It's Actually Not Easy Wanting to be a Supporting Male Lead-Chapter 15 part4
Translated by Eve
Edited by Wuxian
Old Master Yun's birthday was nothing but a distinguished meeting for those belonging to the upper class. Although the Yun Family started out in the underworld and were not innocent, as long as one had power and authority in this world, no one would dare haggle over the issue of your origins, ne? Even if quite a few 'aristocratic families', who liked to call themselves noble, inwardly looked down on the Yun Family's peasant origins, on the surface, they still had no choice but to adopt a deferential attitude and did not dare to provoke the other's displeasure.
Therefore, Old Master Yun's birthday celebration was a day where all sorts of gentries from all walks of life congregated. First, they would congratulate Old Master Yun for his long life, thereby maintaining a good relationship with the Yun Family. Then, they would make connections, making acquaintances with people who had similar interests as them and therefore they could collaborate with.
There wasn't a description about this birthday banquet in the plot. After all, at this time, the male and female lead were still at each other's throats, and had yet to fall into mutual love. As an ordinary girl, naturally, the female lead would not participate in this kind of high-end occasion. It's only next year, after the male lead and the female lead had gradually developed feelings for each other, will she then ride the male lead's west wind to become well-known at a banquet just like this one.
——Of course, showing her face in such an event only yielded in her getting slapped in the face by those high and mighty young ladies' ridicule. Afterwards, the male lead rushed in, angered on behalf of his beauty and slapped their faces in turn. This deepened the affection between the two of them.
This was a later matter. As for right now, Sui Yuan was carrying a birthday present that he had prepared with all his heart. He was also standing in front of a mirror, checking for the last time whether everything was ready.
The social rules of the upper-class banquets were very strict. Even the slightest 'unconventionality' could perhaps provoke trouble. Even if Sui Yuan's current identity was not low, he still needed to proceed with caution. Or, it was precisely because his identity was high that he needed to pay attention.
"Young Master, Young Master Yue had arrived," A servant quietly walked to the entrance of his room and respectfully spoke in a low voice. Sui Yuan casually nodded and then personally carried the gift box in his hand downstairs.
Yue Minghe was sitting on the sofa, sipping tea. He wore a smile on his face, posture relaxed. When he heard the sound of footsteps, he raised his head to gaze at the staircase, a stunned look passing through his eyes.
Sui Yuan wore a silver-grey suit that looked subtly lavish. Furthermore, his necktie and cuffs were ostentatiously detailed, reflecting his unique, playboy temperament. In his hands was a wooden box that was nearly a metre long. His other hand was carelessly running through his long hair.
"You're going to cause quite a few ladies at the banquet today to go crazy over you," Yue Minghe stood up, walking to stand before Sui Yuan with a smile. He reached out to give his good friend a hug.
"Hah! I thank you for your auspicious words, then," Sui Yuan slightly lifted an eyebrow, receiving his praise calmly. He was completely oblivious to how the eyes of Yue Minghe darkened upon hearing his response, as the latter's face was virtually sticking to his own cheeks.
Yue Minghe let go of Sui Yuan without delay and retreated to an appropriate distance between friends. He smiled as he walked out with Sui Yuan, "I'm just saying that, that's all. Old Master Yun's birthday banquet is not a place where you can casually pick up girls! Moreover, the girls who can make it there are not easy to deal with."
"OK, la. OK, la. I also have a sense of propriety!" Sui Yuan waved his hands rather helplessly, "I'm not as rude and impetuous as Ah Yi. Do you really think I'm the type to invite trouble?"
"En, Ah Ning has always been very dependable. Really lets people feel relieved," Yue Minghe smiled gently as he nodded in agreement. Immediately after, he abruptly lowered his voice, until it was nearly imperceptible, "However, sometimes I wish you weren't so dependable…."
"What do you wish?" Sui Yuan didn't hear it clearly and turned his head to look at him.
Yue Minghe shook his head and then quickened his pace as he walked towards the car. He opened the door for Sui Yuan.
Sui Yuan glanced at him, feeling quite astounded. He did not think too much of it, however, and directly bent down and got into the car. Meanwhile, Yue Minghe headed to the other side and indicated for the chauffeur to start the car after he settled into his spot.
