It's Actually Not Easy Wanting to be a Supporting Male Lead

Translated by Eve

Edited by Wuxian

Chapters in this arc: 13

The thunder rumbled outside, a downpour had just begun. Sui Yuan shivered as he rushed into a house, shaking out his soaked hair. The next second, a soft and dry towel fell over his head. Sui Yuan raised his head and met with the gentle gaze of the protagonist shou of this world, Yang Yue: "Quickly dry off. You've had a weak body since young. It won't be good if you catch a cold."

Sui Yuan murmured his thanks and grabbed hold of the towel, rubbing his hair dry.

"Yang Yue, you're truly so prepared, ah. You even brought a towel? A short haired, robust, and candid looking young lady said in surprise.

"En, one can encounter all sorts of situations once out of the house. It is better to be prepared, just in case," Yang Yue smiled softly, then added a bit apologetically, "Only, I didn't bring many. I'm sorry."

"It's fine, it's fine!" The girl waved her hands, not minding at all. She ruffled her own short hair that was also wet, "I'm healthy, ne! I don't feel cold at all. However, Xiao Xiao's face seems to have paled from the cold. You should focus on taking care of him more, ne!"

Sui Yuan's——or rather, Xiao Xiao in this world——movements paused and he revealed a rather embarrassed expression, retorting in a quiet voice, "I…I actually don't feel that cold…."

The girl only gave him a wry smile and did not pay any more attention to him.

The protagonist shou, Yang Yue, only brought two towels. He had given one to Sui Yuan, and the other naturally was given to the protagonist gong, Ming Hai. Sui Yuan looked at the protagonist gong and shou who had just been intimately sharing a towel, heart feeling especially gratified.

The protagonist gong and shou of this world were childhood friends. Before the start of the plot, the feelings between them were already more than that of normal friends. The most important part was that the two people were especially loyal. Even if Sui Yuan wanted to stick himself between, he would encounter much trouble.

Of course, in this world, his main mission was not to preserve the plot but to find the Destroyer and kill him/her.

Sui Yuan carelessly wiped his hair and then silently handed his towel to the robust girl. The girl did not decline and offhandedly said a word of thanks before putting the towel onto her own head.

"This damned awful weather! The weather forecast clearly said that it would be clear skies today, that it would be suitable for people to go out and enjoy the weather, but who would have known that it would take such an unexpected turn!" The boy who seemed to have a bit of a bad streak spat out these words, evidently vexed, "The more we drive, the worse the road conditions become. The GPS keeps dying every now and then, and our car broke down in the middle of the road. Fortunately, we found this house. Otherwise, I really don't know what we'd do tonight!"

"However, it isn't good for us to casually enter this place," Yang Yue knitted his brows in worry, "Isn't this considered private property? Although it looks like no one's lived here for a long time…."

"It should be someone's home," The other youth pushed up his glasses, appearance of one refined in manner, "When I researched for places we could visit, I didn't see anyone recommend this residence. It is reasonable to say that this antique yet grand manor ought to be very attractive to sightseers. The only possible explanation is that it is not open to the public."

"…But we didn't see any 'no entry' signs on the way here…' The other girl by the robust young lady looked evidently much more refined compared to the latter. At this moment, she took the towel offered to her by the robust girl.

"It's probably because visibility is low on account of the rain and also because we were all busy avoiding getting drenched, so we didn't notice, ba," Yang Yue said in a placating manner.

Listening to the others' back and forth discussion, Sui Yuan, who was off to the side, was evidently much more quiet, alongside the protagonist gong, Ming Hai who also did not utter a word. Only, Sui Yuan's silence was due to his 'shyness' whereas Ming Hai was innately calm and reticent.

Yes, the role of Xiao Xiao that Sui Yuan had to act as this time was a shy, quiet role with a small presence. He was childhood friends with both the protagonist shou, Yang Yue, and the protagonist gong, Ming Hai. Unfortunately, he was unlike the gentle and handsome Yang Yue, nor did he have Ming Hai's handsome air and capability. He was extremely mediocre in every aspect and was completely outshone by the protagonist gong and shou. His innate shyness and his accumulated feelings of self-inferiority made him increasingly quiet and gloomy. No matter from what angle one looked, he was really not the type to attract other people's affection.

Because of Xiao Xiao's particular trait, even if he had grown up with Yang Yue and Ming Hai for so long, the feelings between them were not particularly deep. For Ming Hai, Xiao Xiao was an invisible person. The only person he recognized as his childhood friend was Yang Yue. Meanwhile, the protagonist shou, Yang Yue, was a much gentler person. His wifely personality made him inclined to take care of Xiao Xiao, but that was just that. He would take care of anyone else with just as much concern.

