The Supporting Male Characters Who Died Alone All Those Years Later

The rural-themed show, “Pastoral Scenery,” aired over twelve episodes and took more than 2 months to finish. During this time, He Dongchen fished, collected eggs, picked mushrooms, dug bamboo shoots, and caught lobsters. Despite his careful sun protection, he still got a few shades darker, transforming from his original refined and gentle look to a healthy and robust appearance.

Fang Nanxing also darkened considerably and sighed in despair.

He Dongchen comforted her, “It’s perfect. The role you’re playing is a formidable female antagonist, and this skin tone is just right for it.”

Fang Nanxing felt comforted.

He Dongchen’s film, which he directed, was an action movie featuring a male bodyguard protecting a female employer who was being chased. They fled from one wave of villains after another.

Although the female employer was the female lead, her role was limited to beauty and screaming, and she was generally likable. In contrast, He Dongchen gave Fang Nanxing’s character; a high-powered female antagonist, a role with impressive combat skills and a striking persona.

Of course, this came with higher demands. He Dongchen’s film aimed for perfection, and the main highlight of action films was intense fighting. Many current films had lackluster fights, with unsteady weapon handling, slow-motion shots, and fake moves that left viewers feeling drained.

He Dongchen personally designed the fight choreography and required the actors to train for a month to ensure their moves were powerful, with punches and kicks packing a punch, and to be able to perform difficult stunts.

Those who couldn’t endure the hardship were quickly sent packing.

Fang Nanxing’s role had a lot of fighting scenes, and she would be wearing high heels, making it particularly challenging.

After training began, Fang Nanxing practiced with her martial arts instructor and often ended up bruised and battered, which made her manager’s heart ache.

“Such beautiful long legs, and now there are two bruises,” the manager said, distressed.

Fang Nanxing laid on the ground, covered in sweat, motionless.

The door to the practice room was knocked on, and Fang Nanxing saw He Dongchen’s upright figure appear in the doorway. She immediately sprang up, sat cross-legged, tidied her wet hair, and smiled, “What’s the matter, Dongchen?”

He Dongchen shook the small medicine bottle in his hand and said, “Here’s your medicine. Remember to apply it.”

The manager let Fang Nanxing stay seated and cheerfully went to take the medicine, raising his eyebrows and asking, “Did Teacher He only prepare this for our Nanxing?”

Fang Nanxing quickly lowered her head and discreetly listened.

From the doorway, the male voice said, “Everyone gets one, but… this is the premium version. Besides promoting blood circulation and reducing bruising, it also has good whitening and spot treatment effects.”

After saying that, He Dongchen glanced at the smiling Fang Nanxing, then turned and left with a light step.

The manager clicked her tongue, examining the small bottle, and wondered what brand it was. Moreover, the bottle increasingly resembled jade; expensive jade.

Goodness, was this for treating bruises, or was it a bribe?

***

The film crew started shooting at the end of August and finished 4 months later. Many scenes involving high-speed car races or explosions were shot on location, burning through the budget. He Dongchen added an additional hundred million in investment, while Fang Nanxing contributed 20 million, which earned her a scowl from her manager.

“You’re so love-struck. If the movie flops, will all your hard work these past years go down the drain?”

Fang Nanxing smiled apologetically, “It won’t flop. I acted so well!”

The manager rolled her eyes again.

When the film wrapped up, the post-production was rushed, and it premiered during the Qingming Festival the following year. He Dongchen’s fans rallied to support it, filling the theaters.

Despite the negative buzz surrounding He Dongchen’s casting for months, which created a preconceived notion among the audience that it would be unappealing, He Dongchen intentionally stoked the fire and stirred up the opposition to provoke a reverse psychology effect.

Thus, on the premiere day, the box office was quite good, surpassing one hundred million.

After all, He Dongchen still had strong box office appeal.

This achievement made the companies that had been mere observers regretful, especially Fu Wenyu, whose face turned dark, radiating coldness.

For several consecutive days, the box office numbers continued to soar, and the film’s reputation steadily improved. With such brilliant and unblemished fight scenes, it was undoubtedly a high-quality production.

In no time, the media shifted from negative commentary to extravagant praise. Various interviews flooded in, and Fang Nanxing, as the most outstanding female character in the film, shot to fame, overshadowing the actress playing the lead role. She received an abundance of resources.

Most importantly! She had invested 20 million! Given the current trend, as long as there were no further setbacks, she would easily recoup over 100 million.

She was on her way to making a fortune!

“Are you so happy?” At the celebration banquet, He Dongchen saw Fang Nanxing in a red dress, holding a glass of champagne. She had been smiling all night, laughing with everyone, radiating joy. He couldn’t help but shake his head.

“Happy! Extremely happy!” Fang Nanxing said, taking a sip of her drink. She lazily leaned against the balcony, gazing at the full moon in the sky, smiling somewhat foolishly. “Among so many people who have become famous, it’s finally my turn! Hard work won’t be in vain! Long live effort!”

He Dongchen took the wobbly glass from her hand and set it aside. Then he removed his coat and draped it over her smooth, fair shoulders. He leaned in and asked, “Would you like to be even happier?”

Fang Nanxing looked at the suddenly intimate man, swallowed, and replied slowly, “What kind of happiness do you mean?”

“For example, having a boyfriend?”

“Sure, sure!”

Hehe.

Not far away, Fang Nanxing’s manager quietly retreated and responsibly stood guard at the balcony entrance, arms crossed, shaking her head.

***

For the next half month, the internet was abuzz with news about He Dongchen’s film. As the initial excitement began to wane, news of their relationship broke, sparking another wave of interest. People flocked to see the film again, commenting that the female lead was unnecessary.

