The Supporting Male Characters Who Died Alone All Those Years Later

“My dear, that’s Emperor He. You were already quite rude last night. Hurry up and say hello. It will help you get more screen time in the future.”

Bei Er yawned and waved her hand indifferently. “I’m not going. If I go, I’ll just get criticized for my bad manners.”

Bei Er had taken over her original owner, an internet celebrity who had clawed her way to fame. Her rise had been difficult, involving all sorts of publicity stunts, from fake relationships to riding on the coattails of others, which had left her with a tarnished reputation. Now, even though she was popular, collaborating with any male actor, even those less famous than herself, would lead to criticism about her behavior and intentions.

Now, Bei Er just wanted to be quiet, watch the drama unfold, and enjoy herself. The original owner had already made plenty of money. After finishing the current programs, she planned to retire from the industry and live a peaceful life, collecting rent as a wealthy landlady.

Seeing her laid-back, unambitious demeanor, the assistant felt both frustrated and disappointed, saying, “Bei Er, you’ve changed! You weren’t like this before! You would do anything for fame, crash red carpets, ride on trends, fake relationships…”

The speaker said it casually, but Bei Er, who had been drowsy, suddenly became alert, her expression turning uneasy and her eyes evasive.

***

After the noisy greetings, the filming officially began. First, the guests appeared one by one, awkwardly praising a sponsor’s brand of bread, then moved on to drawing lots.

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, He Dongchen randomly drew a lot. Though it seemed random, the program team had already manipulated the results.

He Dongchen glanced at the lot, frowned, raised his hand to stop, and went to the director with the lot, his expression indifferent. “I got the wrong one. Let’s reshoot.”

Seeing Bei Er’s name on the lot, the director immediately apologized with a smile, “There was a mistake, a careless error by the staff. Everyone, get back in position, and we’ll reshoot.”

After He Dongchen left, the director scolded the props team harshly, “How can you be so careless? What if Emperor He thinks we did it on purpose to promote Bei Er?”

The staff apologized repeatedly, and for the second take, they removed Bei Er’s lot entirely, ensuring no more mistakes.

This incident left everyone confused, especially Bei Er, who had no idea she had just missed a great opportunity.

Filming continued smoothly this time, and He Dongchen drew a lot for a female actor, Fang Nanxing, who had an academic persona. She wasn’t very famous but had potential.

When she was chosen, Fang Nanxing was thrilled, smiling from ear to ear. Her first words were, “Teacher He, I’ve loved watching your shows since I was a kid.”

He Dongchen fell silent: “…”

“Actually, if I remember correctly, we’re only 2 years apart.”

Fang Nanxing nodded eagerly, like a pecking chicken, “When you were acting, I was still playing in the mud.”

Fang Nanxing had a rural background with no connections. She had climbed her way to the big city through her academic achievements, graduating from a prestigious university. For some reason, she had switched careers to become an actor. Though she wasn’t very famous, she was familiar to audiences and had a good reputation. Her academic background naturally garnered goodwill, and her clean, tall appearance appealed to both men and women.

While they talked, the lot drawing continued. Finally, Bei Er was chosen by an older actor, Jiang Wei. He Dongchen’s expression was slightly amused. Jiang Wei was known for his dedication and strictness. With him, the laid-back female lead wouldn’t have time to slack off.

After the lot drawing ended, the director came out to assign tasks.

The four groups were tasked with selecting fish ponds in the village. The program team had already marked each pond with a price, ranging from 200 to several thousand. The group that managed to catch fish with the lowest price per pound by sunset would be the winner.

For example, if a team chose a pond worth 400 yuan, drained it, and caught one hundred fish weighing a total of 300 pounds, the price per pound would be 13.3 yuan.

On the other hand, if a team chose a pond worth 200, drained it, and caught thirty fish weighing a total of 20 pounds, the price per pound would be 10 yuan.

Though the former team worked hard to catch hundreds of pounds of fish, their unit price was higher, and the latter team won easily with less effort.

Under these game rules, the challenge tested the guests’ eyesight and luck. If they could catch a big haul from a cheap pond, they could win effortlessly.

In the original plot, the original owner was laid-back and let Bei Er, the lazy team member, choose a nearby small fish pond. Unexpectedly, they caught a big haul and won the competition easily while others struggled in the mud.

But at this moment…

***

He Dongchen and Fang Nanxing named their team “Dongnan,” which was easy to remember. After receiving their task, Fang Nanxing eagerly volunteered to choose the fish pond.

She said enthusiastically, “When I was a child, my neighbor had a fish pond for a few years. I picked up a few things from them.”

He Dongchen nodded, “We’ll rely on your skills then.”

In the original plot, Fang Nanxing’s team came in second place. They worked hard to catch hundreds of pounds of fish, ending up exhausted and disheveled. When the show aired, netizens compared screenshots and commented that effort couldn’t beat luck, and some people just had to accept their fate.

