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

Translated by Eve

Edited by Wuxian

Although they had eaten until they were close to bursting last night, they had missed breakfast because they had gone looking for the robust girl. When they wearily decided to give up their search at noon, their stomachs were already empty.

Everyone's steps were heavy as they walked towards the dining hall. They sat before the dining table. When they gazed at the empty seat, they lost their appetites once more.

The quiet and gentle girl was still curled up,constantly muttering 'can't escape, can't escape' in a small voice. The bespectacled youth forked up a piece of cauliflower into his mouth, chewing it like it had the consistency of wax and whispered, "This afternoon…what should we do?"

"…Continue looking through the study, ba. We haven't carefully examined all of the books there," Yang Yue replied, hesitant, "Perhaps…we'll find a clue."

"…Then, can you tell us why the butler demanded to send us out that night?" The bespectacled youth suddenly changed the topic and became aggressive, "I've had enough! I've already had enough with this manor, with the ghosts in this place! I want to leave, no matter what I have to do! Even if I have to use a despicable, inhumane method!"

The quiet and gentle girl suddenly raised her head. From her eyes shone a morbid light as she stared at Yang Yue with fixed eyes, making Yang Yue feel his back go cold.

Yang Yue's heart sunk further. He stared at the bespectacled youth with cold eyes, "Are you not afraid that the one it wants is you?"

"I'm not afraid! However, for it to want me is very unlikely," A bout of insanity emerged from within the bespectacled youth's perpetually calm eyes, "Because the person it most likely wants is you!"

The atmosphere became stifling. The bespectacled youth and the quiet and gentle girl were evidently one faction. Meanwhile, Ming Hai quickly stood by Yang Yue's side, assuming a protective stance.

The only one left was Sui Yuan, who sat between the two sides, and had yet to declare his position.

Feeling the other four's gazes on him, Sui Yuan felt greatly pressured for the nth time. He put down his utensils and stood up slowly. He then walked to Yang Yue and Ming Hai's side, indicating his position. Regardless of whether it was Sui Yuan or Xiao Xiao, their choices would be the same.

Yang Yue let out an obvious sigh. His gaze twinkled with joy, as if he wanted to hug Sui Yuan. However, when he saw the ghost on top of the other's shoulder, he stiffly held himself back.

Regardless of how much it hurt to be betrayed by people who were once his 'friends', so long as Xiao Xiao and Ming Hai always stood at his side, then that would be enough.

"You'll regret your choices one day! You'll be implicated by Yang Yue and die!" The bespectacled youth fiercely gnashed his teeth, glared at Sui Yuan and Ming Hai.

3 VS. 2. On his own side was a weak and mentally unstable girl and a weak bookworm. Meanwhile, even if the other side had Xiao Xiao, who could be completely ignored, Ming Hai and Yang Yue, however, still had considerable fighting ability. No matter what, his side was the weaker side.

This was why he had always endured and did not revolt. One, there was his consciousness and feelings of friendship stopping him from falling out with them. Two, he was intimidated by Ming Hai and Yang Yue's capabilities. The bespectacled youth felt quite regretful. If he had raised this issue when the robust girl was still alive, then they'd have a chance of victory. It was just a pity that…the other had died without warning. Meanwhile, he could not endure things any longer and had no choice but to stake it all. Who knew if the next to die would be him, ne?

However, it failed, ah…his attempt was indeed a failure. After falling out with Yang Yue and co., what should he do? Go their separate ways? That would not do— death would only come all the more quickly for them. Thicken his face and continue following along with them? Would Yang Yue and the others reject them? Would they sacrifice them in a critical moment to save themselves?

The bespectacled youth's expression continuously changed. It was just unfortunate that no matter what he said, Xiao Xiao and Ming Hai were unwavering and continued to firmly stand by their original choice, leaving him helpless.

"Heh…this is human nature. Truly ugly. A good dog-eat-dog drama!" A smooth and taunting voice sounded, interrupting the tension of their ongoing confrontation. Yang Yue abruptly turned to look at the long-haired ghost who had appeared in the dining hall at some unknown point of time. His face was slightly warped. Yang Yue felt that his words were like a slap in the face, sharply smacking him. He had once pledged that he would protect each and every one of them. However, reality was nakedly ridiculing him for his naivety.

Seeing Yang Yue's action, the others all cast their gazes on the long-haired ghost, even if they obviously could not see anything. Perceiving both Sui Yuan and Zhao Xihe's gaze, the long-haired ghost reflexively shuddered but he still persisted with his normal attitude. Although he was a bit unnatural, Yang Yue, who had a load on his own mind, did not notice.

