered his head to size up himself, "Uncle Li, what’s the matter? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"It is nothing, Young Master Ning. We have really troubled you tonight," The butler considerately handed over a cup of coffee, which was in line with the original character’s preferences. Sui Yuan accepted it and took a sip, laughing, "Minghe is my friend. This is just me doing my duty as his friend. There’s no need to talk about ’troubling’ or what not."
"The relationship between Young Master and you seem to be very harmonious. He seldom depends on others like this, ne," The butler beamed, deeply moved. He had watched the three friends grow up. Although they were nominally master and servant, he was still their elder, "Although Young Master seems gentle, in reality, he is really obstinate and relentless. If he can have such a genuine friend as yourself, then that would truly be too good."
Sui Yuan felt quite embarrassed from the butler’s words. Inside, he did agree with how the butler described Yue Minghe. After all, this child would quibble with Yun Yi to death over the female lead in the story. It was only at the very end, when the male and female lead’s love had come to fruition, that he had no choice but to let go. To use the word ’obstinate’ and ’relentless’ to describe him was already rather tactful.
After chatting with the butler for a while, Sui Yuan took his leave. Of course, he didn’t go to the bar to while away his time and find a beautiful woman, as he had told Yue Minghe. Instead, he was content with his own lot and thus, directly went home to continue studying properly under 5237’s guidance, advancing with each day.
Soon enough, Yue Minghe, who was tossing and turning in bed from lack of drowsiness, finally received a report. It said that Hao Ning had actually returned home in the end and did not go out to muddle about. Only then was he able to settle his fidgety heart and enter the land of dreams with a happy smile on his face.
——Therefore, on the next day, Sui Yuan discovered that Yue Minghe’s mood was especially sunny and clear for some baffling reason. The gentle smile that was always on his face was also much more sincere than usual. The gaze he used to look at Sui Yuan with was also much more warm and happy, full of gratification.
"...What’s with Minghe today? I feel like he’s kinda off?" Yun Yi gathered close to Sui Yuan’s side, face full of puzzlement.
"...I also don’t know?" Sui Yuan hesitated, but still shook his head.
"Did you take him home last night? What happened?" Yun Yi was especially interested in gossiping. After all, Yue Minghe had always been so aloof and calm since childhood. It was very rare for him to expose his mood so evidently. It made people feel extremely curious.
"Nothing happened, ah? I just sent him back in a very normal way, that’s all." Moreover, when he was leaving, the other’s mood had clearly not been good, ne! Sui Yuan shrugged. He was not at all interested in the supporting male lead. On the contrary, he changed the topic, raising the question he was much more interested in, "Were there any developments between you and that girl last night, ne?"
"Wh—what developments?! I already said that I’m not interested in her at all!" Yun Yi sounded like he was acting fierce while really being weak inside, not knowing how many times he had refuted this.
However, Sui Yuan clearly did not believe his words at all. In the plot, Yun Yi had also insisted to death that he didn’t like the female lead. However, as it happened, he would always treat her as if she was special, right until the end. When the female lead decided with dejection to renounce this ’hopeless’ love, only then did he hastily put down his pride and admit that he, this big young master, had unexpectedly fallen for this ordinary, mediocre Cinderella.
"I understand you, Ah Yi," Sui Yuan stared at Yun Yi, sincerely and earnestly patting him on the shoulders, "I understand even better than you what’s going on in that simple mind of yours, especially with regards to matters between men and women. No one is more of an expert than I am in that field."
"...Hehe, how can you say such shameless words with so much pride!" Although he was tyrannical, the unexpectedly pure Yun Yi couldn’t help but want to explode in anger. He turned to look at Yue Minghe, who was sitting not far from there, reading. Yue Minghe had originally been smiling but now, he suddenly had a dark expression on his face, and his intuition told him that they absolutely could not continue discussing this matter.
Yun Yi really trusted his intuition. Or rather, everyone in the Yun Family was really trusting of their intuition, to be precise. This was because their intuition had saved their lives who-knows how many times, regardless if it was when they were just starting up or if it was during their struggles for power. Thus, Yun Yi followed his intuition and decisively changed the subject, "Right, my grandfather’s longevity banquet is coming up. Don’t forget to come!"
Sui Yuan glanced at Yun Yi despisingly, "Your ability to change the subject is really botched, ba? Didn’t I already go to your grandfather’s longevity banquet?"
"This time is different," Yun Yi’s expression gradually became heavy, making Sui Yuan unable to help but become serious too, "Recently my family has become...en, rather messy, you know?"
"I didn’t hear about this... confidentiality is still very strict within the family?" Sui Yuan lightly shook his head, as he quickly recalled the plot. Unfortunately, he did not discover any important plot points that had occurred before the female and male lead had gotten acquainted, nor was there any detailed descriptions of the male lead’s background. Only when the two of them confessed to each other did the Yun Family get involved and truly entered the story.
"Can it not be strict?" Yun Yi forced a laugh, waving his hands, "It is also inconvenient for me to say too much about the internal affairs within the family. In short, you must be a bit more careful this time when congratulating my grandfather on his birthday. Watch your words and act prudently."
Seeing Sui Yuan take his words to heart as he nodded, Yun Yi immediately turned to face Yue Minghe and raised his voice, "Minghe, you also heard it, right?"
Yue Minghe raised his head and gently nodded. He then smiled and consoled, "Ah Yi, you need not worry too much. Ah Ning and I aren’t really that involved with your family. We won’t be targeted. Besides, even if people think us displeasing, they must also consider our family backgrounds. Intelligent people will know what choice they should make."
"I’m afraid that you’ll still encounter stupid people, people who court death and find the constant need to implicate others!" Yun Yi spat out in derision. Only after that did his expression turn a bit better, and he resumed his previous carefree, simple-minded appearance.
Although Sui Yuan acted with indifference upon hearing Yun Yi’s warning,, in truth, he had marked it down in his mind. This was because this hadn’t been mentioned in the plot, so it could be the work of the Destroyer. Sui Yuan had no choice but to handle it with caution.
After returning home, Sui Yuan immediately accessed the monitoring software that he had placed on the web to ambush the Destroyer via 5237. Just as expected, he found many trails. Sui Yuan felt something was quite off, as if this news had been deliberately created in order to conceal the truth.
It was probably his intuition kicking in, or rather, Sui Yuan doubted this information because of how perfect it was. It was so perfect it was on the brink of being deliberate.
Sui Yuan’s fingers lightly tapped on the surface of the desk. Soon after, he quickly linked up with Zhao Xihe via 5237, passing on what he had just discovered, "I feel that the change in the Yun Family is very strange. The methods used behind the scenes are expert-leveled. Could this be the work of the Destroyer?"
Zhao Xihe fell into a moment of silence and then coughed awkwardly, "No. You don’t have to worry about this...."
Sui Yuan understood instantly, "So this is your doing? You’re a member of the male lead’s family? Who are you?"
"...In any case, are you participating in the Yun Family’s Old Master’s longevity banquet this time?" Zhao Xihe answered evasively, "If you go, you should be able to recognize me."
Sui Yuan：".............................."
——Why do I have a bad feeling about this? Is it my misconception?
The author has something to say:
Everyone says that the supporting male lead is the Destroyer. Is it because he’s the only character aside from the male lead and female lead? wwww
Eve: YMH over here chugging vinegar. Also, all of your comments last chapter cracked mr up. I loved all the guesses put out. It shall be revealed next chapter 😉
Wuxian: ...and so the plot thickens...
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