As the only third generation progeny of the Yun Family, Yun Yi naturally had to head over to the Yun ancestral home early to receive guests. Meanwhile, Sui Yuan and Yue Minghe headed there together on behalf of their respective families. The two people exchanged casually exchanged information pertaining to the guest list of this time's banquet and also compared their gifts that they had prepared. Very soon, they had arrived at the Yun Family's ancestral home.
As soon as they got out of the car, the two of them saw Yun Yi standing at the main gate conversing with the guests. Although he seemed rather refined and courteous, anyone who was familiar with him could see that underneath that courteous face was a bubbling violence and impatience. That was, until he caught sight of his two good friends. Only then did Yun Yi reveal a true, happy expression. He sighed a breath of relief and then bid farewell to the person before him. Soon after, he quickly headed towards the two people.
Sui Yuan raised a hand to beat Yun Yi on the shoulder with his fist, wearing a wicked smiled, "Enough! Don't put on such a sour expression. You're only inconvenienced once a year. Just bear with it!"
"I'm bearing with it, ah! I've been bearing with it all this time! Otherwise, I would have long since fallen out with them!" Yun Yi pulled at his hair, feeling jittery. He forcibly messed up his hairstyle that had been rigidly set into place with hair gel.
Sui Yuan turned his head away, feeling like it was too pitiful to behold. Meanwhile, Yue Minghe pursed his lips into a smile, reminding Yun Yi to be mindful of his image.
While Yun Yi was complaining about his bitter experience to his good friends, a lovable voice that held a barely concealed arrogance suddenly came from behind him, " Yi gege!"
Yun Yi's expression stiffened. Before he could react, his right arm was snatched by two soft and fair arms. Soon after, a curvy woman stuck close to him. Really unable to restrain himself, Yun Yi raised his head and rolled his eyes. Meanwhile, Sui Yuan and Yun Yi laughed as they greeted her, "Xin Xin, it's been a while."
"Ning gege, Minghe gege," Xin Xin nodded her head slightly to them. After the greetings were over, she dedicated all her heart to hanging onto Yun Yi, chattering away. Her enthusiasm was overflowing as she expressed how much she missed him from not being able to see him for so long and how happy she was to finally meet with him again.
Sui Yuan and Yue Minghe completely felt the light they emitted after having been turned into lightbulbs. They exchanged glances and then held back a laugh while coughing. Afterwards, they ignored Yun Yi's accusatory expression ruthlessly and cold-heartedly leaving him behind as they walked through the main gate together.
The woman who was coiled around Yun Yi just now was the supporting female lead in the plot—a proper Ms. Perfect. Although Xin Family's status could not compare to Yun Family's, the latter had once been in their debt. Even after the Yun Family made its fortune and had a meteoric rise, they did not forget to support their old friend. Furthermore, the older generation of the Yun Family was on very intimate terms with the people of the Xin family.
Xin Xin was the only daughter of the Xin Family and so naturally, was extremely cared for by the Yun Family. Although there was no true engagement, both family heads had a tacit understanding over the matter of Xin Xin and Yun Yi's wedding. They were only waiting for the two of them to come of age before directly holding their wedding.
Xin Xin had liked Yun Yi since they were young. Her whole heart was filled with her 'Yi gege'. Meanwhile, when Yun Yi was young, he had taken care of this little sister of his. Unfortunately, he did not hold any romantic feelings towards Xin Xin. After the two of them grew up, their interests, hobbies, and social circles gradually diverged and their closeness decreased. There's no need to even mention how Yun Yi had entered his rebellious and chuunibyou phase. Even now, he had not left those phases.
Yun Yi was discontent with how his marriage was being controlled by the elder generation. Meanwhile, the Yun Family has always believed that a filial son would come from under the club, so they would often use a heavy hand to suppress Yun Yi's resistance. He was like a spring though—the harder he was pushed, the harder he'd bounce. Likewise, the more Xin Xin nagged him, the more Yun Yi disliked her. Only, he would still treat her half-heartedly because of his family members attitude and the former camaraderie they had as children.
Yun Yi had always wanted to find an opportunity to escape this marriage. He was afraid he could not avoid it. Even if the female lead did not get involved, Yun Yi would still find a way to compromise, seeing how much he didn't want to comply with his family's wishes. Thus, when the female lead appeared, Yun Yi's resistance became more resolute. As for Xin Xin, she could not bear to vent her anger and hatred onto the Yi gege that she liked, so she just set her hands on the female lead who had 'seduced' her Yi gege, extinguishing the childhood camaraderie she had with Yun Yi in the end.
