The Cold and Ruthless Supporting Male Lead

“This is hard to say; she might still need some time to decide.” Long Ritian whistled nonchalantly, looking carefree. “Honestly, I was just joking around. She probably doesn’t even consider me, but Yan Yue and Duanmu Xi seem to take it quite seriously.”

Hai Ku nodded. Since no information about the female lead had slipped from Long Ritian’s mouth, he decided to play deaf and mute as well. He wouldn’t disclose any information about Lan Weicai to the other side, nor would he share the other side’s information with Lan Weicai.

However, he had oversimplified things. The plot was bound to unfold as it should.

After the monthly exams ended, it happened to coincide with a 3-day Qingming Festival holiday. Carrying a stack of exercise books, Hai Ku returned home.

He was promptly stopped by Lan Weicai.

Before Hai Ku arrived, Lan Weicai had been pacing back and forth, hesitating. The moment she saw him, she dashed toward him like a startled rabbit.

“Brother Haiku, can we talk?” Lan Weicai’s eyes were still round and bright, but in the half-month since their last conversation, Hai Ku could tell she had noticeably lost weight.

“Let me put these exercise books away first.” Hai Ku nodded, carrying the books into his room before stepping out.

As he casually closed the door behind him, he asked, “Should we talk here, or go somewhere else?”

“Let’s go downstairs…” Lan Weicai felt as though she might crumble under the pressure.

During the monthly exams, her mind had been completely muddled; she had no idea what she had written.

It was already 9 o’clock at night, and the lights in the residential area were dim. The 24-hour bubble tea shop nearby still had a few scattered customers.

Taking a sip of her bubble tea, Lan Weicai’s expression remained hesitant.

“How do you feel about the monthly exams? We’ll soon have to choose between the liberal arts and sciences. Have you decided on your direction?” Seeing that Lan Weicai had no intention of speaking, Hai Ku initiated the conversation himself.

“Brother Haiku, I didn’t come to talk about academics today.” As soon as the monthly exams were mentioned, Lan Weicai grew anxious. She hadn’t reviewed before the exams; her mind had been preoccupied with deciding whom to accept.

“If not academics, then what? I’m just a high school student. What kind of advice do you think I can give you?” Hai Ku took a sip of water, raising his eyelids slightly.

“I… Brother Haiku, I feel so restless right now.” Twisting her fingers, Lan Weicai lowered her head. “I know it’s wrong to be so greedy, but they’re all so good. I really can’t make a choice.”

“Why not give up on all of them? Let go of what you can’t grasp.” Swearing that this would be the last piece of advice he offered, Hai Ku looked directly at Lan Weicai.

As expected, he saw hesitation written all over her face again.

With a sigh, Hai Ku stood up abruptly. “You don’t actually want my advice. You just want someone to share your burden, to echo your words. The decision is ultimately yours. But you should focus on your studies. You’re only 16. If you want to fall in love, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future. There’s no need to rush now.”

Lan Weicai lowered her head, her expression one of being thoroughly seen through.

“Don’t come to me again. I won’t offer you any advice. If you don’t think it through yourself, anything I say will just be dismissed like hot air.” Staring straight into Lan Weicai’s eyes, Hai Ku didn’t mind if his words sounded harsh.

When you’re overly gentle with someone, they’ll only indulge and forget. But when you’re stern, they’ll remember.

After that, Hai Ku stopped paying attention to any news about Lan Weicai.

***

She had reportedly performed terribly in the monthly exams. Originally achieving above-average grades, she had suddenly dropped to the bottom of the rankings, even leaving several exam papers unfinished.

However, following the monthly exams came the midterm exams. Pouring all his energy into studying, Hai Ku had no interest in paying attention to what the female lead was up to.

The original owner had been studying liberal arts, which required memorizing a lot of material. Hai Ku was thankful for his decent memory, as he spent the majority of his time reviewing. As for the gossip, it was all relayed to him by Long Ritian.

At first, Hai Ku listened a bit, but as the final exams approached, he devoted himself entirely to his studies.

In June, Ouyang Guang had already finished his exams. Afterward, he invited the entire dormitory out for a meal.

Taking this rare opportunity to relax, Hai Ku joined them.

“Urp~” Ouyang Guang let out a drunken burp, his cheeks flushed red. His handsome face was tinged with pink, making him look absolutely ridiculous. “Let me tell you guys… urp~… you should all stay away from that girl. Not that she’s terrible or anything, but… she’s just so indecisive.”

It was then that Hai Ku realized almost an entire semester had passed since that incident.

