The Cold and Ruthless Supporting Male Lead

Looking at the caller ID marked as “Darling,” Nangong Jun felt the letters were mocking him.

The 10 years of feelings seemed to turn to ashes in an instant.

Lighting a cigarette for himself, Nangong Jun casually tossed the phone aside, repeatedly rejecting calls that clashed with his image as a domineering CEO. Yet, he couldn’t bring himself to block her outright; it felt too final.

As the phone screen dimmed and lit up repeatedly, Nangong Jun grew increasingly disgusted. The thought of being cuckolded made him feel utterly revolted.

When Ning Rourou had just returned to the country, he had secretly provided her with immense support.

He had assumed her departure back then was due to their mismatched statuses. After her return, Nangong Jun had leveraged his network to pull her struggling company out of the mire.

Everything he imagined had been so perfect; even the engagement ring was ready. Nangong Jun believed he had done enough, but now this was the result he received.

Perhaps he could love someone for 10 years, but it only took a moment to stop.

***

Ning Rourou was in a panic. Her company had only just begun to stabilize, and the significant deal with Nangong Jun was the linchpin.

Now that he had canceled the partnership, it dealt a devastating blow to her company, potentially jeopardizing its future operations.

Not understanding what she had done wrong, Ning Rourou, after several unanswered calls, got into her car and drove straight to Nangong Jun’s home.

This project was far too critical for her; she couldn’t afford any mistakes at this juncture.

If the collaboration succeeded, her company’s scale would expand further, elevating its status to a higher level.

Having worked so hard, Ning Rourou couldn’t bear the thought of all her efforts going to waste.

[I’m downstairs at your place. Can you come out to see me?]

It was the summer vacation season, and while the daytime heat was unbearable, the weather cooled down pleasantly after sunset. Wearing a deliberately thin outfit, Ning Rourou stood at the bottom of Nangong Jun’s apartment building.

This was the same apartment complex from 10 years ago; the place where she had conceived their child during their intimate time here. Despite the passage of a decade, standing here again felt like it had all happened just yesterday.

It was as if those 10 years had never existed. If given another chance, she would undoubtedly choose to take the child abroad with her…

Lost in her emotions, Ning Rourou reminisced about her past once more. She thought her younger self had been a bit naive, but she didn’t regret it. It was her resilience back then that brought her to where she stood today.

The fact that Nangong Jun still lived in this place showed he hadn’t been able to let go of his feelings for her.

Ning Rourou felt there was still a chance. As long as she explained everything clearly, there might still be room for reconciliation.

But she waited for quite some time. Her feet were numb from standing at the base of the building, yet Nangong Jun hadn’t responded to her message.

Worried, Ning Rourou frowned deeply. Her small, delicate face was filled with anxiety. She wondered whether Nangong Jun was even in the building.

Meanwhile, Nangong Jun had taken everything back to his home. When in a foul mood, he preferred to work at home.

His secretary, who earned a high salary, had followed him over. Glancing out the window once more, the secretary finally said, “Boss, Miss Ning has been standing downstairs this whole time.”

“Let her stand there if she wants to,” Nangong Jun sneered, his voice dripping with disdain. He couldn’t help but think how foolish he had been back then.

10 years ago, he hadn’t treated Ning Rourou poorly. When he was deeply in love, he practically held her in his hands as if she were fragile, fearing she might dissolve in his mouth or slip through his fingers. And what had she done in return?

She cried over every little thing, her entire being like water. Poke her, and tears would pour endlessly. During their time together, he had felt nearly drowned in her tears.

He had thought that, with 10 years gone by, she would have matured significantly. Yet here she was, still using the same pity ploys, as if he were a fool.

“So, Boss, when can I get off work?” the secretary asked, clearly uninterested in meddling in their personal affairs. Glancing at the time, she hurriedly sought approval to leave, her tone growing impatient. “My baby still needs me to go home and nurse him.”

Nangong Jun paused mid-signature, looking at her with an incredulous expression. “Shali, since when are you married? And with a child, too?”

“Boss… I got married last year, remember? You even gave me a 200,000-yuan red envelope,” the secretary replied awkwardly. “When my son was born, you even gave me a raise…”

“Oh…” Nangong Jun responded coldly, his face blank.

As if struck by a sudden thought, he stopped her before she could leave. “When your son was born, did you ever think about abandoning him?”

“Oh, my goodness, Boss, are you joking?” The secretary’s face was a mix of shock and disbelief, as though her boss had lost his mind to ask such an absurd question. “If I didn’t want children, we’d have taken precautions. If I didn’t want him while he was still unformed, I’d have terminated the pregnancy. But once I chose to have him, of course, I was committed to raising him properly.”