As for Xiao Xiao, his feelings toward Yang Yue and Ming Hai were much more complicated. Xiao Xiao secretly liked Ming Hai because he was tall, handsome, and confident. Ming Hai with outstanding capabilities was the kind of person Xiao Xiao longed to become the most. Thus, this longing, under puberty's influence, became infatuation.

Because of this infatuation, Xiao Xiao was very jealous of Yang Yue, who received the bulk of Ming Hai's attention. However, within this jealousy was also the gratefulness to Yang Yue for the times he had taken care of him, making Xiao Xiao feel especially conflicted.

Of course, it was probably because of this gratefulness that Xiao Xiao, who originally had great potential to blacken, never developed any negative feelings towards Yang Yue. The furthest he went was to confess to Ming Hai just before dying. He had hoped to be able to kiss Ming Hai just once before the end, but Ming Hai, steadfast in his loyalty to Yang Yue, did not satisfy his wish.

——Although the plot was not important anymore, Sui Yuan still had no choice but to work hard in analyzing his character and making sure he did not slip up. This was because in this world, the Destroyer was very likely by his side.

The genre of this world was [Supernatural]. This [Supernatural] genre had a very common plot device. For example, to inexplicably have to enter some place because of a combination of freak factors, experience strange events, and unexpectedly discovering that one is trapped when they want to leave. Afterwards, people will die, get hurt, things get bloody, the characters meet with ghosts, and so on. Naturally, this world did not escape this pattern.

To put things simply, the protagonist gong and shou's party of seven were going on a graduation trip. Unfortunately, their car broke down while it was raining outside and they ended up trapped in an ancient-looking manor. There were all sorts of various ghosts within the manor: some were good, some were bad, some helped them, and some wanted to hurt them. Furthermore, the person who controlled all of these non-human beings was the manor's owner. The protagonists' party faced all kinds of danger. Meanwhile, the protagonist shou had a supernatural constitution. He could see powerful non-human beings and could naturally see the manor's owner.

The protagonist shou and the manor's owner met many times. The manor's owner fell in love with the protagonist shou and wanted to force him to stay here. At the same time, he wanted to kill the protagonist gong that the protagonist shou cared about so much.

Yang Yue naturally was unwilling. Thus, he and Ming Hai made a narrow escape out of the manor together. As for the comrades who came here with them, either they courted death themselves, or they were innocently implicated — all of them were turned into cannon fodder.

Only, this was not the final ending. At the end of the plot, a book in the protagonist shou's room was spread open, as if blown by the wind, but also like someone was lazily flipping through it. However, the room's door and windows were all tightly shut. There was no way there could be flowing air.

"This story is part of a series, la!" Faced with Sui Yuan's question, 5237 responsibly and diligently cleared up his confusion, "The owner of the manor did not let the protagonist shou off. Although the protagonist shou had escaped, the manor owner also chased after him. What happens next is that the protagonist shou has to deal with the manor owner's malicious attentions while also solving one supernatural issue after another…except that, this has nothing to do with you anymore, la! So you only got the plot of the first story~"

Sui Yuan was not that curious and thus smoothly accepted these settings.

This time, when he had woken up, he had found himself sitting in the backseat of a car. Right after he had finished reading the entirety of the plot, the car had broken down. Since he was placed in this point of the plot, that meant that the Origin had already locked onto the Destroyer's location: inside of the manor.

After all, an Actor could only replace a character that is related to the plot. A Destroyer that had their background as an Actor was the same. Perhaps he/she was a human who would face the danger alongside Sui Yuan, or perhaps he/she was a non-human being that would come into contact with the protagonist party in the plot. In any case, at this point in time, no matter if it was a non-human being or a human, none of them could leave the manor. This gave Sui Yuan more opportunities to weed out the Destroyer. Of course, Sui Yuan himself was at great risk. He needed to proceed cautiously without letting even the littlest flaw leak out.

Only, generally speaking, Sui Yuan had the more advantageous position. He already knew that there was a Destroyer in this world. However, the Destroyer had yet to sense Sui Yuan, who was stuck into this world through the back door by the Origin. The enemy is exposed but I'm hidden in the dark—this gave Sui Yuan enough power to take the first strike.

Of course, because of Sui Yuan's fraudulent halo's effects, he needed to resolve this Destroyer as quickly as possible. Otherwise, as time passed, he would very likely influence the other characters' attitudes towards him and thus end up influencing the plot. If that happened, Sui Yuan's identity would be exposed.

If he is discovered by the Destroyer and has to genuinely come to blows with him/her…Sui Yuan had no assurance that he would win.