The supporting female lead's ending would naturally not be good. Except that, Sui Yuan did not have any sympathy or pity towards her. As this had nothing to do with him, he just had to watch on in silence.
Looking over at Xin Xin who currently latched on Yun Yi, chattering non-stop, a wisp of profound meaning crossed Sui Yuan's mind. Just now, the performance of this supporting female lead was really too normal. She looked at him as though he was thin air and did not seem to be affected by the halo at all. Was this because her feelings towards the male lead were as firm as gold, or was there a deeper meaning behind this?
"Ah Ning?" Seeing Sui Yuan constantly gazing at Xin Xin, Yue Minghe frowned slightly. He stretched out a hand to wave before his eyes, "One shouldn't flirt with a friend's wife. Even if you're fickle, you shouldn't get yourself involved with Xin Xin."
"Relax, of course I know that," Sui Yuan smiled sloppily. He handed his gift over to the servant and then grabbed a glass of wine from a waiter. He shrugged, "I was just thinking that Xin Xin, this young lady, is quite pitiful. Looking at Ah Yi's attitude, she's destined to suffer an unrequited love."
"So? Do you plan on taking advantage of this and getting involved?" Yue Minghe said, displeased.
Sui Yuan stared at the supporting male lead, speechless. He felt that the other's brain circuits were somewhat strange, "What drivel are you spouting? I don't have that intention at all, OK?!"
Yue Minghe's expression eased up. It was probably because he realized that his reaction didn't sit well with Sui Yuan, so he coughed gently, "Who let your brain be filled with women all the time? I just don't want you to suffer because of a woman in the future."
"The one who has to suffer is that youngster, Ah Yi!" Sui Yuan retorted, discontent, "If he doesn't handle Xin Xin well, it's he who'll definitely suffer!"
"…That's true," Seeing that Sui Yuan seemed to really be angry over being misunderstood, Yue Minghe immediately accepted his opinion and agreed earnestly.
Sui Yuan choked down the rage that had no way of being vented. He only glared at Yue Minghe angrily for a second before he turned away. Meanwhile, Yue Minghe felt quite vexed as he furrowed his brows. He took a deep breath, steadying his unstable mood…he had indeed advanced too prematurely.
——Unfortunately, when he saw Sui Yuan skilfully and easily travel through the crowd like a butterfly, gaze constantly flitting over other people, as if searching for a target to pursue, his expression couldn't help but darken.
As an heir that garnered much attention, Yue Minghe was destined to be unable to enjoy peace for long. Before he was able to decide what he ought to do, he discovered that an unfamiliar man had squeezed before him, his face one of caution and ingratiation, "Young Master Yue, hello, I am—"
Yue Minghe's mood was not good, so he naturally did not want to pay attention to these people who belonged to classes that were not high enough, and thus wanted to climb up by using social connections. Those that had status were just this willful! The corner of his lips raised, expression indifferent, "Sorry, I have a matter to attend to. Goodbye."
The man stared at Yue Minghe's departing figure, stunned. He simply did not dare believe what he had just encountered—where was the gentle and refined young master who treated others kindly, that he was promised, ne?!
On one hand, the man was lamenting how the rumours did not reflect the truth, while on the other, he could not help but feel rather nervous. He uneasily thought over whether he had done something wrong and had thus left the other a terrible impression, causing unhappiness to the young master who was, otherwise, widely known to be gentle.
Sui Yuan, who had been watched by Yue Minghe the whole time, was indeed searching for someone. Only, the target he was chasing after—or rather, the target had already been 'caught'.
Last night, Sui Yuan had tossed and turned and did not sleep well. His head was filled with thoughts of what Zhao Xihe had become, easily imagining all sorts of possibilities. 5237 had also enthusiastically discussed this with him for half the night. Only, compared to how Sui Yuan was rather worried, it completely rejoiced in Zhao Xihe's misfortune.
After throwing off the supporting male lead, Sui Yuan had begun to painstakingly search for the familiar feeling. It was just a pity that after he had looked over all of the guests within the hall, he still hadn't caught onto any clues. Furthermore, he didn't know if it was because the other had yet to arrive, or if he had sensed wrongly.
