The Cold and Ruthless Supporting Male Lead

This back-and-forth with checks was just another cliché tactic.

Hai Ku yawned indifferently and leaned back in his chair, narrowing his eyes slightly as he regarded the female lead with disdain. “Why should I hand over my son to you? And what qualifications do you have to fight me for Xiao Bao?”

Ning Yourou’s expression darkened. Retrieving the check, she feared provoking Hai Ku and softened her tone slightly. “Mr. Zhang, I’m only offering you a choice right now. If you think this 1 million isn’t enough, we can negotiate further.”

Internally, she thought Hai Ku was being ungrateful. 1 million yuan was an amount most ordinary families couldn’t earn in a lifetime.

Furthermore, this was just a third- or fourth-tier city. Hai Ku’s monthly salary had only been about 5,000 yuan. If he found 1 million insufficient, Ning Yourou figured she could add a little more.

“And who’s the one being ungrateful here?” Hai Ku wanted to laugh. He wanted to mock her self-righteous motherly love and her misplaced belief in the power of money.

Ning Yourou clenched her fists tightly, summoning the aura she used in the business world, intending to overpower Hai Ku. “Mr. Zhang… Are you insulting me?”

“Wasn’t it you who first tried to insult me with money, Ms. Ning?” Hai Ku feigned a surprised expression. “Who was it just now offering me a check?”

“This 1 million can give you a very comfortable life. From what I know, you’re not even married yet. If you think this 1 million isn’t enough, once Xiao Bao is back with me, I can even give you a house.” Feeling she had already made significant concessions, Ning Yourou maintained a cold expression, eager to take the child.

“I’ll return the same words to you; this 1 million can give you a very comfortable life. Plus, you already have a house. You can take your money and your house and live happily ever after, so could you please stop meddling in my family’s affairs? Would that be okay?” Furrowing his brow, Hai Ku shook his head. “For someone like you, constantly coveting another person’s child is inappropriate. If you truly want a son, why not have one yourself? Why fight me for mine?”

“Mr. Zhang!” Ning Yourou was livid. “I’m not joking with you! If you let Xiao Bao live with me, I’ll take excellent care of him.”

Hai Ku wasn’t buying it at all.

Though it had been an entire world ago, in his first life, he had gained some business experience. Having dealt with a variety of situations; especially when male supporting characters were often set up as white-collar elites, he had accumulated a bit of insight into business dealings.

Standing up and glancing at the time, Hai Ku decided he didn’t want to waste any more words on Ning Yourou. “I’ve raised Xiao Bao for 10 years. What makes you think you can take better care of him than I can?”

“But you must know, a child without a mother’s love…”

“He doesn’t need you!” Tired of the same argument, Hai Ku bluntly interrupted her. Taking 100-yuan out of his pocket, he placed it on the table and pressed it down with his cup. “This meal is on me. Consider it my thanks for bringing Xiao Bao into this world. But I hope you’ll stay out of his childhood from now on. I have to pick up my child. Ms. Ning, goodbye.”

Even though the female lead looked pained, Hai Ku felt no sympathy for a woman like her. She had abandoned her child at birth, and Hai Ku couldn’t fathom how thick-skinned Ning Yourou must be to shamelessly attempt to take Xiao Bao back now.

Having said all that, Hai Ku didn’t feel the slightest regret. He wasn’t a cold-hearted person, but he placed particular importance on family. The female lead in this world was blatantly crossing his bottom line.

***

As she watched Hai Ku’s retreating figure, Ning Yourou’s expression froze. She had believed today’s actions were foolproof. After all, she had investigated Hai Ku’s family situation. While his household could be considered middle-class, they were nowhere near wealthy.

She hadn’t expected him to be so stubborn. Frustrated, Ning Yourou found herself at a loss for words.

Just then, her phone buzzed.

Seeing the message on her phone, Ning Yourou’s eyes lit up.

Recently, Nangong Jun had been in frequent contact with her. After 10 years of effort, she was now able to stand as his equal; not only as a business partner but also without being under his control.

Although Nangong Jun seemed to be pursuing her again recently, Ning Yourou felt the most important thing was to bring Xiao Bao back to her side, so she had been ignoring him.

But now that she thought about it, Xiao Bao was already 10 years old. Besides knowing who his mother was, he also needed to know who his father was.

While Ning Yourou was just the CEO of a small company, Nangong Jun was different. His capabilities far surpassed hers.