“Understood. On your way out, tell her to leave. I won’t see her.” Nangong Jun nodded, his feelings conflicted.

Not only did he find the secretary’s reasoning sound, but he also realized how badly he had misjudged Ning Rourou. He wondered what on earth had possessed him to fall for her in the first place.

Coldly, he picked up his phone and blocked her number. It was time to think about the future.

Wasting 10 years on someone unworthy had been utterly foolish.

***

When the secretary went downstairs, she glanced at Ning Rourou.

Having worked as Nangong Jun’s secretary for 10 years, she instinctively recognized the woman. Seeing Ning Rourou staring back at her, the secretary nodded politely and said, “Miss Ning, the President said he won’t see you. You should leave.”

“What?!” Ning Rourou’s face contorted in shock.

Losing all composure, she grabbed the secretary’s arm, disbelief etched across her face. “What did he say? Why won’t he see me? Is it because of you? Huh? You’ve been by his side for 10 years; are you his mistress?”

The secretary pushed her away but refrained from hitting her, maintaining her professional demeanor. However, her tone turned icy. “Please have some self-respect. I’m a married woman with a child. Don’t project your filth onto others. I need to go home to nurse my baby. Stay here and do whatever you want.”

“How can you be like this!?” Ning Rourou lost her composure entirely. “Just a couple of days ago, he was fine with me! It must be because of something you said!”

Hearing this absurd accusation, the secretary took a deep breath, resisting the urge to take off her high heel and hurl it at Ning Rourou’s face. “Stop making a scene. If you’re so capable, go ahead and get me fired.”

“You must’ve slept with Nangong Jun. That’s why you’re so confident now!” Ning Rourou continued her tirade, trying to grab the secretary’s arm to stop her from leaving.

Seeing that Ning Rourou was becoming more unreasonable by the minute, the secretary slapped her across the face.

The sharp sound of the slap left Ning Rourou stunned, her hand pressed to her cheek.

“I’m warning you! Stop spouting nonsense! If I had any such intentions, you wouldn’t even have appeared 10 years ago.” The secretary’s tone grew colder as she looked at Ning Rourou with disdain. “If you lack any redeeming qualities, don’t test others’ patience. I don’t know what the President ever saw in you for 10 years, but in my eyes, you’re not even worth a pile of dog crap.”

It was the first time the secretary had ever spoken so crudely, a clear sign of her anger.

Turning slightly, she shot Ning Rourou a scornful glance, retrieved her car keys from her bag, and climbed into her car. Before driving off, she offered one last piece of advice. “Instead of begging the President here, why don’t you focus on running your company better? That’s my final word of advice to you.”

The exhaust from her car blew into Ning Rourou’s face, filling her with rage.

“Just wait and see!” she hissed, her expression twisted with hatred. Turning on her heel, she stormed back to her car.

Long before returning to the country, she had already prepared her backup plan.

Even without Nangong Jun’s help, she was confident she would still have other opportunities.

Back then, she had no money to study abroad. It was only through the assistance of an elderly gentleman that she managed to leave the country and enroll in one of the most prestigious schools.

When she returned, she hadn’t gone to visit him because that gentleman had introduced his son to Ning Rourou. However, at that time, Ning Rourou had just abandoned her child and wasn’t in the mood for romance.

After returning home, she and Nangong Jun had hit it off by chance. Ning Rourou had completely forgotten about the old gentleman, but now she felt it was time to pay him a visit.

***

Looking at Ning Rourou’s slightly twisted expression, Hai Ku couldn’t help but feel that something big was about to happen.

He had initially stopped reading when Zhang Haiku forcefully handed over the child and abandoned the storyline. But based on the typical tropes of melodramatic stories, the female lead was bound to encounter influential and powerful people.

Now that the male lead was ignoring her, it was only a matter of time before those influential figures entered the picture.

The thought left him a little excited. Hai Ku was genuinely curious to see which powerful person the female lead’s aura of dominance would latch onto next.

Just as Hai Ku was thoroughly enjoying himself, Mother Zhang emerged from the kitchen with a plate of freshly cut fruit. “Hai Ku, if you have time, take Xiao Bao to visit your grandpa.”

“Grandpa?” Hai Ku was momentarily stunned. He hadn’t read that far and had no idea the supporting male character even had a grandfather.

“Mm-hmm. Back when I insisted on marrying your father, it caused a huge rift with my family. But he always liked you. If you take Xiao Bao to see him, he’ll definitely be happy.” Mother Zhang’s face softened as she reminisced.

“He even wanted to introduce you to a match back then.”

***

Author’s Note:

Remember, this is a silly, overly dramatic story. Don’t bother me with logic—it doesn’t exist here.