Even though he had been solely focused on his studies, at this moment, Hai Ku couldn’t help but ask, “Did she end up choosing any of you?”

“No, she didn’t choose anyone. But it feels like she’s stringing us along,” Yan Yue replied, clearly disappointed.

“Yeah, over this period, both Yan Yue and I were invited out by her five or six times, but we never got a definitive answer.” Duanmu Xi shrugged indifferently, though it was clear he was thoroughly disillusioned, feeling like he had misjudged her from the start.

Yan Yufeng kept a cold expression. “She also frequently tried to get information out of me. Although I didn’t reveal a single word, I have to admit it’s impressive she managed to keep this up for half a semester. However, her grades plummeted. During the midterm parent-teacher conference, it seems she was scolded harshly. I don’t know how she’s doing now.”

“Hey, Hai Ku, isn’t she your neighbor? I remember her calling you quite affectionately before. Why does it seem like you’re completely out of the loop now?” Long Ritian couldn’t help but ask. Though he loved gossip, it was strictly limited to his close friends.

Although Hai Ku was a reserved person, he was remarkably tight-lipped. Nothing he shared with Long Ritian had ever reached anyone else. This was one of the reasons Long Ritian enjoyed gossiping with Hai Ku so much.

“I’ve been under a lot of pressure with my studies lately and haven’t paid much attention to her. But since we grew up together, if you’re not interested in her, you should just reject her outright.” Hai Ku sighed, never expecting things to escalate to this extent.

Lan Weicai had always been carefree and unreserved. In the original storyline, she treated Li Haiku as a kind of emotional dumpster, unloading all her negative emotions onto him.

The original owner had always been there to help her sort out her feelings and offer advice. However, now that his relationship with Lan Weicai had soured, it was impossible for her to confide in him.

Lan Weicai, being someone who couldn’t keep secrets and was notoriously indecisive, ended up making the worst choice. She had even gone to Yan Yufeng for advice.

Although she had claimed she didn’t want to be someone who two-timed, her hesitant, hot-and-cold behavior; sometimes rejecting, sometimes welcoming; was acceptable for a short period, but an entire semester had gone by, and she still hadn’t made up her mind. Instead, she kept her options open, even inviting others out to spend time with her.

For a moment, Hai Ku didn’t know where to start venting his frustration. He couldn’t help but feel sorry for these male leads. Based on Lan Weicai’s behavior, she came across as nothing less than a heartbreaker.

On the surface, she claimed she didn’t want to hurt anyone, but in truth, she hurt everyone and strung them along.

Crushing a beer can in his hand, Yan Yue smiled faintly. “I’ve been wanting to end this for a while. Being strung along is exhausting. Duanmu, I’ll leave her to you. Tomorrow, I’m going to reject her outright, so she won’t have to hesitate anymore.”

“What a coincidence,” Duanmu Xi said with a smile. “You’ve just spoken my mind. People like us, with our status, can have anyone we want. Why should we fixate on her?”

***

At Ouyang Guang’s farewell party before his graduation, Hai Ku witnessed many things.

Lan Weicai, once surrounded by admirers, had suddenly been abandoned by everyone.

The next time Lan Weicai grabbed hold of Hai Ku, she was crying uncontrollably.

“Wuwuwu… why did it turn out this way? I just didn’t want to hurt them…” Too afraid to drink alcohol, she had downed several bottles of soda instead. Between hiccups, she sobbed intermittently.

“That’s just what you thinking you weren’t hurting them.” Watching this younger girl cry so miserably, Hai Ku felt no emotional stirrings in his heart.

“But why did it end like this? Brother Haiku, did you say something to them?” Her eyes were red like a rabbit’s, and she was utterly devastated, even beginning to accuse others.

Hai Ku found her words increasingly ridiculous. If this were posted on some online platform, it would probably spark a heated debate. “What could I have said to them? Why don’t you ask them instead of coming to me? Did you even take any of my advice seriously? You should take responsibility for your own actions. When you took that first step, you should’ve considered the consequences.”

Lan Weicai pressed her lips together and stayed silent.

Hai Ku stood up without hesitation. “I thought you came to me this time because you’d figured things out. But instead, you’re still treating me like a trash can to vent to. I’ve already told you; don’t do unnecessary things or pursue unnecessary matters. Take care of yourself. The final exams are coming up. Think things through carefully.”

He paid no attention to what happened afterward. With senior year approaching, he couldn’t afford to slack off. While Hai Ku remained indifferent, Lan Weicai’s mother came looking for him.

“Haiku, you and Weicai used to be so close. Do you know what’s been going on with her lately? She’s lost so much weight, and her grades have dropped significantly…”