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

Translated by Eve

Edited by Wuxian

"Xiao Xiao...are you acquainted with a...man?" After deliberating for a while, Yang Yue inquired, "A man who’s really tall, likes to wear swallow-tailed coats, wears glasses, seems refined in manner and looks...really handsome?"

When he heard Yang Yue ask this, Sui Yuan immediately understood. Although he could not sense spirits, the protagonist shou could, ah! Could it be that Zhao Xihe had just come over to attack him at night and ended up being caught by Yang Yue?! It was simply extremely shameful, ah!

Only...when he thought about that description, if it was indeed Zhao Xihe, then could his current appearance be the ’butler’?

Although his mind quickly turned into a mess as he tried to come up with all sorts of hypotheses, Sui Yuan still shook his head, at a loss, "N-no, ah? I’ve never met anyone like that," After pausing, he still pushed through and asked, "Just what happened? Why are you asking this?"

Yang Yue rubbed his head and forced a smile, apologizing, "Nothing. I had a nightmare just now. In my dream, you were with that person so I casually thought to ask you. Did I frighten you?"

After thinking about it from several different angles, Yang Yue decided to not tell Xiao Xiao about what had just happened. After all, Xiao Xiao’s courage was really too small. If he knew that there had been a ghost sitting on his bed just now, and that the ghost had...unexpectedly kissed him...he’d certainly be scared witless, ba?

After his friend’s death, Yang Yue’s impression of the ghosts became extremely bad. His vigilance against them was raised to the max. The definition of ’prank’ to humans and ghosts was as different as heaven and earth. Who knew whether ’love’ meant something different to them, or not, ne? Yang Yue wouldn’t be the least surprised if it meant ’I love him so I must kill him’ and ’I love him so we must be ghosts together’.

Thus...it was better for Xiao Xiao to know nothing at all.

——However, why did that ghost, that seemed to be anything but run-of-the-mill, entangle itself with the ordinary Xiao Xiao? Yang Yue was simply puzzled.

Sui Yuan stared at the conflicted protagonist shou that had decided to hide the matter from him, and felt especially disappointed. He had originally hoped that he could use Yang Yue, the only one who could see spirits, to get in touch with Zhao Xihe, ne!

Although he was disappointed, Sui Yuan once again lay down in the end. Only, once he thought of how Zhao Xihe had perhaps just sat by his bedside, Sui Yuan became so vexed he could not sleep. He was really itching to exchange information with his teammate, ah! Just who was the Destroyer, ah, f*ck!

Since he couldn’t fall asleep, Sui Yuan went ahead and collected information regarding Xiao Xiao’s character settings in a show of dedication to his role.

Regarding Xiao Xiao’s character settings, after witnessing the bitter death of someone he knew, this coward would be unable to peacefully sleep until daylight. Either he can’t sleep, or he will have recurring nightmares.

Thus, after his sleep was disturbed by the protagonist shou under the pretense of having a ’nightmare’, Sui Yuan began to use his character settings as a pretext to toss and turn himself, preventing the protagonist shou from sleeping in turn. Thus, when the protagonist shou saw Sui Yuan curled up into a ball under his blanket, shivering with a deathly pale face, and breaking out into a cold sweat, Yang Yue, who originally did not feel sleepy at all because of the spirit just now, simply felt extremely sorry for him. He hesitated for a moment but in the end, he flipped his blanket off, hopped out of bed, and walked to Sui Yuan’s bedside.

Sui Yuan raised his head stiffly, staring at Yang Yue. His eyes were void of life and he appeared at a loss. Yang Yue caressed his sweat-soaked hair and sighed before sitting sideways on of Sui Yuan’s bed. He pulled Sui Yuan, blanket and all, into his arms.

Sui Yuan："........................"

——No! This isn’t what he meant! Protagonist shou, quickly let go!

"Don’t worry. I’ll always be by your side. You don’t have to worry about nightmares anymore. Sleep at ease, ba," Yang Yue gently patted Sui Yuan’s back and consoled him softly.

Sui Yuan："..................QAQ"

Yang Yue, who had completely taken Sui Yuan’s teary-eyed expression to be him being moved to tears, hugged Sui Yuan. He felt his originally empty, ice-cold heart gradually fill with warmth. He tilted his head, smile gentle as he asked, "What’s wrong? Still not closing your eyes and sleeping?"

Sui Yuan: "...It’s even harder to sleep with you like this."