——So scary, really so scary…to have to play the villain BOSS in front of the true masterminds…it was simply embarrassing to death, ah! I'm being forced, too. Don't look at me like that….QAQ

Unfortunately, the long-haired ghost's pained inner cries could not be heard by anyone. In everyone else's eyes, it was still a demented, villain BOSS.

Yang Yue gritted his teeth. He recalled how this 'butler's' threats had steadily become reality and simply itched to devour its flesh while it was still alive. However, for the sake of the safety of his comrades and himself, he still had no choice but to remain calm, "May I ask why you came here specifically looking for us?"

"Why…? There's no reason why! I just wanted to come and see if you've changed your mind," The long-haired ghost raised its hand. Its slender index finger circled around it a few times in the air. It appeared especially leisurely, like he was taking pleasure from their suffering. In actuality, it was itching to immediately finish its mission and then escape far, far away from here, "Another one of your 'comrades' has died, and two of them have already become enemies with you. Right now, do you still want to persist with your original choice? Give Xiao Xiao to me and I'll let you all go. This deal is still effective, ne~"

"No way!" Yang Yue firmly rejected the deal.

"Even if you'll pay for this with your own life? Is love more important than your life?" The long-haired ghost scoffed.

"You don't understand. This has nothing to do with whether I like him or not," Yang Yue averted his gaze. He actually didn't believe that his feelings towards Xiao Xiao were all that deep. Only, as a benevolent protagonist, he could not betray the choice he had made in good conscience.

The long-haired ghost couldn't help but admire him. This human, who he had originally thought was stupid to death, had the luck of the devil. He had attained the goodwill from such a terrific guy in a stroke of luck.

Contrary to how obedient others would act when they knew that their life was in another's hands, Yang Yue, who didn't know anything, still tried his best to always protect this person who fundamentally did not require his protection. Meanwhile, the other naturally knew how to return the favour. Even though his mission had already been complete, he did not forget to send them out of this dangerous place safe and sound, as if it was only logical.

…This was likely a case of 'good things happening to good people'? Thus, could it be that he should be a kindhearted ghost from now on?

While the long-haired ghost was thinking all sorts of messy things, it raised its lips into a vile smile, "OK, ba. Oh, ba. Let's see how long you can persist for."

After saying this, it didn't wait for Yang Yue to respond before it disappeared, as if impatient to leave. When Yang Yue turned to look at his comrades again with a steady face, he suddenly discovered that Xiao Xiao's face was especially pale and his expression was of anxiousness and uneasiness.

His heart went 'badump'. A disturbing premonition sprung unbidden within Yang Yue. He used his eyes to tell Xiao Xiao, who had wanted to say something but was hesitating, to calm down. He then turned to look at Ming Hai, "Let's go."

Ming Hai seemed to sense something was amiss and slightly nodded, pressing his hand against Xiao Xiao's shoulders, taking the somewhat muddleheaded youth towards the dining hall door. Seeing that Yang Yue and the other two were about to leave, the bespectacled youth felt rather anxious, "Wait! We—"

"I think we ought to go our separate ways. Compared to having to be vigilant against each other, it's better for us to split up and move on our own," Yang Yue interrupted his words coldly, tone dripping with impatience.

If no mishaps had occurred, then Yang Yue would have never refused to move together with the bespectacled youth's party of two. Even if the two parties had a serious disagreement, he did not want to watch with folded arms while the others ended up meeting with danger. It was just that the situation right now was not suitable for disloyal, outsiders to be present. After all, in Yang Yue's heart right now, Xiao Xiao's safety was even more important than the safety of the bespectacled youth and quiet and gentle girl combined.

The bespectacled youth was frozen on the spot, intimidated by the sudden explosion of Yang Yue's imposing manner. After hesitating for a while, he did not follow. Yang Yue took Xiao Xiao and Ming Hai far away from the dining hall in quick strides, found a hidden spot, and then turned to look at Xiao Xiao, expression grave, "What did you want to say just then?"

——At this very moment, Yang Yue sincerely hoped that his intuition was wrong. Unfortunately, what happened next smashed his hopes.

Upon hearing Yang Yue's question, Xiao Xiao helplessly raised his head. Only after a long while did he say with much difficulty, "The ghost…the one that the ghost wants in exchange…is it me?"

Yang Yue subconsciously tensed. He quickly exchanged a glance with Ming Hai, "Why do you ask?"

"…I…heard it," Xiao Xiao lowered his head, avoiding the two people's gaze, "I seem…to have heard the conversation between you and the ghost…."

