Being a Supporting Male Lead Isn't Easy

“Actually, I'm a transmigrator,” Yue Shi revealed the truth calmly.

“I'm from another world. I've just arrived, so I don't know anything about yours.”

Xia Xuanfeng froze, his mouth agape and his eyes widening like copper bells. The script slipped from his hand and hit the floor. “Transmigrators actually exist? I thought those were just things from the movies!”

After a few seconds of shock, Xia Xuanfeng spun around twice, sat back in his chair, stood up, and sat down again.

His expression flickered between shock, excitement, and confusion, like a child discovering that Santa Claus was real, his eyes sparkling.

“What was the world like before you transmigrated? Did it have audiences, actors, and scripts too?”

Yue Shi shook his head. “No.”

Xia Xuanfeng frowned. “Then what did it have?”

“People were similar to those here, they just didn't have to act,” Yue Shi said.

Xia Xuanfeng tried desperately to imagine a world without an audience or actors, finally concluding, “That sounds really strange.”

Yue Shi asked him, “Have you ever heard of places like the Deep Red Continent or the Bewitching Beauty Painting Workshop?”

“Never heard of them,” Xia Xuanfeng said with a frank expression.

Yue Shi watched him, confirming he wasn't lying. He withdrew his gaze and looked out the window at the sky, where bullet screen comments occasionally drifted by.

If this peculiar bullet screen world was a 'room' on the Bewitching Beauty Painting Workshop, why didn't the people inside know about the ship?

Xia Xuanfeng seemed to want to ask more, but seeing Yue Shi's expression, he swallowed his words.

He bent down to pick up the script, brushed off the dust, and stood up. “Are you hungry? I'll cook a bowl of noodles for you.”

Yue Shi's mouth twitched. Why did that line sound so familiar?

Without waiting for a response, Xia Xuanfeng ducked into the kitchen, and the sound of boiling water soon followed.

...

The next day, Xia Xuanfeng had to go to school and fulfill his role in the script.

The morning light fell on the plane trees at the school gate, dyeing the entire street in a warm yellow.

After Xia Xuanfeng entered the campus, Yue Shi quietly appeared outside the school.

He stood in front of a snack stall and bought a bowl of freshly made wontons. Students in school uniforms walked past him one after another.

While Yue Shi pondered, he ate his wontons, the hot broth making him squint. He extended his gaze into the school.

On the third floor of the teaching building, at the end of the hallway, Xia Xuanfeng stood at the door of Class 3, Grade 11, holding a bag of breakfast. There was soy milk, buns, and a fruit salad in a thermal container.

This was his first scene of the day. He took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

The classroom was already quite full. Some were chatting, some were catching up on homework, and others were eating breakfast.

The female lead sat by the window. Her long hair draped over her shoulders, and an English book was spread out on her desk, but her gaze was fixed outside.

Xia Xuanfeng walked over, placed the breakfast on her desk, and said pleasingly, “This is for you.”

The female lead turned to look at him. Her eyes held three parts apology, three parts awkwardness, and four parts of that “you're nice but we're not right for each other” gentleness.

Xia Xuanfeng had seen it too many times. On and off-screen, it was always the same face and the same expression. The difference was that off-screen, he wouldn't be such a pathetic loser.

“No thanks, I've already eaten,” the female lead said softly.

Xia Xuanfeng continued with his lines. The script required him to persist; if he simped a few more times, the female lead might waver.

He pushed the breakfast toward her. “It's cold out. The soy milk is still hot.”

Before the female lead could answer, a hand reached out from the side and snatched the bag away. The slender fingers wore a limited-edition watch—it was the male lead.

“Just this garbage?” The male lead weighed the bag in his hand, his lips curling into a mocking arc before he threw the bag directly into the trash can.

The soy milk spilled, leaving white streaks down the inner wall of the bin.

The classroom fell silent for a moment. Several students glanced over before quickly looking away.

Xia Xuanfeng stood there, his hand still in the position of handing something over. According to the script, he was supposed to feel anger, humiliation, and even more self-loathing at this moment.

He said nothing, withdrawing his hand to his side as he tried his best to act out his character persona.

“Don't bring anything else in the future. We're not right for each other,” the female lead consoled him softly, while also drawing a clear line.

Xia Xuanfeng nodded and turned to walk out.

Behind him, the male lead's laughter rang out as he and a few friends mocked the toad lusting after swan meat.

During the break for morning exercises, Xia Xuanfeng was cornered in a corner of the playground. Two of the male lead's friends sandwiched him between them.

The one on the left shoved him. “I heard you like Liu Ruyan? Why don't you look in a mirror and see what kind of loser you are?”

Xia Xuanfeng stumbled, his back hitting the wall.

Following the script, he lowered his head, too insecure to speak.

The one on the right chuckled, pulled a marker from his pocket, uncapped it, and drew a turtle on Xia Xuanfeng's school uniform sleeve.

They mocked him with stiff, formulaic laughter until it was almost time for class.

Xia Xuanfeng leaned against the wall, looking down at the ink on his sleeve. Even with the sun shining on him, he felt a bit cold.

He used to be quite popular in school, but many people had received extra scripts. From today on, he would be bullied for pursuing the female lead.

He was shoved during breaks, his tray was “accidentally” knocked over at lunch, and a ball was “unintentionally” kicked into his back during P.E. class.

This was only the first day. He could see that some people were only bullying him because they had scripts and were actually unwilling.

But he also knew that once people got used to doing such things, their guilt would slowly vanish. They would unconsciously project malice onto him, gradually turning the act into reality and treating the bullying as something natural.

Xia Xuanfeng was powerless to stop it. Unless he got a new script, he could already foresee his tragic future.

When the school bell rang, Xia Xuanfeng left through the back gate, crossed the playground, and walked down the path covered by the shade of plane trees.

Then, he actually saw Yue Shi.

Yue Shi was sitting at a snack stall next to the school, holding a bowl of wontons, with several skewers of barbecue and a plate of fried noodles in front of him.

The Snow Leopard was crouched at his feet, with a plate of chopped sausages in front of it.

The man and the leopard were eating with intense focus, looking so carefree that it made one green with envy.

Xia Xuanfeng walked over and sat down beside him. “Boss, a bowl of noodles.”

Yue Shi handed him a skewer. “Want some?”

Xia Xuanfeng took it and took a bite. It was cold.

All around them were students leaving school, their voices mixing together in a lively bustle that felt like another world.

The stall owner brought Xia Xuanfeng's noodles with a very complicated expression.

Because Yue Shi had been eating here for the entire day!