"Nonsense," Yang Yue scolded jokingly, "I remember that when you listened to ghost stories when we were young, what you liked to do the most was sleep in my arms. Every time, you’d need me to coax you like this before you could peacefully fall asleep," Yang Yue paused, feeling a little rueful, "Our relationship was clearly so good when we were little. What the heck happened...for us to have grown so distant?"

Sui Yuan：".............................."

——This kind of beautiful and tranquil night...let’s properly sleep and not have a heart-to-heart chat, OK? For people to grow estranged after growing up despite being close when young, this was extremely normal!

"That was only when we were young..." Sui Yuan tried his best to struggle, trying to free himself from Yang Yue’s embrace. However, he made a bitter discovery that his current identity could not even fight against the protagonist shou, "Moreover, if we’re like this...you won’t be able to rest well, ba? We still have to find that...butler tomorrow, no?"

"Xiao Xiao, are you being shy right now?" Yang Yue teased. He then directly pushed Sui Yuan aside and laid down on his side. Afterwards, he tugged at the blanket Sui Yuan had been wrapped in, and draped it over them both, "OK. This way, you won’t have nightmares and I can rest well."

Sui Yuan sullenly shrunk into Yang Yue’s chest, face full of indignation and grief. In the past, it was always the protagonist gong that ran astray. This time, it was the protagonist shou who’s unexpectedly making things difficult for him. There was simply no way to continue living! (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻

Who needs your comfort, ah! Who needs to lie on the same bed and share a blanket with you, ah?! Quickly let go!

After struggling in vain and acting sullen...Sui Yuan unexpectedly really felt drowsy. His thick nerves really made people feel deeply moved. They were simply ready to adapt at all times and did not take anything to heart!

Of course, the protagonist shou was not as thick-skinned as he was. Although he felt good hugging Xiao Xiao and felt exceptionally at ease, Yang Yue was still concerned about that ghost that had appeared and disappeared without a noise. He was afraid that the ghost would do something strange to Xiao Xiao the moment he falls asleep.

——Only, why was he suddenly able to see ghosts? Was it because that spirit was special or because...he was gradually assimilating to this manor and becoming closer to the non-human entities?

After letting his imagination roam wild like this, Yang Yue began to slowly relax and his eyes started to feel heavy from sleepiness. The warm and soft body in his arms was like the best medicine for taking his troubles away. It felt as if, as long he had Xiao Xiao in his arms, there was nothing to worry about. Yang Yue felt a peculiar kind of responsibility and protective instinct towards Xiao Xiao. He didn’t want him to be hurt in any way, nor see him make any sort of pained expression.

As sleep gradually overcame him, Yang Yue suddenly felt danger approach and abruptly opened his eyes.

——His premonitions have indeed never been wrong. Yang Yue coldly locked eyes with the spirit standing before the bed, who, in turn, was looking at him with indifferent eyes. He held Xiao Xiao tightly in his arms in a protective stance.

——There was no way he would let it get close to Xiao Xiao. He absolutely could not let it hurt Xiao Xiao! Even if this puts himself in danger, he would never compromise!

One person and one ghost confronted each other. In the end, it was the spirit that took the initiative to end their silent confrontation. It seemed to understand the meaning within Yang Yue’s eyes. The ghost slightly bent at the waist and revealed a gentle smile, "I love him. I won’t hurt him. You need not be so guarded."

"I don’t believe you," Yang Yue did not waver in the slightest, stressing each word in a quiet voice, "Your kind can kill a person so ruthlessly and call it a prank. Did you actually think that I would trust a fellow like you who doesn’t take life seriously?!"

The ghost seemed to be rather distressed, "Don’t you think that it’s strange that he was able to sleep so soundly just now? That’s because I was helping him, dispersing his fear so that he could pass the entire night in restful slumber."

Yang Yue’s anger slightly abated but he was still firm, "Thank you for your trouble. However, I can take care of him now. You don’t need to continue troubling yourself."

The ghost fell silent for a moment. It seemed to think of something and slightly raised a brow, "Right. Don’t you guys need to find that ’butler’? If you hand him over to me, I’ll go to the ’butler’ in your place and perhaps I’ll be able to persuade him to help convince the owner to let you all leave, seeing that my relationship with the ’butler’ isn’t bad. How’s that?"