Yang Yue choked. After a period of silence, he stammered in refute, "Don't speak nonsense. You're overthinking matters."

Xiao Xiao—or rather, Sui Yuan—could not help but light a candle for the protagonist shou in his heart. Although he really sympathized with Yang Yue, however, he had to leave this world smoothly. Furthermore, it was for the sake of allowing the plot to proceed. Thus, he had no choice but to do this.

Xiao Xiao had to 'stay' in this manor, while Yang Yue and Ming Hai had to leave safely. Right now, what he and Zhao Xihe had to do was to allow these two requirements to occur logically at the same time.

"Although I'm indeed not very smart, I'm not stupid…""Sui Yuan lightly shook his head with a bitter smile, "I…heard it all. I can't even deceive myself…"

Yang Yue fell silent for a long time before he sighed, "You…when did you start being able to hear their words?"

"Seems like…since just now?" Sui Yuan looked puzzled, "I'm not too sure how it came to be."

Naturally, Yang Yue would never suspect that Xiao Xiao was lying. The one he suspected was the long-haired ghost and that ghost that was always wound around Xiao Xiao. It was clear that the possibility that they had done something was very high.

At an angle where Sui Yuan could not see, he fiercely glared at Zhao Xihe. Yang Yue lifted his hand and placed it over Sui Yuan's head, patting it gently, "You don't need to worry. Even if it's like this, Ming Hai and I would never abandon you. We can definitely escape this manner together, I swear!"

Sui Yuan raised his head and showed Yang Yue an appreciative but stiff smile. His eyes became increasingly dark and hesitant, "Is that…true? Everyone is in such danger because of me…."

"If we pushed you into a sea of fire to protect ourselves, then we would feel guilty for the rest of our lives," Yang Yue interrupted Sui Yuan's muttering. He then softened his voice, "So, don't give up. We'll work hard together, OK?"

Sui Yuan's eyes reddened and they quickly became wet. He nodded, choked with emotion, and then lowered his head to use his sleeves to wipe the corners of his eyes. He then sucked in a breath through his nose, feeling extremely distressed over Yang Yue's good nature and tenacity—it was really unbearable to have to bully such a good child….

Ming Hai silently patted Sui Yuan's shoulders, encouraging him without a word. The three people smoothly (?) solved the issue and began to discuss the next step. In the end, they went with the previous suggestion of first going to the study to look for clues.

Contrary to what they expected and against all logic, they bumped into the bespectacled youth and the quiet and gentle girl. After bumping into each other, both sides fell into an awkward silence. Afterwards, both sides tacitly chose to coexist peacefully, each side minding their own business.

The bespectacled youth did not want to split up with Yang Yue and the others. After all, it was truly very dangerous to take the mentally unstable girl with him on his own. Meanwhile, Yang Yue, who thought that they had already solved the issue regarding Xiao Xiao's situation, tacitly approved of the bespectacled youth's goodwill. He didn't give them a warm welcome back but he did not lash out either.

Both sides silently looked for useful information inside the study. Sui Yuan just casually grabbed a couple of books to feign reading, as he had no way of concentrating on the books.

Zhao Xihe beside him was acting like a vile character that finally got what he wished for. His actions were becoming more and more brazen and reckless. Furthermore, Sui Yuan, who could now feel his touches, was so close to crying. He was clearly being teased and could feel it but unfortunately, all he could do was endure it and remain unmoved. Truly, it was a demented form of torture. Not to mention how the protagonist shou would occasionally look over here, making Sui Yuan all the more uncomfortable.

Fortunately, Zhao Xihe also had a line he drew for himself—or should he say, he did not want to let others see too much of the 'love' between himself and Sui Yuan. Thus, when Sui Yuan could not stand it anymore and stood up to protest, he readily accepted it and restrained himself, obediently sitting in one place and did not stick to him anymore.

"What's wrong?" Yang Yue asked. He had been constantly itching to rush over and pull Sui Yuan away but was afraid that his action would be over-excessive. Thus, he could only watch on helplessly until now when he finally breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing the ghost's regretful expression, he felt extremely thrilled and promptly inquired in concern.

Sui Yuan, whose face was flushed and body weak, understood that his physical reaction could not be concealed from other people, especially the protagonist shou who had witnessed everything. He directly smashed the broken pot with a bewildered expression, "I also don't know. I just feel…rather strange. My body's a bit cold and ticklish…."

Yang Yue："……………………"

Zhao Xihe："……Pfft."