Ultimately, the film grossed 34 billion, breaking the record for the highest box office for an action film in recent years.

He Dongchen enjoyed both fame and fortune, riding high on success, while Fu Wenyu faced disaster. He was ruthlessly attacked by the shareholders of Qincheng Entertainment.

Initially, when He Dongchen was preparing to shoot a film financed by Qincheng Entertainment, Fu Wenyu had returned to take charge and forcefully intervened, causing the project to be shelved. The company’s internal dissatisfaction was high, but it was suppressed by the chairman. Now, with He Dongchen’s self-directed film achieving great success, the shareholders were unable to remain calm. They gathered at the company, demanding an explanation from Fu Wenyu.

Fu Wenyu was overwhelmed and frustrated, watching the cold smiles of the shareholders. The smiles that had greeted him when he introduced a new artist had turned into swift disdain. His previous contributions seemed to have been for nothing.

In the office, several shareholders, filled with righteous indignation, spoke at length, ultimately deciding that Fu Wenyu should apologize and persuade He Dongchen to return. They wanted to capitalize on the current momentum and continue filming the project.

Fu Wenyu was extremely reluctant, but he still bowed to the shareholders and contacted He Dongchen’s manager with a dark face.

Brother Liu was thoroughly pleased and deliberately extended his words, “Our Dongchen is on vacation abroad with his girlfriend. When he’ll be back? I’m not sure. Do you have something to discuss? If so, you’ll have to wait. Is that okay?”

Fu Wenyu gritted his teeth and replied, “You shouldn’t go too far just because we’ll be seeing each other again. Don’t get carried away.”

“Get carried away? Oh my, President Fu, I didn’t think you knew that phrase. I thought you were so high and mighty that you wouldn’t know.” Brother Liu mocked him harshly before casually hanging up the phone.

He then called He Dongchen and vividly described the situation, “Hahaha, it’s a shame you’re abroad. Otherwise, you’d definitely have enjoyed seeing Fu Wenyu groveling.”

He Dongchen was lying in a lounge chair, watching the graceful figure moving in the pool, and replied nonchalantly, “Not seeing him might make him feel even worse.”

Fu Wenyu, who had likely been smooth sailing and never faced setbacks before, was extremely arrogant. If he were directly mocked, he might remember the lesson and strive harder. But if treated as an insignificant person and dismissed lightly, he would have no place to vent his frustrations and might hold onto the grudge for a long time.

“Well, I have other matters to attend to. I’m hanging up.” He Dongchen ended the call quickly, tossed his phone aside, removed the towel draped over him, and walked briskly into the pool to swim towards Fang Nanxing.

With beautiful scenery and a charming companion, there was no time to deal with minor figures.

Unable to find He Dongchen, Fu Wenyu, feeling resentful, had no choice but to seek a secondary solution under the pressure from shareholders. He decided to invite Director Lu Qin back first.

While on vacation in another country, Lu Qin removed his sunglasses and said, “Filming? Not interested. Vacation is too enjoyable.”

Fu Wenyu hit a wall on both fronts and was thoroughly frustrated.

***

At the same time, Bei Er’s life was also tough. This year, she was squeezed dry of her value by her manager and discarded. After leaving the entertainment industry, she planned to become a wealthy and leisurely landlady. However, when the Bei Er’s family learned of her departure, they stormed to her place, shouting and demanding money. The whole family of more than ten people watched over her every day and confiscated her ID.

Initially, feeling guilty, Bei Er gave them a large sum of money and two houses, only to discover that the Bei family was an insatiable pit that could never be filled. She tried to escape and sought help from her manager.

The manager sneered and said, “Aren’t you just a salted fish? Why aren’t you being one now? Just lie down and stop struggling!”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Please help me, I beg you.” Bei Er broke down and cried.

After a moment of silence, the manager finally said, “I’ll bring some people to pick you up tomorrow. After that, you’re on your own. If you don’t act, there’s no future for you.”

The next day, the manager arrived with a group of burly bodyguards, scaring the Bei family into silence. After Bei Er emerged, she was left with only some savings and a small house.

But she no longer dared to stay in that city. She quickly sold her house and hid in a remote small county, where her savings only sufficed for a tight living.

Bei Er had some idle time again and noticed that prices had risen, and her savings had depreciated. She had no choice but to look for work again. During her busy days, she continued to hear news about He Dongchen and Fang Nanxing.

They had gotten married, He Dongchen kept producing excellent work, and Fang Nanxing had become a top-tier star, living a life of great splendor.

As time passed, Bei Er felt increasingly discontent. One day at work, two girls called her ‘aunt,’ and she completely broke down, crying uncontrollably.

I had once participated in that variety show too! Why is there such a huge difference now? They were thriving while she was just an ordinary person, struggling for a living. She had once had the chance to become famous and live a fulfilling life.

Bei Er crouched on the ground, sobbing loudly. Passersby looked at her with indifference and walked around her.

***

No one cared about her, except for the idle system that occasionally glanced her way and then reported to He Dongchen, [This is how a salted fish should end up.]

He Dongchen smiled but said nothing, watching Fang Nanxing in the distance as she chose clothes for their daughter, without joining the conversation.

The system, feeling bored, then looked at Fu Wenyu.

It remarked, [Wasn’t Fu Wenyu married to that female artist before? Now they’re in the middle of a divorce.]

The female artist had chosen to divorce, indicating she was an independent and principled person. After enduring Fu Wenyu’s controlling nature for years, she had once again requested a divorce.

The male and female leads were in turmoil, while He Dongchen lived a fulfilling life. Decades later, he saw off his peacefully passing wife and left his small world behind.