"Never!" Although his pupils constricted when he heard the ghost mention the ’butler’, Yang Yue was still not enticed by this offer, even the slightest bit, "We can find the ’butler’ on our own. As for Xiao Xiao, I will absolutely not sacrifice him for my own survival!"

"Heh..." The ghost sent him a ridiculing smile that carried a trace of disdain, "I hope you won’t regret this decision of yours later. Nevertheless, my offer is valid at any time."

Yang Yue gnashed his teeth. If he didn’t fear enraging the ghost, he would launch a flurry of curses at it, "No need to trouble yourself!"

The ghost straightened its body, feeling regretful. It took two steps back, but then seemed to recall something. He smiled suggestively, "Even if they’re human, you can’t fully trust them...be careful of the people around you. This is a kind word of advice."

After saying his piece, the ghost’s figure dissipated into the air once again, as if it paid no mind to the raging waves and stormy seas that had brewed in Yang Yue’s heart.

——Be careful of the people by his side? What did this mean? Could it be that there was an issue with the friends by his side? That’s impossible! This was definitely a move to sow dissent among them! ...However, what was the point in sowing discord among them, ne? Could it be that it wished to enjoy the sight of them killing each other?

Yang Yue mulled this over and over. Although his mind was a terrible mess, in the end, Yang Yue was still unable to resist the onslaught of drowsiness. After managing to confirm that the spirit did not reappear with much difficulty, he fell into a deep sleep. He slept straight through to the next morning and was directly called awake while still in bed.

Without any awkwardness, Ming Hai lifted the blanket off of Yang Yue and Sui Yuan. He raised a brow towards the two people who were still hazy from sleep, "It’s time to wake up."

Meanwhile, the bespectacled youth looked at the two who were crammed on the single bed together with a complicated expression, "...You guys...why are you sleeping together?"

"Oh, Xiao Xiao had nightmares all night. If I didn’t hug him to sleep, both of us wouldn’t have been able to sleep well," Yang Yue yawned before answering. When he sat up, he also calmly helped Sui Yuan into a sitting position .

The bespectacled youth silently accepted this answer and spat out a ’quickly get up and come eat breakfast’ before leaving. Meanwhile, Ming Hai, who knew Yang Yue well, was not as easily fooled.

Their long-standing tacit understanding allowed him to easily see that Yang Yue was hiding his uneasiness. He folded his arms while standing at the side, watching Yang Yue dress up himself while also occasionally lending Sui Yuan a hand, and suddenly said, "Are you guys together?"

Sui Yuan："........................"

——Hehe, yesterday, the protagonist shou asked whether I liked the protagonist gong or not. This morning, the protagonist gong asks whether I’m with the protagonist shou or not. Is it because I’m unable to make sense of what I’m looking at, or is this world just changing too quickly?!

"A-as if—" Regardless of his silent curses, this didn’t stop Sui Yuan from pleading his innocence.

Yang Yue’s actions halted. He glared at Ming Hai and then glanced at Xiao Xiao who was stammering but desperately trying to refute things. His eyes slightly darkened but his tone eventually relaxed as he shrugged, "That’s right, ah. Don’t joke around. Xiao Xiao likes someone, ne! If he’s misunderstood, that would be terrible."

Sui Yuan, who wanted to fall apart because of the protagonist shou, lowered his head in silence. Silence was gold. Right now, it seemed as if no matter what he said, it would make him look really strange....

5237: "Hehe, this dense scent of an incoming scene of bloody slaughter...."

"Oh? Who is it?" Who knew if Ming Hai was naturally stupid or sinister, but he had unexpectedly gone along with Yang Yue without the slightest bit of embarrassment. He was gossiping in such a natural and solemn matter.

Sui Yuan—or rather, the settings for Xiao Xiao, who Sui Yuan possessed– could no longer bear it anymore! He hastily said, ’I’ll go first’ before escaping from the room. He didn’t even tidy up his dishevelled clothes.

Yang Yue and Ming Hai watched him run out in a fluster. Only when they confirmed that he had indeed left, did their expressions grow solemn.

"You specifically sent Xiao Xiao away. What did you want to tell me?" Naturally, Ming Hai understood Yang Yue. He knew that Yang Yue, with his consistently gentle and considerate nature, would never say something that would make people feel deeply embarrassed like he just had. If he did say it, then it obviously implied something else. Ming Hai had also understood this intuitively and thus played along.