Ming Hai："……？？？？"

Looking at Xiao Xiao's clean and pure eyes carrying an unadulterated confusion, Yang Yue had no way to tell him that he had been dallied with by an idiotic ghost this whole time. He could only cough and avert his gaze out of guilt, "It is a bit cold here. You should walk around, exercise a bit, ba."

Everyone: "……………………"

——This lie was so botched that no one had the heart to ridicule it.

Sui Yuan silently stared at the protagonist shou. In the end, he still threw his system to one side and began to pace around the study, depressed. Actually, it wasn't because he was being obedient, but because this kind of movement was beneficial for what was about to happen. After all, his position was also extremely important.

Ignoring the protagonist gong and shou who were exchanging glances not far away, Sui Yuan's attention was placed on the bespectacled youth. The murder dictated by the plot once again revealed its tenacity. The bespectacled youth's gaze flickered over the shelves for a moment. In the end, he raised a hand to grab the book that was destined to end his life.

——No matter how many people there were in this room, ultimately, the one who was drawn in by this book and would end up grabbing hold of it would forever be the bespectacled youth. This was probably destiny?

The bespectacled youth wiped at the book's cover twice, as if wondering why he felt like it looked familiar. Only, very quickly, he threw this skepticism to the back of his mind and opened the book to the first page.

In the next second, a black fog soared out of the book and pounced at the bespectacled youth as quick as lightning. The bespectacled youth only had time to let out a short cry of fear, take a step back, before covering his head as he wailed in anguish. He crouched down in pain, curling up.

Everyone had been struck dumb by this sudden change. However, before they could react, the bespectacled youth suddenly raised his head. His entire body was enshrouded by a faint, black fog. His skin was deathly white and he used his scarlet eyes to firmly stare at everyone before him. His lips then slowly raised into a malicious smile. Afterwards, 'he' abruptly bounced up and threw himself at the quiet and gentle girl who was situated closest to him.

The quiet and gentle girl let out a hysterical shriek. She ran towards Yang Yue and Ming Hai, but who knew whether it was intentionally or unintentionally, she stretched out and pushed Sui Yuan, who was also rendered stupefied, to the bespectacled youth.

"Xiao Xiao!" Yang Yue's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. He stretched out, trying to pull him to his side, but he was helpless as they were separated by too great a distance. He could only watch on helplessly as his throat was gripped by the 'bespectacled youth'.

The 'bespectacled youth' bit deeply into the side of Xiao Xiao's neck, and licked 'his' lips as 'he' watered at the mouth, "Truly delicious…no wonder master and butler daren likes you so much, ne~" Soon after, 'his' eyes spun and 'he' stared at Yang Yue and Ming Hai who were trying to approach, "Hey~ Don't make any thoughtless movements, oh! Be careful. If I get frightened, I might snap his tiny neck, la~"

"What do you want to do?! Let him go!" Yang Yue was indeed successfully threatened and halted his steps, not daring to get any closer. He stared at the 'bespectacled youth' constantly, afraid that 'he' would hurt Xiao Xiao.

"What do I want to do? Of course it's to grab him and present him as a gift~ I was shut in that book by daren for so long and have finally come out. I naturally have to properly fawn over daren, so that he won't shut me back in," The 'bespectacled youth' smiled cruelly and did not say much more. In an instant, he seized Xiao Xiao and turned into a black tornado before blowing out of the study.

"Wait—" Yang Yue subconsciously wanted to chase after them, but he stumbled when the quiet and gentle girl, who had coiled around him at some unknown point of time, pulled at him, causing him to miss his chance. Furthermore, Ming Hai, who was but an ordinary person, could not see the black fog's figure and lost the other after chasing it out of the study.

Yang Yue could not care about having tender and protective feelings for the fairer sex at the moment. He forcefully pushed away the quiet and gentle girl who was tearing at his clothes, tightly clenched fists shaking.

It was the first time he felt this regretful and angry. If he had not so 'benevolently' agreed to let the bespectacled youth and the quiet and gentle girl stay in the study, then would Xiao Xiao have encountered such danger? They had clearly just promised that they would leave this manor together!

If he had known…if he had known then he certainly would not have made that choice. He would have certainly chased the two of them out!

——Right now, the only way he could comfort himself was that the swallow-tailed coat ghost had also chased after the black fog…if it did, then it ought to be able to fully protect Xiao Xiao, right?

The author has something to say:

Originally, the arc was supposed to end with this chapter. In the end, it still has to be dragged on for one more chapter…cough cough, as for the next world…I still haven't thought about it. [rests chin on hand] It will probably have a modern setting, ba….