At some point, effort had become synonymous with struggle, and more people chose to resign themselves to fate, justifying it by promoting such ideas.

Taking advantage of the still-gentle sun, the two of them, wearing hats, walked towards the village fish ponds, followed by two assistants and the program crew.

A crowd of villagers watched the spectacle, sitting on small benches in the shade.

Fang Nanxing walked ahead, her steps light. She occasionally picked a few stalks of foxtail grass from the roadside, reminiscing, “I really miss the carefree days of my childhood.”

He Dongchen gazed at the layers of green mountains in the distance, a slight smile on his lips. A gentle breeze blew by, sending dandelions floating through the air. One playful seed even landed on his shoulder, looking proud.

“Teacher He, there’s a dandelion on your shoulder,” Fang Nanxing said with a smile, tactfully refraining from removing it herself.

He Dongchen glanced down, gently brushed it off, and said with a chuckle, “Don’t call me Teacher He, it sounds so old.”

Fang Nanxing followed his lead and said, “Then I’ll call you Brother Dongchen.”

“That still sounds old.”

As they chatted, they arrived at the fish ponds. Fang Nanxing’s expression grew serious as she began inspecting each pond, explaining the intricacies to He Dongchen.

“First, check if there are plenty of fish. Look at the water quality; if the water is cloudy, it means there are fish. If the water is clear and you can see the bottom, there won’t be any big fish.”

“Also, look at the water plants. See if they are healthy and if there are any bite marks…”

Fang Nanxing spoke knowledgeably. She finally stopped at a pond marked at 1500, rubbing her chin as she analyzed, “This pond is medium-sized. If we drain it smoothly, it will take 3 to 4 hours, leaving us the afternoon to catch fish.”

For the sake of excitement, the show didn’t allow the use of fishing nets or other tools, requiring the guests to catch fish by hand.

He Dongchen nodded and walked a few steps along the field ridge. Suddenly, he turned and called to the staff, “Give me some bread.”

Although puzzled, the staff handed over two pieces. The show’s sponsor was a bread brand, so having it appear on screen was beneficial.

He Dongchen tore open the packaging, broke the bread into small pieces, and rolled them into tiny balls, then threw them forcefully into the pond.

With a splash, a large number of bread balls rained into the pond. Soon, big and small fish surfaced, scrambling for the bread, showing that the pond was well-stocked.

The program staff were stunned. This approach worked too!

Fang Nanxing blinked and dryly said, “Brother Dongchen is the real expert. I was just showing off.”

She felt embarrassed for not thinking of using bread to test the pond’s fish population.

He Dongchen calmly said, “We’ll go with this pond. Let’s find the water outlet.”

The staff quickly stepped forward and provided them with waders. For He Dongchen, who was nearly 6 feet 3, the waders reached his chest, ensuring no water would get in.

Fang Nanxing put on the wide waders, which made her long legs disappear, making her look a bit silly.

“Brother, use some sunscreen,” Assistant Xiao Fang said, holding a bottle of spray sunscreen and liberally spraying He Dongchen’s face and neck. He Dongchen looked a bit comical as he reluctantly let Xiao Fang spray him.

There’s a type of fear where assistants were terrified of their artist got tanned.

He Dongchen helplessly raised his hands, while Fang Nanxing covered her mouth, laughing, her eyes curving like crescent moons.

Once they were fully equipped, they began searching for the drainage outlet. Fortunately, they found it easily, and the design was practical; by pressing down the pipe, they could start draining the water. If they hadn’t found the outlet, they would have had to use a pump, which would have been time-consuming and exhausting.

With the water draining, they had nothing to do but return to the villa and wait for the afternoon to catch fish.

Meanwhile, Bei Er was losing her mind.

***

She was just a lazy person who wanted to live idly and enjoy life!

Unfortunately, her teammate Jiang Wei was a meticulous old-timer who took his tasks seriously. Upon receiving the assignment, he carefully inspected almost all of the hundred-plus ponds in the area.

Bei Er, being relatively inexperienced, couldn’t show any attitude and had to force a smile while stumbling along behind him. The paths around the ponds were difficult to walk on, crooked and overgrown with weeds in remote areas. Wearing a mid-length floral dress, Bei Er’s calves were scratched in several places, forcing her to stop and change into pants.

Jiang Wei lectured her earnestly, “I understand that young girls like to look pretty, but you need to consider the occasion. Look at the other female guests today; you’re the only one in a dress.”

Bei Er blushed deeply as he scolded her in front of everyone. She screamed internally, wishing she could just be lazy!

When selecting a pond, Bei Er wanted to choose the smallest one with the least amount of work, but Jiang Wei flatly refused and ultimately picked a large one that would take four to five hours just to drain.

Bei Er stared at the large pond, feeling dizzy and wishing she could faint on the spot.

She wondered if it was too late to break the contract.