The Supporting Male Characters Who Died Alone All Those Years Later

By the time Fang Nanxing returned from taking pictures, Bei Er had already left. The production team was packing up, preparing to leave. The location for the next shoot would definitely not be here.

He Dongchen’s manager, Brother Liu, was talking to the director. When he saw his star actor return, he quickly ended the conversation and came over, curious, “Why did you suddenly go out for a walk? You didn’t mention it before.”

He Dongchen casually replied, “Just a whim, I was bored.”

Brother Liu glanced at the clean and beautiful Fang Nanxing next door, his thoughts shifting. He said, “The luggage is ready, we can set off anytime.”

“Okay, let’s go then.” He Dongchen nodded to the director, gave a nod to Fang Nanxing from a distance, and then got into the van to leave the small villa.

On the road, Brother Liu, noticing that He Dongchen was still in good spirits, mentioned the schedule for the next few days; “We have a dinner appointment with Director Lu Qin tomorrow. There are a few scripts that were handed to me; I think they’re good. You can choose from them. If they don’t suit you, just ignore them. Also, the son of the chairman of Qincheng Entertainment has returned from studying abroad and has joined the company as CEO. We should probably go and say hello.”

Qincheng Entertainment was their old employer. After their 15-year contract ended, He Dongchen had set up his own studio. However, they still had projects and resource exchanges with Qincheng Entertainment, and their relationship remained cordial.

Of course, a new CEO often means new policies. It was uncertain how the returning CEO would view their studio, so it was better to investigate early and plan accordingly.

He Dongchen’s gaze shifted slightly. The new president of Qincheng Entertainment, Fu Wenyu, was the male lead, wasn’t he? If the original owner was Bei Er’s first benefactor, giving her the opportunity for exposure, then Fu Wenyu was Bei Er’s resource card, aligning all resources with her.

Although the original plot described Fu Wenyu as being infatuated and blindly protective of the female lead, even attacking various competitors, including those under his own management without mercy, He Dongchen didn’t believe that someone who had received elite education would blindly follow their hormones.

In the original plot, Fu Wenyu was portrayed as infatuated. However, under his leadership, Qincheng Entertainment not only avoided defeat but also advanced to a higher level. Hidden behind the sweet and protective romance was a calculated weighing of pros and cons.

But given the development in the original plot, where Qincheng Entertainment solely supported Bei Er, and even somewhat proud female celebrities had switched to other managers, it was uncertain what would happen if no new talents emerged.

The system bounced around Brother Liu’s thinning head and asked curiously, [Couldn’t it be true love?]

“Maybe,” He Dongchen replied with a light smile. “Let’s see this time. Without him as a benefactor, and without Bei Er being able to become popular on variety shows, will Fu Wenyu still view her differently? The sky cold, the Wangs bankrupt.”

(T/N: The weather is cold, the Wangs bankrupt = a popular Internet phrase, which is the abbreviation of “the weather is cold, let Wang Group/family go bankrupt”, from “My Bodyguard” and “Fighter of the Destiny”. Referring to someone’s act of being pretentiously cool and calculating, becoming ironically camp.)

***

As they were about to get on the highway, the driver suddenly said, “The white car ahead looks familiar. It seems to be Bei Er’s nanny car.”

Everyone looked and saw that the nanny car was parked by the roadside, with a tripod set up behind it. It was clear that the car had broken down.

The driver, unsure, asked, “Do you want to help?”

“How can we help? We’re about to get on the highway. Don’t block the way; it’s dangerous,” Brother Liu replied firmly. It would be a joke if they were spotted by paparazzi taking the same car back. Who knew what they might write, especially given Bei Er’s notorious reputation? There was always the possibility she might stage something herself, so it was better to be cautious.

He Dongchen didn’t speak. In the original plot, the original owner did give Bei Er a ride, which happened to be captured by paparazzi and caused quite a stir. Although there were no significant losses in the end, He Dongchen, now in the role, naturally preferred to avoid any association with Bei Er.

Seeing that He Dongchen hadn’t said anything, the driver pressed the gas pedal, quickly passing by the white nanny car. During this, they saw Bei Er and a few others standing by the roadside, basking in the sun, looking frustrated.

Under the blazing sun, Bei Er slumped her shoulders, on the verge of tears. Seeing the nanny car drive by, she belatedly realized and grabbed her manager’s arm, saying, “That seems to be He Dongchen’s car! Hurry, hurry, ask for a lift!”

If she stayed out in the sun any longer, she would really turn into a “salted fish.”

Bei Er changed from her lazy demeanor to a lively one, waving at the car, “He Dongchen! Teacher He!”

However, the car kept driving further away, quickly merging onto the highway, and soon vanished from sight.

Bei Er was stunned. Was it because I hadn’t called out loudly enough?

The manager, standing aside with her arms crossed, spoke coldly, “Weren’t you clever when it came to outsmarting me? Why are you acting so foolish now? He Dongchen maintains a clean reputation with no scandals. Why would he let a small internet celebrity like you, who’s paired up with so many others, into his car?”