"I really don't know…where Zhao Xihe went. Nor do I know if he was even released yet." Once he thought of this, Sui Yuan became extremely sullen.

Obviously, Zhao Xihe was not present in this group of friends. Sui Yuan and Zhao Xihe were extremely familiar with each other. There was no way they would not recognize the other when face-to-face. Naturally, 5237 had tried to link up with 0007 but there was no response, leaving Sui Yuan worried.

Where was Zhao Xihe right now? In the little black room? Did he become a non-human entity? Sui Yuan discovered that Xiao Xiao's body did not have the ability to perceive the supernatural in the least. Even if Zhao Xihe was by his side, he wouldn't be able to feel it at all, ah!

While he was thinking this, Sui Yuan suddenly felt cold air behind him and violently shivered.

"Xiao Xiao? What's wrong? Are you cold?" Yang Yue, who had been carefully paying attention to him all along naturally noticed, and thus asked with concern.

"…No. I just suddenly felt a cold wind blow…" Sui Yuan rubbed the goosebumps that had erupted along his arms, hesitating a bit, "Perhaps…it's just my imagination?"

"Hahahaha! Xiao Xiao, it couldn't be that you're scared?! The windows and door here are all closed. Where would a breeze come from?" The bad boy smiled widely, ridiculing him without any politeness, "Are you afraid of this kind of eerie place? Next time, let's go to a haunted house. You even tightly held onto Ming Hai's hand. You looked like you're about to cry from fright, ne!"

"…I did not!" Sui Yuan bit his lips in indignation, as if he was angry for having his black history brought up, but dared not fall into a true rage, so he could only settle for a weak and insipid retort.

"Ok, Ok, this isn't the time to talk about such things," Seeing that Xiao Xiao's face was red and his eyes were watery, as if he was about to cry from anger, Yang Yue felt his heart hurt for some inexplicable reason and promptly interrupted, "The rain is getting heavier. It probably won't stop by tonight. We ought to discuss our sleeping arrangements."

——To tell the truth, Yang Yue originally did not really like Xiao Xiao. He felt that his gloomy and timid appearance was really useless. However, he didn't know why but this time, he felt that his appearance right now was very pitiful, like a little puppy that was being bullied. It made him want to take care of him a bit more.

Seeing that Yang Yue was defending Xiao Xiao, the bad boy gave him face and did not continue to mock Xiao Xiao. Or rather, he was more afraid of Ming Hao, who stood by Yang Yue's side, silent but was an expert in fighting. The bad boy made a threatening gesture towards Xiao Xiao and then spoke to Yang Yue, changing the topic, "What's there to discuss? There's a sofa downstairs and probably some bedrooms upstairs with beds. Although there's a bit of dust, they seem rather sturdy. Good enough to lie on!"

Sui Yuan silently lowered his head. He was not going to stoop to the same level as this cannon fodder that would immediately go court death!

Yang Yue glanced at Sui Yuan apologetically, but his words were hesitant, "However, we really shouldn't have barged in here to avoid the rain without permission. How can we make a mess of another's belongings?"

"We have no choice. In all likelihood, the owner probably won't mind, ba? At worst, before we leave, we'll tidy everything up. That should be fine!" The robust girl waved her hands, not in the least concerned. Meanwhile, the quiet and gentle girl slightly frowned, evidently not really willing to use such a dusty bed.

The bespectacled youth expressed that they had no alternative, "We can't not rest tonight. The car broke down already. This deep into this mountainous forest, our cell phones won't work. We have to be well-rested to stay alert so that we can figure out a way to return to the hotel tomorrow, ne."

"…OK, ba. You guys are right." Although he had a faint feeling that things weren't quite right since they had entered the manor, and although there was a little voice inside telling him that they shouldn't carelessly touch anything, what the others were saying was reasonable. Thus, Yang Yue yielded in the end and did take his inexplicable premonition to heart.

After the discussion ended, they each walked upstairs in succession. Sui Yuan was at the very end. His hair fell over his face, covering the meaning within his eyes.

At present, the performances of these few comrades were very normal. Although the plot did not clearly mark each of their lines, looking at their character settings, there hasn't been anyone acting too out of character. Sui Yuan had no way to ascertain whether the Destroyer was amongst them.

If the Destroyer was a human, then he/she would likely be much more prudent. Before he obtained the power to destabilize the world, he would probably plan to not change the plot too much. After all, it is also advantageous for a Destroyer to know the plot.

This world was of the [Supernatural] genre. Although it could not be said that the power of non-human entities was unmatched, it was much more formidable when compared to the strength of humans. Only characters like Daoist Priests could contend against them. Looking at it from the Destroyer's point of view, what he/she would need to do is not only safeguard his life and escape the manor, but also borrow the power of the non-human entities—or even become one himself.