Although one could not see it on his face, although he still cheerfully chatted with the other guests, Sui Yuan gradually became impatient. His gaze would occasionally sweep towards the gates. When his ears picked up the surrounding people's flattering praise towards Old Master Yun, the one who was celebrating his birthday today, he couldn't help but chuckle 'hehe' inwardly.
Because he was in a bad mood, Sui Yuan's thoughts were naturally harsh. Although the plot did not mention this Old Master much, according to the pattern, he could more or less see his true colours. The deepest impression he had of him was probably one of 'violence and cruelty'. This Old Master built up his family from scratch, so naturally, he was exceptionally fierce and tough. The older he got, the more obstinate and self-opinionated he became. He would make decisions without consulting anyone, causing complaints from quite a few younger generations of the Yun family.
——The most terrible thing was that his son was a weak and inept person; his personality was too feeble.
When he was young, the entire focus of Old Master Yun's attention was on his 'business'. He spent very little time with his son. Furthermore, his personality was unquestionably tough, causing his son to become even feebler. The more dissatisfied Old Master Yun was with his son, the more his son feared him, and the more cowardly he became. The Yun Family's branch families looked down on this no-good, cowardly 'crown prince' and became restless.
If Old Master Yun had other choices, then he would certainly have abandoned his own son. Unfortunately, he had been injured gravely in his youth and could no longer have children—he could only have one son in this lifetime.
In other words: He! Was! Impotent!
…Presumably, many people already understood just why Old Master Yun is so ruthless, ba? An impotent man, how could his temperament ever be good? This was a great matter regarding a man's pride!
Fortunately, that vexing son had given birth to a grandson who wasn't bad. Yun Yi's character was very similar to Old Master Yun's back in the day, so it was no wonder Old Master Yun attached great importance to Yun Yi, and this was also why his requirements towards the boy were so strict. Therefore, if this grandson wanted to go against Old Master Yun's control, then he would inevitably have to suffer his angry-to-the-point-of-being-unforgiving reprimanding.
In short, in the love story between the male and female lead, if one were to say that the supporting female lead, Xin Xin, was a small BOSS, then this Old Master Yun was inevitably the big BOSS hidden behind the curtains. It could even be said that the reason Xin Xin was able to do any petty tricks was because of Old Master Yun's indulgence—in his turning a blind eye to her antics, or to take it one step further, because of his aid.
Sui Yuan was letting his imagination run wild. Very quickly, the hall suddenly fell silent. Sui Yuan fixed up his expression at once and looked at the side door like everyone else, just in time to see Old Master Yun walk in, escorted by a couple of younger generations.
The fifty-something-year old Old Master Yun had a head full of completely white hair, without any black mixed in. His gait was steady, his spirit hale and hearty, and his vicious nature threatening. Even though he was smiling, his hawk-like eyes made people feel nervous. Although he was rather old, and his body had already begun to decline, it was obvious that he still took very good care of his body. He seemed even more robust and healthy than many youngsters whose bodies had been hollowed out by alcohol and women. The slight wrinkles on his face had settled with age, but one could still faintly make out the handsomeness of his youth. It could be said that the male lead's good looks had obviously been inherited from this senior.
Once Old Master Yun appeared, the guests with the highest status took the lead to congratulate him on his old age, one by one. As a representative of the younger generation, Sui Yuan could only hide amongst the crowd for now, waiting until these grownups have finished chatting.
Fortunately, it was precisely because of this that he was able to curb his shock, although with great difficulty, and managed to not let the cat out of the bag.
At this time, three words constantly circulated over and over in his mind, almost causing his brain to stop functioning.
——Old Master Yun was impotent!
——Impotent!
——Im—!
———potent!
Sui Yuan: "……………………Pfft."
5237: " ……………………【lights candle】"
The author has something to say:
Everyone has guessed Zhao Xihe's identity, ah…did I make it too obvious? QAQ No one is surprised. OTZ
Eve: …ZXH really playing old roles as of late. Thirty something year old Emperor, a dead ghost, and now a fifty year old man. Aside from that, SY, not nice to keep repeating that part LMAO. RIP ZXH, no wonder he didn't want to see SY. This is karmic retribution for the last world. Fooled around too much, thought with your lower half too much, so this time, you can do without it.
Wuxian: *lights a candle for ZXH and his greatly reduced ability to enjoy the SY special in this world*