The manager was irritated by Bei Er’s lazy attitude and spoke sarcastically, showing no mercy.

Bei Er felt wronged. That was the previous owner’s fault!

The car had already left, and it was pointless to say anything now. While they anxiously waited for a tow truck, a white nanny car slowly pulled up in front of them. Fang Nanxing poked her head out, smiling as she asked, “Need a lift?”

“Yes, yes, yes!” Bei Er quickly nodded and hopped into the chilly car. Her manager, speechless, could only follow along with a grateful expression. The nanny car was spacious, and soon only the driver was left behind, waiting for assistance.

***

By the time it got dark, He Dongchen saw on his phone that Fang Nanxing had picked up Bei Er by the roadside, and they had traveled together in the same car, reluctantly parting ways with a lot of CP vibes.

He Dongchen, like the old man in the subway meme, squinted at his phone.

Have marketing accounts become this bizarre? No matter who it is, they just latch onto the CP vibe, regardless of gender.

Brother Liu, standing beside him, was relieved, saying, “It’s a good thing we didn’t stop.”

Otherwise, the headline would be something like, [He Dongchen Picks Up Bei Er by the Roadside, Travels Together, Parting Ways with Reluctance—Suspected of Being in a Romantic Relationship.]

Following that, there would be dozens of realistic rumors, saying that He Dongchen participated in the variety show only to support his young girlfriend, and that their public-funded travels were everywhere in the news.

Just thinking about it made Brother Liu shudder. He patted his chest and sighed, “Fang Nanxing’s good intentions caused all this trouble.” Although there were two female celebrities currently hyping up a CP, not everyone could make a living off that.

Some people are straightforward and don’t mind other people’s same-sex relationships. They don’t question or criticize it, even offer blessings, but they couldn’t handle being paired with someone of the same sex themselves. Just thinking about it makes their stomach churn and their entire body uncomfortable.

It’s like someone who can’t stand the smell of durian. Watching others eat it is fine; they stay away. But if you shoved durian into their mouth and sealed it shut, that would be a bit excessive.

As he was speaking, He Dongchen scrolled to another Weibo post. It was a set of pictures Fang Nanxing had taken in the chrysanthemum patch that morning. With red lips and white teeth, the beauty of the person and the scenery, paired with a white dress and yellow wild chrysanthemums, gave off a strong summer vibe.

The Weibo caption read: [Likes the opposite sex, refuses CP.]

Most comments in the section condemned the unscrupulous marketing accounts, with a few mocking Bei Er for being desperate to become famous.

***

Bei Er was caught in the crossfire. It really wasn’t my fault! I like the opposite sex too! Who wouldn’t prefer a tall, handsome guy?

Her manager grumbled angrily, “I knew they had bad intentions. Look at how much goodwill they gained from this maneuver.”

These days, people were into all sorts of trends, but mainstream preference was still heterosexuality. Fang Nanxing had decisively rejected the CP angle, undoubtedly earning the favor of many onlookers, while Bei Er faced another day of being mocked and belittled.

Seeing her manager’s fury, Bei Er, already prepared to hire a water army to counterattack, quickly whispered, “Well, it might just be a coincidence. The other party doesn’t seem like that kind of person.”

Her manager paused, looking at Bei Er with a hint of nostalgia, and remarked, “You’ve really changed. You used to be the first to jump into these situations, and you’d curse even more fiercely than I did.”

Whether this matter was an important self-directed performance by Fang Nanxing or not didn’t matter. What mattered was their enthusiasm and the fact that there were still eleven more episodes to come. How could there be a shortage of hype?

On the other side, Fang Nanxing was also being nagged by her manager: “I told you not to meddle in things.”

Fang Nanxing smiled apologetically, “Who knew the paparazzi would be there? Such a coincidence.”

Seeing her reaction, her manager couldn’t say much more. They could only closely monitor the situation and see how Bei Er would respond.

Fang Nanxing stuck out her tongue and continued scrolling through her phone. Her eyes suddenly lit up, and she excitedly said, “He Dongchen liked my post! He even followed me!”

“Let me see.” Her manager looked and confirmed it. He immediately grinned widely and said, “Quickly follow him back. Don’t forget to follow the other guests as well, including Bei Er.”

He Dongchen’s Weibo had been inactive for a long time. With tens of millions of fans eagerly awaiting updates, his sudden like and follow of Fang Nanxing stirred a lot of discussion. The topic quickly shifted, and Bei Er was soon forgotten.

Unlike other fans, He Dongchen’s followers had been persistently urging him to get married. After all, He Dongchen had debuted at 6 years old and had been active on the big screen ever since. The audience had watched him grow up and mature, and they felt no possessiveness. He was like their own child.

With the “child” being of a certain age, it was time for him to get married.

Now, seeing He Dongchen like a female celebrity with a slim waist and long legs, fans were thrilled. They flocked to Fang Nanxing’s Weibo and saw that she was a top student, which was impressive. Her clean and fresh appearance was easy to like.