To use the most formidable power of good and evil in this world was the best way for a Destroyer to achieve his/her goals. Or rather, it was the only way? Otherwise, he'd have to do a whole lot of □□, and create a virus or something?

If the Destroyer tried to come into contact with a non-human entity, then Sui Yuan would lock onto him/her. However, what should he do if the Destroyer was a non-human entity to start with? Sui Yuan was an ordinary, weak human right now. He completely had no way to withstand a non-human entity's attack. What was even more important was that he could not see non-human entities at all right now, ah!

"5237, are there any props that can let me see non-human entities?" Sui Yuan felt exceptionally helpless. Right now, there wasn't a trace of Zhao Xihe and thus there was no way he can hope to rely on him . He had to rely on himself, improve himself.

"…Yes," 5237 looked at Sui Yuan with pity. It then silently pulled up the purchasing interface, "However…you don't have enough points, ah…."

Sui Yuan："………………QAQ"

——To be able to look but not buy, this was simply too abusive.

"Can't I buy it on credit?" Sui Yuan looked at the psychic bead on the purchasing interface with anxious eyes.

"…No," Although 5237 felt sympathetic, it still mercilessly slashed Sui Yuan's hopes.

"Since it's like this…Xiao Xiao, are you OK sleeping on your own?" Yang Yue's slightly hesitating voice brought Sui Yuan back from his dilemma. Sui Yuan raised his head slightly and immediately understood where they were now in the plot.

Although there were many rooms, this was an ancient manor that had been abandoned for a long period of time after all. Even if they said they were not afraid, everyone would inevitably feel a bit weak. In addition, cleaning up a dusty bed was really troublesome. In the end, they decided that two people would stay in each room. The two girls were together, and the protagonist gong and shou naturally wanted to share a room. The remaining bespectacled youth and bad boy chose each other, leaving the always gloomy and outcasted Xiao Xiao to stay on his own.

Sui Yuan looked around the eerie corridor and revealed an expression of not being able to control his fear from leaking out but still trying to seem too unbearable before the person he liked. He stiffly nodded his head, face pale, "Oh…en…I…have no problem with that."

Yang Yue opened his mouth in worry, but in the end refrained from saying anything. It was in this way that their sleeping arrangements were made.

"Ah! Ah! I'm so tired. I'm going to go sleep first. Good night, ba!" The bad boy yawned a few times, waved his hands and then took the lead to leave. The bespectacled youth courteously said good night and followed after.

Everyone said their goodbyes. Yang Yue also specifically warned Sui Yuan before leaving that he should not force himself too much.

Sui Yuan smiled stiffly and then opened the door to his own room.

Because there were non-human entities around him, even if he had a room on his own, Sui Yuan dared not be careless.

He looked at his surroundings, trembling with fear and trepidation. Afterwards, he slowly approached the bed and carefully lifted the top sheet. A sorrowful river simply coursed through his heart.

——A pauper's life is truly too bitter. I'm actually not at all greedy. I just want a time-restricted psychic bead, that's all. QAQ

To have to fight against a non-human entity without any cheats, it was simply too unfair, ah….

The author has something to say:

I played a lot of horror games permitted within the country and I've also seen a lot of streamers playing Japanese horror games. As soon as I think about the supernatural, I automatically think of schools and undercover research institutes. I truly want to kneel to my reflex…this plot is a bit overused, everyone please forgive me. QAQ

I saw that many ladies wanted to see grave robbing. This silly author also wants to see grave robbing! At the very beginning I liked 'Ghosts Blows Out the Light'. I felt that it was comparatively more scientific. After watching Daomu Biji, I felt that the plot was too ridiculous. = = Afterwards, I discovered PingXie fanworks and once again flipped through Daomu Biji. Although the relationship between PingXie is pretty ambiguous, it doesn't feel as good as reading fanworks. But if you accept this ridiculous setting, it is unexpectedly pretty moving?

I've already read through all of the grave robbing stories on JJ and it seems that this trend has already passed. I haven't seen any new stories…rather distressed. This silly author does want to write about grave robbing, but is worried that her knowledge-deficient self cannot write about such a high-level subject matter, ah…Thus, ladies please go look at PingXie fanfiction, ba. ╮(╯▽╰)╭

Eve: Wonder if ZXH is going to be like the ghost in To be a Heartthrob arc 1 and cop a feel of his beloved here and there. Also, horror genre just reminds me of Misplacement Game. I finished reading it a while back and it's honestly so cute and funny haha.

Wuxian: all I want is to see ZXH safe and sound right now u_u