If Xiao Bao learned that his father was not only the CEO of a multinational corporation but also possessed immense wealth and was dashing and charming, he would undoubtedly be thrilled.

After all, Zhang Haiku was merely an ordinary company employee; and now, an unemployed one.

Feeling she had pinpointed the key to the issue, Ning Yourou immediately dialed Nangong Jun’s number.

“Nangong Jun, I’m at XXX Café right now. Can you come over?” Ning Yourou’s voice was soft and pitiful. Even after all these years, she still knew that this vulnerable tone was what Nangong Jun liked the most about her.

That gentle and delicate voice made Nangong Jun’s entire body soften. As the president of a multinational company, he had countless women around him, coming and going, but despite never lacking female attention, he had hung his heart on a single small woman 10 years ago.

That woman’s allure was maddeningly sweet, leaving him thinking about her for a decade.

Swallowing hard, Nangong Jun’s usually cold voice softened, becoming tender. “Darling, just wait for me there. I’ll come over right away.”

After ending the call, Nangong Jun gave orders to his secretary. “Prepare the car. I need to go to XXX Café.”

“Yes, President,” the secretary nodded. “Should we proceed with the 10-million-dollar deal scheduled for later?”

“Forget about it. Let that 10 million go.” Money could always be earned again, but losing this woman? That would make him suffer for the rest of his life.

Nangong Jun realized he no longer had the patience to wait another decade.

“Understood, President. I’ll prepare immediately.” The secretary refrained from asking more questions, as efficiency was her strong suit.

***

Meanwhile, Hai Ku felt a foreboding sense of unease as he picked up his son.

He hadn’t fully read the original plot, and now that the plot was deviating from the script, he couldn’t predict what bizarre actions the female lead might take next.

With a ‘take things as they come’ mindset, Hai Ku happily brought the child back home.

As long as Zhang Xiaobao didn’t want to leave, Hai Ku was confident he could find a way to get rid of that woman.

After helping Zhang Xiaobao finish his homework, Hai Ku decided to share his current situation. “Son, dad is planning to change jobs.”

“Why are you switching jobs? Don’t you like your current one?” Zhang Xiaobao asked while packing his homework into his bag, pausing briefly to double-check everything.

“Because dad got laid off, so I need to find a new job.” Though Hai Ku had some savings, staying at home indefinitely wasn’t a solution. With his skills, he wasn’t worried about finding work, but searching for a job couldn’t be done secretly. Being upfront with Zhang Xiaobao would help ease his worries.

Zhang Xiaobao, who was naturally sensitive and sharp, had already noticed something unusual. Normally, Hai Ku’s work schedule was fixed, and after dinner, he would always head off to work, leaving dishwashing duties to Xiao Bao.

These past few days, Hai Ku hadn’t budged from his computer desk. His candid explanation allowed Xiao Bao to breathe a sigh of relief, even comforting Hai Ku. “It’s okay, Dad. We can save money these days, and once you find a new job, we can go out and have fun again, okay?”

“Good boy!” Hai Ku ruffled Xiao Bao’s hair, his heart aching with affection. “Once I find a new job, I’ll take you out for hot pot!”

Zhang Xiaobao blushed, his dimples showing as he smiled shyly. “Then can we visit Grandma’s house during summer vacation?”

Hai Ku’s previous job allowed him to work remotely on a computer, so he often spent holidays; especially summer vacations, back in his hometown.

It had become a tradition, and Zhang Xiaobao genuinely enjoyed the rural lifestyle. With just a month left until summer break, he was eagerly looking forward to it.

The question brought a smile to Hai Ku’s face, instantly brightening his mood.

“Of course, we can go back! This time, we’ll stay there for 2 whole months. But you have to do well on your final exams so Grandpa and Grandma will be proud of you.” Feeling excited, Hai Ku realized Xiao Bao’s suggestion had sparked a brilliant idea.

10 years ago, Zhang Haiku had spent a lot of money and pulled many strings to secure Xiao Bao’s birth certificate and household registration. After registering Xiao Bao’s birth, he also managed to transfer their rural household registration to the city.

Now, so many years had passed. Even if the female lead had the resources, there was no way she could uncover the truth, especially since the system records had already been replaced twice.

As for the male lead…

Hai Ku chuckled to himself, browsing through the system’s shop for potions.

Thanks to completing two missions earlier, he now had enough experience points to buy a decent number of items.

He refused to believe the male lead, as a cross-generational CEO and powerful underworld figure, would let it slide if a paternity test revealed that Xiao Bao wasn’t his child.