The Supporting Male Characters Who Died Alone All Those Years Later

The Shang Corporation was attacked by a hacker, and their newly launched game was put on hold. Despite their attempts using various methods, they couldn’t crack it, and Shang Corporation became a laughingstock.

People eagerly discussed the incident, especially competitors like the Tiaotiao Games, who even gleefully offered technical support.

Shang Nian’s face grew darker each day. 5 years of hard work, the project he had promoted in the company, came to an abrupt halt just before victory. He was unwilling to accept it!

On the tenth day of the attack, hacker H remained unmoved despite being offered a hefty sum of 100 million. The board of directors had no choice but to make a desperate decision; to completely shut down the game system and wait for the day it could be restarted.

Shang Nian, unwilling to accept failure, immediately offered a high reward to find H upon returning.

Meanwhile, He Dongchen, accompanied by Nan Shuang and the product the company had worked tirelessly on, arrived at the Tiaotiao Games to discuss business.

For such technical products, the product itself spoke volumes. He Dongchen communicated with the technical personnel from the other company, while Nan Shuang handled discussions with the company’s representative.

Unfortunately, Nan Shuang was already acquainted with that representative.

“After you left Shang Corporation, our company wanted to get in touch, but we didn’t expect you to find a new company so quickly, and as a second-in-command. Quite impressive.”

Nan Shuang’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. It sounded nice, but if they had wanted to contact her, they could have done so much earlier.

The discussions went fairly well, mainly because He Dongchen’s technology was solid, and the other company’s technical staff nodded continuously. Over the next half month, there were several interactions, and eventually, the Tiaotiao Games decided to let Xingchen Network handle the network security for one of their small games as a trial.

With the first deal made, Nan Shuang was responsible for subsequent matters, while He Dongchen began working on developing the second product. He was determined to work hard to be able to confront Shang Nian openly in the future.

During a busy period, He Dongchen heard about Shang Nian’s high reward for finding H. He stroked his chin, considering whether to pursue the money.

The system couldn’t help but roll its eyes; this was somewhat naïve.

***

Meanwhile, He’s parents had gone on a trip with their savings, and Nian Zhenzhen’s life fell into a difficult mode.

With no one to serve her, she had to handle all the trivial matters herself. Recently, when she had run out of money, she disguised herself and went to the other end of the city to have a middle school student help her withdraw 20,000 yuan in cash. For the next few days, she was worried and scared, waking up multiple times at night, dreaming that Shang Nian had found her by following her trail and was forcefully dragging her to the hospital to get an abortion.

Nian Zhenzhen was anxious and, coupled with severe morning sickness, had lost several pounds in just a few days. She looked precarious, as if she might be blown away by the wind at any moment.

One day, the house ran out of vegetables. Nian Zhenzhen, unable to use her phone for payment, had to go downstairs to buy groceries with cash. She carried large and small bags back, sweating profusely.

When she was going upstairs, a neighbor saw her and quickly asked her son to help carry the groceries, curious; “Zhen Zhen, why did you go grocery shopping by yourself? Why didn’t you order takeout? It’s so convenient to buy groceries with a phone now.”

Nian Zhenzhen wiped the sweat from her forehead, forcing a smile as she said, “My bank card was accidentally locked. I need to find a time to go to the bank to unlock it.”

“Oh, I see.” The neighbor didn’t ask further and had her son carry the groceries into Nian Zhenzhen’s house. When the son returned, his face was as red as a monkey’s bottom. The neighbor became alert, grabbing her son’s ear and scolding him, “She’s pregnant, and we don’t even know who the father is. You should stay away from her. Do you think you’re going to help raise someone else’s child?”

“Mom, my ear!” The room was filled with chaos.

Nian Zhenzhen’s unmarried pregnancy and unknown partner were common knowledge in the neighborhood. While people tried to keep gossip to a minimum and help out where they could, most would keep their distance to avoid any complications. No one was eager to raise a child, which was both time-consuming and labor-intensive.

However, many older men didn’t mind becoming accidental fathers and tried to curry favor with Nian Zhenzhen both openly and subtly.

Nian Zhenzhen was disgusted and avoided them as much as possible. Having been with someone as handsome and wealthy as Shang Nian, she found these ordinary men unappealing.

Even He Dongchen, who was successful in his career, seemed only slightly outstanding in her eyes, far from measuring up to Shang Nian.

Nian Zhenzhen was both proud and sorrowful, her mood fluctuating daily. One time, after severe morning sickness, she absently ordered porridge through her phone, only to realize afterward that she had exposed herself!

She was anxious and even considered drastic measures to protect her child. Yet, days passed; 3 days, a week, half a month, without any sign of Shang Nian or even his assistant. There wasn’t a single call.

Nian Zhenzhen grew more and more silent.

The news on TV reported that Shang Corporation had been hacked, leaving the company helpless and its stock plummeting. Nian Zhenzhen was less concerned about Shang Nian’s crisis and more focused on seeing him and his fiancée frequently appearing at various events together, showing solidarity and true affection in adversity.

Turning off the TV, Nian Zhenzhen sat dazed by the window, listening to the patter of rain outside. Suddenly, she buried her face in her hands and began to cry.

It was all just self-delusion. The search, the longing, everything was her own imagination. She was merely a dispensable lover; if she left, so be it. She was insignificant.