Yang Yue pursed his lips and told him of the matter regarding the spirit from beginning to end. Ming Hai fell into deep consideration, and then nodded to indicate he understood, "We don’t know if it’s friend or foe, and we can’t determine its reliability. We can only watch and see," After pausing, he seemed rather incredulous, "That ghost really...likes Xiao Xiao?"

Yang Yue nodded, conflicted. He then glared at Ming Hai in warning, "Don’t you think about using Xiao Xiao as bait to lure out that ’butler’!"

Ming Hai spread out his hands, "Although the idea had indeed crossed my mind, I’m not that demented."

Only then did Yang Yue ease up his expression, satisfied.

"So..." Ming Hai looked at him innocently and suddenly took things to an unexpected turn, "Who does Xiao Xiao like?"

Yang Yue："........................"

Although the last sentence Ming Hai said seemed like a casual joke, just as Ming Hai knew Yang Yue well, Yang Yue also understood this childhood friend of his extremely deeply.

His curiosity has always been very low. Ming Hai had never cared much about other people’s business. Even if he was joking, he would not ask such a question. Therefore, what caused the always taciturn him to react like this was extremely worthy of being looked into.

...It couldn’t be that this slow-witted childhood friend of his, that had not bloomed even after ten thousand years, had unexpectedly achieved enlightenment? And his object of affection was Xiao Xiao?

Even if he had always been teased of being a couple with Ming Hai, the current Yang Yue did not feel like there was even the smallest of sparks between himself and Ming Hai. They were too familiar with each other. They knew each other like they knew themselves. If they were to sprout any feelings between them that exceeded what friends should have for one another, it would have sprouted a long time ago. How could it drag on until now, without any signs of movement?

——Actually, it was indeed like this. If the two of them had no experience having to mutually help each other and rely on each other for survival in this manor, Yang Yue and Ming Hai would only ever be close friends. However, during a time of life or death, many things could change. As their friends died one after another, they could only rely on each other, comfort each other. Furthermore, they had to confront the owner’s warped love and strong emotions which ended up arising from experiencing this intense conflict. Only then will their feelings be able to transcend beyond friendship.

Moreover, both of them were people with unwavering loyalty. Once they passed the realm of friendship, they would not turn back and become mere friends once again.

Right now, these two who had yet to pass the realm of friendship had the misfortune of meeting Sui Yuan. They were forcefully attracted by his halo. It was different from their deeply-rooted friendship that needed an intense shock to change. Towards someone else, they only needed to feel an instance of peculiarity—to feel their heart moved for a second, for their gaze to be attracted, and for love to sprout.

Yang Yue and Ming Hai exchanged glances and both parties felt stifled. They had fallen for someone without much difficulty and now discovered that their good friend had become their rival-in-love. Did they need to follow the virtue of not ’coveting thy neighbour’s wife’ and back down?

If one person stepped down, while the other didn’t, it would feel as if the one who stepped down lost out. However, if both of them stepped down...they were even more unwilling, OK?!

"...Let’s go eat first, ba. This matter...cough...it’s not too late to talk about it again after leaving this godforsaken place," Yang Yue tugged his own hair, coughing dryly.

—–Right now was not the time to talk about love, ah!

"En," Ming Hai agreed and turned to leave.

——It was not beneficial to the unity of the group to act on this right now so, it would be better to keep their distance from one another for now, ba.

Most likely because nothing had happened after eating dinner last night, everyone was much more at ease. When Yang Yue and Ming Hai left, they didn’t see anyone on the way. Only when they reached the dining hall, did they see everyone already settled down and found their spots at an earlier time.

Afterwards, Yang Yue’s expression suddenly sunk, turning ugly.

——What the heck was with that sticky b*stard next to Xiao Xiao, who was eating his breakfast earnestly?!

Ming Hai sent a questioning glance to Yang Yue before immediately understanding.

——Hehe, compared to being on guard against his family’s good friend, he should indeed first team up with him and settle that ghostly rival-in-love, ba! Don’t let one’s fertile water flow into other’s fields—even if he stepped down, he would only step down for this good friend. Who the heck was this other person?!

The author has something to say:

Zhao Xihe is the butler. Everyone guessed it, la wwww. I knew that he was really obvious...once he appeared, everyone would be able to recognize him...it’s impossible to hide!

Eve: Protag shou is...very gong-like this time. I ship it!!

Wuxian: I don’t envy SY one bit having the protags going after him but I do..kinda..ship him and the protag shou. Heh.