Thinking about the way she had been cautiously hiding and avoiding others over the past days only added to her sense of irony. She cried heartbrokenly, to the point of feeling the baby’s movement, and in her panic, she called He Dongchen.

When the call didn’t go through, she sent a text message instead.

Nian Zhenzhen: [Dongchen, I’m feeling the baby’s movement. Could you take me to the hospital?]

He Dongchen read the message, frowned slightly, and replied, [I’m out of town and it’s inconvenient. Please call 120.]

(T/N: 120 = emergency services number in China.)

To prevent any mishaps, He Dongchen had the system locate Nian Zhenzhen and dialed 120, ensuring that any issues wouldn’t be blamed on him.

***

“What’s wrong?” Nan Shuang, who was reviewing documents nearby, noticed He Dongchen’s frown and asked with concern.

“It’s nothing.” He Dongchen put away his phone. “It’s time to board. Let’s go.”

The two of them packed up and lined up at the boarding gate. They were heading out of town to negotiate a major deal, which, if successful, would elevate the company to new heights.

On the other side, Nian Zhenzhen looked at He Dongchen’s cold message, tears streaming down her face. Why had everyone abandoned me? No one in the world seems to care about me.

Nian Zhenzhen let go of her phone and laid on the floor, allowing herself to slowly lose consciousness. Just before she blacked out, she seemed to hear an ear-piercing sound.

When He Dongchen landed, he received a call from his mother, who was anxiously saying, “I heard from the people in the neighborhood that Nian Zhenzhen had a pregnancy scare and that 120 was called. Fortunately, the baby is safe. It’s only been a short time, and there’s already trouble. Should I go back to check on her?”

He Dongchen replied, “Nian Zhenzhen has money. After this, she’ll probably hire a nanny, so you don’t need to worry.”

The misfortunes of the He family in the original plot all stemmed from Nian Zhenzhen. Some people were just ungrateful, focused only on their own romantic desires, and weren’t worthy of sympathy.

Feeling sympathy for ungrateful people only brought misfortune upon oneself.

Thinking about it, Mother He agreed and stopped dwelling on the matter. She then talked about the interesting parts of their trip. They hadn’t traveled abroad this time but had chosen a seaside city to enjoy good food and drink, which was quite pleasant.

He Dongchen said, “By coincidence, I’m on a business trip and staying at the same hotel as you. I was actually planning to give you a surprise.”

Mother He was delighted to hear this. “When will you arrive at the hotel? Your father and I will meet you at the entrance.”

Nan Shuang, walking nearby, perked up her ears. Was this about meeting He Dongchen’s parents? She felt inexplicably nervous, glanced at her outfit; a simple and elegant ensemble with a slightly aggressive lipstick color, and decided to find a chance to change it in the bathroom.

Nan Shuang’s thoughts were a whirlwind, ultimately concluding that reacting to her boss’s parents was a normal response.

After He Dongchen ended the call, he noticed Nan Shuang’s large suitcase and, with a smile, said, “You seem a bit nervous.”

“I’m not, just a bit hot,” Nan Shuang smiled and replied, trying to calm herself. “I’m going to the bathroom.”

After taking her bag and heading to a nearby restroom, she emerged with a much softer demeanor. Her previously tied-up long hair was now loose, making her appear gentler.

“Let’s go,” Nan Shuang said as she approached.

He Dongchen looked her up and down and suddenly remarked, “Lipstick is really a magical thing.”

Nan Shuang widened her eyes slightly and instinctively covered her mouth. Didn’t men usually not notice lipstick shades? How could He Dongchen tell right away, that I had switched to a gentler color?

Feeling frustrated, Nan Shuang forced a calm expression and said, “I just read an article that said aggressive lipstick colors make a strong first impression, which isn’t conducive to friendly relations.”

“Really?” He Dongchen raised an eyebrow and then slowly added, “I also read an article with a title about the best makeup for meeting parents. It analyzed the types of appearances older generations like, including lipstick…”

Nan Shuang’s smile froze, and she regretted not being straightforward earlier. She quickly interrupted He Dongchen, “I didn’t realize President He, with your busy schedule, also reads such articles. It’s getting late; let’s hurry to the hotel.”

After saying that, she flicked her hair and pushed her suitcase, quickly walking away with a sense of fleeing.

He Dongchen chuckled softly and leisurely followed her with his long strides.

They took a taxi to the hotel and, upon getting out, indeed saw the He parents waiting downstairs. After some pleasantries, Mother He’s eyes brightened when she saw the pretty and graceful Nan Shuang. She eagerly approached and asked, “Where are you from, young lady? Do you have a partner? What do you think of my son?”

Nan Shuang was at a loss and could only smile, casting a pleading look at He Dongchen.

He Dongchen placed a hand over his mouth and laughed, then put his arm around his mother’s shoulders and led her to the front desk. “We’ve been on a plane all afternoon. Let’s rest first; there’s no rush.”

After checking in, they found that Nan Shuang and He Dongchen’s room was conveniently located next to the He parents’.

They rested for a while and then had dinner together. The atmosphere was lively, but Mother He was relentlessly promoting her son, which made Nan Shuang somewhat uncomfortable. He Dongchen noticed her unease and suggested that they all go back to their rooms to rest after dinner, as they had work the next day.

Nan Shuang accepted without protest, said her goodbyes, and left the restaurant.